There’s 3 things that really stand out for me that I would say made a massive difference to my life:

  1. 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.

  2. Tassimo coffee machine. Bought it 9 years ago, use it every day. Nice quick easy coffee. What’s not to like.

  3. 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

  • @nivenkos@lemmy.world
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    438 months ago

    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.

    • @AlternateRoute@lemmy.ca
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      98 months ago

      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.

    • @souperk@reddthat.com
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      8 months ago

      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.

      • @Mr_Blott@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        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

          • @Mr_Blott@lemmy.world
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            38 months ago

            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

        • @Jarmer@slrpnk.net
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          18 months ago

          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.

      • @Blizzard@lemmy.zip
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        48 months ago

        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.

        • @lud@lemm.ee
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          18 months ago

          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.

    • @a4ng3l@lemmy.world
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      68 months ago

      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…

      • @nivenkos@lemmy.world
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        48 months ago

        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.

  • @UnpopularCrow@lemmy.world
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    398 months ago

    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.

    • @moistclump@lemmy.world
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      168 months ago

      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.

  • @8565@lemmy.techtriage.guru
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    318 months ago
    1. Back in 2017 while stationed in AZ I adopted a dog who was the cutest little Blue Heeler, for $5 we have been inseparable since and she is the single greatest thing that’s happened to me.
    2. Last year in April my Powerstrokes transmission failed and on a whim I bought a 98’ 4 runner with 245k miles. We have now built the hell out of that little rig and have put 15k miles on it in 11 months
    3. 100 pairs of socks on Amazon. This sounds nuts but, I got 100 pairs of black socks 2 years ago for $60 because I was tired of my socks always missing. I still have 50 socks I haven’t touched.
  • Truffle
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    8 months ago
    1. A plot of land in a place I like. Nothing fancy or huge, just a place to be by myself and enjoy a nice bonfire away from people.

    2. Headphones. The old clunky ones that cover your whole ears. I love them! They feel like a hug and I use them all the time while listening to spooky stories. Bought them in a sale about four years ago.

    3. A hello kitty backpack. Bought it as a birthday gift for a friend’s daughter, we had a fallout and I kept it. One day I needed a clean backpack and this was on hand so I grabbed it in a whim and have been using it ever since. I have a pair of Columbia, silver ridge and tetons laying around but this fluffy cute backpack makes me so happy and has the perfect size.

  • @CarrierLost@lemmy.one
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    258 months ago
    1. My horse, Lola. She’s an amazing 9yo grey quarter horse mare. “Retired” barrel racer, she’s the perfect trail/ranch horse. She’s got the best quirky and silly demeanor, she loves to hang out, and she’s playful, but never gets crazy under saddle.

    2. My guitar. 2012 PRS 513. I absolutely love that guitar, and it got me back into playing after almost 20 years off. It’s my “do everything” guitar, and the difference in sounds between pickup combinations makes it incredibly versatile.

    3. A good mattress. I spend a solid 1/3 of my life sleeping (or trying to) and a great mattress helps so much.

  • @Blizzard@lemmy.zip
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    8 months ago
    1. Smart vacuum cleaner - you pay a reasonable amount once and don’t have to vacuum anymore

    2. Vaporiser - switched to vaping weed instead of smoking joints which is not only nicer in many ways but also allowed me to quit smoking cigarettes

    3. PlayStation - after sitting 8h by the desk moving a mouse for work, I didn’t want to sit in the same position another few hours playing games. With PS I can comfortably sit in my armchair and play on a big tv scrreen using a controller

    4. Ergonomic mattress - healed my hurting back. This should be on the top of this list.