BUILDING PRODUCTS 2005 MVP (Most Valuable Products)

Award Winner

Super Selections: The MVP Award winners offer pros simpler installations, fewer callbacks, and happier clients.

By Stephanie Herzfeld

Each year, BUILDING PRODUCTS' Most Valuable Product competition singles out an elite handful of new products worthy of special recognition. This year, 28 products, ranging from a solar-powered attic fan to a 28-volt lithium-ion cordless tool system and a corner whirlpool bath, have been deemed the cream of the crop. They offer ways to make your job easier, your work more efficient, and your businesses more profitable. And they might just add a little fun back into your work day.

The MVP winners were selected by a six-judge panel made up of builders, remodelers, and architects from across the country. The entries were collected as a result of BUILDING PRODUCTS' request to manufacturers for information about their best introductions between January 2004 and January 2005.

Unable to test each product, our judges scrutinized written statements, press materials, brochures, pricing information, testimonials, and photography submitted by the manufacturers. Specifically, our panel assessed each entry based on a single requirement: Is the product of "value" to pros, meaning does it reduce installation time, callbacks, or labor costs; solve a problem; simplify installation; boost profits; or add curb appeal or a "wow" factor to a home?

All claims about the winning products come from their makers; the editors could not independently verify the statements. What's more, the winners represent only a small portion of top-notch products. The judges made their selections based on items entered in the competition, not from all products that debuted between January 2004 and January 2005.

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Turanair Systems

Turanair Systems

Because it's so small and lightweight, the T-Force 1000 portable Work Bottle air-powered system is an exceptional time and space saver for pros going through punch lists or remodelers working in occupied homes, said the judges. The product, which uses compressed air to fuel pneumatic tools, is about the size of a coffee Thermos. The system, which the maker says is an alternative to heavy generators, loud compressors, cumbersome air hoses, and extension cords, connects to any pneumatic tool. “A portable power source that small strapped to your tool belt was like a gift from the construction gods,” Eric A. Stromer, a carpenter with TLC's Clean Sweep home improvement show said in a written testimonial. 

 866-706-0022. www.turanairsystems.com.

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Air compressors are commonplace on high-end DIY projects and home-construction work sites, powering tools, spraying lacquer, and generally making noise, tripping people up with tubes, and getting in the way. Compressed air bottles present a serious alternative to the standard tech, though, just as battery-powered tools once challenged corded tools. The T-Force bottles we saw today hold air compressed at 3000 to 4500 psi. Thats an immense amount of pressure, held in a bottle rated by the Department of Transportation and also used in aviation and military applications. (When the bottles fail, at pressure equal to at least four times the official rating, the air is vented safely, were told. Which is good, because air held at 3000 psi could turn its container into a pretty impressively deadly projectile.) The bottle fits easily in a hip holster, bringing mobility to anyone interested in say, banging in 300 framing nailes or 800 staples, or filling a truck tire. The setup is much simpler than a standard compressor system, promising to make pneumatic tools more accessible to more people. For people already using pneumatic tools, these bottles will mean mobility.

Jerry Beilinson and Roy Berendsohn

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Taking the hassle out of air tool jobs is the foundation of an up-and-coming South Florida company that is promising to revolutionize the pneumatic tool industry.

Turanair Systems, Inc. of Coral Springs has developed a portable, lightweight air-power supply system that provides dry compressed air as the energy source for virtually all air tools currently on the market.  And since pneumatic air tools are likely to be used wherever any kind of assembly, maintenance, or repair work is done, potential applications for the handy system are far-reaching. Applications extend from cabinet and furniture makers to building contractors, pallet manufacturers, boat builders, and even automotive or aircraft assembly plants where the system can offer instant portability on assembly lines or in production areas.

The stand-alone Turanair patent-pending system simply straps onto a worker’s belt, eliminating the need for auxiliary equipment, including loud generators and compressors, awkward hose and cords—and the non-productive setup and breakdown time associated with it.

Its capability to take away a multitude of downtime downers is reflected in the product’s widespread appeal, says Bob Turan, company founder and systems inventor.

"Interest and reactions to the product have been absolutely overwhelming," Turan says, "and we see new applications for it wherever we turn.

"During our field-test stage, we gave out a pre-production lot of our system to roofers and trim carpenters with instructions to ‘just give it a try for a few days and tell us what you think.’

"We literally saw jaw-dropping reactions. Many people said they were ready to place orders on the spot and wondered why tool companies have not come up with such an ingenious, simple-to-use system."

Perhaps it’s because they have not put themselves in a construction worker’s shoes—shoes long worn by Turan as a trim carpenter and construction company owner. His internal drive to make tools work better—and easier on himself—spurred his vision of a portable air supply source that would one day become a must-have system for air tool users.

Following 10 years of development work and figuring out just how to safely capture high-pressure gas in a small container, Turan’s efforts are paying off. The production launch of his state-of-the-art air-supply system will begin this spring, and orders—and rave reviews—are stacking up.

Compressed Air is the primary power source for the Turanair system, although users may opt to use nitrogen, a non-flammable, non-volatile, clean, and efficient gas.  The dry compressed air is contained in a lightweight, high-pressure 68ci fiber wrapped bottle.  Weighing only 4 easy-to-maneuver pounds when full, the bottle is enclosed and protected in a heavy duty pouch that attaches to the user’s work belt.

The heart of the system is a revolutionary patent-pending regulator that enables the 3,000 to 4,500-PSI air pressure coming from the bottle to be dial-adjusted to the pressure requirements of the tool in use.

The regulator also allows the bottle to be safety refilled from a larger, high-pressure 550ci reserve tank that holds 4,950-PSI air pressure. The larger reserve tank weighs only 13 pounds when completely full and can be used in combination with the smaller bottle when added energy is required.

As an example of the capacity of the small bottle, system users can shoot as many as 1,000 nails and as many and 10,000 nails when using the tanks in combination.

Pneumatic products from CEJN Corporation are integral components on the Turanair system. Attached to the regulator are a CEJN spiral polyurethane hose assembly and a Series 310 quick-connect coupling that attaches to any pneumatic air tool.

Since a CEJN Series 310 coupling is also built into the reserve tank, filling the small bottle is only a 30-second task due to the quick-connect feature of the coupling.

With such vital components on each Turanair system, CEJN stands ready to support Turanair’s upcoming startup operations and its efforts in making life a whole lot easier.