Cool Tools

Oxfam America Unwrapped

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:00:00 -0800

All the adults in my family agreed this year that they don't want any more stuff in their lives at this point. So instead of buying them gifts, my Cool Tool for the holidays is Oxfam’s Unwrapped project: I buy a gift in someone’s name, they get a card, I get a tax deduction, and someone in a developing country gets a goat, some chickens, a school desk and chair, some text books, or something else they really need. While I imagine a portion of my donation goes to fund overhead at Oxfam, they are one of the more efficient charities around. Based on what I've read, and heard from acquaintances who work there, most of the money I give them is being put to direct use.

-- Brad Hurley

[We asked our readers what cool tools they are giving to their friends and families this year. Here is one in a series this week of suggested gifts mentioned in the comments that we are highlighting on the front page. Submit your own recommendation in the comments. -- ES]

Oxfam America Unwrapped

Leeners Pickling Kit

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:00:00 -0800

My daughter loves pickles and has expressed some interest in making her own, so I'm thinking of getting her the Leener's Pickling Kit, which can be used to make either dill pickles or sauerkraut, and includes a 2-gallon lead-free ceramic crock made in the U.S.

-- Paul D

Leeners Pickling Kit
$35

Available from Leeners

Hometown Puzzle

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:00:00 -0800

For Christmas this year I gave my parents a personalized puzzle featuring a custom map of the area around their lake cabin. "From any starting point, we'll create a 400-piece puzzle of a six-by-four-mile area using U.S. Geological Survey maps. A house-shaped piece in the center represents the address you choose. Shows main roads, contour lines, water features, vegetation, and notable buildings. Arrives in a presentation box with space for a personal message." If you search for a promo code, you can save 20%. (Order by 12/14/2009 for Christmas delivery.)

-- Jason Palmiter

National Geographic Store Hometown Puzzle
$40

Available from National Geographic

Call for Submissions

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 10:47:46 -0800

We're looking for recommendations for the following:

What is the best (cheap and great interface) domain manager if you have one or two dozen (not one or two and not a hundred or more) domain names to keep going?

Best field guide to insects (North America)?

Best single AA battery flashlight (torch)?

A great how-to site you just discovered?

Also, we're still accepting holiday gift ideas for a Cool Tools guide coming later this week. Leave your input in the comments or e-mail me directly: elon {at} schoenholz dot com.

Campack Towel

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 05:00:00 -0800

The common paper napkin found in every restaurant in the U.S. is a rarity in the rest of the world. When traveling, I’ve found cafes and cheap restaurants often offer only small squares of tissue that I could dab my lips with, but won’t do a thing to keep protect my lap from dropped food. My solution is the Campack towel. It’s a small (15x15 inch) very thin microfiber towel with a clip on one corner that keeps it attached to its little pouch even when you are using it. The pouch, in turn, has a small carabiner that clips to a belt loop. (Stuffed in its pouch, it measures about 3x2 ½ inches.) The Campack towel is just large enough that I can use it like a regular cloth napkin, keeping it in my lap and lifting it to wipe my hands and face, without detaching it. It seems very similar to the previously reviewed Aquis Microfiber towel, just smaller, less expensive and with the added small clip on the corner.

Because it's always at hand, I find a million uses for it. I can dry my hands with it in the many public toilets that don’t provide paper towels. Once it’s saturated, I can wring it out and it's ready to soak up more water. It's very soft, making it more pleasant to use than paper alternatives.

On a recent trip to Japan and Korea, I became so attached to it that I left it on my belt when I came home.

The Campack has a few more thoughtful features: One side of the pouch is made of mesh, allowing the towel to dry when it's not in use. It's bright orange, so you're not likely to leave it behind if you've hung it up to dry in your hotel room. The manufacturer also claims that it has an anti-microbial, anti-fungal layer. I can't say whether this is really necessary, as it takes only a minute to wash it in the sink and it dries quickly, so most of the time it's clean and dry. MSR makes a similar product, but it's slightly more expensive and doesn't come with the carabiner.

-- Tom Sackett

Campack Medium (15.5"x15.5") Towel
$7

Available from REI

PU Gun

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:00:00 -0800

If you ever had occasion to use expanding polyurethane foam to mount a window or the like, you may have thought like me “Great stuff, wonder what else I could use this for?” But standard polyurethane foam cans are only good for a short while. Once used, the valve and application tube glues itself shut within a few hours, regardless of how much product was left in the can. Keeping a can around for those odd jobs and bright ideas is just not worth the waste.

Enter foam guns. The point of foam guns is right up front, so to speak. The exit valve is right up at the very tip of the rigid application tube. When you mount a can to the gun, the whole inside of the gun is pressurized with product just like the can. There is nowhere inside where the foam can expand or harden.

That’s the theory, at least. In practice it still won't keep indefinitely. On first try mine hardened right trough in two weeks, and I had a nasty job cleaning it out mechanically. Subsequently, I have taken care to store it with the can upside down, and I tested it every few days for a while, and now it seems to keep fine for at least two weeks. Perhaps it just needed to self-seal.

I don't have a particular brand to recommend. I just got the cheapest all-metal model on eBay at the time, which I've seen since both branded and unbranded, and at wildly different prices. My experience seems to indicate, though, that staying away from the plastic models was a good idea, as I had to use considerable force to disassemble the gun for mechanical cleaning.

With these caveats, I'm still pretty happy about this discovery of mine. Only this week I used it to assemble a life-size doll my girlfriend made, and fix it to its plastic pipe skeleton. It really feels like I've got a whole new material in my kit.
Discovering what else it’s good for is going to be fun.

-- Gaute Amundsen

Polyurethane Foam Gun
$30–$125

Available from Amazon

Also from eBay

QPcard

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:00:00 -0800

This is the simplest, least expensive tool for reproducing accurate color in digital photography. I insert one of these 6-inch-long cards into a scene that I’m photographing as a reference with an absolute value. Back in front of my monitor, with the click of an eyedropper tool I’m able to indicate to Adobe Lightroom (my favorite imaging software) that the gray on this card is a neutral gray. In Lightroom, as with any worthy photo program, a “gray balance” click on the card tells the software to identify this gray as neutral; the software then calculates the color temperature of the light hitting the card, adjusts the values accordingly, and the overall color of the scene falls into place.

In situations where there are multiple light sources with different color temperatures (say tungsten indoor lighting and daylight entering a window), I’d take two or more separate exposures with the QPcard positioned to catch each source.

I haven’t tried DataColor’s SpyderCube Calibration Tool, which performs a similar function, as it’s considerably more expensive, and offers much more than I need, which is really just a little touch of neutral gray. The SpyderCube does have two separate gray surfaces, but they’re at fixed angles relative to one another and won’t necessarily catch different light sources in a single exposure, anyway.

The minimal QPcard is inexpensive because it’s just a flimsy adhesive-backed piece of paper. I’ve been able to keep a card alive for a long time by sticking it onto a piece of sturdy cardboard and stowing it securely in my Domke bag.

-- Elon Schoenholz

QPcard 101 v2 (3 pack)
$16

Available from Calumet Photo

Manufactured by QPcard AB

Kinesis Advantage Keyboard

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 07:47:28 -0800

Several years ago, I was at a trade show and I saw and tried an early-generation Kinesis keyboard. I was hooked. As a starving college student, I certainly couldn't afford one then, but once I entered the workforce one of the first things I did was acquire a Kinesis, and I have now been using it for about four years.
I've used a variety of ergonomic keyboards in my time, but none was as comfortable to use as this one.

I’m a decent typist, but once it arrived, it took me about two weeks of hunting-and-pecking to figure out where all the keys were, and another week to get proficient with it. During this time, I kept a standard keyboard close at hand, in case I got too frustrated, or needed to type something quickly. However, once I mastered the keyboard, I found that my typing speed went up by about 15 wpm. The reason for this is that the Kinesis doesn't enforce any unnatural motions on your hands or fingers. Hold up your hand, make a loose fist, and then open your hand naturally. That motion encompasses 95% of the motion required to operate this keyboard. It's a remarkably stress-free way to type; very comfortable, and well worth the investment.

I don’t have any specific pain or injuries associated with typing. Like just about anyone who uses a keyboard regularly, I'd occasionally get tired or sore hands or forearms (and I still do, when I have occasion to use a non-Kinesis keyboard at length). But since switching, I've found that that kind of pain has dropped off significantly.

The downsides are minimal but worth noting as this is, after all, a very expensive keyboard. The keys are a trifle loud for my taste; I'd definitely prefer a quieter version. Also, the default keymappings are a little odd; the left and right curly braces are in a strange place. While I'm not a coder by trade, I could definitely see that being an issue for someone who does a lot of programming. But it's never bothered me enough to do any remapping. Also, one caveat: you pretty much have to be a touch-typist to be able to use it -- one-finger typing on this keyboard will only end up frustrating you.

What I like best about this keyboard is the natural fit of the keys. The curved cups that the keys rest in are shaped just right for my hands, so the uniquely comfortable typing position is consistently reinforced and supported. I would strongly recommend this keyboard to anyone looking for a comfortable typing experience.

-- Dylan Greene

Kinesis Advantage USB Keyboard
$270

Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Kinesis Corporation

Deuter Kanga Kid

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 05:00:00 -0800

This pack is truly a cool tool. It's the size of a daypack, yet zips open into a child carrier backpack. It’s so cool because it's small enough to use as your everyday diaper bag, and then when your little one's legs get tired (or you get tired of chasing your little one), you can put her in the pack.

I highly recommend Deuter’s Kid Comfort II for hiking with a toddler on board, but frame packs are about as portable as strollers - not very. The Kanga Kid, however, can really go everywhere with you. It has an internal frame (more of a shaped metal wedge) and a lumbar belt, so it's strong enough to hold a child up to about 30 pounds (total recommended capacity, with cargo, is 33 pounds) without killing your shoulders.

We bought this pack when my son was about six months old. It got a bunch of use until he was about 18 months. Included in that time were a few short impromptu hikes and innumerable trips to the grocery store. Use started to taper off mostly because my son preferred walking when we went out. He’s tall for his age and after about 20 months was too tall for the Kanga. Smaller kids could maybe push it up to two years. But the Kanga was really golden when he was just starting to walk (at about 1 year) and would get tired and need to be carried when we were out on the town. Since I used it as my diaper bag, and therefore always had it with me, I never had to worry about going back to the car for a stroller. I just packed him up and kept on going. It’s not easy to get a child into this pack without the help of another adult, but I managed to do it.

Kelty’s TC 2.1 is a very similar design, though I haven’t used it for comparison. Both companies have a number of backpack styles at parallel price points with comparable features and quality construction. I’m tall, and have found Deuter packs, both the Kanga Kid and the Kid Comfort II, fit me well.

-- Meghan Hedin

Deuter Kanga Kid
$145

Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Deuter

Cool Tools' Holiday Gift Guide

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:45:19 -0800

Written by you.

Here's how. In the comments of this entry describe a cool tool you are giving as a gift this year. To a family-member, co-worker, or friend. It can be a previously reviewed Cool Tool, or even better, a new one we don't know about. We'll comb through the submissions in a week or so and then highlight the best of suggestions collected into a full-fledge roundup on the front page.

So what cool tool are you planning to share with others? And why? It can be anything useful (and, okay, even playful). Keep it real. Bonus points for including a link.

-- KK

Rapid Reel

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 05:00:00 -0800

This is a heavy-duty cast aluminum garden hose reel. It costs about twice as much as the plastic reel I replaced and is at least four times the quality and longevity. The materials used are thick cast aluminum, powder-coated, with real stainless steel fasteners and brass fittings. The fittings and bearings are replaceable and heavy duty. The term bulletproof comes to mind.

The reel is configurable as a parallel or perpendicular mount with either a right or left hand hose mount. The design is modular and well thought out. Even the included hex wrenches are well thought out and long enough to reach easily and are of high quality. As a mechanical designer myself, I am able to appreciate a nice robust design and execution.

-- Jack Kellythorne

Rapid Reel Wall Mount Garden Hose Reel
$122

Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Rapid Reel

Frieling French Press

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:07:25 -0800

After breaking two glass carafes while living in the middle of nowhere, I knew there had to be a better answer to the standard French press. The Frieling is; made of all stainless steel parts, it's insulated and has no plastic anywhere. It is awesome.

Some people think that allowing the grounds to sit in the bottom of the Freieling for an extended period of time (because the water stays hot) will make the coffee bitter. My experience is that it doesn’t. Even if you choose not to let coffee sit in the press for the two hours that it’ll remain hot, the insulation still makes a difference in the initial four-minute brewing period. Though the temperature of the water in a typical glass French press will decrease immediately, the water in the Frieling retains its heat while my coffee is brewing.

The only downside of this outstanding pot is that I don’t get to watch the brewing process. I’ve found it well worth the trade-off. It’s beautifully designed and not easily broken - dishwasher safe, too. I've had my Freiling French press for almost two years now, and the mirror finish still looks great except for a dent or two. It doesn’t scratch easily, and it still looks and performs just like it did out of the box. It’s the best investment for my kitchen I’ve made in years.

-- Brechelle Ware

Frieling 0103 5-6 Cup French Press
$60

Available from Amazon

Behringer USB Audio Interface

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:00:00 -0800

This digital audio converter is marketed as a high-quality and inexpensive way to digitize old cassettes and LPs. I’m sure it’s excellent for those tasks, too, but I’ve found it particularly useful for making audio recordings on a laptop without a pro-tools budget.

Basically, it's a less noisy way of taking sound from a mic and recording it onto a computer. Recording on an 1/8-inch-line input can be pretty noisy, especially on a laptop. This converter cuts out much of the noise, and makes a usable recording. I recently recorded some narration for a voiceover on a video I’m putting together, and it works pretty well. It's also USB-powered, so no need for batteries or an AC power cord. There are more expensive versions that do a slightly better job, but I find this product does a great job for the money.

-- Drew Reed

Behringer UFO202 U-Phono High-Quality USB Audio Interface with Built-In Phono Preamp
$30

Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Behringer

Norpro Stainless Steel Pail

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:00:00 -0800

What’s truly superb about this countertop pail -- aside from its fun design, reminiscent of a classic galvanized trash can -- is that it’s made of stainless steel and is dishwasher safe. We fill ours daily with kitchen waste -- messy coffee grounds, used tea leaves, aging cornmeal mush, soggy cucumbers -- but a quick cycle in the dishwasher and it looks almost as good as new. Years ago I used a plastic bucket designed to perform the same task, but it was difficult to keep clean and less rugged for outdoor trips to our backyard compost bin (the lid kept breaking). Since it gets banged around inside the house and out, I prefer this stainless steel, one gallon-capacity model to its ceramic lookalike.

Yes, there are many clever ways to repurpose some other household container into a waystation for outbound kitchen waste, but I haven’t seen one work as well as this sturdy, ventilated design (the charcoal filters for odor control do keep rotting smells in check, while allowing for airflow). Frequent trips to empty a simple Tupperware container would be fine, but our bin’s about 30 feet from the back door, and we only end up heading out there about every other day.

-- Elon Schoenholz

Norpro 94 Stainless-Steel Composter Keeper (1 Gallon/4QT/3.8L)
$47

Available from Amazon

Replacement Filters (2 piece)
$4

Manufactured by Norpro

Elemental Scientific

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:00:00 -0800

This is the best source for buying small quantities of chemicals -- always a challenge in these days of chemical hysteria. Elemental Scientific will sell to individuals, online, with no paperwork or license needed. They have a very respectable selection of about 300 reagents and compounds. More than enough for most educational purposes, or for most basement experiments. You can purchase all kinds of acids, corrosives, poisons, explosives and dangerous stuff that you can not get elsewhere -- but only in small quantities. That's fine, because a small amount is often all you want for doing experiments, and many chemical supply outfits will sell only larger quantities if they sell to you at all. Elemental also offers glassware, lab equipment, and general experimental paraphernalia. They cater to homeschoolers and hobby experimentalists. If you've ever tried to buy chemicals elsewhere you'll recognize what an incredible resource this place is. Most chemicals will be shipped UPS, but a short list of 18 especially hazardous chemicals need extra hazmat protection, which is an added charge.

-- KK

Elemental Scientific