2 Mini Gear Reviews: Cutlery and Headphones

Here's a look at a couple of small bits of gear I've accumulated that don't really warrant a whole post on their own, but that I've now used enough to have something to say about:

GSI Halulite Cutlery Set:

Another bit of gear recieved for Christmas, this set of lightweight cutlery is basic but handy. The pieces are made of some kind of metal alloy, and they come with a little carabiner clip to keep them all together. The finish on the metal is a bit weird - it's a dark grey matte treatment that feels different than traditional smooth stainless steel cutlery. It takes a bit of getting used to, and seems particularly attractive to melted parmesan cheese, which welds onto the finish with surprising tenacity. The fork tines are a bit on the stubby side, and the knife isn't actually sharp enough to cut anything - it's like a dinner knife. This is good though, because I've been able to put the whole set in my carry-on on 5 different flights now, and haven't had a problem.

So some of this sounds negative, but really these utensils fulfill their primary function - to convey food from dish to mouth - perfectly well. I used the fork and spoon a lot while on my recent 2-week trip to Calgary and Montreal, and it felt really good not to have to use disposable plastic cutlery all the time. Two thumbs up for the Halulite cutlery set.

Creative EP-630 Headphones:

I've always hated earbud headphones, mostly because they never fit in my ears, which are unusually small (though I prefer to think of them as "dainty and shell-like"). I wanted to like earbuds - they're smaller, lighter and more sturdy than anything with a headband or ear clips, making them perfect for traveling. However, too many frustrating experiences with the standard iPod white earbuds (and every other earbud I've tried) left me cold. A recommendation from the ever-helpful Phonella steered me to these Creative 'phones, and she even let me try hers out, so I knew what I was getting. The nice thing about the Creatives is that they come with three different-sized interchangeable squishy bits that go into your ears. The small ones worked for me, and because they squish right into your ears the headphones have noise-isolating qualities, which is nice on airplanes, and means you don't have to turn the volume up as high as with external 'phones. They've also turned out to be good for running, though they can pop out if they get extra sweaty (and I've discovered that my left ear seems to get extra sweaty. Curses!).

I'm really pleased with these headphones. For me the only thing that would make them better is if they had a built-in volume control or a mic for Skype. What they do have though, is a 9mm Neodymium magnet transducer and a gold-plated 1.2m Oxygen-Free Copper cable. They also have spleem-induction sub-drivers with extra wide florff-snorters and a 37.3 micro-flog whifflesnip for optimum M.O.R.G. response. Or something like that. I got 'em on eBay for $12.37, including taxes, exchange and shipping.