Man of Many's Staff Favourites—31 May 2025
By Dean Blake - News
Published: 31 May 2025 |Last Updated: 30 May 2025
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Readtime: 5 min
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Here at Man of Many, we're often given the opportunity to try out products ahead of time for review, but sometimes our favourite things are just the things we already own, or have purchased ourselves. So, each week, we strive to show off a few of our own, personal favourite products or experiences in the hopes that we can help people make better buying decisions.
Also, sometimes it's just fun to write about things you like. Here's our Staff Favourites for this week – enjoy!
Skullcandy's Method 360 ANC | Image: Skullcandy
Skullcandy's Method 360 ANC
Dean Blake – Entertainment and Technology Journalist
I've been testing a few earphones recently, and I've got something cool to share. Audio brand Skullcandy have delivered a really, really good pair of earphones—the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC—which have some of the best audio quality in an in-ear format I've yet used. That partially comes from the fact these earphones are made in collaboration with Bose, one of the best audio makers in the biz.
Now, the Method 360 ANC look very (and sound) similar to Bose' Quiet Comfort earbuds, but they're about $100 cheaper, which is always a nice thing, and they have some fantastic active noise cancelling for when you're moving about the noisy city. Plus, when you sync them up with the Skull-iQ app on your phone you can customise how the earbuds act when you tap them, play with the ANC, and set more specific EQ levels if you're after a particular sound.
That's all great, but they also come in a frankly massive charging case that delivers an additional 20+ hours of battery life, charges with USB-C, and can be clipped onto your bag or something if you want to be able to access them at a moments notice. They're great, and if you're in the market for some new earbuds, these ones are only AUD$189.99.
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Forget Calendly – Enter Google Calendar Appointments
Scott Purcell – Co-founder
You know that graveyard of unused productivity apps sitting on your phone or in the bookmarks toolbar of your browser? The ones that guzzle up subscription fees before you're none the wiser? Well, one of those for me was the 'Calendly' app.
Brilliant product, absolutely, but it probably gathered more dust than bookings on my calendar. It just wasn't something I really used, yet it was costing me lots of money. Enter the Google Calendar Appointment Schedule, which essentially achieves the exact same thing at the amazing price of $0.
I love that you can carve out time for the gym each day or mark an entire Friday as 'Do Not Disturb'. Your colleagues or clients only see the slots you want them to book, and the meeting is locked in with no extra email back and forth or a request to send you a calendar invite.
To get it set up, go to Google Calendar > hit Create > then Appointment Schedule > add any details you need and voila, your booking calendar is now complete. The link provides live updates and automatically hides times that clash with your other events. You can also add in a handy buffer between meetings if you need and don't wish for back-to-backs. The paid Google Workspace plans come with some added benefits, like being able to charge for your time. Give it a go and let me know what you think!
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Izy.Aki Omakase
John Guanzon – Head of Creative & Production
I'm the kind of guy who'll study dining menus like an HSC Advanced English text before booking a place to eat, but sitting down for an Omakase where you surrender all control and expectations to the chef and the restaurant team was such a surprising breath of fresh air.
The 18-seat kappo-style restaurant is the brain-child of Darren Templeman (formerly Restaurant Atelier), but he runs it with head chef Bonnie Yu and sommelier Aurelien Jeffredo. There's no printed menu, only a 10-course omakase shaped by the day's produce and the team's instincts. Just vibes, really.
Inside, it's just one long, narrow counter with 18 seats lined up with a full view of the kitchen. While it always feels busy, there's this weird sense of calm. The three-person team moves like they've done this a hundred times. Smooth, in sync, no fuss.
The highlight, though, is the food. I couldn't tell you exactly what we ate (there was no menu to snap a photo of), but I remember the flavour sensations having a party in my mouth. A few dishes are still burned into memory, though: the warm hen's egg filled with onion purée and topped with trout roe, and a buttery lobster tail grilled over charcoal. Yum!
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