this is the ‘mayday’ lamp, by konstantin grcic, a designer i like very much. i received the book ‘kgid’ (konstantin grcic industrial design) as a gift just before beginning my degree in product design, and it was very influential and inspiring for me.

one of his most well known designs is ‘chair one’, which i absolutely love (and will almost certainly do a blog post on soon). heading to his website i found a few interesting things about the light (which are also in the book): the first is the origins of the word mayday, and the second about his design process. Both are below, the most interesting part for me being his first line about him designing it.

Mayday … Mayday … were the famous last words before the Titanic sank. The S.O.S. call originates from the French ‘m’aider’ (engl. ‘help me’).

I designed the MAYDAY lamp to be a tool. It has a practical handle which incorportates the ON/OFF switch and two spikes to wind up the 5 meter long cable. A big hook on the end of the handle comes in helpful to install the lamp wherever needed. The big white funnel is at the same time reflector and protector. Its smooth polypropylen plastic gives off a warmly diffused light and is strong enough to absorbe any bashing. MAYDAY is not designed for anywhere in specific. It rather comes in handy in all sorts of expected/unexpected situations: Taking it to the garage for work underneath the old Mercedes Benz. Taking it to the garden where it can hang from a tree. Using it on top of a ladder or lying on the floor trying to get the cat from behind the cupboard. Kids love MAYDAY inside their self-made cardboard house. I have one next to my bed for late night reading. Another one sits by the front door of my apartment … just in case.

available in a few colours, my favourite is the orange one i have featured pictures of here. everything about it is great, from looks to function. like any good tool, it does exactly what it needs to do perfectly. produced by/for flos, the best price i have found is £67, which for such a versatile lamp and design classic is not too bad!

link to konstantin grcic

if there ever was a company that makes everything, it is rolson. anything tool related anyway. one of my first ever posts (which you can find here) was on a set of safety goggles with led’s on the side, which i have since bought, and are brilliant. i have also more recently got some metal polishing cloths, and some mini clamps.

the reason i mention them, is because i was at my local car boot sale today, where there is a guy that always sells tools and other diy things, and i saw a basket of rolson tools, of which one caught my eye: the ‘clip on spectacle eye loupe’.

i thought it was such a specific tool, that i couldn’t believe anyone actually buying (at this car boot sale at least), yet there it was. right next to the ‘watch bracelet link removing pliers’ and the ‘watch case holder’ (both below).

it made me wish i actually had a use for these things. they are, as i’ve said, extremely specific, but they are so well made and look amazing too.

if you have any job that may require a tool, or have a general interest in things like this, i suggest you head over to their website. you might have a task you didn’t even think there was a tool for, but rolson make one. it has such a vast amount of products to browse through, it’s brilliant!

link to rolson

i saw this on designboom a couple of days ago and it caught my eye. i really like the tool-like function, the versatility and the simple form and aesthetic. from designboom:

this table is less a singular design and more of a table system. the two trestles in the design utilize adjustable vice-like gips on the top that tighten around the tabletop. the trestles also expand horizontally making them the right size for the tabletop of choice. the simple design allows for a variety of configurations, while using its utilitarian fixtures as a key design aesthetic.

link to original article

link to philippe nigro

i’ve never had a leatherman, but if i did, i’d want this one. it’s based on the leatherman skeletool, which weighs a mere 5 ounces, but by making one handle out of nylon and making the driver a bit smaller, it weighs even less!

i’m guessing they’ll be quite expensive, but by the looks of it pretty damn cool!

link to toolmonger, a site i’ve only just found out about!