Our each is a package of (2) darkness-activated outdoor safety lights, each with (3) intense white LEDs powered by a 600mAh “AA” NiCD charged by a 2-1/8” solar cell. Mounted in weather-resistant 4-5/8"dia x 2-3/8" plastic housings with removable mounting brackets. Includes mollies, screws and thumbscrew brackets for mounting to gutters. LEDs are rated for 30 lumens, and will run 6-9 hours after a 5-hour charge. From iZoom®.

Call it the Tenzing Norgay of fridge magnets--and remember that no kitchen can be called complete without a robot crawling up the refrigerator door. This fun and easy-to-assemble bot measures 5-5/8” long x 4-3/8” wide x 2-3/4” tall, and to prove its versatility it will also crawl up file cabinets and over obstacles in its path on the floor or tabletop. You should bring a pair of “AA” batteries and a screwdriver to the party.

Disco is back, you wild and crazy boomer, but this time with a 9/16” dia light-up, bug-eye hemispheric lens that flashes red, green and blue LEDs in sync with ambient music when you plug it into your laptop, or anything else that takes a USB. Comes with adapters for Android and iPhones, so wherever you go, it’s party time. Also works for Gen Whatevers who want to see what it was like when the ’rents thought they were hip. We’ll pick one with a pink, white or green base because it doesn’t matter.

These are medium-base dome-shaped LED light bulbs, and in standard English that’s a light-bulb-shaped LED light bulb with a standard light-bulb screw-in bottom. These draw a stingy 15.5 watts but throw the equivalent of a 100W bulb. Instant-on and dimmable with a 25,000-hour life expectancy, and also suitable for damp conditions. Your only job is to pick 3000K soft white, 4000K cool white, or 5000K daylight. UL.

What mom wouldn’t appreciate walking into the kitchen and seeing these 1-3/4" authentic-looking brown-banded cockroaches scurrying across the linoleum. They move via an internal vibrating motor powered by an included AG-13 battery. While good scurriers, they’re a tad easier to catch than the real thing.

First and foremost, it’s an iZoom® lantern--a really handy, collapsible, dual-mode, battery-operated lantern. But it’s also a magic trick because to turn it on, you pull it open, like a pirate’s spy glass. Open it once and its 80-lumen LEDs glow bright-white, constant-on. Close it and pull it open again, and the light is an amber 25-lumen, flame-mimicking flicker. Open it again and it’s back to white. At 3-1/2” dia, it stands approx 5” tall when closed, and a max of approx 7-1/2” when open. Has (2) handles that fold down for storage or up for hanging and carrying. Comes in black or gun-metal gray, and we’ll pick because that’s how we roll. Adding to the magic, the whole shebang runs on (3) “AA” batteries. (Not Included)

This insulated/padded back pouch measures 20" x 10-1/4", and closes at the top with both (2) snaps and a hook-and-loop strip. Has (8) rows of double straps on one side, (8) rows of 6-slot straps on the other, plus a pair of rings on each shoulder strap. A second set of snap-down straps is tucked on the side opposite the shoulder straps.

This fidget toy is called Wacky Tracks, but could just as easily be called Chain of Fooling Around. You’ll get (48) interlocked plastic links that click into myriad shapes, maybe even myriad-and-a-half shapes, in a closed loop. Fun for fidgeting with, making letters, numbers, bracelets, cartoony things, critters and whatever else fits in a myriad. Good for hours of fidgeting every time you pick it up.

Of course you can buy science by the jar. Mason Jar Science is a 135-page hardcover with “40 Slimy, Squishy, Super-Cool Experiments” detailed inside. Includes fun with crystals, bubbles, slimes, liquids and gases, all made possible using common household items (assuming your household is common) plus, of course, the eponymous Mason jar.

Or maybe a little fling zing, oft described as a Chinese yo-yo, although that’s not a name we’d use, being sensitive and enlightened, which you can tell by reading our catalog. A fling zing is a roll of colorful waxed paper on a stick. Snap your wrist and watch it shoot out more than a yard for oddly compelling fun. (These have much better flinging action than the fling zings we remember from our youth.)

Yes, good band name, but also a nifty little color-mixing optical toy from KidzLabs™. Base measures 4-1/2" dia x 1" with red, green and blue LEDs. You spin the 3-1/4" dia disc with holes to choose any or all of the LEDs. Also has a plastic disc on a screw to hold any of (4) pattern inserts. The light shines up through a white plastic top. You add (2) “AAA” batteries. For ages 8+.

The problem with mobiles is that you have to wait to inherit the wind before they do anything interesting. Until now. This devilishly clever mobile has an 8” wide single prop plane with a solar cell up top mounted on a crossbar with a coin holder at the opposite end for ballast. The whole shebang is approx 18” long. Can be hung on the included 5” ball chain or set on top of an empty plastic pop bottle. In white plastic, which you could paint if you tend to paint things.

No, no, wait--this is good, but it’s literally not so hot. It’s a battery-operated low-temp glue gun, like Martha would use for crafting on airplanes. No, wait, that’s probably not a good idea, either. Look, it’s a really good quality glue gun, takes (4) “AA” batteries, uses 1/4” x 4” glue sticks and measures a portable 5-3/8" long with a 4" handle. Runs approx 170F, perfect for Coffee Shop Crafters (which should be an HGTV series if it’s not already). No plugs! No cords! Great for hobbyists, tinkers, DIYers, teachers, model-makers, crafters and a bunch of other folks. Sticks are not included but try our 4" long low temp sticks. Works on wood, metal, glass, cardboard, paper, card stock, synthetic materials and more. Non toxic, clear drying and non yellowing. Bonds in less than 30 seconds...just ask Billy.

Stick out your tongue and we’ll send you a bill. Or just order this cute little kiddies’ doctor kit with blunt scissors, play syringe, pretend (mirror-less) medical mirror, tweezers, otoscope (ear thingy), thermometer and a reflex hammer, which can also be used for great vaudeville gags.

From LOZ blocks, these are those tiny (8mm sq x 5mm) plastic building bricks. You’ll get (2) different kits that we’ll pick with 80-130 pieces (except the 30-piece dolphin) to make a mini polar bear, llama, snake, elephant, deer, panda, zebra, kangaroo, dog, lion, tiger, apple, banana, pineapple, pear, watermelon, orange or bust of Rutherford B. Hayes. OK, we lied about Hayes, but everything else is true.

From the mid-20th-century German military, this is a fully functional field phone. Weighs in at 8.2 lbs, and comes self-contained in a 10-1/4" x 6-3/4" x 4-1/4" dark brown Bakelite case with a handset on a 4-foot cord, a 52” 2-pin jumper, 25” TT plug cord, ringer crank and a battery holder for the pair of D-cells you’ll need to add. Side has slots for the carrying cord that we don’t have, and the inside lid has a full schematic. Should work with standard stereo speaker wire, and we’d get a pair of these phones if we were you. Small quantity available.

This Lego® set from Klutz has (58) pieces, including gear wheels, bricks, axles and connectors to build (11) gadgets, including a claw, catapult, assorted vehicles, robots, a fan and a hand-held blender thingy. Includes a 78-page manual with detailed instructions and a plethora of punch-out paper parts for added verisimilitude. For ages 8+, or anyone else who knows what plethora and verisimilitude mean.

Think electric art. These 15-3/4" square wall hangings, canvas on board, have scattered white LEDs that will add sparkle to the art work. We’ll pick one that you’ll love from our assortment that includes a starry night sky, butterflies (lone or in cages), a guitar and a turntable. Have dual hangers on the back, and all you add is a couple of nails and “AA” batteries.

Got thread? You pick black or white, from American & Efird in North Carolina. The white polyester #46 thread (.0025” thick) comes on a 10,000-yard, 6” spool; the black polyester thread, .0025” thick, 16-oz NWP/453GM, has 12,000 yards on a 7” spool, marked #33 or AA. Now that’s a lot of thread.

Getting bored with those fancy wine glasses? Step up your table settings with this 4-piece set of 5-1/2” tall, 15-oz glass tumblers embossed with tasteful human skulls. Your set of (4) will include one each in red, green, orange and purple, the better to disguise what you’re actually drinking. Manufacturer says hand-wash only, like the finest stemware, and use for cold beverages only, which shouldn’t be a problem with your friends.

You will survive with this Survival Candle, a 3-wick burner made of soy and palm wax in a 3-1/8" dia 2-3/8" tin can with a lid. Rated to last up to 36 hours.

Or unsuture self, actually, with this pair of 4-1/2" long stainless steel suture scissors. Fulcrum is 1-1/4" from the tip. What makes them suture scissors is the little hook in the bottom blade, for getting under and lifting the stitch, but there's no law that says you can't cut anything else with them. From Pakistan, like a whole bunch of surgical stuff.

This 6” long wire stripper/crimping tool has (7) positions to strip wire between 10 and 22 AWG, with a 3/8” cutting edge, serrated ends and a lock. Also has plastic-coated handles. Pat says they’re better quality than your average pair.

Nope--we thought it was a theodolite-- a surveying instrument for measuring angles in horizontal and vertical planes, but it seems we missed the mark. With the help of a knowledgeable Surpie, we’re reasonably sure this olive drab apparatus is an artillery sight for a Chinese howitzer. (See, even we don’t know everything.) Measures approx 7-1/2" x 5" x 4" with a plethora of moving parts: optical head that pivots up and down; focal knob calibrated from 0 to -90 and +10 to + 80; horizontal and vertical adjustments with a locking lever; and a 1-5/8" dia ball with a 1/2" hole in the bottom for a mount. Weighs in at over 5 lbs. The paint is chipping, but you would too at this age.

Just string this 65” long set of (10) battery-powered LED light bulbs along the railing and it’ll be like you’re dining in Italy. Bulbs are clear, 2-1/4” dia with a soft 3-lumen warm-white LED inside. Will run 8-12 hours on the (2) included “AA” batteries. Truly romantic folks will get several sets to ring the deck or patio because those little lights make the tagliatelle alla Romana taste so much better.

Rejoice, we have finally found a source of reasonably priced borosilicate lab glassware. This is the kind of glass in the trade marked Pyrex(tm) and Kimax(tm) labware. The stuff you can put right over the flame of the Bunsen burner, or directly onto the hot plate. This stuff is imported from China, and is considered student grade, which is good enough for anything but the most exotic applications. We have beakers, test tubes, graduated cylinders and flasks. Compare the prices below and you will see that they are around half the U.S. equivalent. Call us for larger quantity prices.

Please Note: Physical sizes may vary slightly due to vendor and Mfg changes. Call or email for more info. 

Clip this little lighted scope onto your smart phone and use the phone's zoom feature to show images (and take photos) up to 30X magnification. Our Optics Guru Paul says it has no business working this well for under ten bucks. Measures 2-5/8" x 1-1/4" and comes with (3) replaceable button-cell batteries for the light. Fits most major brands, like iPhones and Androids and Windows (oh, my!), and probably most tablets, too.

Snap Circuits™ has added Brics, their name for little plastic building blocks that are, luckily, compatible with those other little, inerlocking plastic building blocks you have. This award-winning 200-piece Bric Structures set has sheets and blocks plus Snap Circuits connectors, blinking and steady LEDs, a slide switch, a fiber-optic bundle, an incandescent bulb and a melody integrated circuit, along with adapter blocks to mate the Snap Circuits components with the brics. Has instructions to make (26) electrified models, including a house and a tower, on the 10” x 5” base. You add a trio of “AA” batteries. For ages 8+. Winner of Six Toy of the Year Awards!

No gas or electricity needed for this pocket-sized manual chain saw, the camper's pal. It's 30" long overall, with (82) spring-steel teeth on the 18-1/2" middle section, and canvas loop handles on each end. Imagine a cross between a sharpened bike chain and a garotte. It's easy to use (we tested it), works a whole lot faster than a hatchet, rolls up into no space at all, and stores in the heavy-duty canvas belt pouch that comes with it.

Punch 1/8" to 1/2" holes in leather, balsa wood, etc., with this set of (9) steel punches. The punches, which come in a fitted black-plastic carrying case, are 1/2", 7/16", 25/64", 3/8", 5/16", 1/4", 3/16", 5/32" and 1/8". They are 3-1/4" to 3-3/4" long, with knurled grips, imprinted sizes, and side slots to allow the slugs to fall out.

Maybe. Could also be a stegosaurus, triceratops or something else--that’s part of the fun of paleontological parenthood. Just submerge the 4-1/2” tall ersatz dinosaur egg into cool water and wait 48-72 hours while it cracks like a real egg and the baby dino grows to a be a foot long. If your mother won’t let you skip your bath for a few days (they’re like that, mothers, no scientific discipline), just use any container bigger than a 12” dinosaur.

A great hand held rotary tool and an excellent buy. The plastic carrying case at 12" x 8-1/2" x 3-1/2" contains not only the 120VAC-powered variable speed (8,000-30,000 rpm) mini drill/grinder, but a 3-ft flexible extension shaft that allows you to operate in even the tightest spots and a good assortment of bits, grinding stones, cut-off wheels, etc, including collets to fit 1/8" and 1/16" bits. A nice package, and a very nice gift for yourself, or for anyone who enjoys working with hobby tools. UL listed, just like the big boys. Check out all our rotary tools and accessories. Click! 

Able to stand up to the infamous Helsinki Miasma, this brand new gas mask hails from the Finnish military (it's the standard NATO M61 model, although Finland isn’t in NATO) but we sell them for decorations. Don't depend on it for self-preservation. In gray rubber with the filter on the side and adjustable straps, it measures approx 8" tall x 5-1/2" wide and is very similar to the U.S M-9A1.

Small protective goggles, for kids or anybody else with, well, a little head. (You know who you are.) They're 5" across, or 15% smaller than standard goggles. Nice quality, with a plastic lens and indirect ventilation. They meet ANSI standards for protection from flying chips and particles. Flexible, clear-vinyl body with adjustable elastic headband.

Drop some coins into this dog's dish and watch him get all wiggly wacky with barely controlled excitement while he gobbles your change and stores it in the base of the bank. You add a pair of "AA" batteries because animatronic dogs don't eat Alpo®. Pup is 3-1/2" tall on a 5-7/8" x 3-1/8" x 2-1/2" base. We'll pick a pup from our litter of assorted mongrels. See it in action. Click

Rock hammer with one squared chipping face and one pointy picking face, ideal for prospectors, rock hounds, construction and more. A single piece of forged and polished steel with a molded rubber grip makes this a solid and reliable tool that will last. 10-1/2" long x 6-1/2" across the 20 oz. head, 1-3/4 lbs. total. Well made. Good buy. Good bye!

No, it doesn't; it runs out. See for yourself with this hourglass full of iron filings. The steel base has a magnet, so time flies when the glass is on it, and the filings make pretty stalagmites. Stick a magnet on the neck, however, and you can stop time altogether. Glass is 5-1/2" tall on the base and filings run out in about 40 seconds (three trips make a two-minute egg) with the magnet, somewhat longer without it.

It’s called Thinking Putty® because while you do whatever you want with it, your brain relaxes and opens up to all kinds of creative thinking. Need it? Yes. And you can also knead it. Or bounce it, bend it, tear it, stretch it, snap it, pop it. Pick from the 3.2 oz of dark green magnetic Strange Attractor putty with iron filings infused in it, plus a 1/2” cubed rare earth magnet; the 3.2 oz glimmering light green Foxfire putty that you can draw on with the included blacklight keychain light; or the Super Scarab, 3.2 oz. of color-shifting blue/purple/copper/red putty reminesent of Egyptian scarabs. Comes in a 4” dia x 1-3/8” tin.

You need this. Anybody who's ever made a third trip to the hardware store on the same day needs this. The (100) -- count 'em, (100) -- chrome vanadium driver and bit attachments include slotted, Phillips, square (Robertson) head, torx, hex and 12-point bits, plus security Phillips, torx and hex, and (4) different driver adapters (one of which, a super-cute cup-hook driver, has us oddly excited). They're all in a flip-top plastic case. How come it's surplus? If you turn it upside down and shake it, some of the bits fall out of their little size-marked slots. So don't do that. Or stick a thin sheet of foam inside it and all will be well.

A really cool mini drill set for your mini projects! The 7-1/4" long aluminum push drill for delicate work comes with (1) 1/16" and (1) 1/32" collet, and (20) bits that fit them. The bits are #61 through #80, some so needle-thin they could add tear ducts to a fashion doll. They come in a mini case marked with the number and size of each bit in mils.