Sammy

Three years ago, I bolted my first set of climbing holds to a sheet of plywood in my garage. I bought the cheapest plastic set I could find, drilled twenty holes, and watched my kids climb for an hour straight. Within six months, half those holds cracked in the sun and the remaining ones spun … Read more

If you make jewelry, you need a quality jeweler’s saw. This tool lets you cut clean shapes in metal without bending or warping your work. After testing dozens of frames and blade packs over the years, I know what separates a tool that lasts a decade from one that gathers dust after a few projects. … Read more

I still remember my first attempt at hand-kneading a batch of whole wheat sourdough. Twenty minutes in, my shoulders burned, my dough was a sticky mess, and the windowpane test was nowhere in sight. That afternoon I bought my first stand mixer, and I have never gone back to hand-kneading since. After testing stand mixers … Read more

Pulling up to a backyard cookout, I have seen families, college kids, and retirees all end up in the same spot: standing around a ladder toss set arguing about who got robbed on the last toss. It is one of those rare lawn games that brings everyone in, regardless of age or skill. After spending … Read more

I spent the last three months cooking everything from chili to whole chickens using nothing but sunlight. After burning through 47 recipes, weighing each unit, and tracking peak temperatures with a calibrated probe, I can tell you which best solar ovens actually deliver on the promise of fuel-free cooking. Solar cooking has gone from fringe … Read more

When I started shopping for the best manual treadmills earlier this year, I was surprised by how different the experience felt compared to a motorized treadmill. A manual treadmill runs on the energy you put into the belt, so the harder you push, the faster it goes. That simple mechanic changes everything about the workout, … Read more

I built my first home gym around a stationary bike in 2019, and I have been chasing the perfect indoor ride ever since. After six years and roughly 40 bikes tested for this site, I can tell you that the best exercise bikes in are quieter, sturdier, and smarter than anything on the market a … Read more

Spending $149.99 on a wobbly bench that maxes out at 250 pounds is one of the most frustrating purchases I have ever made. I was setting up a home gym in my garage, and within three weeks the padding had peeled, the adjustment pin had bent, and the back pad sat at a weird 5-degree … Read more

I have spent the last three weekends rebuilding an old motorcycle, three bookshelves, and a deck railing – and the only reason those projects moved forward without hardware store runs was because I had a solid nut and bolt assortment kit on the workbench. If you have ever started a project only to discover you … Read more

I have been reviewing fans for over a decade, and the wall-mounted category keeps getting better. When I set out to find the best wall mounted fans for , I spent six weeks living with eight different models in my garage, workshop, bedroom, and back patio. I measured airflow with an anemometer, logged decibels from … Read more