Things worth buying, picked properly

The deck is built to tempt: there are twelve 12s but only one 1, so big numbers come thick and fast, and so do the busts. Seven different numbers in one turn scores a bonus, a Freeze card can stop anyone in their tracks, and scores carry over until someone passes 200, in about 20 minutes a game.

• Press-your-luck card game
• 3 or more players
• About 20 minutes a game

What owners say: Owners find it fun for all ages, with rules that children and adults pick up easily, quick turns with no waiting between them and a good balance of strategy and luck. They like the quality of the cards, and parents value the practice it gives in adding up.

Heads up: It needs at least three players, so it won’t work for two.

Faber-Castell first made the Castell 9000 in 1905, and the leads are break-resistant; the pencils are made in Germany. Put each one back in its place in the tin, from soft to hard, and the right grade is always easy to find mid-drawing. A sharp craft knife gives a longer point than a sharpener, for shading with the side of the lead.

• 12 pencils, 8B to 2H
• Comes in a tin
• Break-resistant leads

What owners say: Smooth and easy to sharpen, they suit stippling and line art as much as shading, and the spread of grades and the metal tin win over beginners and seasoned artists alike.

It’s 6.25 in long, machined from a solid billet of aluminum, with the magnets held in a patented track so they can’t drop out and vials at level, 90°, 45° and 30°. The tapered nose slides into a back pocket or tool pouch, and the bright orange body is easy to spot on a cluttered bench. It suits pictures, outlets and brackets; shelves and countertops need a longer level.

• 6.25 in, billet aluminum
• Reads 0°, 30°, 45°, 90°
• Thumb screw clamps to conduit

What owners say: Owners are struck by how hard the magnets grip and how solid it feels, and expect it to last for years. Electricians single out the thumb screw for checking angles while bending conduit.

Set the cards out in three rows by level, cheapest nearest the players, so everyone can see what’s on offer. In a first game, buy a few cheap cards early rather than hoarding chips, as the discounts build faster than you’d expect. Reserving a card earns a gold joker chip, and noble patrons go to whoever collects the right cards first. It’s for two to four players, 10 and up, in about 30 minutes.

• 2–4 players, ages 10+
• Games take about 30 minutes
• Three choices each turn

What owners say: Owners say it’s easy to teach and still keeps them thinking ahead, with a fair share of luck in which cards come up. The pieces get a mention for feeling well made, and games finish in under an hour.

There are 54 squares, four of them large, and 46 triangles in three shapes. A lattice inside each tile keeps it from cracking, rivets keep the magnets in, and the maker backs them for life against defects. Build on a window ledge and the colors throw stained-glass light across the floor; a shallow bin keeps the pieces easy to find and quick to put away.

• 100 pieces
• Ages 3 and up
• Lifetime warranty against defects

What owners say: Owners say the tiles survive years of heavy use without cracking and that the magnets hold a build together, and many call it the toy that gets played with most. The price is the only complaint.

Featured in Gifts for kids ages 5 to 10 →

A damper from 1 to 10 sets the air resistance, though most rowers settle on three to five, and the PM5 shows pace, watts or calories to row against and links to apps over Bluetooth. It holds users up to 500 lb, and afterward the monorail and flywheel come apart into two pieces and roll aside on caster wheels. The frame has a five-year warranty.

• Holds up to 500 lb
• Splits in two to store
• Logs every session

What owners say: Owners keep returning to the solid build and how quietly the flywheel runs; one counted just eight screws in the assembly, and another felt fitter within ten sessions.

Heads up: Allow for its length: Concept2 recommends a space of 9 by 4 ft for rowing.

The NBR foam is 1.5 inches thick and 17.5 by 11 inches, enough to cushion knees on gravel and stony beds, and it takes in very little water, so damp ground is no trouble. A textured underside keeps it from sliding. At about half a pound it tucks into a garden tote with the trowel, and a rinse and a shake clean it.

• 1.5 inches of dense foam
• 17.5 by 11 inches
• Water-resistant, wipes clean

What owners say: It’s noticeably thicker than older pads, owners say, and they can kneel on hard ground without pain; one likens it to a soft gel cushion. Some keep one for the garden and another for jobs around the house.

DEWALT says the case has a 20% more compact grip, and a finger brake is built into it to control the blade on the way back: feather the brake as the blade comes home. Fractions are printed on the blade, and a slide lock holds it wherever it’s set, which helps when taking a living room corner to corner.

• 30 ft blade
• Slide lock and finger brake
• Reaches 13 ft before bending

What owners say: Owners say it’s tough enough to survive serious drops, easy to read and accurate, and long enough for whole rooms without being bulky. The blade comes back under control rather than snapping home.

Featured in Gifts for Dad under $20 →

The colors are richly pigmented, so start with a light wash and build color in layers, letting each one dry before the next. Painting a swatch of all fifty on a scrap of paper on day one makes the right color quicker to find, and the metal case keeps pans and brushes together for a class or a trip.

• 50 colors
• 8 brushes and mixing palette
• Packs up for class trips

What owners say: Bold, highly pigmented color and a compact case that suits small pieces and travel are the draws, and there’s everything a beginner or a seasoned painter needs to start.

Featured in White elephant gifts under $25 →

The hardened steel blades take branches up to 1.5 inches thick, and shock-absorbing bumpers stop the handles jarring together at the end of each cut. At 28 inches they reach into the middle of a shrub. Cut just outside the collar where a branch meets the trunk, wipe the sap off after use, and when the edge finally goes, the blades can be replaced.

• Cuts up to 1.5-inch branches
• 28 in long, bypass blades
• Lifetime warranty

What owners say: Owners say the blades go through branches like butter and keep their edge season after season, and they call it light, solidly made and close to unbreakable.

Featured in Gifts for Dad under $20 →