Blackboards Are Not Just for the Classroom Any More

Early in January, I posted on social about a great new product from Boogie Board called the Blackboard that was sent to me to review.  I had a great time with it, and thought it was really useful to write lists and practice Jack’s writing skills.  No paper waste.  No mess.  Truly a mom’s best friend.

But a few days later, my Blackboard disappeared.  Well, considering that I have two kids, and like any mom, a chaotic household, I figured it would turn up somewhere.  I thought for sure I’d find it in a toy box, or behind a chair, but where it turned up was somewhere very unexpected.  It turns out, my husband had it in his work truck, and had been using it on the job!  So my story about the Blackboard being a great instrument for contractors and DIYers begins…

My husband works in construction, and his direct boss is a plumber by trade.  Him and his team craftsman, builders, and fixers have found the Blackboard extremely useful for what they do.  They report that it is nice for sketching out repairs, or showing homeowners initial ideas before blueprints are drawn up.  As well as jotting down a client name or telephone number when service calls come in.  It is also handy for jotting down part numbers needed for store runs.  No messy papers to flip through and scribble on, which he’s reported also makes them look professional.  Very different from most of the competition that’s for sure.

The team also mentioned that they really found that tracing with the board’s semi-transparent screen was really nice, and something they hadn’t seen before.  The group of planners also loved using the app to quickly scribble out ideas and send to the home office where official plans could be drawn up right away.  Won and done!   The only problem is that the app was only available on iOS at the time the team tested, but since then it has also launched on Android.

Also, brand new to any Boogie Board product is the new erase function.  This is especially great for developers out in the field drawing up plans with clients who like to change their minds.  While the erase-function seemed to me to be a bit challenging to calibrate, the team of master builders didn’t seem to mind.  Also, it comes with a switch that locks things in place so that you don’t accidentally erase.

The best thing reported though seemed to be that the Blackboard is very light and convenient to carry with no cords or charging needed.  The Blackboard comes with a 5-year battery which is really sweet.

The only complaint I heard really was that since they are often in construction zones, things are dirty and messy, and it’s easy for the Blackboard to get scratched up in these environments for sure.  So if you use it in this type of job, you’ll want to also buy the folio that retails for around $20.

So lessons-learned, 1. Hide the Blackboard from husband, 2. Blackboard gives handymen (and women) a leg-up in the fixer-upper biz.   Don’t worry, my friends at Boogie Board are generously sending me a handful more for the team so I can keep mine.

You can find Blackboard for around $45 at Amazon, Barnes N’ Noble, Office Max, Staples, Office Depot, or directly from Boogie Board http://blackboardlcp.com/buy.

Samantha

Samantha hails from Virginia and is a proud wife to a retired Deputy Sheriff and mother to two amazing little boys named Jack & William. A veteran product reviewer; Samantha has been reviewing products for 8 years and offers high quality product reviews with original photography.