It’s always a challenge to achieve adequate lighting in your kitchen. And coming up with properly focused spot lighting on some of your preferred work areas can lead to even more customized and expensive lighting applications.  But definitely nice to have! A particularly effective and low cost way to illuminate your key work areas in your kitchen is with the Under Cabinet Pivoting LED Spotlights from Hammacher Schlemmer.

These Under Cabinet Pivoting LED Spotlights swivel and adjust to throw a bright wash of light in any direction. The four LED lamp heads rotate a full 360º and pivot from side to side 30º, providing a flexible lighting solution that enables you to direct light over your specific favorite work areas.

Each individual LED light consists of a high output 1 watt LED lamp that illuminates up to 20x brighter than a typical LED. And the best thing about LED technology is the much lower heat output. These lights remain cool to the touch even after they’ve been running for a long period of time. And that makes it easy to reach up and adjust the lights and change the projection angle at any time without fear or worry of burning yourself on a scorching hot lamp or light bulb.

The Under Cabinet Pivoting LED Spotlights have two adjustable levels of light output. And these high quality LED lamps last up to 100,000 hours. That’s an amazing 11 1/2 years if you left the lights on continuously 24/7.  Multiple LED light units can be connected while only requiring one of them to be plugged into a power outlet. This makes it easy and convenient to mount the LED spotlights under your kitchen cabinet and plug the array into a suitable power source.

The Under Cabinet Pivoting LED Spotlights include an easy to install mounting bracket. And the brushed metal finish will add a sense of style and look attractive in any modern kitchen.

Available: Hammacher

Price: $64.95

If you’re a fan of high-end flashlights, then you’ll want to find out more about the Fenix PD32 315 Lumen LED Flashlight. Maglite upped the game years ago in the industrial strength torch market and created a whole new consumer interest in high-end flashlights. Not to mention the commercial application for policemen, security guards, firemen, etc.

But the downside of these traditional high-powered flashlights has been the heavy D cell batteries and the need to dispose of all those batteries when they run down. And if you use your flashlight all the time, you’ll go through a ton of batteries.

The better and brighter technology today is the LED flashlight. These are extremely efficient, more compact devices that can throw an impressively bright beam of light. Combine the LED lamp with a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery and you have a near perfect flashlight. And more eco-friendly too!

The Fenix PD32 315 Lumen LED Flashlight uses a Cree XP-G (R5) LED with a lifespan of 50,000 hours. So you won’t be looking for a replacement for quite a while. It can use either two 3 volt CR123A Lithium batteries or a single 18650 rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery. We recommend you go with the rechargeable.

Here’s a cool feature. The light output of this LED flashlight is digitally regulated to maintain constant brightness. It doesn’t start to fade as the batteries discharge. And it’s designed with a safety reverse polarity protection just in case you accidentally install the batteries the wrong way (you can damage the LED if you get the polarity reversed).

The Fenix PD32 LED Flashlight has four separate continuous brightness modes from the lowest power 9 lumen setting up to the brightest turbo 315 lumen setting, and two flash modes. At the brightest 315 lumen setting, the Fenix LED flashlight will throw a super high-powered beam over 400 feet. Now that’s a high-powered torch light!

The amazing thing about the Fenix LED flashlight is that it doesn’t generate excessive heat at the high power. The LED lamp is very efficient. The flashlight is constructed with sturdy industrial strength aircraft grade aluminum and decorated with a beautiful black anodized finish. Only five inches in length and weighing in at a little over two ounces (without the batteries), this is a very powerful LED flashlight in a compact sturdy little package.

Fenix rates the PD32 LED Flashlight at roughly 2 hours of running time at the highest 315 lumen setting, 8 hours at 130 lumens, 16 hours at 70 lumens and up to 200 hours at the lowest power 9 lumens setting. The flashlight is also waterproof, IPX-8 rated underwater to 2 meters.

You’ll also like the price. The Fenix PD32 315 Lumen LED Flashlight comes in at a lower price than other high-end LED flashlights in this range. You can pick up this awesome LED flashlight at Amazon for less than $70. Way to go Fenix!

Available: Amazon

Price: $67.95

Isometric resistance training is a superior strength building technique that is also much easier on the joints than other more stressful forms of exercise such as weight training. The Grip Isometric Resistance Upper Body Strengthener is a new isometric resistance trainer from Hammacher Schlemmer that combines advanced technology with this proven form of strength building exercise.

The Isometric Resistance Upper Body Strengthener is an effective way to achieve a muscle-strengthening upper body workout without all the stress and wear and tear on your joints, ligaments and tendons. To use the device you push and pull on the isometric resistance trainer’s handle grips without moving your upper body joints. This creates the same strength-building resistance training as free weights without the stressful and potentially damaging impact on your joints.

This low impact device is also perfect for improving bone density and recovering from muscle loss. The isometric trainer can be used to perform up to 23 different exercises that help strengthen and tone your arms, shoulders, chest, and back. The Grip Isometric Resistance Upper Body Strengthener has a programmable timer and will automatically monitor the applied force. It displays the readouts from your workout on the integrated backlit LCD  allowing you to set important workout goals and measure your progress.

The isometric resistance trainer runs on one 9-volt battery. Weighing only 2 1/2 pounds, the isometric resistance upper body strengthener is a powerful and effective electronic fitness device with a convenient, compact and portable design.

Available: Hammacher

Price: $59.95

With all the concerns about the hazardous effect that environmental pollution imposes on our health, more and more people every day are looking for water purification solutions to ensure safe and healthy drinking water. There are expensive and complex water purification systems for the home, and at the other end of the scale, lots of people simply buy and drink bottled water.

But buying bottled water for all of your water drinking needs is a waste of money when you can achieve the same or better pure water results with your own water purification system. Not to mention all the plastic water bottles that you’re dumping back into the environment that need to be recycled. Truly, bottled water is not very eco-friendly!

One of the most popular and affordable solutions is a water filtration pitcher and the ZeroWater Filtration Pitcher is one of the best water purifiers in this category that you will find.

In fact, the ZeroWater Filtration Pitcher is so good it’s the only filtered water from a pitcher that meets the FDA definition for purified bottled water. The ZeroWater Filtration Pitcher employs a 5-stage filtration process and comes with a convenient push button dispensor. When the filtered water is ready you simply push a button and fill your glass.

The ZeroWater innovative 5-stage ion exchange filter provides far more complete water filtration than ordinary carbon filters. The ZeroWater filter is so effective they even build the superior filtration ability into the name. The “zero” in ZeroWater means a perfect “000″ TDS filtering score by removing 100% of the totally disolved solids (TDS) from your water.

To put this level of water purity in perspective, TDS meter readings for average tap water can range between 075 and 300 total dissolved solids. Conventionally filtered water will typically measure between 030 and 500 TDS. And even bottled water isn’t always 100% pure ranging anywhere between between 000 and 350 TDS.

Watch the ZeroWater Filtration Pitcher Demonstration

The ZeroWater filter is so effective that ZeroWater even includes an independently manufactured battery-powered water testing meter with every pitcher. The meter is powered by two easy to replace 1.5V button cell batteries. Not only can you use the meter to verify that the ZeroWater Filtration Pitcher is actually filtering out the impurities and disolved solids, you can monitor the status of your filter as well and determine when it’s time to replace the filter.

So don’t settle for impure drinking water, putting you and your family’s health and safety at risk. For a very affordable price, you can provide all the safe, purified great-tasting water you’ll need with a ZeroWater Filtration Pitcher.

Available: Amazon

Price: $33.54

After thousands of different types of can openers have come and gone since the invention of the canning process over 200 years ago, who would imagine you could honestly improve on the common hand-operated can opener? Amazingly, it’s true. You’ll have to try the Trudeau Stressless Safety Can Opener to see for yourself.

We recently picked one of these can openers up over the holidays last year and we’re so impressed by how well it works I just had to include this review on Mint Gadgets!

The Trudeau Stressless Safety Can Opener is truly an easier and safer can opener. And a must-have convenient kitchen gadget for anyone who may struggle with reduced hand strength.  The circular rotating cranking arm provides increased leverage that actually requires 50 percent less effort than a typical hand-operated can opener.

But what’s even more impressive is the safety cutting mechanism. This innovative cutting mechanism cuts along the side of the can and never comes into contact with the food during operation, leaving safe smooth edges. When you’re finished cutting the lid off, both the edges of the lid and the edges of the can are smooth and safe, no sharp or jagged edges. You can literally run your fingers over the edges of the can or lid and you won’t cut or nick yourself. Now that’s amazing!

In fact, the lid removal is so clean and smooth, you could re-use the lid by just placing it back on top of the can and stick it in the refrigerator, as an alternative to plastic wrap.

The Trudeau Stressless Safety Can Opener also has a simple lid pliers to grip the lid for easy and hygienic lid removal. This remarkable can opener is part of the Trudeau stress less kitchen tool collection. They definitely hit the mark with this can opener and you’ll really enjoy opening cans again when you discover just how well the Trudeau Stressless Safety Can Opener works in your kitchen.

Available: Amazon

Price: $24.89