About a year ago, an email landed in my inbox peddling a $750 cooler. This high-end marvel was touted as 300% more effective than any other cooler on the market. Pure marketing drivel, I thought, and promptly ignored it. But damn if the thing wasn’t a vision. It looked like something Apple would craft for a NASA mission—sleek aluminum, perfect curves, and a dash of red on an interchangeable strap. Form and function had never danced so beautifully.

But $750 for a cooler? No way in hell.

Then, a few months back, Oyster dropped the price to $395 and asked for a review. Who was I to refuse?

When the Oyster arrived, it was everything I’d hoped for. The packaging was a symphony of high-end Nordic minimalism, and the cooler itself was even more breathtaking in person than in its social media glamour shots. This wasn’t just a cooler; it was a masterpiece.

But did the damned thing actually work? To find out, I devised a haphazard real-world test. On one side, the trusty Yeti Hopper, and on the other, the Oyster. Each loaded with six cans and an equal amount of ice. The Yeti was packed to the brim, while the Oyster had room to spare. This gave the Yeti an edge in cooling density, but being a soft cooler, it had its own drawbacks.

This wasn’t a clinical trial, but a practical scenario. I set them up in my workshop, which held a steady 83 degrees throughout the test. Every few hours, I’d crack them open and check the temperature from the same can top. Here’s what I found:

The $250 Yeti impressed me… but the Oyster? Four solid days of ice retention? That’s one hell of a long weekend. Never did I imagine this cooler could perform so well.

And it’s not just about performance. The Oyster is built like a tank and smartly designed for practicality and durability. The lid opens from either side, it has soft rubber feet, the straps are comfortable and interchangeable, and every part is replaceable. Plus, its thin-wall aluminum construction makes it space-efficient. I managed to cram 36 cans of beer in there.

At $750, you’d have to be out of your mind to buy this cooler. But at $395? Now we’re talking. For the right person with the right needs, this cooler makes a lot of sense. Perfect for the overland adventurer, the hardcore hunter, the dedicated fisherman, and the sports enthusiast.

Rarely does a high-end “luxury” product hit my review table and make me think about value and “buy it for life” purchases. The Oyster Cooler is that rare exception. I don’t even need a cooler that often, but if I were in the market, I’d consider this one in a heartbeat. It’s that damn good.

If you are interested, you can blow your hard earned cash here.

A system of nesting modular lunch boxes for meal preparation. Never has a lunch box been so dope.

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I only just started drinking coffee really… I have maybe six years under my belt and in that time, I’ve learned the quality of typical coffee gear is shit. I wasted money on name brand stuff from big kitchen brands on multiple occasions, but have finally ironed out my setup with reliable, well-made equipment. Figured I’d share it for input and feedback:

1. The Technivorm Moccamaster. The cheapest coffee maker you will ever buy, because it will last forever… If there is one thing on this list that I consider a must, it’s this coffee maker. Forget the price and just buy it.
2. The Fellow Ode Grinder. Coffee made from beans is noticeably better than the pre-ground stuff. It took me longer than it should have to get a grinder and then, I went through a number of them… One broke after another. This offering from Fellow, however, has stood the test of time so far and it feels like it’s gonna last as long as the Moccamaster. Coffee people consider this thing the affordable option.
3. The Fellow Atmos. I only bought this because it matched the grinder, but it works really well.

At first glance, this setup seems exorbitantly expensive… but in reality, this is all considered entry level gear by most home baristas and I bought most of it used on eBay. Plus, it sort of feels like a buy once, cry once type of deal. All three of these are built with intention.

Teenage Engineering is famous for their inspiring bespoke engineering work typically reserved things like digital audio. For this Christmas, however, they’ve made themselves a toy car… And it rules.

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I am not a coffee sommelier by any stretch. I don’t care how my coffee is made and I don’t care where the beans come from. All I care about is a consistent taste that is easy to make when I’m tired as hell in the mornings.

Given that, you’d think a generic drip machine would be fine for my needs… and frankly, it is. However, I grew tired of buying a new one every few years because something stopped working and spare parts weren’t available. So, I bought a Technivorm Moccamaster.

The Moccamaster has been in continuous production since 1968. Most coffee experts agree that it is the best drip machine on the market in regards to the quality of its output. But I don’t give a shit about that really… What I care about is that it’s a very simple machine made up of entirely replaceable parts and no computers. Put coffee grinds and water in it and it consistently makes coffee that tastes good enough for me.

Also, it looks dope… And at $350, you will call it a cheap coffee maker after you’ve used it a lifetime.

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I haven’t ridden a bike in close to 15 years, but if I were still into such things… Well, I’d be into this. It’s the Anniversary edition of the Ducati Monster and perhaps the last. It weighs just over 400 pounds and makes over 100 horsepower. And, it’s gorgeous.

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Steve McQueens ’67 GTB is going up for auction. They estimate it will close somewhere between $5 and 7 million… I wouldn’t be surprised to see something north of that if enough folks get interested. This is a very special car regardless of the previous owner.

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Is this not the dopest lunch box… ever? All stainless and compartmented and… check out the old school latch. I don’t pack a lunch, but if I did…

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