Asklemmy

25 years ago I bought an IKEA printer cart to hold a computer tower and a UPS and stuff. It was like a billy line, so it was particle-board (aka beaver chow) but at least 20-odd years ago it wasn't the hollow-core shit like so much of their stuff. I could screw in a mount for a switch and stuff.

Fast forward 25 years. I've moved-house 10 times, three of them coast-to-coast moves, and this thing is festooned with old cable-tie mounts, two switches (hp1810 and er-x) some test-rig APs for a project, a work laptop on top and its 4th APC unit (movers beat the hell out of them).

Good as new. I'm amazed that the beaver-chow actually held together, but I've kept it safe from its kryptonite: water. I've rolled it out and around to work on a tower on the top as a workbench l, and I've loaded server after server into it as they lifecycle out.

Barring calamity, I could bequeath this fucker.

Purple bed. Super expensive but the most comfortable sleep I've ever had. Prior, I've spent way more on high-end pillow tops, but they eventually get lumpy. I've had a Purple 2 King matress for 6 years, and it's as good as day one. My #1 purchase ever, period. Sleeps cool and preasure perfectly. Makes me sad when friends ask for bed recommendations, and then they get the Costco bed in a box. Had a couple of them complain, and I just shrug. Might sound like an advertisement, but I 100% love this bed. But of a pain to change the protector since the King matress weighs over 200 pounds

The highest end Green Pan cook set. I've had expensive cookware before, but these are unbelievable. Actually makes me want to cook more.

Idk how I did it, but I bought a house a week before the market went bonkers in 2022.

I bought a countertop dishwasher for my house and it is amazing.

My self emptying roomba i7. Complete game changer for my floors when you have 2 big dogs trekking around dirt everywhere.

Although I’m not thrilled about having this device connected to the cloud and a private company. I’ve heard that are certain robot vacs that can be hacked to use a local home automation controller or something of that nature. Need to research that more and will probably try to go with something like that as an option when this thing kicks the bucket.

All that aside, it’s been an amazing product so far about 2 years in.

Kuru brand shoes. I'm on my feet for 12 hours shifts and I actually have zero foot pain, they're amazing. Also I have extremely high arches, and the Kuru Quantums are the first shoes I've ever owned in my entire life that I don't have to add orthotic arch supports.

I buy a new pair twice a year.

In the last two years, its gotta be our air fryer/ convention oven. No preheating time for anything that needs to be cooked in the oven, exceptional heat distribution due to the convection and super consistent. If I cooked something at 400f for 15 minutes it will always come out the same way every time. I never use our big oven anymore. I love it.

We have the one that the Wirecutter recommends which is the Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven TOB-260N1.

Bedjet. I have constant nightmares which make me soaking in sweat. This thing keeps you and your sheets dry all night. Keeps me cool in the summer and warm in the winter. And the quality is something I have never seen before

Noise cancelling headphones. My work requires a lot of air travel and I have trouble with loud noises in general. I bought a pair a year or so ago for just under $70 and it's as good or better than the more expensive one ($150 refurbished) I got in 2017. It also has a mode to let the external sound through if someone is trying to talk to you.

It really does eliminate some of the annoyance of air travel.

Bidget, I'm a pretty large man (450 pounds) and I always have trouble reaching under to wipe. I would go weeks without wiping and just let it build up like fondu on my ass while I sit in my gamer chair and argue with Redditors (my karma is over 10 mill btw). My hygiene got so bad my pants were decomposing because of all the caked shit. One day as I was moderating r/mademesmile I noticed an ask reddit thread that was talking about bidgets. They were saying how great they were for blasting your butthole clean and how much you save on toilet paper so I asked my mother for some money to buy an attachment for my toilet.

I ordered it off Amazon for like $100 and I got my mom's boyfriend to install it and oh boy was this thing a life changer. First time I used it it didn't do much because my ass was full of dried shit but eventually with the help of a paint scraper my butt was cleaner than the Shinano-gawa (that is a Japanese lake) but then I noticed that when the water hits a particular spot under my balls my uuuhhh yeah. So even though I can't really see anything because it's so small I could see the semen oozing down my leg. That's when I realised I can jerk myself off useing the bidget. I would bring my gaming setup into the bathroom and play Genshin impact while the bidget sprays water under me until I cummed. I eventually had to throw it away because it rusted from constant use but I am saving up for one of those Japanese smart toilets so I can install it in my bedroom.

Buy a stanley thermos. If you leave it on a train track, it would probably derail the train and you would still have hot/cold liquid in there.

Kerbal Space Program 1. I bought it in early beta for like $14, have received all subsequent updates for free because I bought it so early, sunk literally thousands of hours of enjoyment into it and come out with a solid basic understanding of orbital mechanics.

I cant think of a better return on investment I've ever made.

• Bidet
• Leatherman Micra pocketknife - all I need for most things
• Ebike with a front platform - helps transport
• Acoustic Bike with trunk bag - a trunk bag has a surprisingly large amount of space
• Ortlieb panniers - add to the bikes only on an as needed basis
• Instant Pot - it does miracles with legumes, meats, and a large variety of other dishes
• Instant brand Air fryer - we're working w/o a vent right now so we got this to provide an oven replacement
• IKEA wardrobe - configured and used as a pantry
• Large (40L) backpack with good suspension - great for all sorts of travel

A good quality utility knife for the kitchen

3d printer. I can make custom things that just can't be bought fairly easily.

My washing machine's motor went out while it was full of water. I designed and printed an adapter that let me manually run the pump that drains the washer off of a cordless drill and successfully drained the washer. (Actually, the adapter broke in the middle, but I had the foresight to print a few spares. It only took a couple to drain the whole washer.)

A lot of the other stuff I print is custom wall mounts for things. A Raspberry Pi NAS that hangs on the wall, a mount for a SAD lamp, a mount for my Nintendo Switch Joycon charging base, etc.

Pinecil soldering iron

I can't take credit for this, as I found it in a comment in a similar post and want to give that guy his props. It's a microwave sandwich grill press. It's inexpensive, and I use it all the time, especially when I want something, but I don't want anything big or heavy. I microwave grill a sandwich, and it's fantastic!

I was skeptical about how it would work, but it does. This is the Amazon link to it.

without a ton of thought, and other than my current house:

• travel, in general. recently a trip to sail out of svalbard down to norway. it's another world up there

• an inexpensive handtruck is one of the most useful tools i have

• a 'prosumer' grade espresso machine and a grinder is used and loved every single day

A decent blender. Not anything industrial like a Vitamix, it's a Magimix which was about half as much but still durable and has replaceable parts. It's fine for what I need and is lasting much longer than the pile of crap I had before.

Vacuum pack bags for clothes is another one. I like to keep my wardrobe seasonal but I don't have much space, so packing it down helps.

Also anything reusable: PTFE/silicone baking sheets, rechargeable batteries, reloadable floss handles. All of these have saved recurring purchases, money over time and reduced waste (which made me feel good.)