Doug Mahoney/NYT Wirecutter

Senior staff writer Doug Mahoney swears by the near-limitless uses for these $1 clamps on his rural New Hampshire homestead. He reaches for these dirt-cheap, all-purpose tools for everything from holding down tarps, to securing the garden hose to the side of his sheep shed, and keeping the chicken coop’s door open.

But you don’t need a farm to appreciate the versatility of what are essentially giant, strong clothespins: He also uses them for securing open bags of cat litter or setting up blanket forts in the living room.

“It is so integrated into my life that it has achieved duct tape-level versatility,” he writes, “consistently creating temporary fixes so good, they become permanent.”

Clamp whatever you want, wherever you want→

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Photo illustration by Dana Davis/NYT Wirecutter; source photos by Brittney Ho/NYT Wirecutter

These magnetic, hexagonal vessels aren’t just great for transporting moisturizer, sunscreen, and other skin-care products for travel. They also come in the ideal size for porting around vitamins, jewelry, Band-Aids, bobby pins—and any other bits and bobs that might otherwise be rolling around the bottom of your bag. The vessels have a well-constructed, convenient design that allows them to clack into a compact honeycomb. Plus? They’re just plain pretty.

Upgrade your leaky drugstore travel bottles→

Sabai

Our experts recommend this sofa for anyone who’s after an affordable, recyclable, and replaceable couch with a relatively small footprint. One tester who has had one for two years reports that its cushions look plump, unfaded, and virtually like new—even without washing the upholstery or flipping the cushions. Right now, Wirecutter readers can use promo code WCSOFA to get 20% off sitewide.

Get the deal→

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