Asklemmy

If it counts, definitely the Steam Deck. With that and emulators, it's like having almost every game I've ever owned in one portable machine.

A bidet 💪 even a cheap one is nice.

Probably it doesn't quite count as a gadget, but repurposing my old PC as a home server. Firstly it makes a great mass storage solution making all my media accessible from any device, no matter what architecture it is and what apps it can run. I also self-host Home Assistant, Syncthing, Radicale, Navidrome, Jellyfin and UrBackup. The ten years old 2 core Pentium with 8GB of RAM can do it all, it's much cheaper to run than half a dozen subscription services and I have total control over my data and privacy.

Bidet for sure. A good one in the $300-400 range. It is such a gamechanger to always have a clean ass. And without TP, the toilet never clogs and you aren't spending extra on TP. Also helps with hemorrhoids if/when you get those, as TP is really rough on your asshole/not good for you.

I still have some TP for guests, but with the dryer built in, it really isn't needed.

Also, a bidet is a lifesaver if you like extreme hotsauces. Basically, it's the only piece of daily furniture that makes me go "God, I'm so glad I bought this" for literal years since I got it in the pandemic. No cold toilet seat during winter. Heated seat that doesn't slam. Hot water. Hot air blow dryer. Self-cleaning.

A countertop water boiler. It turns out I go through just about 4L of tea a day and now I spend a lot less time boiling water. And when you refill it and it comes to temperature it plays Fur Elise

edit: typo

would a raspberry pi count? i've been self-hosting a nextcloud instance and my RSS feed for a while now and i've really been enjoying it

Steam Deck. Without question. I don't think I would have been able to cope with the last year and a half of my life without it. This year has been very rough and I have been able to escape life while still spending time with my family. Top-tier psychological maintenance for me.

This one seems silly, but one really useful cheap thing I bought that I use much more than I thought I would is an electric kettle. (I should point out I'm in the US) I use it to make iced tea, my wife uses it for hot tea, and we both use it for boiling water for whatever cooking project needs it. We have a gas stove, and it takes about twice as long to heat up a liter of water as this kettle. It uses a normal US 120v outlet and I think it draws 1,000w. (Edit: I looked it up and it's 1,100 watts)

A good pair of headphones and a decent amp and dac to power them. It's like discovering music all over again.

My personal recs: Modhouse Argon Mk3, Hifiman Sundara, Sennheiser hd6xx

A home server. Originally a Dell R710, now a custom built desktop.

If I can possibly self host something now I will do that over using big tech proprietary services. I feel free.

Last time I needed new headphones for going out, I bought a Shockz bone conducting headphone.

While the specific one I bought was the wrong choice (the Run I got is slick but needs a proprietary charging cable instead of the USB-C the Move uses, and they sound 100% the same), overall the concept is really good. I enjoy hearing people around me, for someone who more listens to podcasts and radio shows not music the quality is perfect, and I can wear these on my bicycle without having to worry I won't hear something.

Also, since they don't sit in the ear not enclose it it's easy to semi-forget them there as they're so comfortable, no stuffed feeling or sweaty ears. I sometimes just use them at home instead of shifting a podcast onto the sonos speakers. Just easier.

Robot vacuum. Autistic and ADHD and could never keep on top of keeping my floor clean. But I can now!

Y'all this sound crazy, but the Bug A Salt is fucking awesome.

It's worth it if you can get a black Friday deal or something under 30$ because it's just a little salt when you shoot it and there's no guts on your wall, no dirty fly swatter, no chasing, no jumping, no reaching, and you feel like a sniper hitman.

Its not a toy. That shit hurts when you get hit lol

Flipper Zero - I'm not being devious with it. Yet.

Kidding - I bought it since I am a ham and I can find a dozen uses for it in the field.

Cordless vacuum was a costly one but certainly made that chore a lot more easy and kinda fun. I planned to store it in a closet but I'd take it out every few days so eventually I started leaving it on the floor, it's not in the way there either.

3D printer. At any moment in time I could just print something out and it would be ready by the time I finish eating. The possibilities are endless, plenty of free models online or just learn how to design yourself.

Edit: I currently use an Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro

Mobile telephone. Does all kinds of fancy stuff, it's even got a torch!

Bone conducting ear phones, I have tiny narrow ear canals and can't get any type of ear bud to go in my ears, the bone conductors are a revelation for listening to audio books, radio and music when I'm out and about

Refillable Salt and Pepper-Mills. I can "feel" now how much Salt or Peper I add to something.

Its kind of silly, but VR. I like hanging out in vrchat with my internet friends and it makes me feel a lot closer to them. Even when we're just talking and goin to cool worlds.

The cheap (est, I think) fitbit. Dropped a 100lbs and it was a big part of the motivation.

Not for everyone obviously, but I developed a synthesizer habit some years ago, and right now is probably the best time ever for a beginner to get into it. Korg's Volca series, Roland's Aira compact, teenage engineering's Pocket Operators, Arturia's Microfreak, and Elektron's Model series are all affordable and a great way for a beginner to start making some cool-ass music. Beware developing a habit though. It only stays affordable so long.

A wedding ring. Enlightens my life every day.

The Panic Playdate. It’s just a really nice gaming console that is getting a lot of support from game devs. It’s one of the very few truly portable handhelds as it can easily fit in a pocket and the battery lasts forever too.

Swapped out the head unit on my 2016 car for a touchscreen that supports Android Auto. I got spoiled using a similar one in my friend's rental car. It was only $600 installed at Best Buy. It's so nice not to have to fight with keeping my phone in a display holder where I can see the map, and now I can control my phone-streamed music with my steering wheel controls. Makes driving so much more pleasant.

My espresso machine. They're expensive. I do not know why they are, but they are. I hemmed and hawed for years about us getting one and finally decided fuck it. Im an adult, I want one, we can afford it.

In 2+ years the only times I have not made myself a cappuccino are when I have not been home to do so. It is one of my most used appliances. Espresso owns.

My super automatic espresso machine. Dead simple to use and so much cheaper than operating a keurig. I bought it because I’m awful at real coffee machines and need to have a single serve option. Being able to use whole beans has made it pay for itself in the 3 years I’ve had it.

A soil moisture measuring device to tell when plants need watering. 2 for $10 on amazon.

A smart switch for my espresso machine so it turns on a timer each morning so it's ready for when I get up, it takes about 25 minutes to fully warm up. Also I can turn it on or off using voice controls, great when I want another coffee later in the day.

Hanklight D4K for $50 was my first portable enthusiast flashlight. I'm currently 4 hanklights deep and they're loads of fun out in the country for spotting wildlife and general use with the open source Anduril 2 firmware (yes, flashlights can get firmware updates).

Link to Hank's Site

I bought a semi professional meat slicer , and a decent dehydrator. Now I make my own beef jerky and saving tons.

Paramotor

Edit: And you should get a paramotor too so I have someone to talk to about it on Lemmy lol

Honestly?

A fidget cube.

Fidget toys got a bad rep, especially after Fidget Spinners became trendy for the younger generation.

But just having a little thing I can toy around with has been great for my pens and game controllers, as in the before times my grabby hands would fiddle with them whenever I was thinking about shit and it was bad for their durability.

For less than a dollar? (ay, currency exchange rates) Yeah, one of the best things I bought.

Shokz OpenRun

https://shokz.com/products/openrun

This one adds BGM to your life

Lemmy needs a community dedicated to pointless debate over which flashlight is best. I'm about to permanently borrow somebody's ThruNite T1 but it's too heavy, I miss the mini Maglite I used to carry. Phone flash is fine, yes, but I miss a flashlight/torch without a fucking login procedure involved for fuck sake.

I got a mechanical keyboard for Black Friday this year. So much better than scissor switches. I think I got one with a yellow switch. Feels quite cushiony while still having the clickity clack.

A bedside arm for mobile phone. No more uncomfortable phone holding for bedtime youtube session.