These tools have existed for a long time, and the amount of effort that each of these brands have put in to perfect them is worthy of serious appreciation. It's amazing that we have the power of all of these masterpieces of engineering at our disposal. It's also amazing that people continue to use shitty versions of these tools.
I think you should only recommend a single product in a category. In this [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OVg6CBFkXI) ChromaMoma compares the [Pilot Hi-Tec-C pen](https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Hi-Tec-C-Ultra-Point-LH-20C4/dp/B06Y3T81ZZ?s=office-products ) to an AK-47 and explains why it's the greatest pen of all time, which I think is a far more meaningful recommendation than the affiliate-linked "Top 10 Pens you can buy in 2025" videos on YouTube. So with that spirit, here's a long list of tools which I actually use all the time and strongly recommend. These are mostly on the expensive side, which is only justified by the fact that I use them so often.
### pocket
| Tool | Brand | Why I love it |
| -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Notebook | [Lihit Lab](https://www.amazon.com/Lihit-Aqua-Drops-Twist-Notepad/dp/B00777S7FY) | Easy to tear out pages, pocket sized, and refillable. The opening mechanism is beautifully engineered and it's literally the perfect pocket notebook, which the only flaw that some pages can get dirty in your pocket and hard to write on. |
| Pen | [Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.4mm](https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Hi-Tec-C-Ultra-Point-LH-20C4/dp/B06Y3T81ZZ?s=office-products ) | Very fine, satisfying cap, <$2 each, writes very nicely. Watch this artist's [recommendation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OVg6CBFkXI) if you're not convinced |
| Earbuds | [SHOKZ Openfit 2+](https://www.amazon.com/SHOKZ-Open-Ear-Headphones-Comfortable-Water-Resistant/dp/B0DYCJSZLS) | You can actually hear your surroundings which is perfect for outdoors and at work. Great audio quality, insane battery life, its Bluetooth pairs with two devices and actually switches seamlessly between them, and they're so comfortable I forget that I'm wearing them and I can wear them all day without my ears getting humid. |
| Phone | Google Pixel 9 Pro | I really love taking photos and it takes really good photos, and google photos is very nice for backing photos up and sharing. Google's AI features are starting to become useful. With a Google Fi data plan you can get $400 off discounts on their phones and free international data with the same phone number so you don't need to deal with eSIMs. |
### fanny pack
I carry a fanny pack to work which gives me access to my favorite tools all the time without having to search for what I need all the time. It's also an excuse to buy nice tools and use them frequently.
Pictured: my fanny pack and its (outdated) contents:
![[Pasted image 20260415132014.png|141]]![[Pasted image 20260415132123.png|251]]
| Tool | Brand | Why I love it |
| ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Fanny pack | [Cotopaxi](https://uk.cotopaxi.com/collections/hip-packs/products/kapai-1-5l-hip-pack-del-dia-dark-limited-colour-drop) | Beautiful and just the right size to be unintrusive. |
| Pocket Knife | [Spiderco Dragonfly](https://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Dragonfly-Lockback-C28PCBL2-Stainless/dp/B0F8BDZTTG) | Small, legal, sharp, stiff lock, one-handed open and close |
| Steel Ruler | [Mitutoyo](https://www.amazon.com/Mitutoyo-182-105-Chrome-Tempered-Stainless/dp/B00027958O) | The quality is tangible. |
| Pill Box | Store in Spain | Gift from my mom. |
| Band Aids | [Band Aids](https://www.amazon.com/Band-Aid-Flexible-Fabric-Adhesive-Bandages/dp/B00006IDL6) | You never know when you need them |
| Fast Charge Battery | [INIU](https://www.amazon.com/INIU-Portable-Smallest-20000mAh-Charging/dp/B0DCZ56QNL) | Lasts multiple phone charges, charges really fast, nice cable |
| Transparent Tape | [Scotch](https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Transparent-Standard-Engineered-600K3/dp/B001BE12BA) | Very sticky, can tear by hand, no residue |
| Tape Measure | [Milwaukee](https://www.amazon.com/Compact-Tape-Measure-12/dp/B0743MWQJV?s=industrial) | Compact and easy to use |
| Electric Screwdriver | [Vessel](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09V218NSD) | Very ergonomic, USB-C rechargable |
| Drillbit Extension | [Wera](https://www.amazon.com/Wera-Rapidaptor-Universal-Holder-Drives/dp/B000X1R26Q) | Doesn't drop bits, super convenient swaps |
| Screwdriver Bits | [AEJ](https://www.amazon.com/AEJ-49-Pack-Screwdriver-Slotted-Phillips/dp/B09T98PM99) | Imperial+metric hex, torx, phillips, and slotted |
| Ratchet | [Wera](https://www.amazon.com/Wera-Square-Drive-Ratchet-Teeth/dp/B004ISLNRE) | Perfect for tight spaces, and super cute :) |
| Straight Jaws | [Knipex](https://www.amazon.com/KNIPEX-Tools-Cobra-Water-Pliers/dp/B08DL764J3?s=hi) | Perfect for tightening nuts of any size |
| Whiteboard Marker | [Expo](https://www.amazon.com/86661-Low-Odor-Erase-Markers-4-Count/dp/B000N35G5S) | For every time the whiteboard marker is dried up |
| Permanent Marker | [Sharpie](https://www.amazon.com/Sharpie-Permanent-Markers-Resistant-Coloring/dp/B00006IFHD) | For when you need to leave a mark and see it from far away |
| Deburring and Scribe tool | [CK Tools](https://www.amazon.co.uk/C-K-Deburring-Scribing-Aluminium-T2281/dp/B0FP2M37CS/523-9037436-5097000) | For when you need to take the edge off or you just want a sharp pointy thing. |
| Ratchet Adapter | [Wera](https://www.amazon.com/Wera-Tools-8011-ZYKLOP-MINI/dp/B0F7HWTM12) | For when the other ratchets don't quite reach. |
### backpack
| Tool | Brand | Why I love it |
| ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Laptop | Zephyrus G16 | Thin, performant, great screen, great keyboard, Windows |
| Mouse | [Razer Viper V3 Hyperspeed](https://www.amazon.com/Razer-HyperSpeed-Wireless-Esports-Gaming/dp/B0CF4DJM7F) | Light, perfect number of buttons, satisfying clicks |
| Headphones | Sony XM5 | Expensive but good |
| Notebook | [Campus B5 Refillable](https://www.amazon.com/Kokuyo-AML-NP704DX2-Campus-Binder-Notebook/dp/B0DLNK4N7N) | Refillable is the best for clearing scrap pages and keeping the important ones. Spiral notebooks are much more convenient for writing with the whole page flat on the table |
| Paper | [Blank Campus B5](https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07CF7WVW8?psc=1) | It has to be blank paper—lines, grids, and dots constrain thinking. This paper is very smooth to write on. |
### desk
| Tool | Brand | Why I love it |
| ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| CAD Mouse | [3Dconnnexion SpaceMouse Wireless ](https://www.amazon.com/3Dconnexion-SpaceMouse-Wireless-Bluetooth-Edition/dp/B0D64M2YVH?s=books) | It's so fun and smooth. I don't care if it's placebo, it makes me feel faster at CAD. The small version is better. |
| Colored pens | [Pilot G-Tec-C 0.4mm](https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-G-Tec-C-Rolling-5-Pack-35480/dp/B0058NN4BG?s=office-products) | Very fine, satisfying cap, <$2 each, writes very nicely. Watch this artist's [recommendation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OVg6CBFkXI) if you're not convinced |
| Water | Evian 1.5L 6-packs | The easiest way to stay hydrated at work is to have a 6 pack of bottled water right next to you |
| 3D Printer | Bambu P1S+AMS | Bambu printers are faster and much more consistent than other brands, and the AMS system is fantastic |
| Mechanical Pencil | [Pentel GraphGear500](https://www.amazon.com/Pentel-GraphGear-Automatic-Drafting-PG525A/dp/B0006HXQXA?s=office-products) | Very stiff lead support, simple aesthetic that I like. I generally prefer pens for almost all writing however - anything on paper is not worth the time it takes to erase and pens write more nicely. |
| Eraser | [Mono](https://www.amazon.com/Tombow-57321-5-Pack-Cleanly-Damaging/dp/B074PGYRBJ?s=office-products) | These are simply the best erasers by far. |
### computer
| Tool | Why I love it |
| ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Obsidian | This website was made using obsidian. It really reduces the friction of writing and I can't recommend it enough. I can write latex in real time with the LatexSuite and LatexOCR plugins. It syncs my pdf hoard and notes between all my devices and lets me fuzzy search for them. All the important features are completely free! |
| Google Docs | Excellent integration with the google suite, and being able to make tabs within documents is amazing, and as much as I get frustrated with the comment system, it's far better than any other implementation I've seen. |
| Discord | More powerful communication features than any other platform I've used. They're implementation of voice channels, emojis, and GIFs remains superior. All the important features are completely free! |
| Spotify | Very good for sharing music and playlists with friends. I made a spotify blend with my grandma and spotify wrapped said my music taste was older than hers ;-; Can't do that with youtube vanced :p |
| Firefox | Vertical tabs are amazing, and it's better for privacy than chrome. Sync between devices works better than other browsers. Very nice split view. Sadly Onshape and Google Meet don't work as well so I use Chrome for work. |
| Siemens NX | Loads a fully detailed rocket engine in 4 minutes. Insane quantity of features and powerful applications, including very good FEM, CAM, and motion analysis. Easier to learn than other high-end CAD software |
| Onshape | Super easy to learn, super clean and thoughtful approach to parametric CAD, and can do anything short of automotive/aerospace-grade assembly complexity |
| Ansys | Meshes super easily. The hex meshers can seethe but surface meshes and 2nd order tet meshes get the job done. Ansys can literally do any kind of simulation. NASTRAN and ABAQUS are better solvers but usually that doesn't matter and it's easy to waste a lot of time on that stuff when you should be just doing a physical test. |
| Excel | What-if analysis and the nonlinear solver make it more powerful than google sheets. Avoid getting into spreadsheet la la land though: "more fiction has been written in Excel than in Word" |
| PowerPoint | I use PowerPoint exclusively for making sketches. The shapes they have are very useful, from 3D rotation arrows to every type of polygon you could ask for. You can scale things with nice snapping features for literally everything you might want to do. The glow effect is nice for getting contrast with images in the background, and the remove background tool for images is great. |
| SpeedCrunch | Calculates stuff without needing to hit enter, and handles units and variables nicely. Great for quick calcs. |
| [Lichess](https://lichess.org/) | The best website for playing chess, completely free with better analysis and puzzles than chess.com, and developed by an [absolute legend](https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/7fnc3b/i_started_lichessorg_as_a_hobby_side_project_ama/) |
### home
| Tool | Why I love it |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Wooden Spoon | Nicer to eat from than metal ones |
| Wooden chopsticks | Anything worth eating can be eaten with chopsticks |
| [GOSHI Shower towel](https://www.amazon.com/GOSHI-Exfoliating-Shower-Towel-Rip-Resistant/dp/B0CC6JWFQL) | Cleans your whole body really effectively |
| [Toto Toilet Seat](https://www.amazon.com/TOTO-SW3084-01-Electronic-Elongated/dp/B08S473TPS) | Life changing technology from Japan. |
Neat image editing websites:
https://thebicycle42.com/
https://pixel-converter.ameniwa.com/