It's a game changer: Product Recs 2021 edition

December 8, 2021 2:59 AM

What's a product that you swear by and you would totally recommend to anyone? How has it changed your life/day/way of doing things?

Props if you:
• Found this to be useful in an everyday sense
• Were pleasantly surprised to have discovered that such a thing exists
• Believe it has totally changed your life for the better
• Will gift it to someone you care about, so they too can experience the awesomeness

Could be:
• Cheap but does its purpose efficiently
• Expensive but worth the investment
• Physical or digital product or subscriptions
• For any gender or age

Extra props:
• Anything that makes a single gal's life in her thirties living alone during the pandemic bearable/manageable/easier/happier

—

I asked this in 2018 and from there have adapted these:
• Packing cells for travel
• Smart light bulbs
• Wool socks
• CereVe lotions and creams
• Bose noise-cancelling headphones

—

My own recommendations would be:
• Over-the-door hooks—I've used them for hanging anything from a Christmas wreath to clothes or towels or grocery bags
• Wet Brush detangler—I've always hated brushing my hair because it pulls at my scalps and it hurts, but this totally changed my habits
• Trung Nguyen Buon Me Thuot Special coffee
• Coffee filter holder with dust cover
• Vaccination card holder that you can put in your bag + I would go one step further and have a copy sized down to ID/credit-card size so it can fit your wallet
• Smart plugs
• This pillow pad for tablets which you can use on our lap or on the bed I can watch my shows while lying down without needing to hold it
• Travel bottle with keychain—I fill them with alcohol and clip them on my bag so it's easy to disinfect without having to root inside my bag
• A candle warmer, for those like me who rents a place with a very sensitive fire alarm + a worrywart who always get anxious thinking if I left something burning

posted by pleasebekind to Shopping (45 answers total)

Luxe Bidet Neo 120. I haven't gone so far as to give these as gifts, but as everyone we know has ended up buying them, I don't have to. Installs in about 15 minutes and will change a life.
posted by jquinby at 3:24 AM on December 8, 2021 [7 favorites]

If you live someplace cold, heated mattress pads are just... they're so luxurious you'll worry that the Church will come for you.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 3:56 AM on December 8, 2021 [16 favorites]

Aleppo soap. I use it on my hair, face and body. My skin is happier than ever before and I've saved a lot of plastic packaging. It is cheap and has been produced (and loved) for centuries.
posted by Too-Ticky at 3:59 AM on December 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

A Maglite flashlight, which I received as a birthday gift. It's high quality and suitably clonky, so I use it as a light source, a hammer, and I could use it for self-defense if needed. (A girlfriend of mine keeps one in her kitchen for that reason.)

I own packable down jackets and give them as gifts. They're a lot of warmth for no weight, you can stuff them into a little bag to carry with you or keep in the car, and a decent one is pretty inexpensive.

A shower curtain liner with pockets will hold a lot of clutter. They're essential if your bathroom storage is limited.

A hot water bottle is great for warming up my bed at night, or for cramps. Get one with a cover. I'm keen on faux fur for maximum luxury.

I keep a tiny tabletop fridge in my bedroom so I can drink iced coffee in bed for a while before I'm ready to face the day.
posted by champers at 4:25 AM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]

LED night lights to use in bathrooms. Great for illuminating just enough so you don't have to turn on the overhead lights at night.
posted by cozenedindigo at 4:29 AM on December 8, 2021 [5 favorites]

Really good, sharp nail clippers. Yes, they are almost 3 times the cost of cheaper ones, but they are life-changing. I don’t need to file my nails anymore and they are just that much easier to use.

Also, if you are a beard having person, the Zilberhaar beard brush is apparently so fun to use that it makes the upkeep pleasureable. I can attest that it is fun to brush my husband’s beard with it also. Their hairbrushes are great too.

Gel heel socks are amazing if you get cracked feet. I have given these as gifts and they have been loved.
posted by eleanna at 4:43 AM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]

If you have laundry that you hang dry, or no good place to hang wet dishtowels, an over-the-door folding drying rack is very nice. We had no place to hang wet things in our kitchen or laundry room, so we got one this past year for the door between the two rooms and it's been great! No more wet dishtowels getting mildewy on the counter! No freestanding laundry rack making the back door to outside difficult to access!
posted by abeja bicicleta at 4:56 AM on December 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

Boot pulls. My wife had a hip replacement in April and can't figure out why we didn't get them sooner.

Travel boot jack.
posted by joycehealy at 5:01 AM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]

Bluetooth temperature probes are life-changing if you do any kind of smoking/closed lid grilling of meats. I've tried out a bunch, and the one that's kept going the longest is my Inkbird with six probes. One probe is a dedicated ambient temperature probe, the others go in the meat, and voila. No more rushing outside every twenty minutes to check on the fire, no guessing if the meat is done. It lets me get other things done during the sometimes lengthy smoking process, too. Life changing.

Weber has one, too, but it's based on a much better model produced by a company they bought out and made worse, so I'd skip it.
posted by Ghidorah at 5:04 AM on December 8, 2021 [4 favorites]

I cannot tell you how much I love my weighted blanket, bought from this Etsy store. I don't think I'd buy it for someone else because I don't know how others would feel - and I wouldn't give it to families with small children because there have been a few tragedies. But I totally love it. I literally get under it every night and think about how cozy and safe and comfortable I feel. The Etsy store lets you choose the weight. Mine is 20 pounds, which is perfect for me. It's a bit of a pain to make the bed, but if something happened to it, I would get another one immediately.
posted by FencingGal at 5:18 AM on December 8, 2021 [4 favorites]

Wool t-shirts. I can wear them every day for a week without a hint of smell (must let them get some air overnight), and they feel amazing on the skin. I like wool/nylon blends for more durability. My favourite brand is “wool and prince”. Took me years to first take the plunge on spending that much for a tee, but I now have several.

Seconding good nail clippers. Seki-edge make nice ones.

An over the sink dish rack. Frees up so much counter space.

Good magnets! Little 1/4” diameter neodymium cylinders come in super useful. Stick them to random metal stuff in your kitchen- now you can pin a hand towel, hang gloves to dry on your dish rack, etc.

Magnetic knife rack.
posted by Jobst at 5:40 AM on December 8, 2021 [3 favorites]

Roomba/similar robot vacuum. Even (or especially!) having one room where I can just run it keeps things so much cleaner and gets dust bunnies that hide under the bed etc. I have one in my bedroom that I run just about everyday and I’m considering buying another now that we’re in a small house and I have a home office. I have long hair and shed a lot and it’s so much easier to clean my hair out of than a traditional vacuum.
posted by raccoon409 at 5:54 AM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]

A massage gun. Mine cost about £80 for a generic but well-reviewed version on Amazon and it gives me a wonderful deep tissue massage every evening after work, couldn't be more worth it.
posted by guessthis at 6:05 AM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]

The Krinner Tree Genie Christmas tree stand enables you to set up your tree in seconds. No, really!

And the tree stays up. No crashing, no swearing — it’s a game changer. My friend who helped me get the tree home was amazed at how easy the setup was. I could do it myself.
posted by jgirl at 6:07 AM on December 8, 2021 [3 favorites]

I was getting eczema patches on my eyelid and around the outer corner and was scratching my eyes in my sleep! Untenable. It was likely from a combination of stress, medication changes, aging and truly becoming just like my mother more every damn day, and misfired allergic responses to dander. After a lot of searching I found that some people reported their eyelid eczema being soothed by La Roche Posay’s Toleraine Ultra Eye Cream. It shocked me how scent free it was and how tiny an amount was needed to coat my eye areas - less than half a pump per eye! And to my skeptical surprise it did help with the itching. After a month of multiple daily application my eczema was almost entirely cleared up, and my horrible under eye bags were better too. Skeptical readers will say that it was just my skin naturally clearing up, and I will agree that is true, but the product kept me from exacerbating the inflammation or scratching my eyes in my sleep during that waiting period!

I’m now on my second little bottle of the stuff and have also purchased their other Toleraine range, and their basic body lotion. I love that it really doesn’t have scents, not even masking ones to cover up chemical smells. All of it is a major upgrade in sensory experiences from my previous cerave and neutrogena standbys, for only a small increase in price. I love the packaging - no more cat fur in my face lotion! And I really appreciate having something I can safely soothe sensitive itchy skin with multiple times a day, instead of rationing out cortisone cream. Oh also I sent some to my mom since apparently I’m just getting all her skin problems as I age.

The other thing I splurged on this year was fancy chocolate. Marou makes incredible chocolate on location in Vietnam and works really closely with every stage of production. When I first tasted some, I thought to myself “is this good or bad?? It tastes different…” and it turns out it IS different. A different subspecies of cacao with different flavor! They do single origin chocolate and flavored blends but they are all made with this distinctive fruity cacao that I can’t believe isn’t the more popular variety. The second one I tried I thought it tasted like if cherry cordials and dutched cocoa had a baby, but it was just a pure dark chocolate bar. It’s so much more interesting than other chocolate, and their packaging is gorgeous so they make great gifts.
posted by Mizu at 6:07 AM on December 8, 2021 [5 favorites]

I found them from someone on Metafilter but I love these light dim stickers. They go over status lights that are on everything now a days without totally blocking them for the times when you need to see them.
posted by Captain_Science at 6:08 AM on December 8, 2021 [13 favorites]

A Keurig for coffee changed my life, if anyone is on the fence about it. Seems to produce more flavor, less caffeine, and is so convenient. No longer have to make a whole pot; and certainly not as meticulously slow as a pour-over. Can buy a little plastic cup to put your tea bag in to make tea. You can criticize any number of aspects about the Keurig…but damn it's nice.
posted by jabah at 6:09 AM on December 8, 2021 [3 favorites]

Battery-powered motion LED lights.

They usually only stay on for 30 seconds or so, but they can be mounted anywhere and are great for situations where you need some light to find a light switch.

I put one at the top of my basement stairs and in the attic.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:12 AM on December 8, 2021 [5 favorites]

I like to cook, and I like to use a spoon for everything (stirring, poking, flipping, tasting, etc.). A Gray Kunz sauce spoon seems ridiculously inconsequential on first glance but it's a freakin' joy to use, if hard to describe exactly why. It's just like the best damn tool ever, well balanced and shaped right, and just works, and I use it literally every time I am at the stove.
posted by niicholas at 6:46 AM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]

Not in a regular store, but I have a couple dozen of these American-made nightshirts from Wittmann Textiles (they also come in crew neck). They're just perfect as nightshirts: They have no annoying side seams, are made with a ribbed fabric that's really stretchy so they don't bind at night, and they last for a long, long time.
posted by jocelmeow at 7:03 AM on December 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

Furzoff - pet hair remover.
posted by ursus_comiter at 7:30 AM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]

Muji touchscreen wool-mix gloves. They're not the warmest (although the new pairs I just stocked up on are lined, and feel a fair bit cosier than the previous design), but if you live somewhere that gets cold enough for gloves but doesn't spend much time below freezing, and you'd like to be able to use your phone without taking your gloves off, they're great.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 7:59 AM on December 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

A temperature/hygrometer display with a remote probe for indoor/outdoor readings changed my life this year. Gone are the days of guessing temps for clothing choice, and it's fun to keep an eye on weather cycles. I bought this one which also has the very lovely German function of telling you to open or close your windows based on humidity levels. I'm now seriously thinking of upgrading to a weather station with wind speed and such.

One problem with this item though: once I began consistently reading the humidity levels in my home, I quickly became alarmed that they were consistently way too high. So after much hemming and hawing I did the research and bought this dehumidifier, which is used every day and has worked as advertised to keep my humidity levels down to reasonable levels. It's on the pricy side, but it really does suck tons of water down (with a big tank size meaning I'm not always dumping it out) and it doubles as a clothes drying accelerant, which is crucial in UK households in the winter. Love it.
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 9:10 AM on December 8, 2021 [3 favorites]

I've lived in Wisconsin all my life and only over the past few years have I started buy fleece-lined pants/jeans. They make a WORLD of difference in helping me stay warm and reduce those cold wind drafts shooting up my legs when out and about.
posted by Twicketface at 9:31 AM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]

Thirding motion-sensitive stick-on lights; pointed at feet on the way to the night bathroom, pointed at the dark corner of any closet, and mounted under the shelf or cabinet above any kitchen counter. You can get wired-in versions, of course, but the battery operated ones last a long time even in winter.

An ergonomic keyboard and setup that suits you, if you spend much time typing. A Kinesis Advantage for me, but figuring out a setup that puts my keyboard at relaxed-shoulders level and my screen at upright-neck level is worth just as much.
posted by clew at 10:07 AM on December 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

- A keychain flashlight. I've got a Phenix light that runs on a AAA battery, but there are even smaller ones with fixed batteries that recharge by USB. I use this all the time. Yes, you can use your phone's flash as a flashlight in a pinch, but an actual flashlight—even a tiny one—works much better.
- Flannel sheets for use in the winter. You know how you feel cold when you first get into bed? With flannel sheets, you just…don't.
posted by adamrice at 10:36 AM on December 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

A subscription to the Brooklyn Public Library: for $55 a year I, an out of stater, get access to their ENTIRE Overdrive audio book library. This has changed my reading habits immensely and I consider it the best $55 I spend each year hands down.
posted by tafetta, darling! at 11:36 AM on December 8, 2021 [14 favorites]

Electric kettle, cactus back scratcher.
posted by gottabefunky at 11:47 AM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]

For reading: a library card, the Libby or Overdrive app, & the Library Extension browser add-on that will show you if a book on amazon is available through your local library (either hard-copy or ebook).

For fun/exercise: an Oculus Quest 2 & a subscription to Supernatural. I'm usually a couch potato in the winter, but have spent the past 3 weeks spending an hour+ every day playing Supernatural & getting a good workout.
posted by belladonna at 11:53 AM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]

Seconding Heated Mattress Pad. It's so awesome!
posted by hydra77 at 1:32 PM on December 8, 2021

I bought a pack of small (~2x4") microfiber cloths and I slipped them into the coin or right pockets of all my pants and jackets.

Literally can't forget to bring one. I don't even have to think about it when I need to wipe my glasses or something else is wiping theirs with their shirt: "Here, use this... in fact, keep it!"
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 2:29 PM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]

* Car battery chargers -- Use if you need a jump.
* Darn Tough socks -- Guaranteed for life.
* Fire blankets -- Put one on top of a fire, and it will put the fire out. You can get these for less than $10 each. Put one in the car and one in the kitchen.
* Keychain multitools -- Especially good are the ones that look like a key and include a blade.
* Portable power banks
* Rechargeable batteries -- Panasonic Eneloop Super Power Pack is a good choice.
* Toaster oven
posted by NotLost at 7:43 PM on December 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

I have been a near-daily cyclist all my life, or at the very least about 45 of my 52 years, and I disdained these for a loooooong time as they became more prominent, but: my electric bike has completely revolutionized not just how I ride, but how I feel about riding. I, a larger-than-average cyclist, no longer fear sizable hills, and the ability to zip up a big hill and still have energy left in my legs for the rest of the ride has opened up entire new worlds of cycling to me that I never felt confident taking on before.

If I were of unlimited means, I would gift anyone I know that's even mildly interested in riding an electric bike. I still have my traditional bike and will never get rid of it, but the e-bike is now my default for longer rides with significant elevation gain.

In that same mode, and inspiring the same feelings: my Kindle. I have a ton of physical books and will continue to buy them as well as Kindle books, but I find a Kindle much easier to deal with when lying in bed, and also, in a memory from back in the Before Times, it's super great to have when traveling.
posted by pdb at 9:03 PM on December 8, 2021 [7 favorites]

Pop sockets! Absolutely indispensable for me now that I’m used to them
posted by nukacherry at 9:59 PM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]

These sink strainers are great for us - the sink drains very quickly, but the strainer catches everything it needs to. Better than the 'strainer/stopper' combination that comes with the sink. I still use that when I need to fill the sink, but it only took a little practice to swap the strainer in for it when it is time to drain.
posted by TimHare at 10:32 PM on December 8, 2021

Adding on to the enthusiasm for flashlights… I can recommend the Nitecore TIP SE flashlight. Good points:

* It is flat, rather than round, so doesn’t roll about, and is easy to hold in my mouth on occasions when I run out of hands
* It fits in the coin pocket of a pair of jeans
* It is rechargeable over USB
* It can be REALLY bright, or very dim, or in between
* It has a clip to clip it on to the peak of a cap or something

Bad points:

* Does not come with a USB charging cable
posted by fabius at 5:43 AM on December 9, 2021

Seconding super strong magnets and a weighted blanket. This year I got this 2-in-1 tape dispenser that I saw at a friend's house. I don't think of myself as a super frequent tape user but it has absolutely been a game changer, especially for the packing tape which now is a breeze to use.

Also a shower rod that bends outward, giving you more room in the shower. I haven't had a shower curtain creepily adhere to my body in years.
posted by Threeve at 10:08 AM on December 9, 2021 [2 favorites]

I used to get headaches when driving at night because of everyone’s LED headlights being too damn bright, but I recently got a dedicated pair of glasses for night driving (anti-glare, slightly tinted), and it has revolutionized my evening commute.
posted by ocherdraco at 10:56 AM on December 9, 2021

We replaced our shower with the Moen Tiffin Magnetix showerhead. It's so nice to just reach up and let the magnet pull the showerhead into place, rather than than trying to wrangle the handle into a small notched holder like we had to with the old one.
posted by belladonna at 6:13 PM on December 9, 2021

If you have any arthritis/RSI issues, or even if you don't, "reduced effort" staplers are amazing. And high-capacity ones are great too if you often find yourself stapling things multiple times until some staple finally manages to get through.
posted by trig at 7:17 AM on December 10, 2021

It's a small thing, but I was recently reminded of how much I love the "Disposal Genie" - a gizmo that sits in the drain of our kitchen sink and lets food particles go down, but not silverware. It doesn't catch food the way a sink strainer might, allowing the disposal to do its job.

Also, I have a set of eye masks with cups that can be cooled or heated in the microwave. The heatable ones especially are excellent for helping with winter dry eyes.

And yes, to second belladonna, my oculus quest is a good way to move some and to mentally get out of the house when it's too cold to want to go for a walk. The old classic beat saber is fabulous, and I just started trying the sword fighting game "Until You Fall", which is a roguelike that seems like it will be fun. I liked Supernatural when I had a subscription, but it wanted me to turn around and the space I have wasn't quite big enough for it.
posted by past unusual at 2:20 PM on December 10, 2021 [2 favorites]

I find having a pocketknife I will reliably carry is a real game changer. Not too big or ppl freak out, but more than an inch of blade so you can slice apples and baguettes. Pretty to you and comfortable in your hand both closed and open. Pocket or keychain or wallet or part of your phone case, whatever is unthinkingly with you.
posted by clew at 2:39 PM on December 10, 2021 [3 favorites]

The GIR mini spoonula. I use it for everythinggggg. I have a cheaper one from Amazon but it’s really not as good.
You might think you want the large one but really you don’t.
posted by exceptinsects at 11:07 PM on December 11, 2021 [1 favorite]

Belatedly: this is a bit specialized, but Microplane zesters/graters. You may wonder how much better a citrus zester can be than the one you've got. The answer: drastically better. It's like the difference between chopping carrots with a butter knife vs a chef's knife.
posted by adamrice at 9:34 AM on December 24, 2021

Microplanes make it easy to grate whole nutmegs and cinnamon fresh, too. And the hardest last corners of Parmesan. Some of them come with a little finger-protecting chamber for small bits, very nice.
posted by clew at 1:50 PM on December 25, 2021