The Nail Clippers.

I enjoy a tidy, short, and well-manicured fingernail - it makes playing stringed instruments easier, typing on a keyboard less annoying, and to me, looks better. Long has it been since my convenience-store nail clippers have shoddily clipped my nails, leaving sharp angles that have to be filed down, followed by hangnails a few days later. And I've always complained about them, while doing nothing about it.

Klhip to the rescue!

I got an awesome surprise present in the mail from my sister-in-law (thanks Lisa!), which had the aptly-named "Ultimate Clipper" from Klhip inside.

Made in USA out of stainless steel, this little clipper will undoubtedly last a lifetime (and is warrantied as such), and if it wasn't weird to call nail clippers a family heirloom, these would totally be in my will, cause they're that awesome and will last for that long.

Klhip has won a bunch of design awards, both as a product and as a company, however what I really care about is how this little guy clips m'claws - and boy, does it. The "backwards" lever is actually the way it should be, as it provides pressure right over your nail. That makes the sharp blade's work even easier and the cuts all the more smooth and clean - thus making filing all the less necessary... which is almost a bummer, because I like filing my nails.

They fold up to be pretty compact, and come with a handy awesome tin or a superfluous leather sleeve (sorry, vegan habit to bash the leather).

I only hope Klhip comes out with a bigger toenail clipper soon, as my toenails are already jealous of their fingerly friends!

The Cat Fountain

First, let's get some things out in the open: if you don't like cats, stop reading this, and go have some alone time, and think about things. Cats are small and fuzzy, and like to snuggle, and quiet, and like to play, and loyal and smart. And also, there is Maru. I love me some canine companionship too, so don't get all "there's two types of people in this world: dog people and cat people" on me, cause that's not true. Once upon a time, I thought it was, but through a series of happenstances, I became a cat owner, and since then a double-cat owner and I now realize the truth: there are two types of people in this world: pet people and lame people, and that is that.

Ok, moving on...

Our cat fountain finally went bad. It served us for many years, but the cheap pump finally died, and just in time, as it got grungy even between regular cleanings and it never looked as good as the day I got it. So out I went on the search for a new cat fountain. My go-to source for everything awesome (Etsy) led me to Thirsty Cat Fountains, owned by Keith and Jackie Davitt, out of New York. They're all hand-made, one-of-a-kind ceramic cat fountains, with a cool cord that comes out the side of the fountain (instead of dangling over the edge), and completely safe and sanitary.

Not only do their fountains look great and work really well, but most importantly, our two cats absolutely love drinking from them. The water pump is adjustable, so we usually have ours on a low and quiet "bubble", but for the photo, I decided to put on the supplied copper spout to give it more of a proper "fountainy" kind of look.

These fountains are so much easier to clean than anything else on the market: three simple pieces... the ceramic bowl, the ceramic pump hide, and the pump. And filling it up couldn't be easier - just pour water into it - done! No inverted bottle or weird plastic hard-to-clean reservoir here - just a simple bowl, with water in it.

Pros:
- They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, to fit your feline's tastes in decor.
- They're handmade in the USA by two awesome and friendly pet people.
- They look way better than any and every other cat fountain out there.
- They sound like a peaceful mini waterfall.
- Cats love drinking out of it!

Cons:
- You thought there were going to be cons? Nope. Sorry... these are 100% Pros.

If you have a stale old bowl of water for your cats, buy a Thirsty Cat Fountain, and watch how much more your cat(s) will enjoy drinking fresh circulating water. And if you have a plastic water fountain that is a pain to clean, possibly contains icky BPA, and looks less than awesome, buy a Thirsty Cat Fountain, and watch how much better you'll feel about yourself.

The (rear) Bike Light.

It was almost five years ago that I co-reviewed what two rear blinky lights on CandlePowerForums, creating one of the most popular threads ever on rear bike lights. In my eyes, the Planet Bike Super Flash was the ultimate rear bike light... and in four years of all-season riding in Chicago's less-than-perfect streets, it performed like a freaking champ.

That was 2007. It's 2012, and things have changed. LED's are smaller, brighter, more efficient, and easily accessible. So I decided to venture out and look for a new rear blinky to replace retire my Super Flash as a backup ("two is one, one is none", after all). Someone at CPF linked to a new rear light called the Red Zone 4, made in Australia by NiteFlux, and after seeing what this light was capable of, I knew I found my new rear bike light.

This light is nothing short of amazing. It's got a ton of flashing and constant-on modes, which are all easily disabled, so you can have it simply be ON>(your favorite mode)>OFF, instead of normal bike lights where you have to scroll through ON>(mode you never use)>(mode you never use)>(your favorite mode)>OFF... or worse. But the Red Zone 4 was clearly designed, engineered, and built with the user in mind. It's self-contained battery is charged with a common USB cord, which I'm fully converted to after realizing the convenience, with a charge indicator light. It's fully encased in a proprietary super tough polymer that doesn't crack or leak, and the entire thing glows red when it's on, which makes side visibility (a must for commuters) awesome. It's got a really strong clip on it which makes attaching it to your bike bag or rear pocket quick, easy, and secure. It's an awesome size and weight, and can should always be in (or on) your bike bag.

My only wishlist item for the Red Zone 4 would be a quick-release clamp for seatpost, as the velcro straps make it a bit cumbersome to remove. Lucky for me, I take my seat with me wherever I go, so the light stays on it, but I'd prefer a nice custom post clamp that the light could clip into and out of easily.

I've used the light for long enough to feel comfortable commenting on its performance. First and foremost, it's more noticeable than any other rear bike light I've ever seen, and programmable so you're not selecting a brightness that's blinding your fellow cyclists. I have mine programmed with just two strobe levels: 1.2 Wat & 4 Watt. I use the 1.2 Watt for normal nighttime riding, as it's the perfect balance of bright-but-not-too-bright. The 4 Watt strobe is great for daytime riding or really bad condition nighttime riding (like last night's snowstorm), where you want to be visible to everything and everyone. The battery lasts a long time between charges - to the point that I plug it in maybe once a month just because I feel like it, and not because it needs it.

NiteFlux also has amazing customer service - despite being on the other side of the world, they always promptly answered my questions, and give their products one year warranties with the ability to add on two more years for only a few more bucks.

I literally could go on and on about why I love this light, but suffice to say that if you're in the need of a rear bike light upgrade, the Red Zone 4 is your light - a hundred bucks is a tiny price to pay to keep yourself from getting hit by a car.

The Poker Chips, et al.

When it came time for my poker-playing bachelor party, I realized that the old plastic chips I stole inherited from my parent's house were in need of upgrading. In my search, I stumbled across a whole world I didn't know existed, in the Chip Talk poker forums. There I learned a lot about different kinds (and manufacturers) of poker chips, what denominations to use for different types of games, and all of the other things you need, like a dealer button, a case, and oh yeah, cards.

But first thing's first. The chips.

I was on a budget, which is a hard thing to do if you're looking for some US-made poker chips - a nice set of Paulson's can run you $500 on the cheap side. However, the awesome folks at Apache Poker Chips had (and still have) a killer sale on ASM (aka Atlantic Standard Molding) Edge Spot clay poker chips, which are really close to the Paulson quality but are a lot less expensive. Apache says it best about ASM: "ASM has been making fine poker chips for close to 100 years. Little has changed over the years in their old fashioned process. Each chip is handcrafted in the United States. With so much attention to detail it is hard to find a better poker chip."

I had them "hotstamped" with a silver foil by ChipTalk member cgraham86, with denominations that I designed, and they turned out awesome. Thanks Corey!

They have such an awesome feel and weight to them, and are fun to play around with in your hands... so if you've only got one chip left in hold'em, you're still having a half-ways decent time.

Then, I obviously needed a cool dealer button. Again through ChipTalk, I found the excellent company Palm Gaming, who make custom clay dealer buttons out of Florida, amongst a bunch of other stuff (some made in USA, some imported). I sent Joe from Palm my design for a dealer button (complete with a logo of my initials in the middle), and he whipped a few of these up in no time.

It made for an awesome finishing touch to my poker chip set.

And what better backdrop for a photograph of a dealer button than some cool playing cards? I picked up some Italian-made Modiano plastic playing cards after reading some good reviews on them. Sure, a lot of Bicycle playing cards are Made in USA, but I always like the idea of seeing if there are any smaller other companies out there. The Modiano's have an excellent texture to them that make for a different experience than the normal cards we're all used to playing with - I like 'em. They even come in a cool plastic case, which makes everything feel a bit more old-timey classic.

And to finish them all off, I've ordered a wood case made in Ohio by Sven at Oz Woodworking, which should be arriving soon. Can't wait.

Sure, I lost big time playing cards for my bachelor party (weren't they supposed to let me win?!?), but I won big time with my poker chip setup.