by Phil Houtz on December 2, 2012
in Gear
From the looks of the JawSaw you would think that if Aaron Ralston had one of these wicked beasts in Blue Jay Canyon, the movie 127 Hours would have to be retitled 127 seconds. This thing looks like it could blaze through a forest like a Pac Man in a candy store. But in reality the JawSaw is just a modified light duty Electric Pole Saw
. While it looks like a wicked nasty beast, the JawSaw is designed to help keep life and limb together.
Here’s What’s Awesome about the WORX JawSaw:
Anybody who has ever used a chain saw for bucking logs knows that if you let the chain nick the dirt for two seconds you’re going to spend the next hour sharpening cutters with your chain saw file. The JawSaw’s guard prevents that from happening. The guard also virtually eliminates the possibility of kickback injury because the saw chain is fully protected.
There are some other really nice design features built into the saw, but those are the main benefits that I can see.
Here’s What’s Not So Awesome:
The JawSaw is powered by an anemic 5 amp motor, meaning that your hand drill likely has more power. The bar is only 6″ long and can only handle branches up to 4″ diameter. By comparison a Remington 10″ electric chain saw can cut logs up to 20″ – provided you know how to handle a chain saw and have a good deal of experience.
Bottom Line:
All-in-all the WORX JawSaw looks to be a pretty nifty and very safe-to-operate tool for homeowners who have a lot of small trees on their property. But if you don’t live in the Black Forest, why not go with something like the Fiskars Pruning Saw
?
I’ve put in a lot of hours with a manual pole saw and find them to be fast, nimble and get between tight branches easier than any kind of chain saw.
But if you really feel like you need a chain saw to handle your yard clean up and don’t feel like spending a couple hours on safety training, then please consider the JawSaw. It won’t cost an arm and a leg.
Here’s what others say:
Works great, but heavy.
Plenty of power…until the chain comes off.
A safer chain saw.
Get your JawSaw here.
Tagged as:
Reviews,
Tools
by Phil Houtz on August 5, 2012
in Diary
With the Malibu Canyon Dirt Dash a little more than a month away I figured it is high time to hit the hills. So far most of my trail running has been on fairly level ground.
On Monday I did four reps on a low-grade hill and had a pretty tight knot in my calf afterwards. Wednesday I upped the workout to six reps of the same hill, another knot in the leg. Saturday I ran the hills behind Arroyo Verde park in Ventura and then another two miles on streets. Around Mile 3 I got a pretty garly pain in my calf. I think I may have a Grade II Calf Strain.
Treatment for Calf Strain is Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Time for recovery is about two weeks. This is disappointing because I wanted to be turning the dial up a notch at this point. I’ll keep you posted how it goes.
Tagged as:
First Aid,
Running,
Tips
After hearing for years that water is the best thing to drink after exercise I was surprised to hear that the latest thing in recovery drinks is…chocolate milk!
I don’t know if it’s my imagination – or the placebo effect – but my knees do seem to feel better if I follow a run with a big glass of low fat chocolate milk. One thing I’m sure of, it’s been a great motivator. On days that I’m struggling with an extra helping of “doan wanna” it’s a little easier to get out on the trail knowing that there will be a big frosty mug of chocolate milk waiting at the end.
The Pros
According to WebMD chocolate milk has the following benefits over most sports drinks:
- 3-to-1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein
- Easily digested whey protein that can begin rebuilding muscle tissue immediately
- Casein, a protein that is digested slowly and reduces amount of muscle breakdown well after the workout
Livestrong, a site that seems completely sold on the idea of chocolate milk after working out, cites a number of studies showing that runners recover faster after downing a glass of choco milk than a carbohydrate loaded sports beverage.
The Cons
As awesome as chocolate milk is, it might not be for everyone. Livestrong also posts anti-milk articles that suggest (strongly) that any dairy consumption might be cramping your style. The best way to know whether milk might be causing muscle or joint pain for you is to keep a food diary. Try two or three weeks dairy-free and record your aches and pains. Then re-introduce dairy and see if there is a difference in the way you feel.
All I know is that chocolate milk makes me feel like a kid again.
What about you, what’s your favorite post-workout drink?
[Photo by Alice Birkin]
Tagged as:
Fitness,
Food,
Running
I started running in Vibram Five Fingers, inspired partly by the photo above. Problem is starting a running regime is easy… keeping it up, not so much.
I’ve started and restarted a running program a half-dozen times since I first heard about Five Fingers. Here’s what’s working pretty well this time around:
1. Have a goal. I’ve got a couple friends running the Malibu Dirt Dash in September. I registered for the Mud Run.
2. Start building slowly. I tend to push myself too hard too early. This time I set aside May and June to build mileage slowly. To keep it slow I decided to follow the Couch to 5k program.
3. Live coaching. Using Runkeeper on my iPhone makes it easy to track intervals, measure pace and log mileage.
Currently I’m logging about 11 miles a week, 11:18 pace. The goal for July is to continue building mileage and intensity.
Tagged as:
Running
