Brooks Bicycle Saddle

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Maxwell Perkins

I had heard about the Brooks bicycle saddle; I had one on my old Peugeot. It’s clear to me now that the vintage Raleigh 3-speed from my earlier post is going to become a project. It has a small (19.5″) girl’s frame and a big plastic seat, as well as a few other details I need to upgrade. The first time I rode it, I couldn’t raise the seatpost high enough (too short), so I felt like I was riding a clown bicycle in the circus. Very uncomfortable. My local bicycle store said that a modern long seatpost would need a modern saddle to go with it, but their distributor was sold out of the Brooks bicycle saddle they recommended. Left to my own devices, I ordered the B67, the modern version of the old B66 saddle that was actually made by the Raleigh company. When it arrived, it was even more “luxurious” than I thought. Carefully packed in a beautifully printed box, it includes a wrench for adjusting and complete directions. It looks like it belongs on the old Raleigh and is much more comfortable than the old black mattress. You can get a Brooks saddle to fit any kind of bike. I just have to make sure I keep mine locked.

Affordability: 5                   Luxury: 8

Available from Amazon

Want more luxury? The Brooks Flyer Special with the hand-hammered copper rivets just looks so much better …

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Dynaco FM-3 Tube Tuner

Posted on August 3, 2010 by Maxwell Perkins

Analog FM radio may be on its way out, squeezed out by satellite radio, HD radio and Internet radio. Now, though, it is still very much alive and an excellent source of free music programs. In Philadelphia, the Penn college radio station WXPN is a commercial-free way to stay on the edge of what’s out there. Regular readers of the blog will learn that I love electronic gear with tubes (or valves, as the British say). The warm glow goes along with what many audiophiles consider to be the purest analog sound. New tube gear is very expensive, but there are a lot of Dynaco FM-3s on eBay. Very simple controls: on/off, a volume control (that you don’t need) and an ingenious tuning eye that tells you precisely when you have perfect stereo and a simple kit-based design that is easy to repair. Make sure you get one that definitely works.

Affordability: 5                   Luxury: 8

Wnat more luxury? It’s fun to look and see what comes up on eBay from time to time. Old Marantzes and McIntoshes are beautiful and rare and for those reasons, far from affordable. But you never know …

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Whirley-Pop Stovetop Popcorn Popper

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Maxwell Perkins

Watching movies at home requires popcorn for the full theatrical effect. I have always had a hard time getting microwave popcorn either all popped or not scorched. For something that is supposed to be so effortless, it is expensive and you do have to pay attention. So if you are going to watch and listen to the popping anyway, you can have the fun of turning the crank on the Whirly-Pop popcorn popper on the stove. Bulk popcorn is dirt cheap and one of these on the stove on medium heat is a lot of fun to play with, especially for children (supervised, of course) and it makes what seems like a ton of perfect popcorn. A few pounds of your favorite popcorn will last nearly forever. One less reason to go out to the movies. 

Affordability: 9                  Luxury: 7

Available from Amazon

Want more luxury? A hot air popper is about the same price. Not sure whether to consider more or less luxurious, just a different vibe. Maybe a little easier to use, uses practically no oil, but also maybe a little less fun.

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Panasonic AG1980P Professional VCR

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Maxwell Perkins

There are still a lot of movies on VCR around: in people’s closets, yard sales, public library sales and many other places. You might be old enough to still have some that you bought or had given to you. Hammacher Schlemmer would be happy to sell you a dedicated VHS to DVD converter for a mere $350. What I did instead was pick up a Panasonic AG 1980 professional Editing Deck off Craigslist. They go for around $100 to $150 on eBay and they are probably the finest VCRs ever made, selling when new for around $1600. They are practically bulletproof, industrial strength and serious video editors usually bought them in pairs for high quality dubbing. They will play anything you pop into them, and output the best picture you can ever expect. If you have room, add one to your home theater and play live tapes through the S-video out (rare in a VCR) and stereo audio. Or hook it up to a capture device or through a digital camcorder and digitize the tapes once and for all. It’s a great old machine.

Affordability: 5                    Luxury: 9

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LaCrosse BC1000 Battery Charger

Posted on July 21, 2010 by Maxwell Perkins

There is nothing good to say about disposable batteries. They are manufactured to be used one time, they run down and finally die and get thrown away to help fill up landfills. When you need fresh batteries for new toys or remote controls (like most things, they work much better with fresh new batteries) you have to go to the store to buy them. Nickel metal hydride rechargeable batteries are a little more expensive that throwaways, but with a good recharger they are much more convenient. The LaCrosse is that good battery charger. It takes AA and AAA batteries, you can charge any number of batteries from 1 to 4 at a time and you can set the charging speed (if you’re in a hurry). It also lets you choose whether you want to charge or fully discharge, then recharge; and there is a setting to refresh old batteries by repeatedly charging and discharging until they reach whatever maximum strength they have left. If that doesn’t work, you can recycle that battery with a clear conscience. They thoughtfully include NIMH batteries and other useful accessories along with it.

Affordability: 7                   Luxury: 8

Available from Amazon

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Aura Pro Bass Shaker

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Maxwell Perkins

No matter how big your television is or how good your Dolby surround system is for watching movies at home, the theater experience is better and more immersive in every way. However, you can attain a whole level of realism that is more like Disneyland than your regular downtown multiplex just by screwing a pair of inexpensive Aura Pro Bass Shakers to a solid piece of wood attached to the frame of your favorite sofa. You can really feel the vibrations from explosions and other dramatic events in movies without having the soundtrack or the subwoofer turned up uncomfortably loud. Your guests will be literally blown away when they experience it for the first time without realizing how it works. A low setting will go a long way to adding to the realism without seeming too noticeable. You will need an extra amplifier, nothing fancy, but the wiring connections to the subwoofer are very simple. All in all, a lot of fun for all.

Affordability: 8                   Luxury: 9

Available from Amazon

Want more luxury? The Clark Synthesis Platinum Transducer gives you higher quality and much more power; you can rock the whole room.

Affordability: 3                   Luxury: 9

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Feather DE Blades

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Maxwell Perkins

If you have tried wet shaving, with very hot water, a shaving brush, shaving soap or cream and a double edge razor straight from the 1960s, then you might agree with me that it makes the morning shave a much more luxurious experience. Then, as with most good experiences, you tend to wonder how to maximize it. There are nearly an infinite variety of combinations of razor, soap, brush and blade, and none of them are that expensive, especially when compared to modern multi-bladed razors. The general consensus, however, is that the sharpest blades in the world are the Japanese Feathers, made by the surgical steel company. Aren’t razor blades supposed to be sharp? The Feathers also last for about a week, after which you stick them into the used blade holder on the plastic box. Treat them with respect and you will get the closest shave of your life.

Affordability: 8                    Luxury: 9

Available from Amazon

Want more luxury? I never had much luck with Schick Injectors, but some people swear by them. The so-called “Featherjector” is the unholy marriage of a vintage Schick Injector with a cut-down Feather Pro Super disposable straight razor blade. You can play Sweeney Todd in your very own bathroom.

Affordability: 8                  Luxury: 8.5

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Vintage Audio Turntables

Posted on July 18, 2010 by Maxwell Perkins

Turntables are one of those things that seem too good to throw out, especially if there are a lot of favorite vinyl records around from the same era. It seems that everyone who went away to school in the 60s, 70s or 80s has one in their attic or cellar, and they pop up in garage and yard sales all the time. It’s always fun to check out the old Garrards, Duals and other fine old brands on eBay, but if you go that route, try to make sure they are in good condition and will survive the shipping. Even then, plan on replacing the cartridge or the stylus at the very least. You will also probably need a pre-amp that is RIAA equalized. Old vinyl LPs are usually available for a dollar or two in used “record” stores. Once you get a decent turntable hooked up, audiophile quality songs that can converted to MP3s are suddenly everywhere. You will have a fine piece of mid-20th century audio technology, and if you print out a Marcel Duchamp Rotorelief and attach it to the top, you will have a work of art as well.

Affordability: 8                   Luxury: 8

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Amtrak Trains

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Maxwell Perkins

I live in Philadelphia and sometimes need to go to New York or Harrisburg, the state capital. Although I always enjoyed driving on the Interstate highways of the Eisenhower era, I decided to try taking the train instead. Between gas, tolls and parking, it cost about the same for one person as it would to drive. The luxurious part was just sitting back and being able to read, work on the computer, talk on the phone or just sit back and close my eyes for a moment. You can get up just to stretch your legs or take a walk to the dining car for a snack, a soda or even a cold beer or two. Just leave the driving to the engineer. The train takes you through the scenic old railroad right-of-ways and deposits you right in the center of the your destination city. It’s worth it for its own sake; never mind the fossil fuel that you save.

I have always loved trains. Riding a passenger train is like riding a giant American Flyer toy train and reminds me of my childhood holidays.

Affordability: 5                               Luxury: 8

Plan your trip with Amtrak here.

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Merkur HD 38 Safety Razor

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Maxwell Perkins

Wet shaving is the perfect example of affordable luxury. Even if you haven’t tried it, you owe it to yourself to see what it’s like to shave with very hot water, a brush, great-smelling shaving cream and a single blade that you can actually hear as it does its job. Modern expensive plastic multi-bladed cartridges are an example of marketing over everything else. They cost you $3 each and they end up going straight to help fill up landfills. Try shaving the way Churchill and JFK shaved, and in the process you will spend a fraction of the money on blades. The German-made Merkur HD is precision made and designed to be balanced and not to slip in wet hands. It lacks the slick twist-to-open (TTO) mechanism of  some modern double-edge razors (or even most vintage Gillettes), but that only matters once a week or so when you change the blade. Overall, a quality instrument for your first experiment in wet shaving.

Affordability: 4                                Luxury: 7

Available from Amazon

Want more luxury? The Merkur Vision is adjustable, TTO, looks like something out of a postmodern German sci-fi movie and will set you back about $160. There are some beautiful and highly collectible vintage Gillettes on eBay from the Mad Men era, but that will be a post for another day.

Affordability: 2                                 Luxury: 9

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