Gareth’s Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales is published by Cool Tools Lab. To receive the newsletter a week early, sign up here.
Don’t forget about my Holiday Giveaway Challenge. I’m giving away a bundle of both my tips books (Vol. 1, Vol. 2) and three of my favorite everyday tools: The Williams ratcheting screwdriver, the Canary cardboard cutter, and a plastic razor blade. To be eligible, all you need to do is convince three people to sign up for my newsletter (and then send me their email addresses). If you sign up 5 (or more), you get two entries in the drawing. Contest ends Midnight, Dec. 9. Sorry, but this contest is US-only!
One of the things I love about holiday gift exchanging is getting to ask your loved ones for things you might not normally think about buying for yourself. That’s the premise behind this video on A Glimpse Inside. Honestly, I was expecting less common, everyday tools, but the stuff on here is definitely things you might not think about or know about that would make great practical gifts. A couple of things he mentions that I think fall into that special “I wouldn’t likely buy this for myself” category are the Viewtainer storage system, the GRABBO electric vacuum cup lifter, and a benchtop tape dispenser.
If you’re looking for great gift ideas for any maker on your shopping list, consider my two Amazon best-selling tips books (Volume 1, Volume 2). They are filled with tips on things like cutting, gluing, fastening, painting, finishing, electronics, soldering, 3D printing, hobby tips, and much more. The books are designed to appeal to DIYers of all skill levels and interest areas.
Isn’t it time you gave yourself (or someone else) a little Artistic License? Years ago, I created these cards and they’ve been a hit for the holidays. Perfect stocking stuffer! They are $5 each or 5 for $20 (post paid). They come in a wax-sealed white envelope. The cards are credit card sized on thick, laminated card. If interested, email me and we can arrange payment and shipment. Foreign orders will require full postage.
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A cool tool can be any book, gadget, software, video, map, hardware, material, or website that is tried and true. All reviews on this site are written by readers who have actually used the tool and others like it. Items can be either old or new as long as they are wonderful. We post things we like and ignore the rest. Suggestions for tools much better than what is recommended here are always wanted.
Asvine P36 Titanium Piston Demonstrator fountain pen: This is simply a fountain pen which is punching so far above its weight it’s ridiculous. It writes smoother, feels better, and looks nicer than many pens costing even 10 times what this Chinese “replica” pen cost. Fitted with a Bock medium nib and filled with Pilot Iroshizuku Tsutsuji, it’s a delight.
Elephant N-Wallet: I got fed up with breaking my butt every time I sat down because my wallet was full up. Honestly, it was around 1” deep at that point. I switched to Elephant N-Wallet and apart from the occasional new elastic band, it’s been amazing. I carry no less than I did before but it’s a much smaller package. As an aside, I also use a small Muji Polyester double zip case to carry more stuff like pill cases and other bits and bobs. As a combination it’s perfect for me.
Resound Vivia Hearing aids: I’m pretty much deaf these days and these hearing aids have been incredible for me. Not cheap but the sound quality is incredible and the MFI connection to my iPhone for streaming works beautifully.
DIGITAL
I recently switched over to Microsoft OneNoteafter my previous e-note supplier increased their subscription to beyond stupid. The fact that it’s included with my Office subscription (kinda sorta free, right?) and I bought and stacked annual packages on Amazon Prime Day, I don’t pay anything until June 2028!
I simply could not exist without RSS and my Feedly account. I follow 600 feeds of varying activity levels and never miss an update. I’ve been a user since 2013 (post Google Reader). Simply perfect.
INVISIBLE
Whatever you do today, do it with the confidence of a 4-year old in a Batman cape.
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