As tech and design have advanced, we’ve developed more and more products made from plastics and other artificial composites. From a business standpoint they make sense — they’re easy to manufacture, they’re cheap, and they usually hold up to typical wear and tear. And yet, some of the best gear on the market today is sourced from trees. Wooden products stir feelings of tradition that artificial materials can never replace. A handcrafted wooden coffee table will always be more welcome in our homes than some chintzy particle board Ikea number; we dream of propping our feet up on a huge wooden desk at the end of a hard day’s work, or maybe even of crafting a piece of furniture out of locally sourced cherry someday. In that vein, our latest edition of Elements features our favorite products made using real wood that could quite possibly make the Amish proud.
Our Picks: Ralph Lauren Ceramic Automotive ($14,500), Grado Labs RS2e ($495), Sandwichbike WF1 (~$1,080), Louisville Slugger M110 Pro Stock ($80), Atocha Design Open/Close Series ($5,985+), Tan’s Rosewood and Horn Comb ($40), Shwood Francis Fifty/Fifty ($185), Below the Boad Wood Charts ($138+), Wooden: A Coach’s Life ($26)