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What are your best outdoor gadgets/items? (1 Viewer)

LAUNCH

LAUNCH

Footballguy
I am looking for some ideas on cool stuff for the outdoor grilling/drinking area.  What's your go to gadget?

 
Not really a gadget but this week I discovered solar powered spotlights and flood lights to highlight areas of the landscaping and house.   Just slam the stake in the ground and when it gets dark out they automatically turn on for you.  

 
Buddy of mine has an "Egg grill" - and built a sweet DIY cart for it.  Plenty of storage, bottle opener and bottle top catch, wiring, stereo/speakers.  Sweet deal. 

 
Best thing I added to my porch was a wireless speaker.  I know most people go with bluetooth speakers now but I wanted one with a transmitter.  I can still connect my phone to it but I pretty much only use it to stay connected to my Dish receiver.  I will put on one of the Sirius music stations when we have people over.  Sometimes I'll sit on the porch and actually watch a little TV through the windows.  I like to have the Cubs game or the Office on.

 
Hawkeye21 said:
Best thing I added to my porch was a wireless speaker.  I know most people go with bluetooth speakers now but I wanted one with a transmitter.  I can still connect my phone to it but I pretty much only use it to stay connected to my Dish receiver.  I will put on one of the Sirius music stations when we have people over.  Sometimes I'll sit on the porch and actually watch a little TV through the windows.  I like to have the Cubs game or the Office on.
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I have a wireless speaker that's also an outdoor light.  In the sconce you don't even know where the music is coming from.

 
The only problem with the solar lights is that when you have a cloudy/rainy day or two in a row they don't have light for very long. I have one on a post by my driveway, and it isn't always on at night. I put it in because my old one had issues with the wiring underground and it was easier to do that instead of hiring someone to run wires. I will re-think about it later, but it is way down on the to-do list.

 
Bought a used Sonos Connect:AMP and a pair of these wired speakers and its way better than bringing out the wireless bluetooth speaker and having to have my phone close by,

Spent some money and some time running wires but it was definitely worth it.

 
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Hawkeye21 said:
Best thing I added to my porch was a wireless speaker.  I know most people go with bluetooth speakers now but I wanted one with a transmitter.  I can still connect my phone to it but I pretty much only use it to stay connected to my Dish receiver.  I will put on one of the Sirius music stations when we have people over.  Sometimes I'll sit on the porch and actually watch a little TV through the windows.  I like to have the Cubs game or the Office on.
Click to expand...
You mean a wireless speaker that's connected your TV/sound system inside? 

 
Mr. Ected said:
The only problem with the solar lights is that when you have a cloudy/rainy day or two in a row they don't have light for very long. I have one on a post by my driveway, and it isn't always on at night. I put it in because my old one had issues with the wiring underground and it was easier to do that instead of hiring someone to run wires. I will re-think about it later, but it is way down on the to-do list.
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Every set of solar lights that I see in my neighborhood as walkway lights or driveway lights really stink.  I would like to see a set of 2 year old LED ones and how well they hold up before I would ever get a set myself.

 
The Big Guy said:
Mr. Ected said:
The only problem with the solar lights is that when you have a cloudy/rainy day or two in a row they don't have light for very long. I have one on a post by my driveway, and it isn't always on at night. I put it in because my old one had issues with the wiring underground and it was easier to do that instead of hiring someone to run wires. I will re-think about it later, but it is way down on the to-do list.
Click to expand...
Every set of solar lights that I see in my neighborhood as walkway lights or driveway lights really stink.  I would like to see a set of 2 year old LED ones and how well they hold up before I would ever get a set myself.
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With mine, the light is fine, just getting enough juice into the batteries is the problem. I have a lot of shade in my front yard, although the light is probably in the best position for getting solar. If it is a cloudy or rainy day, the light won't go on, or it will only for a short period of time. This can be an issue in the winter with earlier sunsets!

 
Mr. Ected said:
With mine, the light is fine, just getting enough juice into the batteries is the problem. I have a lot of shade in my front yard, although the light is probably in the best position for getting solar. If it is a cloudy or rainy day, the light won't go on, or it will only for a short period of time. This can be an issue in the winter with earlier sunsets!
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Not too different than my thought.  If you are not getting enough juice in the batteries, either the light goes dim or you will get dim and run out later in the evening, which is probably when I am driving past thinking how horrible they look.  Of course, I might also be seeing older ones that were not LED, which I assume use a lot less juice and can be brighter for longer time periods too.

 
Shade Sails

Super cheap to buy and not too bad to put up.  Sail is the cheapest part though, but you can use them a couple years before they wear out.  Three turnbuckles, three anchors, six wire nuts, and a spool of 1/4" cable and you can have an awesome aesthetically pleasing accessory.

I get tons of comments on the one I installed.  People love the way it looks.

My Backyard

ETA:  Scroll to pic 17-22 in the backyard link, thought it would go direct to the pic

 
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Foosball God said:
I have one of these and it is awesome.  Skip to :48 if you want to get past some of the fluff.
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I too have one and yes it is awesome. It is cool when it really gets going, the flame is different then a normal fires flame. Very mesmerizing. The only problem is price. It’s pretty spendy. I do however bring mine camping and use it instead of the provided fire pit. 

 
offdee said:
Woah, that's pretty sweet.  May need to get.
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Meh, I have one and it doesn't keep ice worth a damn and while it looks cool its not near as functional as you think as you have to move the table up and down to get to the contents underneath, which also means you need to take the stuff sitting on top of the table.

 
Leroy Hoard said:
Can't go wrong with a set of these.

https://www.google.com/search?q=jarts+for+sale&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjd_I6o_cvbAhXqxYMKHe4FAokQ_AUICygC&biw=1280&bih=929#imgrc=NDJabKNDBtjKxM:&spf=1528732759480
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I certainly approve of this message. Before I moved we actually had a weekly Jarts league during the summer months at my brother in laws house. BYOB and each person is responsible for food one week during the season. Prize money at the end of each year depending on how high you finish. One of the few things I miss from our old neighborhood.

 
WhatDoIKnow said:
Just ordered a set for the same purpose.  :thumbup:    I may make them a little taller.
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How you going for do that?  Just some pvc tubing?  Let me know how it turns out. I’d like them a bit taller too. 

 
The Big Guy said:
Every set of solar lights that I see in my neighborhood as walkway lights or driveway lights really stink.  I would like to see a set of 2 year old LED ones and how well they hold up before I would ever get a set myself.
Click to expand...
Just sign up for subscribe and save so you get a new set every two weeks!

 
The Big Guy said:
Every set of solar lights that I see in my neighborhood as walkway lights or driveway lights really stink.  I would like to see a set of 2 year old LED ones and how well they hold up before I would ever get a set myself.
Click to expand...
Invest $20 and buy one (light up your address numbers or a nice tree or something) and put it somewhere in your yard and just keep an eye on it for the next 2 yrs to get a feel.   Keep the tag and just return it after a couple weeks if not liking it.

 
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