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What’s your “I didn’t know I needed that” item?
My parents normally give all us adult kids money for Christmas, but this year my mom said she wants to get us actual gifts and asked for wishlists from us. Problem is: I don’t know what to ask for!
So, similar to the Gift Swap topic, I thought we could come up with a list of items that are very good/useful/satifying but also less obvious, for the purposes of making a decent gift idea list.
Note: I don’t want it to be specific to me and my tastes/interests, since I want the whole community to be able to use it too. Share anything you like and think others might like!
A warm, fluffy bathrobe.
A wireless drill and driver set.
A good chef's knife.
A subscription or membership to some local culture: a theater or playhouse, a botanical garden, an art museum. Something that lowers the friction of getting out and having experiences.
Fresh spices.
Clothes that fit your current body.
A harmonica.
DVDs or Blu-Rays of beloved movies so you don't have to rely on streaming libraries.
A travel guide for a country or region you're hoping to visit in the next few years.
Offers of babysitting or other services. Help installing a new ceiling fan? Replacing a hated sink? Cleaning out the gutters? Building a chicken coop?
Already have a set of fantastic chef's knife and paring knife and bread knife? Consider a Magnetic Knife Holder for Wall if there is mounting space on a wall. There is something infinitely satisfying about having quick and easy access to your knives, and then you can slap it back on without worrying about dulling the knife even further.
I didn't think there would be space behind my stove, but I absolutely love my Pot Bar Rack with S Hooks to keep my pots and pans and other stuff handy. All my pots are stainless steel with hooks on the handle to allow easy hanging from hooks.
It seems unnecessary, given these implements used to be right next to the stove in a cupboard or right next to the sink in a drawer, but think how popular the apple watch is because you don't have to reach into your pocket, and you will get a sense as to how nice it is to have pots & pans and knives so handy. Plus if you have nice knives, pots and pans.... it is so elegant to seem them basically on display.
Alternatively, if there is a little more space in the cupboard, consider an Electric Knife Sharpener. I never got the hang of manual knife sharpeners, the electric guy will sharpen up all my knives sooooo quickly, and make it feel like new again. Remember, a sharp knife is a safe knife (once you know what you are doing.)
Great idea! I'll just add that my chef buddy suggested the same thing but insisted I get a wooden holder instead of the cheaper ones with exposed magnets as they can actually dull or even damage your knives depending on how enthusiastically you 'slap' them back on.
For me, the more significant concern is exposed metal can rust, and I often slap em back on while still a little wet.
Try a very cheap set of Tomodachi knives. I've kept mine out in the open air (sometimes unwashed...) and left wet for 10 years now, waiting for them to die so I can buy "grown up" expensive knives. Extremely basic sharpening is all that's needed, no sign of wear or dying any time within my lifetime sadly. They were so cheap I bought them while waiting for my boxes to arrive at a new home. The "originals" have all been thrown away and I'm still using the $25 set of Tomodachi's. They come with sheaths that are long gone but never needed them.
I have a standing wooden knife holder that has magnets hidden inside and can have knives on the front and back. 100% best knife holder I have ever owned.
I’ve got the same, had it for years now and I love it! Unfortunately I went for the cheapest one, and I’ve noticed the magnets are a little weaker these days compared to when I first got it.
Those two facts might not actually be correlated — I don’t claim to know if a more expensive option would have kept its magnetism for longer, but I have my (totally unfounded) suspicions.
Our magnetic knife holder is in the gap between the fridge and the counter. I also bought an extendable magnetic flashlight, so it's easy to retrieve them when I fumble and they fall into the gap.
is there any specific knife sharpener you recommend?
Not the person you are replying to, but I have been fairly happy with the work sharp knife and tool sharpener. The one I linked is the mk2. I have the original model, which is no longer available, but they seem very similar.
It's basically a mini belt grinder, which has the added benefit of getting more of a "hollow grind" edge profile. You start with the coarse grits and work your way to the fine grits. You can adjust the angle guide for different angles, and the manual has a guide for different applications (e.g. kitchen knives vs hunting knives). It will even do serrated steak knives (you just put the flat side on the belt).
I get it out every so often and run all my (very cheap) kitchen knives through it. I can do rhem in under an hour. Most of that time is setting it up and reminding myself how it works.
I had to practice a bit to not round off the tip of the knife, so get something to practice on that's not special. I think there's probably a level of sharp I'm not reaching, but I don't really want "shaving sharp" for kitchen knives or my pocket knife, so i haven't really tried. I think it is faster and more consistent than whetstone sharpening, which I am also a novice at.
I've now put more thought into knife sharpeners than I did when I first bought mine.
The downside of electric knife sharpeners is they do change the blade. My ten year old paring knife has lost a few millimeters.
I bought a cheapo Presto Electric Knife Sharpener, and I am happy to have sharp knives, even though I will eventually want to replace them. I don't really want to buy a $150 sharpener to keep a $100 worth of knives sharp, and I am not sure that a more expensive knife sharpener will really avoid over sharpening anyway.
If you want knives that you buy for life, I think you really want some sharpening stones and sharpening guides to teach you the right angle, but I never had the patience for that.
They also make free standing magnetic knife racks you can put on the counter. I have a nice wooden one for my apartment since I can't properly mount anything on the walls
The start of your post kind of reads like "The Twelve Days Of Christmas"
Apologies in advance for the digression.
I was reading your comment and felt like "wireless drill and driver" makes it sound like it has wifi and you can watch movies on it. I've always heard them called "cordless drills", but then I thought about it, and "wireless drill" is just as valid and probably makes more sense.
Why do we call things without power cables "cordless" and things without data cables "wireless"? Makes no sense at all.
Language is so weird.
Wireless usually refers to communication, while cordless to power. So a desktop PC can have wireless capabilities, but it's not cordless.
But you're right that it's weird. We have just decided that the words mean different things despite being synonyms.
And we has cordless phones in the 80s, which replaced the corded receiver which carried both signal and power.
I blame radio - the original "wireless".
(Which is a tongue-in-cheek comment, but may actually hold water?)
I think you're right, but I think the identification of wires with communications goes a bit further back to the telegraph and early telephony, and oddly was reinforced by barbed wire, of all things.
Telegraph lines were called 'wires' pretty early on, for reasons that are obscure to my recollection. It might have to do with the definition of cordage, which involves the braiding or bundling of fibers into a super fiber. Early telegraph wires were completely exposed–which is to say unshielded. That's how unusually powerful solar flares could induce charges in them and cause outages.
Later, when telephony was being rolled out in rural areas of America, a clever kludge to avoid the cost and effort of running telephone wires was to run telephone signals over existing barbed wire fencing. Needless to say, this was a stopgap measure, because barbed wire was not purpose-built for that application and didn't do a great job of carrying signal without degradation. Nevertheless, it wouldn't surprise me if that solidified the concept of wire=communication cabling in colloquial usage.
Power cabling being called 'cords' probably has to do with that definition of cordage I mentioned earlier: by definition, AC cabling has to include at least two separate wires bundled together. Power cabling is by definition cordage, so that makes sense.
Probably because there are still wires inside a cordless device, but language has shifted in the way that more people think about wireless the way we used to think about cordless.
Perhaps because [data] wire and [power] cord are implied in common parlance.
The ultimate gift is a nicer version of things someone already owns. Someone write a lot? Buy them a nice fountain pen.
There is a some amount of risk here. I appreciate the sentiment, but many people (myself included) with hobbies can be particular about the tools they use in those hobbies.
True, but the gift doesn't have to be a complete surprise. Considering that a lot of people (myself included) enjoy nerding-out about a topic they are passionate about, you could get them talking about the tools and/or materials they would like to have/use but won't buy themselves for whatever reason.
But of course, what the gift should be always depends on the giftee.
This is like how I had a super thin wallet that I liked to use because it was so thin. It happened to have a zipper, but I did not care about that at all. Then the zipper broke. But the wallet still worked and nothing fell out and I was happy because I had a super thin wallet that was easily accessible.
Then I got a very considerate gift: a thick, leather, monogrammed wallet with a zipper. It was such a nice gift but I absolutely hated it. I had no option but to use it every day. 😒
ouch, heartfelt expensive white elephants are the worst. Any hope of getting a "secondary" ultraslim like this? And then be all like, oh i'm still "using" the monogram beast, but it stays in the car all day while you're out with a new ultra slim.
Probably not...she was so happy to get me this wallet that she had me throw away my old one 😂😂😭😭😭
While true, showing that you've researched into the things they care about, weighed pros and cons of the options, and picked the one you thought that fits them best can go over well if there isn't too much extreme deviation or if that person is a collector of objects within their hobby.
Buys pen with a broad steel nib and replaceable cartridge -> They prefer thin, gold nibs with a piston filler.
Yeah, that is how my luck goes. Although if it looks nice enough it could at least be a display piece.
The best presents I've given have been:
an extendable magnetic flashlight so my mom can easily get the knives that fall into the gap between the fridge and the counter.
A hand-carved Celtic-knot necklace made of 6,500-year-old Irish bog oak.
Slices from three different meteorites: one from plain space, one from the moon, and one from Mars.
NASA has a program where you submit names and they include them on their next space vehicle; they also generate an electronic "boarding pass" with the names on it. I submit names, download the boarding passes and print them on nice heavy cardstock. So far I've included names to Mars, the moon, and the sun. I think of it as a kind of interplanetary immortality. [nb: check whether it's a micro-engraved plaque or just a USB drive listing]
Their favorite, rather expensive imported tea
Can we see the meteorites? 👀
Sure! Mind you, these are only slices of meteorites - I can't afford the whole ones :) I think it was like $75 for all three slices, which seemed amazingly cheap to me. [I did do research on the company. They've been around since near the dawn of the internet, are recommended on several space- or rock-collecting-focused forums, and their entries are backed up by The Meteoritical Society's database.]
Anyway, here are the pictures.
Very cool, thanks for sharing the pics.
Incredible!!! That's a really good deal for stuff from outer space. Thanks for sharing! As a geologist I love rock stuff, and meteorites from other planets/satellites are extra awesome. I'd love a slice of a pallasite some day
Here's a pallasite slice for $216. They also have less expensive individual fragments.
Hearing that you are a geologist makes the museum on the minecraft server make a lot more sense
Haha!! Yes :) I also studied archeology, hence the archeological digs and ruins artifacts upstairs... Looking to hop back on the server sometime soon now that the semester has died down!
Fun fact (totally not to make you join us again): the museum now also has bedrock
Oooo that is very exciting! That was a dream of mine to make that section complete. I am hoping to hop back on within the week :) excited to see what everyone has been up to!
Where can I buy moon rocks??
I got mine from meteorites-for-sale.com . Their domain was registered back in 2006, before the internet got horrible, and archive.org shows that their content has been constantly updated since 2008. They have a high reputation on reddit, meteorite and space forums. My feeling is that if they were ripping people off, there'd either be a bunch of complaints online about them, or they'd have avoided the complaints by changing their URL/storefront/contact info.
Please note that there are other reputable dealers out there; this is simply the first one that I researched that passed all my tests, and that had bits and slices inexpensive enough for me to buy like 20 pieces at a time. I gave them out to my extended family at dinner the night of the eclipse :)
I have a boarding pass for both the Insight and Perseverance missions. Always nice to see fellow "astronauts" in the wild.
From the Artemis page, for them at least it's a flash drive. Apparently they had over 3 million names so that'd need to be some real tiny engraving! So instead the names are stored by trapping electrons in bit buckets.
Very cool. Will need to pay more attention for future launches.
Insight Lander was a tiny plaque with all the names micro-engraved on it, which I really liked. The Parker Solar Probe was a flash drive; I was okay with that because it'll eventually run out of fuel and burn up in the sun's corona. Europa Clipper was another micro-engraved plaque. I forget the other missions I've done it on; they do seem to be leaning more toward the flash drive thing, though.
I like the idea of people I know having a "footprint" outside the Earth; and I'm sure that NASA uses the entries as a way of proving to Congress that their overall mission is very popular with the public and that they deserve more money (or at least not to have their funding cut). And I'm actually okay with being used that way. :)
Oh, I never really thought about it but why wouldn’t it just stay in orbit? Is it an unstable orbit that requires maintenance, or is it just that solar space isn’t a perfect vacuum and eventually it will slow down enough to deorbit and fall sunwards?
Because the Sun has a really heavy gravity field that requires fuel to resist, and they're spending most of the fuel onboard actually flying through the outer corona, not trying to escape it. iirc, they also have end-stage tests they're going to run as it falls in, kind of like that asteroid probe where they finished the mission by crashing the probe into the asteroid, sending data back until the very end.
Okay first I’d like to acknowledge that I mixed up the Parker solar probe with the James Webb space telescope. By nature of what data it’s trying to collect, the PSP is a lot closer to the sun.
But yeah, because its so close to the sun (and it’s doing Venus flybys to get even closer), it flies close enough to the sun to experience significant solar wind etc, which will eventually cause it to deorbit and fall into the sun
Oh! Yes, if it was the JWST, it'd be really strange for it to fall into the sun! :) Have a great week!
My electric tea kettle has been a game changer in the kitchen.
As an Australian, I’m confused... did you otherwise only boil water on the stovetop?
In the US, most likely using the microwave (in a mug or glass measuring cup of some kind).
Most people don’t have kettles at all, not even stovetop kettles. More likely to just have a coffee machine than a kettle.
Maybe this is a regional (East coast) or generational thing (millennial). My experience living a long time in the US was the complete opposite. Everyone I know had and still has stovetop kettles. Microwaves were only used to warm a cold unfinished cup, and topping off with a bit of hot water from the kettle instead was common.
Getting water hot enough to make tea in a microwave can be risky (superheating) without the right precautions.
It's not that no one I know has a kettle but the vast majority of people I've known in my Midwestern (elder millennial) life are coffee drinkers and not hot tea drinkers. Very few kettles though slightly more in the past decade than before that.
I grew up with a stovetop kettle in the house (80s-90s childhood, also East Coast), but my experience after reaching adulthood is that most households I visit don't have one, and I've never bothered to keep one around either.
I did get an electric kettle years back, but it turns out I barely use it. But then I don't drink tea every day either -- I'll go through tea phases and then forget about it for months. At that point the kettle's got dust and dead bugs in it (Florida) and it's easier just to use the microwave.
Am from US and have never in my life met anyone who boiled water in a microwave. Everyone had a stove top kettle.
Hi, pleasure to meet you.
Hows it going
Well it was better with my electric kettle but it's acquired some really questionable build up in the bottom. I think it's just hard water but it's significant and it may be time for a replacement.
(We didn't have any kettles growing up in the Midwest. Hot tea was not a drink anyone I knew had with regularity and Lipton was all that was served at hotels and restaurants. )
Good thing they're dime a dozen at Walmart!
I take one with me camping/fishing all the time. One is stainless steel and the other clear glass with an obnoxiously blue LED illuminating the base of it.
Alas they're more expensive than that.
Maybe your is too far gone, but I find that boiling a solution of water (3 parts) and white vinegar (1 part) is really effective for breaking up calcium buildup in kettles. Let it hold a boil if it can for a minute, then empty it while leaving a small amount of water remaining. You might need to let it cool for a few minutes, but use the remaining water to wipe the stain away with a paper towel. It should come off.
Do a thorough cleaning afterwards with water to remove the vinegar, and one or two boils just to make sure you've fully cleaned it. It should be good to go afterwards.
Worth the try! I've had to do the sink faucet and the shower head with vinegar already, so this probably tracks.
Our counter top icemaker got so clogged it won't run anymore :(
If you're interested, this recent comment thread suggests citric acid instead, for no vinegar smell.
I don't want to jump right to unnecessary purchases, but boiling vinegar is such a stink! Maybe just do the boiling outside...?
Citric acid would likely work just as well. However, I don't find vinegar smell to be a problem with this method. The kettle surfaces should be smooth, and easy to fully remove any residue from. I've never found there to be a lingering vinegar smell afterwards. Though I suppose others may have a more sensitive nose.
Not sure boiling outside (especially below freezing with an electric kettle) is much of an option, but I also don't really want to buy citric acid either, so we'll see. I don't mind the vinegar smell temporarily.
Just knowing about the burns possible from superheated water or coffee from a microwave, this terrifies me! But then hearing how power supplies are usually 110V it makes a lot of sense. Thanks for enlightening me!
I never knew about the dangers until my college roommate was like “Bro you gotta put a chopstick in it so it has something to start the bubbles or it could explode out when you move it.”
and of course, only after that did I ever experience it (once, and luckily it was just barely so it instantly bubbled when I touched it, but didn’t bubble over).
Growing up, the glasses we used must’ve been scratched enough that it was never an issue.
i would have assumed that if you didn't have a kettle you'd just use a pot?
I use a stovetop kettle every morning.
Depends on the use case I guess, if I'm boiling water for like pasta, obviously I'd use a pot.
but boiling water for a drink, before my electric kettle, I would've used the microwave.
For some clarification, and I don't know how it is in Australia, but electric kettles in the US take forever to boil because our voltage is 110-120 instead of 220-240. So the microwave is generally considered faster. Add in that coffee is more popular and people will likely have a coffee pot or other coffee maker, and electric kettles are less than ideal for most folks.
I like mine but I drink hot tea and cold brew my coffee and the temp control on the kettle is easier than the microwave
Just knowing about the burns possible from superheated water or coffee from a microwave, this terrifies me! But then hearing how power supplies are usually 110V it makes a lot of sense. Thanks for enlightening me!
In terms of energy efficiency, though, the electric kettle is much better than the microwave. And newer electric kettles are faster than they used to be. My kettle still takes longer than the microwave, but with footnotes: it needs a minimum of 2 cups, and it does really come to 212F. From 65 to 212 takes 2-1/2 minutes . In the microwave if I put in 1 cup of water and set it for 1 minute, when it's out, it's not actually boiling, but probably more like 190.
My kettle definitely takes more than 3 minutes to get to boiling but it's not particularly new, and my microwave is a bit underpowered too so I don't currently have a good way to test. (I wouldn't only put water in any microwave for a minute to boil though.)
It's most useful for me for teas that don't need boiling water. But it needs replacing.
I'd concur, but I'd alter this to gooseneck (I have stovetop, counter space is a premium for me). It has a thermometer on the top and the thin neck functions for precision. I use it a lot when bread baking, it's much easier to pour out the exact amount of water needed. Plus, made for tea and coffee.
Some things I have that i love
Wireless noise canceling headphones - sony wh-1000xm4 are what I have - work bought them for me a few years ago. I would never have bought them myself, but they are awesome for noise isolation, made me a believer.
Lego sets - a few years ago my family got me the big Millennium Falcon. I spent a few weeks putting it together to stretch it out, then a few more weeks disassembling it according to the reverse of the directions back into numbered bags so that someone else (maybe future me) could build it again. Very satisfying and relaxing.
A nice bag/backpack/briefcase - I have an OGIO backpack I like very much, and a Tumi shoulder bag (similar to this one , though I think I paid about half that 10 years ago) that I got after finishing grad school to have something that read more professional going into client meetings.
Some smaller things:
First d rf<-- Edit: IDK what I was writing thereYou took apart the big Millennium Falcon AND rebagged it? Holy cow - I barely had the patience to take apart my little 3-in-1 Creator sets to rebuild them.
It was almost as fun as putting it together, TBH. I just started at the back of the book and worked my way to the front. But to be fair, the assembly is the part I like. Once it's done I have no place to store them and no time to do free builds. If I did, I have approximately 40 pounds of loose lego from my childhood. Every space set made between ~1985 and ~1992.
10/10 would rebag again.
Man, where was that lap desk when I was looking for one years ago? It was really difficult to find one that had room for a mouse, and I wasn't thrilled with the one I did get.
Scrolled all the way through the comments. I'm shocked to be the first suggest a bidet toilet seat. The one I've got includes a heated seat (see other commenters suggesting heated toilet seats) and heated water. If you've never used one I really can't convey how much better life is with one. And with the price of toilet paper these days it eventually pays for itself...
edit - took ~15 minutes to install. It connects between your toilet's water source and the tank, bolts on with the same holes your current toilet seat uses. Finding an outlet might be an issue for some bathrooms, but honestly I'd run an extension cord across the floor, out the door, and down the hall if that's what it took. It's really that good.
I was going to say this as well. I don’t know how I ever lived without mine!
Will add, depending on the bidet, you may want to take note of your toilet shape (elongated vs. normal / rounder).
I also find life significantly improved with a bidet toilet seat. It became a family discussion after husband first traveled to Japan and eventually we installed one. They became inexpensive and readily available sometime in the last 10 years. I think covid toilet paper shortages moved the needle on how many americans experimented with one.
We absolutely fell in love with the Japanese toilets. But my partner is a bit traumatized after an upstairs neighbor's bidet seat malfunctioned in the middle of the night and filled her condo with water.
I think rather than installing the toilet seat we'll see if we can get a professionally installed Toto when we buy a home this year.
I browsed thru a Reddit post during COVID (back when I was still on Reddit) and it asked 'What are some life changing items you can buy for under $50' and one of the first responses was a bidet attachment for your toilet seat. Although skeptical at first, after reading many positive comments (and recently suffering a TP shortage) I figured I'd give it a go. I ordered a cheap one on Amazon, and after it arrived and I wiped down the packaging I installed it and fell in love.
My daughter was very young at the time and would constantly jump onto the seat and loosen the bolts. After several months I knew bidets would forever be a part of my life so I went to Costco and grabbed a decent bidet seat for $100. The added stability of having the seat built in was a substantial upgrade. Still cold water, no drying or heater seat but still amazing.
Then recently I received an email from Costco with an $800 unit for $360 off. Heated seat, warm water, drying, looks amazing. My wife just told me it arrived at the door today. I'm super excited.
I imagine a day when I finally save up and buy an entire bidet toilet. I'm not sure what features I'll be missing to justify that though. Soothing music? Mood lighting? Noise cancelling? A little net to catch and prevent splashback? Stool sampling and dietary recommendations? I dunno, maybe I'm not meant to feel so pampered. But a guy can dream..
A towel warmer. It's not a "need" but it's a really nice treat for getting out of the shower, especially on cold days.
I bought one from Costco last month (it was on sale, and I had been thinking of getting one for a while). I’m actually pretty indifferent to it, but my wife really likes it. So I’d give this a tentative seconding.
What I would really like is a face-towel steamer for a pre-shave face toweling (the towel warmer we got is a bucket style, and doesn’t really work for a wet face towel).
That isn't a need I have but it makes sense! And a dryer can be a nice almost as good option to the towel warmer and all, but I had one for a few years and the day it broke was a sad one.
You can also put robes in there.
It feels luxurious in a way that exceeds the cost
Microwave a wet towel! It's been a while since I've done it, but just keep an eye on it the first few times until you figure out what works for your towels and microwave.
Similar to, or maybe a companion to, the towel warmer is a space heater for the bathroom. That gets a lot of use during winters at my house.
An e-bike. I'm 51 and not exactly slender. My e-bike has been life altering! I enjoy the exercise and challenge of going as far and as fast as I can with as little support from the motor as possible. But I also love how far I can go and how much more difficult climbs I can navigate with the motor helping! It's wonderful!!!!
I have no idea how widespread this is, but the power company in my area has teamed up with some local bike shops to offer pretty sizable rebates on ebikes. IIRC, $250-$1000, depending on your financial situation, and it's a when-you-buy rebate, not one you have to jump through hoops to have reimbursed. So if this idea piques anyone's interest, it's worth looking in to for your area!
Check your province / state as well
Nova Scotia $500 rebate on $1200 offered through the retailer like you said. But I like reading things off govt sites more than retailer sites.
My concern has always been theft. E-bikes are easily identifiable and much more expensive then common bicycles. I just don't think I could be OK with leaving an e-bike chained up outside of a store.
A source of anxiety for me as well. The bike clearly looks different from standard bikes.
I regularly take my battery with me. It's onerous. But if it's a store with shopping carts, the battery goes into the cart. Besides, I'm already putting my pack in a cart to carry goods from the store.
No, I'm more concerned with locking my bike up for prolonged periods. The bike has a screen that some could easily think is worth trying to steal, even if they'd need an Allen wrench or to tear it off by force. I've not left the bike in such a situation by intent.
Get one of them 15 pound Kryptonite chain locks, nobody is just walking around with an angle grinder or custom lock picks ready for your grocery run. (Unless you live in Bike Thief Cartel City, but even then you can get insurance)
That's almost certainly what I would/will do, but as another comment mentioned, there could also be components worth stealing on it such as the battery or display. I know this anxiety is not entirely rational, but when I first moved out on my own I had my home in a low income neighborhood, I was robbed of almost everything of value and I don't think that I'll ever fully shake that feeling.
It's not an irrational fear: people have become desperate and cops do nothing. My suggestions are
good security theatre: it won't prevent, but it'll make your bike less appealing than someone else's bike (sadly)
keep good purchase records of accessories and pay for them with a good credit card that covers theft, then basically expect them to be stolen
Get a bike with built in Apple Tag. Attach another Apple Tag to the bike somewhere else.
Always remove the bike battery when parking in public.
I don't have an answer to the visible alluring components. I've considered fashioning my own quick detach solution to replace or somehow leverage the existing screws securing the part: that would allow me to detach the display as needed.
Granted a 3 inch display isn't worth much. But most thieves aren't going to know that or care.
This. I had a bike stolen garage that was looked with a Kryptonite U lock.
Security, as a rule, is only as good as it is more effective than the thief is determined.
+1. This is literally exactly what I did.
So I’ve looked into this twice and feel like it’s an impenetrable wall of “what the hell is actually worth the money”
I live in a situation where I could get some use, any recommendations?
E-bike? I got a Velotric Discover 2, after much research. I absolutely love it. But I also bought it because, at 360 pounds/170ish kilos, there are fewer options.
I don't know that it's particularly possible to go wrong with any one e-bike other than perhaps buying a Trek, Specialized, et al; the big brands charge easily twice as much for a bike with, perhaps, slightly better components.
Regardless, in the States, expect to pay ~1.8-2k USD.
My sole complaint is that ebikes tend to be less maintable. Many, including mine, route cables through holes in the frame of the bike. I'm hoping I don't find myself having to replace a cable—yet, in the fullness of time, it's inevitable. In addition, AFAIK, batteries are proprietary as are the electronics running the bike. All to say, long term cost/pain of ownership may be high.
Trade-offs.
Many bikes, regardless of electrification, these days route through the body.
Just remember, unhook the far end, bind the two cables, and yoink the cable out at the near end. Cable routed and no fishing with magnets.
Suggest starting with YouTube video reviews of e-bikes in addition to comparisons between them. I found those helpful. I also searched blog posts.
I paid particular attention to what people cited as the cons. You'll find most pros to be the same with a few exceptions.
That's all that comes to mind for me.
Separate response for visibility for you.
Oh I have another: Aeropress!
If you like coffee, it's cheap(-ish) and it's amazing. I made mine more sustainable with a steel mesh filter. And, because I'm a thirsty boy, I later bought the larger model—which isn't nearly as affordable, oddly.
I have the new Aeropress Go Plus, and it is fantastic. Miles better than the old travel aeropress, and it's basically just an aeropress that comes with its own cup for easier travel.
+1 for the aeropress. Or even something like the Clever Dripper. Something easy, not fragile, that will improve the coffee you make (or make your coffee habit potentially cheaper, if you buy a cup every morning). Drinking coffee that tastes good is a nice thing in life
I love coffee and I usually use a French press, how would this compare?
I’ve only had French press coffee once or twice from a cafe, so I maybe can’t give a super in-depth comparison (I used an aeropress extensively for a month or so, and still use it when traveling and I want something better than hotel coffee), but I’ll give some anecdotes.
The aeropress is likely pretty similar in terms of time commitment to making the coffee, though maybe slightly more “manual” time over let-sit time compared to a French press. By default it uses little circular coffee filter papers, so it’s going to be more filtered than a French press and therefore less gritty or oily coffee (but you can get a metal filter for it, though I personally have not used one). The aeropress is also typically used for single-cup brewing (and actual you usually make a concentrate that gets diluted into a single-cups worth).
Overall, it makes good coffee, but I wouldn’t say necessarily “better” coffee than a French press. But it is definitely more travel friendly, especially if you have a glass French press.
Link to James Hoffman’s aeropress technique video that gives a 5 minute overview of his aeropress technique (and a good intro to the aeropress).
Kitchen utensils and appliances are always a very good source of ideas. Are there budget constraints for this list? I happily toss some expensive stuff into my own list (which I don't usually receive) in case my family actually feels like getting together and sharing the budget for one item.
Tools also, and some consumables that can be used for fixing and mending things around the house.
Good socks can be a world of comfort compared to bad socks?
Don’t forget space constraints in the kitchen! I’m forbidden to buy anymore kitchen gadgets :(
Scarves are a super underrated gift. It's something that I almost never buy for myself, but a total game changer in cold climates.
How are you enjoying Proton's non mail services? They've added plenty over the years but I haven't used them yet.
I pretty much only use the VPN and drive, if you do the 2 year plan it works out at maybe a dollar more than Mullvad+OneDrive basic (monthly) but with more space. The VPN is better than Mullvad, maybe the same or possibly better than Astrill.
The drive sync seems to work just fine, maybe not as smoothly as OneDrive on Windows, but good enough for low risk backup purposes.
Last I looked, I recall them not having a Windows app that would autosave/back up files. Once that arrives, I'll absolutely begin using it. I think I'm on that plan level anyway.
They have it now I think. You set folders to watch, and it uploads whats in there.
That's great - I need no more reasons to abandon OneDrive than this
Timbuk2 makes a damn fine product. I've been mistreating my messenger bag for like 15 years (I hauled water with it on a camping trip once!) and it's just starting to show wear. Wouldn't literally hold water anymore but definitely keeps my stuff dry and contained out in the rain. I want a new one but it's hard to justify when the one I have still does the job.
Yeah, Chrome is the same, I think mine is 20ish years old. I got the Timbuk2...passport?... maybe 6 years ago. It is still going strong, and even survived one very low speed motorcycle accident.
I recently got myself a pair of electronic hand warmers and I'm thinking about buying some more as a stocking gift for my fellow cold-fingered family and friends. It's been a game changer for waiting at the bus stop
Got any specific pair you can recommend? Or rather, which is yours in case you like and would recommend them?
… I’d already have some candidates in mind in my direct environment (edit: this means people which could use them a lot), I think it’s a really great idea (:
I would also be interested in specific recommendations.
Here you go :)
Thanks!
This is the model I purchased. So far I am very satisfied with the warmth, ergonomics and battery life of the devices. One feature I think it's missing is some kind of timed shutoff. I keep forgetting to turn them off which can lead to wasted battery life.
Brilliant. Nice Christmas gift for the in-laws who prefer gifts to be no more than $20!
I have had a few Zippo hand warmers for years now and absolutely love them. But as the electric hand warmers have become more common I've wondered if they're worth looking into. The nice thing with at least one of my Zippos is that it will stay very warm for around 12 hours. I'm definitely going to start looking into electric hand warmers though because the use of lighter fluid seems inefficient and is probably more costly in the end.
I don't think my batteries would last 12 hours, especially on the higher heat settings. But being able to recharge by USB is very convenient so I don't really mind. Out of curiosity, were the Zippo hand warmers very expensive?
Not who you are asking but, they are around $20. You, of course, also have to pay for lighter fuel but that is also fairly inexpensive. I love mine (own three!) and use them fairly regularly during the winter. They produce a surprising amount of heat and there's something very appealing about carrying around a lit fire (sort of) in your pocket.
I got a 12-hour one on sale for about $13 recently and I think they're around $20 normally. And I think the 6-hour ones are round $13 regular price.
I got a pair of these as a stocking stuffer for my partner, who has Reynaud's, and she loved them. Especially for walking our two dogs in the winter.
They inspired me to pull the trigger to get us heated gloves and heated jackets, and those were a true game-changer and my answer for "I never knew I needed that". Keeping up with all the charging is occasionally a chore but the benefits far outweigh it. And they're not really any more expensive than a quality jacket and pair of gloves.
The hand warmers did leave me thinking about going all the way and getting some heated gloves. Do you have any recommendations?
Both pairs I got were from a brand called Sun Will. I only picked them because they were the right balance at the time (March 2023) of price, reported battery life, and number of positive reviews. I got my partner a pair of regular women's gloves, and myself a pair of motorcycle gloves.
She loves her pair. I generally like mine but wish they got a little warmer--I will say I like the built-in "rain wiper", the thick wrist covers and reflectors, and the armor on it is at least as good as my more expensive BMW Motorrad gloves. If they got 10 degrees warmer on the High setting they'd be perfect. Battery life on both pairs are good. I don't know that I'm specifically recommending the brand, it's another cheap kinda-generic Amazon brand, but the best thing I can say is we haven't replaced them yet.
A rice cooker, an air fryer, a sharpening stone, and a rocking chair.
I don't have counter space for an air fryer, but I have a convection oven. I'm really happy with the "air fryer basket" I got to fill this niche. It's a stainless steel mesh basket that sits on top of a tray. I had previously tried using roasting racks on cookie sheets, for some reason they didn't work half as well.
Ooh! You left off electric pressure cooker! Life altering for me for all soups and stews! I understand it can make rice but, thank you, I'll leave that to Zojirushi!
*gasp!
Another Zojirushi fan in the wild! They really are the best. A rice cooker will last a generation and beyond. My non-electric hot water thermos has survived countless trips and drops, and keep boiled water hot enough to cook cup noodles at the end of a forest forage trip. Puts decades of use of other leaky thermos' to shame.
They also make a magical thermos that kept my coffee hot for two days when I forgot it. Not warm. Burned my mouth hot.
I also am a big Zojirushi fan. I have a five cup micom one (about $130 at Target) and it's been great.
Besides perfect rice every time, it's also nice that they sell all of the parts you're likely to need to replace, like the inner lid or the nonstick pot.
Had my rice cooker at least a decade now. No regrets.
I don't think I have ever mentioned this anywhere but I have a rocking chair. Everyone loves it.
It'll be the first thing I buy when my cat dies
I second all of these. I really fought the rice cooker as it isn't particularly difficult to cook rice, but just freeing up a burner on the stove and being able to safely walk away from it is very handy.
The thing is, I'm a good cook. I can cook rice pretty well almost every time. My rice cooker cooks rice perfectly, every single time with almost zero effort and then holds it in a hot, edible state for as long as I need it to.
I'm mostly not for single-use kitchen gadgets (although the rice cooker does slow cooking and a few other things but I only ever use it for rice), but a rice cooker is absolutely worth the cost/counter space/etc.
Obligatory Technology Connections video on the topic
I convinced myself to buy a rice cooker and I now go through a fuckton of rice, it was the best kitchen purchase I ever made. It's just so easy to put some rice in and then fry up some chicken and veggies and have a delicious meal with the only effort really being cutting up some veggies and chicken and putting it in a wok for a few minutes.
Good cook here and also agree emphatically.
I did the same thing (went with a smaller, cheap rice cooker) and it is still so easy and consistent that I use it a lot unless I am making some sort of "fancy" rice that is more involved. I wish I had sprung for a better one, but I am not about to replace a appliance that is working perfectly fine.
Edit: oops, I confused your comment with another and got a little mixed up. Sorry if the cheap ricer cooker part doesn't entirely make sense!
Disco ball. I got a 20cm glitter/disco ball last year for jazzing up our campsite at a festival, which it did very well at. When we got home I hung it, sans motor, in the window and now whenever the sun comes out the whole kitchen lights up with points of light. It's brilliant. I just bought another three for christmas gifts, the smaller ones are very affordable especially if you're buying without motors and spotlights.
One year someone bought me a pineapple corer and I was a little nonplussed because it's not something I'd buy, single-use gadgets and all that. But it's great! I use it only a few times a year but that's enough to justify the drawer space it takes up.
best thing I've ever jazzed up my group campsite with was a set of lighted bocce balls. Endless fun for all skill levels, states of reality and play surfaces (ok, maybe not asphalt/concrete, but the ground doesn't need to be all that even or particularly level, trees and shrubs just make it more interesting)
I've mentioned this elsewhere, but I generally prefer consumable items like nice coffee just because I have limited space at home. I did get a heating pad last Christmas and have enjoyed it immensely, and I think an electric blanket would also be awesome. For something closer to a stocking-stuffer, my mom got me a phone harness/tether thing that clips to your belt or backpack while hiking and even though I was a bit dismissive of it at first, it really ended up coming in clutch on the trail. No more dropping my phone in the dirt! This is the one she got for me but it looks like there are cheaper options elsewhere
Consumables are great gifts. You don't have to worry, "Do they already have it?" or, "What if Aunt So-and-so gives them the same thing?" It will get used up. If two different people gifted me nice coffee, I'll be twice as happy.
I think good gifts are things people might use but cannot justify the cost. A good example is that self heating coffee mug that has an app to set the temp. Someone at my office has it from a gift and they said it's amazing, but is way overpriced.
For odds and ends I am going for a slim wallet from the thread I saw here a while back as I needed an update. I am also perpetually short on cloths as I don't normally think about it myself, so those are always great gifts.
Another nice near addition we for was a hot water boiler, its 3 liter and keeps water at near boiling temp which is amazing for tea, just dispense and go. It's been a real nice qol upgrade having it.
I bought that cup for my mum and she really liked it (but balked when I told her the price a year later). A good idea
One of our best friends bought one for my wife and she initially hated it (she's not quite the tech-fetishist that I am) but a few months later she gave it another try and once it was set up, the app was pointless (she drinks coffee every morning, she doesn't want to ever change the temperature) and the mug was fantastic. Is it something most people would buy for themselves? Probably not. Is it an expensive gift? Yes. I think it do it falls right in the sweet spot of gifts if you have that kind of relationship with someone.
I'm now kind of mad that he bought it for her because it's a gift that I can't give her.
This is exactly what I think of my Ember mug. Too expensive to justify the cost to myself, but ultimately something I ended up using daily (and still do!).
10/10 would receive as gift again.
Not exactly recent stuff for me, but I do have a number of things that have been useful and are a bit less-known that probably qualify.
A desktop USB power supply - my choice was the PinePower - it displays what voltage and current it puts out, so you know for sure if a device is drawing power. This also gives you more real data as to if a device is still charging when it claims it is already at 100%. Many companies try to 'enhance' the stated performance of their, say, cell phone batteries by telling the customer it has reached 100% (and stays longer there before going down to 99%) by... what is the technical term I'm looking for... ah, yes, lying to you.
As something I keep on my person, a pair of telescoping magnet and mirror are randomly useful. I can get that last can of something from all the way back on the top shelf at the grocery store. I can fish out that screw I dropped in a narrow place. Just handy to have at times.
A quality office chair. I recently upgraded form my no-name half-broken office chair (the padding had gone totally flat and left me sitting on hard wire-frame) to a used Steelcase Leap V2. I'm at home in my office most of the day and the difference in comfort, and reduction in back pain and pain in my sciatic nerve is significant. Got the chair for $70 and the replacement part I needed for it (a right arm assembly) for $50. Very worth it. Um. Might be a bit on the expensive side for a gift though, don't buy new, there are plenty on the secondary market like Craigslist or.. shudder ...facebook marketplace...
Is the person you are considering getting a gift for a tech or security nerd? The Flipper Zero is kind of a tech Swiss Army knife for electronic security interaction. It can capture/record/broadcast RF signals like garage door openers, or read your tire pressure sensors, it has RFID read/write so it can read and replay RFID cards, or locate where your pet has a chip implanted, it has an IR transceiver and can act as a programmable universal remote for anything with IR... it can do tons of stuff in a small and cute package. Like any Swiss Army knife or Leatherman, it is not the best tool for any individual task it does (except maaaaybe the IR?), but it is the best at giving you a ton of good-enough-to-be-useful tools in a single, small package.
Hand tools.
Screwdrivers: The Vessel Ball Grip series have been, for me, the best feeling screwdrivers I have used, hands down (I'm a general tech contractor and make frequent use of my hand tools). I don't have to grip hard to get a lot of torque in, they feel great using them and I experience less cam-out with them than others I have used such as Klein or Milwaukee.
Pliers: a mix of Knipex (German tool company) and Engineer (Japanese tool company) all the way. From Knipex, the Pliers Wrench and the Cobras - for me I like the 180mm versions best. From Engineer, their Screw Removal pliers - I've linked the PZ-60 model, but they make multiple different sizes/versions. Knipex also makes the TwinGrip which does the same thing and I also have - both are excellent.
Versitile mini ratchet: the VIM Tools RFB400 - it is a flex-head 1/4 square and 1/4 hex ratchet that will magnetically hold 1/4 hex bits, will work as a long-reach holder for bits or sockets, can function as a T-handle driver, and is TINY. Super useful and versatile.
Lockpicks. I'm into locksport and also security is part of what I do for work. Have you heard of the LockPickingLawyer? He has a store as of recently and has certain tools manufactured that are pretty cool. Want a functional lockpick that also serves as a fidget spinner type toy? Have a GravPick. Maybe the classic Bogota set made from Titanium? He has a bunch of different security tools for sale for the discerning security nerd.
These are some great ideas. I really want one of those Flipper Zeros.
I love you for recommending tools, I love having the right tool for the job versus using sheer willpower and HE-MAN intelligence to try and work on something.
Back when I was an espresso field tech the Knipex pliers wrench was without a doubt my most used tool in my bag. Such an incredible tool. Saves so much time versus switching back and forth between box wrenches (if you can even find the right ones…) and is more accurate and precise than adjustable wrenches.
A baby red night light. I already repurposed my old bicycle's back light and it would be nice to have something I can just plug into a socket. A surprising number of adults like to sleep with a light.
One of those arctic thermal sleeping bags. I'm a minimalist and my family knows I'd rather have one bag, than a bunch of duvets and blankets.
Hot water bottle. My bedroom gets really cold at night in the winter and this thing has been a game changer. I fill it up on cold nights with water from the coolest setting on my electric kettle, then stick it under the covers at the foot of the bed and do my bedtime routine. It actually warms up my foam mattress along with the covers, though I assume this wouldn't happen on a spring mattress without a topper. I almost always find it too hot at some point during the night and kick it off the bed.
I used to have a heated mattress pad that I loved from the brand that Wirecutter, Good Housekeeping, and The Spruce, all said was the best one. Unfortunately, half of it stopped working after only one winter of happy usage. The reviews for the best electric blankets all have the same complaint, they only seem to last 1-3 years. I had an electric blanket when I was a kid that was covered in hard bumps and thick wires when I was a kid with an unheated bedroom in Wisconsin. The newer models have really thin wires; my current theory is that the wires themselves break down either with normal usage or when you fold them up to store for the warm season.
Speaking of hot water, I adore my electric kettle. I'm a tea drinker and really like having temperature options. I got it in 2018 and it still looks and works like new. I use it pretty much daily for tea and nightly in the winter for the hot water bottle. I've also used it to top off a bath on cold nights that drained my hot water heater too quickly. The kettle heats up more quickly than a stovetop model on either the gas stove I used to have or my current electric stove, and I like having temperature options.
I've also been really happy with the heated milk frother I got this winter. I don't drink coffee, but it makes lovely hot chocolate without having to worry about scalding the milk.
A temperature select electric kettle is an absolute game changer.
Is it slightly slower than microwaving water in one of those Pyrex/Pyrex-adjacent glass jug/measuring cups? Yes (at least with USA power), but it’s faster than boiling water on the stove, and a fair bit safer than the microwave. And you have a lot more control over it.
I have a fancy gooseneck one (Fellow Stagg EKG) that I received as a wedding gift, and it is wonderful. I primarily use it for coffee, but the temperature select is very nice for different kinds of tea. My previous one, a $20-40 one from Target was perfectly functional (just slightly less user-friendly, and a little uglier - but still heated to a desired temp quickly).
Like a percolator?
As someone who drinks tea and has hot beverages all day, a hot water percolator is basically a home fixture for every east Asian household. Zouirushi probably makes the best items, plugged in or stand alone bottle. But there are some more affordable ones as well. It feels weird to me to have to wait even one minute for water to boil, been so spoiled. Strong recommend for folks who drink hot water beverages all day every day
@TheFireTheft as well
Okay wow, I should’ve known those existed, but I’ve never heard of something like that for home use. Some office buildings have something like that, for coffee or tea, but I’ve not seen a standalone unit for the home.
I was talking about something like this (not one I have, just the first example I could find). I wouldn’t use a percolator like the one you linked, since I make pour over coffee and “need” the gooseneck on the kettle.
But I can see how the percolator would be fantastic for tea or other hot-water-on-demand uses. On a slight side-note, I saw someone on Mastodon talking about how they just drink “plain” hot water, and that was also wild to me (I like my drinking water cold, and with ice). (I think they are from Singapore, where they said that isn’t uncommon - but they’ve gotten weird looks for it in the USA).
The Hong Kongers side of me is wondering how you haven't died from years of drinking cold, iced water, before remembering that most people do. It's hard wired in our upbringing that cold water is bad for you lol
Funny story, my then boyfriend came with me to Hong Kong. At a restaurant he asked for a glass of water, and was shocked they gave him near boiling water. I said, duh, why would they give you cold water if you didn't specify? He pointed out that it was 32°C degrees currently. Hmmm okay but yeah you need to specify cold water if you don't want the default.
Maybe once upon a time, and during the transcontinental rail building time, drinking cold, unboiled water was going to give you worms and dysentery. I think the hot water tradition is a mix of that aspect as well as the belief that one needs to preserve "air". Sort of like.....better for your homeostasis if your core doesn't need to bring raw water up to body temperature?
I love drinking plain hot water if I’m done with caffeine for the day or doing an unusual amount of talking. It’s very soothing for the throat. I think I first got the idea from a coworker who was from India.
I'm in USA where electric kettles aren't very popular AFAIK. I purchased one similar to this. We used to boil things the old fashioned way or stick a glass of water in the microwave to heat it up for tea. Now, I use that thing pretty much any time I need to heat water up.
Oh! Yeah those one button boil things are the next best to a percolator :) as a traveling east Asian person I only wish they were as standard to hotels as coffee makers. They seem to last a long time as well!
Many hotels I’ve stayed at in the US will loan you a water boiler if you ask for it. They often also have small humidifiers you can borrow; I found this out after several nights of messy nosebleeds from the dry air in Las Vegas.
In also in the US, they’re very popular with pale who drink a lot of tea. I’ve also seen filtered hot water dispensers in some people’s kitchen sink where I have a soap dispenser.
I think microwaved water tastes weird.
Replying to my own comment here…does the person behind XKCD browse tildes because…timely relevant xkcd today:
https://xkcd.com/3022/
If you know how to sew, I find the homemade microwaveable bean bags to be faster and retain heat for much longer. Also, no worries about water leaks.
You don’t need much in the way of skills, just sew two ~10 inch squares of cotton flannel together and fill about half the volume with dried beans or rice.
If you chuck that thing in the microwave for 2-4 minutes it will stay warm for several hours. And if your sewing holds up it will last years as well, I’ve had mine for about ten years.
My spouse and I jokingly refer to one of our cats as this. We have a cat that sometimes likes to climb under the covers between us and then crawl down the length of the bed to curl up by my feet to sleep. Bonus: soft fur under my toes at night. Malus: sometimes I overheat.
I guess kicking the cat out of the bed only leads to more problems. Mine will sometimes find the hot water bottle and sleep leaning up against it.
My local library has ones to borrow. Turns out, this house is too well insulated and we were all going dumber and sleepier because of lack of fresh oxygen ("explains a lot," - Tildes)
Health effects of CO2
As CO2 increases, you may be at increased risk of:
Source : https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/healthy-living/carbon-dioxide-home.html
Just started the radon monitor yesterday, need to wait a few days to a few months etc. when we bought the house the inspector said he checked but I was a fool to trust him; turns out you can't test it reliably over a few days, let alone an hour. I'm going to feel so bad if my family gets cancer.
Less serious note, I was always too cheap to buy them, but they've been a game changer for my progress on this baby blanket. I might finish before friends' baby is born yet.
Top of the line hearing protection to wear often. The ability to "moderate" my own audio intake is extremely beneficial for my mental health. Neurodiverse or not, I truly believe that hearing protection should be part of everyone's mental health kit. You may think you don't need it now, but you would probably change your mind if you gave hearing protection a shot.
I cannot stress enough how much relief hearing protection gave me in my first year as a father.
That would be a good present for someone who works or have hobbies which require the use of loud tools. Or anyone that is annoyed by noise.
Are there any experiences you want to do? Go to the movies, the theater, concerts, theme parks, trampoline parks? Maybe something the two of you can do together?
Is there something you and your mom did as outings as a kid that you would like to experience again as an adult with your mom/parents/family?
I don't think I have seen it mentioned yet:
Very nice slippers.
I'm talkin' sheepskin. I'm talking full soles for quick garbage-bag-to-outside-bin runs. I have been really happy with the stuff I have bought from U.S. Sheepskin, Inc..
I'll second good slippers.
My spouse gifts me a pair of sheepskin slippers from L.L.Bean every few years as I wear through them. I like to take my shoes off at the door when I get home to avoid tracking dirt and mud into the house. As soon as the shoes go off, the slippers go on. (I WFH, so I get to spend most of my day wearing them.)
My Christmas list is basically just slippers. I have moccasins that I love already but they don't have a rubber sole, so I want some with that too. One pair of standard slippers and a pair of native-made mocs.
Giesswein has rubber soled slippers. Not sure if they're even for sale in the US but they're a staple brand here if you're looking for slipper quality.
Thank you. I see that they're "Designed in Austria." Does that mean "Made in China?"
The label on mine says Made in Austria.
Cool, thanks! They look nice!
They're a legitimately good product. I wear mine daily and they're still in a near pristine state.
Just make sure you get the ones that actually have rubber soles and not that weird sticky anti-slip stuff that feels yucky to walk on.
Thanks, is it cork?
Wool and rubber. From their site:
Material:
Material: Textile (Crossbred).
Sole: Rubber (Natural Rubber).
Inner Sole: Textile (Crossbred).
Care Instruction: Wash at 30°C, no drying machine, no softener.
Sorry, I mean the ones with the weird soles.
Seems to be rubber as well but the rubber is softer and more flexible. Because they're specifically meant to be anti-slip they're Rather sticky. Which is fine! Just not my preference. These are the soft rubber ones: https://en.giesswein.com/collections/womens-wool-slippers/products/wool-high-slippers-kramsach?variant=40591676833846&color=ocean-588
Compared to these with a stiffer rubber sole:
https://en.giesswein.com/collections/womens-wool-slippers/products/wildpoldsried?variant=40591673753654&color=anthracite-019
I prefer the latter.
Interesting, they have different selections in each region.
This one has the cork sole I was talking about:
https://us.giesswein.com/collections/mens-wool-slippers/products/wool-clog
I'm now seeing that it does have the same manufacturer listed. Makes it strange that the homepage would only call out that it's designed in Austria. Looks like they have a lot of good products, though, thanks!!
Oh yeah they have the cork soled "clog" here too, I usually just go for high ankled slippers as I feel they are more snug and warm.
I see I linked the women's section but most if not all of their slippers are unisex and available in multiple sizes.
My wife and multiple friends of mine, and well.. me, have Giesswein slippers and can vouch for their durability and quality.
Most of the main things I'd mention have been said so:
It's a bit niche, but after diving through all the EDC/multitool nonsense over the years, mostly out of curiosity, and after a few weeks would drop them in the "PILE".
That said I have kept the Pathfinder V2 as it's basically perfect for my rare needs.
Namely-
The only other thing that's also survived is a way to always have a notebook + pen handy in my wallet.
I have bellroy's apex slim sleeve + some small notebooks 1 or 2+ the bullet space pen.
The back flap of the note book is inserted above where I keep the bills in the wallet, and the pen clip (which uhh...also needs to be bought separately) down the spine of the wallet with the pen on the outside.
There's a lot of ways to do something like this, and for the wallet you can probably go cheaper, but it's really nice for those business/personal moments where it's critical I just be able to write something down and not need to pull out my phone or screw around.
Desktop phone holder. Even a basic cheap one with no charging or other features (though those features are nice). Some online order threw in a crappy plastic free one that we initially laughed at. I now use it all the time… working at the desk, following a recipe, etc. Even my toddler likes to borrow it to play with and pretend.
I could see this both being really nice, but it depends on how the person views their relationship with their phone. I would honestly not appreciate it since I am trying to minimize phone usage
I have a rechargeable air duster/mini vacuum combination that I quite like. It's great for cleaning small stuff, and it's more convenient and less wasteful than buying canned air, which is not something that I think I would keep on hand.
Ubiquiti wifi AP. I had Mikrotik RB433 with quite nice wifi card, yet I had various problens all the time. I didn't want to buy another router as I didn't really need it, but wifi was atrocious. Then I finally pulled the trigger and bought myself cheapest U6-Lite. I should have done that years ago! Later I bought second U6-Lite to get better coverage of the house and now I'm buying two U6+ for relatives. You don't really know how good wifi can be until you actually invest real money into it.
You don't need any other Ubiquiti hardware to benefit? Ubiquiti confuses me, as they offer so much hardware. I've not been disabused of the notion that they're sticky, like Apple. Does it play well with non-Ubiquiti devices?
Using two APs, do they share the same network name? Do you run into any issues, switching between APs automatically?
I currently have two heterogenous APs that seem to work passingly but not altogether well together.
I have these two APs, I have my own homemade server (old PC) with Linux OS that runs their Network Controller software which taes care of the setup. APs share the SSID and roaming between them works automatically.
If you only needed one AP (or don't need roaming betwee them), you could set it up with smartphone - at least these U6- Lite, I have personally tried it; I will try smartphone setup with U6+ too after Christmas).
I hae Mikrotik CRS-326 for my switch/router combo. I use it as my router since my ISP has like 30Mbit download and this router does that without problems. I also needed 24Gbit ports to connect and diatribute many ethernet cables throughout the house. I have connected just around 13 cables now but I know about a few others I want to do and 16 ports wouldn't be enough. And I don't want to daisychain switches all around.
This combination plays well. AP don't care about switch or router, my server takes care of them. Those two APs are the only Ubiquiti HW I have. If you don't have server to run their controller on, you can buy their own hardware to manage them.
My point wasn't that much about Ubiquiti (although the controller and quality of build are great) bzt more about spending money on really good new wifi. Don't be pleased with 20$ router/AP wifi, get something better! I didn't know what I was missing.
Don't expect much better signal or substantially longer signal reach though - wifi is and will be limited by regulations on how much power it can use to transmit. This can be done a bit better by using various or multiple antennas (which Ubiquiti APs has to my knowledge) but the power must be the same.
If you have any question, feel free to ask.
Mine were ~$150-200 each a few years ago. Netgear, IIRC. Netgear seems to have gone to shit over the years though. I've heard almost exclusively good things about Ubiquiti. I don't need more power just better quality connections. Our wifi can be a bit tetchy, with the connections sometimes dropping or the bandwidth tanking for no obvious reasons. The signal strength is supposedly good enough. I've had shit for luck at debugging it though it's more pronounced on our Apple devices. I'm not sure I've noticed it on my Windows machine it that one connects on 802.11ax whereas the others are at best 802.11a.
Curious what differences you've noticed? Can you be more specific?
I have a Linux server in the basement running ProxMox. Running their server software, then, ought not be a problem.
You can run try to run their software even before you buy any AP. It is free to download and you ca setup your credentials without owning anything. The controller runs locally and I believe it also has some kind of local login, but I'm almost certain it phones home and can't be setup without internet connection. I have it running for around a year or two, so I'm rusty on these details.
The advantage is you can connect to the controller from anywhere through their servers. You can open app on phone and it will connect to your controller at home even from say coffee shop wifi or cellular. You can also connect through the web browser from a PC (also works away from home).
I have used Wi-Fi 4 before and likely without MIMO. This made my wifi slow as hell and some of my older decices din't even run at 54Mbit (of 802.11g) being stuck at slower speeds. This made watching movies from Jellyfin unusable.
I had made giant leap by buying U6-Lite, basically skipping 10-20 years of wifi development. Now my devices connect using hundreds of Mbit/s and the speed is real, as when I download a movie from the server, it really goes that fast (I can calculate how long it should take and it really takes just that long). The roaming between APs is fine too, as you don't really care if you started something in one part of house and then go elsewhere.
One problem with this though - wifi calls (not WhatsApp etc., but using wif calls from cellular operator), these drop when I wander from one AP to the other. I use wif calls due to poor cellular reception where I live.
I yet have to make my wifi to my liking - I want to add VLANs for IoT, guests and for my trusted (family) devices which will actually use personal certificates. Overkill? Yes, definitely. But using such APs and controller seems like easy setup (for someone knowledgeable, not me :-) ). It definitely isn't like web-based router setups that lack many advanced things. We have two uch routers in the family - they have fast wifi, but you can't setup VLANs, you can't even see MAC address and IP address of specific device so you can pinpoint which IP it got by its MAC... Unbelievable that this is still standard for some routers in 2024.
VLANs seem like a great idea given nasty things like "Smart TVs" where the smartest thing about them is how they phone home about what you're watching. I'd love to black hole the bastard on my network.
I'll take a go at their software. Thanks for the tip!
Sounds like you indeed made a large leap, going from antiquated WiFi! Not even having 802.11n before! Ow!
Our 11n network runs for absolute shit. So maybe that would be an upside to having better APs. We still have some antiquated devices that only connect to g/n networks. Amazingly, some "smart home" devices only support the older standards!
I think I actually had 802.11n, just didn't use it in MIMO. I think my wifi could do 150Mbit (in settings) or something like that, but it kept being more of a problem than solution.
Since I bought the first U6-Lite, my poblems shrinked only to actual real-life range. No more setup or compatibility problems or anything. Now I just use the wifi and don't worry about anything. Thinking about it now, I got quite new wifi standard with (until now) unbelievable speeds AND on top of that I got ease of mind. Just connect it, adopt AP into controller, one time setup for wifi and there you go.
I'm not saying Ubiquiti is the best, I just say it works wonders for me. And me spending more money on other APs for my relatives kinda proves the point. I hope it goes as painless as it went at my house.
And I also have some old devices with old standards. Sad thing is that even some nw stuff gets some older wifi chipsets these days...
One advice - if you go Ubiquiti, do research on which AP to buy. U6-Lite supoorts Wi-Fi 6 but only in 5GHz range. U6+ has full support while not that much more expensive. And you will need to power them, so don't forget to buy PoE injector from Ubiquiti (actually very cheap here where I live, around 10€). They don't provide them with APs likely because their stuff is (semi)professional and they kinda expect customers to have PoE capable switches - having PoE adapter in box with AP would be waste of money (and possibly adapter if you didn't use it).
If you go for it I hope it works for you as well as it does for me.
If you like puzzles, but don’t have the space for a dedicated puzzle table, something like this (PuzzleMates Portapuzzle Deluxe) is pretty great.
I got one for my wife last year, because we live in an apartment and when we had a puzzle out it would either take over our dining table or coffee table, and make them unusable for other things.
With the one I got her, she can do a puzzle on the coffee table on the mat, and then when we want to use the coffee table it just zips up and can go under the couch - keeping all the pieces in place, with the ones sorted on the removable mats on top (but still zipped inside).
In the spirit of other people recommending items for keeping warm: a down comforter. Granted I don't live in a terribly cold climate, but I am rather tender :-P (and I've gotten used to even warmer climates than the one where I now live). The down comforter I'm using now, as the temperatures have started dropping significantly, makes ALL the difference.
A hanging toiletries bag (made of a material that doesn't mind water). I go between locations a lot, and it's usually easy to just hang the bag up in the shower for easy access to shampoo, conditioner, razor, etc.
A Resqme -- a portable tool for breaking car windows and cutting seatbelts, in the case of an accident in which you can't exit the vehicle by normal means. I keep a window hammer and seatbelt cutter in my car, but I always have one of these in my pocket too, for traveling in others' cars.
One of these flashlights. They're tiny but powerful, and I like the button settings. Push button once for on, push button once for off. None of this nonsense where you have to cycle through all the settings or hold the button down to get it to turn off. Once it's on, you can hold the button to go through the three standard brightness settings (it'll remember which one you set for next time), and you can doubleclick the button to get to the ultra bright setting if you need it for a sec. There's a strobe setting, but it's not easy to trigger accidentally, which is as it should be IMO (if you HAVE to have a strobe setting at all).
Edit: One more. Duluth pants, especially for women, because they have lots of pockets and are comfortable. They have some good options for pants with side pockets (I hate sitting on my wallet) but that don't look like chunky cargo pants.
Just be aware that these only work on tempered windows and not laminated ones. They have a page about this on their website, but their site is either down or really shitty so you can't access it right now.
https://resqme.com/tempered-vs-laminated-glass/
Thank you for pointing that out. I believe normally the windshield is laminated and the side, top, and rear windows are tempered, but it's a good idea to make sure of that on your own car when looking into rescue tools. I think laminated glass won't break properly for any rescue hammer.
Edit: It does look like laminated side windows are on rapid rise in car manufacturing in the US, due to new federal regulations. From a cursory search, this is safer in the moment of the crash (you won't be ejected through the window), but causes problems when trying to rescue anyone from the car. It doesn't look like there are any consumer rescue tools for this situation. That's a bit alarming. Thanks again for pointing that out.
How do you use the milk frother to make hot chocolate? Will it also take care of mixing the powder in smoothly or do you do that separately? Will it also work on cold milk if you want to make a powdered meal replacement drink?
Headphones or ear buds with active noise canceling (and transparency mode). I work in an awful open floor plan office where we all sit in rows of desks. Ear buds are necessary. ANC Headphones changed air and train travel enough that I bought my SO a pair before our recent trip to Japan. She uses them so often now even just to go to sleep.
Dog poop diaper genie. We used to just pitch the bags of dog poop into our trash can. It started smelling so bad especially during the summer. This is a diaper genie thing that you drop your bags into. When it gets full we pull it out and drop it into our larger trash bin on trash day. Keeps everything smelling much better.
Remote garage door opener. Most of our vehicles don't park in the garage but it's our main entry point so it was easy to not have them in our vehicles. Much better to have them though.
Secured, rolly bin for pet food. We used to use a giant Rubbermaid bin for dog food Eventually it stopped snapping closed well. We replaced it with a cheap bin on amazon with some caster wheels and a better mechanism for sealing it closed. It's much better.
Fire/flood proof safe for important documents. This is something I don't currently have but will be looking for very soon. Would love to have one gifted.
I need to get a document box as well. Last time I looked my eyes glazed over from how many hours and ratings and such. :p let me know what you ended up buying
I personally could not find a document safe that I liked at all. I didn't want an electronic lock, and the keyed locks all looked flimsy -- either easily picked or easy to break such that you couldn't get in. For now I've gone with one of these fireproof document bags instead, since I was more concerned with protection from elements over thievery.
I'd definitely be interested in a more permanent option as well, though, if there are any out there.
Two purchases really surprised me how much I really loved them after buying them:
Anker 120w charger - I really love the fact one compact device can fully replace my laptop charger, phone charger, and pretty much anything else I have.
ROCO Minimalist Wallet - had this wallet for YEARS and it holds up incredibly and is just so satisfying. I have not seen anyone with a slimmer wallet, and I just like it
As stupid as it might sound, baby wipes. Until I had a kid I would have never thought of it but now I have some everywhere. There are a million reasons why they are useful and I don't know how I got by without out them.
Kreg jig. I wanted one for a long time, but never thought I'd use it that much. And I actually don't (just putzing around with small ad-hoc projects), but on the rare occasions where I need it, it's x10000 worth it. No need for the fancy ones, just the one that you can clamp to a board and has three hole sizes. The micro one might be good, too.
Wood. If you know a woodworker, that stuff is expensive. They all have their own sources, so give them cash with a wrapping that makes it clear that that's why you're buying it for them.
Cash puzzle box. Don't have a link, but somewhere I came across wooden puzzle boxes that have a slot in the side for cash or gift cards, and a puzzle on top to open it. Seems like an interesting way of giving it.
Dremel MultiMax. Somehow more versatile against wood than a normal Dremel with a fiberglass cut off wheel.
Impact driver. I really like Bosch's stuff. Nobody who has ever stripped out Philips head screw should be without one.
Ego cordless power tools. Too many to list, but I've the a leaf blower, weed wacker, snowblower, edger, and pole trimmer. I've used other brands, egos tools are more solidly made. The batteries die after a couple years, unfortunately (but I've never bought a cordless power tool that didn't have that problem), and reconditioning isn't really a viable option either. But most of the tools come with a battery and charger out of the box. Seems like the Gillette give the shaver away and sell the razors model
I was a ride or die wired headphone user - mostly because my Bluetooth experiences hadn't been great and the prospect of a dead battery was scary.
That all said, I'm hooked on wireless headphones now.
Sure, the sound quality isn't quite up to in ear wired headphones, but between using the multimedia keys while biking, leaving the device in one part of the house while I work in the other and exercising without a bulky MP3 player in my pocket, it's a life change.
I'm with Reapy and Akir - go with something you'd use if not for the price.
For a relatively cheap option: upgrade the wardrobe basics with something nicer.
Bombas socks, Tommy John underwear, True Classic T-shirts. Nothing flashy, but it makes a huge difference. I never would've gone for any of them on my own since Hanes is sitting right there for a fraction of the price, but I got all three as gifts last year and now I'm never going back.
If you have a bigger budget and the recipient likes to cook, then a good pan is always nice. Last year, I had a student whose parent worked for Hexclad and they hooked me up with a couple pieces. Total game changer.
I'll add to this.
I like Bombas socks, but I'd suggest Darn Tough Socks as an alternative. Absolute game-changers, made in the U.S., and they have a no-questions-asked lifetime warranty.
Or how about a really nice blanket? Check out the Vermont Flannel Company. Thick well-made cotton/flannel blankets; they're the softest/warmest blankets in the house. I refused to consider them until someone bought us one. I don't think I'll buy blankets anywhere else, now.
I'll second Darn Tough, and I've even taken advantage of the warranty - worth noting that they will give you store credit for the pairs you send in instead of a one-to-one replacement.
For any auto mechanics or people with auto mechanics in their life, consider a cordless ratchet. I passed on buying one for so long because I already had an impact wrench and good ratcheting wrenches, but I recently bought the dewalt DCF510B and it’s the best tool in my garage now. I had to take off a brake caliper tonight to fix my parking brake and this thing zipped off both bolts in about 5 seconds vs fiddling with a normal ratchet. The shape and size is a benefit over an impact wrench since it can fit into tighter spaces and is generally safer to use for lower torque applications. But that dewalt still does like 75ft lbs, so I got the bolts back in and tightened in about 5 seconds, too, it’s such a time saver (and has a very nice variable trigger so you don’t brap the fuck out of bolts).
Late and small addition; if you’re sharing physical keys much, or find yourself swapping them out often when switching "context“ (work/free time/vacation/car-no car/…), consider a quick-release keychain/keyring with removable segments. I have this one, which I got basically immediately after seeing it at an acquaintance. Bonus points if you might lend out or otherwise share keys from time to time and both parties have this system (or any two of the same type). :P