A Bento Box…From the Future.

I guess you could say lunch boxes are long overdue for a 21st century overhaul.

Afterall, that He-Man lunch box you’ve been toting around went out of style with other archaic contraptions, such as the beeper or the piano key neck tie.

Enter the Zojirushi Mr. Bento Stainless-Steel lined Lunch Jar.

I initially came upon this product when I was searching for a better way to prepare my own healthy meals to take to the workplace. Unfortunately, many products I previously encountered, such as the infamous brown paper bag, lacked the organizational qualities that I required to keep my various food items separate. Here is where the lunch jar comes in and pretty much saves the day (minus a couple of peeves on my part)

The design of this thermos allows for the stacking of food items, promising a separation of foods and their respective temperatures. Though I did find the product to be exceptional at the former, it’s ability to maintain temperature within the various compartments did not impress me as much. This is not to say that the product didn’t fulfill it’s promise, but rather that it only partly met my expectations with regards to insulating the food contents. While it kept my hot items steaming hot (such as soups), it did not insulate my top foods as I had initially expected it to, though I attribute this to Zojirushi’s intended application of this product, to mostly just keep rice and soup warm without much insulation to the other two compartments.

All in all, the product was a vast improvement over my previous lunch containers and allowed me to create my own lunch creations and conveniently take them to work undisturbed by my commute. That said however, don’t expect to stuff huge sandwiches or anything of that sort into the thermos, as in that situation you are better off sticking to the He-Man box.

Pros

• Elegant and slick design
• Keeps food separated and allows for your own healthy lunch creations

Cons:

• Does not insulate top containers very well
• Will not make you as many friends as the He-Man lunchbox

Rating: 3 out of 5 cents

Pop Your Collar

What I’m about to discuss is a serious matter of grave consequence to the countless professionals and would-be professionals roaming the corporate wasteland.

Unruly collars.

We’ve all had them. Some of us have resorted to extremes involving rubber cement and a caulking gun while others have decided that there are more important things in life than the state of your dress shirt collar.

To those individuals, feel free to read along with those of us who do not wallow in such luxury.

But I’m not here to complain about the state of collars in today’s retail clothing landscape. Rather I aim to provide a solution to this age-old problem, suggesting that readers check out the magnetic collar stays currently being offered by Wurkin Stiffs. These ingenious, yet simple, little devices serve a dual purpose.

1. Keep the collar straight.

2. Allow you to position your collar wherever you fancy.

The item simply relies on a small magnet that allows its user to position the metal collar stay placed in the dress shirt in various positions. Since it is so structurally simple, you’re not looking at some impossibly difficult to use doodad that will end up at the bottom of your underwear drawer, but rather a useful addition to your work wardrobe.

The most surprising aspect of this product is that no one thought of it earlier. I know I wish I did.

 

 

Pros

• Simple and straight forward design
• Elegant solution to frustrating problem

Cons:

• Pricey for a piece of metal and a magnet ($25 – $43)
• Realizing you are a slave to your corporate jail suit

Rating: 4 out of 5 cents