Stuff Geeks Want

So why do you think your dentist has a high-pressure water dental tool in his bag of tricks? It’s because they work and it gets to places a brush can’t. That’s why you should consider the newly updated Waterpik WP-100W Ultra Dental Water Jet.

This thing is unbelievable. It removes bacteria deep between teeth and below gumline where brushing alone will not reach. But it’s nicest feature is it massages your gums to make them strong and healthy.

Fill up the tank with water, put it in the mouth, turn it on, and with your mouth closed you’ll feel the incredible power as it cleans your teeth like the power washer cleans your car down at the self-serv.

We’re told by those in the know that this model is much quieter with less vibration. The most important thing is to set the pressure to a comfortable level to get all of your teeth.

Buy for $59 from Amazon

They’re calling Burberry’s cologne, The Beat for Men, “An addictive woody fragrance with a beat of energy” aimed at ‘the guy 18 to 25′. The perfumers actually listened to the music of the bands like Razorlight, the Fratellis, Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian to get the feel and fragrance that is The Beat.

The Beat for Men was created by perfumers Olivier Polge and Domitille Bertier, and The Beat’s listed notes are leatherwood, Bourbon vetiver, cedrat, black pepper and violet leaves. Perfect for the Fall and Winter. The beat goes on.

Buy the 3.4 ounce bottle for $43 from Amazon

Have an elderly family member or just forgetful when it comes to taking vitamins or other essential medication? The Vitality GlowCap Connect is a great reminder with four redundancies.

Here’s how it works: GlowCaps fit popular prescription bottles available at Walgreens and other retail pharmacies. Inside the GlowCap is a 900 Mhz wireless chip that enables four services. It knows it you missed your meds and alerts you or others with a light, tone, and phone call or text message. It even communicates with a USB stick to beam reports to an online system that tracks your diligence and automatically orders refills.

For the future Vitality is working on a version that can be used free of the USB sticks for those patients that aren’t terribly versed on computers or the Internet.

Buy for $99 from Amazon

The age old problem of men who forget to put the toilet seat down will soon be a thing of the past thanks to the AutoClose by Pressalit.

The AutoClose is an intelligent toilet seat that takes everyone into consideration by closing by itself, automatically. It’s got a built-in, infrared sensor that keeps the toilet cover open when a user is present and will gently close when the user shuffles off with their bum in tow (and toilet paper dangling from their shoe).

It’s not available until January of 2010 and there’s no set price yet because it will be an option for a number of Pressalit’s toilets, but when it is available it’ll be the Christmas gift of 2010 from wives to husbands everywhere. Sort of the equivalent of buying a set of pots and pans for ladies.

With airlines ripping us off to check on our baggage, it’s more important than ever to travel light. Start with your tooth brush. Go with the OHSO Marko Travel Toothbrush.

There’s no need to carry a separate tube of toothpaste. Just fill this toothbrush’s body with any small-size brand toothpaste, then twist the bottom to squirt it directly onto the bristles. One nice thing: you can twist close the chamber so it’s doesn’t leak paste all over your underwear when you’re at 30,000 feet.

Just think of it…pearly whites for that hot flight attendant.

Buy for $20 from Amazon

Electric toothbrushes have come a long way since they first became popular in the 1970s. Taking us straight into the 21st century is Philip’s latest Sonicare model, the FlexCare.

This featherweight brush packs more features and performance than any other brush on the market, with 3 brushing modes (levels of intensity) and 3 timing routines (1, 2, or 3 minutes). The Quadpacer feature will divide the brushing time into quarters, pausing briefly to let you know it’s time to move to another quadrant of you mouth so all your pearly whites get equal attention.

Other features include a long-lasting lithium-ion battery (a full charge will keep you going for 7-10 days, brushing twice a day), waterproof design (take it in the shower), traveling case, and compact charger.

The FlexCare R910 includes just the toothbrush and charger and will set you back $129.99 (free shipping) from Drugstore.com, while the FlexCare RS930 adds a UV sanitizer for the brush heads and sells for $148.58 (free shipping) from Amazon.

If you think that’s pricey, consider what it costs to get a cavity filled, or worse. Since I jumped on the Sonicare bandwagon more than a year ago I’ve been cavity-free, which is the best endorsement I could offer for a toothbrush (and two of family members got FlexCares for Christmas from me—shut up, it’s not a lame gift!).

Like all electric toothbrushes, you’ll need to replace the brush heads, which aren’t cheap: a three-pack costs $24.99. Philips recommends replacing them every 3 months, but I’ve been able to stretch that out a few more months (previous SonicCare models used brushes that were rated good for 6 months, and often could last 9 or more without losing effectiveness).

Men: listen up. If you’re not collecting social security, you shouldn’t be showing your unruly nose or ear hairs off to the world.

You should also know that those little AA-battery operated trimmers from the Sharper Image (and all similar competitors) are total garbage. Yes, it’s true my fellow geek, electrically powered tools have failed you.

Here to pick up the slack is the Platinum XL Nose & Hair Trimmer from Groom Mate. This thing is so old school even John McCain would know how to use it: insert and twist. That’s it. There’s no motor, no battery, and no light. Just a solidly machined piece of metal with some sharp blades that you manually operate and that cut through hair like a hot knife through butta.

The best part: it’s under $20 including shipping from Amazon and includes a lifetime warranty. It also has glowing customer reviews (not just from me!) and the warranty is apparently legit and completely no hassle.