Make: Kit Reviews

Desktop battering ram? I think yes. This small kit is a lot of fun to build and use. It takes some time to put together and uses a fair amount of wood glue, but the instructions are clear and easy to read. The kit comes with two ½”-thick boards that are CNC’ed out with all […]

Siege & Ballistics: ballistics, battering ram, desktop, siege, wood

Constructed from a motor and various bits of wood, plastic, and styrofoam, this retro gramophone kit offers the allure of carving grooves into compact discs and Dixie cups with a sewing-needle-based pickup and playback assembly. Illustrated instructions in both Japanese and well-translated English are included, and the hour-long assembly only requires a screwdriver, some scotch tape, and a […]

Audio Gear: audio, gramophone, music, retro

Speaker design master Curt Campbell has created several dream kits for the audiophile, including the TriTrix. Featuring two 5.25″ Dayton Audio woofers and a single tweeter in MTM format, the final product has an easy, 8Ω load that can be used for audio or home theater systems. The transmission line kit includes precision-cut MDF for making the cabinets, […]

Audio Gear: audio, music, speakers

The great thing about this kit is the variety of skills you’ll learn. Not only do you end up with a warm-sounding tube amp, but you also learn how all these audio components are produced, as well as proper soldering technique, orientation of polarized capacitors, spacing of large-value wirewound resistors, and heat sinking of transistors. […]

Audio Gear: amplifier, audio, music

This kit gets top marks for ease of assembly and low price, and because it’s preprogrammed to do all the heavy lifting, all you need to do is solder it together and attach it to the device of your choice. It’ll take an average-skilled solderer 1½ hours to assemble, and from there the possibilities are […]

Audio Gear: audio, MIDI, music

Open the cool aluminum briefcase and remove your weapon of choice. Charge the pistol grip with a 16-gram CO2 cartridge. Fill the lower shaker chamber with gin, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice, Creme de Violette, and ice. Thread the shaker top and valve onto the lower chamber. Inject CO2 into the shaker. Shake. Settle. Open. Pour. […]

Alcoholic Beverages Beverages: alcohol, beverages, home carbonation, mixology

While not exactly a “kit,” Cultures for Health has everything you need for making sourdough bread: 15 starters from all over the world, clear instructions, and a great selection of useful bread-making tools, like cookbooks, dough scrapers, bread bags, and baker’s blades for scoring that classic ridge down the middle of your loaf. I experimented […]

Food: baking, bread, bread-making, food, sourdough

There’s nothing like prying open a jar of gleaming, homemade strawberry jam in January. This kit is a classic and contains everything you need to get started. It’s worth it for the magnetic lid lifter alone! (How many times have I burned myself fishing around the pot for lost lids?) For smaller batches, I like steam […]

Food: canning, food, jam

I’ve made corned beef every St. Paddy’s day for years now, and have finally perfected my cocktail of pickling spices. Turns out I could have just gotten Leeners’ Corned Beef and Pastrami Kit; theirs is just as good. The kit comes with absolutely everything you need except the brisket (including a scarily effective meat tenderizer), […]

Food: corned beef, food, meat, pastrami

Bacon is enjoying the limelight these days, showing up in everything from chocolate to donuts! If you really want to hop on this fat fad, brine your own. It takes a week, but is incredibly simple and delicious. This kit’s recipe book covers bacon, Canadian bacon, and pancetta. Note to the truly dedicated: invest in […]

Food: bacon, bacon-curing, food, meat