2 year service review: WORX 8 Amp Electric 14" Chainsaw

There are times when "You get what you pay for", doesn't hold water.
In the case of a 14"electric chainsaw by WORX, you get MORE.

Well into it's 2nd. year of hard service, getting this wood cutting powerhouse is money well spent. I had my doubts on a electric powered chainsaw, surely the motor & gearing can't possibly hold up to the

strain of cutting branches & logs, but after several good-sized tree-falls, and yards of firewood, the saw is just as sure & efficient as the day I pulled it out of the box.
My yard is full of trees. That means cutting up deadfalls, loping off branches, and harvesting firewood are common tasks. Over the years I've burned out two gas-engined chainsaws, each time cussing them for the aggravation of de-gumming clogged carburetors, despite keeping 2-cycle fuel fresh. Unless I was using the gas chainsaw daily, (which I wasn't) a year of use & storage was enough to turn a $100 investment into a crank pulling, blister-raising, pain in the butt. It got so I had to plan one whole day just getting the chainsaw running, to spend another full day using it.
When the second gas chainsaw finally bit the dust, I had had it. Worse, I had a big Bradford Pear decide to split in half on me leaving me a backyard FULL of fallen timber to cut up. I needed a chainsaw, & needed it right NOW!
So that's when I decided to take a chance on this WORX 14" Electric Chain Saw. I figured at half the price of a gas chainsaw, even if I only got a year's use out of it, at least I'm not out all the aggravation AND cost of a gas powered saw. Besides, with most of the work I needed to do... small branches with some thicker timber up to 20" thick... I figured I could knock out the small stuff, and if the saw puked on the bigger stuff, at least most of the cutting got done pretty cheap.

But surprisingly, that was TWO YEARS & more than three TREES AGO!

The WORX 14" saw is just as powerful, just as sharp, just as instant-on reliable as it was when I brought it home. No mixing gas, no priming, no choke, no yanking on a starter rope over & over & over. Lay out an extension cord, plug in & GO.

The WORX has an easy chain adjustment too. A twist of a knob snugs up the chain to proper tension, and just a top off of chain lube is all that's necessary for a full day of cutting.

It may seem like the saw takes a shade longer to cut through heavy work compared to a gas chainsaw, (but perhaps it was just the summer heat), but it certainly doesn't beat you up like a gas saw will. The motor is far quieter, the lighter weight of the saw is far less strain on your arms & back. I was totally surprised with the saw's cutting performance.
If your needs for a chainsaw is for light to medium yard work, mostly small diameter branches with the occasional larger log, the WORX 14" saw will do you very well, better than what you'd expect. Although tied to a electric power source via a plug in cord, you can kiss bye-bye all the starter rope pulling, spark plug fowling, gas mixture mess & smoky engine exhaust & ear ringing noise of a gas powered saw.
This has turned out to be one of my SMARTER investments.

Complete Water Analysis Test Kit / APN Product Review

It's not often when worry is put to rest, especially when it comes from playing in water.

A prime reason I chose my home was because it had a Water Well, a key item in maintaining independence from outside resource. Without need of a municipal water supply, I can live on my property without worry of  water suddenly not being available. I only then need to worry about it being drinkable.

Test Assured's Complete Water Analysis Test Kit

That's why I took on the task of doing a review of Test Assured's Complete Water Analysis Test Kit with enthusiasm.  I knew I had good tasting well water at my taps, but all the same, I wanted to know chemically how well my well water really was. (Say that 5 times fast.) Most importantly, I wanted to put to rest worries that there could be something in it that could potentially make me sick.

If you can follow directions how to mix cake batter, you can do all of the tests without messy eggs, butter, milk & stuff. It's simply fill a vial, dip in a test strip & compare colors from a chart. If I can do it, you can too.

The Complete Water Analysis Test Kit  is 10 tests in one.  Ten of the most common contaminants you need to be concerned about if you intend to use water to drink, cook or bathe.

Alkalinity: Water with low alkalinity can be corrosive and irritate eyes. Water with high alkalinity has a soda-like taste, dries out skin and causes scaling on fixtures and plumbing.

Hardness: The amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in the water. Hard water is high in dissolved minerals. When using hard water, more soap or detergent is needed to get things clean, be it your hands, hair, or your laundry.
pH: An index of the amount of hydrogen ions (H-) in the water. When water has a pH that is too low, it can lead to corrosion and pitting of pipes in plumbing and distribution systems.
Chlorine: A highly efficient disinfectant added to public water supplies to kill disease-causing pathogens. But too much of a good thing is not necessarily good. Too much can burn & kill.
Copper: Reddish metal that occurs naturally in rock, soil, water, sediment, and air. New copper pipes leech copper into water which can be harmful for babies. Older pipes not so much, because of the natural patina that develops on the metal surface.
Iron: Water high in iron may taste metallic, be discolored and appear brownish, Iron leaves red or orange rust stains in the sink, toilet, bathtub or shower.

Nitrates & Nitrites: Naturally occurring chemicals made of nitrogen and oxygen. The primary health hazard occurs when nitrate is transformed to nitrite in the digestive system. The nitrite oxidizes the iron in red blood cells to form methemoglobin, which lacks the oxygen-carrying ability of hemoglobin. Too much nitrate & nitrites in drinking water can cause serious health problems for young infants.

Lead: If you don't already know how dangerous consuming lead is, go back to eating your paint chips. Lead poisoning is a real concern with older homes with leaded plumbing.

Pesticides: Commonly caused by ground water contamination. Just where do you think the bug spray your neighbor uses winds up?

Bacteria: The most worrisome fear,  pathogens in your water that can make you REALLY sick. This test requires 48 hours for results.

The testing was easy to do. The kit is packaged well & clear in it's instructions. It makes me wonder if this is EXACTLY what is used by "Professional Water Testers" who charge $$$ for the convenience.

Is it worth it? 

The results largely confirmed what I already knew... I have safe, clean well water.

Test results showed that my water is clear of Chlorine, Iron, Nitrates, Nitrites, Copper, Pesticides or Lead. Further, (and most importantly), my water is Bacteria Free.

The test kit did show that Alkalinity is right in the target range for drinking water at 80 to 120 ppm. (parts per million). Hardness, in the moderate to hard side, with approximately 100 to 200 ppm. And the pH right in the ideal range of 6.5 to 8, (7 being neutral).

The bottom line... A water softener could be a smart purchase, otherwise I should fill a tall glass & toast myself for having good water coming from my well.

I highly recommend this test kit. Get several, since each kit is single use. It's a smart idea to test your drinking water after large weather events occur which can effect your regional water supply. Pack along some kits when you travel, and you need to be sure the water that's available is safe.

I suppose I could get an independent lab do the same tests for comparative results. But unless folks buy a kit or two from this AMAZON LINK, I don't see shelling out the $$$ for that. However, just by testing regularly once a year, I can determine any changes that may occur. The kit makes doing that very affordable. (Way cheaper than hiring it done)

Add the Complete Water Analysis Test Kit  to your Prepper Needs List.  If you seek to know just the Lead content, Test Assured offers a separate test kit for that as well.
For more information about this product & other products by Test Assured, visit their website.