So I made a list. I thought about it for a few more hours, drank some more coffee, and decided the world deserved to see it. Here it is:

1. Festool CT36. When I bought this thing, the $799 price tag felt like a personal insult. My old Craftsman shopvac cost less than a hundred dollars and worked fine, and here was this German contraption demanding nearly a grand just to suck up sawdust. I thought I’d lost my mind. Now? I use it every single day, not just as a dust extractor but as a regular shop vac, and I cannot imagine operating without it. It is bulletproof. It is versatile. It is more convenient than any other shop vac on the market. It is the kind of machine that makes you realize everything you owned before it was a cheap, temporary lie… It retails at $1000 now and I’d still buy it again if mine broke.

2. The BF/MFT. I built this 4×8 shop table mostly out of curiosity. I knew it would get used on woodworking projects, sure, but I had no idea how deeply satisfying a large format island workbench would become as just a general surface for existing in the shop. If you have the square footage, build one. You will not regret it and you will never go back.

3. Vintage Craftsman Drill Press. Tools from the 1940s make me genuinely happy in a way that is difficult to explain to a normal person. The build quality, the look, the sheer density of the things. But the 103.231.40 earns its place on this list for a simpler reason: it works, and it never stops working. I have no reason to ever own another drill press. This one will outlive me.

4. The Roboreel. This one comes loaded with history. A bunch of us in Austin got sent one to review. I got mine, my friend got his, and then, in a move I still cannot explain through any rational framework, the company’s own representative started talking trash about each of us to the other. Months later the company was dead. Bankrupt. Gone. And yet, in some cosmic joke that the universe apparently thought was very funny, the Roboreel turned out to be one of my favorite things in the entire shop. I use it every day. The company that made it cratered spectacularly and I still cannot stop using the damn thing.

5. Bouton Safety Glasses. Years ago I bought vintage style safety glasses for one reason: I refused to wear the Brian Bosworth eyewear that floods the market. Then I took the Boutons to my optician and had him put my prescription in them. That was about a decade ago. They have given me zero problems, zero reasons to think about them, and that, frankly, is the highest compliment you can pay any piece of equipment. The best gear is the gear you forget you’re wearing.

That’s the list. Things I don’t technically need, but would now find barbaric to live without. You got something like this? Post it. I want to know what you’re running in there.

For the past five years, that something has been the Chaves Knives C.H.U.B. flipper, the black G10 bruiser sitting up top in the photos. It’s been flawless. Not “pretty good.” Flawless. It opens, it cuts, it disappears in the pocket, and somehow, against all odds, I haven’t lost the damned thing.

The problem? It’s a $200 knife. I bought mine in 2021, and since then they’ve been selling out like contraband and vanishing from shelves with no promise of return. That kind of scarcity makes a man nervous.

So the market did what the market always does. First, Chaves rolled out a “Blue Label” version, same bones, cheaper suit, about $100. Then the wolves showed up. Enter the OKnife U1 at a laughable $25.

When I first saw it, I figured it was just another cheap imitation. A photocopy of a photocopy. But curiosity got the better of me, and I ordered one anyway.

And I’ll be damned… it’s not bad.

Not great. Not even close to the Chaves in terms of materials or refinement. But for the money? It’s a scrappy little survivor. Stainless guts, Micarta scales, light in the hand, tight in the action. It flips open with a twitch and locks up with a simple rail system that doesn’t try to impress you. Blade swaps are handled with a thumb screw that actually works, which already puts it ahead of half the junk out there.

The weak link? That pocket clip. Bent stainless. The kind of thing that looks fine until it doesn’t. It hasn’t betrayed me yet, but I don’t trust it. And in this game, trust matters.

They’ve got a few flavors. The standard green Micarta model in the middle (see photos), and the slightly more pricey U1 Pro down below in Ultem, which throws in a tiny magnetic bit driver like a bonus round at the carnival. I haven’t pushed the Pro hard enough yet to say anything meaningful about it.

But I’m done with the standard U1.

So here’s the deal, I’m giving it away. Best comment on this feature takes it. It’s been carried. It’s got scars. I burned a slightly crooked Garage Journal logo into one scale like a drunk branding cattle. I’ll clean it up before it ships, but don’t expect a museum piece.

It’s a tool. And it’s been used like one.

OR, if you would rather… You can buy yours here:

The OKnife U1

The OKnife U1 Pro

Editor’s Note: This is not a sponsorship. I don’t know a single person at OKnife, have never talked to them, and paid for these things with my own damned money.

Which brings me to Nick Grant and his vintage-inspired workshop in Scotland.

There’s something about the way he’s blended a proper working shop with a space you actually want to spend time in. It’s not just tools and tasks, it’s a place to sit, think, hang out, and enjoy the process. That balance is hard to get right, and he nailed it.

I’m completely taken with it.

Anyway, have a look through the gallery.

So… what do I think?

If there’s one thing that matters above all else with any measuring device, it’s trust. If you don’t trust it, it doesn’t matter how many features it has, your work is going to suffer. And the XTAPE1? It leans hard into what feels like witchcraft. Lasers, calculations, angles, stored data… it’s a lot. And magic, at least at first, is hard to trust.

On paper, the thing is absurd. It’s got a traditional 12-foot tape built in, but then it layers on laser measurements, continuous tracking, area and volume calculations, layout tools, angle displays, point-to-point math, indirect measurements… it’ll even split a line into equal segments and store everything you do in an app on your phone. It reads like something built by an engineer that got bored and decided to throw the entire toolbox into one device.

And here’s the kicker, most of it actually works. Really well.

But none of that matters if you don’t trust it.

Early on, I was cutting sheet goods using the XTAPE1 as my guide. I’d set the measurement, mark off the laser, and then just stand there staring at the line like it was about to betray me. Inevitably, I’d grab a traditional tape, double check it, and make a second mark just a hair off from the first.

Every single time, the XTAPE1 was right. My “backup” mark was the one introducing error.

That happened enough times that I started to let go a bit. Slowly. And that’s really the story here. Whether it’s point-to-point measurements, indirect height, or just basic tape work, this thing is incredibly accurate. But you have to give yourself time to believe it.

Once you do, it’s a game changer.

It’s quicker, easier, and strips away a lot of the hassle from measurements that used to require a second set of hands or a bunch of extra steps. The battery life borders on absurd, I haven’t touched a charger in over two months, and it just sits there doing its job without ever making a fuss.

There are plenty of videos out there walking through every feature in detail. I’m not going to rehash all of that. What I will say is this: if you pick one up, take the time to learn it, and more importantly, give yourself enough reps to trust it.

Because once that switch flips, this thing is legitimately awesome. Buy yours here.

And because I know someone is gonna ask, here’s a quick list of all the shit the XTAPE1 is capable of:

Traditional Tape Measurement:

Twelve feet of honest steel hiding inside the machine, marked up like a prison wall calendar. Big hook on the end with a magnet strong enough to grab onto anything ferrous and refuse to let go.

Single Length Measurement:

Point the green beam like a weapon and tap the blue arrow. One shot, one number. No ceremony. The distance appears instantly, cold and factual, like a verdict handed down from a judge who doesn’t care about your excuses.

Continuous Measurement:

Now we’re moving. This thing updates every 0.3 seconds as you walk, pace, stumble, or lurch toward your target. Numbers rolling like a slot machine. No waiting. No second chances. Just constant feedback while you try to keep up.

Area Calculation:

Square footage for the impatient. Shoot two lines, tape or laser, doesn’t matter. Lock them in and the machine does the math while you stand there pretending you were going to calculate it yourself. Perimeter, square feet, square inches… all laid out like a confession.

Volume Calculation:

Same deal, but now you’re thinking in three dimensions. Length, width, height. Add the third number and suddenly you’re measuring space itself. The device spits out volume like it’s nothing, while you nod along like you saw it coming.

Stake Out:

This is layout work for people who don’t trust eyeballs. Set your points, walk the line, and let the machine keep you honest. No drifting. No guessing. Just precise, repeatable marks in a world full of sloppy geometry.

Live Angle Display:

Tilt it, twist it, spin it like a man losing control. The green laser becomes your horizon and the screen tracks every degree in real time. It’s like carrying a digital level that never blinks and never forgives.

Point to Point:

Two targets. One calculation. The XTAPE1 figures the distance between them, your position, and the angle tying it all together. Three numbers on the screen like coordinates to something important… or incriminating.

Indirect Height:

You can’t get there directly? No problem. Measure the hypotenuse, grab the angle, and let the machine tell you the horizontal distance. It’s geometry for people who skipped class but still want to win.

Indirect Length:

Top and bottom readings, two hypotenuse measurements, one angle tying them together. The machine stitches it all into a vertical dimension while you stand there wondering why you ever trusted ladders.

1/N Line Split Function:

Set your interval and let the tape run. Hit your mark and the machine breaks the line into perfect segments like a drill sergeant dividing recruits. Clean splits. No guessing. No drifting. Just order imposed on chaos.

***

If you are interested, you can get yours here.

It’s exactly the kind of project I daydream about constantly and never quite make time for. And that’s probably the other thing I admire most about her, the energy. She just does the work. No overplanning, no waiting for the perfect moment.

Anyway, I’ve really enjoyed following along with this build and figured some of you guys might as well. Here’s the playlist.

Then I noticed the shears.

Tiny, almost dainty little Knipex bastards, barely bigger than what your grandmother uses at her sewing machine. The man was running them through wire after wire, fat gauge stuff, the kind of cable that that I’d be using my largest dikes on, and they were going through it like warm butter. I couldn’t stay quiet. I had to know.

He didn’t answer. He just grinned the grin of a man who knows something you don’t, and tossed the shears across the bench at me along with a fistful of scrap wire.

Three cuts. That’s all it took. Three cuts on 4 AWG wire and something in my brain clicked permanently into place. I was buying a pair before the fourth piece of scrap hit the floor.

Nobody paid me to say this. Holy shit, buy these things.

Get yours here.

And then there’s Type 7. Those maniacs don’t just make videos… they build atmosphere. Mood. The production quality is so damn good it feels irresponsible to scroll past it like some dopamine drunk civilian.

Maybe I’m projecting. Maybe it’s nostalgia mixed with a little self-inflicted trauma. But give it a watch. There’s something lurking in there. It grabbed me by the collar and wouldn’t let go. It might do the same to you.

This is one of those gallery threads I’ve been quietly following for years. One of the very few that makes me stop whatever pointless task I’m in the middle of, sit down at a proper computer, and actually click the notification the second it pops up. And that got me thinking—if it gets under my skin like that, it probably deserves a little more attention. Some things are just too good to keep to yourself.

You can follow it yourself here. You’ll be glad ya did.

I should say up front, I dabble in this world myself. Or more accurately, I dabble in watch modding. I love taking vintage watch parts, mostly Rolex and Tudor, mixing original components from different eras with a few well-made reproductions (read:fake), and building what I think of as hot rod watches.

But this is a whole different animal. This is a guy restoring watches with tools and techniques I can’t even pretend to understand. He’s clearly trained, both through formal education and years of experience, and it shows. The level of precision and care is unreal, and the end result is a watch that’s as close to new as a vintage piece can realistically get.

That’s not to say I agree with every choice he makes. I’d never polish a vintage case, revisionist history just isn’t my thing, and I’d never remove an engraving either. Erasing history, even in the name of restoration, doesn’t sit right with me.

Still, watch this guy work. Take in the tools he’s collected and mastered over a lifetime. This is seriously cool stuff.

This morning I somehow slipped headfirst into a cobbler rabbit hole. There’s a surprisingly deep pool of boot and shoe repair channels on YouTube, and I have no idea if this guy is the guy, but I love how he approaches his work. And as a Red Wing devotee, I can’t argue with the end result.

His storefront is fantastic too – packed with everything needed to rebuild a boot from the ground up, all of it carrying just the right amount of patina. My kind of place entirely. And apparently, if you need a key cut while you’re in there, he’s your man for that too.

Anyway, enjoy the video: