For Better Brews, Tidier Carry-Ons and Less Tinny Listening | Vol. 5

A typewriter is one of those objects that has escaped the office and become décor. It now appears on shelves, in cafés and in the mental filing cabinet marked “things my flat would contain if I had a study and a cardigan”. LEGO Ideas Typewriter 21327 cheerfully leans into that nostalgia, then makes you assemble it from 2,079 pieces. The appeal is unusually clean-cut. This is an officially listed 2021 LEGO Ideas set, aimed at adults and presented as a collectible retro display model. There is no need to manufacture a grander purpose for it: it is a sizeable construction project that ends as a deliberately old-fashioned object, which is more honest than half the things marketed as productivity tools. We think that combination makes it a particularly strong pick in the grown-up LEGO universe. A building set can be a momentary diversion; a collectible display model has a plausible life after the last piece is placed. The Typewriter’s familiar shape does a lot of the heavy lifting here, sparing visitors the usual polite interrogation of exactly what the thing on the shelf is meant to be. Naturally, the same number that makes it substantial also makes it selective. Two thousand and seventy-nine pieces are an editorially attractive proposition and a practical warning label. This is for somebody happy to reserve time and a clear surface for a proper build, not somebody hoping to complete a quick little project before the kettle boils.

There is a point in adulthood when the kettle stops being an anonymous plastic appliance and becomes part of a coffee ritual involving scales, timers and a surprisingly serious face. The Fellow Stagg EKG exists for that point. It is an electric, stainless-steel gooseneck kettle aimed at pour-over coffee and tea, with a 0.9-litre capacity and a built-in Brew Stopwatch. We think it earns a place because it is refreshingly unapologetic about its narrow brief. Rather than acting as the household’s general-purpose boiling-water workhorse, it caters to the person making a measured brew while somebody else waves a mug around asking why the kettle has become “so complicated”. The selected Smoke Green version also pairs its stainless-steel body with a maple wood handle, which is an unusually civilised response to kitchen-counter clutter. The stopwatch is the little detail that makes the Stagg EKG feel considered rather than merely decorative. Hold the main button for two seconds and it starts timing the brew. No phone balanced against the sugar jar, no attempting mental arithmetic before caffeine has negotiated a peace treaty with the brain. There is, naturally, a catch in this tidy little arrangement: it belongs on its electric base. The standard Stagg EKG cannot go on a stovetop or induction surface, so this is a dedicated worktop resident. We would choose it for a person building a deliberate coffee corner, not for a busy kitchen where a kettle is expected to solve every boiling-water crisis before breakfast.

A normal tote makes a noble promise: throw everything in, leave the house, pretend the loose contents will not immediately form a dense archaeological layer at the bottom. Then comes the morning when a laptop, charger, notebook, headphones and lunch have all merged into one mildly cross zip code. We think the Peak Design Everyday Tote V2 15L earns attention because it treats that very ordinary mess as a design problem rather than a character flaw. This is a black 15L tote with wide top access, internal and external pockets, a laptop sleeve and FlexFold dividers. The resulting proposition is pleasingly specific: tote-bag convenience for people who have accidentally acquired enough daily equipment to require a small organisational system. It is the useful middle ground between carrying a cavernous rucksack to buy milk and trusting a floppy cotton bag with a computer. Its listed weatherproof shell and choice of crossbody or shoulder carry widen the brief beyond the office desk. That makes it relevant for commutes, day trips and the sort of errand that begins with one thing and ends with three parcels, a receipt and a sudden need for a charging cable. There is, naturally, a ceiling to the magic. Fifteen litres is an explicit limit, not an invitation to discover physics through aggressive packing. We would pick this for someone who values a deliberate place for everyday gear and accepts that a tidy tote cannot also become a removal van.

There is a special category of household indignity reserved for playing music from a phone: everyone huddles round it, somebody’s notification barges into the chorus, and suddenly a £1,000-ish dinner party has the audio authority of a damp biscuit. The Marshall Emberton II exists for people who would like music to occupy a room without installing a hi-fi shrine. This is a compact black Bluetooth speaker, measuring 160 mm wide and weighing 0.7 kg, with two 2-inch 10 W full-range drivers, two passive radiators and stereo output. Marshall lists a 60–20,000 Hz frequency range, although we would not pretend a specification sheet can settle every argument about sound. It can, however, establish that this is a proper speaker rather than a decorative keyring with opinions. The figure doing most of the persuasive work is its stated battery life: more than 30 hours per charge. USB-C charging makes it pleasingly compatible with the cable ecosystem already breeding in most drawers, and a 20-minute charge is stated to provide four hours of playtime. Marshall also says a full charge takes three hours, so last-minute planning remains a recognised human weakness. IP67 dust and water resistance is another unusually sensible detail. Marshall states the Emberton II can be submerged in one metre of water for up to 30 minutes. We like that it has been given some protection from the world’s general incompetence, rather than requiring a ceremonial dry shelf whenever music is involved.

The Divoom Ditoo exists for the person whose desk has already acquired a mechanical keyboard, a cable situation with diplomatic implications, and one plant they keep forgetting to water. A conventional portable speaker would be sensible. This small pixel-art contraption instead brings Bluetooth audio, a programmable RGB LED screen, an alarm and radio into one oddly cheerful object. Sensible was never really invited. At 90 × 113.8 × 121.2 mm and 505 g, it is compact enough to occupy a modest patch of desk without pretending it has vanished into your pocket. Its 45 mm driver has a 10 W output rating, while Bluetooth 5.0 is specified for a 10 m range. The Ditoo is clearly built around the pleasure of having a proper little object on the desk, rather than disappearing anonymously among chargers and receipts. The extra functions are what make the case. Audio can come via Bluetooth or a TF card up to 64 GB, while the companion app on iOS and Android handles additional alarm options. There is even a voice-memo function for recordings up to 60 seconds, which vanish after playback: a very particular tool for leaving yourself a reminder with the permanence of a guilty thought. Our verdict on the Divoom Ditoo pixel art speaker is that it is worth buying when the visual novelty and desk-bound miscellany are the point, not an accidental bonus. The compromise is practical rather than tragic: its stated playback time is up to 8 hours, charging takes 4 hours, and the manual is adamant about dry, temperate indoor manners. This is a charming little desk citizen, not a speaker to lob into a rucksack before a damp weekend away.