HOME/GARDEN

More fun than a canned ham, this flip-top storage tin has a train set inside, with a plastic steam engine, tender, boxcar and caboose, as well as a 12-piece track that forms a 10" x 22" oval. Tin and train car colors may vary. You add a "AA" battery and you're the engineer. 

Any way you want it. This cast aluminum wire jig for jewelry-making measures 4-3/8" x 1" x 5/8" with (4) 1” x 1/4” steel pegs, semi-circular and triangular bending points, slots at 3/32",1/8" and 3/16" wide, plus one with a small divot to one side. Includes mounting screws so you can stick it to your workbench. Not into jewelry? Bend your own fishing hooks, S-hooks and soft metal strips.  

Veterans will know this as an entrenching tool, but to everyone else it's a folding camp shovel. Our hardened steel version is 22-1/2" long when open, folds to a measly 9-1/2", and weighs just over 2-1/2 lbs. Blade is 8-1/4" long x 6" wide, serrated on one side. Fits into the light canvas pouch, which you can carry on your belt because you never know when you'll need to dig a hole.

This is the warranty-violator special, or just a MacGyvering guys toolbox. The black, 8” x 6” x 1-1/2” zipper pouch holds a rechargeable battery power pack with a USB output, which will power the little, quite gusty fan, the 5-LED flashlight, and the reversible torquey screwdriver with tiny Phillips, flathead, hex and square bits, each with a 4mm shank diameter. Battery will also charge cellphones and other devices.

A unique twofer, this combination camping lantern and bug zapper is powered by an internal lithium battery. Has a shielded micro-USB charge port and a 23” charging cord. Main LED light has low, medium and high modes in a 1-3/8” dia frosted lens inside a 3” dia silicone gasket for rainproofiness. Bug zapper grid is 600V with a UV LED, and the combo can stand free or hang from a folding hook. Rated for 2-6 or 4-20 hours depending on mode. The whole shebang measures 4-3/4" x 3-3/8".

Jarvis Says: There are two different styles. Bulb style and cylinder. Both performe equally awesome. If you have a preference please email us after your order. 

Pop one of these roughly 1-1/4" dia stones into the toe of a sock, smash it with a hammer, and be the first person ever to see your real-as-Nature-makes-it geode!! Ninety percent of them have the familiar beautiful white crystals inside. Formed by volcanic action, they are found all over the world, but ours are from Mexico. There is no way to tell from the outside if they have crystal centers, but we will send you two just to raise your odds, and we haven't had a dud yet in our stores!! Much much more fun and satisfaction than buying one already cracked.

Look, Ma, one hand! These 10" Powerbuilt® wrenches have spring-loaded, self-adjusting jaws made to bite, hold and turn virtually anything--round, flat, hex or oddly shaped--that will fit. The jaws open to 2-3/8" apart and remain parallel. Designed so the jaws will generate 4X the clamping power of the ANSI pliers standard. Unlike you, its jaws have hardened steel teeth. Good to have a few in the garage, workshop and camper.

Da Mare could use this to point out cracks in the infrastructure at Wrigley Field. You, having a forgiving nature, will resist the urge to point out cracks in da mayor's infrastructure. You will, of course, use it to point out chimney cracks to the tuck-pointer, a cracked limb to the tree-trimmer, and the crack in your profit picture during a slide presentation. You can do all that and much, much more with the highly visible bright light from this <5mW green laser pointer. It's an unbelievable tool. If you need a laser pointer that seems to go on forever and is so strong that you can actually see the beam in the dark, it will be the best low-cost investment you ever made. Or the coolest high-end toy. The 532nm (+/-10) light is 5-5/8" long x 1/2" dia, with (2) "AAA" batteries (not included), a momentary-on switch, pocket clip. An absolute necessity for astronomy, construction, surveying, warehousing, inspection and other large sites. And for playing in the dark.

It’s back. Once upon a carnival, the bamboo back scratcher was the prize every kid came home with and there wasn’t an unscratched back in America--unless the kid came home with a goldfish, which are worthless for scratching backs. Now you can return to those thrilling days of yesteryear with our high-quality, 19” long bamboo back scratcher. Style may vary, but the relief your back feels won't, and you don’t even have to go to a carnival to get it. 

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!!! Mystery boxes of stuff like what you see in the catalog. Maybe we had a little left but not enough to continue the listing. Maybe we only got a few as part of an odd lot. Maybe we lost some, and just found them in the warehouse. You will get items which originally listed for at least $25.00 total in our catalog (or would have, if we had enough). You pick. The “electro-mechanical” box has things like motors, switches, hardware and components that are useful parts but want to be worked into something bigger. The “consumer” box has more ready-to-go type items, and things that don’t have as technical a flavor, like bottles, toys, books, and giant rubber bands. The fun is in the mystery and surprise. Perfect if you don’t know what to give Aunt Maude and Uncle Ned, or if you can’t decide how to bring your order up to the minimum. Every couple of months the contents will keep changing, so even if you have gotten a box before, feel free to order again! (Please note: Ordering multiple boxes at the same time will result in duplicate items.)

Forget watchmaking, you could write "A Tale of Two Cities" on a piece of tortellini with this triple magnifier visor. Magnifies from 1.8X to 4.8X. Has a flip-down 1.9X lens and a flip-down 4.5X loupe, plus dual white LEDs in a pivoting mount, powered by (2) "AAA" batteries each, not included. The whole thing is in a black plastic visor, 7-3/4" wide x 5-1/4" deep with a flexible plastic strap and adjustable dial control. Opens to 9" max dia, and has coated acrylic lenses. Now then: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....

The smart cutters and choppers these days are using ceramic knives because they stay so sharp for so long, and who remembers to have their knives sharpened? Ours measure 7" long over all, with a red, green, or deep aqua handle, a 3" blade and a sheath. Don't go into the kitchen without one. Slice, dice, chop and mince, and forget about sharpening. Like you always do.

It’s a ninefer. This 6” long x 1/2” hex ball-point pen has a rubber stylus at the other end, which unscrews to reveal a tiny driver with both small Phillips and regular heads, while the shaft has a little bubble level and (4) rulers: 0-4” x 1/16”; 0-10cm x 1mm; and both 1/200mm and 1/300mm rulers. The ninth part is our name on the side, so you remember where the coolest stuff comes from. Plus it’s in the ruler shade of yellow, with a pocket clip. (Sorry, no laser.) Need more ink? Our refill pack is a set of (2) black and (2) blue cartridges. Just pull out the silver knurled tip of the pen to screw in a new ink cartridge and your Great American Novel will be finished in no time.

If anyone at NPR ever needs a lamp for a concert, this is it. It’s about the cutest thing we’ve seen all year, a super-mini version of a swing-arm drafting table lamp that stands approx 4-1/2” tall when fully extended and 3-1/2” when folded down. Base is approx 2” dia and can be removed for the clip-on option. Has a power button on the dome and an extra bright light. Battery included. Great for microscopes with mirrors or inspection microscopes. Also great just to delight anyone who’s looking at it.

Looks like a cheap kid-sized tennis racket, but brother, this ain't for the kids. It's actually a fine way for adults to work on their upper-body strength and kill bugs at the same time. 18" long, with a 6" wide paddle lined with metal grid. A coil in the handle sends high voltage through the paddle when a button is pushed, hit a bug with it and the bug will bug you no more. We've seen these in other catalogs for about twice the price, so buy it from us.  2 AA batteries, not included.

Let's cut to the chase here -- buy these the first time you read this, or they're going to be gone! There aren't that many of these flexible chopping mats, and the versatile 15" x 12" x 0.024" thick mats are not only ideal for small kitchens where every inch counts, they're great for any kitchen, and for cookouts, camping and picnics. Our each is a set of (2) of the translucent Euro-look mats that protect countertops from sharp knives and fresh-from-the-oven cookies, and protect food from outdoor surfaces. They can be lifted and slightly folded to funnel chopped food neatly into a pot. They're dishwasher safe, and roll up for portage or storage.

OUR SURPIE POLICE SAY: Due to our sale pricing MAX ORDER QUANTITY IS (5) Per Order. Any more and your order will fail in the shopping cart.

Zivko the Robot is back in stock! Our best selling STEM kit ever! Just call her (or him--it’s unclear and we don’t like to ask) “Zivko” because “the Robot” is her last name. Using just a screwdriver and side cutters, you build Zivko from this 107-piece S.T.E.M. kit. Set the mode for “Follow Me” or “Explore,” and Zivko will, yes, track you, or evade obstacles, respectively, via an infrared sensor and micro-controller programming. Interactive LEDs and sounds abound. Measures approx 5" x 5-1/2" x 6-1/2" when assembled with all (6) legs. You add (4) “AAA”s for power, which is the least you can do for someone this cute. Ages 10+.

You'll need a set of tiny strainers. This (3)-piece, all-metal set includes (1) strainer each at 3-1/2” dia, 3” dia, and 2-1/2” dia. Cute as a bunch of baby buttons, and the current favorite of the artisanal cocktail crowd for keeping coffee crumbs out of the espresso martinis.