Neat Stuff Weekly - March 9th, 2020

Hey all, welcome to another edition of Neat Stuff Weekly! I’m happy to report that I’ve rebooted the podcast format of this newsletter, so if you’re not interested in reading the contents of this newsletter, you can actually listen to it now instead. There’s actually some extra content in there as well, so I’d really appreciate if you went and gave it a listen. You can find the new episode at the link below.

This week: Bathroom products! I thought it would be fun to have a theme for a change—I hope you enjoy what I have to say. Without further ado, let’s talk about some neat stuff!

Okay, hear me out. Yes, it’s a reusable cotton swab replacement. Yes, I know that’s kind of a strange concept. Yes, I was skeptical when I purchased it. Even so—I had to do it. It’s just too gorgeous and well-designed for me to ignore it. And you can’t tell me that the idea of never having to buy another box of 1000 cotton swabs ever again isn’t attractive.

But, let it be heard: The skeptics are right. As much as the LastSwab is a good idea, and beautiful in its execution, it does not make for a particularly functional cotton swab. I can only speak for the Basic model (as opposed to the Makeup one), but it does not do a great job of cleaning out ears.

Since the tips are made out of a soft plastic and not cotton, they lack the necessary texture required to actually attract and lock-in ear wax. LastObject isn’t completely unaware of that though, so they added this nodular design as a sort of replacement. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really help—the LastSwab still does not do a good job of grabbing onto ear wax. And heaven forbid if you need to wash one of the ends before re-using it; once the end is wet, it’s not useful for anything else but scratching the inside of your ear.

Still, I appreciate the concept. Indeed, I would like to stop throwing away so many cotton swabs. Perhaps the Makeup one is more useful, but I just can’t bring myself to recommend the Basic model. I hope in the future that LastObject can create a better replacement than what they currently have, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Here’s another weird service that I signed up for: Subscription toilet paper. I really liked the concept: Imagine never having to go to the store to buy TP, because every time you’re just about to run out, another box shows up at your doorstep! Alright, I’m probably just lazy, but that promise—in addition to Who Gives A Crap’s mission of using their profits to build toilets for those in need—made this an enticing purchase.

Would I recommend that you sign up? Eh, maybe? If you’re lazy the same way I am, then yeah, I would suggest it. The packaging for each of these rolls is also incredibly cute. The toilet paper itself isn’t the softest stuff (and it’s kind of expensive), but the amount of character in their packaging and marketing makes the whole experience fun overall.

Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get them to ship me toilet paper at a slow enough interval, so I ultimately ended up cancelling my subscription. If you live with somebody else, though, WGAC could be a good option. They also have other products like tissues and paper towels if you’re not interested in their toilet paper. And did I mention that the Premium toilet paper is actually made from bamboo fiber?

Overall, I think running one or two orders of WGAC is worth a shot. But maybe that’s because I have a strange perception of value. Anyways, enough about that. Let’s move on.

Here’s something that’s a little less icky. Way back when, I wrote about my Quip toothbrush—which I still use today. Unfortunately, I still have to go to the store and purchase floss on a regular basis. Quip heard my anguished cries, though, and created a subscription floss product!

You get one of the stylish containers pictured above, and they send you refills every 3 months that are marked in 18cm segments. That way, you don’t have to remember to go out and purchase your floss, and you also get a stylish portable container to throw in your bag if you’re traveling. Necessary? No. But certainly much appreciated.

Needless to say, I’ll be picking one of these up soon. You can take a look at this product and Quip’s other products at the link below.

That was a strange set of products to cover, but I hope at least some of that information was valuable. Like I mentioned earlier, I’d appreciate it if you went and listened to the podcast form of this newsletter as well, and I would love to get some more feedback about my efforts from you.

I’ll talk to you next week!