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What products do you absolutely love?
Are there any cool new products you find yourself constantly recommending to your friends?
Are there any cool new products you find yourself constantly recommending to your friends?
logitech has always been great to me. No issues what so ever with their customer support or getting items replaced
How weird to see this at the top.
Every single Logitech mouse of about a dozen I owned in the past 15 years has developed a crippling hardware issue few months in. Top of the line, expensive mice too. Every single one. Scroll wheel issues, clicks not registering, ghost clicks, etc.
While I had some replaced under the warranty, all of them so still failed. Some where bought in Canada, some in Europe. Made no difference, they... just... fall apart. Very disappointing. Never again.
Logitech is literally the only vendor that I will take time to NOT recommend to anyone, ever.
Wow! Honestly I've never heard anyone have such issues with Logitech hardware. I mean, the software is usually 5/10 at best, but every piece of hardware I've bought from them has been solid. Sorry to hear it wasn't the same for you. What brands do you usually stick with for peripherals?
I've had endless issues with logitech's quality on the hardware as well. I'm currently on steelseries for my mouse now (a rival 500) and it is much better than my g600 and I went through 4 or 5 of those from free warranty replacements after they just suddenly died or had some sort of issue.
Everyone has their own experiences with brands I suppose, I had a steelseries mouse (cant remember the model) that started having issues after 6 months, and the logitech g403 that I replaced it with has been going strong for over a year.
Opposite experience for me for last 15 years. I still have a working mx500 and mx510, g500. Currently using a G502. Never had to RMA a mouse once.
Razer on the other hand I love their shape and mouse clicks more than Logitech but I've spent more on shipping RMAing their mice than the actual cost of the mice themselves that I've sworn off razer products.
All the mice I've used in recent years are Logitech and they all seem to develop some sort of issue. They're otherwise good mice but I wish they had better build quality. For how much the retail for you'd think they'd ensure the right click button will work after a year's worth of use
Seconded. I have a G13 game pad and a G600 gaming mouse. I love them both. I used to like Razer for the gaming mice, but they've gone to cheap shit town lately, so I'm back on Logitech and given the general durability of these products I doubt I'll be looking for another brand any time soon. I've never had to deal with Logitech support because I've never had one of their products fail until after like 7 years of steady use and it being time for an upgrade. Also, their driver software is not bad on Windows. Doesn't nag, works well, good interface, lots of features.
You should look at the logitech ghub software, it think it's still in beta but it has some cool features for my g-pro keyboard that isn't in the standard software. Stuff like binding a key to switching audio from my speakers to headphones. No more having to deal with right clicking the stupid speaker icon.
I will definitely check that out.
In the process of getting a G603 replaced right now, as it happens. I just hope that the replacement (assuming they agree to send me one) doesn't develop the same issue.
I have never been turned down on getting replacement products and I have been using them for decades. They sometime they will send you a newer model if the old one is out of manufacturing.
Scrollwheel issue? Got mine replaced six months ago. Fixed the original myself with a replacement part of ~$2 and soms soldering. So don't throw the old one out just yet!
Yeah, it's the common problem of it jumping around like mad. In fact I often have more luck scrolling in the opposite direction when I use the wheel, but I've mostly got out of that habit after assigning the side buttons as PgUp/PgDn instead. The tipping point for me was actually playing Apex Legends, where the only way to look through people's kill boxes is using the wheel.
Unfortunately I had to send the original back to the retailer for them to verify the warranty claim, so they'll probably keep it. Still, it's good to know that there's an easy fix if it happens again!
I'm going to second that. My G400s is 5+ years old and is designed in such a way that whenever the cord starts to fail(because I treat it poorly) I can get a new one for <10€ and swap it out in about ten minutes. Bam, another year or two of life. Yay for avoiding planned obsolescence.
Same. I have 25 year old logitech mice and keyboards still going strong. Albeit, some of the really old ones aren't my primary devices anymore, having been relegated to secondary computers.
My G11 keyboard and G700 mouse, bought when just released, are my daily use devices and still going strong.
I like their hardware, but after using two of their gaming branded products I've decided I will never use those again - the logitech gaming software is just too shitty
Smart lighting! I have sleep issues at the best of times, and I find it far easier waking up to a full power bright white "sunrise", and then in the evening having the lighting taper off into the dim orange as it gets towards time to sleep.
I didn't realize how much I loved having this. My girlfriend got me a pack of those lightbulbs and within the week my entire apartment was lit by them. I love the integration with my Google home as well.
Oo, somehow it never occurred to me that they could be used this way. Would you recommend a particular brand for this type of use?
I went with Philips Hue and the whole system has been working admirably: the colour temperatures, brightness, and so on are faultless. I made the decision mostly on the properties of the lighting itself. No strong feelings on the software, but to be honest I barely use it since the initial set up.
The only downside would be the price, although the three-packs of bulbs do tend to periodically go on offer if you don't mind waiting. I started with a single one in the bedroom, and pretty quickly decided it was worth the investment to do the rest of the rooms (although given I live in a tiny flat, the absolute cost still wasn't huge!). I've been hearing good things about LIFX for a similar product at lower cost, but I can't vouch for them personally.
We have those too and agree they are awesome though pricy. We did get quite a few of ours on sale, but they still add up. Love them do much regardless. I also really like their little dimmer switch that you can carry around as a remote.
My only complaint is their app. The loading is a bit too long for me when I just want to adjust the light a bit, and the widget is only on/off. If the widget could have a few saved states I could cycle between that would be great.
If you haven't already, you might want to take a look in the "labs" section of the app. It's pretty well hidden, but it has loads of extra options for things like toggle switching, dimming, etc. No idea what it takes for something to graduate from labs to the main app, though, because there are things in there I've been using without a hitch for years that still haven't made it.
[Edit] Sorry, realised you said widget when I thought you meant the physical switch. I'll leave the above either way, maybe it'll be useful to someone!
Yeah they really are pretty good...I'm really nitpicking with the widget.
Thanks! I started looking at both Phillips and LIFX. Price is definitely a bit of a barrier, but I figure they're about the cost of one of those natural light alarm clocks, which have less flexibility. Maybe I'll start with 2 — one for my bedside lamp, the other for my computer room. :)
Thanks! I hadn't come across those in my initial research, so I'll check them out.
For what it's worth I also have Phillips Hue set up in my apartment for my smart lighting setup and think it rules. I think it's nice that they have lights that are just on/off, cool/warm, and then RGB because I don't want to spend extra money on being able to make my lights turn green, you know?
Neat! I've been looking at the cool/warm ones for sleep/night time things, since I also don't need fancy colors, but I'm not sure if they'll get orange/red enough for me. Assuming you have that type, how warm do they get? Is it basically like a really warm normal bulb, or something more? (I guess I should just look up the Kelvin ranges and estimate, haha.)
Oh gosh, I'm sorry I don't really check Tildes all that much. It's hard to describe exactly, but they get warm enough for me, right? I think they are comparable to 2000K bulbs that I have for what it's worth.
No worries, thanks! I think I'm gonna pick up some different bulbs and try them out to see :)
This. So. Much! I had so much trouble waking up for the longest time. We're talking trying every single trick and "can't wake up" alarm app in the book to no avail. It's not exactly a good impression frequently coming into work around noon because you slept in yet again.
I finally noticed, though, that as this last fall season started rolling around and sunrise started later and later, I had more and more trouble waking up. Finally put two and two together, ordered a smart light alarm clock to see if it would help, and I've not had any trouble since. I'll even wake up before the light starts turning on. I can actually wake up before 7am instead of waking up at 11am. That wasn't even possible before!
Sliced, frozen avocado. Cheap. Always perfectly ripened. Thaw however much you need; you don't need to eat a full avocado.
How did I never think of this?! I'll be on the lookout for some to try next time I go food shopping.
Never heard of this. Do you think you can buy a fresh one, slice and freeze it for the same results?
Probably not. Frozen products are flash frozen. So your results won’t be as good as buying a frozen product.
Depends on the food and where you are. Up in Canada, frozen fruit is hands down without question better quality than most fresh fruit most of the year because it's picked when ripe and then frozen, as opposed to picked unripe and ripened on the journey, which only leads to increased sugar content and not necessarily nutrition.
In the case of avocado, it doesn't really matter, but the high oil content and low water means it also freezes quite well.
Never tried, but I don't see why that wouldn't work wonderfully.
This goes surprisingly well with semi-scrambled eggs.
Not sure if anyone is into cycing here, but I like a fair number of companies in that world in terms of quality and customer support.
I swear Ortlieb must have a monopoly on panniers. Nearly everyone I see who bike commutes in my rainy city uses them, and for good reason! My dad's are 20+ years old and he still uses them! I asked for a pair for Christmas a couple years ago and couldn't be happier.
Edit: Just in case people reading this don't know what panniers are; they are those bags that people clip onto their bikes. I think the word has a more general use that includes saddlebags and the like, but I only ever see panniers used for bikes!
Used ortlieb panniers for my bike tour 2 years ago. They're amazing, sturdy and water proof. Definitely great to transport stuff around
I've seen Trek bikes recommended a couple of times now, and they look so nice but I am so poor :(
Check for a local co-op! A lot of times they have quality secondhand options and the availability to volunteer for credit towards a purchase (which is also a great way to learn about the mechanics and maintenance of bikes too). You might find someone in the community willing to cut you a break as well. I'd say it is better than going the Craiglist/Kijiji/Gumtree route in a lot of cases.
I will have to check that out, thanks! I think there is one here but it's more geared toward kids, but it won't hurt to ask!
Trek looks super interesting, thanks
I have a Brooks saddle on my bike which is ~20 years old. It's the best saddle I've ever owned!
Ubuntu. Switched to Linux full-time couple years back and played with several different flavors until Ubuntu 18.04 came out. The level of polish is worlds apart from the old days and it's been a breeze to make the switch permanent. I'm also loving the utility possible from writing my own tools in the terminal and bash scripting. Good bye Windows!
I used normal Ubuntu up through 16.04 but after they switched to GNOME in 18.04 I've had some really weird deal-breakers with it. Getting it running smoothly in VirtualBox to test has proven nearly impossible for me (random lockups during updating, massive interface lag issues), and even with it installed on a regular system and seemingly working nicely there are strange bugs like LastPass for Firefox not working due to some driver-independent display glitch. I love 18.04 though so I've switched over to using Xubuntu 18.04. With Plank and a little interface customization here and there it works basically the same and has been super solid (minus a lock screen glitch when running nvidia binaries). So ya, if you're having issues with the newest Ubuntu, there are lots of other great flavors of it that may work better on your specific device. GalliumOS on Chromebooks is amazing.
After LastPass' data breach I switch to Enpass which has worked wonderfully for me, plus I manage my data ;)
I used to use Linux full time until 2012 or so, and became particularly attached to using lightweight window managers like Openbox. Is Ubuntu pretty married to GNOME? I would assume it would be a better idea to start with Xubuntu. Arch Linux was fun back in the day but I don't think I have that kind of commitment to maintaining my OS anymore.
If I do return to Linux it would be wise for me to test out a few distributions to see what the new possibilities are.
Ubuntu has packages for pretty much everything. You can just as easily run i3 as you cal GNOME. You'll need to customize the install / remove some packages post-install, but it's definitely possible. That said, if I was going to install Ubuntu with the goal of running a graphical workstation, I'd start with the server image and customize it from there.
I would also suggest that you take a look at something like FreeBSD. It's a little different than Linux in a few ways, but there's less of the "we broke this thing just to try something new" that Linux distros seem to love.
Nope, not married to it at all, it's just what they ship with the main builds. You can also get the other flavors from the official site and they all work very nicely, or just install your own DE if you're particular about it. Only really noticeable changes are the settings will be where the DE exposes them and some of the included software is minimally different. On the command line they all work the same and get the same core updates. It's a really friendly family of distros, and it's always super easy to google your problems with it.
I'm still getting used to Ubuntu 18. I switched to it from Mint because I was having trouble getting SteamPlay to work. That works well now, but my scanner produces a weird stripe across all scans. Some other minor annoyances with the GUI as a whole; I might just give the latest Mint a try again, it just behaves the way I want my desktop to.
But I'll never switch back to Windows, that's for sure.
Everyone is gong tech! Why?
Good point. Although I love my second hand iPhone 5 (no, not S) for its perfect monolith-ness and scratched edge-patina and iPad mini still-going-strong-despite-taped-up-screen, some non-digital things I've had for ages and feel very attached to:
And in the category of notebooks, I recently bought pretty much all the cheapish black unlined A4 ones I could find as a test (looking for one with a soft cover), I'm really liking the EcoQua from Fabriano. Can fold over completely, lays flat, thin but nice paper (similar to moleskine), and not too expensive.
Most prized, though, I think, is a wooden table that I've lived with all my life. First as the dining table in my parents' house, then in student room, now in my own house. Used to be black, sanded and lacquered blank by my father, repaired with parquet flooring on top, recently done up by my current partner who attacked it with the sander a bit too enthousiastically so it's now nice and wobbly in some places :).
That backpack is gorgeous - I've been vaguely hoping to find something to use when I need a bit more space/weight than my everyday messenger bag is comfortable for, and I think this may well be the winner.
Come to think of it, the aforementioned everyday bag definitely deserves a spot in this thread too - it's an extremely simple brown leather messenger from Gianni Conti, and as far as I'm concerned it is the absolute platonic ideal of its type. It's one of those rare things that does its job so well that I don't think about it at all.
Mine is not so gorgeous anymore, but I love it to bits. In a year or so, I'll probably have actually loved it to bits ;)
But the great thing about it is that it's reasonable size when it's just a laptop and a bottle of water in there, but with all the straps loosened it also fits just enough stuff for a weekend away or quite a few groceries if I have to go by the supermarket unexpectedly.
I get your love of Field Notes, though a cheaper Rhodia pad does fine for my hand-writing purposes. I've been test-driving a Rocketbook. For some face-to-face meetings, I deliberately avoid using a device for notes, so that I can make eye contact. I wish I could say that this mutant hybrid of old and new tech was working for me, but it's not, really. And that's getting far afield from beloved cool new products.
I hear great things all the time about Rhodia pads—especially with regard to fountain pens! I have nothing against them, and have sketched a bit in one that I got as a gift. I'm stuck with Field Notes memo book sizes, because after using them for work notes for two+ years, I shy away from anything that may break the form factor trend in my delightful pile of used notebooks.
At work, I always keep my field notes practically attached to my hip. When I go to meetings, I leave my computer behind in my cubicle, unless I know I'll be the one putting my computer on display, executing code, looking up data. In nearly every other case, I prefer handwriting in my Field Notes. My manager has pointed out that she likes bringing me to meetings with her management and other cross-functional teams, particularly because my attention is clearly telegraphed by my taking notes in a notebook, and when I resort to a device it's for a reason, not to use it as a pacifier to make the meeting pass.
Colleague of mine uses a reMarkable tablet for face-to-face meetings. He seems pretty happy with it.
But at 600 euro, the price is a tad too steep for me.
I've been looking for a better substitute for pen and paper for decades! I was an avid user of the Palm Pilot handwriting interface, but there really isn't any great paper replacement in a useful form factor.
The reMarkable tablet was an option I considered, especially with the sales over the holidays this year (briefly down to $400 USD).
eInk displays just aren't that friendly on my eyes. For the reMarkable, there were reports of poor UI design and glitchy software, hardware specs limitations, little cloud storage support... and the darn thing has a proprietary OS.
There's just no way I was going to get locked into a proprietary ecosystem, for a company that could go out of business due to boutique/niche products, and wind up with another piece of useless e-waste at the end.
All to resolve a vague unhappiness at retyping paper notes occasionally.
I am a pathetic lover of devices. As much as I rail against data aggregation and surveillance, I find myself the owner of a much-adored Asus C302 Chromebook, and a Pixel 3XL phone.
The Chromebook is a daily device (I'm typing on it right now) for casual browsing and large-format reading. Even knowing that I'm deeply rooted by the Google ecosystem, it's still more convenient, cost-effective, and fit for my purposes than than other gadgets. I can run niche Android apps, boot to Linux or use work Citrix apps if I need productivity.
I'm promoting managed Chromebooks at work as a lower-cost, equally productive substitute for about half the use cases for which we buy overpriced, fragile, expensive-to-support Dell laptops.
The Pixel 3XL is my Swiss Army knife, but unlike a Swiss Army knife, it does the majority of things well. The camera is amazing (the hardware is average, but the image processing is phenomenal). I keep showing off what I can do with it; I take far better-looking pictures than I could after years of practice with optical cameras and bags of lenses.
The processor speed and memory capacity are such that I can load as many apps as I could possibly need, and they perform with quick grace. The screen resolution and contrast are higher than any of the digital readers available.
If I hooked it up to a desktop monitor and keyboard, I'd be able to accomplish most of my daily life and work tasks with as much efficiency as with a full-fledged computer. It's the first phablet I can say I'd be comfortable with if I was stranded on a desert island and had no other devices.
I'm of two minds on chromebooks. The biggest flaw with them is that they are too locked down. Having Chrome be the only browser to run natively is also a big flaw in my opinion. When I owned a Chromebook, it was noticably faster to run Firefox on top of a chrooted Ubuntu environment. To be fair, though, most of my bad opinions on them are because Google never followed through on their promise to enable Android app compatibility to my device.
As far as I can tell, there really isn't much stopping manufacturers from producing standard laptops with Chromebook hardware (except in the rare cases where they are running ARM). To be frank, most laptops on the market are built with very poorly chosen cost-cutting decisions. Almost all of the laptops at the lower price range make the mistake of installing mechanical HDDs instead of SSDs because they are chasing those higher numbers. I would be more upset with them if I didn't already know that the approach is extremely effective at making sales. The lack of such 'pitfall devices' is the real strength of the Chromebook brand.
Agreed; I'm on my second Chromebook partly because the first one didn't have the upgradeability to support Android apps properly. On the new one, I just switch to the Android versions of Brave or Firefox Focus if I'm concerned and sloppy.
But really, my Chromebook is a casual device. I don't expect it to be perfect, just a great buy for a limited set of uses. If I cared that much, it would be a Pixelbook, which puts a Chromium OS platform into the price territory of professional-grade Linux, Windows, and Mac devices. Most of my serious work happens on a desktop platform or work-issued portable devices (Surface Pro 4, which I don't actively hate after multiple firmware upgrades, or Dell E7490, which I still despise).
If you're willing to take your chances on reliability, there are budget Windows 10 laptops which do leverage essentially the same hardware as consumer Chromebooks, including SSD. With various flavors of Linux, there's never any guarantee of full compatibility for any given hardware platform unless you're buying from Dell or boutique manufacturers at premium prices, and even that's questionable. At that price point, you're investing in high enough specs to run your preferred OS virtualized.
To your point, the limited feature set and application availability in the Chrome OS ecosystem promotes greater reliability for comparable hardware - no one is going to try running major games or big Excel spreadsheets.
This is an outdated opinion. Nowadays Chromebooks run Chrome apps (duh!), Android, and Linux natively. There's no longer a requirement to dual-boot into another operating system, it all runs on Chrome OS. Now you can install Firefox. You can even develop, and do some gaming.
You say manufacturers could make "standard" laptops with the same hardware, but I don't think they could, not at the same price. Chrome OS—unlike Windows—is free to manufacturers, which helps make them so affordable. As far as your point in storage, the reason they use SSDs is because they're forced to. If they had the choice, they'd undoubtedly be using HDDs.
ChromeOS's "Linux support" is still in beta to my knowledge, and that meant that there isn't really a means for average computer users to install Linux software on it yet.
I'm not complaining about the hardware in Chromebooks, I am complaining about how traditional laptop manufacturers are building their hardware. There are actually manufacturers of Chromebooks who take the hardware and make slight modifications for a Windows version. Yes, they are more expensive than the Chromebook, but that wasn't something I had an issue with.
It is labeled beta, but anyone (with a supported device) can access it on the Stable channel. I've noticed very few issues with it, and nothing major. Right now all that's required is opening settings, clicking "Turn on" under "Linux", then installing your Linux software. Once it leaves beta it'll be on by default, but that's the only thing the Beta label really entails.
I knew you weren't complaining about the hardware, but I better see what your point is now. Thank you for elaborating.
I really don't hate ChromeOS. The best way to describe what I think about it is "exasperation". The whole experience was basically an exercise of trying to reinvent the wheel. And, lo and behold, the end result looks a lot like a wheel. In the end, ChromeOS just turns into another Linux distribution tied to subsidized hardware made in the attempt to lock you down to Google's services.
Except I can download any other browser or use any other service. You're not “locked down to Google's services” when you can download the alternatives.
I don't see the problem with “reinventing the wheel”, especially when—in my opinion—it's a better wheel. Just because there are other operating systems doesn't mean there shouldn't be more. Competition is a good thing.
That was a heck of a deal! People tend to forget that today's low-end commodity laptop hardware is still highly capable and has the performance specs to handle most general computing tasks, with the exception of high-performance gaming and some specific big-data applications.
One of the things I've noticed about Dell devices - update firmware early and often. I don't know if there are update packages available for whatever OS flavor you're using, but your thermal issues might be taken care of without having to install an application. That's regulation which should be taking place at the firmware level, and I'm aware of known issues with fans running or not, on multiple Dell platforms.
Fountain pens! I've got a TWSBI 580ALR with Diamine Majestic Purple ink in it, and I absolutely love it. I also just fixed up a Faber-Castell Loom (didn't like the stock nib so I replaced it), filled it with Noodler's Zhivago ink (a lovely dark green, almost black), and it writes like a dream now. :)
I know hand writing isn't as important as it used to be, but for me, that's all the more reason to enjoy it when I do. Plus the entry point on fountain pens is way lower than it may seem.
I was into FPs a while back but then found that I had all of the pens I'd realistically need so i stopped keeping up with things. Strangely, in spite of all of the more luxury brands I've owned or tried, I'm more than happy with my brass body Pilot Elabo (formerly Falcon) SEF and lighter Pilot Prera F - I could get rid of all of my other pens (save for maybe a Safari for beat-up work) and probably not notice much of a difference 99% of the time.
Similarly, Diamine Saddle Brown is the only ink that I'd really be disappointed if I had to give up, and most of the time I'm using a generic blue ink anyway (currently Edelstein Tanzanite that I was given as part of a present).
I'm of the opinion that cheaper Pilots are underrated in western FP communities. My CH91 (~$90 from Japan) writes better than my Visconti Homo Sapiens, nearly on-par with some of the pens I've had custom work done on.
I've been using the same pen for decades, the cheap basic happily-colored Lamy ABC l used in primary school to learn to write. And before that my brother, who's 8y older than me. So that pen is at least 24 years old :p
It's pretty much indestructible, dropped it countless of times and still does it's job. I've owned a lot of other fountain pens (some expensive), but this one just has the best writing experience.
I love fountain pens! I have a small collection on my desk, but—sadly—they're all empty and dry. I just find the upkeep to be too much.
I shifted into a Blackwing pencil kick, because I still like FPs enough that I can't adjust back to any random rollerball.
I fell in love with the iPhone when it first came out in 2007. Which led me to being a fan of Apple Macbooks a year later. Which led me to recommend Apple laptops to friends and family.
I've noticed recently that Tesla owners seem to have the same rabid love for their products and the company.
Are there any other products or companies you feel that strongly about?
Rabid apple fan here, and also a Tesla owner (Model 3).
I think you're exactly right about Tesla fans == Apple fans, but Tesla fans are almost worse in a way—they wear all the hats and shirts and everything. Apple doesn't make it easy to get Apple swag, so there's at least a baseline level of "cool" that's still maintained in that fandom. But with Tesla owners, all bets are off, and I've interacted with far too many where my reaction to their rabid fandom is "oh god, your life is really just Elon and your car, ew".
Rabid Apple fan here too, who was—like you—onboarded via iPhone. Then I purchased a MacBook Pro with Retina Display in 2013.
I now have... AirPods, Apple Watch Series 4, iPhone XS, late 2018 MBP, 2017 iMac, HomePod, Apple TV, Apple Music, and about a dozen accessories under the sun. If you can afford it (and I will be the first to admit Apple products aren't always the most affordable in their class), they work disgustingly well together. It's the sum of the constituents that makes Apple products worth their price tag. That, plus the always present bash terminal!
Apple's ecosystem is really appealing but their business practices are enough to push me far, far away from their products
Other than the price-tag, what gripes do you have? I’ve generally found for things I care about (performance, design, privacy), Apple is usually ahead of the competition, at least with their mobile products.
Not the person you're asking, but I figured I'd respond to give a different perspective. I HATE the keyboards in their new MacBooks. All of them. Normal MacBook, Air, Pro. Hate hate hate. It feels like I'm typing on glass and I HATE typing on glass. It is not fun and I cannot stand it so much that my current portable Apple device is an iPad Pro. I hate the keyboard so much it made me change operating systems.
Related to the keyboards (really, the underlying problem, the source of the stench and the peril) is Apple's obsession with thinness in their laptops. This also results in RAM that's soldered to the logic board, making it impossible to upgrade after you purchase, and the same with drive space. These two traits determine what you can do with your machine. If you buy a machine and decide you want to do more / different things with it, you may be in an uncomfortable position of not really being able to because you bought a cheaper system and didn't foresee that you'd want to use it differently.
And their USB cables. Oh, the USB cables. They're so, so bad. Their housings fray for seemingly no reason from gentle regular use. I don't have any kids or pets or careless roommates or technologically-challenged spouses and my Apple cables still fray. I've had enough. After 10 years of sticking with official cables because first party should always be better, I have started replacing my fraying Apple cables with Anker alternatives. ... though the Anker versions are measured in feet instead of meters, grmbl (which means they're ever so slightly, maddeningly slightly, shorter). That's one thing I did like about the Apple versions, they used a sane measurement system.
They've been ignoring their iMac / Mac Pro / Mac mini line--especially the higher end workstations--for far too long. They've made some token efforts at placating the masses, but what's needed is followthrough. Consistency. An upgraded Mac mini is nice, but we said that about the old Mac Pro. They never revised it, they never made any major upgrades to it. Maybe a slightly upgraded processor because the ones it originally shipped with were EOL'd and thus more expensive to source. So now we have an iMac Pro and a pro-level Mac mini... but have they been refreshed since being released? Nope. We've been promised a new Mac Pro, but it hasn't shown up yet, more than five years later. Five years. That's a long, long time in the pro market.
So while I may be absolutely surrounded by Apple hardware and services, there's still a lot they can do better.
As a former fan of the macbooks I'm finding it less and less justifiable to purchase a mac for that price. You can't upgrade / replace your own RAM anymore. Batteries are difficult to replace. They use a proprietary Hard drive connection now. The new keyboards are terrible. Yet the price is still so high. Only thing I still love about it that I can't find a good substitution for is their trackpad.
I'm sure this isn't all of the Apple price tag, but they do need to support a lot of other parts of their business that other OEMs don't, things like retail stores which do things like let you try before you buy (which causes wear on hardware that needs to be replaced and kept updated) and photo walks (where they hand out free phones for you to use) and free tech support (in addition to online support). There's just more going on with Apple than people realize when they criticize the price tag. You can absolutely call that a hidden cost, but given that I can go for a five minute walk and talk to someone, in person, about a device repair, where I can't do that with just about any other OEM, I'm fine paying a premium.
Keep your GNU filth to yourself. ;)
I'm a mostly-happy Mac user, and have been for a very long time at this point, but I'm not entirely inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt on pricing until they stop doing things like adding a 300%+ markup to their commodity SSDs and RAM (they charge as much for the 2TB upgrade as they do for the entire base laptop at this point), or failing to include a basic dirt cheap USB-C cable with a charger that already costs almost four times more than the alternatives.
I'm very happy to pay a premium for quality and design, but it frustrates me when I'm already paying that premium and they still feel the need to screw me on the basics.
Absolutely agreed on both counts. I've actually had folks at Apple tell me to go aftermarket for RAM (back when that was still an option =\ ), and I've given up on their awful cables with their housings that fray from gentle use.
All that said, Windows is still absolutely not an option for me for so many reasons, so I'm sticking with Apple.
Currently running a Magicforce 68 with Gateron Browns. I'm back at the stock keycaps, but I'm not feeling SA keycaps with browns, but I did like it when I put grab bag DSA's on it. I still gotta say, I have a Model M (that I messed up and spilled water in) and ruined the membrane, so I still have to order a new one and fix it, I think I like the feeling of that one the best, but GatBrowns are a close second.
Twins! I bought mine from Massdrop a while back and I'm looking at low-profile splits for my next one.
How do they compare to cherry blues and greens, or the old IBM buckling springs?
Hm, might look into recapping one of my old keyboards with these whenever the producer has them in stock again. I've been trying to get something that compared to the Model Ms for a while now, without shelling out on one of the few PS/2 models on ebay. Thanks for the info!
I'll plug the Nvidia Shield for use as a home theater computer. Comes with a good remote and bluetooth controller. It's basically just an Android box. It has just enough horsepower to play back x265 codecs. I can load all my emulators and roms on it from the network and play them easily. Kodi runs great on it. It reminds me of the original Xbox post-modding. It has a bunch of voice-control features I've turned off but I can imagine some folks might like that stuff. It doesn't get too hot while running, has no fans/makes no noise. It has the nvidia game stream feature, so you can stream the graphics from your PC on the network to it and play full PC games on your television using your PC to do the actual gaming.
It doesn't have a lot of disk space inside, but since it's Android setting up permanent mounts of network drives for it to use as storage is a breeze. It has USB ports for attaching external storage. Since it's Android, it can also run Netflix and any other streaming clients, has good tools for youtube and a host of other sites without problems. That's something that a linux-based HTPC has trouble with. It's far better than any of the 'smart tv' android OSes I've seen, much more open and tinkerable. Maybe I'm nuts but I don't like my TVs to be smart - I have an old Mitsubishi WD-73833 that's a dumb brick, and I like it like that. I'll attach my own smart devices, thanks. The built in ones are always kinda crap.
Why is it good? Because it costs about $120 depending on if you want the controller with it or not - without it you can get it for like $80. That's a pretty damn cheap price for what's basically a ready to go, dirt simple to use home theater PC that can do anything any home theater PC could ever need to do.
For laptops, I pretty much only ever go with Thinkpads. unfortunately it seems that Lenovo is moving away from user repair and the boxy design to slimmer laptops with built-in batteries, which means they will be the same as any other laptop. I definitely still like my T430 and my T40.
I also noticed I have a lot of Sony equipment. I've been using Sony alarm clocks for a while, Sony speakers, and Sony cassette decks. They used to make pretty good stuff, I don't know how it is today though.
do they still make regular TVs, or is it all "smart" panels?
to be honest though any TV I buy in the next couple years will most likely be another CRT, so I don't really care about the flat panels anyway. If I had the money for a new, high resolution TV though, I would definitely not get a smart TV.
They're pretty much all "smart", but that's never particularly concerned me because you can just ignore it. Same as the fact it comes with an OTA tuner: it's there for the people who want it, but it's not doing any harm sitting unused while I'm watching whatever device is hooked to the HDMI.
I'm surprised and intrigued that you're still looking at CRTs! Is there a specific reason for that? Other than perhaps retro gaming, I'm drawing something of a blank.
The reason I don't like it is not that it has stuff I don't need but that it can do stuff I don't want it to do. What I mean is that I just want a display, but with new TVs they have an internet connection, bluetooth, and even a microphone and stuff. I forgot where I saw it (might have been on here) but some ad companies even leverage smart TVs to capture whatever content is playing on the TV to build up user profiles. I'm in the minority but I don't like this kind of thing and I'd rather not have a device in my home that is constantly monitoring me. I suppose I'm a hypocrite because I have a cell phone. That bothers me too.
Mostly I just like old stuff in general. I would feel weird having a flatscreen in my bedroom next to my tape deck and stuff. So I guess that's the main reason. Since I mostly watch TV shows that are in 4:3 format, the little CRT I have in my room is perfect. No letterboxing and IMO it looks just fine on a CRT. I got a pretty cheap TV though, so it is a little blurry if you were to use it as a computer screen. Another thing I noticed is that my parents have a somewhat new TV, it's a few years old and not "smart", and even that takes up to 20 seconds to boot. it's a computer in and of itself. I doubt new TVs are any better. there's noticeable lag when using the remote, whereas on my 20 year old TV it turns on and off instantly and has no noticeable lag using the remote.
I also do use it for retro gaming, but like I said it's a cheap TV with only a composite video input, so it's not ideal. If I had the money I would use a computer CRT monitor for that instead.
Very fair points on not wanting your TV to watch what you're doing. There is the practical option of just not connecting it to the network, but admittedly that does nothing for the principle of the matter, nor the boot time. Thinking about it, most computer monitors still manage to provide a fast display and nothing more, although they don't tend to come in the same range of sizes as TVs.
Either way, it sounds like you're happy with the older aesthetic - I'm mostly just thinking out loud (in text?) at this point.
Yeah, I have my "reasons" for not wanting new stuff but mostly I just want old stuff, and that's that. Basically, if I like it for any reason, that's good enough for me.
I like to think out loud online, too. I wish more people would do that because then you'd understand what they mean more of the time, or something like that. It feels more like a real conversation.
You can just never connect it to the internet. It can't spy or send you ads if it can never talk to anything else. Anyway, it seems that you are pretty set on a cry, so I am not trying to convince you. The only drawback as I see it to a smart TV is that you pay for something you never use.
You don't really have an option these days if you get a high resolution TV; they are all "smart". I have one of the few that isn't and I love it.
What model do you have?
I have a Samsung UN32J5003AFXZA 32". It's at least three years old. 32" is probably not the best option for most folks, but I live in a tiny apartment so a smaller display makes sense for me.
to be honest 32" isn't even that small.
Compared to the 19" CRT I had growing up, you're right, it's fairly large. But when I go to sites like wirecutter.com and see them recommending 75" monsters, 32" seems paltry. :)
Everything is relative. I have a 13" CRT but it's on my desk and I watch it from a yard away, so it's perfectly fine. I wouldn't want to use it sitting on a couch across the living room, though.
but at some point it's like do you really need your TV to cover one side of your living room? I feel like once you start getting into 55" and stuff like that it's getting to the point of diminishing returns for most people.
Darn Tough socks. They are wool and freaking amazing. Comfortable as hell and you can wear them several times before you wash them. I go with three wears and they still don't smell even then. I got tired of all my socks falling apart, so while these are a bit pricier than Hanes from Wal-Mart, they will last years and years.
I need this. Ye olde generic socks are starting to bother me, so many with holes in the heels I have to throw away. Recommend any specific brands and/or common shopping locations where they carry proper wool socks?
As I said above, Darn Tough are the best and most commonly recommended. You can buy them at their website or at stores like REI. However, REI will mostly carry their hiking stuff. You can get lifestyle (no shows, dress socks, etc.) varieties on their website. Depending on the type of sock, you'll pay $15 to $25 or so (full price) per pair. I think it's worth it because of how much more comfortable they are and how long they last. Plus, they are made in Vermont, so you can feel good that your socks weren't made in a sweatshop.
Edit: I have a bunch of these: https://darntough.com/collections/mens-fitness/products/tab-no-show-light-cushion?variant=30180627783
I also have several pairs of dress socks and a pair of hiking socks. All are great.
Awesome, thank you kindly for the tips. <3
After 50 wears/washes, my Darn Tough crew socks get a hole. But they do have a lifetime warranty. And they are definitely nicer than cotton.
I live on a boat so most of the stuff I really like is stuff that makes my life a little easier. It's not practical for me to have a bunch of gadgets.
So, my Morso Squirrel stove. For the space I have, this is the perfect stove. It throws out some heat and is easy and cheap to maintain.
Secondly my Kipor 2600va generator. Actually not using it as much as I should but the 2300w it generates covers me for all my electricity needs (I actually use it to charge up my battery bank).
I love my TS100 soldering iron. It runs off generic laptop charger and has up to 80W plus a wide temperature range and pretty solid soldering tips. The TS80 is the same but it uses a USB-C cable with QuickCharge/USB-PD for power and a different plug system for soldering tips. It has definitely made my life soldering things easier.
Commenting just to say I'm also a fan of this soldering iron and that I have been soldering for over 20 years, going back to my first radio shack iron. In college and at my first jobs, I used Weller analog stations, then got a Hakko FX951. I saw the TS100 pop up when I was shopping around for a relatively inexpensive digital temperature controlled iron to use for a soldering workshop series I was teaching. I didn't end up going with it for the workshop, but did buy one to test it out and really like it.
I still prefer my Hakko if I'm soldering at my bench, but I have a TS100 in my toolbag and use it pretty frequently. I wasn't aware of the TS80, but just watched a couple reviews and think I'd prefer the TS100 anyway (TS80 has less power and requires a QuickCharge compatible charger).
I can recommend to get the alternative firmware for the TS100, I heavily rely on the boost feature when I solder larger surfaces.
What kind of things do you solder regularly?
Atm I'm working on a solar charger, I obtained a MPTT charge controller for lead batteries for that project. Also I have a sort-of side project to replace all my lighting with LED Modules connected to ATTiny or ATMega chips to allow me to fully customize and program the room's light.
Together with the charge controller I want to be able to light the room entirely with solar power and only using grid power when the day hasn't been bright enough.
Having a soldering iron also helps with a ton of other things such as being able to correct and mold 3D prints (setting the soldering iron to 200°C so it doesn't burn everything). Also works as replacement for glue in 3D print projects.
I recently bought an electric duster for cleaning my computers. I love it since I no longer have to buy canned air whenever I want to clean out dust. Plus I found it easier to use as I can angle it in any direction I want, use it for longer durations and the pressure is stronger. I paid around $60.00 for mine, a MetroVac DataVac. However, I recently saw it and another brand’s go on sale for around $40.00.
In my opinion, it’s an essential if you frequently maintain computers. The only caveat is the noise which I’ve looked pass as it’s serving me well.
Aside from that, I’ve been satisfied with my Zowie FK1 and Sennheiser HD 598 for the past 4 years. They’re starting to show their wear so I plan on replacing them soon.
Stepping away from things with batteries, I'll put in a product endorsement for Earasers Musicians noise-reducing earplugs.
I've got some issues with ambient noise, anxiety, and attention, but full noise cancellation with over-the-ear headphones isn't suitable for conversations. I also can't sleep with my hearing fully blocked - the total absence of ordinary noise is bothersome.
These earplugs are great - they're discreet, fit well, and the filtered audio quality is perfect for hearing a private conversation in a noisy restaurant or crowd. I don't notice them when worn all day, and can still get work done if I'm visiting cubicle-ville. I'm gradually gaining the ability to sleep on airplanes, something I've never been able to manage previously. Complete win, as far as I'm concerned.
On the opposite end of the blocking spectrum, would anybody have recommendations for earplugs that do block the maximum amount of all sounds possible?
(particularly gum-chewing sounds, airplane hum, and high pitched children)
(specifically old-skool earplugs, as opposed to powered active earphones/headphones)
Misophonia can be rough sometimes.
I don't think you're going to do better than inexpensive high-attenuation foam earplugs for this purpose.
I've tried them, and they make me anxious, dizzy, and nauseated from internal noise (your own tinnitus, swallowing or heartbeat noises may become intolerable), and loss of positional sounds in the environment that affect inner ear processing.
There are some custom hearing aid vendors who claim to be able to tune noise cancellation against specific irritating or triggering noises for misophonia. I never got around to trying this since trimming down concurrent noise sources was sufficient. Turns out I've got auditory processing problems, likely from chronic ear infections, not true misophonia.
The recognized treatment for misophonia mainly consists of CBT and other anxiety-reduction or desensitizing techniques - I was pretty much doing that anyway.
I only got the -19 dB peak noise reduction - I was looking to minimize distracting background noise, not survive a rock concert.
According to the specifications, the noise reduction has a relatively flat attenuation profile compared to other earplugs. You're still hearing normal-seeming sound, just less of it.
I chose the Earasers, rather than the more popular Eargasms plugs, because Eargasms have higher attenuation at normal speech frequencies (80 - 300 Hz), and I didn't want that.
Certainly not new, but I'm a sucker for vintage HP calculators, specifically the Hewlett-Packard Voyager series. They're simple, they're small, they're lightweight. After going through high school with a TI-89 that could probably be programmed to make toast and wipe my ass for me, I find the lack of features refreshingly comfortable, even cozy. Graphing calculators always seemed too complex to me, and had so many distractions from the mathematics.
I remember my uncle had one (maybe the 15C?) when I was growing up, which means it was new then. Between playing with that calculator as a kid and dc(1) as a teenager, it's not surprising that I far prefer RPN these days.
As for something non-electronic, I really enjoy good stationery. I grew up with Mead Five Star notebooks in middle school / high school 20 years ago, and I'm really happy to see they haven't changed much about them. The only thing I miss is the references on the inside of the back cover. Those were so cool! I learned so many interesting little facts from them and would regularly read them for fun. I can understand that with the internet those references aren't as useful, but that's not the point. Seeing them while I was working made me curious about the world around me in a way that readily-available references on the internet never can. It was the serendipity that I loved. I have a printed dictionary, thesaurus, and usage guide for the same reason.
Oh, and I totally forgot: I've been redoing my wardrobe. I really enjoy Mack Weldon. They're an online boutique men's clothier (which is a fancy way of saying that they have a small collection of expensive things which are made really well). Everything is just so soft and comfortable. Yes, it's pricey. But it's also made ethically, in factories certified by a third party to reach solid ethical standards. No sweatshops here. Some of it's even made in the US! I've not gotten anything from them that I don't like, and just about everything I've gotten from them is my favroite clothing of that type. I cannot overstate just how soft and comfortable this stuff is. If you're a dude and you're tired of fabrics that seem like they're designed to chafe against you to show how much of a man you are, definitely look at Mack Weldon. They've got a loyalty program that, given how expensive their stuff is, it's really easy to qualify for that gives you 20% off all purchases, and that's helped me save quite a lot of money as I've built out a wardrobe of stuff I really love.
The HP-12C is a great calculator. I used it on my taxes this year and it was a great experience. One thing that I thing goes overlooked with this calculator is its battery life! Sure, it's not solar, but it doesn't need to be because the tiny battery lasts forever. I've only ever had to change it once and that was because I mistakenly left my calculator in sub-zero temperatures for an entire winter. I popped in a new battery (or does it use two? I forget) and I'm back in business.
Like the others in the Voyager series, the 12C is a masterwork of design and a testament to just how good HP was at engineering and designing calculators. They released a 15C special edition some years ago, but it's just not the same. The batteries do last forever! Like the others in the Voyager series, the 12C uses three SR44 batteries.
Neither of these are new but they have lasted me a long time and have maintained a high quality of experience ever since, even compared to modern products:
Storz & Bickel Volcano vaporizer, with the "pro" attachment. My 10 year anniversary with it this spring. I've cleaned the internals like maybe 4 times and even that was overkill. I paid it off and then some with all of the cannabis (and health) I've saved over those years.
Sennheiser HD 280 headphones. These have been impressing me on the regular, such crisp sounds and I love the sound of colorless drivers. I've had these for just over 5 years now, I recently gave them a thorough cleaning on the outside. The best part is that they still sell the replacement parts, the only thing that is getting worn out (finally, after use 5 days of the week every week) is the padding on the top, which is replaceable.
I'm really liking my Nest. Bought it just before the winter last year.
But I'm most evangelical about my Garmin 645M Forerunner. Just a great watch for just about any sport, especially running! A better price as well than the Fenix. Battery lasts just fine (charge once a week or twice a week with heavy use). And unless you do triathlons and/or skydiving you won't miss out on any features.
I have the same set. Sound is great, set is durable, but most important for me is the huge cans that fit completely around my ears and are quite comfy. My mic still works, but I don't leave the mic plugged in unless I'm using it which hasn't been very often since I don't play many MMOs anymore.
My phone maybe?
Lg v20 us996 factory unlocked.
Decent cameras + lineage os + SD card + ir blaster + fancy audio DAC + hotswapable battery on the lineage kernel.
Also an FM radio, but it doesnt work on custom roms.
It definitely isnt for everyone, but I like it.
LineageOS ftw
Leuchtturm1917 journals, grid or dotted pattern, soft cover or hardcover. Right now I'm using a softcover because it has less pages, and thus is smaller, which is nice when living out of two backpacks.
Roost laptop stand, logitech keys to go, microsoft arc mouse – this setup is really good for working from a laptop without killing your back/neck/posture. I use these during the week at wework coworking spaces and it has changed my life. I may end up going with a different keyboard, like the logitech k380 or one of microsoft's offerings. I'm unsure currently how I feel about the keys to go even though it's extraordinarily light and compact.
a good rollerball pen and a highlighter go a long way when taking copious notes. I study Korean every day and I used to only write in 1 color, always, but now I use a highlighter as well to denote different sections or more important tidbits I should remember.
Sennheiser HD650 headphones – these are the best headphones I've ever used in my life, and I wish I could travel with them. but they are bulky and open-backed so I can't use them at all when in public.
I used a Leuchtturm1917 dot pattern for a couple years and last year switched to the Rhodia WebNotebook. I like the cover of the Rhodia better (the plush-like cover seems more forgiving to the abuse I throw at it) and have really enjoyed using it. I do miss the pockets (and page numbers/format) of the Leuchtturm1917 though.
Miele canister vacuum. I’ve had lots of vacs, and it has lasted 5 years and works great. It’s so much lighter and quieter than any upright. If you have deep carpet you might get a powered head.
I've had one cheapo vac and it has lasted over twenty years.
I clearly don't vacuum enough
I got one six-ish months ago, and it's great. Have you needed to do any kind of routine maintenance? I'd like to get ahead of that if I can.
Not especially, but you can replace the motor brushes after a long while. Though they naturally they want you to have a tech do it.
Anything that's easy to repair + making an exception for Sennheiser because that stuff just never breaks. I repair stuff for fun and to save waste and l prefer screws over glued crap any time.
A really good example are Jura coffee machines: they are built like a Japanese puzzle box. Remove two screws, pop a latch here, push a pin aside and the whole thing beautifully pops open. Design level 99.
edit: level 99 because at level 100 it wouldn't ever break.
Bose QC35's. Wireless, bluetooth headphones, with a pretty solid battery life and active noise cancelling.
I love them.
I fly semi-frequently, I spend a lot of time on trains, and just walking around in public. They're great for the gym, great for running, great just to have. The noise cancelling is second only to an aviation headset I used in the Air Force, and it's more than enough to cut out the everyday ambient. I'm one of those people always walking around everywhere with headphones around my neck, and they're a massive upgrade over the wired pair of gaming headphones I used to lug around. Sound is clear, bass is deep. I'm not sure how well it isolates sound from fellow passengers, but I've never had somebody ask for me to turn them down.
Revolutionized my camera usage: peak design clip awesome product, built like a tank. Had it for years on many trips and still works like a charm! https://www.peakdesign.com/collections/clips
I am really sad that I just spent 10 minutes typing on my phone, just for it to do a random reboot and delete everything :( So I am definitely not mentioning the Google Pixel on that list.
My List:
Deuter Grant I got this one for free for volunteering at an event last year. It has a sticker of that company (SAP) on it, which I could remove but it actually looks kinda fitting. It's a very nice looking, completely black one with a lot of spaces to organize stuff. It also just feels very sturdy. Deuter backpacks really are top notch. I had a Deuter Giga, which I used for I think 6+ years, Took it to Australia, high school, college and it still is very nice. Now it's mostly a travel backpack for me tho.
Bialetti Moka - The coffee it makes is just amazing. I have a 3 cupper and gifted my girlfriend a 1 cupper that each of us can use when the other one is away. Foam some milk, get some good coffee and it's much better than most coffee shops I visit.
Klean Kanteen Reflect I love this bottle. It's made of stainless steel and it just feels nicer to drink from. Everyone that has reusable bottles probably knows how much they can smell. This bad boy takes quite some time to develop a smell. I also read that since it's pure steel, you can just use it to boil Water when you're traveling
iPad 2018 Just very nice in a workflow with my mac and to read/ annotate PDFs on the go. Also: to play civilization 6
MacBook Pro My everyday study/ work laptop. Has the power and the OS to help me focus on tasks at hand instead of having to do workarounds. I love the unix shell. But due to the cost, if this breaks prematurely I'll probably switch fully to refurbished Thinkpads
Bucks 110 Hunter - Just a very sturdy knife, the ol' reliable. Very handy when travelling
Ortlieb City Pannier Someone else already mentioned this. It's sturdy and waterproof. It was a good companion for my bike trip
Honorable Mentions:
Kindle Paperwhite,
Lamy Safari (like everyone that went to high school in germany),
Emsa Mug (keeps drinks hot for very long),
Hydro Flask - I just recently got it, but it is much wider than I expected, so It's hard to take with me everywhere, but it does keep drinks cold, which will be nice in summer.
Anker Powerbanks
Airpods - Truly wireless is amazing
I really love my Chilly's Bottle. I got it for my birthday last year, and have been using it ever since. It's encouraging me to stay hydrated by always having it around, it keeps water cold for ages, and it's properly sturdy. It's taken a hell of a battering in the last 6 months already, banging around in my bag, taken to and from gigs, rolling about in my car. It's indestructible and I never leave the house without it.
I have a Leaf Shave that is made of steel and you just replace the blades in it, and it shaves really easily, not like a safety razor (which are really easy to cut your legs with if you're a lady and you have a lot of real estate to shave) and I never shut up about it. It is the best.
Eddie Bauer camp booties for slippers. Warm! Solid and insulated Bottoms! don't get dirty looking! Could wear them outside if you need to!
Also a nice chef's knife. If you like to cook, please get one. Mine is a 8-inch Shun in a western chef's knife style. It's awesome. Treat yourself. You will love it.
Aren't you nervous about snapping leaf blades into two?
I've never had a problem, you just keep them wrapped in the paper and attempt to fold them in half, they snap pretty quick and clean. if you were super nervous you could probably do it with a work or cut proof glove on, it's not very fiddly!
Nothing new, but a few loves:
Dakine backpacks. My current one is a well-worn green and white one I purchased in 2009 for college and is still going strong. Even that one was a replacement for one I had gotten in 2003 for school, and survived six years of me beating the crap out of it and lugging 6-8 textbooks to and from school daily. Anything that survived that long in my possession (I was very rough on things growing up) is good in my book.
Dyson vacuums. Yes, I know the vacuum guy on Reddit loves to rail against them, but damn if they don't last and do a good job of keeping my carpets clean. I've got what I call the Jazzy Cup themed one (the teal and purple DC07, pre-ball), and besides the awesome colors, it's ~15 years old (inherited it from my grandmother when she passed away) and still going strong. My parents have had theirs for nearly 20 now, and have added one of the little handhelds that kicks ass at getting cat hair out. I had a roommate with a Kirby from his salesman days, and I'd be hard pressed to say it did a better job at vacuuming itself.
My trusty Magic Flight Launch Box. I've built up a decent collection of other vaporizers, but I can't complain about having spent $90 on one in 2010 and still having one, after four replacements. Sadly they've gotten stingier on their warranties for their other products, but it's nice to have that security of knowing I've always got a vaporizer around if it breaks/I fuck it up for whatever reason. It's also still the most discreet flower vape I've used, so while it certainly doesn't punch with the big boys like Volcanos and whatnot, it'll always have a place in my piece collection.
I have a Sog mini aegis pocket knife which was given to me as a gift for being in a friend's wedding party, and it's been on my hip pretty much ever since. It's thin enough that I could sleep on my side on top of it and not particularly notice that it's there, and it's been extremely handy to have a pocket knife on hand whenever the need should arise.
I love my Tom Bihn Synapsis 25. It's my one-bag that I carry around all the time with me whether be work or travel. It has all the pockets for all of the gadgets I have.
I have a Swissgear backpack that I bought when I first moved out of my parents' place about 10 years ago. It's been across and out of the country with me, I've carried home 150$ of groceries with it, everything. In fact, at this point, it is probably my oldest possession (I tossed a bunch of crap that I was just lugging around from apartment to apartment a few years ago, felt so liberating).
edit: a word
Nice man! I've became a minimalist about 5 years ago. It's amazing how little we actually need if you get down to the essence. Even though I have most of my stuff in one bag, it still feels like I have some stuff that I don't really use often.
It does make me appreciate the material possessions I have more now albeit I still need to remind myself that they're only 'stuff'...
I'm not so much of a minimalist that everything I own could fit in a bag, but these days I am far more mindful of the things I do have. I buy a lot less crap that I'll never use / benefit from and instead actually enjoy the things I do buy because I use them more often. This has somewhat come out of trying to be better at budgeting, and somewhat come from that purge I mentioned in my previous comment. When you toss a room full of boxes of crap that you never use, it really changes your perspective on possessions.
Yes. It's quite an liberating experience ;)
Not sure how generally popular they are now, but I bought my AudioTechnica M-50's like 6 years ago and they were totally worth whatever I paid. I spend about half my day at my job listening to music while I work and they haven't lost any functional quality. The polyester(?) part of the headband has basically completely worn away and the padding on mine is completely exposed but it's almost an excuse for me to buy a new pair just to support them.
Sennheiser MX 585. Relatively pricey for the common in-ear earphones, but the comfort of specifically this model is incredible. Due to the silicone cushions they sit in ears firmly but without any pressure, and the wear time is unlimited, with no discomfort. Also the volume slider on the wire. You may ask why not wireless earphones, the answer is, these are for the PC. I don't know how people do gaming for hours in their monstrous headsets, everything heavier than a few grams becomes very noticeable quickly when playing games. Stock sound is mediocre but the earphones respond to equalizer very well. Finally, the wires are not rubbery like usual, they are translucent white and soft silicone, looks good and nice to touch.
I have a few products that I know were a great investment and which I wouldn't hesitate to recommend, some in tech and others completely unrelated. They include:
I LOVE my Nokia 7 Plus. It had to be repaired a few months ago after it took a bit of a tumble onto a stone floor, and I had to go back to my old Moto G5Plus, which was quite a chore, let me tell you.
Man, was I glad what my Nokia got repaired.
It has my entire life in there.
And I love my Dopper water-bottle. Such an easy thing to bring with you and it has a built-in cup for easy drinking.
My Kindle is with me almost daily. My library on there is enormous, now if only I could find more time to read.
Similar with gaming. The Nintendo Switch was the best investment for me, gaming-wise. So easy to just pick it up and play a round or 2 or 5 of Splatoon2 or more recently a bit of Tetris99.
I love my hobonichi! My brother in-law likes to remind my sister and me that it's just a day planner, which in truth it really is a hipster planner. However, it brings me so much joy and is functionally everything I need. Its pages are river paper and so can take a lot of water. It really enables me to watercolor, scrapbook, day plan and track various things.
I have a pair of Samson SR850 studio headphones that I've had for a few years. I love them because they're repairable. I've had to replace the cable a couple of times, but if you can solder, it's not difficult at all. The only trick to getting at the wiring is that you need to pop the label looking things off- they're really just plastic covers.
None of these are "new" but they're products I use every day and constantly recommended to friends/family:
eBags Professional Slim Laptop Backpack - Hands-down the best laptop backapack I've ever owned, maybe even my favorite bag I've owned. Well-designed. I've had it for 2 years and it still looks practically brand new. I've carried it around at many multi-day conferences without any issues. Plenty of compartments to keep me organized. I recommend this for everyone.
Used Thinkpad Laptops - I currently use a T460 as my every day work and personal computer. I have an ebay alert setup for this model and buy them when I see a good deal. I constantly recommend them to friends/family that need a reliable computer. At <$200 (what I buy them at), I don't think you can find a significantly better deal.
Rhodia Webnotebook 5.5X8.25 Dot Grid - I use https://bulletjournal.com/ for managing my daily to-do list and meeting notes. I particularly like the cover of these notebooks because even after all the abuse I've thrown at it, scuff marks and dents don't show as much as other notebooks I've used. I bargain hunt for these notebooks when I'm getting close to the end of one as the msrp of $20+ is far too much for a notebook, in my opinion.
Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 - I've used one of these as a personal and work keyboard for over 10 years. I've only had one fail on me, and that was after years of abuse. This keyboard is very love/hate for people, so be warned. I love mine though and prefer it to every other keyboard I have used.
Logitech G660 Mouse - I really only want a 7 button mouse and when my old Razer one broke, I ended up with this Logitech Mouse. I do have bindings for all of the buttons, but don't need it. This is one I rarely recommend compared to everything else, but I do love it.
The absolute best! I'm also on my second one, across as many years as you. Genuinely the most comfortable keyboard I've ever used.
Roku boxes (not the sticks). They are awesome. Even play my NAS stored videos directly.
My headphones, the Beyerdynamic DT 770s. They are definitely solid sounding and built headphones without getting too involved with audiophile tech. It's amazing how easily I disregarded the importance sound quality when I used my cheap Skullcandy headphones.
When it comes to tech, Steelseries has served me very well. If the overly gamer aesthetic is your cup of cocoa with LEDs everywhere, they make some quality products. I've used two of their mice and they lasted ages. I've also gifted their newest set of headphones and the recipient has been very happy with them. Perhaps the design of the Arctis series shows a move in a different direction.
When it comes to clothing, Jack Wolfskin and Northface make some quality shit. Pricey, but long-lasting.
I've only ever purchased one set of Sennheiser headphones, the original Momentum 1, and by now they are quite beaten up, but they work flawlessly and sound absolutely fantastic, but Sennheiser does have a very good reputation, which is justified in my opinion.