Misc Gear


Gear Diary’s 2026 Back-to-School Gift Guide & Giveaway: Smart, Practical Picks for Every Stage of School and Beyond

Back-to-school season looks different at every age, from packing a preschool lunchbox to furnishing a college apartment or reclaiming freedom once the nest is finally empty. Our 2026 back-to-school gift guide brings together thoughtful, practical, and occasionally delightfully unexpected gifts for students, parents, and everyone helping them through the transition. You’ll find smart tech, personal-care essentials, travel gear, comfort upgrades, and a few products that solve problems nobody notices until they suddenly matter. Whether you’re shopping for a 1st grader, a new driver, or yourself, there’s something here worth considering. Be sure to enter our giveaway at the end.



ROKR Dinosaur Lab Pinball MGP01 First Look: A Buildable Tabletop Pinball Machine with Real Flippers, Lights, and Jurassic Park Energy

ROKR has taken its model-kit expertise and pointed it at something most people don’t expect from a 3D puzzle company: a working pinball machine. The ROKR Dinosaur Lab Pinball MGP01 is a 319-piece kit that turns into a fully playable desktop pinball game with mechanical flippers, a real bumper that fires the ball back at you, lighting effects, and a soundtrack that borrows liberally from a certain island theme park movie.


Looki L1 Wearable Lifelogging Camera Review: This AI Camera Turned My Everyday Life Into My Favorite Digital Journal

I like recording the notable and not-so-notable moments of my life. I’ve done this in handwritten journals since I was a kid. In the past few years, I’ve realized that I would rather save daily memories digitally because I can include lots of photos, and I can type so much faster than I can write on pen and paper. I’ve used digital journaling apps and cool trip recording apps like Time Atlas, and now I am excited to tell you all about the Looki L1 Wearable Lifelogging camera. Yes, it uses AI, but what it can do with AI is…


Ausom DT2 Pro Electric Scooter Review: Dual-Motor Power, Massive Battery, and a Trigger Throttle I Don’t Want to Give Up

The Ausom DT2 Pro is a high-powered dual-motor electric scooter with serious speed, torque, and one of the largest batteries in its class. Its dual 1100W motors, delivering 2912W at peak, conquered a steep hill that has humbled other scooters we’ve tested, while the finger-trigger throttle is a welcome upgrade over the usual thumb paddle. The ride is stable and comfortable, with excellent fit and finish and strong hydraulic brakes. But it’s heavy, charges slowly, and lacks adjustable handlebars. Do its power, range, and refinement make it easy to recommend?



Chasesun Rechargeable Neck Fan Review: Dorky? Maybe. Surprisingly Great at Keeping You Cool? Absolutely.

When the weather heats up, as it does for me in southern Indiana, a rechargeable neck fan can look a little silly and still make perfect sense. That is exactly the category this Chasesun Rechargeable Neck Fan falls into. It is a wearable personal fan designed to sit around your neck and push air upward toward your chin and face, which is where cooling relief really matters when you are outside, gardening, walking, or just trying to survive a sweltering summer afternoon.



ROKR Mechanical Typewriter Wooden 3D Puzzle Review: A Gorgeous Build That’s More Display Piece Than Typewriter

Most model kits give you a nice feeling of accomplishment and a finished piece by the end of the night. The ROKR Mechanical Typewriter Wooden 3D Puzzle is not that kind of kit. This is a 320-piece wooden puzzle model that demands patience (a LOT of patience), a steady hand, and a real willingness to stick with it when the build gets fiddly. It also promises something extra: not just a display piece, but a typewriter-inspired mechanism with moving keys, internal linkages, and a paper carriage. That sounded amazing on the box. In practice, it turned into a much bigger…


VollyC EZYPAK Vacuum Travel Bags Review: A Travel Hack That Actually Saves Space

If you’ve ever stared at a suitcase and wondered how your clothes multiplied overnight, vacuum travel bags can feel like a pretty tempting solution. For an epic 14-day trip to Ireland, I tested the VollyC EZYPAK system to see whether these vacuum travel bags really make packing easier, more compact, and more organized. After trying them at home and then using them throughout a two-week trip with frequent hotel changes, I’ll let you know what I think.


Gear Diary’s 2026 Father’s Day Gift Guide & Giveaway: Smart, Stylish, and Useful Gifts That Dad Will Love

Welcome to our 2026 Father’s Day Gift Guide, where the goal is simple: help you find something Dad will actually use, enjoy, and maybe even brag about a little. This year’s picks cover the practical, the indulgent, the outdoorsy, the techy, the cozy, and the delicious, because fathers are not a monolith, despite what novelty grill aprons suggest. Whether you’re shopping for a golfer, traveler, cook, camper, audiophile, whiskey lover, or dad who simply deserves a better everyday upgrade, you’ll find plenty of thoughtful ideas here. Be sure to stick around for the giveaway at the end, too.


The reMarkable Paper Pure Is a $399 Digital Notebook for People Who Still Think Best on Paper

The reMarkable Paper Pure is the company’s new 10.3″ black-and-white paper tablet, built for people who want the quiet focus of handwriting without fully stepping away from digital work. Announced today, it starts at $399 and is expected to begin shipping in early June. This isn’t the color-screen, frontlit model for people who want every bell and whistle. Instead, Paper Pure looks like reMarkable’s attempt to make its third-generation paper tablet lineup feel less aspirational and more approachable, with faster writing, a crisper display, longer battery life, and enough workflow tools to earn a place beside a laptop.


SurviveX Large First Aid Kit Review: Basically a Field Hospital for Your Trunk

Whether you’re a weekend warrior tackling the trails or just someone who occasionally loses a battle with a stubborn bagel, being prepared is half the battle. I have seen a lot of medical kits, ranging from “two Band-Aids and a prayer” to “full-blown field hospital.” I like to carry kits in my Jeep and have a couple at the ranch in deer blinds, available for emergencies while working. The SurviveX Large First Aid Kit definitely leans toward the latter, and it’s become a fast favorite for my bug-out bags and trunks.


Crafty Moms, Rejoice! Cricut’s Mother’s Day Sale is Here

If your mom is the type of person who sees a plain coffee mug and thinks, “That needs a custom vinyl monogram,” or if she’s been eyeing a way to turn her Pinterest boards into reality, listen up. Cricut just kicked off its Mother’s Day sales event. We’re talking discounts on the heavy hitters, including the very first price drop on the brand-new Explore 5 since its launch. Whether she’s a seasoned pro or a beginner, Cricut’s updated Design Space (now featuring an AI Project Designer and Guided Flows) makes the learning curve feel more like a gentle slope.


Gear Diary’s 2026 Mother’s Day Gift Guide: Stylish, Smart, and Genuinely Thoughtful Gifts for Mom

Mother’s Day gift guides can veer into clichés fast, but the best gifts are the ones that feel chosen, useful, and maybe a little indulgent in all the right ways. This year’s roundup leans into that sweet spot, with picks for mothers who love better sleep, smarter travel, polished tech, beautiful kitchens, cozy patios, and the everyday upgrades that quietly make life nicer. Some are practical, some are playful, and a few are definite splurges, but all of them were picked with real life in mind.


The Prego Connection Keeper Turns Family Dinner Conversations into Keepsakes — No Phone Needed

The new Prego Connection Keeper sounds like the kind of branded idea that could go wrong in a hurry. A pasta sauce company teaming up with StoryCorps to sell a recording device for family dinners has all the ingredients for something overly precious, but the actual concept is more grounded than it first appears. The limited-edition Prego x StoryCorps Connection Keeper is a simple, offline recorder designed to capture the kinds of dinner-table conversations that usually disappear the second the plates are cleared.


Vitamix Spring Deals Slash Prices of Blenders, Immersion Models, and Kitchen Systems Ahead of Mother’s Day

Some kitchen purchases seem purely practical until they become the appliance you use almost every day, and that’s exactly where Vitamix has landed for plenty of home cooks over the years. If you have been waiting for a sale to make the price feel a little easier to justify, this spring promotion may be your sign to go for it. From April 24th through May 10th, Vitamix is taking $50 to $200 off the Ascent X Series, Propel Series, 5200, VX1, and select kitchen systems. The 5-Speed Immersion Blender is also $25 off, and the 2-Speed model is $30 off.


NextSense Smartbuds Review: A Clever Sleep-Tech Idea That Never Quite Let Me Forget It Was in My Ear

NextSense Smartbuds arrive with promises that would make any sleep gadget hard to resist. You tell yourself this might be just the thing™ that finally blocks the hotel HVAC drone, the hallway slams, your spouse who somehow snores in surround sound, and the midnight brain chatter that has no business chattering when the rest of you is trying to clock out. Sleep earbuds already have a tough job. They have to stay comfortable against a pillow, disappear enough that you don’t fixate on them, last through the night, and actually help rather than just look good in an app.


4Patriots Blackout Buddy Emergency Power Supply Review: The Automatic Fridge Backup Battery

If you want automatic backup power that kicks in the instant the lights go out, the 4Patriots Blackout Buddy delivers exactly what it promises. Installation is dead simple, the automatic switchover is seamless, and the remote monitoring screen is genuinely useful. But here’s the catch: fridge/freezer combos with ice makers may exceed the 600W max output. Our GE Profile fridge/freezer pulled 620W at peak, which means this may not work for some appliances. For older, lower-power fridges or freezers? It may work, but you’ll need to check the power draw.


Bob and Brad Zero Pro Ultra-Quiet Eye Massager Review: Headache Relief Is Available at Home and On-the-Go

When I was a kid and would get sinus infections, my mom’s solution was always to heat up a washcloth in the microwave. The heat over my aching sinuses would help until the washcloth cooled off, and then I had a slightly less bad headache and a damp forehead. Bob and Brad have taken their knowledge of massage and expanded it from guns to eye massagers, and they’re also addressing the hot and cold compress treatment as well with the Bob and Brad Zero Pro Ultra-Quiet Eye Massager!