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What are the best and the worst purchases you've recently made?
"Recently" can be whatever window of time you want it to be.
I figure a lot of us probably have some holiday shopping to do, and this might be a good way of figuring out some good things to get and some bad things to avoid. That said, what you share here doesn't have to be a gift idea, so don't feel limited in that regard. I'm also just interested in hearing what people have recently bought, good or bad.
The best recent purchase I made was catching those 5 buck steam controllers. They're the perfect controller to use for games that weren't designed for controllers! My only regret was that I only bought two of them; I really should have seen that the writing on the wall was for them.
I haven't really been buying too much lately as a combination of money problems and Christmas gifts being a priority. Probably the worst waste of money was a roasted chicken I forgot to put in the refrigerator and had to throw away. I also bought one of those starfield Christmas projectors but realized that I need to buy an extension cord as well.
I grabbed one too but haven’t had a chance to test it yet! (Of course it arrived the day before I left for a trip!)
Hopefully I'm not a day late to warn you, but don't expect the Steam controller to be a drop-in replacement for a standard console-style controller. The entire point is that they are designed to be customizable, and it offers a configurability that makes them ideal for games that aren't designed for them. Even games with terrible interfaces can be played fairly smoothly with a good controller configuration.
I'll also let you know ahead of time that they kind of don't work well without Steam since the configurability is actually built into the Steam client, so you will have to add your externally-purchased games to the Steam library in order to be able to use them properly. The upside is that you have access to community configurations, so for most games you can simply choose the most popular configuration and you should be able to jump in pretty quickly. Even if you are playing a rare or relatively unknown game, there are default configurations that should work for a majority of control types.
I appreciate the heads up. The customization is what made me grab it. I actually just switched my desktop computer so that it’s hooked up to my television in the living room. I wanted to get this controller for games that weren’t designed with that setup in mind.
Since you've just started your hookup, I can also recommend purchasing one of the combination wireless keyboard and air mouse devices they sell on Amazon or the like. Rii makes some fairly decent ones that are really cheap. The steam controller has a virtual keyboard that is pretty good, but a physical keyboard still rules the roost, and these devices are a bit more convenient as they are remote-sized. Though obviously you will not be able to touch-type on them.
Best recent purchase: a dishwasher from Costco. Not just because the dishwasher itself is great, because it is, but because the purchasing experience was.... Perfect! I found the dishwasher on costco.com, and it was on sale, and instead of obsessively researching and comparing it to other dishwashers like I normally do when I make major purchases, I just pulled the trigger. It was the right size, met all my basic criteria (cleaned dishes, had a utensil rack on the door, is cheap), so I decided to go with it. I unplugged my old one, and within a week the new dishwasher arrived and the guys installed it for me within two hours. It was as simple as simple gets. I can't get over how seamless it was. No issues. Zero. None. Still makes me pleased to this day.
Recent bad purchase would probably be whatever impulse purchase I made recently. Lemme check my Amazon order history.... Ah yeah, moldable mouth guards. I clench my teeth at night. These didn't help. Oh well
Did you ever find a solution for clenching/grinding? I've been losing big chunks of my second molars lately and I suspect it's clenching/grinding at night.
I've found that a mouth guard is definitely the right choice, and while you definitely can get a mold-your-own kit on amazon for a quarter the price that your dentist might do it, you aren't as likely to get a good fit and a good quality guard. If done right, they'll last for years.
Ugh, I already opted out of enrolment in dental coverage this year & don't have a dentist I'm going steady with in this location. Shopping around for medical professionals is always a big chore.
Any experience with using these with children?
You might go with one that isn't specifically molded to their teeth. Until their jaw is finished growing and all of their adult teeth are in, anything that is specifically molded won't fit far before it wears out. They make more general fit ones that are much less expensive, though they aren't as comfortable.
Informative, thanks! I don't know if it's a problem yet but I'm keeping an eye on it and we'll see after the next dentist appointment I guess.
I’ll testify to that. I’ve used mine religiously for twelve years now. It probably should be replaced, but it seems to be doing its job just fine.
I'll second the night guard.
I clenched and ground my teeth in my sleep for years. My molars were heavily damaged, and I woke up with headaches every single morning. Even with these factors and after reconstructive work on my molars, my dental insurance wouldn't pay for a night guard as they didn't deem it necessary. I had to pay $650 out of pocket for mine.
Within the first month, I nearly destroyed it. My clenching and grinding was so bad that I was essentially chewing through it. I brought it back to my dentist full of cracks, with it clearly about to start breaking into pieces. She was shocked and appalled, partially at the severity of my grinding but also at the poor quality of the night guard. She ordered me another one from a different vendor (which she did not charge me for), and this one is far superior. It has held up now for over a year of use and shows very little signs of wear.
Though I initially had a hard time stomaching the high cost, I can say it is absolutely worth it. My teeth are much better, they don't hurt like they used to, and I don't wake up with headaches. I don't quite understand that part, actually, as the night guard is hard plastic, and I still clench and grind with it in, so you'd think the headaches would persist due to pressure, but for whatever reason they don't?
Also the cost is easier to live with when I think of it as distributed over the life of the mouthguard. It's something I use eight hours a day, every day. I've already gotten thousands of hours of use out of the one that I have, and I haven't had it very long. If it lasts me five years, I'll get a rate of a mere four cents per hour of use with it, which makes that $650 pricetag feel much more agreeable. Plus I have to factor in the costs of further dental procedures that it's preventing. When I look at it from that perspective, it's undeniably worth it (though I'm still a little sour that my insurance wouldn't pay).
Just woke up with more damage to second molar, will schedule an appointment in a week or so to see a dentist.
I'm so sorry. I know that pain. Best of luck with the appointment.
Thanks! Helps to have some rough plan
The nerves of your teeth extend into your head, and if your teeth are cracking it makes sense that you'd get headaches. If the mouth guard is preventing your teeth from cracking then that's probably why it helps
Drinking less alcohol and being more conscious of it. I'd also ask your dentist
Due to stomach issues, I cut alcohol out about 2 years ago. Have been growing more conscious of when I wake up and notice clenching/grinding. Need to find a new dentist where I am now, but will do so.
Why is alcohol a factor?
Also, why do you prefer a dishwasher with the utensil reach in the door? I've never had one like that.
You're not using space that could be used for other dishes and the space behind the door isn't used unless there's a utensil rack. So, efficiency of space, most likely. Otherwise it's just preferential.
We got a "third rack dishwasher" with a shallow rack at the very top for utensils. I like it a lot.
I dunno, just an observation.
Having the utensil rack in the door makes more room for dishes on the main rack. Still trying to get used to putting utensils in AFTER loading dishes though cause you can't access the utensil rack while the main racks are pulled out
Best: Dyson Ball Animalpro vacuum cleaner. My previous vacuum was a Shark "zero maintenance" that stopped being useful after 6 months when the roller jammed and there was no way to clear it because it was supposed to be self-clearing. This is my first Dyson and it's extremely impressive. Pulls up an insane amount of cat/dog hair in one go. The roller spins so fast that it leaves the carpet feeling warm. It's not quite as easy to empty out the canister as the Shark. A lot of cat/dog hair doesn't fall out with gravity and needs a tug or two. But considering how much it pulled out of the carpets in the first place, I'm not going to complain. Worth it.
Worst: A set of cheap Zyliss kitchen knives from Williams Sonoma. Started showing some rust spots after about a month. Never look clean. I should toss them for a better set but they still cut stuff.
I have two cats and been looking at a cordless Dyson recently but they seem heavy and expensive. I just like the idea that it can be used a little bit every other day and just put away again without having the chord in the way all the time.
If you're looking for little and often, did you consider a robot? I'd say the actual Roomba line is way overpriced nowadays, but I'm super happy with the one I got from Anker (under the Eufy homewares brand).
Power and capacity is necessarily lower than a Dyson, but when it does a full run every day there doesn't tend to be time for anything to build up anyway.
Another vote for the Eufy line, I picked one up last year and have been mostly satisfied with it. One of my main deciding factors was that I didn't want an internet-connected data-collecting "smart" device. I don't know but suspect that real Roombas leverage some floor plan modeling and machine learning to navigate more effectively. So I might be missing out on that. But it gives me comfort to know I'm not sending any household data to a third party, and also that the device can't be taken over or controlled remotely over the web.
It's a little clumsy, and sometimes gets lost or stuck, but it's generally effective and keeps the floor clean. For the budget price point, I'm satisfied. It's all I want or expect for an automated vacuum cleaner. I set it to run daily at a certain time when I'll be out of the house, and when I come home the floors are clean.
I'm sloooowwwwly coming around to implementing a "smart home" of various automated systems. It's just tricky to do that effectively while retaining full control of my data. I think a fully offline Roomba clone like my Eufy fits well into that category.
I actually already have a Roomba though it's a couple of years old and not been used for quite some time because I just have to many carpets and obstacles in general for it to be efficient. I'm looking for an easy quick swipe in certain areas often that can also be used for more thorough cleaning when needed.
I'd say the Neato line is even better. instead of just bumping around it actually maps out the room and does the most efficient path
I can second the Dyson being awesome. I've got a DC10 that's almost 20 years old now (hand me down from my grandmother) and still works great. I know vacuum heads talk down on them, but it does just as good of a job in my opinion as the expensive ass Kirby my old roommate had from his days selling them.
Best recent purchase: a knockoff Switch pro controller for $12USD shipped. I have a real pro controller, but didn't bring it with me on current trip. On a whim, I decided to pick up a Chinese knockoff. 90% of the functionality is there, only thing missing is real 3D rumble and wake-switch functionality. The buttons feel good enough for me. I was initially worried since there's a bunch of youtube videos complaining about how corners were cut, but I don't think those corners are that bad. For the savings you get, it's an awesome controller for when guests or around, or when you want to travel and not worry about carrying $60USD in controller with you.
Recent bad purchase: Bought a suit, and they included a tailor made shirt + tie for an extra $100USD. The arm holes are weird kept making a weird shape when I moved my arms. Since there was a serious police situation near the store, I felt bad for the workers coming in just so I could pick up my suit. I ended up just paying and left without pushing the shirt issue. Oh well next time I know to plan much more in advance when getting a suit made.
Can you post a link for the controller you got? I have been looking for something cheap for a 4th player controller.
Yup, sure! I got it for 83RMB from this seller/link:
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.187.35067892V6rOfP&id=581620205695&ns=1&abbucket=18#detail
It sells on Ali-Express as well for around $23 USD:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000267029462.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.44665825h5NUCs&algo_pvid=78f6cac3-2f8d-43cd-b0ee-7a1cfe81b9cd&algo_expid=78f6cac3-2f8d-43cd-b0ee-7a1cfe81b9cd-0&btsid=941db6e1-1782-46a5-a849-513502b6dfad&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_9,searchweb201603_53
Worst recent purchase was a cushion from Purple. Quite a bad experience all-around. The cushion itself is a waffle like rubber substance (yeah, that should've been warning enough, but it came from a Wirecutter recommendation, and they've usually been spot on) with an uncomfortable odor. Returning it is where the real trouble started: I had to email them and give them my order info, fill out a form and provide them the same info again (and opt out of an email marketing list...), and then they said they'd refund me in two weeks after receiving the cushion. That didn't happen. I have a dispute active with my credit card right now because they still haven't refunded me three months later.
Having trouble coming up with a best recent purchase. I'm finding myself looking at my card transactions to find something. So, yeah, sorry to disappoint.
I bought Stardew Valley for the Switch as a Christmas gift for my SO. This doesn't really count as a "best" or "worst" purchase; it's a legitimately great game. My story is about trying to keep the purchase a secret to surprise SO on Christmas morning.
I bought the game on the device and it began to download. A tile for it appeared on the home screen of the switch, in the first position. You can't manually rearrange tiles so I opened and closed every other game we have, to bump Stardew Valley to the end of the list. Off screen, out of sight. This was early in the morning before SO woke... our internet connection was a little sluggish at the time so I put the switch to sleep and forgot about it.
Later when SO was having breakfast my phone made an unusual alert sound. I was on-call for work but in the other room, so SO picked up my phone to find a push notification from Nintendo announcing that the download was complete. I had been ratted out by the parental controls app! Nintendo really needs some sort of discreet "gift purchase" option that waits until the specified day to install the software. Maybe with an "I authorize this download to be excluded from app notifications" setting as well. Oh well! SO is happy but still has to wait for the 25th to play it, haha.
This is such a cute story!
Also, if it's up your alley, Stardew Valley is a great couple's game. My husband and I loved pairing up and managing our farm. Being able to divide and conquer the different tasks is wonderful.
Best recent purchase: Uniqlo HeatTech garments ($15 - $25 USD), especially the fleece and Ultra Warm versions. Unbelievably useful during the recent cold snap, both as underlayers and as pajamas or standalone clothes. They've withstood washing very well, come in a variety of pleasing colors, and don't absorb stink the way my older Columbia underlayers did. I got through 90 minutes of snow-shoveling at 0° C in a HeatTech long-sleeve shirt and down vest without either chill or excessive sweat.
Worst recent purchase: HEAD brand running gloves from Costco. I don't know who designed those gloves, but they're worse than useless if the insulating fleece gets even slightly damp, and they take forever to dry. I left them in the car after scraping the windshield in the morning, and was risking frostbite from putting them on again.
That reminds I need to find a pair of running/biking gloves. Let me know if you find a pair that works!
I got some new fall/winter clothes a month or so ago, including some boots from a UK brand I really like. Not that anyone asked me, but if you're going to spend money on one part of your outfit, make it your shoes. Nobody will notice $500 jeans. Even a cheap shirt can look good if you get it tailored. I get complements on my footwear all the time, and for men it's probably the garment with the most options.
What shoes do you like?
The brand is Goodwin & Smith, the specific ones I got are these. I managed to find a matching scarf (harder than you would think) too. I wear these to work, but they're also great for a night out on the town. I have a couple other pairs from G&S, they are distinctive and well-made.
I recently got a Galaxy Note 10+ for $700 from Microsoft during their Black Friday sale.
It’s both the best and worst purchase I’ve made. I like having an iPhone AND an Android phone for testing and just to keep current on both.
In the past I’ve gotten Pixel or Nexus phones. The flavor of Android that Samsung ships is just different enough from stock Android that I keep looking for things in the wrong place. It does add a lot of good features that Google’s version of Android is missing though. And I do find the S-Pen legitimately useful sometimes.
What features does the samsung flavour have that stock doesn't? I ask because I'm curious, the rest of my family has a mix of galaxy S#s and notes, and I'm wondering what I'm missing on lineage
The one glaring thing to me is that, until Android 10, there was no easy way to control where your audio was playing. For example, on an iPhone, if you're listening to audio, it's very easy to choose a new audio source. Samsung has a very similar feature. But stock Android didn't have that ability until Android 10. The only way to change the audio output was to go into settings and disconnect from whatever Bluetooth device was playing sound.
It sounds like a minor thing, but it's something I would run into multiple times per day whenever I tried to use a stock Android phone.
I have found the S-Pen useful on several occasions, be it for simple doodling or just having a more precise input mechanism.