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.
I like this little water-resistant Bluetooth speaker so much that when I lost one, I bought the same model as a replacement. It fits in the palm of my hand and is easy to pack, but punches above its size in volume and bass, providing a good sonic range. The newest model is the JBL Go5, but I have the Go4 and it’s technically equal but just doesn’t light up (preferable to me) and it’s under $40.
Small Electric Toothbrush
Back in July of 2024 I highlighted the slim Philips One by Sonicare electric travel toothbrush that I’d bought. I made a mistake and got the battery powered one that has since been discontinued. It’s still going strong, but my wife has the rechargeable one that is still available and has also performed well for even longer. It doesn’t vibrate as hard as a big one like people have at home, but it’s lighter and much smaller for packing—not much bigger than a regular manual toothbrush.
Packable Duffel Bag
Ever need to come home with more items than you left with? You could buy additional luggage on the other end, but when I can anticipate this happening, like I did this trip from shopping and getting useful trade show swag, I bring along a duffel bag that packs down into a little pouch. I have tried a few different ones, all working well, but here are two examples from Eagle Creek and Bago. One of these can also be useful if you manage to jam everything into an underseat bag for a short trip on a budget airline and want a larger bag to expand into for moving around on the other end.
A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded friends can subscribe and join you.
