Reference
What everyday things are made of
The materials, components and design decisions behind objects you use every day — office chairs, computer mice, headphones, kettles, mattresses, lamps and more.
Most product descriptions tell you what an object is called, not what it is. These pages go part by part: what each component is made of, why that material was chosen over the alternatives, which parts decide how long the thing lasts, and what can actually be repaired.
Electronics
Furniture
Kitchen
Lighting
Sports
Common questions
- Why does my office chair sink down on its own?
- Why does my office chair creak when I lean back?
- Are mesh or foam office chairs better?
- Why does my mouse double-click on a single press?
- Why has my mouse gone sticky?
- Does a heavier mouse mean better build quality?
- Why has my LED desk lamp got dimmer over time?
- Why is my desk lamp base so heavy?
- Does colour temperature affect eye strain?
- Why does my kettle switch off before boiling?
- Is a plastic kettle safe to use?
- Why does my kettle water taste of plastic?
- Why did my headphones lose their bass?
- Why do headphone hinges always break first?
- Are bigger headphone drivers better?
- Why is the second round of toast always darker?
- Why won't my toaster stay down?
- Why should you never put a knife in a toaster?
- Do I need to replace my bike helmet after a crash?
- Do bike helmets expire if you never crash them?
- Are expensive bike helmets safer?
- Why has my mattress developed a body-shaped dip?
- Should I remove my mattress cover to wash it?
- Does memory foam sleep hot?
Want this for something you own?
These pages are written by hand. Exploded does the same thing from your photographs — photograph an object and get a component-level breakdown of that specific item, then work through what could be built differently.
Analyze an object