Gallery: Things We Love This Month: November's Sweetest Gear
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One of the best parts of our jobs here at WIRED is that we get to test all the new things as soon as they come out. But we often only get a few days to play with something before having to write about it. That's difficult -- getting a clear assessment about an object's worth when you have to crank out a written review in less than a week. There are some products that don't show their true colors until we've had several weeks, months, or years to experience them, live with them, play with them, and wear them. That's what we've rounded up here -- things we've been testing and love, or the stuff from our lives that we own and never want to let go. This is the gear we want to take everywhere. This is the stuff we want to cook breakfast for. These are the things we love. __Above:__ JVC Videosphere --------------- Space. People were kinda obsessed with it during the late '60s. And who can blame them? For a time, this intense fixation influenced every facet of popular culture, from [advertising](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKsVkOAoUCE) to actual [product design](http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-06/archive-gallery-how-space-age-influenced-design). JVC's [Videosphere](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videosphere), a black and white CRT TV shaped like a space helmet, is one of my favorite examples of the latter. Released in the U.S. in 1970, this smallish 11-pound orb was actually one of the first TVs marketed specifically as "a second set" — one meant for a child's room or a kitchen counter. Due to its unique design, Videosphere made numerous appearances in movies like *Conquest of the Planet of the Apes*, Woody Allen's *Sleeper*, and more recently, *The Matrix*. I picked up this thoroughly used (but still working) space age beauty on eBay a few weeks back. The digital TV converter should be arriving any day now. *-- Bryan Gardiner*
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The Light Wing Pencil Shoe -------------------------- Do you like Tyvek paper? You know, that stuff that mailing envelopes and clean suits are made from? It's lightweight, hard to rip, and super breathable. Turns out, it makes great material for shoes. Unbelievable Testing Laboratory launched its [Light Wings](http://en.theutlab.com/web/) as a Kickstarter project with a limited edition of just 2013 pairs. (Like the year, get it?) They followed that up with a small batch that let you pick from five different colors, and are ramping up for full production next year. These are my very most favorite pair of shoes I've purchased in probably five or more years. In fact, after I backed these shoes on Kickstarter I liked them so much that I bought two more pairs for $68 each. Wear them in the rain and your feet stay dry, but don't sweat. They're so light, you barely feel like you have shoes on at all. And I don't think any other item of clothing I've owned has ever attracted so much positive attention. People keep wanting to know about my "paper shoes." One bummer? When you get them they're a bit loud and crinkly. But wear them for a bit and they become nicely wrinkled and quiet. *-- Mat Honan*
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Livescribe 3 Smartpen --------------------- Sometimes using a pen and paper is the most comfortable and efficient way to take notes. But if you're jotting things down on paper, it's far more difficult to share information with friends, colleagues, and yourself later on. Livescribe's latest, the [Livescribe 3 smartpen](http://www.livescribe.com/store/20070723002/featured-smartpens/livescribe-3-smartpen/p-640.htm), fixes that problem. It syncs over Bluetooth LE with an iOS app, so you get a digital copy of what you're writing just about instantaneously, as you're writing it. The app includes a handwriting to text feature, implemented with a left-to-right swipe over the text in the app, that works pretty darn well too (but if it messes up, you can tap to edit the text). To ease the whole "using a pen and a touchscreen device at the same time" thing, Livescribe added a capacitive touch stylus at the opposite end of the pen, which also cleverly hides its micro USB charging port. Like past Livescribe pens, you've got to use the company's proprietary dot paper, but the $150 price tag includes that and an extra medium-tip ink cartridge. *-- Christina Bonnington*
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Yasaka Extra Table Tennis Blade ------------------------------- Although gear doesn't make the player, I was getting to the point in the sport of table tennis where the nubbly-pips paddles that came with the ping pong table weren't cutting it anymore. I needed a tool, not a toy. There are hundreds of table tennis blades and rubbers to choose from. I wanted a shakehand paddle that was "all-around." It needed to be forgiving enough to get me started, but serious enough to do everything I needed it to do. I ended up going with a $41 [Yasaka Extra blade](http://www.megaspin.net/store/default.asp?pid=yas-gat-ex) paired with two [Mark V rubbers](http://www.megaspin.net/store/default.asp?pid=y-markv). The Extra is a five ply paddle made of a combination of anigre, limba, and obeche woods, which are rare hardwoods from the African tropics. There is no carbon fiber in the paddle, which isn't because of cost but because of function — carbon fiber stiffens the blade, which helps speed but hurts control and feel. I love my Yasaka paddle. Although it's not the latest and greatest (the blade was introduced in the '90s) it certainly gets the job done. The Mark V rubber produces plenty of spin, although the surface isn't as tacky as other rubbers. Plus, the Extra has great "feel." When the ball hits the paddle, you know it, and you can almost feel the ping pong ball sink into the wood. Anyway, enough about equipment. Does anybody want to play a match? *-- Kif Leswing*
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O'Dee Melody Burner Guitar -------------------------- My friend Jack's house is a bit like Chicago Music Exchange — absolutely packed with amazing guitars. But of the 140-odd axes lining his walls and filling his basement, the one I couldn't put down was a sweet box of tone built by a guy you've never heard of. Chris O'Dee is the one-man band at [Retro Guitars](https://www.facebook.com/RetroGuitars), and the blowtorch-finished [Melody Burner](http://www.melodyburner.com/) is his latest creation. They're built to your specs using reclaimed ash older than grandma and hardware weathered like Keith Richards. Ten Benjamins buys a riff on the Les Paul Junior: a slab body with P-90s, a maple set-neck, and rosewood fretboard. It rocks, but I kept going back to the double-cut with a pair of Duncan 59s and a rosewood neck by Louisville Slugger. Plug it into anything with tubes and it sings. It screams. It whispers. It growls. It does damn near everything, for $1,200. Jack, like Chicago Music Exchange, has guitars that play better and sound sweeter, but they've got price tags north of five grand. If you've got that kind of money, knock yourself out. The rest of us will do quite nicely with a Melody Burner. *-- Chuck Squatriglia*
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Pearl Izumi Leg Warmers ----------------------- Between the cold, the wet, and the dark, getting out of the house for November rides just isn't as fun as a few sunny months ago. Pearl Izumi's $60 [Pro Barrier Leg Warmers](http://shop.pearlizumi.com/product.php?&mode=view&pc_id=65&product_id=1884142&outlet=&color_code=021) make the experience way more bearable though. Water resistant thermal fleece insulates your getaway sticks against rain or dense fog, pairing with windproof panels along the front to block out that biting winter chill. A zipper at the ankle offers ventilation if your ride takes a turn for the warm, and makes it easier to take them on or off. I've worn them on rides ranging from the low 40s to the 60s so far, and they balance insulation and breathability so well I never felt I was too cold or too warm. Elastic binding with silicon grippers keep these guys from slipping down your legs while you pedal. And the fit is so comfortable I often forget I'm even wearing them -- I prefer these and bibshorts to any of the knickers or tights I currently own. There's no women's version, but as long as there's some meat on your legs, ladies can don these just fine. *-- Christina Bonnington*
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Philips Fidelio L2 Headphones ----------------------------- I'm usually an earbud guy, but it's getting cold around these parts. Philips' over-the-ear [Fidelio L2s](http://www.usa.philips.com/c/fidelio/black-l2bo_00/prd/en/) ($300) look great, feel great, sound great, and you can use them as earmuffs when the weather gets bad. These cans have superb build quality, with an unsnappable aluminum connection between the headband and earcups. And although the headband is also aluminum, your scalp will only feel its soft leather covering. Memory-foam earpads boost the comfy factor, but enough about the look and feel. The L2s sound phenomenal, thanks to their 40mm neodymium-magnet drivers. They pump out punchy bass that's distortion-free, rich mid-range tones, and sharp high octaves. Just in case you care about your fellow subway riders or cubicle neighbors, you should know that these aren't the quietest headphones out there; sound leaks out of them, especially at high volumes. But you probably won't care, because your ears will be riding a gnarly wave of hi-fidelity excellence. (Bonus: The product name can be used as a password for any *Eyes Wide Shut* sex parties you want to crash.) *-- Tim Moynihan*
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Craftsman Micro-Clicker Torque Wrench ------------------------------------- At some point when you start working on cars and motorcycles, you'll see something like the following written in a manual: 80ft/lbs. What this collection of numbers and letters signifies is how many pounds of torque you need to tighten a nut or bolt. Tighten too much and you could strip a thread. Tighten too little and the nut or bolt could come loose. Both are bad news when your trying to get a vehicle back on the road. My dad taught me how to work on cars and one of the first things he taught me was not to buy "cheap" tools. They break, and when they do, there's a good chance you'll get hurt. The [Craftsman Micro-Clicker Torque Wrench](http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-micro-clicker-torque-wrench-1-2inch-drive/p-00931425000P?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2) ($60) feels as though you could bust through a wall with it. A twist of the handle lets you dial in exactly the required tightening force for whatever nut you're cranking. It eliminates all guesswork and correctly tightens the lug nuts so they don't go flying off your car on the highway. *-- Roberto Baldwin*
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Sherpa Adventure Gear Tashi Hat ------------------------------- My first ski day this year was epic. A friend and I went to Wolf Creek in southern Colorado and the snow was thigh-deep in places, which is crazy for the middle of November. The only downside was that it was also really cold; so cold that any exposed hair froze almost immediately. To keep my brain from icing up, I wore my [Tashi hat](http://sherpaadventuregear.com/fw12-hats.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.pbv.v5.tpl&product_id=437&category_id=67) from Sherpa Adventure Gear ($20), which is the warmest piece of headgear I've ever owned. The hats are knitted in Nepal and have an ultra-thick wool on the outside and a comfy Polarfleece lining on the inside. I admit the earflaps and tassels are slightly dorky looking, but I'll choose warmth over style any day. *-- Jakob Schiller*
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Technics Turntable SL 1200MK2 ----------------------------- There was a time not so long ago when DJing seemed like a great way to channel the love of music my wife and I share into a hobby someone would hire us to show off. It didn't work out that way. But during the related shopping spree, we picked up a pair of [Technics SL MK1200MK2](http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/SL-1200MK2) turntables. Both had been used and abused over the years, but they still worked perfectly. That's the testament to the these turntables. They are precision pieces of hardware, each built like a tank. From simple vinyl-lovers to hardcore DJs, everyone wants a Technics SL 1200 turntable. Introduced in 1972, the quartz-controlled direct-drive mechanism delivers dead-on cueing of music. I sold one of those turntables to a cousin with over 2,000 records. But this one is mine, and it's not going anywhere. Pick one up used for roughly $350. *-- Roberto Baldwin*
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Thermos "The Rock" ------------------ Take me back to the days before nerds ruined coffee. Don't get me wrong, I like the hippie fair-trade organic stuff. And espresso is awesome. I even dig your lightly roasted single-source Arabica that's been lovingly extracted with French spring water poured from your fancy Japanese swan-neck kettle. But I'll be damned if I'm going to let coffee be condemned to a future where it all gets folded into precious little brown bags, named after a Tom Waits song, and sold for $20 a half-pound in some wannabe art gallery. Nuh-uh. The only coffee culture that needs preserving is the kind where I can walk into the Dunkin' Donuts, hand over [this beast](http://www.thermos.com/products/the-rock-beverage-bottle.aspx), and tell 'em, "To the brim, hoss." This gargantuan stainless steel torpedo holds a full liter of the blackest bitter — enough go-juice to take you across two time zones in one haul. It's practically indestructible and will probably outlast most marriages. Best of all, while you're in your kitchen tomorrow morning, scooping individual beans onto your digital scale to arrive at the 21 grams required to make a perfect single cup, I'll be sipping yesterday's coffee from my giant, beautiful Thermos. And even a full 24 hours after that first pour, it will *still* taste fresh-brewed and it will *still* be hot enough to tingle my lips. Let's see your barista do that. $31. *-- Michael Calore*
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Fischer Soma Vacuum 130 Ski Boots --------------------------------- We have yet to get even a decent dusting of snow here in Northern California, but I've already pulled my ski boots from the garage. I endured a good half hour of pain last year in the hands of the good folks at [California Ski Company](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/playbook/2012/11/winter-camp-ski-boots/) to get the most comfortable, responsive ski boots I have ever worn. I don't have particularly finicky feet, so I never imagined having custom molded boots and custom made orthotics would make that big of a difference, but Fischer has made me a believer. If you suffer from sore feet or hotspots or generally notice your boots while skiing, this is the year you should visit to a ski boot expert. I know it is tempting to save some coin by buying online, but the experts working at the ski shops have the special measuring equipment necessary to find the perfect fit. Even if you don't go custom, they'll point out all the things you are doing wrong and work some magic on making your hooves happy. Whether you end up with a pair of custom molded liners or a pair of custom molded boots, it's money well-spent. *-- Jim Merithew*
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Samsung 840 EVO Solid State Drive --------------------------------- Who wants to talk 3-bit-per-cell TLC NAND and the merits of moving to smaller process geometry. No one? Fine. How about effing fast computers? Earlier this month, I swapped out the anemic 500GB Toshiba HDD that came with my 2010 MacBook Pro for [this solid state screamer](http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/minisite/SSD/global/html/about/SSD840EVO.html) from Samsung. All I can say is: oh my. It's pretty much like using a new laptop. Apps open and close instantly, boot up times have been halved, and I haven't seen that bastard of a spinning beach ball for close to three weeks now. Best $175 I've spent all year. *-- Bryan Gardiner*
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Uni-ball Signo UM-151 Gel Ink Pen --------------------------------- Somehow, we've all fooled ourselves into thinking that a pen is a pen. This is not a good thing; the vast majority of pens we use in our everyday lives are miserable, flimsy, inconsistent cartridges of meh. So I put it to you, dentists and restaurants and office supply stores and other purveyors of crap: stop ignoring the fantastic pens being made in Japan, and start using the [Signo UM-151](http://amzn.com/B00EZ7O01E). It looks more or less like any gel-ink pen you could buy here — the ubiquitous Pilot G-7, the 12-for-$7 Staples-brand standard — but the similarities stop there. The nib is available in sizes down to a superfine .28mm (though I go for the precise-but-legible .5), the ink in colors from basic black to pink and mandarin orange (though I stick with the unassuming blue-black and green-black). The ink flows truer than in rivals like the Zebra Sarasa and the cult favorite Pilot Hi-Tec-C. Best of all: it costs less than a latte. Beat that, fountain-pen people. $2.50 and up. *-- Peter Rubin*
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Logitech Powershell ------------------- This [case-like game controller](http://gaming.logitech.com/en-us/product/powershell-controller-and-battery) from Logitech fits around the iPhone 5 and 5S. It also works with the 5th generation iPod touch with an additional insert. True to Apple's new MFi controller specification, it includes an analog D-pad on the lefthand side, four colorful buttons arranged in the traditional diamond on the right, and two pressure-sensitive trigger buttons. Around the back, you'll find a battery inside an ergonomically sculpted shell. All these buttons and batteries come with a catch, though, as the Powershell more than doubles the length of the iPhone 5s and triples the weight. It's not a Bluetooth device, so it needs to be plugged in, meaning it only works with newer devices and will not work with an iPad. Still, the boost it gives to mobile gameplay, especially ports of console games or AAA titles, is huge. *-- Kif Leswing*
