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AsklemmyFor me, it's an electric toothbrush. It doesn't matter if you go with Sonicare or Oral-B, once you start using an electric toothbrush, regular toothbrushes don't ever feel like they clean your teeth properly. The smooth plaque-free top layer of your teeth that you can feel after using an electric toothbrush can't be replicated with a regular toothbrush.
Rada Quick sharp and a cheap hone
Yes we all know about people who obsessively talk about knife care and sharpening, but for the average person, just use this to get your knife sharp and get on with your life.
carbiners and keyrings. they are hella useful although while you don't need to get climbing grade you don't want the cheapest level of consumer crap. The spot bot is great if its still the same setup. basically it just automatically rotates a scrubbrush with soapy water and sucks it back up. It basically cleans a spot like you got on your hands and knees with a bucket and scrubbrush to clean it. Very small area but thoroughly cleaned. crappy unbrella hats. its nice to keep the rain off while being able to use both hands. folding kitchen step stool. the larger kind with two levels, a magna cart, thumb drives, steamdeck, man likely lots of other things.
I disagree on the toothbrush. The problem is all the e waste. Everything else being equal I would love it and my wife won't give it up but basically the manufacturers change and you can't get heads that will work and you end up having to buy a new brush every few years which is almost worse with rechargeables.
But you could just go with Phillips? They have been using the same heads for a long time I believe. I buy mine from Costco in bulk.
Im not sure who I started with but initially there was no rechargeables and then like the first rechargeable I got had to be replaced because we could not get heads. I gave up at that point. I just don't trust them to keep the things going. A few years is not enough for me its gotta last minimum a decade and preferably a few.
Wife and I have had our Sonicare toothbrushes for something like 15 years and never had trouble finding replacement heads. In the event Phillips stops making them I'm certain 3rd parties will still make them.
must depend on model because one was definately soniccare.
Like five wireless chargers scattered through your home wherever it is you usually just drop and forget your phone
Also, a little frame-controller for your phone, you can play warframe on that thang
A dedicated portable audio player with support for high-res files (that's NOT running Android).
You can't just doom scroll all day, no one can call you, you won't get any spam texts or emails on it. It's just you and your music.
Honestly, my favorite purchase of the past years is the Steamdeck. Can take it to work, play in my lunch break. Can take it on trips, play in the plane or train. Also got a dock at home, where I play coop games with my kid. So I guess if you are a gamer not playing any not supported games (there aren't that many), go for it.
I am currently in the process of making an arcade cabinet for my Steam Deck! I bought it for my wife, but she basically stopped gaming for now. So, I decided to turn it into an arcade cabinet instead. Love that thing
I bought a used one and it gave me the confidence I needed to move over to Linux. I tried Pop os and wasn't really feeling it, and now I'm on Mint and I'm mostly happy. I want to build a desktop and do cachy os instead of getting a PS6.
Steam deck is an impressive little thing, but it's not quite powerful enough for what I'd like to do with it. I would trade the portability for more power. But a handheld PS4 is absolutely nothing to sneeze at!
Digital bath thermometer. I love my baths and I can get to my exact desired temperature of 43.5 degrees c every time. Great 5 quid purchase.
DNS filtering. I'm using NextDNS, because I can't be bothered to be my own server admin.
Why? It does a great job at filtering out ads, tracking the rest of internet cancer on mobile devices. Works no matter where you are. With pihole, you get the filtering only when you're at home, not when you're scrolling funny cat videos while waiting for the train.
Robot vacuum. My floors are spotless except for some areas you’d never walk on and I only need to do some spot cleaning every month or two.
Dishwashers are awesome too, watch Technology Connections’ video on YouTube if you think your dishwasher doesn’t do a good job. It’s likely just how you’re using it. Priming the hot water before running, using powder detergent instead of liquid or packs (booo), and using the pre-wash and rinse aid will have even the gnarliest dishes coming out spotless.
Love my robot vacuum! As someone who works 12+ hours a day, it's such a life saver. We have had our Roborock for 4 years now and it has 0 issues. Any issues I had were easy fixed by just opening the thing up and cleaning inside.
Absolutely love watching Technology Connections. Dude improved my dishwasher game by 400%
My first roborock met the fate of dog poop and an idiotic husband who thought he could just hose it 🙃 my second one is doing great.
I was so excited when first got a roomba 5 or 6 years ago, but that faded so fast after it turned into an endless stream of notifications that it was caught under furniture, stuck on a cliff (the edge of a rug), full of dirt, couldn't find its base, or trapped under a maze of dining room table legs.
I love the idea, but man that was $500 wasted. I'm sure they are better now, but I cant bring myself to buy another one.
A usb c mini dock. Those that fit in your hand and are pretty much an entire docking station (multiple ports, hdmi, Ethernet) minus the power supply. So many devices come with only 1-2 ports.
An analog watch. Nothing fancy, just a cheap Casio or Timex or whatever.
An analog watch is the one thing I can't leave home without.
Ive had the same Timex for about 20 years now. Had to replace the strap a couple times and the battery, but the time keeping works like a charm and keeps perfect time. Mine is the leather strap with a white face and also shows day of the week and date. Not bad for a watch that cost me $20 a lifetime ago.
I do use a smart watch when im exercising though.
Stick blender! I delayed buying one because I thought the regular blender I had was enough, but this one is so convenient for sauces and soups.
e-reader: another item I delayed buying for too long because I believed paper books were better. I bought a Kobo and ended up reading more often.
I can FLY on an eReader. I bump the font up a bunch and just go, baby. Love reading ebooks (i read them on an ipad mini). I was also Mr. Physical Books Forever. Boy was I wrong about that.
Water pick - if I keep it in stride wit OP's post.
I just install HomeAssistant. Seems like a good choice.
I had smartthings for YEARS but I left it all in place when I moved. Home assistant will be my next adventure.
Electric kettle. Fast at boiling water, especially if your stove heats slowly. Great for things like tea or instant noodles/lunches.
I think this must be an American thing, because I have actually never known anyone who doesn't own an electric kettle. It's just so much more efficient!
This is quite a strange comment to see as there isn't a single house in the UK that doesn't have an electric kettle in it.
Over here, you'll find a pot of water on the stove more common. Our regular outlets are 120v, but our stoves are typically 240v. A water kettle here would be about half as fast as our stoves (generally speaking). Over there, yeah, with 240 being the standard, a kettle makes a lot of sense.
At least here in Finland a decent amout of stoves are 400v. Still, even at 120 a kettle is faster than an electroc stove. An induction stove is a different story
Are we both thinking the same kind of kettle or is it British/American English different? What I'm talking about is a pitcher with an electric heating unit in the bottom?
Yeah that’s the one. Literally every household.
I think they would be more popular in the US if they worked as quickly here. I have one, but it takes about 4 minutes to heat 2 cups to boiling. It's still worth it to me, but it's not much faster than the stovetop for us. There's something about the electric service in the UK that allows electric kettles to heat much faster there.
240V vs 120V. For an equivalent amount of current, 240V supplies twice the amount of power to the heating element.
Is no one going to post the Technology Connections video???
Okay, then
https://youtu.be/_yMMTVVJI4c
Also https://youtu.be/RpoXFk-ixZc
And maybe channeling electro boom: https://youtu.be/INZybkX8tLI
I can confirm, pretty much every UK household has one of those, they're just one of those things you have in the kitchen.
Not a fan of microplastics or extra unnecessary gadgetry..
Seems like silly waste to be the next lemming without any substantial difference to the age old system of boiling water, same with rice cookers.
Unless I don’t hav a stovetop they’re basically not needed, a waste of money and another point of plastic contamination.
They come in glass or metal aswell, rice cookers always have an aluminium basket, the lid might be plastic and rubber but those parts are usually not mechanically strained. The microplastic argument seems weird here
I don’t see how that it’s weird but to each their own. Every plastic and/or polymer based product sheds/leeches microplastics, especially heated or constant usage.
Aluminum is hardly better and health wise causes other harms and contaminants in the body.
Glass, stainless, cast iron is gtg..plastic and aluminum not so much.
Whats wrong with aluminium, like 80 of the earth's surface is basically some aluminium oxid
Iirc there was something about aluminium in deodorant sprays a while ago that turned out to be not that bad, but what's wrong with solid sheets of the stuff?
Not arguing, but I don't think I've ever even seen a plastic one. Mine has a plastic lid, but the inside is still sheet metal. I can't even imagine one with plastic parts that aren't just cosmetic. Plus they've got to adhere to some kind of safety regulations lest they be penalized by some federal agency. 🤔
Most (though not all) in the UK since at least the 90s are plastic except for the heating element and electronics, microplastic concerns aside they're considered more efficient since it's a better insulator. Regardless of material every home has one I can tell you that.
I know it's an annoying cliche answer at this point but I really do love my air fryer, it got me out of a cooking rut and made me more creative. I've had it for a year and a half an use it 3-4 times a week.
If you're reheating a pizza without an air fryer, you're just plain doing wrong.
2-5 minutes, no preheat, and it tastes better than the night before.
Sorry but the correct way to heat up pizza is in a covered frying pan.
Most bar food reheats well in it too lol
I am firmly of the belief that people with ADHD should be prescribed an air fryer.
It is such an incredible tool because it almost destroys the mental barrier that something like the oven has. I actually make myself food now!
I just discovered the joys of the ninja double basket one. You can set the timer for both sides but then also set both sides to finish at the same thing. Crazy awesome.
Without having to fry. My executively dysfunctional ass has resorted to cooking (frying veg and tofu) the same meal every day so I don't have to think about ir
Even just throwing tater tots into the air fryer makes 'em crispy on the outside with zero use of oil. About as healthy as you can eat potatoes and as easy as a microwave. Love it.
A small countertop water cooler/dispenser with a refillable filter bottle on top. (if you have the floor space, a stand up cooler is usually more energy efficient tho)
Something like this:
With one of these on top: https://www.zerowater.com/products/filtered-water-cooler
Clean filtered water, both boiling hot and almost ice cold, on-demand. Filling water bottles, cups, making hot chocolate, tea, instant noodles, even just starting to boil a pot using pre-heated water, taking so much less time. I love this thing.
When it comes to filters:
Zerowaters products specifically come with a Total Disolved Solids meter measuring in parts-per-million.
I was previously using a Brita filter jug which poured into a second filter from Aquapur ontop of my cooler.
My Tap water: 143ppm
Brita filter: 139ppm
Brita+Second filter: 87ppm
Replaced both with a single zerowater filter: 0ppm
After pulling close to 30 gallons through that filter its risen to ~8ppm (they want you to replace it at >6)
This! But mine is just a pitcher with a filter in the lid. Stick it in the fridge to keep cool, use it to fill backup bottles.
I started with one of those for at least a decade and upgraded to a large dispenser jug in the fridge for like 4 years.
The small pitcher doesn't hold enough water needing a refill pretty much every use (large water bottles, and several family members). Refilling means setting it in the sink, add water, wait long enough for it to filter the first batch, then add more and return it to the fridge. Takes too long.
The large dispenser jug was a PITA to take out, filter water into (using the top of the Brita pitcher in like 5 batches), then return to the fridge around twice a week, if not more. It's heavy, that process takes a while, and you've gotta babysit it to add enough water and put it away to be chilled.
The countertop cooler filter is much more convenient. It holds ~5 gallons of filtered water and you can dump like 3.5-4 gallons into the top at a time. Takes like 1/5th the time to refill with no babysitting/waiting around to add more water.
The major upgrade there is the hot filteted water. It is SO nice being able to get boiling hot filtered water immediately. I really like hot chocolate, my sister drinks a ton of tea, and we all like instant cup-a-noodles. Never wait for a kettle, and cleaner water than the kettle.
This is more of a tool, but I have a set of 4” knipex cobra pliers that are perfect for around the house. Just small enough to fit into about any space, super grippy, and you can easily make minute adjustments to the plier spacing. I’ve used them more than any other tool I own.
Oh, and noise-canceling headphones (ideally over-the-ear). Instant quality of life upgrade.
Just mentioned this in another thread, but the XTEInk X4 is one of the most focused and portable e-readers I’ve come across. Less than $100 and isn’t locked down so you can load custom firmware on it. For anyone like me who finds most e-readers go unused because they don’t go with you, I’ve yet to find a better option.
With I knew this before buying a new nook
I was gonna say my jailbroken kindle. But that affordable mini e-reader has definitely caught my eye.
Instantpot. I live in a teeny studio apt and the Instantpot puts in work daily.
I live in a tiny studio and am considering some sort convenient cooker. What do you cook with it?
Not the person you're asking but when I used to travel for work all the time and I was so sick of out food, I got the smaller instant pot and brought it with. I made rice, beans, potatoes (a lot of potatoes lol), spaghetti, I think I made taco meat in it a few times, and a few other things I can't think of.
Most of them have settings for rice, for simmering, pressure cooking and some other fun stuff. Instant pot and air fryer, you can make just about anything.
Agreed. If you get an instant pot that is part airfryer, you will be set
Portable Bluetooth label maker. Not a necessity, but you can use it outside of typical application for lots of fun things!
Somebody park like an asshole? Leave a fun message for them!
Got something you want to personalize? Custom stickers of whatever you want!
Wanna leave memes around in public for people to find? You already have templates saved!
Want to advertise yourself or someone/something else? Boom, instant QR codes.
I've been having fun with the mini I originally got for work, about to buy one that prints larger labels.
Any particular model you can recommend?
I started with a Nelko one for $20-ish, but they have a free/paid system where you don't get all the stickers/fonts unless you pay a yearly fee. Next one I'm looking at is this one that specifically advertises no mtx.
Ultimately the main thing you want is a laser printer with thermal paper. Won't print in color, but it's much less hassle without ink carts and the only thing you'll need to replace is sticker rolls.
Thanks for sharing. That is pretty neat!
For me, it’s a watch with a built in flashlight. Way more useful than I expected
Mosquito magnet
Expensive to buy. Expensive and fiddly to run. But boy, does it totally destroy mosquito populations!
Especially if you start it up from the moment of Spring thaw... catch the very first females as they reach reproductive maturity. Breaks the population cycle. Love it.
