There’s 3 things that really stand out for me that I would say made a massive difference to my life:
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Cordless screw driver. Bought the day after building a flat pack bed with a crappy screw.driver that just shredded my hand. Thought it was frivolous at the time, but I’ve used it so much since. It’s light, small enough to fit in my pocket and good for 90% of DIY tasks.
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Tassimo coffee machine. Bought it 9 years ago, use it every day. Nice quick easy coffee. What’s not to like.
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My first DSLR camera. It was a Nikon D50 back in 2005/6 and it sparked my interest in photography to this day. It gave me a hobby I can take lots of places and do it alone or with others. I never loved the D50 camera itself, but I did get some really nice shots with it
- A bicycle. I have saved so much money over the years on cars, gym memberships, and therapy. I ride every day for most destinations, and I think that getting regular exercise has saved me from the aches and pains of middle age. I still haven’t experienced the horrors that await (if Lemmings are to be believed) of turning 30. And it makes getting places enjoyable.
- My first computer, an Amiga 500. I learned so much about software, IT, and human nature by persevering with an oddball (for the U.S.) computer.
- A trailer sailboat. Aside from the hours spent on the water, along with it comes a whole raft (hah!) of hobbies/side pursuits: Marlinspike work, sewing, electrical wiring, navigation, weather forecasting, fiberglass repair, radio communications, and such. Strangely enough, it also served me well through years of low income, by providing a lot of hours of enjoyment for the money.
- Bidet toilet seat
- Good mattress & office chair.
- Home Automation devices (mower/vacuum/lights etc).
What automated mower do you have?
Lawnmaster L10
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Full Ton pickup - I had an old half ton and was abusing it.
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Dump trailer - I can move so much more material, and dump so much faster.
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Cast iron pan for me.
Roomba. That is all.
I’m sorry but your roomba has decided to stay with me for a while
Bidet which i installed during covid when stupid fucking people were fighting for TP. Been using it since then. Worth every cent.
The thing that weirds me out about the common bidet answer is how certain societies thought otherwise was a good idea in the first place. I don’t know anyone here that would call it revolutionary since 90% of the places you go have a hose for your butt sitting right next to you.
Agreed, but specifically an aftermarket electric seat bidet to save in a load of plumbing.
What are you talking about ? A handheld one will cost ya $30 and all you need to do is screw it to the flush using a T joint.
Isn’t heated tho :P
I did the same recently and can’t recommend them more. They’re wonderful. I can’t imagine a world without one and I’m shocked that they didn’t become the staple in every household decades ago. Big TP really did a number on my country.
Lol majority of people are fucking stupid.
-swinging couch -puppy -AAPL stock in 2008
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3d Printer - I print lots of useful thing for work (brew beer).
Espresso maker that I use as a single cup coffee maker (no pods all steel).
eBike - makes me want to bike instead of drive my car around
Can I ask the brand/make of the espresso maker?
Sowtech similar unit to mine
My Steadicam rig and given how much it costs it counts as 3
Are you in video production?
I’m a camera/Steadicam operator and camera accessories engineer.
- usb kvm. Had to often switch my usb devices between my PC and laptop.
- external wifi antenna. Useful for when my laptop’s antenna is not enough.
- electric screwdriver. Saves a lot of time.
I bought a 97 Ford Taurus off a friend for $800 back in 2008. Her dad thought it was on its last legs at 155k miles so he wanted to sell it. I drove it for four years. It was running fine until someone blasted it out in front of my girlfriend’s house and drove off. At the time it had 206k miles. 50k miles for $800 was certainly one of my best purchases.
All my cars have been sub-$5k rust buckets or on their last legs.
$600 - 1993 Honda civic
$1300 - 1994 Volkswagen Golf
$3000 - 2003 Mazda 3
$1000 - 2007 ford escape
$2000 - 2012 Kia Rio
$3000 - 1994 Chevrolet s10
$4000 - 2009 Volkswagen rabbit
$4000 - 2009 Toyota Yaris
Almost all of them sold for what I bought it for. Im mechanically inept so probably could have kept them longer if I was good at that.
Good purchases, some adventures, but cheap cars that work out and are in that sweet spot of not dead but still cheap are great.
Kindle - all the books, all the time.
Sony WH1000-XM3 (I guess newer models are still good) - excellent noise cancelling, perfect for flights
Steam Deck - play almost any games, anywhere, and with a full desktop mode too.
In the past I’d have put the Acer Aspire One, I loved the netbook form factor, now I use either the Vivobook or Steam Deck like that.
The Aeropress is also great for quick, simple coffee.
I guess newer models are still good
Nope. The WF1000-XM4 have battery drain issues, and there is at least one explosion recorded…
Edit: To everyone saying they have XM4 or XM5 and see no issues, congratulations you are one of the lucky few. Just google “XM4 battery drain” and you will learn the Sony had to issue so many refunds they introduced new processes…
PS Boycott Sony until they address the issues. It’s not okay for major producer to release a product with such a major flow and then look the other way.
I haven’t had any issues with my XM4, in fact the battery is great
Same here, I use them very heavily and I usually charge the headset once or maybe twice a week depending on usage. I haven’t calculated how long they actually last but I absolutely believe the 30 something hours on the box.
I should be clear that I mean the WH-1000XM4.
All true wireless in-ear headphones have an awful battery life of like only 6-8 hours or so.
The one problem I have with the headphones is that moisture from sweat and watering them seems to bring some annoying symptoms.
Had the XM-4, battery life was shit and I will now never ever buy another set of headphones without physical buttons. They were truly dreadful when you put them round your neck
Changed for Bose QC45 and will never buy Sony again
I never tried the Bose ones, they have great reviews too though.
A bit too bass-heavy, but far more comfortable. The Sonys had slightly better noise cancelling, I have to admit, but the touch sensitive ear cups is a fucking stupid idea
I used the refund money to buy Bose qc35 earbuds
haha, I had the Sony XM4’s as well and my favorite day ever of owning them was when I finally got so frustrated I threw them off the mower I was riding on and mowed over them. It felt SOOOOO GOOD. By far the biggest waste of money I have ever spent. Never again Sony anything even remotely related to that. Also never again anything without physical buttons.
Got XM5 and the battery seems endless. Noice cancelling great, sound quality too, comfortable. The only con is the fact they are not suitable for conferencing at work via Teams etc. - you either can’t hear what you’re saying or can hear youself with an annoying delay.
Haaaa yeah the kindle. Both loved and hated in my case. Love the form factor, allowing me to indulge in new books. Hate it because I don’t get new physical books anymore. Not that I have any room left for books; that’s the reason I bought the kindle in the first place…
Yeah, it’s a shame for passing on books I guess - like my dad had loads of books by Hugh Cook, an obscure fantasy / sci-fi author, and they’re out of print completely now.
At least in the future digitisation should stop that completely though.
My daughter got the steam deck and she does use it mobile however it has eclipsed the switch as our go to living room family/party/multiplayer console. Family library sharing works very seamlessly in steam.
I am regularly impressed how well PC titles run on it regardless of if they windows running under proton or Linux optimized.
There are also an impressive number of titles that have native or at minimum controller support to the point the onscreen prompts all show the correct buttons. We have a number of Xbox controllers now for up to 4 player multiplayer.
We regularly hook it up to hotel TVs when traveling as well.
My recliner that I bought with one of the first Covid check. I have horrendous back issues (3 major surgeries and constant pain) and having another resting/sleep area has been a lifesaver many times. Currently pregnant and it’s one of the only places I can sleep.
This set of 2 grabbers from Amazon. They weren’t super expensive but nicer than other grabbers commonly bought by others. They have been used daily by me, my toddler plays with them, they get dropped, etc. and they perform so well. I can pick up the tiniest item off the floor, a piece of paper, etc. with no issues. Had them 3 years. I keep one on each floor of the house and they save my back so much. It’s one of the only ways I can do chores and keep the floor clean from a toddler.
Silly, but this last year I really appreciated having a laminator at home. It’s nothing fancy- just a simple one from Scotch from the store. I’ve laminated different rules for games (card games where we wrote out the rules) and my son absolutely LOVES when I draw him characters and items from his favorite shows, laminate them, and then he plays with them for months. It’s saved us a ton of money buying toys he doesn’t need, stores easily, and he loves it. It also gets out some of the creative side that I kind of lost the last few years.
Which recliner did you go with? I’ve been shopping for one for a while and haven’t had any luck finding one I like…
Boring answrs but… A computer. It’s the 2nd most expensive thing I own and it’s provided me thousands and thousands of hours of entertainment and use as tool.
A car. The most expensive thing I’ve brought and very useful. I’ve been able do a lot more with my time and get into many new hobbies.
Power rack. 3rd most expensive. Having a power rack in my garage allows me to safely lift heavy by myself which is awesome.
Bonus cheap thing. Screw driver set. Allowed me to fix many things around my house and easily saved me 10x the cost.
