* Photo: Tom Schierlitz * Hooking that shiny new iPhone up to your jury-rigged shelf system is like offering Cinderella a pair of Timberlands. Called the Zeppelin in homage to the greatest band of all time (or maybe it's the shape), this audio masterwork boasts two tweeters, two mid-range drivers, and a woofer in the center for 50 watts of sound that does justice to any Jimmy Page riff. The fit and finish around each driver is tight to keep sound waves from tripping over excess material and losing fidelity. Got other audio sources kicking around the mansion? A 3.5-mm jack accepts digital and analog inputs, so your butler can hook up his Zune.
Zeppelin: $599, www.bowers-wilkins.com
Photo: Tom SchierlitzTake It From the Top
The engineer was just messing around when she designed a prototype drill with the handle mounted on top, but the CEO was dead serious when he greenlighted it. He was floored by the tool's balance, which makes sense: When an implement's center of gravity is above your hand, you support it with your wrist, but when it's below, you use your stronger biceps and triceps. That's why the P'7911 is so easy to maneuver. The partnership with Porsche Design is why it's so rad-looking. Clad in aluminum and carbon fiber, it's so damn hot that you may only use the tool once — to mount the display case in which you house it.
Porsche Design P'7911: $645, www.metabousa.com
Photo: Tom SchierlitzJust Plane Perfect
You scrutinize the joinery on your $30 bookshelf, but when was the last time you built something? The CT-14 might actually seduce your creativity — both through its aesthetics and its function. Not only is the thing freakin' sexy, but it also likes to be held. The ergonomic grip minimizes fatigue, and blade adjustment requires no tools at all (a first): Just turn the wheel. Nearly every part of the plane is machined to within 0.005-inch tolerance, which is more than you can say for that birdhouse you're building.
CT-14 Foxtail Shoulder Plane: $795, www.bridgecitytools.com
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