HEY THERE,

Filtered Bliss is a curated collection of things worth your attention – from everyday carry and well-made gear to quality lifestyle essentials, design curiosities, and reflections on how we live today. It’s for people who care about utility and craftsmanship, but also about the ideas and stories that shape our world. Everything here has either earned a place in my daily life or sparked enough fascination that I’d happily invest in it myself.

This isn’t a roundup of generic bestsellers. It’s an ongoing catalog of upgrades and insights: knives, flashlights, and organizers sit alongside glassware, furniture, books, and design-driven articles. Some pieces I’ve used for years. Others I’ve researched obsessively. And sometimes it’s not even about a product at all – but about a way of seeing, or a detail in design that reveals something bigger. Every feature earns its spot by being thoughtfully made, thoughtfully chosen, and shared by a curious mind for curious minds.

Photos are usually my own, taken after real use – complete with the scratches, scuffs, and lint that come with it. Sometimes I’ll use press shots or promo images, especially for things I haven’t bought (yet) but think are worth a look, or when my kid hides the camera somewhere I won’t find until next spring. Either way, I try to keep it real and show the gear as it actually lives, not just how it looks fresh out of the box.

I come from a journalism and media background – 6 years with the BBC and about a decade writing for industry magazines. These days I work primarily in music, I’m an avid woodworker, and I’ve always been the guy who wants to know how things are made, where they’ll fail, and whether they’re actually worth it. I’m not an explorer with a weather-beaten journal, but I’m out in the world with a 100-pound Labrador, a 4x4, and a family who stress-tests gear better than any focus group.

Filtered Bliss is also a gift idea goldmine. If you’re shopping for birthdays, Father’s Day (or Mother’s Day!), the holidays, or just want to treat yourself, this is the place. It’s a pulse check on what’s clever, durable, and actually worth buying – for people who appreciate quality and expect their gear to earn its keep.

Thanks for reading. And if you ever want to talk design, tools, gadgets, woodworking, or even the perfect keychain setup, I’m in.

Ben | Filtered Bliss

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