4 Clever Tech Upgrades for Creators and Makers
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A good creative workspace isn't necessarily the one with the most equipment. Often, the best upgrades are the smaller tools that remove an annoying step from something you already do—whether that's transferring a massive video project, measuring an awkwardly shaped object or keeping a laptop charged away from an outlet.
For creators and makers, that can mean looking beyond the obvious PC and desk upgrades. Portable storage has become remarkably fast, USB-C power banks can now handle devices that once demanded a wall outlet, and even familiar workshop tools are getting some interesting technological upgrades. Here are four pieces of tech worth considering for a creative or DIY setup, along with a closer look at who they're actually useful for.
TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus: Portable Storage for Large Creative Projects
Anyone regularly working with high-resolution video, RAW photos or other large project files eventually runs into the limitations of ordinary portable storage. The TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus takes a slightly different approach: rather than being a complete external SSD, it's a compact enclosure that lets you install a compatible NVMe drive yourself. The big attraction is its USB4 connection, which provides up to 40Gbps of bandwidth. TerraMaster says the enclosure can reach real-world speeds approaching 3,800MB/s, making it particularly interesting for workflows involving 4K or 8K video and other large files.
Going with an enclosure instead of a prebuilt portable SSD also gives you some flexibility. You can choose the NVMe drive that makes sense for your capacity and performance needs, and the drive isn't permanently tied to the enclosure. TerraMaster uses a fanless aluminum chassis to dissipate heat, which also means there isn't a tiny cooling fan adding noise to a desk or recording environment. The D1 SSD Plus supports both Mac and Windows systems.
Best for: Video editors, photographers and other creators who regularly move very large files and want to build their own high-speed external SSD.
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CUKTECH 20: A Power Bank That Can Handle a Laptop
Phone-sized power banks are easy to find, but powering a laptop away from an outlet requires considerably more output. The CUKTECH 20 is built with that sort of use in mind. It has a 25,000mAh battery and supports up to 140W output from its primary USB-C port using USB PD 3.1. More importantly, for someone carrying several devices, it has two USB-C ports and one USB-A port, with up to 210W of total output available across all three. That makes it more versatile than a power bank intended primarily for phones. A photographer working on location, for example, could use the same battery for a laptop and smaller USB-powered gear rather than carrying separate chargers for everything.
There's also a built-in display showing the remaining battery percentage and real-time input and output wattage. The latter is particularly useful with laptops and other high-power devices because you can see how much power a connected device is actually drawing rather than simply relying on a charging icon. The tradeoff is size: a 25,000mAh battery designed for laptops won't disappear into a pocket like a small phone charger. For a backpack, travel kit or mobile workstation, however, the additional capacity and output are much easier to justify.
Best for: Creators who work away from wall outlets and want one battery for a laptop, phone, tablet and other USB-powered equipment.
HOZO NeoBlade: An Ultrasonic Cutter for Detailed Maker Projects
The HOZO NeoBlade brings something a little different to this lineup. Instead of relying solely on hand pressure to push a conventional blade through material, it uses 40kHz ultrasonic vibration to assist with cutting. HOZO lists materials including resin prints, PLA, foam, leather and styrene, which gives the NeoBlade some interesting potential for model making, crafting and cleaning up 3D prints. Its adaptive output ranges from 9W to 40W. It's cordless, too. A removable 1,300mAh battery provides around 30 minutes of continuous cutting, while USB-C PD charging takes roughly an hour. HOZO includes six SK5 high-carbon steel blade shapes, and the cutter can also accept standard 9mm snap-off blades. At 190 grams with the battery installed, it's designed more like a handheld precision tool than a piece of stationary workshop equipment.
For someone who only occasionally cuts cardboard or opens packages, an ultrasonic cutter would obviously be excessive. It’s more useful for detailed, repetitive work, where making precise cuts with less effort can make trimming and finishing easier.
Best for: Model makers, 3D-printing enthusiasts and crafters who regularly cut or trim materials that are tedious to handle with an ordinary craft knife.
HOZO NeoRulerGO: Digital Measuring for Straight Lines and Curves
Rulers work beautifully right up until the thing you're measuring isn't ruler-shaped. The HOZO NeoRulerGO tackles that problem with a rolling measuring wheel. Instead of stretching a tape across an object, you roll the device along the surface and read the measurement from its color display. That allows it to measure straight lines as well as curves and corner-to-corner distances. A Class I red laser crosshair helps establish the starting and ending points.
It's also more than a digital tape measure. The NeoRulerGO includes 93 built-in scales and supports custom scales ranging from 1:100,000 to 100,000:1, which makes it potentially useful for plans, drawings and scale models. Bluetooth connectivity lets it work with HOZO's Meazor app on iOS and Android. The display can rotate for horizontal or vertical use as well as left- or right-handed operation. The device is rechargeable over USB-C, carries an IP54 water-resistance rating and is described as being roughly twice the size of a flash drive. A traditional ruler or tape measure is still simpler for straightforward measurements, but the NeoRulerGO makes more sense when you're frequently dealing with curved surfaces, drawings or scaled designs.
Best for: Designers, model makers, DIYers and anyone who frequently needs to measure irregular objects or work from scaled plans.
What to Look for When Buying Tech for a Creative Workspace
A good workspace upgrade should solve a problem you actually have. Before buying specialized equipment, think about where your current workflow slows down. For storage, don't focus on interface speed alone. Your computer, enclosure and installed drive all need to support the performance you're trying to achieve, and capacity may ultimately matter more than maximum transfer speeds. With portable power, check both capacity and output.
A large battery doesn't automatically mean it can supply enough wattage for a particular laptop. USB Power Delivery support and the maximum output of individual ports are especially important for higher-powered devices. And with specialized maker tools, consider how often their unique capabilities would actually be useful. An ultrasonic cutter or digital rolling ruler can solve problems that ordinary tools handle poorly, but they're most worthwhile when those problems are already a regular part of your projects.
The Bottom Line
None of these products is something every workspace needs, and that's okay. The best creator and maker gear is highly dependent on what you actually make. The TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus addresses large-file storage and transfer, while the CUKTECH 20 provides a way to keep higher-powered devices running away from an outlet. HOZO's NeoBlade and NeoRulerGO take more familiar workshop tasks—cutting and measuring—and apply technology in places where conventional tools can become cumbersome.
Instead of buying tech just for the sake of having it, find the tools that make your workflow easier and give you more time to focus on what you actually want to create.
