There’s 3 things that really stand out for me that I would say made a massive difference to my life:

  1. Cordless screw driver. Bought the day after building a flat pack bed with a crappy screw.driver that just shredded my hand. Thought it was frivolous at the time, but I’ve used it so much since. It’s light, small enough to fit in my pocket and good for 90% of DIY tasks.

  2. Tassimo coffee machine. Bought it 9 years ago, use it every day. Nice quick easy coffee. What’s not to like.

  3. My first DSLR camera. It was a Nikon D50 back in 2005/6 and it sparked my interest in photography to this day. It gave me a hobby I can take lots of places and do it alone or with others. I never loved the D50 camera itself, but I did get some really nice shots with it

  • toastal@lemmy.ml
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    7 months ago
    1. A flight ticket out of the US (it’s been 7 or 8 years since… not sure if I will ever return until there is an important funeral)
    2. Wired IEMs with a Harmon target
    3. Tea kettle with variable temperatures to make green tea properly without burning it
  • Ookami38@sh.itjust.works
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    7 months ago

    Cordless screw driver. Bought the day after building a flat pack bed with a crappy screw.driver that just shredded my hand. Thought it was frivolous at the time, but I’ve used it so much since. It’s light, small enough to fit in my pocket and good for 90% of DIY tasks.

    Got a gun from sako the other day it’s cute, it’s small, fits right in my pocket (yeeeeeah right in my pocket)

    Real answers tho:

    1. Air pump for car tires. I have notoriously bad luck with flats, leaks, etc. This thing has saved me more than a few times.

    2. KVM switch. I work from home, this lets me have my work computer and my personal computer connected to the same equipment, and I can toggle between them with either a physical switch or a keyboard hotkey

    3. Bit of a curve ball, but therapy. Life’s tough, gotta have some outlets and advice sometimes.

  • Father_Redbeard@lemmy.ml
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    7 months ago
    1. Whole house fan, and it’s not even close. We’ve saved tons of money by not running the AC as much as a result. Plus it just feels nicer to have fresh cool air come in from outside. I’ve even used it in the winter after the whole family got over being sick. Crack a couple of windows, turn the fan on, and the entirety of the house has fresh air in minutes. That got cold pretty quick, but worth having some stale air purged.
    2. Drill press I’m an amateur woodworker who is apparently incapable of drilling straight holes.
    3. Blackstone griddle A gift from a loved one who passed before they got to see me use it, but a nice reminder regardless. Works great for meal prepping something like breakfast burritos!
  • COASTER1921@lemmy.ml
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    7 months ago
    1. Quality electric toothbrush. I can’t get my teeth feeling clean without one anymore.

    2. A rice cooker. Doesn’t need to be fancy, but it lowers the barrier to cooking substantially given how many dishes use rice.

    3, A phone with a camera that’s at least mid-range, as it’s the camera you’ll have on you most. I used to always use phones from cheap brands like Umidigi and although some of them did perform quite well others left me with gaps of my life where none of the photos I took have any detail.

  • UnpopularCrow@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    I bought a 97 Ford Taurus off a friend for $800 back in 2008. Her dad thought it was on its last legs at 155k miles so he wanted to sell it. I drove it for four years. It was running fine until someone blasted it out in front of my girlfriend’s house and drove off. At the time it had 206k miles. 50k miles for $800 was certainly one of my best purchases.

  • Friend of DeSoto@startrek.website
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    7 months ago

    My Garmin Fenix watch, it was during the first month of wearing it that I realized my life and fitness can be like a video game and I get badges and points for doing things. It drives me to move and even after 4 years, it still is making me motivated.

    A nice wallet, I looked for a long time and ended up with a Trayvax wallet. I just love the damn thing, it’ll last me forever and it’s unique and functional. Each time I pull it out of my pocket, I appreciate it’s look and feel and form.

    My osprey back pack. I’ve carried it to and from work, on boats, kayaks, walking, for camping and to my friends houses. It is just so functional and comfortable in a way that a less expensive one isn’t. It’s made to be comfortable AND hold things.

  • nivenkos@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Kindle - all the books, all the time.

    Sony WH1000-XM3 (I guess newer models are still good) - excellent noise cancelling, perfect for flights

    Steam Deck - play almost any games, anywhere, and with a full desktop mode too.

    In the past I’d have put the Acer Aspire One, I loved the netbook form factor, now I use either the Vivobook or Steam Deck like that.

    The Aeropress is also great for quick, simple coffee.

  • unknowing8343@discuss.tchncs.de
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    7 months ago
    1. Vacuum robot. Possibly the best thing ever to exist.
    2. QLED TV with HDR10+, also some nice speakers on the sides to make the experience incredible.
    3. E-reader
  • Truffle@lemmy.ml
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    7 months ago
    1. A plot of land in a place I like. Nothing fancy or huge, just a place to be by myself and enjoy a nice bonfire away from people.

    2. Headphones. The old clunky ones that cover your whole ears. I love them! They feel like a hug and I use them all the time while listening to spooky stories. Bought them in a sale about four years ago.

    3. A hello kitty backpack. Bought it as a birthday gift for a friend’s daughter, we had a fallout and I kept it. One day I needed a clean backpack and this was on hand so I grabbed it in a whim and have been using it ever since. I have a pair of Columbia, silver ridge and tetons laying around but this fluffy cute backpack makes me so happy and has the perfect size.

  • Giddy@aussie.zone
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    7 months ago
    1. Electric Mountain bike - i am over 50 and had not rode regularly since my teens. I borrowed a MTB from a friend last year and struggled to make any progress until I picked up a secondhand e-MTB. Since then I have been averaging around 150km/week and my stamina has notably improved.

    2. PC - been a PC guy since 1989 and could not picture life without one. I’m an inveterate tinkerer and have built and rebuilt dozens over the years. I currently have a gaming desktop dual-booting Ubuntu and Win11 and a laptop running Ubuntu plus a couple of servers.

    3. iPad - for years I was an Android guy but a couple years back I traded a spare laptop to my niece for her iPad (she wanted to learn coding) and was blown away by the user experience. Since then I have gone all in with iPhone, apple watch, and an old Macbook Air.