Fend helmet in black tucked under arm
Helmets

The Story Behind the FEND Helmet: Exclusive Interview With the Cofounders

One thing that really struck me when unboxing, researching and reviewing the FEND was how passionate the founders are about their product.  It showed in everything from their backstory to the adorable thank you note tucked into their packaging. I can honestly say that I have no clue who created most of the products I …

Fend helmet in white worn by person showing side view
Helmets

FEND Foldable Bike Helmet

I give the FEND a lot of credit for its unique folding design, and for breaking into the foldable helmets market with a competitive price. I like that it’s so easy to fold, and that it clicks into place when unfolded. However, a big strike against it is the fact that it can’t shrink that much when folded. The company also has a red flag for shipping the product out to its backers at a massive lag and for being practically unreachable. We’ll track how the company is doing over the next year, but for now, I would only cautiously recommend this helmet.

Ascent step stool in teal open and folded
Miscellaneous

Ascent Designer Series Slim 3-Step Stool: The Little Ladder That Could

Hello! Friend and neighbor of the Things That Fold team here to contribute a guest post to one of my favorite blogs! I’m a fellow New Yorker and tiny apartment dweller, and I love nothing more than maximizing every inch of storage space I can. While my studio is low on square footage, I’m blessed …

WetBrush Pop Fold in silver with mirror half open
Miscellaneous

Wet Brush Mini Pop and Go Foldable Hair Brush

You might wonder, why review a hairbrush?  I mean a hairbrush is a hairbrush, right? Not when you have super thick, long hair that routinely makes hair stylists call for backup.  I’m a hairbrush breaker. The bristles don’t pull the knots out of my hair – my hair pulls the bristles out of the brush. …

Plastic-White-Mesh
Helmets

ABS vs Polycarbonate: Which Helmet Shell Material Is Better?

There are many different materials helmets can be made out of. But the two most common shell materials for folding bike helmets are ABS and polycarbonate. Which one is better? It depends. On a high level, polycarbonate is more expensive, flexible, softer, and lighter. Conversely, ABS is much cheaper, as well as harder, heavier, and …

BioLogic-Pango Chin-Strap Magnetic Fidlock Buckle Open
Helmets

Helmet Buckles: Side Release versus Magnetic Clip

When shopping for a new helmet, there is one part of the helmet that is almost always overlooked – the buckle. Nevertheless, it is an important part of the helmet’s effectiveness in a crash. It is also the part that you interact with the most when putting on the helmet. Fortunately, over the past few …

Coleman Fold-N-Go Instastart Grill in red open
Kitchen

Coleman Fold N Go Instastart Grill: Bring BBQ Anywhere

So this has been quite an interesting purchase.  It’s a highly compact gas grill that folds up like a briefcase.  The gas tank, obviously, does not fit in to the neat little package, but when all is said and done it leaves a small footprint as it can be stored standing up.  I’ve been pleased …

Hudson-St street sign
Helmets

Behind the Scenes with the NYC Company That Created the Stack Packable Helmet

As a huge fan of Priority Bicycle’s 174HUDSON Stack Packable helmet, I recently had the opportunity to sit down to an interview with Connor Swegle, co-founder of Priority Bicycles. Here is what he had to say about urban biking, the future of helmets and his favorite place to bike. Interview has been lightly edited for …

Rear of bicycle inside room with plant by michal wichrzynski from unsplash
Topics

Folding Helmet Reviews – The Best and All the Rest

We’ve put together this list of all of the best folding helmets on the market. Keep checking back, as we’ll be updating this page often! [Sept 2020 Update: The CPSC advises consumers to stop using and dispose of the Morpher helmet due to risk of head injury. You can check out the other folding helmets …

174Hudson-Stack foldable helmet open in onyx black
Helmets

174HUDSON Stack: A Folding Helmet Without the Big Price Tag

[tl;dr] I was pretty excited to try this folding helmet. I’ve been using a different folding helmet for about two years now and wanted to know if the Stack could do any better, especially in terms of foldability and comfort. I realize there are a lot of tradeoffs you have to make when you make …

white nursery with daylight in window and white rocking chair
Topics

Ideas to Save Space on Kids’ Things

When our son was born I was determined to not let our house become a chaotic jumble of brightly-colored plastic crap.  And, so far, I’m winning that war thanks in part to my unshakable dedication to finding things that fold. Every baby item must be, in this order, safe, small/foldable, and cleanable.  His bouncer stays …

Homz over-the-door towel and garment drying rack open with three green and blue towels draped over it
Miscellaneous

Homz Over-the-Door Towel Rack: A Simple Solution to Laundry Clutter

This drying rack has proven to be essential in our tiny apartment.  It folds up unobtrusively when not in use but expands to hold quite a few items.  So far it hasn’t sagged or bent under the weight of heavy blankets or wet jeans. The over the door hooks make it easy to set up …

Brooks England Carrera Foldable Helmet in grey open front view
Helmets

Brooks England Carrera Foldable Helmet

The Brooks England Carrera is a “stylish” and comfortable helmet that squashes down to about 67% of its width. It’s not hugely compact, and even then, requires some work to keep it shut. However, it is a fairly lightweight and natural-feeling helmet, due to its elastic springy design. Overall, I would only recommend the Carrera if you either really want a helmet that hugs your head, or if you happened to find a Carrera design that totally speaks to you.

two burners on black surface
Topics

Save Space in the Kitchen with Products That Fold

One of the joys of living in Manhattan is having the entire culinary world at your doorstep.  Macrobiotic vegan food for breakfast, authentic Ethiopian food for lunch and old-school Jewish deli for dinner?  Sign me up. On the other hand, this vibrant dining scene comes at a steep price.  And that price is tiny, terrible …

Fisher-Price Rock-n-Play Portable Bassinet in lime green open
Kids and Babies

Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play Portable Bassinet

So let me tell you a little about my love/hate relationship with this bassinet.  Let’s start with the good stuff. It is super lightweight – moving it around is comparable to moving a folding chair.  And with an aching back this is something I deeply appreciated. Also being able to quickly and easily move the …

HotMat Hot Plate in grey open on counter in foreground with red folded in background
Kitchen

HotMat 2DISH Connect Hot Plate: When You Thought You’ve Seen It All, a New Folding Innovation

If you are like most people, you probably don’t use a warming tray all that often.  I know I use mine once a week, and even that is more than the average holiday/special occasion hosting these things are commonly used for.  This means that for a good part of the time this appliance needs to …

Inoutdoorkit Folding Travel Clip & Drip Laundry Drying Hanger Rack both green and light purple open hanging closeup
Miscellaneous

Folding Travel Clip & Drip Laundry Hanger Drying Rack

When I first bought this product I had grand visions of folding it up and stashing it in a cabinet between uses.  HAHAHAHAHA. Yup, what a joke. This thing is literally always in use. As any parent of a toddler can tell you – laundry is never ending! [Jan 2020 Update: The hanger is available …

Inimina Lily Cup Compact Menstrual Cup light pink size a open
Miscellaneous

Intimina Lily Cup™ Compact Menstrual Cup: An Innovative New Take on the Menstrual Cup

For those of you not yet in on the menstrual cup trend, I’ll spare you the evangelizing (Better for the environment!  Saves money!) found in nearly every publication marketed towards women. I admit I was a holdout as seemingly everyone ditched tampons and pads in favor of the the newest cool-girl must-have.   I don’t …

Progressive Prepworks produce keeper in green open on table filled with strawberries
Kitchen

prepworks® Collapsible Produce Keeper: Is It Worth the Money?

I think I was overly optimistic when purchasing this. It fails on three fronts: extending the life of produce, overall function, and being compact. While it did keep my lettuce perfectly crisp it grew large amounts of mold. In terms of overall function the bottom water reservoir frequently leaks or falls off. And to add …

BetterBack worn by person sitting on sofa holding a mug
Miscellaneous

BetterBack: It’s Better, but Is It the Best?

One of the annoying things about back pain is the clutter of braces, supports, cushions, heat packs, etc. that come with it.  I was increasingly frustrated with finding a place to store all of the things that no longer helped, and wished I could bring the ones I loved when I would go away for …

Morpher helmet matte black full view from side with chin strap
Helmets

The Morpher Folding Helmet: Does It Live up to the Hype?

The Morpher folding helmet folds extremely flat, while otherwise looking like a regular helmet. It’s great if you’re new to folding helmets and want something inconspicuous and functional. Other helmets may be better in terms of fit, style, portability, or price, but overall the Morpher does not have any major weaknesses, and is a great helmet that you will probably be very satisfied with.

Joseph Joseph Twist™ Whisk open balloon whisk in multi color
Kitchen

Joseph Joseph Twist™ Whisk: Two in One- Is It Too Good to Be True?

I really, really wanted to love this whisk. As an avid chef I dream of having a well-stocked kitchen, but alas my small Manhattan apartment has its limits. So when I thought I could have a balloon whisk that folds down to a flat whisk I was delighted. Unfortunately the folding function never seemed to …

Razor Jr Folding Kiddie Kick Scooter in blue and orange, open closeup on board
Kids and Babies

Razor Jr Folding Kiddie Kick Scooter: A Sturdy Choice for a First Scooter

Impressively durable and sturdy, this scooter makes me wonder why anyone would buy one that doesn’t fold.   Thankfully the folding mechanism is a bit tricky for kids to use themselves so there are no worries about pinched fingers.  It’s a little heavy to carry around but that weight provides serious stability. It’s a great first …

Stokke Flexi Bath in transparent blue open
Kids and Babies

Stokke Flexi Bath

The Stokke Flexi Bath is a lightweight, foldable, and durable bath tub that you can easily store without taking up much space. It folds narrow enough to fit in a suitcase for traveling. It works well until about age 4. This bath doesn’t leak, drains quickly, and is easy to wash. And it comes in six different colors (including two transparent ones), and has a heat-indicating drain plug. Although this $64 bathtub isn’t cheap, you definitely get a lot of use out of it.