Technologies

Made in the USA: Baseball bats, sticky notes, kitchen mixers and more

Some prominent companies still make their products in the US, and finding them is easy.

This story is part of Road Trip 2021, CNET’s coverage of the Biden administration’s push to grow American manufacturing and make more things in the USA.

Though much of what we wear, carry in our pockets and use at home is made overseas, not everything we buy is imported. Buying USA-made goods is a popular idea, but as my colleague Ian Sherr wrote for CNET’s Made in America series, that belief doesn’t always carry over to behavior.

The federal governments wants to change that by encouraging Americans to buy more things at home. Shortly after taking office in January, President Joe Biden issued an executive order mandating stricter enforcement of «Buy American» standards within federal agencies. Then in July, he proposed a new rule that would hike up the minimum percentage of American-made parts required in products that the federal government purchases.

The goal of both efforts is to boost domestic manufacturing with the government’s purse — the federal government shells out $600 billion every year for goods and services — and encourage consumers to «Buy American.»

From cookware to beauty supplies, here are a few everyday products still being churned out on the home turf.

Post-it Notes

These pioneering sticky notes were invented by two scientists at Minnesota-based 3M: Spencer Silver, who’d discovered an adhesive that could stick surfaces together but yield when you pulled them apart, and Art Fry, a church choir singer who just wanted bookmarks that wouldn’t slip out of his hymnal. Post-it Notes are made at a 3M plant in Cynthiana, Kentucky.

Pyrex kitchenware

My parents have stocked kitchen cabinets with Pyrex baking dishes, storage containers and measuring cups for as long as I can remember. (A few have definitely surpassed my 21 years of age.) The Pyrex brand came to be more than a century ago when the wife of a Corning scientist made a cake on some glass scraps her husband brought home because her casserole dish had broken. Its glassware is manufactured in Charleroi, Pennsylvania.

Burt’s Bees lip balm

Launched in Maine during the 1980s by a beekeeper (the eponymous Burt) and an artist, Burt’s Bees offers a lineup of natural care products, including its famous beeswax-based lip balm. Burt’s Bees currently manufactures in North Carolina.

Sub-Zero appliances

Wisconsin knows a thing or two about the cold, as evidenced by Madison-based Sub-Zero’s refrigerators and freezers. The company has come a long way since the 1930s, when its founder, Westye Bakke, set out to find a better method of stockpiling insulin for his son with diabetes. Even now, Sub-Zero manufactures in Wisconsin and Arizona.

Alex and Ani jewelry

If you’re in search of some bling for yourself, Alex and Ani jewelry is reasonably priced, free of skin-irritating nickel and made in America.

Airstream trailers

Airstream’s silver streamlined travel trailers have become immensely popular as the COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged Americans to take road trips for travel (there’s now a yearlong backlog for existing orders). The company has built them at its plant in JacksonCenter, Ohio, for decades.

La-Z-Boy chairs

Since creating its first recliner nearly a century ago, La-Z-Boy has supplied plushy, nap-provoking chairs to legions of snoring grandpas. As of 2019, La-Z-Boy manufactures most of its chairs and sofas in Tennessee.

Mustang cars

There are few images more American than that of a sleek Ford Mustang cruising down a US highway. Opened in 1987, Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan assembles the Mustang. The 2021 iteration starts at $27,205. (The new Mustang Mach-E electric cars are made in Mexico and China.)

Not Your Mother’s hair care products

I’m not sure what NYM has against my mother’s hair care products — but this company makes well-regarded shampoos, conditioners and creams right here in the US.

Weber grills

It’s Hot Grill Summer, and whether you prefer gas or charcoal to cook your burgers and ‘dogs, there’s a Weber grill that can take care of it. Weber sources parts both domestically and internationally but manufactures its grills in the US.

Steinway & Sons pianos

A gorgeous Steinway filled my family’s house with music for many decades. A German immigrant to the US founded the company in the mid-19th century. Steinway pianos sold in the US are made in Astoria, New York. For the rest of the world, they’re built in Hamburg, Germany.

KitchenAid stand mixers

These durable (and heavy) appliances last for decades and can be used for much more than just mixing cookie batter. Made in Greenville, Ohio, they come in a selection of vibrant colors. And as CNET found on a factory visit, they have a devoted following.

Gibson guitars

Listened to any music in your life? Then I guarantee you’ve heard someone strumming a Gibson. The company manufactures its acoustic guitars in Montana and its electrics, including the famed Les Paul, in Tennessee.

Louisville Slugger bats

Beloved by MLB stars and backyard ballplayers alike, the Slugger baseball bat is an American classic. And yes, it’s made in Louisville, Kentucky. You can join CNET’s Erin Carson on a trip inside the factory to see how the bats make their way from a forest to the playoffs.

Crayola crayons

Growing up, the coolest thing I owned was undoubtedly my three-tiered display of every Crayola crayon imaginable. (I still miss it sometimes.) Crayola’s annual output of crayons approaches 3 billion, and its major manufacturing facilities are based in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.

Technologies

We Played Nintendo Switch 2: Mario, Donkey Kong, Mouse, Camera and a Lot More

Technologies

Nintendo Switch 2: Every Reveal About the Console, New Games, Price, Release Date

The $450 console launches June 5, with Mario Kart World the highlight of its launch day game lineup.

The Nintendo Switch 2 console’s biggest reveal yet arrived Wednesday as part of the company’s latest Nintendo Direct event. This teed up a day of Switch 2 reveals that include its June 5 release date, a $450 price, its specs and its initial game lineup that extends from launch into 2026.

The console will be further buoyed by having Mario Kart World as a launch title, which will go on sale in either a $500 bundle with the Switch 2 or on its own for $80 — making the open-world racing game one of Nintendo’s most expensive yet. Other games announced, such as Donkey Kong Bananza, are being priced around $70, which matches the cost of 2023’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. That Zelda game and Breath of the Wild are among the original Switch titles that will get enhanced Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrades, a premium upgrade allowing players to get new features, modes and graphical enhancements that take advantage of the newer system’s capabilities.

Here are the top highlights from Nintendo’s console event, all of the games we’ve heard about so far (including new titles, Nintendo Switch 2 Editions and GameCube games coming to Nintendo Switch Online) and all of our coverage so far. You can also check out our Nintendo Switch 2 live blog for even more updates about the Switch 2 as we learn them.

Nintendo Switch 2 console

The Nintendo Switch 2’s specs saw a noticeable technical bump over the Switch. The Nintendo Switch 2 has a 7.9-inch, 1080p resolution LCD that supports a 120Hz refresh rate — matching what we now see on most Android phones. When the Switch 2 is docked, compatible games can run in 4K resolution. The new dock also includes a cooling fan.

The Switch 2 comes with 256GB of internal storage, and the new Switch 2 Game Cards will load games faster. For digital libraries, however, the Switch 2 will only work with microSD Express cards, which are different from the microSD cards that are compatible with the prior Nintendo Switch. Nintendo will have a Software Transfer feature available to help move games and data from the original Switch to the Switch 2.

The new Joy-Con for the controllers will support mouse controls, and a new C button will be part of a new GameChat communication feature that allows both voice and video chat. There’s also a Nintendo Switch 2 Camera, allowing players to see each other.

The Switch 2 also adds a second USB-C port to the top of the system, which Nintendo says can help connect its new camera accessory or charge the console when playing in tabletop mode. Nintendo also revealed a new Switch 2 Pro Controller with the C button and customizable GL and GR buttons on the back.

Following the presentation, Nintendo unveiled the system’s price of $450 in the US. It will also sell the Switch 2 bundled with a digital version of Mario Kart World for $500.

Mario Kart World

Mario Kart World removes its traditional boundaries and lets drivers roam freely across an entire world of race courses. The game will get its own Nintendo Direct later this month, where we’ll see additional details, but we already know it’ll include traditional races and a Free Roam mode, much like in the Forza Horizon series.

Getting the game bundled for an extra $50 on the cost of the Switch 2 might be the move if you are interested in the game, because Nintendo announced on its website that standalone copies of Mario Kart World will cost $80.

Joy-Con 2 C button and GameChat

Nintendo’s rolling out its new C button across several new Switch 2 controllers. The button will be used for the new GameChat communication features without a headset. The button will be used alongside a microphone on the console itself, which Nintendo says can be used whether it’s docked to a TV or in handheld mode.

In its teaser video, Nintendo promises the microphone will be able to cancel out loud background noises. GameChat will also work with a Nintendo Switch 2 Camera, allowing video chat and various camera-based game modes in supported titles. GameChat will be free at launch through March 31, 2026.

Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games upgrade titles

The Nintendo Switch 2 will play three types of games: original Switch games, Switch 2 games and Switch 2 Edition games that will receive substantial enhancements. For many of these Switch 2 Edition games, you’ll need to buy an upgrade pack if you own the original for Switch. Many of them will get more than just enhanced graphics in the upgrade; for example, Super Mario Party Jamboree will get new games that support the new Joy-Cons’ mouse controls, audio recognition and video camera gameplay options through the Switch 2 Camera.

Other Nintendo Switch games that are getting Switch 2 Edition options include The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Metroid Prime 4 Beyond and Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Enhancements vary: The Zelda games will start working with a companion phone app for maps and sending schematics to friends, while Kirby will get a new story that’s exclusive to the Switch 2 Edition. On the third-party side, Civilization 7 will get mouse controls.

Nintendo did not announce what upgrade packs will cost. However, some Switch games will get free updates that will improve performance or enhance features when playing them on the Switch 2. The Switch games getting these updates include:

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a new game set in the world of Zelda that tells the story that leads into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. This appears to be similar to how Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity told the story of a war that led to the events of Breath of the Wild. The teaser shows Zelda discovering that she’s arrived in the past of Hyrule, and the game will expand on how she gets involved in the corresponding Imprisonment War.

Nintendo Switch 2 games

Several other first- and third-party games were spotlighted during the Switch 2 Direct. These include Donkey Bananza, one of the first 3D platforming games featuring DK since 1999’s Donkey Kong 64. Kirby will also return to the racing genre in Kirby Air Riders, which comes more than 20 years after the GameCube racer Kirby’s Air Ride. DragXDrive will use mouse controls to control a futuristic wheelchair basketball game in which players will simulate push and pull motions to control their character.

An onslaught of Switch 2 third-party games were quickly shuffled through during the Direct, which I list below. An unnamed James Bond game is in development at Hitman studio IO Interactive, as is a darker title from Elden Ring creator FromSoftware called The Duskbloods, which will be exclusive to the Switch 2.

The full list of announced Nintendo Switch 2 games includes:

Borderlands 4
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition
Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion
Deltarune
Donkey Kong Bananza
Drag x Drive
EA Sports FC
EA Sports Madden NFL
Elden Ring Tarnished Edition
Enter the Gungeon 2
Fast Fusion
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade
Fortnite
Hades 2
Hitman World of Assassination — Signature Edition
Hogwarts Legacy
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
Kirby Air Riders
Kirby and the Forgotten Land — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Star-Crossed World
Kunitsu-Gai: Path of the Goddess
Mario Kart World
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
NBA 2K
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition
Pokemon Legends: Z-A — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Project 007
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Split Fiction
Star Wars Outlaws
Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions
Street Fighter 6
Super Mario Party Jamboree — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Jamboree TV
Survival Kids
The Duskbloods
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4
WWE 2K
Yakuza 0 Definitive Edition

Among these titles, you can see the full list of June 5 Switch 2 launch day games here.

Nintendo GameCube library coming to Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch Online game library will add GameCube games to the Switch 2. On launch day, these games will initially include The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, SoulCalibur 2 and F-Zero GX, with each game getting enhanced graphics. Online multiplayer will also be added to certain titles. Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Strikers and Luigi’s Mansion are among the games set to arrive later. At launch, Nintendo will also sell a GameCube controller, which will be wireless and include a C button for GameChat.