Awesome Living

Everyday Carry looks back at the past year for the ten most popular tools, knives, flashlights, and gadgets, based on reader interest. Among them are the Leatherman FREE T4 multitool, the CRK Pilar knife, and the Nitecore TIP SE flashlight, all of which would make great additions to any pocket tool collection.

This pocket knife accepts standard utility blades, so it never needs sharpening and is great for opening boxes, cutting cardboard, and getting through plastic packaging. It’s made from stainless steel, has a pocket clip, and features a liner lock mechanism for safety. They also make a lite version with a skeletonized handle.

StatGear’s SKRAWL pen features a lightweight aluminum case with a tapered, ergonomic design. It has a bolt-action mechanism and a carbide-tip window breaker tool on its tail end. It comes with a Schmidt 4889 pressurized cartridge that can even be used to write while inverted.

Jet Bent-Lee’s father, Iron Chef Susur Lee is back to upgrade another fast food meal. This time, he transformed a chicken bowl, chips, and salsa into a beautiful looking savory pie inspired by French and Mexican cuisine. He also made some colorful horchata from the rice blended with spices and prickly pear juice.

Pastry and confection artist Amaury Guichon shows off yet another amazing edible creation. We had to clean the drool off our keyboard as we watched him build this incredible sculpture of a rocket ship entirely from chocolate. It’s one of several of his works featured on the Netflix series School of Chocolate.

These unique damascus knives are made by forging and folding steel recovered from the Tirpitz, a German WWII battleship sunk off the coast of Norway by Allied bombers. There are four limited-edition knives in the series, the Barlow Prime Tirpitz-Damascus, the Tirpitz-Damascus, the Tirpitz-Damascus Wood, and the Tirpitz-Damascus Gold.

The Revov keeps your glasses, keys, phone, watch, and other everyday essentials organized. Its rotating beech wood top tray snaps satisfyingly into place using magnets, providing quick access to the items stored in the aluminum cubby below. Plus, removable dividers allow you to customize its storage compartment.

This unique vacation rental in Washougal, Washington was inspired by Jurassic Park. In addition to the comfy 3-bedroom, 2-bath house, it has five animatronic dinosaurs scattered around the property. Inside, you’ll find artifacts like a mosquito encased in amber and books written by Dr. Ian Malcolm and Dr. John Hammond.

Whether you’re hiking, camping, hunting, or stuck in your car in bad weather, you should always have a quality first-aid kit on hand. The Tekto Survival Bag could save your life with its survival tools, thermal blankets, bandages, tape, water bottle and filter, emergency flashlight, and more.

We love the clean lines of The James Brand’s drop-point keychain knife. It features a 1.74″ Sandvik 12C27 stainless steel blade and lightweight, durable micarta or G-10 handles. It comes in green, blue, or black with either a stainless or black blade. Its rear hanging loop doubles as a pry tool.

For those of us who dabble in building and repairing things, our workbenches of often relegated to a corner of the basement or a garage. And then there’s Doug, a Houston-based commercial contractor whose workshop is better equipped than a Home Depot store. Bauforum24 visited from Germany to tour this amazing workshop.

This mid-sized pack comes loaded with dozens of useful first-aid supplies which can help save lives in the right hands. The kit includes bandages, ointments, splints, wraps, medication, gloves, shears, a digital thermometer, a survival blanket, and many more useful emergency items. Full list here. LifeStraw shown, but not included.

Cognitive Surplus offers all kinds of great gifts for lovers of science, engineering, nature, and the world around us. We love their festive flasks which feature detailed illustrations with a tactile feel. They’re made from stainless steel with a wide mouth opening, and hold up to 18oz of hot or cold beverages.

O3D’s modular storage drawers remind us that hexagons are the bestagons. They’re perfect for organizing small hardware and electronic parts. Modules include two types of drawers, which can be customized by sliding together sections. They’re sold as a set of digital files for 3D printing, and also come in a square design.

Need to tighten or loosen screws in a tight space? MulWark’s 4″ long ratcheting wrench is just 20mm (~.79″) thick with its bits in place, so it can fit into tricky areas where you can’t use a long driver. Its 1/4″ drive socket magnetically holds bits, which are made from durable CRV6150 steel, and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Enjoy your favorite spirits in these elegant square rocks glasses. They’re crystal clear, dishwasher safe, and even shatter-resistant. Sold in a set of two, they make a great gift for any whiskey fan. Save 18% on a pair in The Awesomer Shop.

The Decibel is a modern folding knife for everyday carry. Its downward-pointed tip is ideal for piercing, while its straight edge makes quick work of cutting tasks. Its 3″ stainless steel blade and handle have a matte grey titanium-carbo-nitride coating, accented by an anodized blue aluminum pivot collar and backspacer.

Modustrial Maker shows off how he built a sweet coffee table from concrete, wood, epoxy resin, and LED strips. The design is inspired by the lighting patterns found inside of the Death Star. Unlike the pure white lights of the movies, these ones can change colors to the beat of the music.

The 65,000 square foot Peter Grant Mansion sits along the lakefront in Haileybury, Ontario, Canada. The enormous, custom-built home was never completed after a financial collapse in 2008. Bright Sun Films takes us on a tour of the now-abandoned monument to excess.

Ever try to get a tablespoon to fit into the top of an olive jar? Cocktail Kingdom solves the common bartender complaint thanks to Jim Meehan, author of Meehan’s Bartender Manual. Meehan’s Mixology Measuring Spoons offer a narrower, arrow-shaped motif on stainless spoons – in six Imperial measurements.

Rather than combining the fork and spoon into a single, less than ideal utensil, Heavy Cover’s lightweight titanium tool gives you both a spoon and a fork. It also packs a bottle opener, and five small box wrenches in its middle.

With eight super-bright Cree XHP70 LEDs, the MS08 flashlight can blast out 34,000 lumens in turbo mode, with a beam distance up to 738 meters / 2421 feet. Even at 10,000 lumens, it can run for 55 minutes on a charge. Its thermal control module, shielding, and fans manage heat, so you can actually hold this thing. Review here.

Samsung’s tabletop projector can pivot 180º, so you can project on your walls or ceiling and from any height. It projects a 1080p image up to 100″ and automatically adjusts for distortion and wall color. It also has a built-in 360º speaker and Alexa and Bixby voice assistants and plays content wirelessly or via a Micro HDMI port.