New in Car Kit + The Cadillac of Kettlebells + Best Ford Raptor
New In Car Kit, The Cadillac of Kettlebells, The Best Ford Raptor, Machiavelli
New in Car Kit
After I talked about what I keep in my truck while back, and a reader, and fellow LC200 owner, recommended I pick up one of these up. It’s great.
It’s a tiny little thing, around the size of a hand, and has a screw-driver & ratchet along with various sockets and bits. This would be a no-brainer to bring on a motorcycle trip.
The ratchet has nice small ratcheting clicks - very satisfying.
You’ll never regret having tools on you: Last weekend I stayed at my Grandma’s and noticed some of her kitchen cabinets were unaligned and some of the knobs were loose; I grabbed this kit from my truck and got everything sorted for her.
p.s. Probably the best part of my Substack is the recommendations from readers - There are some really cool, interesting, and tasteful people here. So thanks, guys, for introducing me to some good stuff.
Cadillac of Kettlebells
Kettlebell Kings
This sucks. I have a bunch of different brands of kettlebells, and after recently buying Kettlebell Kings, I’m almost insane enough consider swapping them all out for this brand.
The coating is super fine and even—the best I’ve seen on any kettlebell. Takes chalk really well too.
It’s the handle finishing that really makes these for me. Almost all my other kettlebells have some excess material on the handle that wasn’t knocked off in the finishing process. This is super annoying when you’re swinging these things and have an inconsistency that creates a hotspot. My Kettlebell Kings handle is smoothed out and it makes it such a pleasure to use.
I’ve always read about Kettlebell Kings kettlebells taking top spots for quality, and now I get it. They are pricey for sure, but their price does include shipping. If you’re building out a home gym, these may indeed be a buy once, cry once purchase.
The Best Raptor?
Ford Ranger Raptor
I’m not in the market for a truck with a bed, and if I were, I’m almost positive I’d get a Tundra (last gen) BUT, very recently, Rangers have caught my eye.
If you start looking at reviews on YT, you’ll start seeing that these are kind of the darling of the truck-world, and many aren’t aware of this.
Quick Stats:
They are just as fast as the Ford F-150 Raptor and starting at over $20k less.
More if you want it: You can throw a Ford tune on them that brings horsepower from 405 to 455 and torque from 430 to 536lb/ft! All while keeping the warranty.
They are better suited for tighter trails
Useable back seat
Car and Driver gave this truck a 10/10 and other journalists seem to be giving it similar praise.
I’ve always liked Tacomas and have dismissed Ford Rangers, but I think these are worth considering if you are in the market for a Mid-Sized Pickup.
Solid Podcast
How To Take Over The World - Machiavelli
I was on a road trip this past weekend and was listening to one of my favorite podcasts - How To Take Over The World.
HTTOTW host, Ben Wilson, does deep dives on great leaders and well-known figures of history - The one I listened to was on Niccolo Machiavelli. At the end Ben covered his top 10 lessons from The Prince, Machiavellis famed book.
I’m a big fan of Ben’s recaps, and this one is good.
Jump ahead to 40:00 and give these a listen. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, but these are objective strategies that I find so interesting and no doubt some useful takeaways here.
Quote I’m Pondering
“Escape competition through authenticity.” - Naval Ravikant
Song I’m Listening To
p.s. Are you subscribed to my YouTube Channel where I go in depth on all of this kind of stuff??? You should be.
p.p.s. Some of these links may toss me a commission without costing you any extra. This goes to buying more things so I can talk about them.
Cheers!
Dominic
When I read the title of this post I figured you were either talking about the Maverick or the Ranger. The majority of people driving 1/2 ton pickups, and more than you’d think driving 3/4 ton pickups, could easily get by with a Ranger for what they actually use a pickup to do on a regular basis. The Maverick even ticks a lot of those boxes for people that think they need a Ranger, apart from those who know how much fun the Ranger Raptor is for the price tag. I miss having “a big dumb truck” every now and then, but only when I’m missing the wide open expanses of the West. Now living in the mid-south, I’m likely to get a Ranger Raptor in the near future, give it the Euro-spec treatment and treat it like the tall rally car with a small bed that it is.
That is one of the cooler stories about staying at your grandma’s. Love it. 🫡