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Mike Newman

Managing Editor at Cool Material

Ford-Approved Vintage Broncos

Gateway Bronco, a company founded in 2016, has received a rare blessing from the automotive gods at Ford. The 115-year-old company has offered an official licensing agreement with the upstart to restore and recreate first-generation Ford Broncos with Ford's approval. That's pretty big news for any lover of the boxy…

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F-4 Phantom II Ejection Seat

You can keep your Eames Lounge, Arne Jacobsen's Egg, and every other iconic chair ever created, we'll take this F-4 Phantom II Ejection Seat as our seat of choice every day. This genuine ejection seat from a McDonnell F-4 Phantom II fighter jet is for sale through the Boeing Store,…

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Square Off Smart Chess Board

Our smartphones have made chess a game that no longer requires adversaries sit opposite each other at a table. We find this good and bad. It's good because you can always get a game, anytime, anywhere. It's bad because, well, we miss the one-on-one interaction and the tactically pleasing moves…

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Gaems Sentinel Portable Gaming Setup

Let's be honest. Mobile gaming is fun and helps pass the time, but it does little to offer the immersive experience of, say, Red Dead Redemption 2 on PS4 or Xbox. Of course, those games aren't nearly as portable, so there's your trade off. That's precisely why Gaems made this portable rig.…

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Diamond Atelier Mark II EVO

Diamond Atelier is a Munich-based motorcycle shop that's strived to offer unique cafe racer builds for the last five years. The Mark II EVO is the latest showstopper to roll out of the brand's garage. The newest in the Mark II line is also the most affordable, as the Mark…

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‘Triple Frontier’ Official Trailer

It seems it's all bigger names and bigger movies for Netflix going forward. Well, the biggest may be coming early next year. This is Triple Frontier, a Netflix Original film that stars Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal as a group of former special forces who…

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Afloat Is a Modern Waterbed

Waterbed sales sprung a leak in the '90s and never recovered. Today, they account for less than 5% of all new bed sales, which, honestly, is surprisingly high to us. Charles Hall, the man who received the first patent for the waterbed back in 1968, thinks it's time for a…

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Penato Knife

The Penato Knife draws its name from a pennant, as the body is similar in shape to the sports flags that adorned your walls as a child. But that body shape is not just for show or for garnering a moniker. The slim blade isn't cumbersome or tricky to store;…

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50 Under $50: The 50 Best Gifts Under 50 Bucks Each

Whether you need to stuff a stocking or just want something small to give this holiday season, you found the gift guide loaded with perfect possibilities. Every gift on this list is under fifty bucks. Better? Every gift on this list gets our stamp of approval, so while they might…

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‘Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame’ Official Trailer

The Avengers are left to pick up the pieces after Thanos followed through on his promise of eliminating 50% of all living creatures in Marvel's last installment, a movie moment so monumental it took on meme status. Now we get our first look as to how the shrunken gang will…

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Symbol Aero Audio Cabinet

Audio cabinets may seem like a decidedly old idea. With streaming services and Bluetooth speakers, the need for furniture purpose-built for an audio system seems silly. Well, at least it is until you factor in the reemergence of vinyl. Plus, when a cabinet looks as good as the Aero Cabinet…

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Koenigsegg Naked Carbon Regera

Koenigsegg is a name that gets even the most hardcore car fanatics in a tizzy. And while any ride built by the Swedish manufacturer will get speed freaks going, a special edition as drop dead gorgeous as this Naked Carbon Regera will surely demand a few sit down to catch…

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This London Hotel Has a Whisky Vending Machine

Have a trip to London on the horizon? Cancel your hotel or Airbnb, because you're going to want to stay at the Napoleon. Why? Because there's a vending machine full of whisky, that's why. The Napoleon Hotel, situated on the border where the city meets Shoreditch, offers guests the ability…

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The Praetor Pocketblade Is a Better-Looking Utility Knife

For all the different makes and models of pocket knives out there, it's still the humble utility knife we turn to most often around the shop. So it seems fitting that the often utilitarian blade received a bit of a makeover. Meet the Praetor Pocketblade, a better-looking, reimagined utility knife.…

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The Last Chess Shop in New York City

With with the prevalence of smartphones and internet-connected computers, chess is no longer a game that requires two players sit at the same table. But while that means we can play more games, it also means less face-to-face connection. Chess Forum is New York City's last chess shop, and it's…

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