Royal Sovereign Fast Sort One Row Coin Sorter CO-1000
This is the only low-cost coin sorting and wrapping machine that does not jam and break after a few days of use. The cheapest place I found it was from the "Manage My Printing" Ebay store, with shipping it was $62. But the great thing about it is that it works. If you buy any of the cheaper coin sorters (most are made by "Mag-Nif") you'll be throwing your money away, rather than sorting it!
Mini Wireless Micro-Spy Video Camera
Remember when you were a kid and ordered some great spy gear, like a spy camera or x-ray glasses, from an ad in a comic book, and the stuff turned out to be junk? Well, reclaim your broken dreams here - this micro video camera really works! The camera is only the size of a quarter and can run off of a 9-volt battery or a power adapter, and broadcasts up to about 150 feet to a video receiver you can plug into a TV or video recorder. The image is amazingly sharp and the sound is quite clear. Try taping the camera onto a remote-control car (see below) and get a driver's eye view of the race! Only $99 from hobbytron.com.
Garmin Streetpilot C340 Portable GPS Navigation System
This GPS unit works amazingly well out of the box, and can be updated with new maps and business directories by connecting to PC. You can look up destinations by street address or by the name of practically any store, restaurant, attraction, school, or business. The interface is brilliantly simple yet flexible, and can be used without ever looking at the instruction manual. The synthesized voice is clear and does a good job of pronouncing street names. Its small size and light weight make it easy to take with you on vacation, and you'll find your vacation is immensely less stressful and more enjoyable when you never have to worry about finding your way around!
Duratrax Evader RTR R/C Race Car
This is nothing like a radio-controlled car from a toy store - it goes ten times faster and turns on a dime! The Evader is a blast for children or adults. The abbreviation RTR means "ready to run" - the package includes an assembled car, battery, and radio controller. A wide variety of electric and gasoline powered radio controlled cars and components are available from Tower Hobbies (the best place to buy R/C models of all types).
Turbo Vee II R/C Racing Boat
You won't believe your eyes when you see this boat go tearing across a lake (don't even think of using it in a pool!). The Turbo Vee II comes in 6 different frequencies, so buy (at least) two! Each boat costs $99, plus you'll need a charger (about $25) and a 6-cell battery pack ($10 to $15) for each. The Turbo Vee II is sold exclusively by Tower Hobbies. Hint #1: If you buy more than one boat, get a can of spray paint and paint the top cover to match the frequency (Chan. 1 Brown, Chan. 2 Red, Chan. 3 Orange, Chan. 4 Yellow, Chan. 5 Green, Chan. 6 Blue). Hint #2: Buy an extra propeller (TOWB4590), running aground or hitting a rock at high speed can shatter the prop.
Lego Mindstorm
This is a superb way to learn computers and robotics, for grade school through college.
Many of the advanced projects (in the current Mindstorms 2.0 set) do not appear in the written manual, but are only illustrated in the software. Unfortunately, the software does not provide any way to print them out. With a bit of work, however, I created this pdf of instructions for building the Grabber Arm Pro Challenge.
In August 2006, Lego released a new version of Mindstorms called NXT, with a vastly more powerful computer "brick" and high-quality servo motors instead of regular DC motors.
Lego Inventor Record & Play
This is a fantastic set for introducing robotics for kids too young for Lego's Mindstorm line. The "smart brick" contains two servo motors that are programmed by physically moving your creation through through any sequence of motions. Hitting the "play" button makes the brick replay the motions. Challenging but not frustrating for a 7 year old, fascinating for any age. You can order it directly from Lego's online store for less than $50 (follow links for "Building Sets - Make and Create - Inventor").
Rival Deluxe Ice Shaver IS450-WB
Just about anyone who has a kid has one or more sno-cone makers that work poorly, break easily, and take forever to generate a tiny amount of shaved ice. By contrast, this inexpensive yet sturdy machine is fast, effortless, and easy and safe to use by children.