Goal Zero Yeti 150 Solar Generator

Tired of paying too much for electricity or just getting caught with your energy pants down, not having the power you need when you need it the most? If so, you may want to consider the Yeti 150 Solar Generator from Goal Zero. The company is now taking reservations for a product that could very well change the way consumers use energy (for the better, for a change).

With Yeti 150, you can recharge all your mobile devices and cameras using power from the sun. There are also outlets on board for AC, USB and 12V. The sun is able to power the entire device in under 6 hours, while plugging in to the wall will shave about two off that. Goal Zero has worked very hard to develop a versatile product to help you cut costs and always have the convenience you need. Works on literally thousands of devices.

$250-$500, Appliances, Gadgets, Gear, Heating & Cooling, Interior & Exterior, Living, Outdoor, Portable Media, Tablets

By Aric Mitchell on February 2nd, 2013

... Continued

$400 BUY

Sodastream SOURCE

All right, Coke, Dr. Pepper and Mountain Dew. We’ve had it with you. We’re just gonna start making our own soda, and now it’s going to be a lot easier thanks to the Sodastream SOURCE machine, which allows you to produce a selection of sodas with six different flavors and full control over the level of carbonation that the drink receives.

The machine itself is a masterwork of design from the world famous Yves Behar, who has wrapped this bad boy in aluminum and fitted it with a BPA free container for carbonation purposes – you shall not pass into our sparkling water, cancer! – and it allows you to keep track of everything through a handy dandy LED visual display that keeps tabs on carbonation readouts as you go. Cola, Diet Cola, Orange, Lemon Lime, Energy and Cherry included. Ahhhh!

$100-$250, Appliances, Food & Bev, Kitchen

By Aric Mitchell on December 21st, 2012

... Continued

$150 BUY

BISTRO Electric Coffee Dripper

Making coffee – that’s actually good - is a real pain in the behind, right? Well with the BISTRO it is decidedly less so.

The people behind the BISTRO Electric Coffee Dripper, or basically your own personal Starbucks machine, claim that bitter, shit-tasting coffee is a thing of the past with one of their newest incarnations. The BISTRO coffee dripper boasts several advantages over your garden variety Mr. Coffee, like the high quality, removable (for cleaning) water tank linked to the filter via a glass-constructed pipe. Its filter, a titanium-plated and silicone work of art itself, needs no paper lining; from there your coffee is transported to a stainless steel, double-walled thermos that keeps it at the perfect temperature. The jug handles are constructed of heat-resistant silicone, too. And despite its relatively compact appearance, the BISTRO holds up to 40oz of coffee.

Technically and (especially) aesthetically speaking, the BISTRO coffee dripper blows every other system out of the filtered water.

$250-$500, Appliances, Food & Bev, Gear, Kitchen, Living

By Michael Bock on December 4th, 2012

... Continued

$250 BUY

Low-Tech Factory Oncle Sam Popcorn Popper

You just have to know how everything works, do you? Well, put that theory to the test with the Oncle Sam from Low-Tech Factory. The contraption from designers Laurent Beirnaert, Pierre Bouvier, and Paul Tubiana takes the explosive multi-hatching of the traditional bowl of popcorn and breaks it down into a fully transparent, one-kernel-at-a-time process. While gear-heads may marvel at the craftsmanship, it may not be as appealing to those of us who like to grab fistfuls at a time of sweet buttery goodness.

On the other hand, it will cause one to savor and enjoy each piece of popcorn more so than the microwave or stove-top. Kernels are held in a reservoir that deploys the individual kernel to an open flame that results in the “pop.” The machine will even salt it for you when finished. Can’t ~~pop~~ top that.

Appliances, Gadgets, Gear, Living

By Aric Mitchell on December 3rd, 2012

... Continued

$TBA BUY

BioLite CampStove

Hip, forward-thinking people know that dirty fossil fuels are the past and that green, clean, renewable forms of energy – e.g. solar, wind, turbine, hydroelectric – must start to come mainstream to preserve our beautiful, yet now-fragile planet. The BioLite CampStove stands out as a shining example toward those ends.

Outdoor adventurers will likely find it incredibly useful and innovative. Food is cooked with nothing more than a charge and a few twigs (or pine cones, wood chips, etc.), eliminating the need for dingy containers of gas. Think that’s the only benefit? Nope. CampStove transforms the heat produced by fire into viable energy, enabling charging of myriad gadgets like iPhones and digital cameras via a USB jack.

And as you could expect, the 33oz CampStove will also prove damn-handy around the house in a power outage.

$100-$250, Appliances, Food & Bev, Gadgets, Gear, Outdoor, Outdoors

By Michael Bock on November 23rd, 2012

... Continued

$130 BUY

WAVE Dish Nest System by Herbst

“New,” “revolutionary”: They’re practically staple terms assigned to the majority of “new” and “innovative” household products. The only problem? There’s just nothing new or revolutionary about 95% of the thousands of household gimmicks that come out annually. Will the trendy-looking, spongy ‘Dish Nest’ contraption live up to the usual hype, though?

That said, we’re not here to plug the WAVE Dish Nest system (granted, though, maybe that’s inevitable to an extent). Though, the Dish Nest is actually much more than meets the eye. Not only does the little device – constructed of silicon and polypropylene – fold and contour to hang on to just about any type of kitchenware imaginable (except the kitchen sink itself, maybe?), it’s tactfully designed to absorb water, courtesy of the tiny lips along the edges, and an architecture that curves inward ever-so slightly.

And just in case you’re wondering, as far as we know, the WAVE Dish Nest system is in no way related to the, eh, not-so-revolutionary “ShamWOW.”

$25-$50, Appliances, Art & Decor, Bar, Food & Bev, Kitchen, Living

By Michael Bock on November 20th, 2012

... Continued

$25 BUY

Marshall Fridge

Marshall Amps, known for their, well… amps, are bringing cold drinks to the party.

The Marshall Fridge is an actual fridge that was designed to look just like a classic Marshall amp half stack. It has all of the authentic Marshall parts and styling, including power and standby switches, and control knobs.

Of course, you won’t actually be controlling anything. But with 4.4 cubic feet of fridge storage space, and an integrated top shelf freezer, the beer sure will be cold.

$250-$500, Appliances

By Jason Bacchetta on July 24th, 2012

... Continued

$400 BUY

R&R Associates’ Refrigerator 2

If K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider ever made love to a Sears, the resulting offspring would most likely be the R&R Associates’ Refrigerator 2. Featuring an Internet-ready 14.1-inch LCD display, the stealthy Refrigerator 2 will allow you to watch the evening news while cooking dinner, or scour the Web for new recipes.

The fridge also comes with a child lock, integrated water and ice dispensers, a built-in water filter and unique storage solutions for anything from soda cans to frozen pizzas.

Refrigerators are always getting spiffy upgrades – now show me a dryer that will automatically fold my clothes!

Appliances, Concepts, Kitchen

By Harry Marks on August 25th, 2010

... Continued

BUY