Month: October 2024

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It’s no secret that tools are expensive, especially if you’re aiming to build a collection with name-brand implements from DeWalt, Milwaukee, and sometimes even Ryobi. But if you’re patient, getting high-quality tools doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg—great deals on great tools can be found. Lately, Amazon has been going nuts with discounts on Craftsman tools, and that trend continues today because the brand’s 104-piece mechanics tool set just hit its lowest price ever.

The Craftsman 104-Piece Mechanics Tool Set is on sale for just $80, which is a 50% discount on its normal price of $161. This is one of the top 20 bestselling tool sets on Amazon, and over 800 of these sets have been purchased in the past month alone by shoppers who can attest that they’re “a necessity for any homeowner” and “quality tools, as you’d expect from Craftsman.” If you’re looking for more of a robust selection, Craftsman’s larger 262-piece set is also on sale right now.

Craftsman 104-Piece Mechanics Tool Set, $80 (was $161) on Amazon

This tool set includes both ¼-inch and ⅜-inch-drive ratchets along with a full complement of sockets in both metric and SAE dimensions for both sizes. It also includes a set of hex wrenches and a handheld bit driver with a variety of bits for turning screws, tightening nuts, and more. All of the sockets and ratchets feature a full-polish chrome finish for superb durability and rust resistance. But here’s what makes this set a truly unbelievable deal: It includes a full metal three-drawer tool chest as well. Two organized drawers keep all the implements in place and within reach, and the toolbox also has empty drawers, so you can add in other tools you already own.

Amazon shoppers report this set lives up to Craftsman’s reputation for quality—these tools are the real deal. One shopper appreciated its “excellent tools” and “great value and quality,” while another shopper called it “perfect for the home.”

Related: The 5 Best DeWalt Deals Online Right Now: Spare Batteries, Drills, and More

“It’s an overall good basic set for any mechanic starting out, or if you need a great affordable tool set for the value,” said another shopper. “The toolbox is good-quality Craftsman.”

If you want to get a job done right, you need good tools, and Craftsman is a name you can trust. A 104-piece set from such a well-regarded brand is a worthy investment for any DIYer, and at just $80, it’s an absolute steal. But these sets are selling fast, and there’s no telling how long the discount will last—get yours today before Amazon hikes the price back up.

After nearly two years of legal drama in what ended up becoming the longest criminal trial in Georgia state history, Atlanta-bred rapper Young Thug is seemingly coming home. 

On Oct. 31, the state of Georgia and Thug agreed to a non-negotiated plea deal that forces the “Pick Up the Phone” rapper to serve 15 years of probation, according to CNN. By pleading guilty to various gun and drug charges, Thug is able to avoid the 45-year prison sentence he could’ve been facing; the judge handed down a sentence of five years (which was commuted to time served in jail) and 15 on probation with the possibility of serving 20 years in custody if the terms of his probation are violated. He’s been in jail since his May 2022 arrest and is able to be released immediately. 

Thug speaks. pic.twitter.com/NrAGSWHWJv

— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) October 31, 2024

The case dates back nearly a decade to a 2015 fatal shooting of an alleged rival gang member, as well as other alleged gun and drug crimes.

Young Thug and members of his Young Stoner Life Records crew were charged in 2022 under Georgia’s Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Among the evidence used were rap lyrics that prosecutors claimed were evidence of crimes being committed. This implicated many of his associates including rapper Gunna. 

Gunna took a plea deal and others were severed from the case entirely, leaving Thug as one of the six defendants on trial. The controversial trial became a circus involving several motions for a mistrial and a new judge being assigned to the case. 

FULL SENTENCING

THIS JUDGE SAW THROUGH THE STATE’S GAMES AND RULES THAT THUG IS NOT A DANGER

HE’S FREE TODAY!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/Dr7eZdZOAW

— THUGGERDAILY ひ (@ThuggerDaily) October 31, 2024

Speaking to the court in his hearing today, Thug apologized to his family and friends for what they’ve been through over the past two years and expressed his hope that he won’t have to see the judge again. He released his third album Business is Business while in jail last year, though with his freedom now secured, it remains to be seen just how long before the prolific rapper releases new music. 

Most of us hat-wearing men tend to treat our baseball caps like outerwear, which is to say that we throw them on when we leave the house, take them off when we get home, and pretty much just leave it at that. If your shirts, pants, and underwear get grimy or sweaty, you probably do the sensible thing and throw them in the washing machine—but when was the last time your well-worn hats were part of your laundry cycle? If you’re wondering how to wash a hat, we break it all down for you here—including how to wash a baseball hat, how to wash a hat by hand, how to wash a white hat, and how to wash a hat in the dishwasher, among other methods. (Hint: One of the methods is the best and most reliable).

Related: The Best White Sneakers of 2024 Will Clean Up Any Outfit

What to Know About Washing a Hat

It’s a shame so many of us neglect our hat washing, because as most of us know all too well, hats get as dirty, blemished, and sweat-stained as any other clothing, if not more so. Wear a baseball cap on an especially sunny day, and that thing is going to be more damp than gym clothes when you get home. Wear a cap to the gym, and double the problem. Don’t even think about wearing a white baseball cap for more than five minutes at a time—I can tell you from experience that most of my once-sparkling white hats are now much closer to yellow.

But your favorite hats don’t need to get chucked into the trash just yet—not even if they’ve taken a turn for the worse and no longer look as crisp and as fresh as they did when you bought them. It turns out, there are many ways to clean your hat and revitalize them, so that even seriously gross caps can have another chance at life in your daily rotation. Here’s how to clean your hats and have them looking (nearly) as good as new again.

Men’s Journal aims to feature only the best products and services. We update when possible, but deals expire and prices can change. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.

The Best Way: How to Wash a Hat by Hand

The best and most reliable method, if you’re looking for how to wash a baseball hat, also turns out to be the most labor-intensive. Fill your sink or a bucket with lukewarm water and a small amount of gentle dish soap. (We suggest avoiding hand soap because it often contains moisturizer, which can further stain your hat.) Submerge the hat in the water, and take a microfiber cloth or toothbrush to the most obvious and deep-seated stains or blemishes. Gently rub with soap until these begin to dissipate, then submerge the hat again and leave it to soak for up to one hour.

Remove the hat from the water, spot-check again for any lingering stains, and then very gently squeeze the excess water from the fabric, making sure to avoid producing wrinkles or altering the shape of the brim. Place the hat on a dry surface, such as a bath towel. Fitted caps, trucker hats, and most snapbacks are sturdy enough to retain their shape at the end of this cleaning, but softer, less structured hats, like Dad caps, might need to have something placed inside during the drying process, to prevent collapsing. You don’t want to lose the shape or have the cap wind up wrinkled.

Should You Wash a Hat in the Dishwasher?

You may remember hearing about this one from your mom, and it’s true, the dishwasher is a classic hat-cleaning hack. However, there are a few things you’ll want to watch out for if you choose to wash a hat in the dishwasher. First, make sure that the dishwasher is set to a low, gentle cycle, or speed wash, and make sure you don’t include a dishwasher tab or too much washing liquid. (Because the water is so hot, you probably don’t need to use any washing liquid at all—the water will do most of the work.) Be careful about how you place the hat on the rack, and avoid doing this if your hat is especially old, beaten up, or fragile—the intense heat and pressure of the water can potentially damage the fabric of your hat.

Related: 14 Best Khaki Pants You Can Style for Any Occasion

Should You Wash a Hat in the Washer/Dryer?

If you’ve tried to hand-wash your hat and have had no luck with either that or the dishwasher—or if your hat is in really bad shape and needs some seriously intensive cleaning—you can opt for the very last resort: using a washing machine. Needless to say, you’ll want to run the gentlest, shortest cycle available on the machine, and you’ll want to make sure the temperature is set to cold or set for whites (if it’s a white hat).

It’s critical that you take the hat out as soon as the cycle is finished and set the hat to dry on top of something to retain its shape—consider either stretching it out over a bowl or coffee can, or in a pinch, hanging it from a door handle to dry. And no matter what, avoid running the hat through the machine dryer—it may be tempting to have that hat come out warm and fuzzy, but the dryer will almost certainly knock your cap out of shape and have it looking wonky and weird at the end.

Amazon sells inexpensive hat washing “cages” to help retain the shape of the hat while in the washer. While they’re hardly perfect, these cages can go a long way toward helping a hat or baseball cap maintain its shape through a wash cycle.

Coopache Hat Washing Cage for Washing Machine (2-Pack)

The Weirdest Idea: The Shower

This sounds a bit nutty, but many people attest to the effectiveness of wearing your hat in the shower and washing it like you’re cleaning your head. It gets the hat clean and, because you’re wearing it, you won’t lose the shape of the cap. Fair warning, though, that if someone happens to see you doing this, you will likely look insane.

Extra Tips for Washing a Hat

• If you’re dealing with a white hat that’s been yellowed by sweat, consider using a Tide To-Go stick to spot-clean the marks.
• If your hat is made of wool, try cooler water and even gentler cleaning, and squeeze out the excess water more carefully.
• For ongoing maintenance, never overlook airing out your hats after wearing them rather than putting them right back into a drawer, closet, or cupboard. Sometimes a little air can go a long way to keep hats looking and smelling great over time. 

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So you’ve found a cologne, or unisex fragrance, that you love. But after finding the right scent, you’ll probably wonder: How to make cologne last longer? Like, as long as you possibly can?

“I think Americans are a little less informed on the proper application of fragrance,” Matt Moore, co-owner of the Austin-based EastWest Bottlers, told Men’s Journal. “Big fragrances that are animalistic—musk-based, wood-based, or Oud-based—are typically going to have a much stronger wake or trail, where you walk by somebody or you leave an elevator and that scent is still there.” That trail is called sillage, a French word that translates to “wake.” “Most Americans do not want a strong sillage,” he continued. “They don’t want it to be overpowering, but they do want it to project. If I’m that close to you, you’re going to say, ‘Oh wow, what are you wearing?’ ”

Sahina Ibrahim, the founder of UK-based Nuhr Home, which specializes in Oud fragrances, adds: “Think of it this way: Europeans like to make a statement, while Americans are more about subtle whispers of scent. Oud is like the marathon runner of the fragrance world. It just keeps going and going. While floral and citrus scents are lovely, they’re more like sprinters, fading away sooner.”

Related: 5 Best Colognes for Men to Wear Now Aren’t Made for Men

Cologne vs. Eau de Parfum vs. Eau de Toilette

Fragrance concentrations also factor into how long a scent will last. Generally speaking, eau de parfum contains 15 to 20 percent perfume oil and lasts 5 to 8 hours. Eau de toilette has less oil—5 to 15 percent—and lasts 3 to 4 hours. Cologne, on the other hand, contains 2 to 4 percent perfume oil and only lasts two hours.

One of the key ways to boost concentration? Turn to alcohol-based fragrances. “They last longer and project better because alcohol helps distribute the scent,” Ibrahim said. “Alcohol-free fragrances are gentler on the skin but can be a bit shy. They won’t make quite the same grand entrance.” (So if you have easily irritated skin, you might want to pass up the alcohol.)

Now that you know the basics of how fragrances work, what are a few dos and don’ts?

Dos and Don’ts: How to Make Cologne Last Longer

DO apply the fragrance after a shower

“I always tell people that you want to be clean,” Moore says. He also recommends applying a non-fragrant moisturizer. “Moisture is going to help that fragrance really project. If your skin is very, very dry, it’s almost like the body kind of absorbs it and the fragrance itself is just going to not give you that same projection.”

DO apply to multiple pulse points

“Pulse points are basically your body’s VIP areas for cologne,” Ibrahim said. “Behind the ears, wrists, inside the elbows, and behind the knees are perfect. The heat from these areas helps your scent radiate. Applying to your chest and neck works wonders, too, but let’s not overdo it. You don’t want to be the person everyone smells from a mile away.”

EastWest’s colognes don’t have an atomizer but instead use the splash method, which helps with the application.

But DON’T rub it in

“Sometimes people rub their wrists together, and that’s really going to change the formulation of the fragrance,” Moore says. “You’re actually starting to incorporate the oils of the skin into the fragrance, and we want the fragrance to almost sit on top.”

Ibrahim compares rubbing the wrists together to “shaking a soda can before opening it.” She says: “It crushes the top notes and messes with the scent.”

Moore recommends even wearing jewelry made of wood, stones, or something absorbent. “As you wear those throughout the day and as your body heats up depending on your activity, that will also help the scent project.”

Related: This $18 Cologne on Amazon Rivals Fragrances 10X the Price

DO spray the scent on your clothes

“It’s totally appropriate,” Moore says. “If you spray on your neck area and the next morning you put a T-shirt on, you get that beautiful recall of, ‘Wow, that’s a warm scent that I just absolutely love,’ and then you reapply and move forward.”

However, Ibrahim is split on applying scents to clothes. “Fragrance works best when it’s on the skin, where it can mingle with your natural oils and body heat,” she says. “Spraying it directly on clothes can sometimes alter the scent and potentially leave marks.” But walking into a scent cloud can work, too.

“If you love the idea of a scent cloud, go ahead and step into it,” she adds. “It’ll give you a lighter, more even application.”

DON’T store the fragrances in the bathroom—or your car

“The bathroom is usually going to be one of your worst places due to the fact that a lot of folks have brighter light [in the bathroom],” Moore notes. “You want to keep it out of sunlight. You also have a lot of humidity that’s varying by showering.”

“Fragrances are a bit like vampires—they hate sunlight,” Ibrahim adds. “Keep them in a cool, dark place, like a drawer or cupboard, away from heat or light.”

Moore suggests a slightly different place. “My father kept a bottle of Polo Green in his wardrobe, and we created a scent for my brand called Sportsman that comes in a green bottle,” he says. “The wardrobe itself is the perfect place to keep fragrances because it’s away from light, a lot of humidity, and temperature variances.”

But the worst place to keep your fragrance? Your vehicle. “Don’t leave your perfume in the car unless you fancy a melted fragrance bottle,” Ibrahim says.

DON’T overdo it

Whether you choose a heavier, Oud-based fragrance or something lighter, layering the scents provides projection. For instance, EastWest’s acclaimed Moonshine has notes of black pepper, and Moore recommends layering it with a black pepper-scented lotion.

But the most important tip concerns the application. “Don’t drench yourself in perfume,” Ibrahim says. “More isn’t always better. Sometimes less is more, especially when your scent is doing a great job on its own. Over-spraying is a common rookie move. It’s supposed to be an accent, not an alarm bell.”

Related: 13 Best Men’s Colognes in 2024