Posted 10.01.2008

Colorado cool stuff

14ER KNOTTING TOOL
After Darryl Lusk got out of the Air Force in 1989, he worked in a lumberyard and raised the ire of a foreman with his knot-tying skills — or lack thereof. "He said, ‘I can’t believe you were in the Air Force and never learned how to tie a knot.’"

Embarrassed, Lusk went home and practiced tying knots all night, a skill he dusted off a decade later to bond with his wife Sara’s nephews. In the process, he bolted a bunch of hardware to a board for the boys to practice every imaginable kind of knot, and inspiration struck.

"I wondered, ‘Why isn’t all this hardware on one tool so you can practice tying knots?’" said Lusk, now a high school teacher in Arvada.

So he invented that very tool, got a patent, and in 2003 started selling the knotting tools with a how-to booklet Sara wrote covering all sorts of knots — including her own patented Lusk Knot. Five years later, the tool has an international market.

"We get more orders from Japan than anywhere else," said Lusk, adding, "It’s kind of like the American dream. I always wanted to patent something." $14.99 retail (includes, tool, rope, carrying bag and instructional booklet).

Made by Complete Knotting Systems LLC, Westminster, www.14erknottingtool.com.

GRIP-N-STRIP PEPPER PREP'ER
"I love peppers, but I hated stripping them" Russ Primavera said. The task involved a lot of work, but the alternative — washing them in water — sapped the flavor. This conundrum led Primavera to invent his own tools for the job: a "gripper panel" and a "stripping tool."

Peppers placed on the panel stayed in place while the tool snagged unwanted skins, seeds and veins from the pepper — removing the detritus from the pepper without washing away any of the flavor.

In 2006, Primavera enlisted his wife, Laurie, and son Bryce to commercialize the concept and the Grip-N-Strip Pepper Prep’er was born.

Primavera, a 28-year veteran of the pest-control industry, said he’s been eating peppers "forever" and even put the family recipes for salsa and green chile on the product's website. $9 to $11 retail.
Made by Primavera Enterprises (a sole proprietorship), Arvada, www.pepperpreper.com. Also available at numerous markets, garden stores and kitchen shops in Colorado.

MOR
While working in IT sales in 2005, Matt Anderson "thought something was missing in the beverage marketplace" and struck out on his own to fill the void. The problem: "Even the Vitamin Water and the Naked Juices have 30 to 50 grams of sugar," Anderson said.

In response, he came up with a zero-sugar, zero-caffeine beverage in three flavors — raspberry-strawberry, cranberry and pomegranate-lemon — and dubbed it mor. While Anderson says the company pushes the healthful aspects, the mor drinks are multipurpose.

"It’s not something we’re actively promoting, but it mixes unbelievably well with vodka," he said. $1.99 per 12-ounce can retail.

Made by mor Beverage Corp., (303) 322-4882, www.morbeverage.com. Available at Sunflower Markets, King Soopers stores and Nordstrom eBars in Colorado.

TREELINE DESIGNS LAMPS
As a college student a decade ago, Nick Lasure built his first lamp out of old bicycle parts. Now the airline pilot and longtime bicyclist has turned the idea into a side business.

He gets his raw materials — namely spent suspension forks — from a spare-parts bin at a Boulder bike shop.

"I take them home and cut them up and turn them into a lamp," Lasure said. His more expensive designs utilize existing switches in the forks to turn bulbs on and off. They are a favorite of passionate cyclists.

"I’m trying to expand, but it’s a hard niche to sell," Lasure said. $95 to $300 retail.

Made by Treeline Designs LLC, Boulder, (303) 859-4889, www.treeline-designs.com..