19 Objects That Are So Unusual, It’s Hard to Guess What They’re Used For
It’s no secret that certain items make our days easier by serving essential purposes in our routines. However, there are others that can be so unusual that just by looking at them, it would be hard to include them in our “can’t-live-without” set of objects.
5-Minute Crafts has compiled 10+ photos from Reddit users who came across unfamiliar items and needed some help figuring out what they’re used for.
1. “I found this metal object, no text or numbers. It an retract to be the size of a bracelet.”
Answer: It’s the top (closure part) of a purse or small handbag. © sjhill / Reddit
2. “What is this tube full of balls in the wall of a home built in the mid-’90s?”
Answer: It’s a termite indicator. © RowHard / Reddit
3. “Found this in my grandparents’ kitchen. What is this?”
Answer: It’s an eggshell cutter for soft-boiled eggs, a topper. © Thud2 / Reddit
4. “My dad shows this thing to everyone who comes to the house to try and find out what it is. It’s gone so far that he’s actually built a shelf just for it. Help.”
Answer: That’s a coconut cutter/shredder. You sit on it and pound coconuts against it. © babbylonmon / Reddit
5. “Can someone help me identify this object?”
Answer: I’m pretty sure it’s a mate straw. © kaeorin / Reddit
6. “A solid metal ’kiss’ that was in our bag of candy cane Kisses — is it part of the machinery?”
Answer: Definitely not a part of the machine. Since it’s the same size and shape, I would say it’s a QA “gauge” to help operators verify shape and portion size at a glance. © i_eight / Reddit
7. “I found this small kettle years ago. Tried searching for a similar one but have always come up with nothing. Does anybody have an idea why this has this unique shape? Wallet for scale.”
Answer: Isn’t that a portable men’s urinal for bedbound patients? © Brokella / Reddit
8. “This is a switch on the back of an old clock labeled ‘Miracle Eye.’ What is this?”
Answer: It reduces sound when the room is dark. © WeAllWantToBeHappy / Reddit
9. “Arrived in the post for me. Small glass tubes with 2 tiny ball bearings in them. No idea what it is and it’s not something I’ve ordered.”
Answer: I believe those are rattles that you can put inside of fishing lures so they make noise to attract fish. © Dannieh42 / Reddit
10. “I commute to work and the guy in front of me put this up. While this was up, he was watching something on this phone and had headphones on. At one moment, one phone in the suitcase seemed to turn on, displaying the SAMSUNG Galaxy symbol. Nothing more happened.”
Answer: If I had to guess they’re probably recording network reception for a number of different carriers to create a coverage map. Similar to those cars with a bunch of weird antennas, but more portable. © SmithTheNinja / Reddit
11. “Okay, I know it’s a chair, but what’s with the extended arms?”
Answer: It looks like a plantation/planter’s chair. You’d put your sore swollen legs up on the arms after sitting on a horse all day, like a pregnant woman with her legs up in the same fashion. This is why the back is so sloped as well. If you sit up straight it wouldn’t be comfortable to put your legs up like that. It’s good for blood flow and airflow. © ChesterDaM******* / Reddit
12. “What is the purpose of the ’chip’ in the one prong of this fork? At first, I thought it was just a chip, but it turns out it’s on multiple forks in my drawer. Any ideas?”
Answer: They make one tine wider for cutting stuff, but the wider one wouldn’t stab as well as the others, so they gave it a clipped point. © PK****man / Reddit
13. “This is on a gate blocking road access to some cell towers. Why so many locks? And how would someone even open it?”
Answer: You can open the gate by unlocking only one padlock. The way it’s designed means that multiple people can use the gate, and if one person loses their keys, only their padlock needs to be replaced as opposed to one padlock with many keys, you’d need to give tons of people the new key. © WG47 / Reddit
14. “A local bar found this giant wheel beneath the floor while renovating. Any idea what it is/was? The space was formerly a garage.”
Answer: We stayed at a B&B recently that had one of these in the old carriage house. They said that the first cars didn’t have a reverse gear so this allowed them to maneuver the cars around to park them more efficiently (or something like that; I’m not remembering the exact words). I didn’t verify this info but it seems possible. © fetchmethatpitcher / Reddit
15. “My friend bought a house and there’s one of these in each bathroom. They don’t appear to be connected to anything.”
Answer: It’s an Umbra Illuzine magazine rack. I worked at a store that used to sell them. They also came in stainless steel. You hang the magazine by the spine over the rails. © Dslwc / Reddit
16. “The hole gets smaller when I squeeze it. Found in the kitchen at my parents’ house. What do I use it for?”
Answer: It’s to strip corn on the cob. © More_BRAAAINS / Reddit
17. “What is this stabby thing on wheels that arrived in the mail by mistake from Jamaica, NY?”
Answer: It’s for weeding cracks and crevices. © jackrats / Reddit
18. “What are these circular metal things on these stairs? I just hit my knee and man, did it hurt!”
Answer: Looks like a skateboard prevention device. Keeps them from grinding on edges. © Unknown user / Reddit
19. “I found these glass goggles in the wall of our 100-year-old home.”
Answer: Looks like old safety goggles with the strap missing. Possibly for brazing work on the plumbing. © Unknown user / Reddit