This small, clip-on, retractable cord reel measures just 1” dia x 3/8” thick, in black plastic over steel, with its spring clip on the back. A very thin nylon cord pulls out to reach 18-1/2”, with a closed wire loop at the end to hold a key or whatever (think: name-badge holder). Doesn’t lock open, so just pull it out and use the attachment, and it automatically retracts when you let go. We had a sixth-grade nun with one of these, but we never knew what the key was for.

Actually no, but you know what adhesive tape is, don’t you? You’ll get (2) rolls of it here, waterproof white cloth medical tape, 2” wide x .011” thick on 10-yard rolls. Made in the USA, to bandage American owies.

OK, OK, it’s not actually life-size, but it’s a humongo-model, over a yard long (38-1/2”), which is 1:245 scale. It will look life-size if you lie on the floor and squint when you look up. Includes a detailed, lighted interior and no, it didn’t blow up--that was the Hindenburg. This zeppelin flew for 10 years, from 1928 to 1938, logged over 112 thousand miles in 1932 alone and averaged 56.2 mph. This model sold for $89.50 elsewhere, but for you--a special bargain because it will look so incredible floating over your dining-room table. For ages 12+.

Play The Who while you’re building this collection of all (5) sensory organs. You’ll get the parts to make free-standing Lindberg models of a nose, eye, ear, tongue and patch of skin to illustrate the senses of smell, sight, taste, hearing and touch. Models measure 9” x 5” x 6” to 7” when complete. You add paint and glue. For ages 10+.

Small, but complicated. This 190-piecekit from LOZ Diamond Blocks® calls for some serious small-motor skills but is worth the effort. They sort of look micro lego-ish. Mr. Rex should stand approx 4” tall on a 3” square base when you finish with him. Includes a couple of trees, for dinosaur scale. For ages 14+ and comes with detailed directions, as well it should.

Gen Xers will remember hours of fun spent with the original Like-Brite before the Millennials ruined everything. Well, it’s back and like the cereals you used to eat, it’s New and Improved, with LEDs behind the 8-3/4” x 1-1/2” case housing a 33- x 21-pin matrix with (156) translucent neon pegs. Includes a detachable storage tray, so you won’t lose the pegs in the family room’s shag carpeting, plus an art guide and (2) templates. You add (3) “AA” batteries and a dimly lit room. Still from Hasbro, still a lot of fun, and for ages 4+.

and make like Martha Stewart. You’ll get (5) general purpose hot glue sticks, ready to load, at 12" long. For cartoon scanning, woodworking, upholstery, furniture and lots more. From 3M, for glue guns that accept 1/2” dia sticks.

The briefer brief case, which could just as easily be a purse. Wethinks it was meant for iPaddies of some sort, but it’s a honey in French blue nylon. Measures 12-1/2" x 9" x 1" with 7" deep zippered pockets on both outsides, one with pockets and pen-holders in the pocket, and a padded, zippered black interior. Includes a pair of handles plus a detachable and adjustable matching shoulder strap.

Mini bells for bikes, not bells for mini-bikes, although why not? These smaller bells make the traditional ding! when you pull the lever. Steel, with plastic thumb-pulls and mounting rings that open to 7/8” dia. Put one on your handlebars, or adjust the size and wear it as a ring, so people will get out of your way when you’re on foot. We’ll pick one in red, green, blue or yellow.

Marbles with a surprise inside. These 1" dia clear acrylic balls have genuine deceased insects inside for your viewing pleasure. Our each is a tube of (5) marbles, all with a different bug body inside, which gives you something to look forward to.

Think: holders for handouts, or for table-top displays that will hold 8.5” x 11” sheets for students or employees to take. In heavy plastic from Mead®, they unfold into an easel with a pocket to hold sheets horizontally in front, and a clear plastic window below, to identify the contents. When not in use, they fold up, and have an elastic cord to hold them closed. We’ll pick a pair in blue, aqua or lime green.

Do we have baseball caps? Do bears have hair? Does the Pope wear white? We have a passel and a half-- logo-free, adjustable backs, solid colors, two-tone, fabrics, plastics, even some leather. Some with “Perma-Curv” brims, some awaiting your personal curvature, or not. Made in the Dominican Republic, the Land of Middle Infielders. We’ll pick (2) different caps and surprise you, because we heard you really like surprises.

This nicely made 13-piece file set has a dozen diamond-encrusted files at 2, 4 and 6mm wide x 1-3/16” long with 120, 180, 300, and 400 grit surfaces. They all fit nicely into a colleted 4-3/4” long aluminum handle, which is included . Go rub something the right way.

Ever envy the pooch, who can just walk right in the house through the dog flap, even though he’s never carrying groceries? This black nylon, mesh, two-part screen door is 83” tall x 39” wide, counting both flaps. Keeps bugs out, lets people in. Closes in the center with (8) sets of magnets that you just push through. Mounts with a dozen hook-and-loop straps or (20) wood tacks for a more permanent installation. Originally $19.95 on infomercials.

The sun is the only real fire that matters with this incredible torch. It’s an iZoom® accent light, solar-powered and light-sensor-activated, with an LED that flickers like an actual flame. Runs 8 hours on a full charge, and can be stuck in the ground on its included, adjustable-height stake, or mounted on the wall with the included connector. Also has a tabletop base for your more intimate tiki moments. Obviously it’s waterproof, and let’s see if your open flame can say that.

For reaching those hard-to-reach places in the tub or shower, and you know which ones they are. (We wouldn’t want to say, because all of our reaches are different, aren’t they?) This handy item is a 5” dia x 2” thick soft foam sponge on a 17” long white plastic handle with a hole to hang it on a hook. Measures 22” long over all.

Re-usable, and measures a nearly square 35" x 32-1/2”, quilted with absorbent white polyester “soaker” fabric one side and shiny pale-pink polyester on the other. We think it was made for under-pad hospital use, but it would make a good changing blanket for diapering kiddles or just the thing to spread under your knees when you’re changing a flat and don’t want to ruin another perfectly good pair of pants. Good for small picnics, too.

But you can take this copper tape to liven up your crafts, from journals and scrapbooks to jewelry, collages and picture framing. And since one side is conductive, you can wire a dollhouse with it. Our each is (36) yards of 3/8" wide x .0015" thick actual copper tape on a 3” core. It’s self-adhesive on the non-conductive side, too.

InkJoy is the Paper Mate® name for a particularly smooth ink, but it’s the extra-fine 1mm points that make these so pleasant to write with. Measure 6” long with black ink and pocket-clip caps. Our each is a pack of (8) pens.

You can’t put science on a stick, but you can put it in a can. The Crazy Scientist™ lab kits for young researchers come from The Purple Cow® in 6-1/2” x 9-1/2” x 1-1/2” tins. You pick from: The Water Gel Science Kit for ages 8+ with (14) experiments, lots of supplies and a 15-page manual; the Magnetic Wonder Kit for ages 8+ with a variety of materials and a 20-page manual; the Optical Illusion Kit for ages 6+ with (13) experiments, supplies, nd a 28-page manual; or the Young Survivor Kit, for preppers as young as 6, with (13) projects, equipment, and a 20-page manual.

Much better than a box of rocks, because fossils are more fun. You get (10): a trilobite, nautiloid, goniatid, petrified wood, coral, ammonite, dinosaur bone, sea urchin, shark tooth and a brachiopod, all in a handy storage case. Also comes with a fact sheet explaining what the mysterious ones were when they were alive. Also a free little fossil-inspection magnifier.

These white microfiber cloths are larger, at 6" x 7-1/2",  and thicker than usual. Made for medical equipment (so you know the quality is excellent), they're dandy for eyeglasses, lenses, computer screens and other electronic equipment. White with a dark blue edge (with a small logo in one corner) they're actually attractive and could double as pocket squares. Bundled by the pair so you'll get (6) cloths in our Pkg(3), or try our super low 20-pair price.

Use the little plastic chisel and your personal hammer to smack these 2-1/2" chalk eggs and reveal one of six different small dinosaur skeletons inside. It's like being a reckless paleontologist. You get (2) eggs to start your collection, and they're messy because you have to smack the eggs with some authority, which is half the fun. Includes a fact sheet.

The Tumbling Robot Experiment is relatively easy to assemble and has sensors in his (her?) belly, back and legs so he (it?) can fall and get up again, like some of us humans. At 8" tall, in between tumbles, it's a manic, sliding, chomping, swinging thingy, like a droid cookie monster in a Pilates class. You put a pair of "AA"s in his feet.

This deluxe ABS storage case is called a Store-It-ALL, and it does. But it could be called a Carry-It-ALL, for the sturdy handle and locking clasp, or it could be called a See-It-ALL, for its translucent lid. Or a Fits-It-ALL, for the removable dividers that let you configure it with any number of compartments from 5 to 26. But the 12" x 18" x 3" OA case should really be called ALL-I-Ever-Needed-To-Get-Organized!

This small stainless steel fine-mesh filter is 2" dia x 1-1/2" tall. It has fine mesh sides, a solid plastic bottom and slight lip around the top. Nice for small filtering jobs, but would also make a passable basket for a gerbil hoops game.

Porcelain mortars and pestles. Great heavy duty mortars, with sides that are easily 5/16" thick on the smaller ones, and up to 1/2" on the larger. The mortars are glazed outside, but rough inside, the better to grind, and have a pouring lip. The business ends of the pestles are unglazed, while the shafts are glazed. Very functional, very good looking!! So grind your own spices or lab concoctions as you prefer. You get a mortar and pestle as a single order.

Paul the Purchasing Agent says this is Cymbal Clanging Monkey: the Next Generation. This reincarnation of the percussive primate is all in plastic and he walks (or staggers, really) forward while he bangs those cymbals. Stands 8-1/4" tall in all his wind-up magnificence. And don’t go hitting him on the head; this guy won’t stop until he’s all wound down.

This easy-to-assemble kit is a motorized top-launcher, because you can get tired of pulling strings all the time. Comes with printed instructions (but not a pretty department store box) and includes a 2" dia plastic top, 7" ramp, 5-1/2" square base, motor, power switch and battery holder. No soldering required. The battler part is where you try to knock over little cardboard creatures with the top, although you could add your own enemies. You'll also add (1) "AA" battery.

You pick small, medium or large borosilicate reagent bottles, all with ground glass stopper. Small is 60ml, 3-5/8" tall x 1-5/8" dia with a 7/8" long neck and a 1/2" ID mouth. Medium is 125ml, 4-3/4" tall x 2-1/8" dia with a 1" tall neck and an 11/16" ID mouth. Large is 250ml, 5-3/8" tall x 2-3/4" dia with a 1" long neck and a nearly 3/4" ID mouth. Made in India.

Like a third hand in the electronics lab, this circuit-board rack from Elenco® has a pair of stable 6-1/2" legs and 3" tall arms with clips, one spring-loaded, to hold the board. It's a must for any electronics DIY-er. Adjusts from 0 to 9-3/8" apart and lets you rotate the board it holds a full 360 degrees. Both clips and legs lock with thumbscrews.

When the big hand is on the ventral fin and the little hand is on the dorsal fin, it’s cocktail time on the lido deck. These angelfish clocks are roughly 5-1/2" dia in patina-ed metal with quartz movements and mounting hole, plus a little magnet on the back, for hanging. You add a single “AA” battery.

Five guys playing the electric brobdingnag? No, just gigantic red rubber bands, made to hold stuff on pallets together. Striated along their lengths, they measure 48" long x 3/4" wide x 3/32" thick and will stretch to a 7- or 8-foot circle, or more, depending on your nerve.

The polymath from Vinci was the first to create anamorphic (intentionally distorted) art, but you can continue the fun with the Cosmic Zoom, a plastic parabolic mirror and a tube that will hold the (12) anamorphic pictures in the kit. Watch the mirror de-mystify the distorted images on the tube, and make them move. Includes images to draw and to color, plus a little history, and tips for making your own anamorphic art, including templates.

This 8" square x 1-1/8" deep translucent polypropylene storage box has a single latching flip-top cover and (4) 4" square compartments inside. Great for keeping jewelry, hobby and craft items organized, or for separating parts and pieces in tacklebox or toolbench. Shrink-wrapped in clear plastic, so it will stay pristine until you're ready to use it.

The manufacturer calls it the Quik Fix Zipper but they obviously don't pay a copywriter to create dumb puns. So...it's the Zip-a-dee-doo-dad, a set of (3) replacement zipper tabs/sliders in graduated sizes (#3, #5, and #7) that come apart so you can slip then onto a zipper and tighten them with a little thumbscrew. Handy for busted jackets and sleeping bags. Even handier for pants. Removeable and re-usable.

This idea is for the birds. Literally. A green/black plastic perch, dish, and dispenser that you can screw onto an inverted plastic pop bottle to convert it into a bird feeder. Obviously, the bottle should have been emptied of pop and filled with seed. One of those "100 things to do with old coat hangers" ideas that really works!! Complete with instructions and bail to hang the completed feeder. Please note: this feeder will not attach properly to the new Coca-Cola low-profile bottles.

Yes, same old joke: gloves from Best® Glove Co. These Best® gloves are nitrile-coated cotton with blue elastic wrist bands. Extra-grippy and size medium. Handy in the garden or garage, a big thumbs up. Our each is a pair. Made in USA.

This plated N52 14,200 gauss neodymium magnet is shaped like a miniature silver ingot, measuring 1-1/2" long x 1/2" wide x 1/4" thick. Has a big hangonability quotient, which the manufacturer claims is 15 lbs of pull, meaning it's probably closer to 13 lbs. Impressive either way for such a cute little magnet.