This week, several of our colleagues join to talk about products and servicesmade huge splashes in 2021. Trite though it may be to say, these products are true disruptors. They're Game Changers. Which means they're at the top tier of Gear Patrol's annual GP100 awards, our list of the 100 best new products of the year. Obviously, the selection process for the GP100 is meticulous, but what sets apart a Game Changer from the other super impressive winners? What qualities lend themselves to disruption? Listen in for the knowledge drop–and check out the full GP100 list here.
The winners of this year's GP100 include the 2021 Game Changers: products that represent a massive shift in their respective categories.
Episode Navigation:
00:00 – What Is a Game Changer?
06:41 – I/O MAG Imprint 3D Goggle from Smith
13:15 – Whoop Any-Wear
19:15 – KYX Sneaker Rental
27:46 – Bose SoundControl Hearing Aids
37:47 – Dyson V15 Detect
44:32 – Fellow Drops
51:55 – Apple MacBook Pros
57:50 – Syng Cell Alpha Speaker
1:04:11 – Rivian R1T
1:11:11 – Bremont ENG300 Movement
Featured and Related:
Nick Caruso:
This is The Gear Patrol Podcast for Friday, December 10th, 2021. I'm Nick Caruso. And I'm glad you're here because we are doing things a bit differently this week. Instead of discussing three product news stories in a round table format, as we have done for a long time, I'm going to be speaking with many of my colleagues individually about game changers. The 10 products introduced in 2021 that made the biggest splash in every category, from food and drink, to automobiles, to tech, to watches and beyond.
Nick Caruso:
These game changers are the top tier of Gear Patrol's annual GP100 awards, which is our list of the best 100 products of the year. And you can find that full list online, of course. But narrowing down an entire year to just 100 products, especially considering the number that we see on a daily, weekly, monthly basis is obviously a meticulous, intense process, but what sets apart a game changer from the other super impressive winners? What makes that top level the top level. Here to talk about exactly that and to kick off today's series of conversations is Gear Patrol editor, Oren Hartov. Hartov, welcome back to the pod.
Oren Hartov:
What's up, man. Thank you for having me on.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah, of course. It's a pleasure as always, especially to get a little bit of California sun on my video screen here. It's always welcome. So before we define a game changer, is there anything else you want to add to defining the GP100 as a whole, or sort of speak to what that group is?
Oren Hartov:
GP100 is a series that the company has been running for many years now. It used to be something we would run in print and then sort of cart over to the website. This year it's given our publishing schedule, it's online only, but we try to bring the same level of execution to imagery into way they read. We have 10 sections. So it doesn't follow exactly the six divisions for articles that we have at GP. We have some extra things like wellness. In addition to tech, we have audio for example. So it's 10 sections and they're meant to be the most, sort of the superlative products of the year in our eyes.
Oren Hartov:
And then further we picked, which we'll talk about in a moment, this game changer product which, I hate to use a word that is so buzzy these days, but I suppose is the disruptive product in the space, or at least in our estimation the product in many of these instances that is doing something unique. And that sort of informed our choice of what these game changer products were.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. I like that. We're just a couple minutes into the entire podcast and we've already heard disruption mentioned and it's going to be attached to your legacy here. That's fine. No, I think that's very fair. I've spoken the magic of podcasting as such, that I've had most of these conversations already, and I already knew about the products, of course, but talking with everybody, it's very clear that these are special products. And even against the backdrop of 100, or I guess 90 other really amazing things, they do stand out. Obviously you are, you edit our watch coverage, our time pieces, but any particular favorites from the lists in general, watches or not?
Oren Hartov:
I think in comparison to past few years, having a mix of just very straight up innovative product, one skew and then a mix of services and type of thing, like a movement that fits into multiple products is a nice departure.
Nick Caruso:
I think it's really interesting that services are part of the mix this year so heavily because it is such a weird year. We had a weird year last year, talk about disruptive, but this year is an adjustment period. I think, to a sort of a new normal and services like physical products are very much part of that. Slack is part of our life now, that's a service, it's not a physical thing. And that shift in paradigm is represented here in the game changers and the GP100 as a whole and seems really appropriate.
Oren Hartov:
I think it is. I mean, I think, obviously since COVID, since the move to work from home and the way the businesses are restructuring to be more remote or more remote friendly, we're probably just going to encounter more and more services, whether tied to the way we conduct ourselves at work or the way we consume products. I think, especially given this generation, not just ours, I speak of, but the one after it, I guess we're getting old. Aren't we, Nick?
Nick Caruso:
You don't have to bring me into this. Just because you can see the white in my beard doesn't mean everybody listening thinks about it.
Oren Hartov:
You and I probably in our 30s are not thinking about renting our sneakers, but I think that's probably, or maybe even ordering our coffee over text. But I think for, maybe people who are just coming into the workforce now of that age, that's something just much more, not taken for granted but much more, I don't know, much less [crosstalk 00:05:51].
Nick Caruso:
That's intuitive.
Oren Hartov:
Yeah, yeah. And more intuitive certainly. I think we're probably just going to see more and more of that.
Nick Caruso:
All right. Well, then this list is good prep for the future then. So thank you for the rundown. We've got a lot to cover, so I'm going to let you go. But this is a great foundation for the rest of the pod. Listeners, thank you for tuning in. You heard it here first, this is disruption central and you're about to be flooded with a lot of info about really awesome, incredible products and services. So I hope you're prepared. You can find the full list of the GP100 online complete with these 10 game changers. So thank you again, Hartov. Thank you again, everyone for tuning in and enjoy the rest of the show.
Nick Caruso:
My next guest is joining to talk about not one, but two different products from categories that are very much related and that guest would be first time podcast guest, staff writer, Hayley Helms. Hailey, hello. You're over on the West Coast. Is that right?
Hayley Helms:
Yes. It's bright and early over here just after the stroke of 9:00. So thanks for having me.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah, yeah. No, I'm glad you're up. You got to have to be up at the crack to rouse all us east coasters to get to work. So it's very helpful. And I'm glad you're here. So let's talk game changers. First up, we want to talk about, this is a long complex name. So bear with me everybody. We're talking about the I/O Mag Imprint 3D goggle from Smith. So anyone who's used goggles for snow sports or other similar activities, knows that finding a truly perfect fit can be really tough. And the industry is making that a lot easier with new sizing and shapes. Asian fits or low bridge fits have become the norm across the industry.
Nick Caruso:
But Smith is going even further, and I'd say a huge step further. And they're using the iPhone selfie lens and a proprietary app to make a detailed scan of a user's face that is then converted into data that is 3D printable. So then of course they print the goggle, they make the goggle, hand assemble it and send it to you in under two weeks. And that's magical. These goggles also come with a sort of ironically eye watering price tag of $450. So Hailey, it seems sort of obvious, but I want to ask anyway, why are these new goggles game changers?
Hayley Helms:
Yeah, that's a great question. So I think the standout feature of these goggles, sort of what you mentioned is the customization. So there's a lot of different face shapes out there. We don't all feature the same features on our face. Some people have a lower bridge, some people have higher cheekbones, et cetera, et cetera. And if you don't have a goggle that fits you well, it really affects performance. And whether it comes to light leaks, air gaps or hotspots, inbounds in the resort that can be annoying, but out of bounds that can be really dangerous.
Hayley Helms:
And so to have a goggle that is completely customized to your face shape and truly fits you is a huge step forward in an industry that typically caters to one type of consumer and is trying to break those boundaries, but also from a safety perspective, which is really interesting. And the imprint 3D features, all of the tech that makes the standard I/O stand out from the crowd. It's got the contrasting color in the lens, it's got the Mag lens swapping system that allows you to make it easy to swap your lenses if you want to. It integrates into helmets. But on top of that, it just allows you to be completely customized, which is huge for anyone that's looking for a better fit and a more premium product.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah, for sure. I mean the customization where we've just covered recently on the pod, some stuff that we'd covered in the magazine, the Carbon 3D printing technology, that story, those technologies combined with this kind of scanning technologies, all these things that seem really sci-fi on their own are combining to make just such a cool product future. So this is really cool. Have you been able to try these, or are you going to?
Hayley Helms:
I haven't tried them yet. Our desk editor, Steve tried them and was really impressed by the process, the seamlessness of it. And I think from his perspective, what he and I chatted about is that it is a very intuitive and easy way to take your shopping experience to the next level and your snow experience to the next level. So I think, if you're familiar with the snow sports industry at all, there's been some progression in some areas. And then in other areas, I think a lot of companies have kind of rested on their laurels, so to speak.
Hayley Helms:
And so Steve was really impressed with the fact that, not only could he control how he created the goggle with his smartphone, which we all carry with us basically 24 hours a day every day, and really have a hand in creating a product that will take his season to the next level from what he believes. So I think that answers your question, but maybe not.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah, and more. No, it does, definitely. Thank you. And we all know Steve. People who have listened to the pod probably remember his voice quite well and he's notoriously difficult. So I'm glad to hear that it worked out for him. Really quickly before we move on to the other product, are there any others on the outdoors list of the GP100 winners that you particularly love personally?
Hayley Helms:
Yeah. I'm a huge fan of Choco. For anyone that's not familiar. They are some of the most comfortable shoes, in my opinion, in the outdoor space and their Ramble Puff is really a breakthrough product in the sense that it's a camp slipper that you can also wear around the house or just on typical errands. And I think one of the things that the pandemic has taught us over the last year and a half is that we really need products that can go into multiple environments and perform well and look good. It's like a lot of us were trapped at home and wanted more comfortable clothing, but to be able to have a shoe that works in the camp site, as well as when you're just sitting on the couch or taking the dog out is huge to me. And I can't take these off my feet. I'm obsessed with them. So those were my favorite for sure.
Nick Caruso:
Great. Well, my wishlist just grew. Interesting. Cool. Thanks. So that is outdoors. That's the outdoor stuff. The full list of course online, but let's talk about the other product in the fitness category. And that is the WHOOP Any-Wear Technology. And listener Wear in this case is spelled W-E-A-R in case, a, you like a good pun, and b, you want a hint about what the product actually is. But WHOOP for the uninitiated is a fitness tracker company or series of devices, depending on how you use the syntax. That has until now been available in sort of like this highly praised wrist strap form factor. We are familiar with other fitness trackers.
Nick Caruso:
But Any-Wear, which is also hyphenated Any-Wear Tech is different in a key way, which you may have guessed. The trackers fit into special pockets in WHOOP active wear and track your progress invisibly. So Haley, what makes this tech a game changer? Fitness trackers are already everywhere. So what's special here?
Hayley Helms:
Yeah. Well, I think you covered it in your introduction, but I'll expand upon it a little bit. It's the fact that you can have a passive tracking device on you all the time, but not have it strapped to your wrist. So this is important for a couple reasons. A lot of people partake in activities that you might not be wanting, sorry, excuse me. A lot of people take part in activities that you may not want to wear a wrist strap. So for instance, if you practice ju-jitsu and you're in a very high contact physical sport, you don't want any jewelry, any items on your wrists, arms, et cetera, et cetera, that are going to get caught on someone else that are going to disrupt what you're doing.
Hayley Helms:
But also from an aesthetic standpoint, I think a lot of us don't realize that the products that we have on say something about us, either consciously or subconsciously. And some of us might not want to broadcast to the world that we're tracking our fitness, or if you're going to an event where you don't really want to be wearing a fitness tracker and you'd rather put on a watch or something on that wrist that you don't want to take up that real estate, it's important too to still be able to track your body's data and what's going on with you, but do it in a way that's a little more low profile.
Hayley Helms:
And one other thing to think about is that, I think for a lot of us, it's not always comfortable to wear a wrist tracker. Sometimes we want to still be able to track what we're doing, but we want it to feel a little more streamlined. And the whoop anywhere body tech is incredible from a fabrication standpoint and a comfort level, just from the feel of the fabric to the fact that you can still track a workout in a really accurate way and feel good doing it.
Nick Caruso:
That's really cool. I'm picturing all the, maybe I want to count my steps but where it tux. I'm not going to be doing ju-jitsu anytime soon, but I'm trying to think of the stuff I'd want to do. So explain this a little more, there's a series of apparel essentially, and then each garment comes with a little tracker that you slip into a pocket. Is that how it works?
Hayley Helms:
No, it's actually a little more streamlined than that. So the WHOOP Body Any-Wear Tech works with the WHOOP 4.0, which is their newest tracker. I'm actually wearing mine right now. So you take the tracker sensor off of the bracelet and you slip it into a pod on the clothing. And each piece of clothing is specifically engineered where the pod sits to track you in a very accurate way. So I tested the bralette, and where the sensor sits is right on the left hand side of the ribcage, which WHOOP over countless hours of testing has ascertained that WHOOP track my data just as well as my wrist. The leggings track from the calf, the boxers track from the hip, the left hip, et cetera, et cetera. So any of the clothing that you wear will use the same sensor that's on your wrist and you just place it where you want it to go.
Nick Caruso:
That's so cool. Real quick, before we go, since I asked you about outdoor stuff, what about fitness? What else is on that list of GP100 winners you're into?
Hayley Helms:
Yeah. So continuing the trend of passive tracking, which you alluded to, I think it's only going to increase. The Hidrate Spark, the water bottle that we featured on that list for fitness is another personal favorite of mine. So it works with an app on your phone, similar to WHOOP and it lights up when you need to hydrate. So it tracks the ounces that you drink throughout the day, and it kind of gamifies hydration, if you will, and makes it a little more fun. And I really enjoy that from a sense of a healthy reminder. I think you can get so deep into what you're doing you forget that you need to drink water.
Hayley Helms:
And so it is like kind of a bright and fun way to remind you, but also, if you're like me and you're ultra competitive, you can kind of get into a head space where you're wanting to beat the bottle or make sure that you have your ounces. And so it's kind of a playful way to maximize hydration.
Nick Caruso:
I love it. That's much better than my method, which is seltzer is more fun than still water. So that's what I drink. But for the fullest of both our outdoor and fitness GP100 winners check out the web, everybody. And Hailey, it's great to have you on the pod for the first time, especially for such a fun episode. So we'll do it again sometime soon.
Hayley Helms:
Yeah, Nick, thanks for having me. I enjoyed it and I hope to be a guest in the future.
Nick Caruso:
Sounds like a plan. And now it's time to talk style with assistant editor, Evan Malachosky. Hey, Evan?
Evan Malachosky:
How are you?
Nick Caruso:
I'm good. How are you over there in western PA?
Evan Malachosky:
I'm good. It is the peak of winter and it is flurrying outside as we speak.
Nick Caruso:
Oh, I love that. I love to hear news of flurries in the Midwest. It makes me yearn home.
Evan Malachosky:
[crosstalk 00:19:40].
Nick Caruso:
But we're not talking about weather though, Evan, we're talking about style. And you're here specifically to talk about KYX Sneaker Rental. Sneaker hype is a very real thing. Far more than a trend, it's a lifestyle, as they say. And buying a pair of new sneakers that are exciting releases, new drops can be super, super hard due to rabbit competition from other people, from bots on the internet, all sorts of reasons. Certainly limited inventory, list goes on. But KYX is a sneaker rental service. You're not purchasing, you're renting that allows users to wear a special pair for a month at a time.
Nick Caruso:
And different pricing tiers as one might expect, allow you more simultaneous rentals, more expensive sneakers at a time, et cetera. And of course, KYX is cleaning these before shipping them to your door, which is always appreciated. So why is a sneaker rental program considered the style game changer for 2021?
Evan Malachosky:
Yeah. I mean, as you mentioned, the sneaker industry and seen as it is right now, it is expensive and it is exclusive. And I think KYX, or KYX, KYX World. They go by a couple different names, but they are really emphasizing accessibility. It sounds insane to be renting sneakers and to wear them for a month and send them back. I think the fact that it exists in itself warranted a spot on this list, but it exists because the industry sort of birthed it. It put so much pressure on these exclusive and interesting releases that something like this had to eventually happen. And it sounds almost like a Silicon Valley startup, insane idea, but it I've been using it now for, it's been two months now and I've gone through three pairs and it just makes a ton of sense.
Evan Malachosky:
Initially I was skeptical of something like this, because it could almost add fuel to that fire, making it almost even more exclusive by pushing some of these releases to the point where brands might even drop the amount of sneakers they initially release and push them to services like this. I mean, it seems like a crazy concept, but I've been impressed by how easy it has been and just the sheer amount of options that they have. I mean, they have 300 plus sneakers that you can rent. And like you said, different plans give you access to lightly worn pairs, which are obviously clean and brand new pairs, as well as super, super expensive pairs and even sort of run-of-the-mill pairs, it sounds odd, but even a run-of-mill pair is like $189 in the context of new balance. And you can be renting a pair for $69 a month.
Evan Malachosky:
I mean, sneakers don't last that long if you're actually wearing them. Obviously, you could get a couple of years out of a pair, but if you're someone that's really invested in sneakers, they might be super popular for a couple of months and you're wanting to move on to the next pair. And this sort of gives you that opportunity to do so. Because I mean, if you buy a super expensive pair and then you wear them, you can't really resell then in a way that you're making money. So it just makes sense for the consumer here to do this.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah, for sure. And I should apologize. We've known about this editorial package for a long time. I've looked at KYX Sneaker Rental for weeks and not known as pronounced KYX. I guess that's probably a artifact of not being in person when we're doing all this work. So apologies to KYX in particular, but it is a really interesting model. Obviously, this has been done for other parts of the style industry to rent the runway kind of model, but sneakers is a really interesting one. I'll admit that I'm far enough removed from being a sneakerhead that the idea of wanting to have that much turnover in my kicks is kind of foreign to me as is the idea that, I was assuming that I was going to be putting my foot into something that 10 other people have worn for a month. So it's cool that there are new pairs and previously worn stuff on there. Can you give us some examples of maybe what you've gotten through KYX or what the premier stuff on the side are?
Evan Malachosky:
Yeah. I mean, they have all the sort of elusive collaborations. I mean, they have all of the adidas Yeezys, they have Jordan collaborations. They have like the rare Jordan ones. And when I first was testing this, I was thinking, "I'm going to go as far away from what I would typically wear as possible." Because I'm not a huge sneakerhead, I'm kind of in the same vein. There's not a ton of [inaudible 00:25:20] over my sneakers. I find like a style or a color, and I really stick with that. But I was thinking, I mean, I love the Jordan 1 as a sneaker and just the design of it, but I've never owned a pair and I've never even put on a pair.
Evan Malachosky:
So I thought, "I'm going to go with the Jordan 1 the first time." And honestly, I didn't love it. I didn't find it that comfortable. I didn't like the way it looked when I was wearing it. So this was a scenario where, if I was paying I wouldn't necessarily be bummed about that, it would be like, "Okay, I'm glad I did this because now I know I shouldn't spend the 600 or $650 on that sneaker in the future." And at certain levels, or at certain plan levels, you have the option of swapping halfway through the month. So you can make that decision, "Oh, I don't want to keep these the full 30 days," and you get one free swap. So I swapped it for a new balance collaboration with ALD, a New York City brand run by Teddy Santis. And I've loved these. And they were ones that I obviously could not go to the New York store to buy and did not really want to pay resale on. I like how they look. I like both brands, but it was something that I wouldn't necessarily buy for myself at that price.
Evan Malachosky:
So those are both examples of sneakers I was curious about, but wouldn't necessarily be ever buying for myself. But I mean, next month I've been buying everything from just extremely esoteric ASIC Collabs to... I mean, there are just so many options on there and I think that's another exciting part. They could have just picked four or five sneakers that people really wanted and been like, "Okay, you get this pair for a month and now you get this pair for a month," but it's really an endless sneaker store with a lot of flexibility in wind and how you wear them.
Nick Caruso:
Sounds really cool. I mean, if you're into it, you can really go wild. And if you're not that much of a sneakerhead, maybe this is your ticket in. Certainly sounds worth the price of admission with all the different bonuses there. Very cool. Thanks for the rundown.
Evan Malachosky:
Yeah, absolutely.
Nick Caruso:
Wellness. This category has blossomed exponentially over the past many years into a very important and distinct category. But this year's wellness game changer is a tech product. Appropriately then, here to discuss the winner is senior tech editor, Eric Limer. Eric, welcome back to the pod.
Eric Limer:
Hey, thanks for having me.
Nick Caruso:
Always a pleasure, I guarantee. So you're here to tell us about the Bose SoundControl hearing aids. These are $850 devices, should be familiar to most people, but the thing here is that they're far, far cheaper than conventional hearing aids and less complex as well. They're more intuitive because they're almost like a regular pair of earbuds or are like a regular pair of earbuds. And as I understand, they're geared toward folks with moderate hearing loss, and not severe issues that would need a more involved intervention, but that's still a huge swath of the population. Something that is notable about this is that they are not actually earbuds, even though they have the same sort of familiar interface, they do not function as music listening devices, these are to aid people who need a boost in hearing ability.
Eric Limer:
Yeah, that's right. So they do connect to your phone via Bluetooth, the same way that a pair of wireless earbuds would, also the same way that a lot of other hearing aids do. But they pointedly do not allow you to play music into them from your phone, which is a thing that other hearing aids, actually, the ones that I have do allow. The problem with it is, while it works and it's pretty good for listening to podcasts and stuff, the audio quality is frankly terrible. And I think Bose perhaps wisely does not want to be in the business of having terrible sounding music play through one of its products.
Nick Caruso:
Right. That's a fair point. Is the accessibility kind of the real game changer here? Is that the defining characteristic of the sound control from Bose?
Eric Limer:
Yeah. So the big thing about this is the accessibility and price. So I actually wear hearing aids as of about a year ago at this point. And I got the hearing aids that I wear, which aren't the Bose SoundControl, through the traditional process that you go through, which is typically, if you have hearing loss, what that means is making several appointments with an audiologist, going to the office and getting some testing done and then getting a pair of hearing aids through the audiologist's office, which oftentimes won't be covered by insurance, or even if they are covered by insurance, it'll be, oh, a little bit. But the costs for that can come out to be over $1000 per ear.
Eric Limer:
The Bose SoundControl on the other hand, $850 is not cheap, but it is significantly cheaper than what you could probably expect to pay through an audiologist, especially if your insurance doesn't cover the cost. And then the other thing which you were saying with ease of use factor is part of... So the Bose SoundControl are FDA cleared, which is a sort of slightly less than FDA approved, but the foundation for that clearance is that Bose has a app that allows you to tune the strength and the balance of the amplification, which is, it's a common thing for most hearing aids these days, but the Bose app, they were able to do a clinical study that showed that for people with, like you said, mild to moderate hearing loss, that being able to self tune through that app resulted in the same amount of satisfaction as folks who had a hearing aid tuned for them by an audiologist, which is sort of the more traditional process.
Nick Caruso:
Right. So I have family members who have gone through this process too, but the logistics. And it's funny you mentioned the FDA, I feel like we're all sort of like armchair FDA approval experts these days. So it's funny to hear that. But can you describe the form factor and kind of how the interface works, how you interface with these guys?
Eric Limer:
Yeah, sure. So one of the interesting things about this is the form factor in that it's very similar to traditional hearing aids, which is that there's this sort of, there's the business part, which isn't that large. I'm trying to think of something that's similarly sized, but I don't know, like the size of a half a green bean, I don't know. But that sits behind your ear and then there's a wire that goes up over your ear and it sits inside. If you've seen a traditional hearing aid, you'll know what these look like. And so it's noteworthy that Bose went for this design because there are increasingly a lot of other direct-to-consumer hearing amplification gadgets that instead opt for a more traditional earbud design.
Eric Limer:
So people may be familiar. I believe that the air bud AirPods Pro can actually do some sort of amplification this way. There's also some Jabra earbuds that do essentially the same thing. But Bose has opted for this more traditional design, and these aren't rechargeable either. They run on zinc air batteries, but it's one of those things where it's like the form factor is traditional because it's for a reason. Basically, some of the upsides of having this more like, for lack of a better term stodgy design, is that it's incredibly discreet.
Eric Limer:
Some of these options that look more like earbuds, you wind up in this situation if you're trying to use them, looks like you have headphones on. And so you end up in this position of having to explain to people that, you're not ignoring them, in fact, you're listening to them as hard as you can. And also, with the zinc air batteries that the Bose SoundControl use, it means like, we think of rechargeable as being the more high tech thing, but when it comes to a device like a hearing aid that's essential, in fact, it's much more useful to be able to swap out batteries on the go. You never have to worry about a recharge time.
Eric Limer:
So I think it's a very smart exercise of restraint in that respect. And then the way the app works is, I think I mentioned this before most modern hearing aids at this point, have some sort of app where you can tune stuff. The Bose app is much simpler than a lot of the more user unfriendly apps you'll see from other manufacturers.
Nick Caruso:
Very cool. Accessibility is not just like literally physically accessing things, it's being able to use things and giving a wider section of the population the ability to engage like the rest of us and with the rest of us. So that's important.
Eric Limer:
Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. And it's great to see a product like this bringing greater accessibility to folks who have hearing loss, which is, a lot of people have untreated hearing loss. I think the caveat here is, this is a product that solves a problem that really shouldn't exist. Ideally, you would have people being able to get hearing aids and stuff like this medical devices with the input and the help of a doctor. And it's because the healthcare regime in this country particularly makes that so difficult that a sort of end around like this is necessary. But I mean, living in the situation that we are, it's better for people to be able to get help than to not. And it does plug a big hole and will help a lot of people who could use the help.
Nick Caruso:
Two big holes, in fact.
Eric Limer:
Yeah.
Nick Caruso:
Right? Well, great. Thanks for the rundown, Eric. I mean, in many ways, this may be the biggest game changer on this list, because it really truly can affect a life in very positive way, but it's a cool addition regardless. So really appreciate that. And everybody can check the rest of the wellness list online. Our next guest is associate staff writer, Tyler Chin, who is here to discuss home goods. Tyler, welcome to the pod.
Tyler Chin:
Thanks for having me, Nick.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. Another first timer. I'm glad to have you.
Tyler Chin:
So happy to be.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hailey was on to talk about some outdoors and fitness stuff. So we've got a lot of new blood. The 2021 game changer in the home category comes from a very familiar company Dyson, but the product itself comes in a somewhat less than familiar form. It's a vacuum, as we all associate with Dyson, but a vacuum with lasers. It's the Dyson V15 Detect. And there's this little lasers device that does a lot of work. It identifies particles on the floor for you and it tracks how much you've picked up and some other stuff. So is it the laser that makes this vacuum the game changer?
Tyler Chin:
I mean, you nailed it. It's definitely the laser in the vacuum head. I mean, in the past vacuums have had lights on top of their air cleaning brushes, but none have been able to illuminate naked to the eye dust particles. So as soon as you start suctioning up, a green light hits the floor and then you just see how much stuff has accumulated on the ground and it starts to look like it's snowed inside.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. It sounds like it would be very helpful, but also like make me feel gross. Like if I took a black light around a hotel room or something.
Tyler Chin:
Exactly. I mean, sometimes ignorance is a bliss, but then the beauty is that you have the vacuum with you, so you just suck it all up and then it's not there anymore.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah, that's right. You have the weapon right there. You identify the enemy and you can clean them up. So you've used this quite a bit.
Tyler Chin:
I have used this. I mean, testing means I can clean my apartment at the same time. So it's just been me vacuuming on working hours and testing out the product.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. How many vacuums would you say you've tested in the last, I don't know, couple years?
Tyler Chin:
Ooh, I would say, honestly, not too many, maybe fewer than 10, but none have been as impressive as the V15 Detect. If not for that laser, I don't think I would enjoy vacuuming as much as I do. I mean, it very much makes a chore feel like a video game.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. Well, actually, I mean, you just took some notes right off my page. I mean, I was going to say that this sounds like it makes chores kind of fun and it is kind of gamifying a really dull activity. So aside from just telling people that there's a laser on this, can you describe the rest of the mechanism here? Because there's a screen that you can follow along with and everything. So kind of walk us through the actual process of using the V15.
Tyler Chin:
Yeah. So there's some sort of sciencey thing within it. It's like a piezo acoustic sensor, I think that's what it's called. So basically, as it's sucking up dust particles, the machine is able to register the size of the particles based on the sound it makes as it's going into the vacuum. And that can make the vacuum either work harder, if there are bigger things to pick up or if it's doing fine on Eco Mode. And then there's an LCD screen at the top of the vacuum cleaner. And then as it's sucking things up, you can see just how much you've picked and the varying sizes of the particles you've picked up. So then at the end of a session, you can have billions or trillions of dust particles registered. And I mean, it's satisfying to see a very full dustin, but it's another thing to see an actual number of things you've suctioned.
Nick Caruso:
Can you compete with people? We're not to that point yet, right? There's no app where you can compete with your friends for number of particles?
Tyler Chin:
Listen, we're not trying to compete against you [inaudible 00:41:51] this one then.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah, that's a good point. Aside from the laser then, is this sort of a typical Dyson vacuum? Would people be familiar with it or are there other sort of features that we're skipping over?
Tyler Chin:
Yeah, it still has that same impressive, motor impressive suction. We still have that reusable, washable filter, which we think is one of the best things about Dyson vacuums is that you don't have to consistently go out and buy a new filter because you could just rinse it out. And I do want to make note that the laser only works on hardwood floor because there're just too many particles on rugs or carpets. But the vacuum does come with a separate head meant to use on piled surfaces, which you can also use on hardwood floor, but then it doesn't have the laser.
Nick Caruso:
Real issue for carpet people and laser fans. I imagine pets would really like this too, although they hate vacuums. So maybe that's another-
Tyler Chin:
Yeah. I mean, cats might not enjoy the laser too much, but then you're also, please don't terrorize your house pets. Let me just say that.
Nick Caruso:
I think that's a fine PSA. Well, cool. I've been really interested in this one. I've got a Dyson stick vacuum and hard floors and now I want a laser. I don't think I could just tape a laser to mine and make it work. I might have to upgrade. Before I let you go, because that was a nice succinct rundown. What else on the list of home products on the GP100 winners, are you especially keen on right now?
Tyler Chin:
Luckily, we had a lot of good products this year, so it was very hard to get it down to just 10. One of the most impressive things I saw this year that's on our list is the Puffco Budsy essentially, it's a water bottle that is not actually a water bottle because it's a bong. It is a bong that looks like a Nalgene and you can take it on the go and hit your bong without people knowing. And please just don't drink from the bottle because it looks so close to a Nalgene that you might accidentally drink your bong water and you don't want to.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah, yeah. That's two PSAs in one segment. I like that. Don't terrorize your cats. Don't drink your bong water.
Tyler Chin:
Just trying to look out for our listeners.
Nick Caruso:
That's very much appreciated. I'm sure they're happy too. So thanks for stopping by Tyler. Really appreciate you making your debut for the game changers episode of the pod.
Tyler Chin:
Thanks, Nick. Thanks for having me and thank you listeners. Get this vacuum. It's very impressive.
Nick Caruso:
There we go. A winning endorsement. Coffee is low key one of my favorite Gear Patrol topics and my next guest can discuss it all day long. Just don't talk to him before he's had his coffee.
Will Price:
Bit of a layup.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah, it was. I have to assist myself in these situations. Editor Will Price, thanks for being here.
Will Price:
Yeah, what's up?
Nick Caruso:
Hey, hey. I want to ask you about the game changer in the food and drink category of the GP100 this year. It's a new service from Fellow, a purveyor of all things, coffee, including appliances and accessories and beans. Fellow has introduced a new service called Fellow Drops. It's a text message based service that each week, I believe, alerts you to new types of coffee beans, which you can then accept or pass on. Accept and they'll send you your beans, pass and you'll be sad and without beans.
Will Price:
Exactly. Yeah.
Nick Caruso:
All right. Will, aside from this feeling a lot like, sort of like an illicit dealer relationship, why is Fellow Drops a 2021 game changer?
Will Price:
Yeah, whenever we talk about new products or whatever, there's a lot of stuff, you can point to innovations or new features or a product that's just like really superl in some other way, great material use. There's a million reasons we might pick something. But this one I thought was great in kind of a more subtle way. It's funny, you mentioned sort of the dealer relationship, because there's something about just receiving a text, I think it's mostly comes on Tuesday or Wednesday and be like, "Hey, got these coffee beans." Literally just reply with the number of bags and it ships to your house in it auto charges you, whatever. So if something sounds particularly wonderful, I'll drop like a two. And then in four days I'll have two of that stupid, good bag of coffee.
Will Price:
The problem that solves is sort of a problem of convenience. Finding good and interesting coffee can take some time, some commitment, and unless you're just cool to drink the same thing consistently for a long time, which is no problem with you, patronize your local roaster, whatever, I get it. But I really like to try new stuff from all over the country and that's what Fellow does. So they actually contract out with, or work with, especially coffee roasters the world over. And sometimes they have exclusive unique Drops so that they work on with that roaster. And sometimes it's just, one of the roaster is Mainline bags, whatever it is, they don't repeat roasters very often. And I've been covering coffee for four or five years now and they still introduce me to new roasters on a pretty regular basis, which is pretty impressive.
Nick Caruso:
That is cool. Did I get it right? It's weekly, right?
Will Price:
Yeah.
Nick Caruso:
Can you describe what it's like to interact with this service?
Will Price:
So you'll receive a text early in the week, and it'll be a little photo of the bag. It'll be a couple of very simple tasting notes. I've kind of railed against tasting notes sometimes because it's such a subjective idea, but just to give you an idea of what it might taste like. Price per bag and then that's really it. And if you want it, you text the number one or the number two, or I guess if you want it even more than that. If you don't want to, you don't reply. So it's not like, "I have to text my verification code for my credit card number or whatever, every time." It's nothing like that. It's literally just reply with the number.
Will Price:
And these text based services in general, I reserve them for only things that I know I'm going to interact with. And I know I want because it's sort of a super email newsletter, if that makes sense. And I assume most of us don't open all of our email newsletters we subscribe to, but if I really want something and they have a text service, I'll go for it. And to me, this is an excellent use of text service. So I don't have to spend all my time Googling around looking for coffee.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. It's sort of strange. I don't actually use any text services like this. I didn't know that there were enough that you could use a ton of them.
Will Price:
It kind of feels like in some ways, like going to vinyl records after listening to exclusively on Spotify for years and years. It feels old hat, but I really, really like how much easier it is to control that, rather than email. Because email you subscribe and then you think you're only going to get one email a month and then you end up getting 16 a week and you're just like, you can't figure out how to unsubscribe and then by that point you just throw your hands up and give up. The text service is very different. I like how controlled it is.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. It's very binary. It's either one or you don't. It's almost like Paul Revere kind of stuff, like Old North Church, one, if one bag two, if two, whatever, I don't know.
Will Price:
And they're not sending excessive text messages, which is a big part of it. I would get extremely annoyed if I get a text message notification daily from this outlet trying to get me to buy bags of coffee. They're just not doing that.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. How much are bags generally?
Will Price:
Yeah. They could be anywhere between 18 to 22, and then it may go higher for particularly high-end bags, which, anyone who's ever shopped higher-end coffee knows that you can quickly find yourself spending way more on a bag. I think the vast majority, like 9 out of 10 are between 18 and $22 though. And then shipping is, if I remember correctly, shipping is a flat rate of $2 every time.
Nick Caruso:
Okay, great. And last question, any recent favorites off the top of your head?
Will Price:
They did something with admittedly a roaster that I know and love a lot, but they did something with, Onyx Coffee Lab out of Arkansas recently that I got, I think I got a bag of, and I immediately wanted to text my coffee dealer back and be like, "Yeah. Do you have any more of..." It was special. It was very good. And I think, to me, that's the most exciting thing is discovering new roasters and then discovering coffee that I haven't had from roasters I've had for years and years and years now. It's a great service. It's not in your face, like sexy, sleek stainless steel appliance under your countertop that's going to change your life. It really just makes something that's a little tedious, not tedious. And I think that kind of deserves applause.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah, for sure. And it's not the typical... You don't have to go to your dealer's roasting premises and have a couple cups of coffee with them and stuff.
Will Price:
Probably won't be arrested either, which is always good.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. It's great. Totally legal and very cool. Good. Well, thanks Will, this is the rundown. We don't have enough time to go into the other picks, but everybody, you got to tune into the podcast to hear more of Will Price next year. And now we're going to turn to tech and audio to be precise. Joining me is senior staff writer, Tucker Bowe, who hasn't been on the pod for a while. So I'm glad to have him back. Hey, Tucker?
Tucker Bowe:
Hey, what's going on? Glad to be back.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. It's always good to see you and hear you. So let's start with tech. You're going to help us with both these categories, but in tech, which is short for technology, we've got Apple, the company Apple has released its new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros this year. Very anticipated, and both a huge step forward, both for what they add and what they take away, which is made very clear in the web piece.
Nick Caruso:
So there are these new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips inside. Performances off the charts. Also found in the computers now are new ports, we see a return of MagSafe charging cable. And let me see here. What else is in my notes? Oh, it looks like the touch bar is gone, the weird little touch bar at the top of the keyboard. So is that a fair summary of what makes the new MacBook Pros game changers this year? Or is there something I'm missing?
Tucker Bowe:
Yeah, I think it's a combination of kind of new hardware, the return of Nostalgia. And then the kind of the cherry on top is that Apple gave the new Pros really, really pro-level processing chips that kind of build off of the M1 chips that they announced last year, which were game changing in their power and efficiency. And these kind of just take it to the next level, which, it feels like finally Apple has made a laptop that is truly fit for a pro user, someone who's a creator, photographer, graphic designer, video editor. Someone who needs their machine to kind of get the most out of it, and this feels like their perfect kind of laptop.
Tucker Bowe:
But I mean, you covered it pretty good right there. I think, started off as return to the Nostalgia and Apple brought back a lot of the things that they've slowly but surely taken away from their laptops over the last few years. They've kind of killed off the touch bar, which, I know they kind of replaced it with a full function, key row which people love. And also just, I don't know, the touch bar never kind of caught on. They brought back a lot of the ports that professionals and creators were missing, like HDMI and the SD card reader and MagSafe, people love MagSafe charging is back, which people just love the kind of the ease and the aesthetically pleasing sound of that charger clicking into place.
Tucker Bowe:
So they brought back a ton of stuff. On top of that, they made the computer thicker, and that's basically to give it a bigger battery because Pros need bigger batteries to... So on top of the new processing power, these things also have bigger batteries. So you can kind of, I don't know, these are just things that professionals have been kind of craving for, for a long time and Apple has kind of brought that back. And then like a little hardware things, little, I said little, but they gave it a new mini-LED display, which can get brighter and more contrasty. So more on par to LED, I guess. They've given it a better attended BP webcam, given it better speakers. So this machine has been kind of, it feels like a complete different machine where in the past it feels like Apple has kind of just given new guts to an old body.
Nick Caruso:
Right. And I feel kind of bad talking about this on this old MacBook Pro I'm using, it's going to start feeling jealous. Are you using one of the new ones right now?
Tucker Bowe:
No, I'm not. I returned my loaner after about a month, and I am back to using my 2016 MacBook Pro, which I just had the battery replaced and it's running like a charm.
Nick Caruso:
Oh yeah. You went through with that program. That's right. I remember. Maybe there are too many to really narrow it down like this, but what changes, I guess, are most apparent to you between the two?
Tucker Bowe:
I mean, everything. Just the size and the feel. If you remember the old kind of MacBook Pros, they had this weight and boxiness to them. And this thing, Apple really thickened this thing out, scored off the edges. It feels like a substantial machine again, rather than kind of the [inaudible 00:56:47], which prioritize thinness over everything. And just using the computer in everyday use, you notice the better fuller keyboard, you notice the port selection. And then the display is just bigger and brighter and it has a notch now. So that's everything.
Nick Caruso:
Oh, that's right. I mean, I'm not sure there's much more that needs to be said. Apple completely overhauled its premier line of laptops and made them pretty much optimized for the people who are meant to use them.
Tucker Bowe:
Yeah, yeah. [crosstalk 00:57:24].
Nick Caruso:
You mentioned price though. What is the price? Where do they start?
Tucker Bowe:
The starting price of the 14 inches is two grand. And I think on the high-end, if you get the 16-inch model, you can figure it out with all of the memory and storage, it's like over six grand. So most of these computers are going to go between the 2000 and 3500 price point. And those are expensive machines.
Nick Caruso:
Wow. Well, cool. Thanks for the rundown, but let's talk about another somewhat pricey, and as it turns out, Apple adjacent product in the audio category, this is from a company called Syng.
Tucker Bowe:
S-Y-N-G. Yeah. Y-N-G.
Nick Caruso:
That's right. Syng with a Y. It's a new company founded by a former Apple designer, California based of course, and the product we're talking about, the game changer winner from the GP100 this year is the new first of its kind multi-room wireless speaker called the Cell Alpha. Cell, as in C-E-L-L. And it's especially interesting because inside there are three mid-range tweeter drivers that produce what Syng calls, triphonic sound. And that tech essentially simulates the sensation of different sounds you're listening to like in a music track coming from different parts of the room. Is that correct, and is that what's game changing here?
Tucker Bowe:
Yeah. I mean, there's a lot of things game changing with the Cell office speaker, but like you touched on before, it was created by a company, Syng that was founded by Christopher Stringer who worked at Apple for two decades, from everything, from the first iPhone to the HomePod. And the speaker is essentially a Sono speaker on steroids. It's a 360-degree speaker, which is kind of a rarity these days, but it plays sound in all directions. And the triphonic is interesting because it's more of a marketing term than anything, but it has a triphon driver or three midrange tweeter located around the equator of the speaker. I think we should, I don't know, as I describe it I think it's important to clarify that.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. You need to talk about how it looks like.
Tucker Bowe:
Yeah, it looks like the death star or some kind of spherical spaceship. And around the equator are these three evenly placed midrange and tweeter drivers that shoot sound in all direction. And there's two force-balanced woofers on the top and bottom of the speaker. So it doesn't create any vibrations and distortion. The idea is that no matter where you stand around this speaker, it's going to sound pretty epic. I mean, you remember the Amazon Echo and the HomePod, it's like, those are the last relevant kind of 360-degree speakers, because I think I can go down a tangent on how-
Nick Caruso:
I can tell you're ready to.
Tucker Bowe:
... people are not standing around a speaker. But anyway, this speaker can play great sound in all directions, but it's also an immersive speaker. It's designed as an immersive speaker so you can kind of hear the instrumentals above you and around you and left and right. And it's designed as an immersive kind of speaker.
Nick Caruso:
I guess I want to try to be delicate this question because I don't want to sound skeptical, but I've never really witnessed a speaker of this quality and kind. And I assume that a lot of people listening haven't either. So does it actually work that well?
Tucker Bowe:
Yeah. It's funny, I was playing it and actually my dad was home and he came over and he heard it for the first time, he was like, "Wait, where's the other speakers in the room?" Because it really sounded like there were more than one speaker in the room. Like I said, it's a niche speaker. It's an $1,800 speaker, which is kind of prices out a lot of people and it looks very interesting. And so a lot of people want speakers to blend into the room, this is definitely going to stand out. So it's definitely for the kind of audio file or so called prosumer who wants something that sounds great, but also is super different than every other speaker out there.
Nick Caruso:
It's a look, that's for sure. And I mean, to your point, I don't want to start... Promise me you're not going to go on the tangent. But I think what you were going to touch on earlier is that for a speaker with 360-degree sound, means you kind of have to be able to move around it entirely. So if you're going to put something in the middle of the room, it might as well look cool. Right? So maybe [crosstalk 01:02:25] there.
Tucker Bowe:
To be fair, I mean, well, when I said it's like a Sono speaker on steroids, this speaker is packed with technology. So you can kind of calibrate it to the room you're in. And also with it, it's got a pretty nifty apps that you can kind of aim the sound, if you want. So you can kind of make it a forward firing speaker if you want, and position the sound. So you can like aim the sound at certain areas of the room depending on where you are. It's a weird thing because, seeing the company, really want you to have more than one of these Cell office speakers, because they're essentially multi-room speakers that work together. Because when you have more than one specifically, if you have three, you can really kind of aim and customize the sound the way you want.
Tucker Bowe:
And you can, in fact, I have an experience, I've only experience one of these speakers, but you can position certain sounds that come from different areas of the room when you have three together and to create this kind of beautiful cacophony of sound or so they say. But it's a really kind of futuristic looking, but also packed with future tech that it feels like this is kind of the wireless speaker of the future or aimed at the future.
Nick Caruso:
Appropriately enough, I'm planning to overhaul my home audio next year. So if you're feeling generous, Tucker, just-
Tucker Bowe:
What's your budget?
Nick Caruso:
My budget is not $1,800, 360-degree speaker.
Tucker Bowe:
Fair enough.
Nick Caruso:
But I'll think about it and we can talk offline about it. So thanks for running through tech and audio game changers.
Tucker Bowe:
Cool. Thanks, Nick.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. Bye. The next category is a favorite of mine and that is motoring, all things automotive. This year was a weird one for cars and trucks and things that go, particularly due to the now infamous chip shortage, but also due to myriad other factors which have caused a massive bottleneck in manufacturing. However, a lot of great stuff dropped in 2021 in spite of it all. Case in point the 2021 motoring game changer, the Rivian R1T electric pickup truck.
Nick Caruso:
Now spoiler alert, the R1T was a shoe in this time around. It packs supercar performance and incredible offroad performance and is completely electric, of course. Here to tell us more, is your friend and mine, associate editor, Tyler Duffy. Tyler, is there any one thing that makes the Rivian R1T a game changer?
Tyler Duffy:
Well, I mean, I think the biggest thing, if you're looking market wise, it's a truck. It's an electric car that's a truck. And trucks are what most people buy in this country, or not most people buy, but they're the most popular vehicles far and away. The assume most people's lifestyle needs. We've Ford has the F-150 lightning coming, GM has the Hummer SUT coming. Tesla's been promising the Cybertruck, and who knows when that'll arrive. But Rivian got there first and they have a truck that's on the market now, and it's probably the... I mean, it's a seriously polished and impressive vehicle.
Tyler Duffy:
This thing weighs almost a ton more than a land cruiser and it accelerates to 60 miles an hour in under four seconds. It's basically high-end sports car performance on the road, and then you get off-road and it's got 15 inches of ground clearance and can pretty much do anything a Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco could do. And then it's also really practical where you've got, not just the truck bed, but you've got the gear tunnel under the rear seats and in front. And it looks good. It looks premium. It's just a seriously polished and great package. So when we were thinking of what is the most sort of game changing vehicle of 2021, that's it. And the Rivian R1T, and obviously investors agree because it's now worth more than every major manufacturer except Tesla and Toyota.
Nick Caruso:
Right. Which is wild. I think the polish is really what strikes me the most. I mean, I haven't been behind the wheel. Very few people have. But certainly compared to the other big guys in the space, which basically Tesla has come under fire literally from the beginning and to no end about its quality concerns, whereas Rivian's rolling off the line with a perfect vehicle, it seems. And you mentioned the tunnel, the R1T has a lot of really interest storage and cargo spaces because electric motors are out of the way. There's no combustion engine in the way. So you can pass things all the way through the body and pretty wild. What are other element of the truck do you find most fascinating? Do you have any other favorites?
Tyler Duffy:
I really like the tunnel because you got the camp kitchen in there and you can fit snowboards and skis and you can fit, on the media drive, people were fitting people in there and it's just sort of, I think the way it uses space because Rivian obviously started with their own skateboard platform pretty much before anyone else was. Whereas the Ford F-150 Lightning is still on an F-150 and based on kind of that combustion car and that sort of shape. Rivian came in with a flat skateboard platform. Batteries are low, everything's low. The way they kind of use space is sort of a sign of what electric cars are going to be moving forward.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. I mean, have delivery started of the truck yet. Are people receiving them yet or is that-
Tyler Duffy:
Deliveries have started. They are not many, I mean, I forget the exact number, but it's in the low hundreds that went at the first month I think was in September. I mean, I let Rivian's, part of it is based here and I've seen one on the road, so I think they're sort of getting deliveries out to their first customers and people who work for Rivian. So I think they're going to ramp up production soon, but their vehicles are out there.
Nick Caruso:
So cool. Yeah, you're calling in from Detroit. So vehicle Mecca. So quick stats on the R1T base price, just a little over $67,000, which is a high number, but for what you get, really consider that.
Tyler Duffy:
[inaudible 01:09:54] other factor in that, I think the median price people pay for a full size truck is 50,000. So it sounds like a lot, but that's not that much more than people are already paying for their pickup trucks.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. And that's a great point. And not that you'll run up a $17,000 fuel bill in the first fews of ownership of a regular truck, but I mean, that offsets the price of it too. And speaking of making it go or how much it can go, there's an EPA range of 314 miles for the R1T. And you can read a full review and a bunch of other stuff about the Rivian and it's fellow GP100 winners online. And boy, I can't wait to get behind the wheel. Maybe it'll game change my 2022. Maybe that's in my future. Who knows? Let's take a road trip Tyler. Let's take a Rivian road trip together. I think we deserve it.
Tyler Duffy:
Well, we can get that arranged I think.
Nick Caruso:
Okay, great. Well, thanks so much. And here's to hoping. Time pieces, a super fun category to look back on each year, because in the watch world news is truly nonstop and it's always intricate and fascinating. This year's GP100 game changer in the watch category is a new movement by Bremont called the ENG300. The ENG300 is being made in the company's fancy new facility in England, signifying a return of watchmaking to England after long hiatus. With me to talk watches, to talk the GP100, and this year's game changer is associate editor, Zen Love. Hi, Zen?
Zen Love:
How are you doing?
Nick Caruso:
I'm okay. I just talked to Evan who is on the other side of Pennsylvania, right? Are you closer to Philadelphia?
Zen Love:
I am as close to Philly as you can get. I'm right in the middle. I'm two blocks away from the cheesesteaks.
Nick Caruso:
Okay, great. That's all you could really ask for. Can you sort of fill us in on why this new movement is a game changer?
Zen Love:
I think it's a game changer in a few ways. This is one of the first movements to start being produced outside of Switzerland in a mass capacity, by an upstart, not an upstart brand, but kind of a newer brand that is trying to produce as much as possible in-house. They produce their cases already. And this is a big step that a lot of other companies would like to take. It's also a game changer because in a historical sense, it can represent the idea of a return to Britain of watchmaking, which historically was a center of the industry in centuries past.
Nick Caruso:
What is the facility, Bremont facility is called something, right? [crosstalk 01:13:14].
Zen Love:
It's called The Wing. It was incredibly expensive. I got to tour it, walk around, see the machines, making these movement parts, hang out with the English brothers, their name is English and they're making English watches. They're very charming. And their facilities are very impressive. And what they've accomplished over the past, around 20 years is also very impressive.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. I mean, it's sort of a meteoric rise for a maker to get to this kind of level.
Zen Love:
Sure.
Nick Caruso:
And as I recall, this movement is going to be in a limited series of watches something like 300, right?
Zen Love:
It's starting that way. This is the collection that introduces the movement. What a lot of people didn't understand when this was announced or they've kind of overlooked was that these are expensive limited edition watches with some more complications. That means more functions than even a basic movement. And so they're expensive. They started just south of 20 grand, something like that. But what the company was sure to emphasize is that these are going to go into their core collections with basic functionality, just plain automatic time telling date, stuff like that.
Zen Love:
And they say that they're not going to affect the prices of their existing collections much. It's going to be a little bit of a bump, but I mean, considering going from sourced third-party movements to in-house movements for just, I'm estimating maybe around $1000 more than what they're currently charging is a pretty cool and exciting development.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. It'll be neat to see how future watch models come about. So you're saying that there will be sort of simpler, less complicated versions of, Bremont's coming out with the same in-house movement at its core?
Zen Love:
Definitely. They make a lot of tool watches and sport watches that are tested for real durability and meant for all kinds of adventurous things. And they're often basic three hands and we're going to see this movement in those as well, dive watches, pilots watches, that type of thing. This movement is also able to be adapted into a lot of configurations, I believe it was 18 configurations is the way it was designed, which means it can accommodate other functions and we'll see a [inaudible 01:16:24] pretty soon in the next year in 2022 more of what it's capable of.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. That's exactly what I was going to say. I'm betting that this next year is going to bring a lot of more news along this line. So we're going to stay tuned and everybody's going to have to check out the full list of the GP100 watches category with our 10 products there that got the award this year. So Zen, thanks so much for dropping by for a few minutes to explain the game changer and tease the rest and to also tease the work you're going to be doing next year.
Zen Love:
Thanks, Nick.
Nick Caruso:
That's it for this episode of the GP podcast. Thank you so much for tuning in. If you want more information about the GP100, the best 100 products of the year and the 10 game changers, those disruptors, as we talked about at the beginning of the episode, make sure you check out the links below and a post on the website if that's where you're listening to the pod. If you're not, that means you're using a podcast service and we'd love if you could rate us five stars. It helps us keep the lights on as they say.
Nick Caruso:
Find us on social media, our handle is @gearpatrol and you can email me at podcast@gearpatrol.com with any questions, comments, or other suggestions for really great products. We'd love to hear from you. Thanks again for tuning into this special episode for Gear Patrol, I'm Nick Caruso. And until next time, take care.