Awesome Stuff from 2024
Not another gift guide ...
It's that time of the year where polite society is inundated with gift guides. Now I've done gift guides in the past, but I’ve already come across countless such guides this year. Making one of my own felt redundant.
So I'm not doing a gift guide this year. Instead, I'm presenting some of the Awesome Stuff I have personally enjoyed or have found useful during the 366 days of 2024.
Here we go …
Trade Coffee
Trade is a coffee-by-mail service that continues to send me consistently fantastic coffees. A 6-month subscription of interesting coffees from some of the most innovative roasters in the U.S. will set you back $117.
That might seem like a lot (if you're not a crazy coffee aficionado), but doing the math means that each bi-weekly shipment costs just under $20, including shipping. If you're into exploring new and unique coffees, that's a mighty fine deal.
Try it our yourself with my Trade Coffee Referral Link. You get a free bag of coffee. I get a credit on my next order. You get my eternal gratitude.
Oclip Clip Light
I've carried a few compact flashlights over the years, but the $30 Oclip Clip Light from Olight is my current favorite.
This unique flashlight has multiple functions (including red light), a durable clip, and can be charged quickly via USB-C (cable included). It blasts out a dark-dispelling 300 lumens on the white light setting and offers a beacon mode and a red-light strobe mode. All that, and it’s magnetic, too.
Handcrafted Coffee Mug
I bought this wheel-thrown, wide-bottomed coffee mug from artist Zoe Frances Craig at a craft fair in the waning days of 2023. (Side note: She also did the artwork on the party card game Lark.)
While this is not my favorite mug (that will always be my 11-ounce, gloss-gray Hasami Porcelain mug), it does rank a very close second.
Big Hug Mug
I found this Big Hug Mug, memorabilia from the first season of True Detective, in the wild at the Vintage Pyrex Swap in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. As Agent Cooper says, "Every day, once a day, give yourself a present." And on this particular day, that gift was this particular mug.
We Are Happy to Serve You Cup
Nothing says "New York" to me quite like the iconic Greek deli coffee cup. This notion settled into my brain from watching police officers and detectives in all the New York City police dramas show up to murder scenes holding a steaming cup of coffee in one of these paper cups. So naturally, I could not resist purchasing the We Are Happy to Serve You ceramic version when it beckoned to me at the Guggenheim gift shop.
Acacia Pearl Coffee Scale
When making coffee, it's all about the ratio. And the best way to manage the perfect ratio is by weight. After making do with a random kitchen scale for the past few years, I finally upgraded to the Acacia Pearl Coffee Scale.
This elegant weighing device offers such ante-upping features like flow-rate display and a beverage mode that weighs just the liquid coffee in the cup (excluding the weight of the grounds — it’s like magic).
But my favorite feature is auto-start mode, where the timer starts when you pour the first drops of water into the grounds. At $150, it’s on the spendier side, but can you put a price on the perfect cup of coffee?
GL.iNet GL-ATX 1800 Travel Router
The GL.iNet GL-ATX 1800 is a useful device for travelers that makes hotel wi-fi not suck (as much). It's a lightweight (8 ounces / 245 grams), wi-fi 6, gigabit-capable router offering dual-band (2.4 GHz and 5 Ghz) wireless connections.
It also comes with built-in VPN support and an adblocker right out of the box, and it’s very easy to set up — even when you’re forced to use the frustrating captive portal feature employed by hotels.
If you're traveling with a group and/or are prone to accessing dodgy public wi-fi, this is a crucial piece of gear. Plus, you can buy interchangeable power plugs for it so it can be used when traveling overseas. Definitely worth the $120 price tag.
Lamy Safari Fountain Pen
The Lamy Safari is an affordable ($40) fountain pen that offers a smooth writing experience and serves as the gateway to the fascinating world of fountain pens.
Lamy makes these in a wide variety of colors, and there’s even a matching rollerball and mechanical pencil. But the writing experience with the fountain nib is something special. I picked mine up on a family trip to Germany.
Pferd Chain Sharp Sharpener
Sharpening a chainsaw's chain can be a daunting task. So German tool company Pferd invented the Pferd Chain Sharp — a dead simple way to get this job done. (Stihl then copied it and now sells the same thing at a premium price).
The Pferd version runs around $45. That's a lot more expensive than a pair of files (about $8), but the Chain Sharp does take some of the mystery out of chainsaw sharpening. This innovative tool lines up the filing edge just right with the chisel, the point, and the depth gauge of each tooth on the chain.
And while this tool works great for most sharpening tasks, it does have some disadvantages — mainly being too aggressive in filing the depth gauge. Once you get the hang of keeping your chain sharp with this device, switch to an appropriately sized Husqvarna Roller Guide to take your sharpening to the next level.
Fiskars IsoCore Wood Splitting Maul
Last winter we rented a sauna from Soulful Saunas for a few days. We found the experience to be so enjoyable and such a relief from the deep chill of the winter weather, we decided to get one of our own.
Our sauna is powered by a classic Kuuma wood-burning stove. That means we're going to need a lot of wood this winter. No problem. We have an abundant supply of timber on the Manor Grounds.
But that wood needs to be processed — cut to the right length and then split. After some trial and error, the $70, 8-pound Fiskars IsoCore Wood Splitting Maul from the Finnish maker of things with sharp edges makes the wood-splitting task easier.
OEM Tools Manual Fluid Extractor
The rural life is one of small engines. I own a chainsaw, a generator, a push lawnmower, a riding lawnmower, a tractor, a snow blower, and three cars — the daily driver, the workhorse pickup, and the zippy outrunner.
So I have a lot of engines to maintain, and I spend a lot of time changing oil. For $110, the OEM Tools Manual Fluid Extractor (which I’ve written about before) makes that tedious task much easier — and a lot less messy.
Rocky Talkie
Okay, dumb name. But the Rocky Talkie 5-watt GMRS radio allows us to remain in contact while traveling through the county highways and backroads in our area where there is often no cell coverage.
We’ve tested it out to a few miles around the Manor Grounds with decent results. We have yet to try out the longer antennas and repeater channels that should give us even greater range across the undulating topography of the Driftless.
A pair of these will set you back $360, but that’s well worth the cost in an emergency situation. And it can broadcast continual weather reports — a crucial feature during our months of inclement weather.
Everything Bagel Hot Sauce
I know, I know. Ever since Trader Joe's released the iconic Everything but the Bagel Seasoning, the world has been awash in endless "everything bagel" flavored foodstuffs. And I agree it is pretty tiresome. Almost as tiresome as pumpkin spice.
But I make an exception for the exceptional Everything Bagel Hot Sauce from the Secret Handshake Food Company. It's the perfect complement to eggs, bagels (duh), avocado toast, your favorite sandwich, and pretty much anything else. A single bottle costs $10 at Heatonist.com. But do yourself a favor and get the two-pack. You won’t regret it.
Boulder Canyon Limited Edition Avocado Oil Buffalo Ranch Chips
Readers of this publication know I have a fondness for potato chips. And this year, Boulder Canyon (which I just learned is owned by Utz), released these “canyon cut” (I think this just means crinkle-cut) buffalo ranch-flavored chips friend in avocado oil. And, boy, are they tasty.
Are these the best chips ever? Man, I don’t know. But I do know I’ve been spending $4.29 for a bag of these limited edition chips every time I go to the store.
That's it for the list of 2024’s Awesome Stuff. And that’s most likely it for the rest of the year (though I might sneak a short entry in before December 31st).
I appreciate you spending the year with me and look forward to sending you more goodies in 2025.
Until then, remember to give yourself a present every day and don't forget to hug someone you love.
Just so you know, some links above are affiliate links, the use of which helps me keep writing (at no additional cost to you).