The Ones
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Automatic Tape Dispenser
Nextlifei
This automatic tape dispenser is a game changer. Load it up with practically any kind of tape and dial in how long you want that piece of tape to be. If you do any kind of cardboard crafting or labeling, get this.
| Tape Dispenser |
Keiba Long Needle Nose Pliers
Keiba
Can live without these. It's like having two tiny fingers that can get into tiny areas with extreme leverage.
| Pliers |
Superclamp
Manfrotto
Just can't get enough of these. We use them to setup all things photography related and beyond. They're especially useful when you join two Superclamps back to back. You can find used lots for sale on ebay for cheap sometimes.
| Clamp |
The Public Radio
The Public Radio
This single channel mason jar radio is a treat to use. It sounds amazing and it does exactly what a radio should do. Nothing more and nothing less. We swapped the original jar for a larger decorated mason jar our 2yr old brought home from school.
| Radio |
Pen Type-C
CW&T
We're not really pen nerds, but we are sketching all the time. You probably already have a favorite pen. If you do, you should stick with it. This is the one we've landed on after testing hundreds of pens and designing a few over a decade.
| Pen |
Deco Color
UCHIDA
At one point, we went into a deep rabbit hole of finding the best paint marker. We took several trips to Blick and tried every marker they offered and bought a basketful to test out. Deco is by far the best. It's super durable and works on just about any surface.
| Pen |
A7S II
Sony
Digital photography finally felt like it hit a plateau with this camera. The megapixel race ended and moved onto low light performance, image stabilization and other fancy features. Surely there will be and there already are better cameras than Sony's A7 series, but this one seemed like one of the last significant jumps in camera tech. We'll keep using this camera until the black powder coat wears down to the bare magnesium.
| Camera |
Hot Melt Applicator TC/Quadrack
3M
Once you've used hot melt, you know not all hot glues are made equal. This "Hot Melt" applicator by 3M is made for heavy duty use. It gets really hot. And it holds up where traditional hot glue fails.
| Glue Gun |
Laksa
Prima Taste
Yes. Get a pack of 12. They're that good. I have yet to experience a better tasting Laksa dish anywhere else including fancy restaurants.
| Noodles |
G-56-7
Global
This is our second Global knife. Everything about this knife is perfect. You could spend a lot more for a less superior knife or just get this classic and live happily ever after.
| Knife |
5460 Ultrasoft Toothbrush
Curaprox
You probably think you have the best toothbrush, but you don't. This is really the best toothbrush. You'll feel the difference the first time you use it. And you'll realize your teeth were never clean before you met this toothbrush.
| Toothbrush |
500-196-30 Absolute Digital Caliper
Mitutoyo
We've bought several of these. A few for ourselves and a few as gifts. It's an indispensable tool and the it's well worth the cost no matter how you slice it. You definitely don't want to skimp on a caliper. Get the industry standard.
| Caliper |
Forever Jump Rope
CW&T
We made these to last forever. If the rope ever breaks, you can simply shove another rope, cord, wire, or whatever you might have on hand to repair it. Ours has been hanging on a hook in our backyard for years, always ready to get our hearts racing.
| Jump Rope |
Anson Calder Wallet
Anson Calder
This wallet is made with the absolute highest craft. It carries exactly the right amount of cards and cash. If you're carrying more than what this wallet can hold, you should get a purse.
| Wallet |
iHGun-1
Maxwel Manufacturing
We used to use our fancy Weller heat gun, but this cheaper heat gun is better. It heats up really fast to exactly the temperature you want and you can dial in the strength of the blower.
| Heat Gun |
Nocciolata
Nocciolata
I've tried every hazelnut spread on the market. This is the best. It won't make you happy, but it will get you pretty damn close.
| Spread |
Lego
Lego
This is maybe obvious, but I feel like it needs to be pointed out. There isn't another toy that lasts for generations and is fun to play with across multiple generations.
| Toy |
L91 Ultimate Lithium
Energizer
Your average AA battery has a shelf life of 7 years. These batteries have a 20 year shelf life and have a no leak guarantee. Don't buy any other AAs, unless you're buying rechargeables.
| Battery |
Advion
Hiding behind our warm and cozy boiler WERE cockroaches. Turns out, this is a delicious snack for our uninvited guests. First it makes them sleepy, and then magically disappear.
| Poison |
Heavy Duty Locking Pliers
Medline
This is not an ordinary locking plier. This surgical plier is made by König. It performs in every way you’d expect a vice to work, except better. It’s incredibly easy to release and adjust. There’s absolutely no slack in this. Nothing wobbles or feels loose. Every part fits perfectly against the rest. It’s good enough to perform surgery with, so it’s probably good enough for whatever else you want to clamp down on. Check out their line of incredibly well design tools.
| Plier |
Super Silent 50
Silentaire
The super silent is indeed super silent. Our other compressor is so loud we can barely hear each other talking. The super silent makes a muffled putting sound. It sounds puny, but packs a decent punch.
| Air Compressor |
Adson-Brown Tissue Forceps
Medline
This surgical forcep by König is insanely well built. The 7 teeth at the tip are like perfectly align aligator's teeth. Nothing can escape the bite. It's great for pulling stuff out of stuff.
| Tweezers |
Haystack Spatula
During our time at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, we ogled over this spatula that one of the blacksmith shop techs, Farrell, was hammering out. I basically begged for it. And he kindly gifted it to us on our last day there. We've been loving this spatula every day since.
| Spatula |
15040 Cast Aluminum Stovetop Belgium Waffle Iron
Nordic Ware
This stovetop waffle iron by Nordicware is compact and it works. What else could you want? It doesn't flip itself automatically, but we figured our hands can do that part.
| Waffle Iron |
Evolution U-Lock
Kryptonite
Getting a bike stolen sucks. The Kryptonite Evolution Mini keeps our bikes safe from nasty NYC bike thieves (knock on wood). It is small enough to fit into your pants or pocket while being durable enough to withstand lock cutters. The Kryptonite chain lock and the even more durable NY Fahgettaboutit work well too, but for us they are a bit heavy and cumbersome to carry.
| Lock |
Digimatic MDC-MX
Mitutyo
Some of the tolerances we deal with come down to .001mm or .00005" so we reach for our micrometer. The Mitutyo 293-832 does what it’s supposed to do. It’s easy to read, easy to operate, and never complains. We only need this once in a while, but when we have that moment, we’re glad this is the one we have.
| Micrometer |
ViperGrip 6-Inch
IDL Tools International
ViperGrip is a pretty awesome hybrid between a Robogrip and a Vise-Grip. The key difference between this and the Vise-Grip is that the jaws always stay parallel, so you get more surface area chomping down on your part. Instead of adjusting to the part size, in auto-locking mode, you adjust how tightly you want to clamp down regardless of the part size. It’s fast, reliable and replaces a whole bunch of other tools.
| Plier |
RIDGID 32930 Model 20
RIGID
We use this pipe cutter way more than anyone would have expected. We've replaced the cutting wheel a dozen times and it's still going. It's perfect for cutting 1" aluminum tubes, which we stockpile and use in all sorts of projects. It cuts cleanly through .058" walled aluminum tubes in less than a minute.
| Pipe Cutter |
505-734 Dial Caliper
Mitutoyo
This is our workhorse metric caliper. We prefer the dial over digital calipers. Dial calipers are easy to read, don't need batteries, are more accurate, and more reliable. The 505 series Mitutoyo dial calipers come in .01mm or .0001" accuracies. Along with our pen, this is one of the few things that we keep on our desk.
| Caliper |
Pio Manzu Clock
Alessi
I found this Pio Manzu clock at my Grandma's house in 2010. Still perched on his bedside table, she said it belonged to my Grandpa, who passed away in 1994. I had never seen the clock before (even though it is quite well known) and after seeing how much I loved it, my Grandma gave it to me. It is a very special object to me and a permanent fixture on my desk.
| Clock |
Tillman TIG Welding Gloves
Tillman
Tillman welding gloves are great for working around studio. They are soft, thin, durable and come in sizes for all. They also double as gloves perfect for blocking wind and biking in cold weather.
| Gloves |
Pantone Mug
Pantone
I bought this pantone mug for cw's birthday right after grad school. I was super poor but liked him a lot and wanted to get him something that wasn't just junk that he felt he had to keep around. We like and still use this mug everyday!
| Mug |
Scotch H180
3M
We know it's just a tape dispenser. Don't drive yourself crazy. Get a good one. This one's made by Scotch, from 3M. They know what they're doing when it comes to Scotch tape. They invented it.
| Tape Dispenser |
17099
Bondhus
With a balldriver on one end, these metric allen keys are perfect for getting into crammed places and long enough for extra leverage. Having them as individual parts makes it easy to carry around the few that we need for the day.
| Hex Keys |
4112 Stainless Steel Pan
All-Clad
If you buy a good pan once, you'll never have to buy another one. This one's made from stainless steel. These All-Clad stainless steel pans are built to last. Buy one for your home and expect to have it around for the next 100 years or so.
| Pan |
HDS181-02
Bosch
This drill by Bosch rocks. It's relatively compact and packs a lot of power. This one will probably be around for a good while. We use it for all our drilling, screwing, and cleaning (with a drillbrush) needs.
| Cordless Drill |
Pro Gaff
Pro Tapes
We use this tape everywhere, all the time. It's most commonly used as a way to cover up logos when we don’t want to see other people’s names on our stuff. It is a non-marking way to simultaneously accentuate and fix the broken. It's our go-to tape. Nothing is perfect. Fluorescent orange gaffer's tape is an indispensable material in our studio and at home.
| Tape |
Metal Power Strip
Belkin
We have a bunch of these classic solid beasts and so does Tom Sachs. We hope Belkin makes them forever.
| Power Strip |
Frigoverre Jug
Bormioli Rocco
We spent a little too much time searching before finding the Bormioli Rocco jug. It had to be glass because plastic pitchers are often toxic, smelly and easily stained. It also had to have a big enough opening for a hand wash inside. And another perk is its wide proportions, making it easy to fit on any shelf in the fridge. (first world problems...but hey, it's a good design).
| Jug |
Ball Shaped Tea Kettle
WMF
This funky kettle is made out of polished stainless steel. I had a hard time finding a tea kettle that fits its own infuser and can go on a stovetop. This beauty does all that and comes with a lifetime warranty.
| Kettle |
Skyn
LifeStyles
They work. We like them. They're non-latex so they don't smell funny. And they have gold packaging.
| Condom |
Fly Fishing Glove
Montbell
I don't fish, but these neoprene fishing gloves by Montbell are kind of perfect for biking and as general winter gloves. It's warm, fits like a glove, and the fingers fold back when you need dexterity. They're built for wet environments, so no problems there either.
| Gloves |
Kakumet
Kakumet
This doesn't get a lot of use, but when we visit construction sites, this is what goes on our head. They stack and nest perfectly unlike traditional construction helmets.
| Helmet |
Blink Steady
Blink Steady
It’s like they read our minds when they designed Blink Steady. It knows when to turn on and when to turn off, runs on AAA batteries and is machined out of a block of aluminum. This is the ultimate bike light. We’ve ridden into dusk, hit darkness in a tunnel, and have the light switch on immediately then turn off when you’re done riding. Install it, then forget it, love it. Seems like it's no longer in production :(
| Bike Light |
one incognito
Defakto
There are only a few one-hand automatic watches out there. Defakto is the one. The little ticks mark every 15 minutes between the hours. Reading its accuracy down to the minute is incredibly intuitive. It's more like glancing the time rather than reading the time. Not only is it it practical, removing the second and minute hands strips a layer of anxiety that surrounds our work-time based society.
| Watch |
McMaster-Carr
McMaster-Carr
This is filled with stuff we use. Mcmaster has one of the best web interfaces for finding stuff. We keep the book around just for good browsing. This is our Sears Catalog and Whole Earth Catalog.
| Hardware Store |
Magic Smooth-Edge Can Opener
Fissler
The Fissler Magic Can Opener is so appropriately named. It's German and it's magic. Other can openers don't even come close to this. It makes that fancy clean cut unlike other can openers so you can reseal your can after you've cut it open. It easy to use, built to last, always works, and looks great.
| Can Opener |
Egyptian Magic
Egyptian Magic
My mom gives us bottles of Egyptian Magic whenever we run out. At first we thought she was nuts, but it is now one of the few things we have in our bathroom. Made with few, easy to pronounce ingredients like olive oil, beeswax and honey, and it has NO synthetic preservatives or fragrances. It’s great for dry skin, hair and on scrapes + cuts. Mom knows best.
| Ointment |
20-06
Emco
The Emeco “20-06”, Norman Foster's super strong ultra lightweight aluminum chair, is the chair we wish we designed. Light enough to hold up with one hand, strong enough for heavy duty use, and they stack like a champ.
| Chair |
L-2000RP
NT-Cutter
This is the ultimate utility knife. We break off the tips quite liberally to maintain clean and consistent cuts. This knife holds 6 blades at time, so you rarely have to reload it.
| Knife |