So Christmas is over and the bargain hunting is just beginning. Still, when looking at the gift guides, there are a few items I really do wish I had gotten (and may soon). They tend to fall into two categories: a) things from really cool niche vendors who care about their trade and b) classic items that truly are the best in category.
So here is my wish list taken from Wirecutter’s Gift Guide and also the Willamette Weekly list of cool local items in Portland (as it is an uber cool retro chic city). In many ways, these are more about the companies than their products:
- Someware Goods. Really cool purveyor in LA. Their rope shopping bag is cool (and sold out!). They feature goods from artisans in South America mainly. Very neat.
- Huckberry. The stock from Mesa Arizona, the Karas Kustom pens. These are hand machined pens. Very cool, but the store is in some ways even cooler. They require a login or Facebook connection to see their goods and they are super cool. As another example are the Randolph handcrafted sunglasses
- Maika Goods. Wow the coolest fabric wrapping material. It is reusable and looks great. I always forget to get some before Xmas, like the set of Santa Sacks that somehow Walmart never quite delivered to me for this season.
- Best Made. I could spend hours on this site as well, but their Hobo knife is uniquely cool. Like a depression-era spark 🙂
- MegaPro Screwdriver. This ratcheting screwdriver is just so cool. I’ve a bunch of these from other vendors, but they tend to be just horrible.
- Nikon Monarch 8×42. These are $250 binoculars that perform like $1k Leupolds. Always wanted a set. I don’t know what for, but they are cool!
