Reusable Straws
The assortment of straws ($3) provides an inexpensive and possibly healthier alternative to plastic straws. These food-grade silicone straws come in assorted colors, are 10″ long (3), 8.5″ long (1,...
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Monarch Butterfly Chair
The Monarch Butterfly Chair ($70) caught my eye immediately because it looked like a clever solution to a problem I’ve wrestled with for a long time — how to carry comfortable seating that takes up...
View ArticleInstant Adhesive Welding Powder Kit
I originally saw this product ($14) (or an equivalent) being demonstrated at a woodworking tool show. It looked like a gimmick but the demonstrator was able to make a butt joint (tee) between two...
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April Wilkerson, Maker
Our guest this week is April Wilkerson. April is a maker who started building stuff out of necessity, but then it turned into a passion, and now it’s her full-time job. Anything she needs, she figures...
View ArticleAlpine Fry-Bake Set
If you are someone who likes to go into the outdoors, camping or backpacking, but you also like cooking real food the Fry-Bake ($74)from Banks is must-have piece of kit. The Fry-Bake is a frying pan, a...
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Sikaflex
Finally, good all-around caulk. Sikaflex-1a ($34 for 6 tubes) is a premium-grade, high-performance, moisture-cured, one-component, polyurethane-based, non-sag elastomeric sealant. It is simply the best...
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Orly No Bite
This is one of the few products I’ve ever read about in a magazine and then sought out immediately for purchase. I don’t recall the publication, but I do know that it was several years ago and I had to...
View ArticleRadical Markets/Trim/Deal with difficult emotions
Alternative economic ideas Crazy ideas sometimes become everyday and obvious. No book I’ve read has had more crazy economic ideas than Radical Markets by Eric Posner and Glen Weyl. Their ideas — which...
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The New Way Things Work
This illustration-rich book ($17) provides a peek under the hood of the mechanized world we inhabit. David Macaulay, with tech writer Neil Ardley, has that rare gift of technical understanding paired...
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Klenk Ratcheting Screwdriver
I know Cool Tools has featured ratcheting screwdrivers before — that’s where I got the idea to get one. I went out and bought the Sears version, since I couldn’t justify the cost of the Snap-on, and...
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Dramm Fogg-It
I have used Dramm Fogg-it hose nozzles ($12) for a variety of watering and irrigation purposes for more than ten years. They deliver a fine mist of water and are available in different strengths,...
View ArticleVise-Grip 6-Inch Locking C-Clamp
In this video I’m going to show you this 6-inch Vise-Grip C-Clamp, great for gluing or welding. I got this for around $12 on Amazon, and if you want to pick up the same one, the Amazon link in the...
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Dahle 550 Paper Cutter
Until a couple of years ago I had struggled with different inexpensive paper cutters, but I kept finding myself going to Kinko’s and using the cutters there. Then I got smart and jotted down the brand...
View ArticleHobart Handler MIG Welder 115V
This time we’re going to take a look at my Hobart Handler 140 MIG Welder. I bought this on Amazon for $500, and in my experience it’s the best quality option around this price. I’m going to show you...
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Glove Guards
I work at a desk, so I don’t often need work gloves. But I’ve been going to Burning Man for 18 years, and the alkali dust is murder on your hands. So I’ve been wearing leather work gloves on the playa...
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Whitelines
Anyone doing technical or design work has burned through reams of graph paper. I’m a designer, and I use Whitelines to do technical drawings in accurate scale, which are then turned into 3-D models and...
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Elan Lee, Co-creator of Exploding Kittens
Our guest this week is Elan Lee. Elan is a professional game designer. He is a co-creator of Exploding Kittens, the most backed crowdfunded project in history. And before that, he was Chief Design...
View ArticleGeoguessr/Footpath/Head-mounted magnifier
Random places I love playing this geography game. Go to Geoguessr.com. It will place you on a random spot in the world in Google Earth/Maps, and you have to figure out where you are by walking around...
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Fisher Bullet Space Pen
I like to have a few essential tools with me at all times: my Swiss Army knife, a keychain LED flashlight, a pocket notebook and a pen for scribbling notes whenever inspiration strikes. I’d searched a...
View ArticlePanasonic Nose Hair and Ear Hair Trimmer
I’ve owned the earlier model of Panasonic’s nose hair and ear hair trimmer ($10) for over ten years, and it still works perfectly. I’ve never had the sharpen the blades. (Can they even be sharpened?)...
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