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Chris Shugart
Editor / V-Diet Author
Join date: Oct 2002
Location:
Posts: 15264
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6 Very Cool Gifts
Didn't spend Black Friday at Target at 4AM standing in line or wrestling a granny for a $99 flat screen? Me neither. I mean, I wrestled a granny, but we weren't in line or anything.
Here are some gift ideas for the procrastinators in the crowd. As a bonus, I'll include some selfish reasons to give these gifts for you Scrooges out there.
A Shun Chef Knife
You only need one good knife in your kitchen: a 7 or 8" chef knife. My favorite brand is Shun. The baddest of the badass Shun line is this Ken Onion model.
That one will set you back around $250, but Shun has several other models closer to the $100 mark.
Selfish Slant: Buy it for someone who will use it to prepare delicious healthy meals for you.
Blast Straps
One of my favorite training gadgets out there right now. I use them for "do-something day" bodyweight circuits: push-ups, rows, curls, triceps extensions, ab work, etc. $52 to $75.
Selfish Slant: Buy them for your workout buddy and you get to use them too.
A Modern Tomahawk
I can't help it. Ever since I saw The Patriot and Last of the Mohicans I've had a thing for tomahawks. I like the modern tactical versions made of high-end materials.
Prices run the gamut from a good $25 thrower to a $500 custom.
Selfish Slant: Buy it for a friend and maybe he'll use it to defend you during the upcoming zombie apocalypse. Or, he could just smash your skull in with it during a drunken Coors Light rage at next years Super Bowl party...
Come to think of it, maybe you should just buy that kind of friend a gift certificate to Build-A-Bear Workshop.
Birchbox Subscription
For some unknown reason, wives and girlfriends don't appreciate a fine combat tomahawk for Christmas. For them, consider a subscription to Birchbox.
Basically, for $110, they get a frilly gift box sent to them every month filled with high-end beauty product samples and other girly things in tubes and compacts that we don't understand at all but they seem to love.
Selfish Slant: The hot mama in your life will look even hotter.
NOTE: For those of you with a hard-trainin' V-Life vixen in your life, you might also consider this:
Yep, that's a for-reals special edition pink Prowler. Don't laugh, it'll still kick your ass.
OGIO Locker Bag
This is a truly unique gym bag. Instead of being a slightly modified backpack made mainly for books, this is a true gymbag. As the name implies, it's more of a portable, semi-hard shell locker, perfect for those who have to shower and pack an extra set of clothes to the gym. Like most OGIO products, this thing is bulletproof. Only drawback is that it looks kinda like you're carrying a fat briefcase into the gym. About $65.
Selfish Slant: Get one for your training partner and maybe his gym clothes will stop smelling exactly like his gym shoes.
Hammarhead Jack Pine
Take a Triumph Scrambler, strip it down to its bare essentials, customize it while retaining its minimal aesthetics, and you have the Hammarhead Jack Pine motorcycle.
It'll cost you $14,500... if you can get one of the 4 being made available in 2011. Yeah, ain't gonna happen. Still, it would make a nice stocking stuffer.
What are you giving (or hopefully getting) this year? Hit reply and let me know! -- Chris
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corstijeir
Level 5
Join date: Mar 2010
Location: Tennessee, USA
Posts: 2829
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I'm giving my friend a camera loaded up with Pictures of all the things her, her kid and myself have done in the past year.
I'll give my dad a gift card to bass pro shop( it's easier to let him pick out what he wants and when )
Mom: a kindle
Each one of my sisters will get some cash
My brother in law will probably get a kinect
As for myself I never ask for anything, so it's all up to surprise. Though I could use some new knives, whether its for cooking or a new pocket knife.
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BARDUKE
Level 4
Join date: Jan 2008
Location: Texas, USA
Posts: 365
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do you have that shun knife in damascus steel that's shown in the picture? ken onion does some magical custom work, and most of his production knives are nice also.
most people dont appreciate how much blade steel matters when talking about knives, and how different one that costs $100 made of VG-10 or CPM-S30V steel than the walmart $5 that will never get or stay sharp. once you get addicted, you can never stop tho.
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Chris Shugart
Editor / V-Diet Author
Join date: Oct 2002
Location:
Posts: 15264
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BARDUKE wrote:
do you have that shun knife in damascus steel that's shown in the picture? ken onion does some magical custom work, and most of his production knives are nice also.
most people dont appreciate how much blade steel matters when talking about knives, and how different one that costs $100 made of VG-10 or CPM-S30V steel than the walmart $5 that will never get or stay sharp. once you get addicted, you can never stop tho.
I have a standard Shun chef's knife, plus a small Shun 3" paring knife and "utility-sized" blade (the least used.) My set came with the Kershaw kitchen shears too, which are invaluable.
My chef's is VG-10 stainless steel clad with 16 layers of SUS4100 high-carbon stainless steel. About $130. But the Ken Onion is prettier!
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corstijeir
Level 5
Join date: Mar 2010
Location: Tennessee, USA
Posts: 2829
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A high quality chef's knife is irreplaceable. They are a true wonder, and yeah kitchen shears are kickass too.
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BARDUKE
Level 4
Join date: Jan 2008
Location: Texas, USA
Posts: 365
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not a bad price for a knife that nice! that VG10 will sharpen right fine too.
i think all i would need is a chef knife and paring knife and i'd be all set to go. but for now i'm stuck with my sears kitchen set...but i have other knives i use for kitchen duty (spyderco, Bark River, Fallkniven)
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Barge
Level 4
Join date: Dec 2009
Location:
Posts: 120
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The 8" Ken Onion Shun Chef's Knife is on sale on amazon right now for $150 but it's currently out of stock.
It's what I got for Christmas from my parents.
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Chris Shugart
Editor / V-Diet Author
Join date: Oct 2002
Location:
Posts: 15264
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Barge wrote:
The 8" Ken Onion Shun Chef's Knife is on sale on amazon right now for $150 but it's currently out of stock.
It's what I got for Christmas from my parents.
That's a damn good deal.
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Alex McCabe
Level 4
Join date: Jul 2010
Location: California, USA
Posts: 106
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I want a damn Biotest Gift Card with $10,000 on it.
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corstijeir
Level 5
Join date: Mar 2010
Location: Tennessee, USA
Posts: 2829
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Alex I'd settle for 3 weeks in the training lab being coached, fed, pampered and supplemented by Biotest :)
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MikeManos
Level 0
Join date: Feb 2008
Location:
Posts: 116
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Chris Shugart wrote:
BARDUKE wrote:
do you have that shun knife in damascus steel that's shown in the picture? ken onion does some magical custom work, and most of his production knives are nice also.
most people dont appreciate how much blade steel matters when talking about knives, and how different one that costs $100 made of VG-10 or CPM-S30V steel than the walmart $5 that will never get or stay sharp. once you get addicted, you can never stop tho.
I have a standard Shun chef's knife, plus a small Shun 3" paring knife and "utility-sized" blade (the least used.) My set came with the Kershaw kitchen shears too, which are invaluable.
My chef's is VG-10 stainless steel clad with 16 layers of SUS4100 high-carbon stainless steel. About $130. But the Ken Onion is prettier!
High end Japanese cutlery has really perfected the art of the ice-hardened blade, which sharpens very nicely yet still holds a razor edge for quite some time after use. Prior to these, Camillus had a line called "Comus", which was chrome plated carbon steel (no longer in production and more of a collector's item nowadays, though as a proud owner I can tell you that those are some exceptional pieces of cutlery).
But Chris, a "6 Very Cool Gifts" article for him & her and yet NO MENTION of the new Liberator line of bedroom...ahem...equipment & apparel?! C'mon, that's the gift that keeps on giving! :)
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Chris Shugart
Editor / V-Diet Author
Join date: Oct 2002
Location:
Posts: 15264
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MikeManos wrote:
But Chris, a "6 Very Cool Gifts" article for him & her and yet NO MENTION of the new Liberator line of bedroom...ahem...equipment & apparel?! C'mon, that's the gift that keeps on giving! :)
The Wedge: It ain't for crunches, kiddies.
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corstijeir
Level 5
Join date: Mar 2010
Location: Tennessee, USA
Posts: 2829
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Chris Shugart wrote:
MikeManos wrote:
But Chris, a "6 Very Cool Gifts" article for him & her and yet NO MENTION of the new Liberator line of bedroom...ahem...equipment & apparel?! C'mon, that's the gift that keeps on giving! :)
The Wedge: It ain't for crunches, kiddies.
Though that could be interesting...
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VTRushinCA
Level 4
Join date: Jul 2010
Location: California, USA
Posts: 124
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Oh man, that Locker Bag just shot to the top of my Christmas wish list!
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barn-e
Level 4
Join date: Mar 2003
Location: Florida, USA
Posts: 116
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Chris Shugart wrote:
MikeManos wrote:
But Chris, a "6 Very Cool Gifts" article for him & her and yet NO MENTION of the new Liberator line of bedroom...ahem...equipment & apparel?! C'mon, that's the gift that keeps on giving! :)
The Wedge: It ain't for crunches, kiddies.
For the more practical minded, you can get the same thing from any medical supply store, minus the fancy cover, for about $50.
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Chris Shugart
Editor / V-Diet Author
Join date: Oct 2002
Location:
Posts: 15264
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barn-e wrote:
For the more practical minded, you can get the same thing from any medical supply store, minus the fancy cover, for about $50.
barn-e: Frugal casanova.
But for the record, the Wedge is just $10 higher than the old-lady, medical supply version. And you'll appreciate the removable cover. (Really.)
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nateschmidt24
Level 4
Join date: Nov 2009
Location:
Posts: 601
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seconded for a stint in the training lab :)
although a bad ass knife, blast straps and some kind of minimalist shoes are also on my list
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LVZzed
Level 0
Join date: Jul 2006
Location: Belgium
Posts: 108
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corstijeir wrote:
Alex I'd settle for 3 weeks in the training lab being coached, fed, pampered and supplemented by Biotest :)
I'd already settle for good access to Biotest products with low shipping costs, here in Europe :)
Or a good new bass guitar. I'd love a Rickenbacker 4001. In walnut finish. It doesn't always have to be about training/cooking (except the walnut thing) :)
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ShadowStrong
Level 4
Join date: Jul 2008
Location: New York, USA
Posts: 110
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Birchbox? Nice find! Chris you should be a life coach for guys like me who get their girlfriends new training gloves for christmas... and jewelry.. girls like that, right?
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djewnn
Level 3
Join date: Oct 2009
Location: Oklahoma, USA
Posts: 40
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Chris Shugart wrote:
barn-e wrote:
For the more practical minded, you can get the same thing from any medical supply store, minus the fancy cover, for about $50.
barn-e: Frugal casanova.
But for the record, the Wedge is just $10 higher than the old-lady, medical supply version. And you'll appreciate the removable cover. (Really.)
I can see where the removable cover would be handy. ahem...
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Tomasz Sosnowski
Level 0
Join date: Nov 2010
Location: Poland
Posts: 170
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xoxonikkixoxo wrote:
What site can you order that prowler off of?
check out at elitefts.com
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