Rich

About Rich

Rich Dana loves to build things, to tinker on things, and to grow things. After more than a decade as a historic building remodeler in Brooklyn, New York, he and his wife Ericka moved to their back-to-the-land dream home (and fixer-uper nightmare), an 1870s farmhouse on 15 acres in eastern Iowa that they call “Catnip Farm.” For the last 18 years, Rich has specialized in super-efficient historical renovations and solar PV installation. He is working to convert much of the farm into perennial food crops like nut trees and berries, and he helps Ericka out with her heirloom seed project. His latest passion is learning to sew.

Doubling Down on Outdoor Tools Part 3 – The Makita LXT X2 Blower

Rich September 10, 2017 Leave a Comment

In part one of this series, I confessed that loud, gas-powered yard tools are one of my pet peeves, and leaf blowers make me downright ornery. Why, WHY are they SO loud, and why does the neighbor insist on blowing every single leaf all the way from the back yard to the street at 8 AM on Sunday? We were recently sent the Makita LXT X2 Blower (XBU02Z), and this quiet, powerful blower has rock-solid Makita 18V technology at its heart. Double batteries provide twice the power and lots of versatility. So can a battery powered blower cut it (or blow it in this case)? Read More

Doubling Down on Outdoor Tools Part 2 – The Makita LXT 18V X2 Chainsaw

Rich August 10, 2017 2 Comments

Electric chainsaws are great for tree trimming and cleanup, and they eliminate so many of the hassles of a gas-powered tool. No yanking on a pull cord and no worrying about old gas in the tank. However, they are often not very well-built. Makita’s new LXT 18V X2 chainsaw is a sturdy little powerhouse of a saw, packed with cool features and built like a pro-quality power tool. I recently reviewed the new Makita LXT 18V X2 string trimmer. I must say, I’m liking what I see from the Japanese power tool giant. Their forays into outdoor power equipment show the same great quality as their pro-grade cordless power tools, and sticking with their very successful 18-volt platform shows an understanding and respect for their customers that other companies may be missing. Read More