Just went down the aliexpress rabbit hole again. Theres really everythinf for some of really niche things that i wouldnt ever buy, but some things really do look appealing. I wonder what do you guys use daily thats worth lets say under $20
Poopknife
Sorry, what?
Lol it’s an old story from reddit. Allegedly, this guy was at a friend’s house and he went to the bathroom. But he couldnt find the poopknife and called out for it. He was mortified to learn that the average family did not employ the use of a poopknife.
WTF
What’s a reddit?
It’s like an internet poop knife.
I made the whole thing up. It came to me in a fever dream.
A closed source centralized Lemmy alternative.
My nephew needs a poop knife. The kid was breaking toilets when he was 5 or 6, and never stopped. It took his parents a while to figure out he was dropping rock hard giant turds and wasn’t throwing toys in the toilet or something. I saw one of he turds that wouldn’t flush a few months ago for the first time. It was massive… I don’t know how it came out of him. It did take a long time, it’s probably painful.
The funny thing is that you can actually buy a poop knife now.
Poop knife.
A knife made of fossilised coprolite, so it looks at home in the toilet. Alternatively, a knife used to cut up poop for inspection before disposal.
Bit nit picky but coprolite is fossilied poop. Saying fossilied coprolite is a bit redundant as coprolite already states that it’s fossilised
No I agree with you perfectly, but it was a choice between making it semantically correct, and making it more readable / understandable to most readers.
I still use the scissors, can’t get enough leverage with the knife sometimes.
That or I need more fiber.
If you ever have to resort to the knife resist the urge to push it against the toilet. If it cuts through suddenly the sharp impact from the blade could crack the porcelain.
Reading glasses, unfortunately
Leatherman micra pocket knive
They’re great but the scissors will get dull very quickly and it’s almost impossible to sharpen them. Also, the newer models are not as good as the older ones.
milwaukee fastback with screw driver attachment. I’m no contractor and use this thing all day everyday. Primarily as a knife but the screwdriver has came in clutch countless times. You can get a two pack for under $20
Ok. I bought one of these three weeks ago based on this post.
Holy shit.
I’ve been a Leatherman or knife carrier most of my life. But I have reached for my new Fastback more than most multitools I’ve ever owned.
In these past weeks I have:
- Taken a fence apart to back a truck into the yard of a friend who was moving.
- Opened several boxes that I wouldn’t have needlessly dulled my knife blade on.
- Removed the blade to scrape residue off of a window more than once.
- Used the flathead to pry whatever small retaining clip needed persuasion.
- Cut the end of of zip ties totally flush.
I know not everyone will have this experience. But the disposable blade coupled with a 1/4" bit was an absolute game changer for me.
Thanks, OP
the tanto fastback with screwdriver is a pretty good looking design. I’m adding that one to my wishlist. Lol
Was coming here to post this. I cannot overstate how much I use this thing daily. Bought it to help with some diy projects, and ended up carrying it everywhere I go. This is one of those few items less than $20 that I honestly can’t see being without anymore.
Floss picks. Flossing is actually more important than brushing and it’s really nice to have a pack of floss picks at your desk so you can floss absent mindedly while watching a video or even in bed.
It’s so much wasted plastic though. I 3D printed a handle and with a little sandpaper to smooth the handle out, it’s super easy to floss. Using this one currently: https://www.printables.com/model/267704-dental-floss-holder-with-tensioner/comments
I also thought that too and I’ve been looking for a reusable one now. I bought one but it’s too much of a hassle and frankly takes more time to change floss than actually flossing (have to unwind, remove from track unwind again, pull floss, rewind, align with track, rewind again and trim)
There’s always a tradeoff: security or convenience, environmental destruction or convenience, healthy life or convenience…
I don’t mind at least trying to do something right. But I don’t know other people’s lives so most I’ll do is ask them to consider or try something new.
There are also wooden floss picks out there, for those who don’t have a printer but want to use less plastic.
Would be better with the 90 degree bend.
But also PLA will grow bacteria after putting it in your mouth even if you wash it.
I actually modified it in solidworks to have a nice curve, and open at the tips vs trying to thread the floss everytime.
Bacteria? You’re brushing your teeth with a reused toothbrush. Besides, that’s what immune systems are for.
Different plastics have different properties, like how much moisture they hold. You can clean polypropylene but you’ll never clean off PLA
I used petg, better for the engineering stuff that I do.
Feel free to google whether you should be putting petg in your mouth and then giving it time to grow bacteria and then putting it back in your mouth again.
(you may be shocked by the answer)
Jesus, clickbait language in comments is worrying
I understand your point, and still disagree.
If I could injection mold it out of polycarbonate, I would. I’d still rather use this than mindlessly buy 150 plastic prongs, only 5% of each disposed piece being actual floss.
I don’t think anyone is shocked. PETG is probably the best solution here since it can be food grade and transparent to help with disinfection via UV. Would probably be a good idea to limit each one to a month of use or something but it’s still better than the wasteful alternative.
Awesome! Thank you so much, I have floss picks that I hate as they’re crappy and break or stretch out before I can do my whole mouth so I end up using two. Definitely printing this when I get home!
Glad you like it. Maybe snap the ends off as threading the floss through the holes is a pita haha.
I’ve got one that’s basically a handle that dispenses the floss, so you just use it and then click a few times and there’s new floss ready for next time. Makes it a lot easier to get done.
Do you know the product name?
Yeah, it’s a GUM Flosbrush.
I started doing this a few years ago, and it made a world of difference. I dislike the whole process of using regular floss; having to wrap it around my fingers and then try to maneuver it around inside my mouth, all while staring at myself in the bathroom mirror is a mental burden. Now I just keep a bag of floss picks in easily reachable places where I tend to spend the most time, and I’ve ended up with really good flossing habits.
I’m in the same boat. I didn’t floss until I started using those little picks. I’ve looked into reusable floss holders, but none of them seem like something I want to regularly stick in my mouth.
A year’s worth of floss picks is the same amount of plastic as just a couple of bottles/containers. If you feel bad about the plastic waste but can’t find an alternative, you can always focus on getting fewer single-use plastic containers.
There are also wooden ones; still making trash but at that point it’s equivalent to a bad toothpick habit lol
Hmmm. Wooden toothpicks would make me look like some 1950s gumshoe…
Dentist hate this one little trick… because it is not actually as good as flossing. Floss picks tend to have a very tight piece of floss. It is good for cleaning the surfaces directly between your teeth, but not the curved parts of the teeth.
I hate regular floss (or rather sticking my fat fingers deep into my mouth), so flossing sticks are better than nothing.
What I do to mediate that is sticking in the floss pick, turning it and pulling it out while under tension and whatever it doesn’t get will be removed by brushing. My dentist told me I have very healthy teeth (I actually don’t even brush very consistently (please don’t do this even though it happened to work out for me (I was depressed, just listen to your dentist))). I also floss the gap between each tooth twice, once applying pressure to one side and vice versa.
When the alternative is not flossing at all, I don’t the dentist will mind. Floss picks are the only thing that got me to floss every day. My dentist doesn’t ask me if I’m flossing anymore, so that must mean it’s good enough.
- Leatherman metal bracelet with a lot of tools on the wrist. Not only it is strong and sturdy, but also looks cool. Also, saved me from being completely locked inside a room with no one around cause the door handle decided to break. Quickly disassembled the locking mechanism with the bracelet and was free in 2 mins, lol. Leatherman might be on an expensive side but there sure are alternatives. More than that, somehow I never had any issues with airports. They literally let me take it onboard every single time.
- Phone holder for bed, aka robo-arm. Watching content before/while sleeping has never been more convenient.
- A waist bag. No more stretched out jeans cause I keep all my stuff in the pockets.
- A gas lighter. Works as a candle substitute if necessary. Also stylish.
- A small but reliable kickscooter might be a great option if you need to go some distance that’s too long to walk and too short for a taxi drive.
- A second usb-c charger for the laptop actually is a convenient thing if you need to carry the laptop across rooms. No need to carry the bulky charger every time.
- Speaking of chargers, consider buying a lot of 2 or 3 way wireless chargers for your mobile devices. I don’t remember last time I bothered with plugging in my phone cause it’s always charged wherever I go due to having wireless chargers everywhere.
- On an expensive side, but a good sturdy metal gaming chair.
- A portable SSD. Saved me by having all my backups many times.
- A usb-A and usb-C compatible flash drive.
- Paper cups and plates I guess? I don’t like doing dishes and those two both eliminate the need to, but without a downside of being plastic.
- Gonna sound strange, but a ladder. Replacing burnt lightbulbs with a chair is a nightmare, at least in my house.
I have a bulb tool that screws onto a standard broom pole handle. $3.
All good things I’m just curious abt the choice of a scooter over a bike. If you work your way up u can eventually replace a car/taxi entirely with it
Paper cups and plates I guess? I don’t like doing dishes and those two both eliminate the need to, but without a downside of being plastic.
:(
Bad news, Leatherman bracelets seem to be retired, unless there’s another series besides Tread that I can’t find
A metal gaming chair? I’ve never heard of such a thing.
What I meant is a gaming chair with some good metal base construction. I currently use DxRacer Iron series and it’s by far superior to all alternatives I’ve used.
Equally as expensive but I’ve found high quality office chairs are much better. Gaming chairs used to be fine for me until WFH. Every day after work my back was killing me, and I couldn’t ever game after work.
I got a relatively cheap ($500) office chair and it’s been fantastic. Ergonomic, fully adjustable in every way, and shaped for someone to sit in for 8 hours a day. Fantastic. I’d love an aeron but even used they’re over 1k and 500 was already a lot to spend on a chair for me.
You forgot to mention a towel and a rubber chicken with a pulley inside.
Snag Nab-It and an electric depiller (fabric shaver).
Miracle makers during sweater season.
I don’t know how petty you want us to be, but here is my list (some of which has been stated)
- shoe laces
- reusable water bottle
- sunglasses
- wrist watch
I thought about listing food, and things to eat it on/with, but that would be too much haha. I do use these things daily tho…
Magnetic USB c connectors
Those are good if you don’t work anywhere that metal shavings might be and not all of them support 10w+ charging.
I haven’t noticed a difference on my 8t for 65w charger and no notifications on my USB c laptops
Good quality kitchen knives. Makes cooking a much better experience.
what’s a cheap quality kitchen knife.
Victorinox chef’s knife 8" or 10"
edit: didn’t see the under $20 qualifier. looks like ~$45 on amazon currently. well worth that price imo
+1 for victorinox, until I got my current knife, I exclusively used these
On the same note, Victorinox peelers are fucking great and, at least in here, they cost like 14€ or so.
Nice. I need a new peeler soon and most of my best knives are Victorinox. Their paring knives are pretty well made as well.
Literally the top choice for beater chefs knife in kits around the world. My Henkles and Globals are nice knives but if Im splitting up a partly frozen whole chicken Im using the victorinox because it is made to be abused
I personally really love my Babish Chef’s knife. I generally avoid buying content creator merch, but all the reviews I read for the knife seemed overwhelming positive for the price point
I have a Mundial. The 8" knife I have is $25 on Amazon (I got mine in 2012 for $12)… I saw on reddit or somewhere years ago that they were commonly used in restaurant kitchens.
If you’ve got an Asian market, look for “Kiwi” brand knives there. Usually sold in big bins without packaging (maybe a plastic sleeve if you’re lucky). They’re sharp, but they do wear so also grab a cheap pull-through sharpener
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Magnetic soap holder.
You shove a little metal bit into your soap bar, and the bar dangles from a magnet on a stand that holds it over the sink.
Soap dries quickly, no scum in the soap dish, any drippage falls right into the sink.
Only downside is the magnet falls out when the bar gets smaller, so you have to mash the old bar into the bottom of the new one to keep from wasting it.
I’ve never heard of this witchcraft. This is exactly what I need.
Edit: heard not beard
Yes beard, not not beard.
A pocket knife and a small flashlight. You don’t realize how often you could use either until you have them.
My knife is an Opinel #8 (~$20) and my light is an Aurora A33 (~$20).
I carry a bag most of the time, so I’ve got a little extra room than most, but I’d probably still carry both if I didn’t. The pocket knife is the size of, well, a pocket knife and the flashlight is only the size of a sharpie.
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What are you using a barometer for so frequently?
That’s what I wanna know. I’d love a barometer but I cannot think of any reason why lol
Get one! Learn to predict the weather by keeping an eye on pressure changes. It could be a little hobby.
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To predict the next shit storm
How would a barometer help ?
Shit winds… https://youtu.be/xer32BmkORk?si=3sM6JX4TyJUAjKc-
Long USB cables can be problematic, and to avoid problems may need to be inconveniently thick and stiff. I’ve taken to using an AC extension chord for most of the length when I need to charge far from an outlet.
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I second a headlamp. Almost mandatory if you’re camping I think. I got some cheap ones and use them around the house / garage too. More useful than they seem at first glance.
Depends on your lifestyle ofc but a cheap 6’ tape measurer keychain has come in clutch more times than I can count. Within the past week I’ve used it to
measure the hatch of my car to see if a box could fit
compared a 14" pizza to a 17" to my friend group to figure what size pizza to buy
measured an entire house worth of soffit
The thing was like $5 and honestly gets more use out of anything in my EDC except maybe my earbuds and even then I barely touch them since graduating from uni
Make sure you test it against one you’re sure is accurate. My wife bought one that looks right at first blush, but it’s off by at least 5%.
That’s a funny cautionary tale.
Roughly 0.5 inches would you say?
Dude, you’ve gotta factor in way more than diameter if you’re trying to make wise pizza choices. They have calculators for that: https://www.omnicalculator.com/food/pizza-comparison
Your link is the other way around, you should put the text between [ ] and the link between ( ), i.e. text, the way you did it the text that appears is the url but when you click it it tries to go to literally the address
url.
I use the one on my leather man micra all the time. Also fans of Adam Savage know about his measuring device tattooed on his arm which is cool too.
Funny, I was just watching some lockdown-era Tested videos and was wondering what that tattoo was on Adam’s arm. Reminds me of my mechanic friends with a 10mm socket tattooed so that “they’ll never lose it”
I keep several full size 30’ tape measures in different places like my truck, kitchen junk drawer and (of course) toolboxes. You might find that more useful than a 6’. Cheap ones are fine, I think, as long as you don’t drop them.
The appeal is to have it fit on your keychain/ in your pocket so that you’ve always got it rather than having to run back to the car or wherever one might be
Thank you, now I know what tattoo to get if I pass by a walk in place. I’m always tempted but the things I want aren’t exactly walk in tattoos. Only question now is to go halfway up my forearm or to my elbow. Guess I could go all the way down my index finger, too, but I’m not sure how long a tattoo on the side of the finger would last, plus all the possible bends when including the hand could reduce measurement accuracy by quite a bit.
Luftkin makes a high contrast 8’ the size of most 6’ and it is glorious. I have one as a daily driver for work, cold dead hands.
The rest of their tape measures in that same line are great.
