What cheap tool/gadget do you use that greatly improves your daily life?
Just went down the aliexpress rabbit hole again. Theres really everythinf for some of really niche things that i wouldnt ever buy, but some things really do look appealing. I wonder what do you guys use daily thats worth lets say under $20
A decent headlamp. Flashlights are well and good, and sometimes necessary too. But if you’ve ever had to do something intricate with both hands in the complete dark, a good headlamp can be so much better in those situations
And you can get such small ones now! My spouse has one she keeps in her purse where the strap is just a thin wire that retracts into the unit. It’s not even uncomfortable! Needless to say I’m jealous!
Is it the petzl zipka? Because if it isn’t I’d love to know what it is. I have one, but they’ve apparently stopped making them, and it’s so much better not having an elastic strap.
I got a Lightbar brand “lightbar pro”, so good. The only downside to it is that there is a design flaw where there is no strain relief on the main power cable so twisting it will lead to failure. I don’t know if they fixed it since I bought mine, but some glue on the power wire should sort it out.
You get a nice wide diffuse light so you can see all around you and what you are working on. It isn’t the best for distance, but most of the time I am working I need to see my surroundings and what I am working on.
Great for walking the dog at night, in suburban or rural settings. A phone flashlight is annoying to juggle while also controlling a leash and impossible when I need to scoop poop.
100%. I found one with grooves, so you can tilt and lock on whatever angle you like. Going to use as secondary light soirce on my bike rides and camping trips
Completely agree on this. For some reason I’ve gone through like four at this point. They seem to break for some reason. Even tried the REI route with the black diamond brand and they don’t seem to last. I need to find a better brand.
In most places, lights are placed on the ceiling. This is fine for generally lighting a room, but if you need to do something intricate that’s not directly under the ceiling lamp it can be hard to see. Even simple things like plugging in some cables under the desk.
I worked with a guy who wore a headlamp nearly all the time. When people would ask about it he would always tell them “There are only two reasons NOT to wear a headlamp. Either you don’t have a head, or you don’t have a headlamp.”
Never said it was dripping. It just rubs against facial hair while eating. Ice cream, sandwiches, beverages, lots of foods have an interaction with facial hair. It’s something I live with because it’s not that big of a deal and using chopsticks makes it even less so.
Why does this matter to you? You keep making assumptions and then trying to solve them as though it’s an issue. I’m just agreeing with OP that’s it’s easier to eat salad with chopsticks and especially for someone who has a beard. If you don’t have a beard and don’t fully understand why it would be easier, then it’s not really relevant to you, and that’s okay.
And by that same logic: if I do have a beard and know what it’s like, then it is relevant and that’s okay, too. Especially when it might be solid advice, either way. Who knows. Up to you, really. 🤗
They have a microphillips and micro straight small enough to fix a loose screw on eyeglasses. The blade is serrated and sharp enough to make it through just about anything you really need to cut.
It looks enough like a key that (almost) no one questions it on my keychain.
I flew all the way to Florida with it on my keychain went through Disney with it on my keychain got to universal studios They actually recognized it and made me lose it.
When I got back I bought six more now somebody makes me throw one away I don’t care.
How does it reduce dishes? Water bottles are one of the more annoying things to wash, in my experience, because my hands aren’t small enough to fit anymore.
Edit: Yes, I have a bottle brush. It’s just that it’s a bit of a hassle to soap it from dry and then have to dry it somewhere before storing it again. I wash everything else with a rough sponge normally.
I have not! In fact, I’m usually the one carrying around water glasses because they’re less hassle to drink from and far easier to (visibly) clean than any other vessel is. I try to limit myself to two or three in the house though…
It would only smell if you stick your mouth to the bottle ( the bacteria from your mouth will transfer to the bottle ). But if you drink it the other way, you don’t need to wash it ever.
I mean it’s just storing water. You do have to wash it if you store other liquid beverages like coffee or juice. But if you use it just for water, I don’t see why it would contain any bacteria or scum or whatever.
Local DI (deseret industries-a Mormon goodwill equivalent) has them for $1.50. Pick your lid, thermo flask, size, straw or naw. Get 6 for $9. Or buy 1-2 a bunch of times. My only transportation is cycling (other than busses/trains). Hydration is essential for proper functioning on all of these.
rice cooker. i have one that i use like a fancy crockpot so i can leave the house and come home to hot food. mandolin or a food processor is a close second, makes chopping veggies a breeze
i use a mini kitchenaid i got for $50 a few years ago. its easier to store n clean bc its tiny. it isnt good for big batches but is perfect for a few carrots and onion, or a handful of spinach. then i usually just swish it all with warm water and im good to go. i clean while i cook so its basically all done by the time im eating.
I guess I just don’t find it hard to chop things with a knife, which is very easy to clean. I have a food processor, but getting it out of the cupboard takes almost as much time as dicing an onion with a knife.
i think for me is im a disaster and usually will end up with veggie particles all over the counter and floor and then have to spend time cleaning that up else the cat gets his far face all over it. on top of that i have a super tiny food processor which makes getting it in and out super easy. if i only had my larger one i could not see myself bothering with it.
They’re insidiously clever. It’s not your fault. Better humans than yourself have gone their whole lives assuming those fuzzy bendy things were just for preschool craft projects. 🤷🏼♂️
Yeah, if you can’t soak it, get that food off before it dries. This is why I prefer kitchen tools that you can take apart. I replaced my Foreman grill with a griddle with removable plates and love it, even though the Foreman had a bit more cooking area. Plus I got waffle plates and also got rid of the waffle maker that I rarely used because it was such a pain to clean if you ever overestimated how much batter it needed.
Depends on your lifestyle ofc but a cheap 6’ tape measurer keychain has come in clutch more times than I can count. Within the past week I’ve used it to
measure the hatch of my car to see if a box could fit
compared a 14" pizza to a 17" to my friend group to figure what size pizza to buy
measured an entire house worth of soffit
The thing was like $5 and honestly gets more use out of anything in my EDC except maybe my earbuds and even then I barely touch them since graduating from uni
Funny, I was just watching some lockdown-era Tested videos and was wondering what that tattoo was on Adam’s arm. Reminds me of my mechanic friends with a 10mm socket tattooed so that “they’ll never lose it”
I keep several full size 30' tape measures in different places like my truck, kitchen junk drawer and (of course) toolboxes. You might find that more useful than a 6'. Cheap ones are fine, I think, as long as you don't drop them.
The appeal is to have it fit on your keychain/ in your pocket so that you’ve always got it rather than having to run back to the car or wherever one might be
Thank you, now I know what tattoo to get if I pass by a walk in place. I’m always tempted but the things I want aren’t exactly walk in tattoos. Only question now is to go halfway up my forearm or to my elbow. Guess I could go all the way down my index finger, too, but I’m not sure how long a tattoo on the side of the finger would last, plus all the possible bends when including the hand could reduce measurement accuracy by quite a bit.
Your link is the other way around, you should put the text between [ ] and the link between ( ), i.e. text, the way you did it the text that appears is the url but when you click it it tries to go to literally the address url.
Biggest thing for woodworking for me was just buying more pencils. I bought a pack of 30 or so and put all of them in a cup attached to the wall. Now I just grab a new one if I forget where I put it down.
Did you forget your ear? I thought all woodworkers kept their pencil on their ear.
I recently bought an electrician's pouch that velcros around my belt. Great for holding screws, square and pencils. Think of it as a wall cup on your belt.
I second a headlamp. Almost mandatory if you're camping I think. I got some cheap ones and use them around the house / garage too. More useful than they seem at first glance.
Long USB cables can be problematic, and to avoid problems may need to be inconveniently thick and stiff. I’ve taken to using an AC extension chord for most of the length when I need to charge far from an outlet.
I ended up buying an aftermarket belt clip that screws into the Swiss Army knife on Amazon. Best purchase ever. Always on me and used daily for random stuff.
I've carried a SAK for years. I now also have a cheap benchmade knockoff with pocket clip and flipper. So easy to pull out and open that I almost never use my SAK. Hopefully a pocket clip will change that.
Love this idea, thanks. (I know you bought a belt clip and I'm going to buy a pocket clip but you gave me the idea).
totally agree in principle. my edc of choice has been the Leatherman skeletool for the last 5 years. pliers, Phillips and flat head and blade have been the perfect combination to balance portability and utility
A convoy s3 flashlight with uv emitter, about $15 US.
I have a geriatric puppy who’s starting to “leak”, and this flashlight is really quick and easy to tell where needs to be cleaned up. Way easier than shining a regular light, missing and slipping on a puddle.
They’re great but the scissors will get dull very quickly and it’s almost impossible to sharpen them. Also, the newer models are not as good as the older ones.
I have an espresso maker. Knocking the coffee grounds into the garbage was kind of gross. So I got a cheap knock box to kick the puck out was a really nice treat.
And the espresso maker too, I guess. Being able to make a fresh, hot Americano in a couple of minutes is great.
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