Flipping through The Manual: Custom knives, cozy jackets, a collapsible helmet

By Dan Gaul Published December 28, 2015

Burned out on apps, keyboards, and screens? Improve your analog life this weekend! Digital Trends’ brother site The Manual exists to give men straight-up advice, from unspoken suit rules you need to know to the latest in fashion, food, drink, travel, grooming, and culture. Here are a few of our favorite stories to appear on The Manual lately.

Fall style: Discount shirt jackets to help you stay warm yet cool

Wool 2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Most shirts are unsuited for brisk weather, yet so are heavy jackets. To help you find some of the best shirt jackets out there, we thought we’d share several on-sale items from Huckberry’s Fall Shirt Shop. Coupon code included.

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Bespoke catering with Riviera Caterers CEO Andrew Cavitolo

Riviera — Image used with permission by copyright holder

When Andrew Cavitolo, CEO of Riviera Caterers, joined his family’s fourth generation New York City company, he knew he was going to change the game. Thanks to his lead, Riviera now works closely with customers to develop an events blend bespoke design aesthetics with high-quality cuisine.

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Feasting: Fall’s best pumpkin recipes from chef Joel Gamoran

Pumpkin 2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Fall’s in full swing, and nothing knows it better than our kitchens. Chef Joel Gamoran of Sur La Table shares his best pumpkin recipes of the season.

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The Closca Fuga can save your life… and fit in your bag

Closca 4 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Foldable helmets rarely meet the standards set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Thankfully, the Closca Fuga does so within a collapsible frame that measures a mere 2.36 inches in height when pressed down for storage.

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Custom knives by Middleton Made Knives

Middleton 1 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, you know how important it is to have a well made chef knife. Explore hand-crafted, custom knives by Middleton Made Knives made in Charleston, South Carolina by master bladesmith Quintin Middleton.

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Six candles that smell like autumn

Ursa 2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Falll is glorious, especially considering the smell of the season. Whether you want to enhance nature’s olfactive bounty or like to infuse your home with a reminder of the changing colors outside, light a match and light these suckers up.

Read the full story on The Manual

Chief Technology Officer

Dan Gaul is the co-founder and Chief Technical Officer (CTO) for Digital Trends Media Group, a Portland, Oregon-based…

Topics

Audio / Video

6 outrageous headphones that will blow your mind — and your savings

As the world hums continuously with the rhythms of life, from the cacophony of bustling city streets to the serene whispers of nature, there exists a magical gateway that transports us from the mundane to the extraordinary, a vessel that allows us to encapsulate the essence of sound itself. This conduit, often underestimated in its power, is none other than the a solid pair of high-quality headphone.

What makes the best headphones (whether of the wireless earbud or noise canceling variety) so unique isn't just their ability to reproduce sound, but their profound capacity to elevate each note, each chord, each subtle nuance of a track to a palpable experience. As you slip them over your ears, the world around you dims, and you’re invited their deeply emotional embrace.

Photography

The best photo printers you can buy in 2025

Alan compares draft, standard, and high-quality photos from Epson's EcoTank ET-8500.

If you love sharing photo prints, journaling, or saving memories in physical photo albums, you might want to upgrade to a photo printer. When manufacturers optimize printers for pictures, the results often exceed the image quality of the best printers available.

Compared to sending photos to a lab or printing at a local office store, you can enjoy faster feedback and more control by creating pictures on your own photo printer. If you decide a print would benefit from a color or exposure adjustment, you can quickly make that change and print again with minimal delay. A printer that handles photos well also offers instant gratification and convenience while saving you money on print costs from a photo lab.

Computing

SSD vs. HDD: What’s the difference, and which drive type is best?

When on the hunt for a new PC or external hard drive, you’ll likely see two different storage options: Traditional hard disk drive (HDD) and solid-state drive (SSD). Deciding on the best one for your needs can be a massive obstacle if you don’t know the difference. Should you go with the old-school HDD or the newer, faster, and better SSD? Here, we’ll help you make the best choice based on crucial factors such as storage size, speed, and price.