FMCA’s RV Product highlights for June 2017 are in! Read about cleaners, degreasers, cleaning towels, keyboard covers, hands-free lights, coax cable grippers, wall cabinets, 360-degree camera systems, illuminated tow bars, and waste macerator systems.
Cleaner/Degreaser/Disinfectant
Now, it won’t remove that tattoo you’ve come to regret, but Spray Nine Heavy-Duty Cleaner/Degreaser, from Permatex, removes many other things: grease, carpet stains, dirt, brake dust, viruses, bacteria, ink, tar, bug splatter, mold, and mildew, to name a few.
It’s marketed as a “triple threat,” because it cleans, degreases, and disinfects.
The noncorrosive, nonbleach formula does not contain petroleum or chlorination chemicals. It is said to be safe to use on motors, tools, walls, floors, painted metals, upholstery, fiberglass, and more. The suggested retail price of a 32-ounce bottle is $6.99. Bonus fact: In 1956, Spray Nine became the first company to package a cleaning solution in a spray bottle, according to the company website.
ITW Permatex
10 Columbus Blvd., Unit 5
Hartford, CT 06106
www.spraynine.com
Cleaning Towels
NanoTowels, from Life Miracle USA, are marketed as an effective alternative to paper towels and chemical cleaning products. Only water is needed to clean with a NanoTowel, according to the company’s website. And when a towel gets dirty, it can be washed and used again.
Nanotowel.com explains that the towels are made of Nanolon fiber, which is hundreds of times finer than a human hair; a NanoTowel contains about 100,000 such fibers per square inch, which helps it capture liquid, dust, and dirt. The towels can be used on many surfaces, including countertops, sinks, tubs, wood, granite, floors, glass, and stainless steel. Each NanoTowel is 14 inches by 14 inches. The price is $24.90 for a four-pack.
Life Miracle USA
(888) 271-5433
www.nanotowel.com
Keyboard Cover
Oh, the things that end up in the crevices of a laptop’s keyboard: dirt, dust, cookie crumbs, Cheetos fragments, cola drips. Need we go on? NewerTech’s NuGuard Keyboard Cover protects MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Retina laptops made from 2011 to present.
The silicone covers are said to have a “silky smooth surface texture.” To install a cover, align it with the keyboard keys and lightly press down. To clean a cover, lift it off the keyboard, rinse with water, and dry it. Many colors are available. Prices range from $11.99 to $19.99, depending on size.
NewerTech
8 Galaxy Way
Woodstock, IL 60098
(800) 275-4576
www.newertech.com
Hands-Free Light
Even people with radiant personalities can’t function in the dark. That’s where the Beam n Read LED 6 Hands-Free Task Light comes in. Designed to be worn around the neck, the Beam n Read features six LEDs that illuminate two full pages of a book and provide light for pursuits such as crafts or nighttime walks.
The blue light produced by LEDs can be harsh at night, so Beam n Read includes two snap-on filters: orange blocks the blue light for a more relaxing glow; red suppresses ambient light (so as not to disturb bed partners with sensitive eyes) and helps you maintain night vision when you switch between lighted and dark conditions. Beam n Read runs on four AA batteries; or, a USB power kit, which plugs into a USB vehicle adapter/charger, can be purchased separately. The suggested retail price of the Beam n Read LED 6 is $29.95.
ASF Lightware Solutions
2144 Seneca W.
Merrick, NY 11566
(800) 771-3600
www.readinglight.com
Coax Cable Gripper
Count this among life’s little aggravations: attaching a coaxial cable to a campground power pedestal. Jim Wright developed RV Cable Grip to eliminate the hassle of twisting the small hex nut on the end of the coax.
RV Cable Grip attaches to any standard F-connector coax cable and works with all common RV coax cable outlets. (Check the RV Cable Grip website to ensure your cable connector is compatible with the product.) The ergonomic design of RV Cable Grip makes it easy to tighten or loosen the cable, without a wrench. The price is $16.99 for one pair of RV Cable Grips, an installation tool, and instructions.
J Wright Concepts
P.O. Box 292511
Sacramento, CA 95829
(916) 955-0048
www.rvcablegrip.com
Wall Cabinet
Bathrooms in many motorhomes lack counter space. My Flip Frame is a wall cabinet that not only provides shelves for storage but offers a temporary countertop as well. It also allows you to display a photo or artwork of your choosing.
My Flip Frame weighs 16.8 pounds. It’s 17 inches long, 21 inches high, and 5.25 inches deep; interior depth is 4 inches. It comes fully assembled and includes three tempered-glass shelves, which are adjustable to various heights. The front of the frame folds down like a Murphy bed, creating the temporary countertop that holds up to 6 pounds. (To allow the countertop to fully extend from the wall requires 26 inches of space.) When the frame is open, removing a magnetic end cap allows you to slide out the frame’s picture and replace it with another.
Available colors are designer white and café espresso. The price of My Flip Frame is $129.
My Flip Frame
www.myflipframe.com
360-Degree Camera System
The RVS-77535 360-Degree Surround View Camera System from Rear View Safety is designed to eliminate dreaded and dangerous blind spots. The key: four ultra-wide fish-eye cameras that merge their views to create a three-dimensional image of the vehicle and its surroundings.
Furthermore, the system shows views from all sides of a motorhome, as well as a bird’s-eye view from above. A “triggered viewing” feature can automatically rotate a camera view based on predetermined triggers. For example, displaying the rear when the vehicle is put in reverse. Next, the system records all camera views, and the G-sensor feature instantly saves files before and after an impact. Two versions of the system are available: for vehicles up to 25 feet and for vehicles up to 50 feet. The suggested price is $699.99.
Rear View Safety Inc.
1797 Atlantic Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11233
(800) 764-1028
www.rearviewsafety.com
Illuminated Tow Bar
Roadmaster’s new Nighthawk tow bar is the first to have LEDs embedded along each of the arms. So, the 300-lumen LEDs come on when the motorhome lights do. Also, Nighthawk claims the longest tow bar arms and the largest hookup radius on the market. The tow bar, designed for one person to connect/disconnect, weighs 35 pounds and has an 8,000-pound capacity.
This is Roadmaster’s first tow bar designed for its EZ5, MX, and MS tow bar mounting brackets, which do not require a crossbar. Other Nighthawk features: an aluminum alloy shell, a black matte finish, stainless-steel inner arms, and internally routed safety cables and power cord. Nighthawk comes with Roadmaster’s Freedom Latch, which has a patented cam design that eliminates the need to straighten and align the towed vehicle and motorhome in order to release the tow bar. The manufacturer’s suggested price is $1,250.
Roadmaster Inc.
6110 N.E. 127th Ave.
Vancouver, WA 98682
(800) 669-9690
www.roadmasterinc.com
Waste Macerator System
Have you been wishing for a quick, easy, and nonmessy way to dump the holding tanks? Clean Dump, according to product literature, fits the bill. Rather than rely on gravity, the system pumps waste as far as 150 feet and up to 20 feet of elevation.
Clean Dump is designed to connect securely to most RV dump receptacles. So, a key feature is its macerator pump, which finely grinds sewage so that it flows quickly through the discharge hose. Then, patented pump technology produces pressure that cleans the 1-inch hose when gray water is dumped last, without a need to rinse. Two systems are available: one is permanently installed; the other is a twist-on portable system. The FMCA-member price is $299.
Clean Dump
14615 N.E. 13th Court #B106
Vancouver, WA 98685
(360) 798-2437
www.cleandump.com