Some of Our Favourite Things

If you’ve ever wondered what tools, equipment, appliances and accessories we love the most, this list will point you in the right direction!

Please note, some of the links below are affiliate links. This means we receive a small commission if you choose to buy (with no additional cost to you).

DIY Tools

Dewalt Tools

If you’ve been watching us for even a short while you’ll notice that we use a LOT of Dewalt tools. Here are some of our favourites:

• Tablesaw, DWE7492 ( European model – ES / UK) or DWE7491 ( US model) – great jobsite saw and nothing yet that it hasn’t been able to handle.
• Stand for tablesaw, DWE74911 (ES, UK, US)
• Orbital sander, DCW210 (ES, UK, US ) – best used with Abranet discs (see below)
• Electric planer, DCP580 (ES, UK, US)
• Multitool, DCS355 (European model – ES, UK) or DCS356 (US model)
• Laser level, DW088 (ES, UK, US)
• Router, DCW604 (European model – ES, UK) / DCW600 (US model)
• Drill/driver, DCD796 (ES, UK, US)
• Impact driver, DCF887 (ES, UK, US)
• Angle grinder, DCG412 (ES, UK, US)
• Finishing nailer, DCN660 (ES, UK, US)
• Framing nailer, DCN692 (ES, UK, US)
• Hammer drill, D25144 (seems to only be in Europe) – we also use this as a hammer chipper for removing cement render. It’s approx 3kg, which is great for Kylie as it’s lighter and can be used above shoulder height
• SDS-Max hammer drill, D25810 – this drill is very heavy duty, weighing approx 5kg, and was amazing when digging our drainage channel – with a special spade bit

Woodworking Tools

Old Black+Decker workbench – I think we’ve had this for about 13 years! It’s just starting to get to the point where it’s a bit painful to use, but it’s been a great affordable option for a very long time.

Our new Kreg workbench – ordered from a German online store who are excellent!

Kreg saw horse – this works with the workbench to extend the usable space. You can even hang 2×4’s on the sides and add a table top.

Kreg tracksaw guide – we didn’t want to buy a dedicated tracksaw since we already have two circular saws, so this was a great buy

Bessey clamps – we bought 4 x 600mm and 4 x 1000mm

Kreg pocket hole gig – this is truely a pleasure to use. Really easy to set up and perfect holes every time ;)

Titebond glue – we’ve used both Titebond II and Titebond III

Other Tools

Probably the most kick a** piece of kit we have is our concrete breaker from Einhell. We used this to break up the concrete path outside the house and the concrete floor in the rooms that are now our utility and stairwell.

Safety Gear

CAT steel capped boots – best work boots we’ve found! Guy’s are called Holton and Kylie’s are called Chukka.

Kylie’s 3M ear defenders – not just for keeping the noise out but also for listening to your favourite tunes while working

Our yellow 3M ear defenders – these are simple but very effective

Other Bits and Pieces

Gilboy’s hard wax oil – bought for finishing the chestnut beams in the kitchen and we now use for everything that needs a quality finish

Pica dry pencil – an essential to have clipped on at all times

Mirka Abranet sanding pads – game changer when it came to sanding the chestnut beams. Now wouldn’t be without them!

Building Supplies

Hemp – unfortunately we’ve not been able to source in Portugal, but we found a company in Spain that were willing to deliver French hemp to us. They are super responsive via email too!

In the Kitchen

Guy loves cooking up a storm in the kitchen which means we have A LOT of gadgets! Here are some of our favourites:

• Vitamix 5000 blender – Other than our coffee machine this is probably the most used appliance in our kitchen. Guy had this before we even met, so it’s over 15 years old and still going strong.
• Sage (Breville) coffee machine – for when we need a serious caffeine hit (different countries have different brand names, Sage in the UK, Breville in US/Australia). We order our beans in Portugal from Fábrica Coffee Roasters. Our excellent citrus juicer is also from Sage but it no longer appears to be available.
• Joseph Joseph – we have a lot of their products: chopping boards, washing up basin, drying rack, kitchen caddy, scrub brush .. the list goes on and on!
• Global knives – probably the best knives we’ve ever had!
• Di Oro silicone spoons/spatulas – we previously used wooden spoons, but these are so much better! We recently discovered a baking set which is excellent at getting every little last bit of food out of a jar – great for honey, peanut butter, etc. The tongs (with removable silicone ends) are also great, they work really well on the bbq too.
• For canning we almost exclusively use Weck jars (and accessories) because they are the best I’ve found after lots of trial and error with other brands. I currently use an electric water bath canner but am on the lookout for a better one that has an automatic timer. I used to have one that was excellent but it died and has been discontinued :(
• Our pots, pans and ovenware are always from Le Creuset. They are truly beautiful and very long lasting. There are lots of imitations on the market, so watch out that you’re buying the real thing.
• For wine we like to drink from Riedel glasses. We have an amazing decanter that one day we might be able to unpack and display on a custom piece of furniture!

In the Garden

Our beasty BCS 740 tractor/mower is probably our biggest garden investment and we love it! We use it regularly for mowing the land (using a BladeRunner attachment) but it also has a cultivator attachment we’ve used to prepare new ground. There are loads of other attachments that can also be purchased separately.

We also have the following garden tools:

• Einhell brush cutter – this cuts through anything effortlessly, though it can be physically demanding to use it on dense brush.
• Einhell strimmer – we bought this before the brush cutter and still comes in handy when wanting to do some lighter work (it’s also a lot lighter and easier to manage)
• Bosch garden shredder – great for all types of leafy material but particularly awesome for olive branches
• Garland wood chipper – does a great job chipping but needs branches to be totally straight else it gets clogged up. We bought this before the Bosch shredder and now seldom us it.
• Seed storage – I use a storage box designed to hold physical photographs, remember those!! I stole this idea from Kevin at Epic Gardening :)

We source our bulk compost and wood chips from a small place called Eurovegetal in Figueiró dos Vinhos. They don’t do delivery so you need to have your own pickup.

Around the Home

When we finished laying the limestone tiles I went looking for something to help keep them clean and found two handy gadgets:

• Karcher steam cleaner – not only does it do a great job on the floor but I’ve used it to freshen up our lounge chairs and it removes so much grime!
• Dyson cordless vacuum – even Guy likes using this :) We also have a smaller version which doesn’t appear to be available any longer – we’ve had it for many years with no issues.

Yarn Projects (crochet/knitting)

Knitting Needles

I’ve only just started knitting again and have had to upgrade from my original Symfonie needles (they tend to snap quite easily). I now have a set of stainless steel needles from ChiaoGoo and also an ebony set from Lantern Moon.

I like both! The stainless steel was a little hard to get used to but yarn really glides on them. I like the look and feel of the Lantern Moon set too, but unfortunately they don’t come in all the sizes I tend to use so I now end up switching between the two sets.

Crochet Hooks

I’ve tried loads of different single hooks to find the ‘perfect’ hook. I finally found what I was looking for in the Clover soft touch range. The hook glides well and the thumb rest is really comfortable. Unfortunately they don’t seem to be available in a set, so I have a jar full of all the sizes I like to use.

Tunisian Crochet Hooks

My favourites are these from Lantern Moon, they’re super comfortable and glide really well, and the best bit is that they swivel. They are also compatible with the KnitPro Symfonie hooks (these seem less sturdy but also glide well).

I also have a set from ChiaoGoo made from bamboo. These are very lightweight but I find that they can snag on some yarns (a nail file often helps to make the hook head better).

Yarn

I try to shop locally where possible for yarn but I also splash out when I see specials from some of the online stores.

I love WelcomeYarn for making homeware items – I used their Barbante yarn for the foot poufs and cushions that I made. As they are based in Portugal I buy directly from them but I have seen their yarns available in a range of yarn shops around the globe.

I also like a lot of the yarns from Hobbii, especially Sultan range.

When looking for Portuguese yarn I always head to Rosa Pomar. I have some wonderful Portuguese merino wool that is waiting to be knit into a jumper/sweater (it’s some way down my to-do list however).

Books

I don’t often buy books but these are good for reference:

• Mosaic Knitting by Barbara Walker – excellent book with a library of mosaic graphs
• Mosaic Knitting Workshop by Ashleigh Wempe – great beginners book with a series of projects with full explanation, graphs and photos
• Tunisian Crochet Stitch Dictionary by Anna Nikipirowicz – currently working my way through this trying to find a stitch that will allow me to do reversible mosaic crochet (no luck as yet)
• Portuguese Knitting by Rosa Pomar – on my to do list with the Portuguese wool I recently bought

Camera Gear

We have a fairly low-tech approach to making videos as we like the equipment to keep out of the way so we can focus on the project at hand. That being said, he’s a list of the camera gear we do use and recommend. If you’re interested in making videos to document your own projects (or publish on YouTube) check out our how to make videos online course

• GoPro Hero 11 Black (we also have a Hero 9 but I don’t recommend it as it crashes a lot)
• Rode Wireless GO II microphones
• Sametop or Wealpe flexible GoPro mount
• Manfrotto tripod
• Small gear travel tripod
• Canon R6 mirrorless camera with 50mm EF lens
• Rode Video Micro microphone
• Heil PR40 voice over microphone

Smart Home Tech

• Phillips Hue lights
• Shelly smart relays for smart lighting
• Synology DS1520 Network Attached Storage
• Starlink satellite internet with Google Wifi mesh network
• Mac Studio for video editing