Well designed practical things

[Zooeyzebra]

What are you favourite high quality but practical things?

My husband doesn’t need or want anything, but he loves and gets great joy out of using well thought out high quality items.

We have 10 year old kitchen scissors and he still mentions how much he like them every time he uses them.

A few years ago I got him a really good set of screwdrivers. He loves them too.

Also a really good long ruler. A comfy pen that writes well. A hose trigger that fits comfortably. Just random stuff really.

Anything well designed for its purpose if you see what I mean.

so what are your favourite well designed practical items, that you love using?

Omg this is great! And dangerous!
Pencil sharpeners aplenty, also tape measures, and many other gorgeous things.

This pizza rocker. Buy it and forget about those rubbish wheel-style cutters. It is also great for cutting stacks of sandwiches if making a large amount.

Yeti for drinkware. It's pricey but keeps things properly cold (or hot.)

https://uk.yeti.com/pages/all-day-drinkware

your husband is my spirit animal! For me, big selling points are reliability, ease of use, reduces waste/clutter, built to last or little daily luxuries.

I've got some amazing idea from this thread. Here's my list of joy givers. I've tried to include a mix of stocking filler and big ticket items. Hope it helps.

The items that bring me joy in the kitchen:

• pyrex glass oven trays - no more money wasted replacing baking trays which have lost their non stick coating
• pyrex freezer to oven glass containers with lids in various sizes- we have eliminated cling film from our kitchen and drastically reduced our stock of plastic tuppaware. Great for meal prep, bulk cooking, use as tuppaware
• stacking cold cut boxes from lakeland
• jml copperstone frying pan and wok - the nonstick is decent and indestructible.
• stanley food flask
• lifeventure travel mugs (non leaking and very hardwearing) or le creuset travel mug for drinking on the go (not leakproof)
• le creuset stoneware mugs - beautiful in the rainbow colours, nice to hold, decent capacity
• delonghi dedica coffee machine - compact, stylish, makes a decent cup of coffee
• high powered blender / food processor
• tube wringer (for getting the maximum amount of product out of tubes)

Stationery / tech

• moleskine notebooks and diaries
• kindle - allows me to read lots without amassing clutter
• surface touch - all the power of an entry level laptop in the size and weight of a tablet
• sony cybershot camera - pocket sized point and shoot camera that packs a real punch.
• gorilla pod - posable tripod for cameras
• papermate inkjoy (£) and cross (££) pens
• car cigarette lighter usb charger and wire with multiple adaptors. Has come to my/my passengers rescue many a time
• long usb cable so I can comfortably use a device that is plugged in to charge
• multiplug usb travel adaptor
• multi usb port eu plugs - lets you charge several items on 1 plug when abroad
• usb rechargeable travel fan
• anker powerbank
• emergency lantern powerbanks - insane amount of light for their size and were brilliant when we had a 12 hour power cut earlier this year
• puzzleboard that fits a 1000 piece jigsaw and slides under the sofa out of sight when not in use
• digital radio - means we can listen to podcasts or stream spotify in the kitchen as we cook

Garden / outdoors

• spear and jackson secateurs - about £20, makes the £3 ones I used to buy at the supermarket seem like child's safety scissors!
• really thick kneeler pad
• padded and sturdy folding chairs - for camping, emergency extra seats in the garden etc
• decent coat / boots /over trousers that are actually waterproof and warm
• merino wool base layers

Accessories

• leather overnight bag
• really thick, snuggly throw or wool blanket
• one of those oversized fleece ponchos
• safety razor + bin for used blades
• screw lock carabiner for keeping my keys together. Secure but really easy to remove keys
• distinctive key covers - no fumbling around trying to figure out which key is which
• candle wick kit for melting old candle leftovers into new candles

@anibendod what a great list, I would love the Le creuset mugs. I look at them often, but we have so many mugs that we just couldn’t use any more. One day!

the secateurs sound great, I will look into them.

Are you perhaps my husband? He loves a good long charger and travel plug accessory thingy.

I do have another that makes him happy. The ‘scrub mummy’ sponge. He will happily put a little dot of dish soap on as a nose and chuckle while he washes up. So maybe not a Christmas gift but well designed and brings joy

About the pencil sharpner, it doesn't have a brand name on it and my dad gave it to me a few years ago as it was his and he thought it was fantastic. I'll ask him.

@Boating123 The metric tape I mentioned is tiny, almost keychain size but your DP might like this one which is a regular size and metric only. I also have this one.

A friend has just got back from Japan.

We had several email exchanges about a knife.

I now own a Damascus steel knife, it is both a thing of beauty and so sharp.

I have arthritis so I have an electric can opener and battery powered pencil sharpener (Lidl) stapler and salt and pepper mill.

What a lovely thread. I too would prefer something beautiful, well-made and practical as a gift to typical 'lady' presents.

David Mellor Designs sells beautiful practical things:

www.davidmellordesign.com/

Its shops are gorgeous.

On the subject of knives, I recently discovered that you can successfully sharpen bread knives - don't know why it had never occurred to me to try before. It will eventually lose its serrations of course but in the meantime you have a sharp effective knife again. I use a Global water sharpener on all our knives, not just DH's Global ones.

We have the Ikea version of this Cheese Grater. It's easy to use, the lid allows you to store excess grated cheese, and it's 15 years old and going strong.

Floks wool duvet. Quite pricey at £300+ but worth it

Piglet in bed linen bedding

Hotel silk bed throw - again, was pricey at £350 but worth it

Global knife set

Kuhn Rikon make a neat ceramic knife sharpening tool to sharpen both standard and serrated blades, but I bought it for the serrated ones. John Lewis/Waitrose for about £25. I generally like the kitchenware for vegetable mandolines and shredders.

Just replaced by £000 Miele with a Henry and it's a million times better!

God, you are all my people. This thread is absolute catnip and has given me several Christmas present ideas. Mainly for me.

Thank you to whoever posted the Objects of Use site, I spent a good amount of time mooching around there, deciding I absolutely, definitely needed a £35 Swedish crumb brush.

I too have found my people!

Victorinox veg peeler - the right weight and fit for my hand - has its own tray in the drawer so I’m instantly alerted if it’s AWOL.
Chef’n Garlic Zoom garlic chopper, which I also use for ginger. At first sight I scoffed - how wrong I was.
OXO Good Grips mini squeegee - used on bathroom tiles and windows.
Four blade herb scissors to chop chives - from Aldi.
A mezzaluna to chop herbs and slice pizza.
A pair of tongs designed for use with ice cubes but employed to move/turn items in pans. As each AC left home, a pair of these was a very welcome new home present.
Silicone spatulas - outstanding at removing every last morsel of food from a container.

Thank you for all your ideas. My online basket’s filling up!

Another vote for Global knives. They are outstanding.

Pincinox stainless steel pegs

Mine are about 3 years old, used year round, look like new.

@BeaLola have you tried the Hovel sharpener they make? Also beautiful (as is the ruler). I have it, and it works well, but I prefer to use a propelling pencil!

Me too, now on my second Magimix after 30 plus years.

Ridge wallet

I can't get on board with Henry hoover being superior to Miele! Henry is flimsy and weak in comparison

How could I have forgotten the engineering marvel that is the Bamix? Every professional kitchen has one at most prep stations. Mine is almost 50 years old... DGma went to an early Ideal Home exhibition and bought three! One for her, one for her mum, and one for her daughter. I have inherited great-granny's.

I have 2 different cannot be without highly recommended gifted to everyone I know over the years items, both of which I owe my late mother for gifting to me in the first place. I have multiples of both types and they are pretty much in daily use for far far more than just their original purpose.

1st are these serrated butter knives https://www.amazon.co.uk/Butter-Spatula-Serrated-Stainless-Wooden/dp/B08YJK6BBX/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?crid=2TVZBHX493PV1&keywords=serrated+butter+knife&qid=1699537274&sprefix=serrated+butter+knife%2Caps%2C74&sr=8-3-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

and 2nd are these Tomato Knives (which are on special offer at the moment) https://www.kingsandqueens.org.uk/products/tomato-knife

The "butter" knife spreads better than any butter knife I have ever had plus you can use the serrated side to cut the sandwich, remove crusts, slice cheese etc

The Tomato knife cuts tomatos with ease, from teeny weeny almost transparant slices to big juicy beef tomato slabs, and the rounded bit means you can pick up each slice whole. My husband uses one to cut pork pies and dollop pickle or picallilli on it lol

Not sure if they've already been mentioned but for anyone who likes to draw, Blackwing pencils are wonderful.

Anything from this shop: https://www.labourandwait.co.uk/

Leuchtturm notebooks.

Ds has a beautiful set of steak knives

https://japaneseknifecompany.com/product/tomohiro-steak-knives-gift-set-of-4/

dh got them for him so I’ve only just noticed the price but they are fabulous and gives him so much pleasure when he they are used for family meals etc.