Comments on: Best Made: cloth extension cords and other classic goods http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Sat, 25 May 2013 09:12:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Ito Kagehisa http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1390983 Ito Kagehisa Mon, 09 Apr 2012 18:00:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1390983 The Fiskars hatchet I've used is quite good.  Pedro the Cruel gave it as a present to my son on his 9th birthday, because the plastic handle and thin head are light enough for a child who is just learning to handle razor-sharp implements.  We still use it regularly, it's an excellent tool. The estwing all-steel axes and hatchets from Home Depot/Lowes are also quite good.  They require more initial sharpening than the Fiskars hatchet did, but the steel hafts are dramatically more capable of withstanding abuse than wood, fiberglass or plastic. Incidentally, if you are splitting locust, osage, or some other twisted-grain wood, you will need sledge'n'wedge or a splitting maul.  A regular axe just makes the job far more difficult (and you can break your axe, too!). The Fiskars hatchet I’ve used is quite good.  Pedro the Cruel gave it as a present to my son on his 9th birthday, because the plastic handle and thin head are light enough for a child who is just learning to handle razor-sharp implements.  We still use it regularly, it’s an excellent tool.

The estwing all-steel axes and hatchets from Home Depot/Lowes are also quite good.  They require more initial sharpening than the Fiskars hatchet did, but the steel hafts are dramatically more capable of withstanding abuse than wood, fiberglass or plastic.

Incidentally, if you are splitting locust, osage, or some other twisted-grain wood, you will need sledge’n'wedge or a splitting maul.  A regular axe just makes the job far more difficult (and you can break your axe, too!).

]]> By: ojsimpsonsghost http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1390896 ojsimpsonsghost Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:52:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1390896 Best Made Co. - Tools for people who don't use tools.   Best Made Co. – Tools for people who don’t use tools.  

]]> By: h0n0rb http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1390546 h0n0rb Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:18:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1390546 I had great success with a fiskars reel mower last summer so it's nice to hear that they make consistently good stuff - I'll put the axe on my list! Thanks! I had great success with a fiskars reel mower last summer so it’s nice to hear that they make consistently good stuff – I’ll put the axe on my list! Thanks!

]]> By: Art http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1390376 Art Sun, 08 Apr 2012 15:12:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1390376 Why not fetishize nostalgia?  Our popular culture fetishizes everything else- from religion to food to fashion. Why not fetishize nostalgia? 
Our popular culture fetishizes everything else- from religion to food to fashion.

]]> By: cpm5280 http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1390283 cpm5280 Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:11:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1390283 This website made me want to buy an axe. I do not need an axe. This website made me want to buy an axe. I do not need an axe.

]]> By: Marya http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1390247 Marya Sun, 08 Apr 2012 03:17:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1390247 It is ridiculous to fetishise nostalgia. It is worst to price gouge at the same time.  It is ridiculous to fetishise nostalgia.
It is worst to price gouge at the same time. 

]]> By: Heikki Ketola http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389732 Heikki Ketola Sat, 07 Apr 2012 05:17:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389732 I beg to differ on the axes.  In 2011 I spent a total of perhaps one month splitting firewood with an axe.  The axes on Best Made Company looks like retro crap from Restoration hardware -looks great, doesn't work.  for me the best wood splitting axes, and machetes, are made by Fiskars (Amazon, Lowe's, elsewhere too).   Fiskars 36 inch splitting axes are fantastic. No need for extra wedges and sledgehammers.  Just the Fiskars axe and you. The other fantastic tool is Fiskars Brush Axe -essentially a machete that works much better than the regular machetes you'll find in Home Depot or Lowe's... I beg to differ on the axes.  In 2011 I spent a total of perhaps one month splitting firewood with an axe.  The axes on Best Made Company looks like retro crap from Restoration hardware -looks great, doesn’t work.  for me the best wood splitting axes, and machetes, are made by Fiskars (Amazon, Lowe’s, elsewhere too).  
Fiskars 36 inch splitting axes are fantastic. No need for extra wedges and sledgehammers.  Just the Fiskars axe and you.
The other fantastic tool is Fiskars Brush Axe -essentially a machete that works much better than the regular machetes you’ll find in Home Depot or Lowe’s…

]]> By: scruss http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389692 scruss Sat, 07 Apr 2012 03:27:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389692  The Lee Valley Higo is Japanese-made. I have one, and it was my EDC blade for a while. The Lee family are a bit obsessive about knives, and import a lot of fine sharps from Japan. The Best Made one looks overly fancy; a higo is basically the most heavy-duty carpentry knife you'll ever (ab)use. Best Made do have a pretty website, though.  The Lee Valley Higo is Japanese-made. I have one, and it was my EDC blade for a while. The Lee family are a bit obsessive about knives, and import a lot of fine sharps from Japan. The Best Made one looks overly fancy; a higo is basically the most heavy-duty carpentry knife you’ll ever (ab)use.

Best Made do have a pretty website, though.

]]> By: Spencer Cross http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389605 Spencer Cross Sat, 07 Apr 2012 00:13:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389605 Possibly, but I couldn't find anything on the Lee Valley site detailing where their Higo is made, and according to their site they make "the vast majority" of their own product and are based in North America. Possibly, but I couldn’t find anything on the Lee Valley site detailing where their Higo is made, and according to their site they make “the vast majority” of their own product and are based in North America.

]]> By: magicdragonfly http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389604 magicdragonfly Sat, 07 Apr 2012 00:11:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389604 Wow, that's what I call overpriced. What does someone do with this tat, other than hang it on the wall? I can't see shelling out that kind of money on an axe, and for the price of his first aid kit, I'll have one three times the size if I were to source the stuff at the corner store. Wow, that’s what I call overpriced.
What does someone do with this tat, other than hang it on the wall? I can’t see shelling out that kind of money on an axe, and for the price of his first aid kit, I’ll have one three times the size if I were to source the stuff at the corner store.

]]> By: jerwin http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389603 jerwin Sat, 07 Apr 2012 00:09:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389603 <a>Tom Scocca, on Peter Buchanan Smith</a> <blockquote>Irony and masculinity were rushed to NYU Downtown Hospital, bloodied with ax wounds and unresponsive, on a pair of canvas stretchers with polished maple poles, modeled on the stretchers used by John Dos Passos in the ambulance service during the Great War. Doctors said it was unclear whether either would survive. </blockquote> Tom Scocca, on Peter Buchanan Smith

Irony and masculinity were rushed to NYU Downtown Hospital, bloodied with ax wounds and unresponsive, on a pair of canvas stretchers with polished maple poles, modeled on the stretchers used by John Dos Passos in the ambulance service during the Great War. Doctors said it was unclear whether either would survive.

]]> By: Matthew M. http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389588 Matthew M. Fri, 06 Apr 2012 23:49:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389588 While the knives do appear a bit different from each other neither are made in America. While the knives do appear a bit different from each other neither are made in America.

]]> By: Ito Kagehisa http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389531 Ito Kagehisa Fri, 06 Apr 2012 22:14:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389531 I used cloth-covered wire I ordered from Sundial when I rebuilt a smooshed 1930s era electric fan I found in the recycling bin. I would definitely use their product again; it's modern high-quality insulation covered by an authentic-looking fabric jacket and should last as least as long as the original did.  Ordering and shipping was uneventful and the wire arrived well packaged and undamaged. Note that cloth-covered wires (like silicone wires) may tend to pick up cat hair and dust, but it's a small price to pay for cords that won't look jarringly out of place on antique appliances. I used cloth-covered wire I ordered from Sundial when I rebuilt a smooshed 1930s era electric fan I found in the recycling bin.

I would definitely use their product again; it’s modern high-quality insulation covered by an authentic-looking fabric jacket and should last as least as long as the original did.  Ordering and shipping was uneventful and the wire arrived well packaged and undamaged.

Note that cloth-covered wires (like silicone wires) may tend to pick up cat hair and dust, but it’s a small price to pay for cords that won’t look jarringly out of place on antique appliances.

]]> By: Ito Kagehisa http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389515 Ito Kagehisa Fri, 06 Apr 2012 22:00:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389515 Snow and Neally - ah yes, I hear they are "proudly made in America" from low quality Chinese heads and American hickory handles. Snow and Neally – ah yes, I hear they are “proudly made in America” from low quality Chinese heads and American hickory handles.

]]> By: Spencer Cross http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389483 Spencer Cross Fri, 06 Apr 2012 21:21:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389483 "- Higo knife: $60 from Best Made, $24.50 from Lee Valley" Sure, if you ignore the fact that one is made in North America and the other is made in Japan. Not to mention the styling differences. Maybe it's not worth the price difference to you, but I don't see what that has to do with what I spend MY money on. But hey, if any of you are willing to spend the time curating a collection of high-quality products that you think are worthwhile and, often, customizing them in a way that you think adds to their value and you want do it all for free and sell them to me for no markup, go for it! I'll be the first to subscribe to your mailing list and/or RSS feed. For anyone that actually likes Best Made, the membership-shopping site Huckberry does a pretty good job of featuring similarly vintage-inspired brands in a wide variety of categories. I don't think their "members-only prices" typically represent a very good discount, but it's a great way to get turned on to people making cool things with (usually) an eye toward artisanship and quality. “- Higo knife: $60 from Best Made, $24.50 from Lee Valley”
Sure, if you ignore the fact that one is made in North America and the other is made in Japan. Not to mention the styling differences. Maybe it’s not worth the price difference to you, but I don’t see what that has to do with what I spend MY money on.

But hey, if any of you are willing to spend the time curating a collection of high-quality products that you think are worthwhile and, often, customizing them in a way that you think adds to their value and you want do it all for free and sell them to me for no markup, go for it! I’ll be the first to subscribe to your mailing list and/or RSS feed.

For anyone that actually likes Best Made, the membership-shopping site Huckberry does a pretty good job of featuring similarly vintage-inspired brands in a wide variety of categories. I don’t think their “members-only prices” typically represent a very good discount, but it’s a great way to get turned on to people making cool things with (usually) an eye toward artisanship and quality.

]]> By: Art http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389475 Art Fri, 06 Apr 2012 21:10:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389475 U.L. Listed materials and product? U.L. Listed materials and product?

]]> By: teleny http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389420 teleny Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:23:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389420 Has AxeCop been told? He and FishyFish might be interested. Has AxeCop been told? He and FishyFish might be interested.

]]> By: scruss http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389410 scruss Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:15:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389410 Best Made? Best markup, more like: - Yujiro thread cutter: $38 from Best Made, $23 from Hida Tool - Anthology of American Folk Music: $90 from Best Made, $79 from the Smithsonian - Higo knife: $60 from Best Made, $24.50 from Lee Valley Best Made? Best markup, more like:

- Yujiro thread cutter: $38 from Best Made, $23 from Hida Tool
- Anthology of American Folk Music: $90 from Best Made, $79 from the Smithsonian
- Higo knife: $60 from Best Made, $24.50 from Lee Valley

]]> By: Justin Woulfe http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389408 Justin Woulfe Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:14:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389408 Designed an axe my ass....he painted a handle of a Snow and Neally (60 bucks http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Nealley-Hudson-Camp-012S/dp/B000LG4DRO ) and sells for 180 Designed an axe my ass….he painted a handle of a Snow and Neally (60 bucks http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Nealley-Hudson-Camp-012S/dp/B000LG4DRO ) and sells for 180

]]> By: Jim Saul http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389406 Jim Saul Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:11:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389406 I can't say I'd call it art, but I certainly understand the appeal of making one simple thing the best it can be, and an ax is a good place to start. One summer as a kid I had to dig a half dozen sassafras root balls out of our back yard by hand and went through a lot of tools trying to cut away the runners and break the main clusters up small enough for my 11 year old self to haul into a wheelbarrow, before finally coming back to a simple long-handled ax. I had to re-shim the head several times where the handle kept getting loose, so right now my image of a perfect axe might not include that pretty hickory or ash. Just thinking about it brings a wave of sense-memory of that scent... sassafras combined with the wet clay mud. I can’t say I’d call it art, but I certainly understand the appeal of making one simple thing the best it can be, and an ax is a good place to start. One summer as a kid I had to dig a half dozen sassafras root balls out of our back yard by hand and went through a lot of tools trying to cut away the runners and break the main clusters up small enough for my 11 year old self to haul into a wheelbarrow, before finally coming back to a simple long-handled ax. I had to re-shim the head several times where the handle kept getting loose, so right now my image of a perfect axe might not include that pretty hickory or ash.

Just thinking about it brings a wave of sense-memory of that scent… sassafras combined with the wet clay mud.

]]> By: Susan Carley Oliver http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389400 Susan Carley Oliver Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:09:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389400 I like the look too, but it looks so obviously handmade that I had to check it out. <a href="http://www.sundialwire.com/cloth-coveredwiregauge.aspx" rel="nofollow"> Sundial Wire </a> offers 3-conductor 18 gauge cloth-covered wire for $0.95/foot, in lots of fun colours. That and a few bucks worth of hardware will net you a bunch of extension cords for yourself and as gifts for less than half the price. Super easy - if you can use scissors and a screwdriver you can make an extension cable. Argh, slipped while I was figuring out the href. Damn you, Colonial Pink! I like the look too, but it looks so obviously handmade that I had to check it out. Sundial Wire offers 3-conductor 18 gauge cloth-covered wire for $0.95/foot, in lots of fun colours. That and a few bucks worth of hardware will net you a bunch of extension cords for yourself and as gifts for less than half the price. Super easy – if you can use scissors and a screwdriver you can make an extension cable.

Argh, slipped while I was figuring out the href. Damn you, Colonial Pink!

]]> By: proxient http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389386 proxient Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:58:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389386 rebranding doubles the cost of everthing. best made: http://www.bestmadeco.com/collections/frontpage/products/japanese-folding-knife ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-HIGO-KNIFE-Samurai-Miyamoto-Musashi-Black-95mm-/230764876206?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35baa891ae#ht_2684wt_967 rebranding doubles the cost of everthing.

best made:
http://www.bestmadeco.com/collections/frontpage/products/japanese-folding-knife

ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-HIGO-KNIFE-Samurai-Miyamoto-Musashi-Black-95mm-/230764876206?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35baa891ae#ht_2684wt_967

]]> By: David Pescovitz http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389385 David Pescovitz Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:57:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389385 Great resource. Thanks for that! Great resource. Thanks for that!

]]> By: Arthur Delaney http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389384 Arthur Delaney Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:56:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389384  Exactly, we're not a bunch of maker-lovers. This isn't freakin' boingboing or something.  Exactly, we’re not a bunch of maker-lovers. This isn’t freakin’ boingboing or something.

]]> By: Arthur Delaney http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389382 Arthur Delaney Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:55:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389382  I was into retro back when it was futurist.  I was into retro back when it was futurist.

]]> By: Frederik http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389371 Frederik Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:51:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389371 The whole vintage trend is getting old... The whole vintage trend is getting old…

]]> By: proxient http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389366 proxient Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:47:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389366 Make your own? But then it wouldn't cost so much! Make your own? But then it wouldn’t cost so much!

]]> By: Colonial Pink http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389356 Colonial Pink Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:35:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389356 Or, just make your own, in any length: http://www.sundialwire.com/ Or, just make your own, in any length:
http://www.sundialwire.com/

]]> By: Stefan Jones http://boingboing.net/2012/04/06/cloth-extension-cords-and-othe.html#comment-1389339 Stefan Jones Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:24:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=153368#comment-1389339 Not Tactical enough? Not Tactical enough?

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