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Cool tools really work.
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.
My latest maker video obsession is Asian street food vendors on Instagram. Not only is it mesmerizing to watch the videos and try to figure out what they’re making, but the various ovens, grills, hot-tops, and purpose-built tools are fascinating. One leit motif throughout them all? Eggs. Over 75% of the food items are egg-based. This reminded me of my friend Andrew Lawler’s amazing book, Why Did the Chicken Cross the World?, a surprising page-turner that details the history of the domesticated chicken and how it has literally fueled the march of civilization. (And it is apparently still fueling the street diners of Asia.)
Top Project Farm Products Tested Last Year
https://youtu.be/IVjW8aCCC38
In his year-end roundup from 2025, Todd from Project Farm details his top ten highest-rated tools. It’s comforting to me to have folks like Todd in the world who are not only passionate about tools but who take the time to rigorously test them. Some of my favorites on his list: Wolfbox Air Duster, Civivi Folding Pocket Knife, Dreo Space Heater, and the Craftsman Screwdriver Set.
4-Color Prints from Rattle Can Paint?
https://youtu.be/qV7yNM8mUBE
There’s a particular kind of joy that comes from misusing a perfectly respectable technology. This Wesley Treat video scratches that itch.
Wesley applies the logic of CMYK printing (those tiny cyan, magenta, yellow, and black dots that trick your eyes into seeing color photographs) and scales it up. Instead of ink, he uses rattle can spray paint. Instead of printer rollers, he uses laser-cut blocks and Mylar stencils. Instead of precision registration, he embraces drift, overspray, and happy accidents.
What makes this especially satisfying is that it’s not a tutorial striving for a guaranteed outcome, but a series of playful experiments. Up close, the prints proudly announce how they’re made. Step back, and your brain obligingly creates the illusion of a halftone. Fun stuff.
Tested Team’s Best of 2025
https://youtu.be/--Jr-Jwt3mQ
Watching the Tested team’s favorite tools and miscellaneous geekery at the end of each year is always a treat. Tools, what they enable, and the possibilities they offer, are so very important to me, so it’s always fun to see what inspired other smart and thoughtful tool enthusiasts. For Adam Savage’s favorites, he includes some eye-openers, like UV glue and cabinet scrapers.
The big aha for me was the magnetic flexible LED work lights. These are cheap, corded flex-shaft LED lights that you can mount on machines via their magnetic base. I found out they’re also called “sewing machine lights” and you can get three of them for $20. They even come with adhesive metal disks so you can mount them to just about any non-ferrous surface, too. I added one to the side of a plastic parts cabinet for extra illumination on my workbench. You can also see last year’s favorites from Norm, Jen, Sean, Kayte, and the entire Tested team here.
Which Wood is Worth Burning?
Country Living / Adrift Visuals
In this Country Living piece, UK homesteader, Sally Coulthard, shares her advice on seasoning, stacking, and burning firewood. Here she shares the best four woods to burn:
Oak: The king of firewood, oak burns slowly and creates long-lasting heat right through to the embers stage. Needs two years’ seasoning.
Ash: Another excellent hardwood for fires. Burns well with no sparking. Needs at least 18 months’ seasoning.
Birch: Burns well but quite fast – best mixed with a slower fuel, such as oak. The papery bark is great for kindling. Needs at least a year’s seasoning.
Beech: Very good firewood – burns well with few sparks and one log can last for hours in the fire. Needs two years’ seasoning.
Makers Gotta Eat!
Food tips too good not to share
The moment bread, cake, crackers, chips, and similar foods are exposed to air, moisture starts escaping out, and air creeps in, and “fresh” quickly turns into “why are we keeping this?”
Paper bags, cardboard boxes, foil tents, and loose cling film might give the illusion of preservation, but they aren’t airtight. Drying and going stale aren’t just about time; they’re about airflow.
Example: A loaf of French bread left in its paper sleeve turns into a Stone Age club by the next morning. The same loaf, cut to fit and dropped into a Ziplock bag, stays soft for days.
If you want food to last, think about sealing it, not covering it. Push the air out. Seal it tight. Air will win eventually. Your job is to make it work harder (and your food — and your dollars — last longer).
01/30/26
