Best buys · 7 picks

Every day

Small things that go everywhere, which is exactly why cheap versions fail first. Each of these has been made more or less the same way for years.

The watch

Casio G-Shock DW-5600

The square G-Shock: shockproof, water resistant to 200 meters, and a battery measured in years. The watch you do not take off to do anything.

Buy it for
Work, sport, the one watch for everything.
Skip it if
You want something to wear with a suit. It will look like a tool, because it is one.
What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →
The pocket knife

Victorinox Swiss Army knife

Legal to carry in more places than most knives, useful every single day, and it will still work when your children inherit it.

Buy it for
Everyone, from the office to the campsite.
Skip it if
You need a real blade for outdoor work. Look at a fixed-blade knife.
What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →
The flask

Stanley Classic vacuum bottle

Keeps coffee hot through a whole shift and survives being dropped off a tailgate. The same green bottle has been on building sites for generations.

Buy it for
Early starts, cold sites, long drives.
Skip it if
You want it in a car cup holder. Get the tumbler instead.
What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →
A 20,000mAh USB-C power bank
The power bank

A 20,000mAh USB-C power bank

Enough for several phone charges or a top-up for a laptop that charges over USB-C. This pick is a specification: whichever reputable one is cheapest today.

Buy it for
Travel, festivals, long days away from a socket.
Skip it if
It lives in a pocket. A 10,000mAh one is half the weight.
What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →
Apple AirTag
The tracker

Apple AirTag

On the keys, in the bag, in the checked luggage. It is found through every nearby iPhone, which is why it works in an airport or a city where a Bluetooth-only tracker goes quiet.

Buy it for
iPhone owners who lose keys, travel, or check bags.
Skip it if
You use Android. Look at a tracker on Google's Find My Device network.
What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →
The flashlight

Olight Baton

Pocket-sized, bright enough to light a backyard, recharges on a magnetic cable, and clips to a pocket or sticks to anything steel. The one you actually carry.

Buy it for
Everyday carry, the car, the power cut.
Skip it if
You want batteries you can buy at a gas station. Keep the AAA headlamp for that.
What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →
The wallet

The Ridge wallet

A slim metal frame that holds up to a dozen cards and some cash without bulging the pocket, and fans the cards out with a push of the thumb.

Buy it for
Front-pocket carry, anyone tired of sitting on a brick.
Skip it if
You carry receipts, photos and a stack of cash. A leather bifold holds more.
What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →