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?

This DIY painter’s tool. The opposite of brute force, perfect for small jobs of prying, scraping and roller cleaning.scraper

Various men in my family have got quite excited to receive this in a Christmas stocking

-Denby bowls and plates
-French flax linen duvet covers and pillow cases
-Wool filled duvet (from Wool Room)
-Salter carbon steel frying pan with a soft handle
-Salter measuring scales (old fashioned sort)
-Victorinix serrated tomato knife
-Duralex picardie glasses
-Vitamix
-Stanley tape measure
-Le Creuset cone whistling kettle
-Makita drill set
-Black & Blum water bottle
-Extra long USB cord/phone charger
-Crocs
-Buff neck warmers
-Pringle sports socks
-Victorinix pen knife /multi tool

One of the simplest but best items I have ever bought was bamboo toaster tongs. They were recommended on an MN thread and just make life so much easier. Plus they have a magnet on them so they stick to the sofa.

Toaster NOT sofa. Not sure why I'd want my toaster tongs stuck to the sofa. Or why anything magnetic would be able to stick to the sofa 🛋️

For insulated cups Klean Kanteen. I take my tea to work in mine and it stays hot all morning. Great for long car journeys.

https://www.kleankanteen.co.uk/collections/insulated-bottles

I have a Bamix, not quite got to grips with it yet.

I have a brilliant pencil sharpner that I bought in Flying Tiger a few years ago. Its basically a small glass jar (like the ones that individual portions of marmalade/jam come in) with two holes drilled in the top and a good quality metal sharpner glued underneath. Sharpens really well, catches the shavings, is easy to empty. Cost about £1.

Also love my microplane graters and Le Creuset aluminium pans (I can barely lift the cast iron ones empty let alone full).

I've bought DH an Uberstar wine cooler - its a metal stick you put in the freezer - so it takes up very little room. The top incorporates a wine pourer so you put it in the bottle and it chills from the inside and pours with the sick in situ. https://www.uberstar.com/stainless-steel-wine-chill-stick

A meat thermometer is the one my husband always says is one of the best gifts he’s had. Bit sad really (I do buy him fun gifts too), but he likes what he likes.

Asda for the tin opener. It’s white and works!

Thought of two more I wouldn’t be without-

anti-spill pot lid to stop water boiling over

and these big forks for lifting roast meats and turkeys.

I thought of you all the other day when I saw this!
The £7 kitchen appliance that costs £51 a year to run

Cheap electricals can cost twice as to run as their energy-efficient alternativesBy
Tom Haynes,
MONEY REPORTER9 November 2023 • 6:00am
Cheap household appliances could cost households up to twice as much in energy bills, an investigation has found.
Consumer group Which? analysed the running costs of dozens of the cheapest electrical appliances on the market, and found that some could add hundreds of pounds to household bills due to their poor energy efficiency.
It found that a £7 Argos kettle would cost £51 a year to run based on today’s energy prices, double the average of £23, while the most energy-efficient models cost just £8 a year.
Argos did not respond to requests for comment.
Natalie Hitchins, of Which?, warned households not to be fooled by a low price point “as this can mask bigger costs in the long run”.
Which?’s investigation found that a £399 Hisense fridge freezer would cost £113 a year to run – 46pc higher than the average of £81. The consumer group’s testing revealed that some could cost as little as £40 a year.
A spokesperson for Hisense said the brand “is committed to bringing new products to market that are energy efficient, to ensure that consumer’s bills are as low as possible, and this is reflected across our appliance ranges”.

It comes amid warnings that British households could face a £100 surge in annual energy bills, as global events impact wholesale prices.
Last week analyst Cornwall Insight said the Hamas-Israel conflict and industrialisation in Australian gas production facilities had caused prices to rise.
It added that the energy price cap, which limits the rate at which households pay for their energy use, could rise by 6pc from £1,834 to £1,923 a year from January – and remain at that level throughout the year.
Which?’s tests used the current electricity price cap of 27.35p per kilowatt hour. From January, this figure is forecast to rise, meaning household appliances will cost households more.
A Beko £279 dishwasher costs £88.99 a year to run – £10 more than the average cost, and almost double the cheapest annual cost of £55.
Beko said that it had discontinued any F-rated appliances and upweighted its A, B and C-rated appliances.
Which? Urged customers to check the energy efficiency rating when purchasing new appliances.
A spokesman added: “There are many independent statistics that show dishwashers can save both water and energy versus handwashing, so we would never want to discourage consumers from looking into owning a dishwasher, as longer term it will support overall household energy savings.”
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No I haven't - I think I was hoping to find a desktop one so it catches all the shavings - wondering about a Caran Dache?

A few pps have mentioned wool duvets. They are mega expensive so keep an eye on
https://www.baavet.co.uk/baavet-wool-bargains

For slight seconds. I got mine from here about 6 years ago. £99 instead of £250 because it's got a slightly wonky seam. Nothing else wrong with it. Best ever buy for a menopausal woman in the worst hot flushes of her life.

Stressless furniture was ££££ but is exceptional quality, very comfortable and a good height for my tall DS to sit in. I love my Otterbox phone case with pop socket built in. Was expensive relative to other cases but has protected the phone well over the years.

Am on the hunt for a really good non-stick (but not toxic) frying pan that doesn't require seasoning and some long-lasting kitchen scissors.

Brilliant, thank you.

The current wet weather has just reminded me about my impressive Dutch umbrella:
https://www.senz.com

It is quite heavy, compared to a standard folding brolly, but it doesn't blow inside out and you can see where you are going!

Yes to wool duvets (though I don't think ours were particularly expensive).

Nothing really to add but I want to keep this thread visible!

Has anybody said nice shaving soap yet? Getting harder to find but dp likes it and it lasts for ages. Ditto a good brush.

If he’s into vinyl records, a cleaning kit.

A lovely dressing gown

Paul Smith socks

Cheese board/knives

@Madcats a miracle! Everything I hate about umbrellas- solved!!! 😍

Second this! We got a Superking size one several years ago in the bargain section because it had a slight stain. I'd recommend their wool mattress topper too.

I bought this umbrella from James Smith,the amazing umbrella shop in Holborn. The case is very compact and it fits in my handbag, so I use it much more than bigger umbrellas.

https://www.james-smith.co.uk/product/umbrellas/folding-umbrellas/knirps/knirps-x1/

On the subject of dressing gowns I love my One Hundred Stars gown. Beautiful pattern, very soft and takes up no room to I often take it away with me.

Blunt umbrellas are also very good.

Goats wool socks

agree wool duvet. Need to be paired with wool mattress topper or protector. In summer these are replaced with cotton versions of the same.

I can’t believe so many amazing suggestions! I will come here to check every time I need something.

I think I’m going to get the pepper mill. A pizza knife. And not suggested on here but a wpm milk jug

If anyone is looking for umbrellas, we have a Davek one. They come with a lifetime guarantee and give you 50% off if you lose it.

Different approach for umbrellas but I have a tiny Totes one that weighs just 28g, and because it's lightweight, never leaves my handbag.

It's not as strong as a a heavy duty umbrella, but a golfing umbrella that you leave at home because it's too much too carry is use to no man or woman.