Gadgets

Phones, audio, watches, drones and the small stuff that quietly runs your day.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

The BRO Gear GuideBuy once, fix it, pass it down: a cost-per-use calculator, a warranty decoder and a repairability checklist.Judge it before you buy

← Newer articlesPage 7 of 198

A bench vise should outlive you, so buy it like one

Weight, a good screw, and parts you can still get in 2060: how to pick the one shop tool your kids will fight over.

GuideCarsDean ShawOct 9, 20266 min

Spend your money on the stands, not the jack

A floor jack lifts the car. The stands keep it off you. Here's how to buy both once and never think about them again.

Ask BRO

Rewrite my CV so it actually gets read

Ask it

GuideTools & OrganizingDean ShawOct 9, 20265 min

A drill outlives its battery. Buy the battery first.

The motor will run for years. The pack that feeds it won't. Here's how to buy a cordless drill that's still useful in 2035.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

PartnerCancerDefying.com

Woodworking6 min read

The cut takes nine seconds and the setup takes twenty minutes

One pine board, one rip cut, two very different Saturdays. The difference has nothing to do with the cut.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

GuideCarsRay OkonkwoOct 7, 20265 min

The transmission quote that almost bought me a new truck

One $3,200 repair bill made a new truck payment look like a bargain. Then somebody asked what the truck costs besides the payment.

StoryTools & OrganizingDean ShawOct 7, 20265 min

The Weekend Rate Isn't a Personal Challenge

What you learn standing in the Saturday line for a floor sander, and the lesson inside every line you'll hear before your name gets called.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

PartnerShirts.com

StoryWoodworkingWes DunbarOct 7, 20265 min

Nobody at the lumber yard thinks your 2x4 is two by four

A Saturday morning in the stacks, a napkin sketch, and the lessons the guys in line learned the hard way so you don't have to.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next two weeks.

StoryCarsDean ShawOct 7, 20265 min

Nobody at the parts counter can guess which engine you have

A Saturday morning in line at the auto parts counter, where every wrong guess comes with a lesson you can use before your next oil change.

StoryTools & OrganizingDean ShawOct 7, 20265 min

What Gets Said in Aisle Nine Before the Coffee Kicks In

A breaker labeled with a question mark, a paint chip called "wall color," and the real lessons hiding behind every line at the Saturday counter.

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

Ask it

GuideWoodworkingDean ShawOct 5, 20267 min

Build a pair of sawhorses you're allowed to cut into

Five two-by-fours, one afternoon, and a design that expects you to saw through it. The best first shop project there is.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

PartnerDelicious.com

GuideCarsDean ShawOct 7, 20265 min

How to jump a dead car, in the order it really happens

Red to dead, black to metal, and the one cable you'll swear you put in the trunk last winter. A correct jump start with the honest parts left in.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideTools & OrganizingDean ShawOct 6, 20265 min

How to Build Flat-Pack Furniture and Still Be Speaking Afterward

The box says two hours and one person. It's wrong about both, and the argument usually starts at step one, not step nine.

GuideGearDean ShawSep 30, 20266 min

The carbon paddle won't fix your third shot

Fiberglass, raw carbon, 13mm or 16mm. What each one really does on the court, and why the cheap paddle is the right call for longer than you'd think.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

GuideCarsDean ShawOct 6, 20266 min

Changing your own oil in the driveway, the way it really goes

The video says twenty minutes. Plan on ninety, a shower and one trip back to the parts store. You'll still come out ahead.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

Tools & Organizing6 min

The Battery Shuffle, and the One Drill Grandpa Still Plugs In

Fitness7 min

The pickleball shot that breaks wrists is the one you chase

Ask BRO

Plan a cook for eight people

Ask it

ReviewCarsWes DunbarOct 6, 20267 min

The new truck tugged the wheel and Grandpa checked the tie rods

Fifty years of backing up by turning around, one backup camera, and a lane assist system Grandpa calls "the passenger." He's half right.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

PartnerGermProof.com

Tools & Organizing7 min read

The Ten Minutes Before You Start a Chainsaw After a Storm

Chaps, chain tension, a clean air filter and fresh fuel. The checks that keep a cleanup Saturday from ending in the emergency room.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

Older articles

Older Gadgets stories