December 2, 2024 • 29 mins
Bro. Matthew Brockbank returns for the 2nd Annual Holiday Shopping Special! Hear Matt's top five handpicked Holiday gifts from BricksMasons.com — and a bonus gift that is sure to impress. Use the Cyber Monday "Buy One, Get One 60% Off Storewide" Code CYBERMONDAY2024 that is good Thursday, November 29 through Tuesday, December 3rd at www.BricksMasons.com!
This year's Top Five Items (with links) are:
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This year's Top Five Items (with links) are:
- Masonic Necktie - Blue With Forget Me Not Pattern
- Master Mason Blue Lodge Ring - 3D Square Compass G Stainless Steel
- Master Mason Blue Lodge Work Apron - Various Colors
- Master Mason Blue Lodge Decanter
- Master Mason Blue Lodge Shoe - Embroidery Square and Compass (Multiple Colors)
- Get tickets to the first New York Masonic Con happening January 17-18, 2025 at the Grand Lodge of New York.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Commons. Opinions and views shared during this program are
of those individual Freemasons and do not reflect the official
position of a Grand Lodge, Concordant, Body, Appendant, Body, Masonic Authority,
or Craftsman Online dot Com. Welcome to the Craftsman Online Podcast,
(00:29):
the only five star rated Masonic podcast endorsed by the
Grand Lodge of New York.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Hey, welcome back. It's right, worshipful Brother Michael. Arse and
hold on, hold on, hold on, we gotta get the
other music in here. This is the episode.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
We've been building this up for like months. Guys. Let's
go here we go.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Yes, you have tuned in to our cyber Monday Bricksmasons
dot Com Holiday shopping at special episode with our special
guest who is not dressed up like an elf this year.
Let's welcome I back, Brother Matthew Brockbank. Welcome back brother.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Hey, Mike, I am very happy to be here.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
This is well is my favorite episode of the year,
because you know, it's nice to talk about masonry, but
it's also nice to kind of have a little fun,
and of course, holiday spirit being what it is, this
is always a ton of fun and honestly, maybe this
is a little telling, but I do love those Masonic
items out there. I love shopping around for Masonic stuff
(01:29):
and there is never a shortage of it. But finding
good quality Masonic items sometimes can be tricky.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
So I am very.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
Pleased with the quality of some of these, which we'll
get into soon. So I'm I am super stoked for today.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
What makes this year special is again we'll be featuring
five hand selected holiday gift ideas that you can all
find at Bricksmasons dot com. And if you're looking to
add these to your shopping cart, they've offered a special
Cyber Monday buy one, get one sixty percent off store
wide code, and that code is it's all one word,
cyber Monday twenty twenty four. That was a hard one
(02:05):
to figure out, Cyber Monday twenty twenty four. If you're
listening and you can't write it down, don't worry, We're
going to include this in the show notes. I should
tell you that this offer is only going to be
good if you're listening on our regular stream until Tuesday tomorrow,
for the next forty eight hours. You have this time
after Cyber Monday to add these items to your cart
and start by our Patreon subscribers, they heard this a
(02:26):
week earlier, so that's the benefit of being in the future.
All right, let's get to item number one, which can
be found on bricksmasons dot com. What made you want
to add a Masonic forget me Not necktie patternet to
your part?
Speaker 4 (02:41):
Growing up, my dad always had a ton of ties,
not all of them as tasteful as this one. You know,
ties have if come, they've gone through different phases where
they've had certain looks. I don't want to you know,
casting a spruces on certain tie styles, but anyway, this
one is very tasteful. And the reason I picked it
(03:02):
out was because I think this is a tie that
almost anyone can wear. It's not too flashy, but it's
also not too plain. I think it sits right in
that goldilocks zone where you could wear it, you could.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Be proud of it.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
It is Masonic, but it doesn't scream Masonry. It's not
too busy, but it's also, you know, not too simple.
So I think, honestly, this is the perfect one. And
also I mean, hey, you know, a blue tie with
some white flowers, even if you know you're not trying
to go to a lodge meeting or you're not trying to,
you know, appear as a traveling man to other Masons.
(03:41):
It's just a nice tie. I mean I would wear
it if I wasn't a Mazon.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
We should add that this year would also make this
special thanks to the Bricks Mason sponsorship of the Craftsman
Online podcast, they have sent to us all of these
items that we're going to be talking about, where last
year we were just looking at things on a computer
screen that look cool. So, Matt, why don't you just
grab kind of the look and feel of this tie
based to maybe others that might be in your wardrobe.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
So this tie, I do have to say, it's it's
not like a paper you know, like a papery thin tie,
you know, ones that you're worried that the knot is
gonna look a little tight or weird because of the material.
This material stands out to me because it holds the
knot really well. I prefer a half windsor I'm getting
(04:25):
into the you know, technical tie and men's fashion here.
If you prefer a half windsor perfect tie, full windsor
might also work some of those weird fancy ones. I mean,
I've seen different brothers wear different you know, fancy tie knots.
I don't know if every single tie out out there
is a for this tie, but honestly, the half windsor
(04:48):
or a full windsor great, and that's your typical you know,
that's your typical knot for those out there.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Who are like, what are you what are you talking about?
Speaker 4 (04:54):
But the material is well made. I don't see you know,
one run or miss ditch in this entire thing, which
is great on the back of the tie, as most
ties have on the back of the you know kind
of front tie flap there, you know, you have the
little silk kind of holder for the for the second tie.
(05:15):
What do you call what do you call this a
tie arm or a tie a tie flap?
Speaker 3 (05:19):
I call it the tail the tail. There you go,
thank you.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
So it's got a little holder for the tail as always,
and really it's just comfortable. It fits nice, you know,
doesn't bunch up, and it feels it feels well constructed.
And I think that's important for ties because you know,
you go to a lot of department stores and some
of those ties.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Not too great. So this one feels feels really nice.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
That's a key thing for me, especially at this price point.
This tie is twenty nine ninety nine. That's twenty nine
dollars ninety nine cents at Bricksmasons dot com. So if
you want to use that special order, I mean, this
is one of the great things to take advantage of.
And for me, as you're describing, like if I bought
this tie'd be like, Okay, this tie is going to
get worn outside about twelve times a year. This will
(06:00):
be my new lodge tie. But it's a different forget
me not pattern that maybe what you have seen with
other Masonic time makers, where this has got more of
a I would say, like a summer sunflower we look
instead of more of the blue in the center that
you might be more familiar with like some of the
other time makers. So one of the statements they make
(06:21):
on the website, and I never really thought about this,
is that this is great for a lodge meeting, a banquet,
or even a wedding. And I never really thought about
wearing a Masonic tie to a wedding, but this would
definitely have a good spring summer wedding look to it.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Perfect. Yes, a wedding would be great. And yes, the blue.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
In this tie, which is like more like a royal blue,
and it's kind of a checkered on top of like
a looks like a black bass. It's dark enough that
you could wear it in the winter time and it's
still be appropriate, which again kind of makes this tie
really good for all occasions, and I like it a lot.
The other tie, one of the other ones that they
sell on the website, is the Masonic deck tie. It's
(07:00):
the black with the blue Forget Me Not, which is
much more typical to the Forget Me Not kind of
Masonic tie that you're referring to, which I prefer really
for things like funerals and extremely formal events.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
You know, it's a you know.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
Plain silk black tie with the one blue Forget Me
Not in the middle. So they do sell both, and
I think that that's really nice that they give you
those options out there, and you know, if this quality
is indicative of the rest of their ties, then you know.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Perfect nice. That's always a big thing for me anywhere
I go tie shopping. But for this price, I mean,
you could buy both of those for what you'd go
to buy from like a famous maker like Macy's or
any of the other outlet places. Let's hop up to
item number two on our holiday shopping list, And I mean,
(07:48):
what is a Mason without a ring? This is a
different kind though I don't even know how to describe it.
It looks like a mix of like a cigar band,
Masonic ring you might be familiar with with what would
look like a crown that maybe a character would wear
on Game of Thrones.
Speaker 4 (08:06):
So the reason that I chose this ring was not
so much to kind of advertise it to other Masons,
as hey, go by this particular ring. But the reason
I chose this one was because it's extremely detailed, and
I wanted to see if bricks Masons was able to
stand by their quality of their pictures and the quality
(08:28):
of their descriptions. And I am pleased to say that, yes,
this is a nice it's a stainless steel ring. It's
only you know, was it seventeen dollars and twenty four cents?
Not a very expensive ring, but again, rings can get expensive.
But that's not what I'm going for here. But the
detail on this ring is great. On one side, you
have a trowel, you have an eye, actually have on
(08:52):
both sides you have looks like a gavel. There and
that could be could be a plum as well. Looks
it looks great. Honestly, I am thrilled with the detail.
And that means to me, if the detail on this ring,
which has a lot, is well done, then the detail
on all of the other rings will stand up. And
(09:13):
that's important to me because again there's a lot of
Masonic stuff quote unquote out there. This is nice and
I am happy to say that I would definitely wear
this because a it's cool as hell.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
I won't lie it's great.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
And also say there's just something about this to where
you've said it, but it's just strikingly different. And when
I'm thinking about the kind of brother or the man
that would wear this ring, I'm thinking, Okay, there's a
pretty good chance he probably does, you know, a couple
of these things. He most likely would have a tattoo,
or appreciates like intricate artwork, or works with his hands
like I know you do. Is in the wood shop,
(09:51):
probably likes motorcycles, likes being in the outdoors. Also isn't
afraid to kind of stand out and look a little different.
And that's what I think is so intriguing about this.
Like when you talked about the working tools. So many
Masonic rings that I see new brothers get where they're like, oh,
you know, it wasn't handed down to me. I went
out and purchased it, and that's a big thing to
go through that moment. I know I went through myself.
There's a limited selection.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Don't worry.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
We're going to put the link for you to find
it immediately at bricks Mason's. In the notes for this episode,
it just looks cool.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
Bricks Masons sells. They sell a nine carrot gold sprig
of Acacia ring here, or if you don't like the
spree of Acacia, you can do the yacht, or there's
a forget me not, there's you know, a bunch of
other symbols. Those are nine hundred dollars and those are
solid gold. So if I am going to say, yeah,
I'm gonna, you know, invest in a nice ring, right,
(10:41):
I want to know that the quality is going to
be good. And again, if they're willing to put their
name on you know, again, you know, a sub twenty
dollars ring. If they're willing to have a ring at
this price point so well made and so nice, that's
a great sign.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Work on our way through here the second annual bricks
Mason's Holiday Shopping Guide. It is a Cyber Monday special
event thanks to our friends at Bricksmasons dot com. We're
proud to have them as a sponsor of our podcast,
but especially this order. Again, the special Cyber Monday code
to buy one, get one sixty percent off store wide
is all one word Cyber Monday, twenty twenty four. And
(11:22):
we'll be in the notes for this episode and it's
good for all of our Craftsman Online podcast listeners. We're
jumping up to item number three here on the list.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
And when I.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Saw that you had put this down as something to request,
I think it kind of ties into the moments you
spend in the woodworking shop.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
Uh okay, all right, full admission.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
This particular item, I was a little selfish and I
was like, I want this myself. I was like, I
can't pass up this chance to take a look at
one or recommend it, because this is this is something
that I would buy instantly, and I gotta say very
happy that I have it now. This is the Master
(12:04):
Mason Blue lodge Work Apron. It comes in various colors.
If I could run through them, you know, there's you know,
black gray, there's a couple of blues or red brown.
But what's really striking is I got to say this
apron comes fully loaded with pockets, and thank god for that,
because whether you're working in the kitchen or you're working
(12:25):
like me in the wood shop, you need to have
at least a couple pockets to put things in. And
this one has some very generous two large pockets and
then one smaller pocket. And I don't know if folks
are looking at the website, you've got some really nice
rivets there. You know those are not just you know,
pieces of plastic for show. You have metal rivets up
(12:47):
and down. You've got buttons on the top, metal buttons.
This apron is no slouch if you want to be
in the kitchen. And I don't know if if the
Grand Lodge thinks this is blasphemy, but there's a square
in compass where the the square is made of two forks,
and I am here for it. I will say though,
(13:07):
unlike some other aprons, it doesn't just simply go over
your head. It does sit. It sits on your body
a little bit differently. Then I guess you're you know,
you're your cheap traditional like kind of kitchen apron, you
know the ones you're just you know, buying the novelty
store and just kind of goes over your neck and then.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Ties in the back.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
So this one it sits a lot tighter against your body,
so it's not flapping around and stuff. Just just to
give some people a heads up, which is also nice
because I hate the aprons that kind of you know,
they sit on your neck and they put strain on
your neck, especially if you have a lot of things
in the pockets, like when I'm in the woodshop, I
might have a couple of tools in the apron, and
if that's you know, tugging on the back of my neck,
(13:46):
that could be a strain after you know, an hour
or two and you know, kind of bouncing around the
wood shop. But this one, nicely, it sits on your
shoulders instead.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Brothers are probably be like, oh, it's thirty five dollars
ninety nine cents. It sounds like a great deal. It
can be personalized. I can put my name on there,
my lodge number on there, the brother that I'm going
to give it to, we could do that, or I
could buy a whole bunch for my lodge. If we're
going to be doing a special dinner or an event
and we want to, like, you know, kind of be
promoting who we are, all kind of have a uniformed look.
But that back part of it. This isn't like a
(14:17):
traditional cooking apron, because trust me, I have a whole
lot of those, right. This is more of like a coverage.
So for somebody like you that would be in a workshop,
your sides are also protected. It's not just the front,
it's also the side where your ribs are, and all
the way to the back. It's almost like a full closure.
And I haven't seen that in a lot of aprons.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
A lot of the gifts that we're looking at here
are not just good Christmas gifts, but for those masters
out there who are thinking, oh, you know, I need
a bunch of items to give to my officers in line,
this is a great gift because a you can personalize
each and everyone with their names or the lodge either
one and again, yeah, for thirty five ninety nine, that's
(14:58):
a great price for you know, a really really nice apron.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
It's our second annual holiday shopping spree with Brixmasons dot Com.
We've got brother Matthew Brockbank, and this item made it
to our list in some way or another last year.
I feel like, you know, if you're going to be
shopping for Masons or just the man in your life
who's into freemasonry, chances are he needs one of these.
The Master Mason Blue Lodge decanter. We've seen a lot
of these and other places, but you've got it in
(15:29):
front of you. Tell us what makes this this item
different through bricks Mason's.
Speaker 4 (15:34):
The point here was I want to know if they
can deliver on a nice decanter. Because, yeah, you can
buy decantors anywhere, right, you can go into home Goods,
or you can walk into a department store and buy
a decantor. But what if I'm a Mason, or what
if I want to give a decanter and I want
to have it personalized.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
I'll tell you for.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
Seventy five ninety nine a personalized decanter set. Wait a minute,
not just to canter. I have to make sure I
get this right. It comes with two glasses too. Oh,
and I gotta say the glasses are also personalized. I
don't think you can get personalized stuff out there at
(16:15):
this price point.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
With this quality.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
I am extremely impressed because the laser etching and I'm
looking at it and right in front of my hands
right now, it is tight, looks great, it feels nice.
It's there's no rough edges on it. I'm not you know,
not getting little particles of glass in my hand or
anything the like.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
The I don't know.
Speaker 4 (16:36):
I'm not a not a welder and I'm not a
glass blower. But this cell called the seam, the seam
on the decanter looks really clean, it's not messy. The
actual decanter itself feels nice, it feels heavy, and so
I'm really happy that this turned out the way it
did because with decanter sets sometimes they're a hit and miss,
but this one feels substantial, even the top itself. It's
(17:00):
it's nice and you know, it's just it feels good
in your hand. It feels like, Okay, that's a hefty
piece of glass there, So I feel good about that.
And honestly, again, I really just impressed with their delivery
on this because I'm always skeptical, especially if personalized gifts, but.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
I am very happy to report that these look really nice.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Yeah, this is the gift that you wouldn't think to
get for yourself. I know for myself personally, every year
when I'm like doing my two Michael from Michael holiday shopping,
I've always wanted to include something like this, but I'm like, well,
you know, I'd rather get this from somebody else, So
there's some meaning. This Master Mayson Blue Logs decanter is
the thirty ounce variety. What I've loved about this in
(17:38):
the way that you've described it is just like with
everything at Bricks Mason's, there are almost an infinite number
of logos that you can have etched on to this
that they've pre selected for you.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
The thing that I think, as you've mentioned, that goes
above and beyond is the free engraving. And that's always
the key thing. When you give a brother or a
friend a gift like this, you want that extra special
per simalization and that comes at no extra cost at
Bricks Mason's. And as we've mentioned several times throughout the episode,
if this is one of those items that kind of
got your ear and you're like, ooh, I could get
(18:10):
something for me and something for somebody else, the special
Cyber Monday code for buy one, get one sixty percent
off store wide is all one word Cyber Monday twenty
twenty four at Bricksmasons dot com. That's all one word
bricksmasons dot com. The code is cyber Monday twenty twenty
four and it's good until tomorrow, or twenty four hours
(18:33):
from when this podcast is released. On Cyber Monday, we've
gotten to almost the final item.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
I'm laughing just thinking about it. I can't wait. I
can't wait.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
This is an item that Matt selected. Wouldn't even put
it on a wish list. If I got a pair
of these from somebody, I'd be like, you know, I
would have never thought to buy this from my So
tell us why you've included the special blue Lodge shoe.
Speaker 4 (19:05):
Listen, sir, I know that you look at this item
and you say to yourself, I think I could pull
it off, and I'm sure you could. But this is
let me tell you, this item belongs in every Mason's wardrobe.
I don't care who you are, whether it's it's your
kind of thing or not. There's no way you're going
to look at this and not admit that it is very,
(19:28):
very tasteful. So this is the master Mason Blue lodge shoe.
It says embroidery square compasses, and it does come in
multiple colors, and I believe, if I'm not mistaken, there
are also a couple other patterns, so you don't just
have to go for the squareing compasses. They come in black, blue,
sky blue. The blue, by the way, is a really
(19:49):
nice royal blue and honestly.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Very sharp.
Speaker 4 (19:53):
They also come in a dark green. It says green
on the website, but it looks like in the pictures
it looks like a kind of like a forest, as
well as a red of very deep red, and a
navy blue as well. So yeah, there's that royal blue
and there's that navy blue. I am drawn to fancy items,
and I am also drawn to comfort. These are one
(20:17):
hundred and fifty dollars, and I will tell you yes,
they are definitely quite enjoyable to touch, and they are
even more enjoyable to put on your feet. I don't
know if the pictures are even able to do them justice,
because there's a picture on the website where you can
kind of see both shoes inside the shoe, it looks like,
(20:39):
I don't even know how to explain it. It looks
like a couch in there, and it feels like a
couch in there.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
It is so nice to put your foot. It's just
a nice shoe.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
And the bottom, it's like, at this is a real soul,
and that's a real heel. This isn't just a slipper
that you wear around your house, So you know, this
is a shoe that you wear outside or too lodge.
And if everyone had a pair that, I think that
would be fantastic.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
Well, I think there was a day that everybody had
the shoe and war to lodge, and I think that
was back on either the seventeen or the eighteen hundreds,
I'm pretty sure. But ah, what I've noticed about the
quality of these and speaking to that is because at
the price point, you're like, Okay, can I wear this
to lodge like year round? Well, obviously, even if you
have nice leather dress shoes with a leather sole or
(21:27):
maybe a rubber sole, when there's snow or it's wet outside,
sure you're trying to avoid puddles, You're definitely gonna want
to do that with these shoes. But to answer the
question of the slip factor, I think it's important to
note that the bottom is rubber and a nice you
could walk around on the lodge room floor, no slip
(21:47):
kind of rubber and feel good about it. And as
Matt's also pointed out, it is a loafer, so you're
going to slide right into this and while you're sitting
down for about ninety minutes or maybe two hours during
your lodge meeting, at least your feet are going to
feel good and look good.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
So I do have to point out here because I
don't think I'm doing the shoes honestly enough justice in
the fact that a the embroidery is well done, I
was a little I was a little skeptical looking at
the website and thinking like, wow, that looks really good.
How does the look in person exactly the same? They
fit well? These are A ten and they fit me
very well. They didn't and honestly ten is probably a
(22:24):
half size bigger than I'm used to. But they didn't
fall off at all, and they were nice and roomy. Now,
each shoe individually came in its own bag, which I
was super Yes, each of them came in a cloth
bag that has a little drawstring on top, so again,
very nice presentation. And on top of all that, just
(22:44):
the cherry right here. They also came included in the
box was a shoehorn, a nice wooden shoehorn, and I said,
this isn't even listed one of a nice fries.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
I was like, this is great. I couldn't believe it.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
The loafers themselves are one hundred and fifty dollars ninety
nine cents, but again, that special offer from bricks Masons
can really bring that price down and make it so
much easier to get. Now, we had initially said those
are our top five items.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Are your top five.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Items that you went through with your holiday shopping cart,
But our friends at bricks Mason's were very kind and
you're like, well, I have a couple more things, so
why don't you describe this bonus item that we can
share with our audience.
Speaker 4 (23:27):
This one, honestly was a surprise to me because I
wasn't sure if if this was gonna be a deal breaker,
not considering this is a very nice item, ten out
of ten nice. This isn't you know? This is this
is an heirloom item. They were nice enough to send
(23:47):
me the Master Mason Blue Lodge briefcase, handmade leather. I
got to say, I am impressed. I have other leather goods.
I'm a big fan of just leather in general. I
love natural items. This briefcase is shocking. It is very
nice it I mean it smells great.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
I love the smell of leather.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
Uh, if you, if you out there, if you're a
if you're a leather person, this is thick leather, as
it should be. It's a briefcase, after all, right, I
should qualify this. This is not an apron briefcase. This
is something that I'm gonna travel with. It's gonna bounce
around the car. It's gonna I'm gonna pick it up.
I'm gonna put it down. You know, it might it
might get a little wet in the rain, it might
go outside.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
You know, this is a dirty briefcase. And I will
say the zippers.
Speaker 4 (24:35):
There's a zipper on the back for like, you know,
your little special pocket zipper is substantial, which I am
a that's a huge like kind of a kind of
ick for me. Is when you know you have a
nice item, but then the zipper is very chintzy. I'm
happy to say that that zipper breat The latches on
the front you can either undo them as a normal
you know, leather buckle does or which is nice. They
(24:58):
they come with a magnet button, which is in my opinion,
much better because uh, let's be honest, right, you know,
I don't want to I don't want to fiddle with
the with the leather straps every time. I mean, I
don't get me wrong, I love leather straps and I'm
you know, I'm all here for it, but you know,
I don't want to fiddle with them, you know, every
time I got to open the bag. So the magnets,
(25:19):
I gotta say, hey, it's a nice touch, but it
still looks like you know, the straps are are what
opens and closes the sky.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
Then of course open the bag.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
On the inside of the flap, it's the kind of
the bottom of the leather, so it's swayed on the inside,
which is very nice. Uh.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
And the outside of the bag obviously.
Speaker 4 (25:38):
As you guys can see from the pictures on Bricksmasins
dot com. Uh, nice finished smooth leather.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
The the laser etching here for uh, the square and
compass fantastic, very nicely done. I don't know if you
guys can could hear the he the rip of the
of the velcro in there. But there is a dedicated
laptop pocket inside of the main compartment of this briefcase,
and that's very nice. This is a bag you have
(26:04):
for life.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
Now.
Speaker 4 (26:06):
I will say this though, and I don't know if
if this came as as it should have or if
bricks Mason's is listening, but I would do one thing,
and that's I would include some kind of maybe like
a how to care for leather, because I will say,
owning many leather goods, that this will need care over time.
(26:27):
This isn't something you're just gonna buy and then like
you know, use it and then never do anything. You're
gonna have to keep this up and you're gonna have
to you know, put some some oil on it. You're
gonna have to keep it supple because it will dry out.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
So be aware.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
This is not a This isn't a bag that you
just you know. It's not a synthetic kind of bag, right.
This isn't a vegan leather bag or something that can
be in all kinds of weather. This is real leather
bag that you know, if you have to take care
of it. People will see it and they will say, wow,
that's a nice bag. Where did you get that bag?
And of course it comes customizable, which again you know,
(27:03):
you can put your name on it. You know, you
can put your lodge, you can put a number, you
got the square and it comes in the middle or
whatever concordant body you're part of.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
Boom.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
It's the Master Mason Blue Lodge briefcase. It's handmade leather.
It's one hundred and thirty four dollars and ninety nine cents,
a bonus Craftsman Online Holiday shopping Guide item, and honestly,
another one of those gifts that I would look at
this and be like, oh yeah, I'd love to get this,
but when it comes to holiday shopping, this and like
a decanter set, I probably wouldn't think to buy for myself.
(27:33):
It's another one of those gifts that with the free
customization or i should say personalization that comes with this
being able to really make it unique to that new
owner is really going to make that gift special when
they open it on Christmas Day or whatever day. Thanks
to Bricks Masons dot Com.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
A big shout out to them. Again.
Speaker 4 (27:52):
I know that sometimes you listen to sponsors or you
listen to different advertisements and you say, well, well, yeah,
of course they're going to say nice things because you
know they got all these items, they were you know,
sent to them. But I ask for these specifically not
to again, not to kind of say, yes, this particular
item is good, but as a way to judge bricks
(28:15):
Mason's overall quality control. And I am again very pleased
with what I've seen.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
It's our second annual Holiday Masonic Shopping episode. It's coming
to an end this year. We're sponsored by Bricksmasons dot com.
Just like every podcast episode here at Craftsman Online. One
more time the special Cyber Monday, buy one, get one
sixty percent off store wide code. It's all one word
Cyber Monday, twenty twenty four. Now here's the other thing.
(28:45):
If you've listened to our five hands selected items by
brother Brockbank and you're like, eh, good, but you know
I'm gonna buy something else, Hey, let us know what
you purchased and what you liked about it. You can
email us your review and your feedback podcasts at Craftsman
online dot com. That's our email address. It's also going
to be in the show notes. And to that point,
if you're like, hey, I'm not really going to be
shopping for myself. I'm going to be shopping for my lodge.
(29:08):
This promo code you can use it for everything else
that's on bricks Mason. As we said, it's store wide,
So whether you're looking for regalia, some furniture, just something
different for your home office or your lodge office, you're
going to find it at bricksmasons dot com. And it
truly has been a pleasure to have them as a
sponsor of this podcast. Brother Matt, I don't want to
say so long. I will just say farewell for now
(29:31):
and we will see you as we get ready to
kick off our new season in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
Until next time, Mike, you have a great one and
to every announce out there, I have a very happy
and save holiday season. And uh yeah, go find something
nice on bricks Basons.
The Commons. Opinions and views shared during this program are
of those individual Freemasons and do not reflect the official
position of a Grand Lodge, Concordant, Body, Appendant, Body, Masonic Authority,
or Craftsman Online dot Com. Welcome to the Craftsman Online Podcast,
(00:29):
the only five star rated Masonic podcast endorsed by the
Grand Lodge of New York.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Hey, welcome back. It's right, worshipful Brother Michael. Arse and
hold on, hold on, hold on, we gotta get the
other music in here. This is the episode.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
We've been building this up for like months. Guys. Let's
go here we go.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Yes, you have tuned in to our cyber Monday Bricksmasons
dot Com Holiday shopping at special episode with our special
guest who is not dressed up like an elf this year.
Let's welcome I back, Brother Matthew Brockbank. Welcome back brother.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Hey, Mike, I am very happy to be here.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
This is well is my favorite episode of the year,
because you know, it's nice to talk about masonry, but
it's also nice to kind of have a little fun,
and of course, holiday spirit being what it is, this
is always a ton of fun and honestly, maybe this
is a little telling, but I do love those Masonic
items out there. I love shopping around for Masonic stuff
(01:29):
and there is never a shortage of it. But finding
good quality Masonic items sometimes can be tricky.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
So I am very.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
Pleased with the quality of some of these, which we'll
get into soon. So I'm I am super stoked for today.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
What makes this year special is again we'll be featuring
five hand selected holiday gift ideas that you can all
find at Bricksmasons dot com. And if you're looking to
add these to your shopping cart, they've offered a special
Cyber Monday buy one, get one sixty percent off store
wide code, and that code is it's all one word,
cyber Monday twenty twenty four. That was a hard one
(02:05):
to figure out, Cyber Monday twenty twenty four. If you're
listening and you can't write it down, don't worry, We're
going to include this in the show notes. I should
tell you that this offer is only going to be
good if you're listening on our regular stream until Tuesday tomorrow,
for the next forty eight hours. You have this time
after Cyber Monday to add these items to your cart
and start by our Patreon subscribers, they heard this a
(02:26):
week earlier, so that's the benefit of being in the future.
All right, let's get to item number one, which can
be found on bricksmasons dot com. What made you want
to add a Masonic forget me Not necktie patternet to
your part?
Speaker 4 (02:41):
Growing up, my dad always had a ton of ties,
not all of them as tasteful as this one. You know,
ties have if come, they've gone through different phases where
they've had certain looks. I don't want to you know,
casting a spruces on certain tie styles, but anyway, this
one is very tasteful. And the reason I picked it
(03:02):
out was because I think this is a tie that
almost anyone can wear. It's not too flashy, but it's
also not too plain. I think it sits right in
that goldilocks zone where you could wear it, you could.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Be proud of it.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
It is Masonic, but it doesn't scream Masonry. It's not
too busy, but it's also, you know, not too simple.
So I think, honestly, this is the perfect one. And
also I mean, hey, you know, a blue tie with
some white flowers, even if you know you're not trying
to go to a lodge meeting or you're not trying to,
you know, appear as a traveling man to other Masons.
(03:41):
It's just a nice tie. I mean I would wear
it if I wasn't a Mazon.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
We should add that this year would also make this
special thanks to the Bricks Mason sponsorship of the Craftsman
Online podcast, they have sent to us all of these
items that we're going to be talking about, where last
year we were just looking at things on a computer
screen that look cool. So, Matt, why don't you just
grab kind of the look and feel of this tie
based to maybe others that might be in your wardrobe.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
So this tie, I do have to say, it's it's
not like a paper you know, like a papery thin tie,
you know, ones that you're worried that the knot is
gonna look a little tight or weird because of the material.
This material stands out to me because it holds the
knot really well. I prefer a half windsor I'm getting
(04:25):
into the you know, technical tie and men's fashion here.
If you prefer a half windsor perfect tie, full windsor
might also work some of those weird fancy ones. I mean,
I've seen different brothers wear different you know, fancy tie knots.
I don't know if every single tie out out there
is a for this tie, but honestly, the half windsor
(04:48):
or a full windsor great, and that's your typical you know,
that's your typical knot for those out there.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Who are like, what are you what are you talking about?
Speaker 4 (04:54):
But the material is well made. I don't see you know,
one run or miss ditch in this entire thing, which
is great on the back of the tie, as most
ties have on the back of the you know kind
of front tie flap there, you know, you have the
little silk kind of holder for the for the second tie.
(05:15):
What do you call what do you call this a
tie arm or a tie a tie flap?
Speaker 3 (05:19):
I call it the tail the tail. There you go,
thank you.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
So it's got a little holder for the tail as always,
and really it's just comfortable. It fits nice, you know,
doesn't bunch up, and it feels it feels well constructed.
And I think that's important for ties because you know,
you go to a lot of department stores and some
of those ties.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Not too great. So this one feels feels really nice.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
That's a key thing for me, especially at this price point.
This tie is twenty nine ninety nine. That's twenty nine
dollars ninety nine cents at Bricksmasons dot com. So if
you want to use that special order, I mean, this
is one of the great things to take advantage of.
And for me, as you're describing, like if I bought
this tie'd be like, Okay, this tie is going to
get worn outside about twelve times a year. This will
(06:00):
be my new lodge tie. But it's a different forget
me not pattern that maybe what you have seen with
other Masonic time makers, where this has got more of
a I would say, like a summer sunflower we look
instead of more of the blue in the center that
you might be more familiar with like some of the
other time makers. So one of the statements they make
(06:21):
on the website, and I never really thought about this,
is that this is great for a lodge meeting, a banquet,
or even a wedding. And I never really thought about
wearing a Masonic tie to a wedding, but this would
definitely have a good spring summer wedding look to it.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Perfect. Yes, a wedding would be great. And yes, the blue.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
In this tie, which is like more like a royal blue,
and it's kind of a checkered on top of like
a looks like a black bass. It's dark enough that
you could wear it in the winter time and it's
still be appropriate, which again kind of makes this tie
really good for all occasions, and I like it a lot.
The other tie, one of the other ones that they
sell on the website, is the Masonic deck tie. It's
(07:00):
the black with the blue Forget Me Not, which is
much more typical to the Forget Me Not kind of
Masonic tie that you're referring to, which I prefer really
for things like funerals and extremely formal events.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
You know, it's a you know.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
Plain silk black tie with the one blue Forget Me
Not in the middle. So they do sell both, and
I think that that's really nice that they give you
those options out there, and you know, if this quality
is indicative of the rest of their ties, then you know.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Perfect nice. That's always a big thing for me anywhere
I go tie shopping. But for this price, I mean,
you could buy both of those for what you'd go
to buy from like a famous maker like Macy's or
any of the other outlet places. Let's hop up to
item number two on our holiday shopping list, And I mean,
(07:48):
what is a Mason without a ring? This is a
different kind though I don't even know how to describe it.
It looks like a mix of like a cigar band,
Masonic ring you might be familiar with with what would
look like a crown that maybe a character would wear
on Game of Thrones.
Speaker 4 (08:06):
So the reason that I chose this ring was not
so much to kind of advertise it to other Masons,
as hey, go by this particular ring. But the reason
I chose this one was because it's extremely detailed, and
I wanted to see if bricks Masons was able to
stand by their quality of their pictures and the quality
(08:28):
of their descriptions. And I am pleased to say that, yes,
this is a nice it's a stainless steel ring. It's
only you know, was it seventeen dollars and twenty four cents?
Not a very expensive ring, but again, rings can get expensive.
But that's not what I'm going for here. But the
detail on this ring is great. On one side, you
have a trowel, you have an eye, actually have on
(08:52):
both sides you have looks like a gavel. There and
that could be could be a plum as well. Looks
it looks great. Honestly, I am thrilled with the detail.
And that means to me, if the detail on this ring,
which has a lot, is well done, then the detail
on all of the other rings will stand up. And
(09:13):
that's important to me because again there's a lot of
Masonic stuff quote unquote out there. This is nice and
I am happy to say that I would definitely wear
this because a it's cool as hell.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
I won't lie it's great.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
And also say there's just something about this to where
you've said it, but it's just strikingly different. And when
I'm thinking about the kind of brother or the man
that would wear this ring, I'm thinking, Okay, there's a
pretty good chance he probably does, you know, a couple
of these things. He most likely would have a tattoo,
or appreciates like intricate artwork, or works with his hands
like I know you do. Is in the wood shop,
(09:51):
probably likes motorcycles, likes being in the outdoors. Also isn't
afraid to kind of stand out and look a little different.
And that's what I think is so intriguing about this.
Like when you talked about the working tools. So many
Masonic rings that I see new brothers get where they're like, oh,
you know, it wasn't handed down to me. I went
out and purchased it, and that's a big thing to
go through that moment. I know I went through myself.
There's a limited selection.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Don't worry.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
We're going to put the link for you to find
it immediately at bricks Mason's. In the notes for this episode,
it just looks cool.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
Bricks Masons sells. They sell a nine carrot gold sprig
of Acacia ring here, or if you don't like the
spree of Acacia, you can do the yacht, or there's
a forget me not, there's you know, a bunch of
other symbols. Those are nine hundred dollars and those are
solid gold. So if I am going to say, yeah,
I'm gonna, you know, invest in a nice ring, right,
(10:41):
I want to know that the quality is going to
be good. And again, if they're willing to put their
name on you know, again, you know, a sub twenty
dollars ring. If they're willing to have a ring at
this price point so well made and so nice, that's
a great sign.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Work on our way through here the second annual bricks
Mason's Holiday Shopping Guide. It is a Cyber Monday special
event thanks to our friends at Bricksmasons dot com. We're
proud to have them as a sponsor of our podcast,
but especially this order. Again, the special Cyber Monday code
to buy one, get one sixty percent off store wide
is all one word Cyber Monday, twenty twenty four. And
(11:22):
we'll be in the notes for this episode and it's
good for all of our Craftsman Online podcast listeners. We're
jumping up to item number three here on the list.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
And when I.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Saw that you had put this down as something to request,
I think it kind of ties into the moments you
spend in the woodworking shop.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
Uh okay, all right, full admission.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
This particular item, I was a little selfish and I
was like, I want this myself. I was like, I
can't pass up this chance to take a look at
one or recommend it, because this is this is something
that I would buy instantly, and I gotta say very
happy that I have it now. This is the Master
(12:04):
Mason Blue lodge Work Apron. It comes in various colors.
If I could run through them, you know, there's you know,
black gray, there's a couple of blues or red brown.
But what's really striking is I got to say this
apron comes fully loaded with pockets, and thank god for that,
because whether you're working in the kitchen or you're working
(12:25):
like me in the wood shop, you need to have
at least a couple pockets to put things in. And
this one has some very generous two large pockets and
then one smaller pocket. And I don't know if folks
are looking at the website, you've got some really nice
rivets there. You know those are not just you know,
pieces of plastic for show. You have metal rivets up
(12:47):
and down. You've got buttons on the top, metal buttons.
This apron is no slouch if you want to be
in the kitchen. And I don't know if if the
Grand Lodge thinks this is blasphemy, but there's a square
in compass where the the square is made of two forks,
and I am here for it. I will say though,
(13:07):
unlike some other aprons, it doesn't just simply go over
your head. It does sit. It sits on your body
a little bit differently. Then I guess you're you know,
you're your cheap traditional like kind of kitchen apron, you
know the ones you're just you know, buying the novelty
store and just kind of goes over your neck and then.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Ties in the back.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
So this one it sits a lot tighter against your body,
so it's not flapping around and stuff. Just just to
give some people a heads up, which is also nice
because I hate the aprons that kind of you know,
they sit on your neck and they put strain on
your neck, especially if you have a lot of things
in the pockets, like when I'm in the woodshop, I
might have a couple of tools in the apron, and
if that's you know, tugging on the back of my neck,
(13:46):
that could be a strain after you know, an hour
or two and you know, kind of bouncing around the
wood shop. But this one, nicely, it sits on your
shoulders instead.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Brothers are probably be like, oh, it's thirty five dollars
ninety nine cents. It sounds like a great deal. It
can be personalized. I can put my name on there,
my lodge number on there, the brother that I'm going
to give it to, we could do that, or I
could buy a whole bunch for my lodge. If we're
going to be doing a special dinner or an event
and we want to, like, you know, kind of be
promoting who we are, all kind of have a uniformed look.
But that back part of it. This isn't like a
(14:17):
traditional cooking apron, because trust me, I have a whole
lot of those, right. This is more of like a coverage.
So for somebody like you that would be in a workshop,
your sides are also protected. It's not just the front,
it's also the side where your ribs are, and all
the way to the back. It's almost like a full closure.
And I haven't seen that in a lot of aprons.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
A lot of the gifts that we're looking at here
are not just good Christmas gifts, but for those masters
out there who are thinking, oh, you know, I need
a bunch of items to give to my officers in line,
this is a great gift because a you can personalize
each and everyone with their names or the lodge either
one and again, yeah, for thirty five ninety nine, that's
(14:58):
a great price for you know, a really really nice apron.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
It's our second annual holiday shopping spree with Brixmasons dot Com.
We've got brother Matthew Brockbank, and this item made it
to our list in some way or another last year.
I feel like, you know, if you're going to be
shopping for Masons or just the man in your life
who's into freemasonry, chances are he needs one of these.
The Master Mason Blue Lodge decanter. We've seen a lot
of these and other places, but you've got it in
(15:29):
front of you. Tell us what makes this this item
different through bricks Mason's.
Speaker 4 (15:34):
The point here was I want to know if they
can deliver on a nice decanter. Because, yeah, you can
buy decantors anywhere, right, you can go into home Goods,
or you can walk into a department store and buy
a decantor. But what if I'm a Mason, or what
if I want to give a decanter and I want
to have it personalized.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
I'll tell you for.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
Seventy five ninety nine a personalized decanter set. Wait a minute,
not just to canter. I have to make sure I
get this right. It comes with two glasses too. Oh,
and I gotta say the glasses are also personalized. I
don't think you can get personalized stuff out there at
(16:15):
this price point.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
With this quality.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
I am extremely impressed because the laser etching and I'm
looking at it and right in front of my hands
right now, it is tight, looks great, it feels nice.
It's there's no rough edges on it. I'm not you know,
not getting little particles of glass in my hand or
anything the like.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
The I don't know.
Speaker 4 (16:36):
I'm not a not a welder and I'm not a
glass blower. But this cell called the seam, the seam
on the decanter looks really clean, it's not messy. The
actual decanter itself feels nice, it feels heavy, and so
I'm really happy that this turned out the way it
did because with decanter sets sometimes they're a hit and miss,
but this one feels substantial, even the top itself. It's
(17:00):
it's nice and you know, it's just it feels good
in your hand. It feels like, Okay, that's a hefty
piece of glass there, So I feel good about that.
And honestly, again, I really just impressed with their delivery
on this because I'm always skeptical, especially if personalized gifts, but.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
I am very happy to report that these look really nice.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Yeah, this is the gift that you wouldn't think to
get for yourself. I know for myself personally, every year
when I'm like doing my two Michael from Michael holiday shopping,
I've always wanted to include something like this, but I'm like, well,
you know, I'd rather get this from somebody else, So
there's some meaning. This Master Mayson Blue Logs decanter is
the thirty ounce variety. What I've loved about this in
(17:38):
the way that you've described it is just like with
everything at Bricks Mason's, there are almost an infinite number
of logos that you can have etched on to this
that they've pre selected for you.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
The thing that I think, as you've mentioned, that goes
above and beyond is the free engraving. And that's always
the key thing. When you give a brother or a
friend a gift like this, you want that extra special
per simalization and that comes at no extra cost at
Bricks Mason's. And as we've mentioned several times throughout the episode,
if this is one of those items that kind of
got your ear and you're like, ooh, I could get
(18:10):
something for me and something for somebody else, the special
Cyber Monday code for buy one, get one sixty percent
off store wide is all one word Cyber Monday twenty
twenty four at Bricksmasons dot com. That's all one word
bricksmasons dot com. The code is cyber Monday twenty twenty
four and it's good until tomorrow, or twenty four hours
(18:33):
from when this podcast is released. On Cyber Monday, we've
gotten to almost the final item.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
I'm laughing just thinking about it. I can't wait. I
can't wait.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
This is an item that Matt selected. Wouldn't even put
it on a wish list. If I got a pair
of these from somebody, I'd be like, you know, I
would have never thought to buy this from my So
tell us why you've included the special blue Lodge shoe.
Speaker 4 (19:05):
Listen, sir, I know that you look at this item
and you say to yourself, I think I could pull
it off, and I'm sure you could. But this is
let me tell you, this item belongs in every Mason's wardrobe.
I don't care who you are, whether it's it's your
kind of thing or not. There's no way you're going
to look at this and not admit that it is very,
(19:28):
very tasteful. So this is the master Mason Blue lodge shoe.
It says embroidery square compasses, and it does come in
multiple colors, and I believe, if I'm not mistaken, there
are also a couple other patterns, so you don't just
have to go for the squareing compasses. They come in black, blue,
sky blue. The blue, by the way, is a really
(19:49):
nice royal blue and honestly.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Very sharp.
Speaker 4 (19:53):
They also come in a dark green. It says green
on the website, but it looks like in the pictures
it looks like a kind of like a forest, as
well as a red of very deep red, and a
navy blue as well. So yeah, there's that royal blue
and there's that navy blue. I am drawn to fancy items,
and I am also drawn to comfort. These are one
(20:17):
hundred and fifty dollars, and I will tell you yes,
they are definitely quite enjoyable to touch, and they are
even more enjoyable to put on your feet. I don't
know if the pictures are even able to do them justice,
because there's a picture on the website where you can
kind of see both shoes inside the shoe, it looks like,
(20:39):
I don't even know how to explain it. It looks
like a couch in there, and it feels like a
couch in there.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
It is so nice to put your foot. It's just
a nice shoe.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
And the bottom, it's like, at this is a real soul,
and that's a real heel. This isn't just a slipper
that you wear around your house, So you know, this
is a shoe that you wear outside or too lodge.
And if everyone had a pair that, I think that
would be fantastic.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
Well, I think there was a day that everybody had
the shoe and war to lodge, and I think that
was back on either the seventeen or the eighteen hundreds,
I'm pretty sure. But ah, what I've noticed about the
quality of these and speaking to that is because at
the price point, you're like, Okay, can I wear this
to lodge like year round? Well, obviously, even if you
have nice leather dress shoes with a leather sole or
(21:27):
maybe a rubber sole, when there's snow or it's wet outside,
sure you're trying to avoid puddles, You're definitely gonna want
to do that with these shoes. But to answer the
question of the slip factor, I think it's important to
note that the bottom is rubber and a nice you
could walk around on the lodge room floor, no slip
(21:47):
kind of rubber and feel good about it. And as
Matt's also pointed out, it is a loafer, so you're
going to slide right into this and while you're sitting
down for about ninety minutes or maybe two hours during
your lodge meeting, at least your feet are going to
feel good and look good.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
So I do have to point out here because I
don't think I'm doing the shoes honestly enough justice in
the fact that a the embroidery is well done, I
was a little I was a little skeptical looking at
the website and thinking like, wow, that looks really good.
How does the look in person exactly the same? They
fit well? These are A ten and they fit me
very well. They didn't and honestly ten is probably a
(22:24):
half size bigger than I'm used to. But they didn't
fall off at all, and they were nice and roomy. Now,
each shoe individually came in its own bag, which I
was super Yes, each of them came in a cloth
bag that has a little drawstring on top, so again,
very nice presentation. And on top of all that, just
(22:44):
the cherry right here. They also came included in the
box was a shoehorn, a nice wooden shoehorn, and I said,
this isn't even listed one of a nice fries.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
I was like, this is great. I couldn't believe it.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
The loafers themselves are one hundred and fifty dollars ninety
nine cents, but again, that special offer from bricks Masons
can really bring that price down and make it so
much easier to get. Now, we had initially said those
are our top five items.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Are your top five.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Items that you went through with your holiday shopping cart,
But our friends at bricks Mason's were very kind and
you're like, well, I have a couple more things, so
why don't you describe this bonus item that we can
share with our audience.
Speaker 4 (23:27):
This one, honestly was a surprise to me because I
wasn't sure if if this was gonna be a deal breaker,
not considering this is a very nice item, ten out
of ten nice. This isn't you know? This is this
is an heirloom item. They were nice enough to send
(23:47):
me the Master Mason Blue Lodge briefcase, handmade leather. I
got to say, I am impressed. I have other leather goods.
I'm a big fan of just leather in general. I
love natural items. This briefcase is shocking. It is very
nice it I mean it smells great.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
I love the smell of leather.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
Uh, if you, if you out there, if you're a
if you're a leather person, this is thick leather, as
it should be. It's a briefcase, after all, right, I
should qualify this. This is not an apron briefcase. This
is something that I'm gonna travel with. It's gonna bounce
around the car. It's gonna I'm gonna pick it up.
I'm gonna put it down. You know, it might it
might get a little wet in the rain, it might
go outside.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
You know, this is a dirty briefcase. And I will
say the zippers.
Speaker 4 (24:35):
There's a zipper on the back for like, you know,
your little special pocket zipper is substantial, which I am
a that's a huge like kind of a kind of
ick for me. Is when you know you have a
nice item, but then the zipper is very chintzy. I'm
happy to say that that zipper breat The latches on
the front you can either undo them as a normal
you know, leather buckle does or which is nice. They
(24:58):
they come with a magnet button, which is in my opinion,
much better because uh, let's be honest, right, you know,
I don't want to I don't want to fiddle with
the with the leather straps every time. I mean, I
don't get me wrong, I love leather straps and I'm
you know, I'm all here for it, but you know,
I don't want to fiddle with them, you know, every
time I got to open the bag. So the magnets,
(25:19):
I gotta say, hey, it's a nice touch, but it
still looks like you know, the straps are are what
opens and closes the sky.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
Then of course open the bag.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
On the inside of the flap, it's the kind of
the bottom of the leather, so it's swayed on the inside,
which is very nice. Uh.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
And the outside of the bag obviously.
Speaker 4 (25:38):
As you guys can see from the pictures on Bricksmasins
dot com. Uh, nice finished smooth leather.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
The the laser etching here for uh, the square and
compass fantastic, very nicely done. I don't know if you
guys can could hear the he the rip of the
of the velcro in there. But there is a dedicated
laptop pocket inside of the main compartment of this briefcase,
and that's very nice. This is a bag you have
(26:04):
for life.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
Now.
Speaker 4 (26:06):
I will say this though, and I don't know if
if this came as as it should have or if
bricks Mason's is listening, but I would do one thing,
and that's I would include some kind of maybe like
a how to care for leather, because I will say,
owning many leather goods, that this will need care over time.
(26:27):
This isn't something you're just gonna buy and then like
you know, use it and then never do anything. You're
gonna have to keep this up and you're gonna have
to you know, put some some oil on it. You're
gonna have to keep it supple because it will dry out.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
So be aware.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
This is not a This isn't a bag that you
just you know. It's not a synthetic kind of bag, right.
This isn't a vegan leather bag or something that can
be in all kinds of weather. This is real leather
bag that you know, if you have to take care
of it. People will see it and they will say, wow,
that's a nice bag. Where did you get that bag?
And of course it comes customizable, which again you know,
(27:03):
you can put your name on it. You know, you
can put your lodge, you can put a number, you
got the square and it comes in the middle or
whatever concordant body you're part of.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
Boom.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
It's the Master Mason Blue Lodge briefcase. It's handmade leather.
It's one hundred and thirty four dollars and ninety nine cents,
a bonus Craftsman Online Holiday shopping Guide item, and honestly,
another one of those gifts that I would look at
this and be like, oh yeah, I'd love to get this,
but when it comes to holiday shopping, this and like
a decanter set, I probably wouldn't think to buy for myself.
(27:33):
It's another one of those gifts that with the free
customization or i should say personalization that comes with this
being able to really make it unique to that new
owner is really going to make that gift special when
they open it on Christmas Day or whatever day. Thanks
to Bricks Masons dot Com.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
A big shout out to them. Again.
Speaker 4 (27:52):
I know that sometimes you listen to sponsors or you
listen to different advertisements and you say, well, well, yeah,
of course they're going to say nice things because you
know they got all these items, they were you know,
sent to them. But I ask for these specifically not
to again, not to kind of say, yes, this particular
item is good, but as a way to judge bricks
(28:15):
Mason's overall quality control. And I am again very pleased
with what I've seen.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
It's our second annual Holiday Masonic Shopping episode. It's coming
to an end this year. We're sponsored by Bricksmasons dot com.
Just like every podcast episode here at Craftsman Online. One
more time the special Cyber Monday, buy one, get one
sixty percent off store wide code. It's all one word
Cyber Monday, twenty twenty four. Now here's the other thing.
(28:45):
If you've listened to our five hands selected items by
brother Brockbank and you're like, eh, good, but you know
I'm gonna buy something else, Hey, let us know what
you purchased and what you liked about it. You can
email us your review and your feedback podcasts at Craftsman
online dot com. That's our email address. It's also going
to be in the show notes. And to that point,
if you're like, hey, I'm not really going to be
shopping for myself. I'm going to be shopping for my lodge.
(29:08):
This promo code you can use it for everything else
that's on bricks Mason. As we said, it's store wide,
So whether you're looking for regalia, some furniture, just something
different for your home office or your lodge office, you're
going to find it at bricksmasons dot com. And it
truly has been a pleasure to have them as a
sponsor of this podcast. Brother Matt, I don't want to
say so long. I will just say farewell for now
(29:31):
and we will see you as we get ready to
kick off our new season in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
Until next time, Mike, you have a great one and
to every announce out there, I have a very happy
and save holiday season. And uh yeah, go find something
nice on bricks Basons.
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