Links to Other Stores

We are continually learning about great Canadian (plus American, and worldwide) companies in the STEM area (including some sports/outdoor technology). This page is dedicated to providing links to some of our favourites. We have personal experience with most of them and recommend them to anyone interested.

United Nuclear.com  An awesome U.S.-based scientific supply store run by the legendary Bob Lazar. There is always something new and really cool on offer at United Nuclear.

Theodore Gray Offers gorgeous books, posters, quilts, as well as acrylic models of familiar objects.

Captured Lightning Featuring Lichtenberg Figures and shrunken coins, we first learned of this online store from Theodore Gray's, "Mad Science - Experiments You Can Do at Home but Probably Shouldn't". Here's a couple of examples of what you can find:

Robosen Maker of model-sized robots, such as a Transformer that can actually transform. For the very spoiled. Here's the YouTube video that prompted the entry:

Gyroscope.com - gyroscopes, educational toys and gadgets A premium UK-based manufacturer and distributor of 'Gyroscopes, educational toys & gadgets'. We love their Super-Precision Gyroscope, and Stirling Engine (offered through a separate website Kontax Stirling Engines):

Bowley Lock Company  A Canadian engineering company that has created some locks that are virtually "unpickable" due to an innovative design.  We love our Bowley Padlock Model 543 (stainless steel) and are very impressed with the design, and its very precise machining.  We learned about the company from the famous YouTuber "The Lock Picking Lawyer".

Autonomous | The everything store for Work From Home A Chat GPT 4.0 search for "what are some of the most ergonomic reading chairs?" brought up this source for work-from-home office furniture (as they proudly note, the choice of many employees of Apple, Microsoft, etc.).

AlphaChem Ltd. An ISO-registered Canadian distributor of a vast array of chemicals.

Canadawide Scientific A very comprehensive (though extremely expensive, in our experience) online store for scientific supplies.

Westlab.com A good online source for scientific and lab equipment and supplies.

Unihedron  A Canadian technology company providing some excellent meters for physics and astronomy (plus some beautiful and informative posters).

Magic Box Hobbies.  We love this Vancouver shop and all of the possibilities they supply you with!

Painless Learning.  A great selection of educational placemats with very reasonable pricing that was suggested to us by a fellow Vancouverite.

Mountain Equipment Company (MEC).  Famous outfitters in Canada for outdoor sports, hiking, adventure, etc. (sadly, no longer a Canadian co-op).

Skids & Loader - USEEX Reading Theodore Gray's excellent new book, Tools, in late 2023, the author was looking at zoomable video inspection microscopes on eBay, and noticed the name "US Equipment Exchange". A quick search brought up this awesome website. Here's an image of what appeared (having admittedly absolutely nothing to do with zoomable microscopes):

Sadly for the author, living in the suburbs of Vancouver, it's tough to justify such a toy tool. Maybe some day with a farm, plot of land or ranch (in my dreams)?

Digital Inspection Microscope | Industrial Microscopes – Microscope Central As in the name, you can obtain "Digital Inspection Microscopes" from this online store. Theodore Gray assures readers of his awesome 2023 book, "Tools" (available directly from Theo here: Printed Products — Theodore Gray), "You won't regret having one.". NB: we were ambitious and invested in a DIY version, optimizing one component at a time:

List of Components (together with what we found):

(1) Camera/lens: 48MP 4K 1080P HDMI USB Digital Video Monocular Microscope Camera 130 Zoom | eBay;

2) Heavy, rigid, highly adjustable mount for the camera: AmScope Heavy Duty Double-Arm Black Boom Stand w 76mm Focus Block & Tube Mount 13964568554 | eBay;

(3) 4K Monitor, as large and bright as possible: Dell 32 Inch 4K UHD Gaming Monitor (G3223Q) : Computer Monitors | Dell Canada

The monitor is also plugged directly into our business computer, so it's doing double-duty. Here's the YouTube video that persuaded the author regarding the Dell monitor: Dell G3223D 32" Gaming Monitor Review (youtube.com).

How to enjoy US national parks responsibly (loveholidays.com) Includes an interactive map, plus helpful tips such as practicing the principles of ‘leave no trace’, camping and wildlife safety, and fire prevention awareness. Sent to us by Amanda Crowe.

50+ Ways Outdoor Education Can Help Child Development | Forest Holidays Includes 50 ideas for outdoor play, from Mud Pies, to scavenger hunts, and even water bottle rockets. Also includes information about the benefits of outdoor play, especially for parents, guardians, and teachers. Sent to us by Charrie Hayes.

20 Best Hiking & Trekking Holidays Routes - Mercury Holidays A free guide to help you find and prepare for your next hiking adventure. Includes best routes across Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas, and things to pack. Sent to us by Charrie Hayes.

Staycations & Sustainability Guide: UK Countryside - Last Minute Cottages (lastminute-cottages.co.uk) Focused on the UK, but it includes a helpful checklist of 30 items to consider when packing for an outdoor trip. Also from Charrie Hayes.

Exploring Death Valley - Wildflowers, Fees & More - Original Travel A travel guide including some practical tips on managing extreme weather conditions at Death Valley National Park. Sent to us by Mike Sheer.

Culture Hustle by Stuart Semple. A UK-based company that supplies some remarkable materials. Check out Black 3.0, The World's Blackest Black Acrylic Paint, and LIT, The World's Glowiest Glow-in-the-Dark Pigment.

www.StepperMotorCanada.ca. An awesome source for stepper motors and all related electrical (power supplies, couplers, motor mounts, etc.). We found Jon, the owner and president, to be very knowledgeable and helpful.

Note:  We do not (yet) have personal experience we the following but intend to in the future.

Burnaby Hobbies.  We love their tag line: "At Burnaby Hobbies, We Have Everything - Or We Can Find It".

TShirtGun.com.  As the name implies, a store dedicated to selling those T-Shirt cannons you used to see at big events (pre-COVID19).  We don't endorse the safety of any of the products - use at your own risk!

Karst Sports: caving, climbing, outdoors and rescue equipment.  You can even buy calcium carbide from these guys (for mining helmets).  Based in West Virginia.

Meteorites for Sale: The name says it all. You can buy your own meteorite from them. Including ones from the Moon, and if you an unlimited budget, from Mars.

Caledon Laboratories. As per their website: A family-owned and proudly Canadian company, Caledon has over 45 years of expertise in manufacturing high-purity products for analytical chemistry. They provide "quality products to analytical labs, research and educational institutions, pharmaceutical organizations, and production facilities the world over."

www.steameducation.ca, or STEAM Centre, is "an education innovation charity", established in 2016. They offer camps (online and in-person), and workshop kits.

Drone Bot Workshop Plenty of resources regarding Arduino, Raspberry Pi, robotics, etc. 

Columbia Tools A proudly Canadian company based in Surrey, BC, that makes some world-class kit - including a fully automatic drywall taping machine!

Saelig Unique Electronics These guys claim to be "the world’s best known manufacturer of PC-based oscilloscopes and data acquisition equipment."

Responsible Mining in Developing Countries - Atkinsons Bullion This well-written guide is focused on new mines in developing countries, but could also serve as a handy primer on mining issues. Written and sent to us by Amanda Crowe.

ARCDROID CNC – ArcDroid CNC Described by Colin Furze as a portable CNC machine capable of holding your regular hand-held plasma cutter. It is on the author's wish-list. Here's the video that prompted this post: