A CONSUMER’S REPORT, OPINION, AND COMPARATIVE REVIEW OF 1-WATT LUXEON LED AND OT

on a practical note, I use a pot holer's head light a lot when working with electrics or plumbing. They're ideal and, of course, keep your hands free to do the work. They're also ideal if you need to go under the bonnet of your car or anywhere generally dark. I got the elasticated head strap version rather then the clip on version because it's more secure and also allows you to wear it without a hat if it's too warm (which it usually is in a loft when doing rewiring) also the straps allow you to lodge a pencil behind there for marking etc. It takes an AA battery and has a standard lamp but this makes for easier adjustment for lighting things at distance. I've found that LED lighting can be a little weak when tested over distance. Interesting thread. I'm thinking of offering my opinions on Push-fit PVC plumbing systems compared to compression or standard soldered copper work.

Did someone say rubber gloves?

well George, the sponge float seems to be the float of choice to the super fast on-the-go plasterer these days. I don't have one, I have a Marshalltown 14 stud steel float but I'm told that if you want to save a lot of time and get a working finish then the sponge is the way!

you used to be able to get them from argos ely ...

Did someone say Sponge?

Ooo would love one. My grandad makes them with 3 eggs. They are about the height of three Encyclopedia Britannicas and taste delicious. Dusted with icing sugar and containing a generous helping of home-made apricot jam.

Mmm, when can we come round, Jeff? Is he a pipe smoker too?

What ARE your opinions regarding the various plumbing systems, Ian?

No, he's anti-drugs. I'll ask him when he's next baking and get back to you, Emma. How would you feel about an apple crumble?

it's nice to pull the chain before you stand up ...........

But you're never really sure if it's clean water or piss that's washing your bum, Freda.

An age-old conundrum, George.

Well George, seeing as you asked. I'd always suggest the Push Fit system to the DIY plumber as the amount of prep work and scope for errors is minimal. They really are a boon and have revolutionised plumbing. Here are a few benefits: 1: no heat is required so they can be fitted when the pipework is wet or in a vulnerable position where soldering would be dangerous 2: (and this is a huge benefit) they can be removed and even re-used! [Actually this applies to most versions but some sold to trade (grab ring types) AREN'T REMOVEABLE without dismantling the joint and crushing the grab ring so you should check there is a loose collet inside the opening to joints that you can push back to release the pipe] 3: they can be adjusted so a joint can be made and then the pipe rotated to suit 4: the pipe itself is very flexible so a pipe bender or spring isn't needed, AND it allows easier insertion with T joints where there is little give in the pipework. 5: they can be used with traditional copper pipework so you can add them to existing systems without replacing one for another 6: they won't freeze or corrode, don't need lagging as much, don't fur up as easily or react to inhibitors in central heating systems so much. the negatives are: 1:The plastic pipe is easily scratched and the tiniest groove in the side will cause a leak 2:they're ugly as a new born hippo's nutsack and very bulky 3: they're expensive (about £2 for an elbow joint as opposed to about 30p for the copper version) 4: recently they have insisted that the sleeves normally pushed inside the pipe when attaching to a copper compression joint to stop crushing must now also be used on ALL the joints. There are plastic sleeves for the plastic joints with extra black washers on that reinforce the seal as they tend to wear out after about ten years. These sleeves tend to make removal of the pipe difficult and the sleeve often stays in the joint. So all in all I'd strongly recommend plastic 'push fit' pipes to any DIY plumber. It's very simple, straight forward and quick but most importantly, it's removeable. The cost difference won't come close to the cost of paying a plumber and the ugly looks can be hidden under floorboards etc. Many places make their own versions but they're all interchangeable.

Thanks Ely... useful. My boat needs replumbing and now I might just tackle it myself. Tell me though... do you think that a sieved drain on the bottom is a good idea... to let excess water run into the river???

Hmm. Not the response I expected, Ian. I don't think push-fit systems were devised with 'Destroy-It-Yourself'ers in mind. I thought perhaps you would be more of a traditionalist and condemn them as being gimmicky and not what real plumbing is all about. Oh well, perhaps I'm getting old and refusing to move on. I DO have a few push-fit fittings in my plumbing box but they tend to be stop-ends that I use as temporary caps when re-fitting kitchens/bathrooms. I would never use them as permanent fittings , especially on central heating sysytems as I have no confidence in them. That's just based on my old-fashioned perceptions of plumbing (I used to do lead and iron pipes in my youth and railed against copper too I seem to remember). These days I rarely use anything other than standard end-feed copper fittings, I don't even like compression fittings much though i will use them in certain circumstances. I guess my main objection is to those neoprene sealing rings, they never look as though they will last 25yrs to me.

...eh?

makes me come over all funny, when men are men...

Very good question, Jeff.. I tend to use eh sparingly in winter.. and if I do, I generally combine it with a glennfiddich of coarr brackets.. now, contentious though these older style coarrs may be (bearing in mind the EU etc) I find at these temperatures they produce fantastic wooaahs ..and perhaps the odd yeeeahh if you're lucky. In summer, of course, the opposite is true.. where your standard bowl or rivet may well puncture or score the underside of said brackets in a rainbow of waaaheyyys. The purchase of eugh-goggles in situations like these.. well, it's pretty much a given. Only my opinion, of course. ;) [%sig%]

Is there something you didn't understand, Matt?

I think it's in box c

No, George, it all makes perfect sense now when I consider the true meaning of the above ratings: RATINGS: 5 = Excellent (Jo from S Club) 4 = Very Good (Hannah from S Club) 3 = Acceptable (Tina from S Club) 2 = Less than acceptable (Bradley from S Club) 1 = Poor (Jon from S Club) 0 = Fail (Paul from S Club 7) u = Unknown or Not Applicable (Rachel from S Club) Andrew, you're entitled to your opinion, but in my opinion the ooer would be the correct mode, considering its frequency nodule, when coupled with a wahey. Your thoughts? [%sig%]

I know what you mean George and I have to agree that there's nothing more likely to instill a sense of pride in a plumber than a beautifully put together bit of copper plumbing but, as a lead and iron man yourself, you must appreciate the joy at not having to rag a fat lead joint every time there's a frost. No, the plastic stuff may be ugly but it's the latest and, therefore, the highest spec. As for perceptions, I suppose my youth leads me to trust a ring of rubber to be watertight over a metal olive. ... next week. Plastering- is a sponge float really cheating?

I agree with ely that a pot-holer's headlamp is a serviceable item, but I prefer the version that is issued to BT engineers, also elasticated but with a much more comfortable fit and a stronger beam. It takes a lighter and more powerful battery and works under water. These items are hard to find in the High Street or on ebay, but you can follow my modus operandi for successfully acquiring a good quality one: call BT and say your phone doesn't work (use your mobile for this), lead the engineer to your cellar where the lights don't work and when he puts on his headlamp, club him with an axe or tyre lever. (If you don't have a cellar, lead him to the spare bedroom and approach him from behind in a similar manner as above.) I think you will find it worthwhile.

Jeff.. the wahey in tandem with ooer is definitely a serviceable option.. I grant you that. BUT the eh, in combination with the methods I talked of above, for me, is a better long term solution.. depends on the temperatures in yr abode.. it's quite possible that you would suffer some eeeeeaaayachachas as a result of your chosen method. I'm assuming you're refering to yr Quwerbs handbook regarding ooer usage and random plumbing scenarios? Their editor is a staunch ooer devotee. Of course, another thought is to stick with ooer whilst ratcheting yr nodule NorthNorthEast.. you will still have some residual ho-di-ho problems but that may well not b a problem, if you have a well aeriated loofdrual foundation.. what say you? [%sig%]

ah Stephen, sounds very good. Mine is a Petzl, from one of those outdoor extreme sports shop places for pot holers. It's also waterproof but not as bright as yours I'll wager. The BT ones always look too clunky to me, likely to leave a red line on the forehead. Mine is very light and also has a little reflective bar at the back to anyone behind you can see where you are... hang on! that may be a bad idea if I'm ever invited into someone's cellar!

Depends if he's got a tyre lever. I am wary of all approaches from the rear so I don't favour the reflective bar.

Stephen, you'd probably hear your assailant assembling his step ladder long before he got anywhere close to coshing you on the head.

No lengthy pipe jokes please.

eh? Stephen... Everyone knows that the luminous intensity of your shirts emit not an isignificant number of candelas per metre square (cd/m2)... to put in perspective, expand your typical shirt to an appropriate enough size and you would rival only the sun in its emissions... certainly capable of supporting life in far reaches of outer space... Have to conclude that your headgear is a fashion accessory rather than an aid to the serious business of plumbing and mucking around in lofts... either that or you just like luring BT engineers into your cellar for purposes unknown.

What the hell would you use a sponge float for? Icing a cake? What's wrong with a traditional steel float? Head lamps are readily available from most good tool merchants these days, I still have my Cornish miners hat and a goodly supply of candles. Shirt, you can't beat a well-executed rear approach.

I've been ratcheting all day, Andrew, but with little success. I will have to make do with the current configuration I suppose. Icing a cake? Now there's a subject to warm the cockles on a long winter's evening. *Dons rubber gloves*

Did someone say cake?

Thanks Dietr - a useful contribution to that whole: should I shouldn't I opt for an LED light solution in the home environment debate.