Asklemmy

Honestly, my favorite purchase of the past years is the Steamdeck. Can take it to work, play in my lunch break. Can take it on trips, play in the plane or train. Also got a dock at home, where I play coop games with my kid. So I guess if you are a gamer not playing any not supported games (there aren't that many), go for it.

Robot vacuum. My floors are spotless except for some areas you’d never walk on and I only need to do some spot cleaning every month or two.

Dishwashers are awesome too, watch Technology Connections’ video on YouTube if you think your dishwasher doesn’t do a good job. It’s likely just how you’re using it. Priming the hot water before running, using powder detergent instead of liquid or packs (booo), and using the pre-wash and rinse aid will have even the gnarliest dishes coming out spotless.

20 computers. I can’t stop getting more computers I need help there’s so many computers they’re in every room and they’re computing aaaaaaaa

Electric kettle. Fast at boiling water, especially if your stove heats slowly. Great for things like tea or instant noodles/lunches.

DNS filtering. I'm using NextDNS, because I can't be bothered to be my own server admin.

Why? It does a great job at filtering out ads, tracking the rest of internet cancer on mobile devices. Works no matter where you are. With pihole, you get the filtering only when you're at home, not when you're scrolling funny cat videos while waiting for the train.

I know it's an annoying cliche answer at this point but I really do love my air fryer, it got me out of a cooking rut and made me more creative. I've had it for a year and a half an use it 3-4 times a week.

Does a bicycle count? Changed my life.

A dedicated portable audio player with support for high-res files (that's NOT running Android).

You can't just doom scroll all day, no one can call you, you wont get any spam texts or emails on it. It's just you and your music.

Instantpot. I live in a teeny studio apt and the Instantpot puts in work daily.

• Warm white christmas lights. Diffuse lighting is so much better.
• Induction cooktops. Because gas cooktops are toxic both inside and outside the home.

There's actually a pretty cool community sort of tangentially related to this! !buyitforlife@slrpnk.net

Anyway, my pick is definitely just a GOOD mp3 player. Whether that be an open hardware one you can crack open and repair, a proprietary one that can at least be Rockboxed, or bare minimum a proprietary one with a good iFixit rating.

An analog watch. Nothing fancy, just a cheap Casio or Timex or whatever.

Pressure Cooker. I have one from Fissler and it’s my go to for so many dishes that normally would take ages to cook.

It’s also so convenient to throw dried lentils in there and have them ready in half the time lol.

Just mentioned this in another thread, but the XTEInk X4 is one of the most focused and portable e-readers I’ve come across. Less than $100 and isn’t locked down so you can load custom firmware on it. For anyone like me who finds most e-readers go unused because they don’t go with you, I’ve yet to find a better option.

Stick blender! I delayed buying one because I thought the regular blender I had was enough, but this one is so convenient for sauces and soups.

e-reader: another item I delayed buying for too long because I believed paper books were better. I bought a Kobo and ended up reading more often.

Electronic countertop scale for the kitchen. Start cooking by mass rather than trying to decide if that's a half a cup packed or unpacked.

If you regularly store things in jars, a canning funnel. So much easier to pour sauces into jars without spillage.

Bone conduction headphones. Listen to music or talk on the phone hands-free while still leaving your ears open to what's going on around you.

If you've got sore muscles, a percussive massage gun. It looks like a horse vibrator, but it does wonders on a sore back.

A warhammer. Don't get a sword unless you are actually trained and know how to use and maintain it. A warhammer isn't going to get bent, chipped, or rusty, and even if it does, it's still a warhammer and will still smash things just fine. Don't smash melons or coconuts unless you're prepared for the biological mess that will get left behind; smash blocks of ice frozen inside of old yogurt tubs instead. Wear goggles.

A Vitamix blender. Most reliable blender I've ever used and so many things you can make in it. Smoothies, nut butters, you can even cook soups in them.

They are on the expensive side, but the worst model refurbished is still well worth having and goes on sale from time to time.

Digital bath thermometer. I love my baths and I can get to my exact desired temperature of 43.5 degrees c every time. Great 5 quid purchase.

A usb c mini dock. Those that fit in your hand and are pretty much an entire docking station (multiple ports, hdmi, Ethernet) minus the power supply. So many devices come with only 1-2 ports.

It’s a pricey one, but a kegerator converted to corny kegs. Infinite seltzer water.

Plus room for another carbonated beverage of your choice.

Portable Bluetooth label maker. Not a necessity, but you can use it outside of typical application for lots of fun things!

Somebody park like an asshole? Leave a fun message for them!

Got something you want to personalize? Custom stickers of whatever you want!

Wanna leave memes around in public for people to find? You already have templates saved!

Want to advertise yourself or someone/something else? Boom, instant QR codes.

I've been having fun with the mini I originally got for work, about to buy one that prints larger labels.

Like five wireless chargers scattered through your home wherever it is you usually just drop and forget your phone

Also, a little frame-controller for your phone, you can play warframe on that thang

If you're in car land, a good solid jump pack.

I recommend Napa .

Not cheap, but a robotic vacuum. It's a life saver with a shedding dog.

For me, it’s a watch with a built in flashlight. Way more useful than I expected

I needed a Bluetooth speaker for my work PC (I work from home). I got one with a radio tuner as well. I’m fortunate that I have several radio stations in my area that play music I like. I prefer having some music on in the background while I work, but I was getting tired of having to actually think about what I wanted to listen to next. So I’ve been listening to OTA radio quite a bit, and it’s a nice change of pace from streaming music. And it’s not like the radio bits added much to the cost of the speaker.

Edit: also eyeglasses (sure, I’ll count that as a “gadget”). I hadn’t been to the eye doctor in probably 20 years. Hadn’t really noticed any problems but wanted to get my eyes checked since I had just gotten insurance. Doc recommended a prescription and now it’s like seeing the world in HD instead of standard def. If you’re in your late 30s/early 40s and haven’t gotten your eyes checked, it’s possible your vision has slowly degraded over time and eyeglasses will help more than you realize.

Wireless charger for my phone. No more fiddling with cables.

Some little wireless ear buds. I just got cheap ones but I use them all the time, they're small, the case charges them, so they last ages. The sound quality of mine is mediocre, but I'm sure there are ones with better sound.

Venta LW45 humidifier. easy to clean, uses like 8W/hour (compared to ~40 for ultrasonic or 300 for electric heating ones), quiet, goes through a 9l tank per day easily. And has almost no part that could break i.e. i could replace whatever could break easily.

but the price is insane for what amounts to a bucket with a fan

A bidet. Hands down the best $35 I've ever spent

Instant read digital thermometer.

Game changing.

No more over-cooked meats and ending up with tough chicken and rubbery fish. No guesswork if something has reached safe internal temperature. A must have in the kitchen.

Mosquito magnet

Expensive to buy. Expensive and fiddly to run. But boy, does it totally destroy mosquito populations!

Especially if you start it up from the moment of Spring thaw... catch the very first females as they reach reproductive maturity. Breaks the population cycle. Love it.

I just install HomeAssistant. Seems like a good choice.

Cordless drill. I was a die hard corded guy but then I tried a friend's one during a big move. Went out and bought one the next day.

Water pick - if I keep it in stride wit OP's post.

Thermal printer. I play a lot of tabletop rpgs and wargames and it helps having the ability to print out handouts without worrying about how much ink I have left!