Japanese stationery company Midori is mostly known for their excellent Traveler's notebook, which sports a beautiful handmade leather cover.

However, they also offer this 15cm aluminum + wood metric ruler that's just as worthy of your consideration, so long as you don't mind it being in centimeter scale rather than inches. It's a high-quality aluminum ruler inlaid with dark brown European beech wood and with laser-engraved markings for longevity. A nice mix of cool precision and natural warmth — something we appreciate in a tool. The aluminum body has the bonus of working well with utility knives, et al.

The ruler is just $8 on Amazon. If the aluminum and wood combo isn't your thing, Midori also carries rulers in brass ($11) and black aluminum ($7).