Things I like/have and why

Vacuum
Dyson DC39 Animal Plus
Why? No maintenance costs = no bags or filters to buy. HEPA air filtration. Good suction at 275 air watts. Lots of tools. Not as loud as some other vacuums. Looks cool. :-) can place on my bed to get to the corners of my room. Also see this video I created comparing the DC39 Animal Plus to the DC23 which I bought the DC39 to replace. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_87qQqDYgA
Cons: I spent $300 on a vacuum (that retails for $500-550 because of the additional attachments)

I picked the Dyson because no bags or filters needed to be purchased. The HEPA filter rating demos shows no pollutants in the air that came out. I grew up with a canister vacuum, a Rainbow (Rainbow is an even more expensive vacuum brand that uses water to filter out debris and dust. It's kind of annoying to fill it up and dump the water outside each time you use it. You then have to hand pick up the garbage a day later from where you dumped it... I hated that part. But my mom likes it. She has to considering how much she must have spent on it. But other than plastic clips being broken on the sides, so you have to be careful not to pick it up from the top handle, but by the base otherwise the top half will pull apart from the water canister, or it might spill, or something, and it being heavy, it probably isn't a bad option. http://rainbowsystem.com/rainbow-system/how-it-works/) from the 1980s my mom continues to use 20+ years later.

I started off with the Dyson DC26 I bought online for $207 because I thought it would be good for an apartment, but it didn't have enough suction at only 160 air watts, the canister filled up way too quickly, and the fancy brush bar got stuff tangled in it after every other use.

I then bought a DC23 Canister from a Dyson employee who showed me how to use all the features, clean it out, etc. It was bigger than I expected, but managed to carry it in two IKEA bags on the handlebars on my bike for about 4 miles. I generally liked it, but I would have to go over some things twice for it to suck them up. The brush bar didn't get stuff caught in it as much, but it didn't do large things super well with the Turbinehead. After about a year, the Turbinehead started spinning really slowly despite disassembling it, cleaning it, etc. I couldn't completely disassemble it because of one final screw in a very awkward spot. Because I was the second owner and the registration was in someone else's name, Dyson said they couldn't replace it for free.

Watch
Tissot T-Touch Z251/351 (Silver face edition instead of the black. I originally had the black. Took it off to shower when camping with some friends. One rushed me, and I left it there because I had my towel over it and didn't see it as I left. 15 minutes later when I went back. it was gone. The silver face seems more professional anyway.)
http://watchhunter.ca/Watch-Hunter-For-Sale-Used-Tissot-T-Touch-Z251-TISS13.html
Why? It's a water resistant Touch screen Swiss watch that has a thermometer, baromatric pressure, altimeter, stopwatch, compass, and alarm. Also it's in a smaller size than current models.

I haven't seen a more awesome or practical watch yet. The compass can get thrown off a little too easily though. Also, it can cost $40 to replace the battery and have it pressure tested to maintain it's water resistant seal. I just popped in a new battery myself for $5 and had to give a guy $10 to put the back back on because it was too tough for my hands to do. He said I should pay him more for the pressure test, but I figured it was fine. I accidentally went swimming with it afterward and it was fine. Still slightly worried though.

Computer
Currently 2011 15" MacBook Pro 2.3GHz quad-core Intel i7, 1GB video card, Hi-Res glossy screen , 16 GB RAM, 480 GB Intel Extreme SSD. Bought with an issue (-$700) then sold (+$900) then re-bought fixed (-$600) from the guy that fixed it who said it had bad karma, so he had to get rid of it at a loss. Not joking. Soon after, the charger in an overhead plug on Megabus became dislodged and made some small dents near the track pad. I also got a dent on the top of it as well. I then spent about $75 on the 16Gb RAM, $340ish on the 480 GB SSD =$815. I could sell it in Early 2013 for probably $1,650. It is so hard to find a 2012 MacBook Pro with a hi-res screen and 1 GB video card to replace it though.

Why? The video card is strong enough for HD video editing in a reasonable amount of time. The Quad core is nice for running virtual machines. The hi-Res screen is good because I multitask and like seeing several things at once. The SSD hard drive makes things open WAY faster (17 second boot up time.). It it isn't perfect though. Chrome crashes when playing some video. Sometimes it becomes unresponsive. But hey, I haven't been on a computer that doesn't.

I tend to upgrade to the notch above entry level 15" (because of the better video card) once used ones hit the market at a decent price, so I can buy the new one for what I sell my old one for and not spend any money on the upgrade.

Printer
HP Officejet Pro 8600

The one thing it doesn't do is scan both sides of duplex printed paper. To get that feature, you'd have to buy the next step up which was considerably more expensive. It just has a lot of features, and in a time crunch, you may find yourself needing some of them.It has low ink costs if you use the extended XL versions of the ink. I was warned though that ink can go bad if you don't use it by a certain time though. It also can print things you e-mail to an e-mail account you set it up with, though sometimes things may get cropped a bit differently than desired, so sayith the reviews.

Smartphone
Samsung Galaxy SIII
$280 on eBay in 2012

After doing a lot of tech spec research, I found out that the GSIII had more frequent OS updates than HTC's Evo 4G, better battery life, marginally better specs, and it seemed ot be the frontrunner that had a removable battery. Something important to me. I go through 2-3 batteries a day if I am not using it for note taking.

I originally had a Motorola RAZR in my early college days, then one of the early pre-Android HTC slide phones (eBay), the LG RUMR briefly in 2009 (eBay?), then the Motorola Hint, which I generally liked except the Internet was stupid slow on U.S. Cellular's 2G connection. In summer 2010 the family got HTC Evo 4G phones the week they were released. A salesman promised my dad a lot of features for these phones, basically free everything. When we got the plan and tried to activate the broadcast WiFi feature, Sprint said we had to pay extra to activate it. I got on the phone with the rep and my dad and recorded the phone call with the disclaimer that the call was being recorded, and recoreded the salesman saying that we had all those features included. about 10 hours of talking with Sprint resulted in me compiling the cost of the features for 2 years for 5 phones and it turned out to me nearly $6,000 in extras. Sprint credited our account by the $5,960ish I had calculated and may have charged the salesman with the bill. I'm not sure. It was suggested that it may have happened weeks later, or that the rep wasn't at that console anymore or something. Anyway, if it hadn't been that we weren't paying Sprint bills for so many months, I would have switched to Verizon when they had the short opening of Unlimited data for the same price as Sprint. They said whatever deal you have with Sprint, we can beat. I said, a $3,000 remaining credit toward out future bills... and the Verizon guy's face dropped. Verizon seems to have better 4G coverage and possibly fewer dropped calls.

I used the EVO 4G for so many things, it was amazing. It froze on me regularly though. I probably went through two or three on the protection plan which we added when I started noticing things were starting to go wrong and the price on eBay was $250-$400.

Bed
I bought what was supposed to be a Tempur-Pedic Queen Cloud Supreme on craigslist, but turned out to just be a foam mattress that feel remarkably like the Cloud Supreme except that it will probably start breaking down sooner. I do really like the Cloud Supreme, and may one day get that with the Ergo platform, except that that and my bed are so think, the J.S. Saunders 1500 Thread Count Egyptian cotton sheets I have didn't fit, so now I am using king sized sheets so they don't pull off.

TV
Currently 40" APEX LCD HDTV 60 Hz ($270 Craigslist +$5 gas)
It works fine. I use it as an external monitor for my computer.

Why? It was a cheap price for a 40" 1080p HDTV in 2012. I wanted 1080p so it could display more of my screen than a TV with 720p could. Also, I thought I wanted a 40" because when I went to the Bose store, I asked them what size their TVs were and they said 40". They turned out to actually be 32", but I wasn't disappointed with the bigger screen for streaming movies.

I'm not sure what I should upgrade to. What can a smart TV do that my computer hooked up into it can't?

Games

Settlers of Catan and the multiplayer expansion
Wits and Wagers
Cards Against Humanity and 2 expansion packs
Pictionary
7 Wonders
Balderdash
Apples to Apples
Risk
Starcraft Risk
Dominos

What else should I get? 

Rechargable battery brand
Powerex
9v = 230 mAh
AA = 2700 mAh

Why? The mAh on these is among the highest of any brand, meaning more battery life per charge. I tried Duracel and Energizer with a rapid charger, but neither held their charge after maybe 15 charges on a 15 minute charger. Apparently the rapid chargers can overcharge and burn out batteries.

One cheap and awesome thing you can get is a battery tester to see what the voltage is of a mystery battery. I got this battery tester on Amazon for $4.

Alkaline batteries discharge their voltage linearly. Rechargeable batteries initially drop to their rated voltage, then hold that rated voltage for a long time, then drop suddenly when they are dying. One person said that an alkaline battery is dead at 60% of the rated voltage, and 80% is dying.

A 1.5 volt alkaline AA may start a bit higher than 1.5 volts and is supposed to be fine until about 60% of capacity., or 0.9 volts. It dischages linearly, so it is half full at 1.2 volts.
Full = ~1.55 volts
half full = ~1.2 volts
Dead = ~0.9 volts

Though you can argue a battery is dead when a device can't use it anymore, though it may still power a different device, like a flashlight.

A 1.2 volt AA rechargeable battery freshly charged may start off around 1.3-4 volts, initially drop to 1.2 volts and stay there for a long while, about 85%-15% of its charge, and will be on the quick path to dying at 1.0 volts or so.

Here are some rough estimates, but maybe use these as a start as you get to know your battery. Look on the side of your rechargable battery to see what it's rated voltage is. Here is a guide for a standard 1.2 rechargeable AA.

85%-100% =1.4 volts> and >1.25 volts
15%-85% = 1.10> and >1.25 volts (a bit under 1.2 v is still usable)
0%-15% = < 1.10 volts (about when the steep drop off may start)

While most devices that take AA batteries work with both 1.2 v rechargeable AA and 1.5 v alkaline batteries, I know of at least one camera circa 1996, a Japanese Minolta Dimage 7, that only showed low battery and refused to fully turn on with batteries at 1.3 v, but worked fine when the batteries were at 1.5 volts. That's when you get a new camera, because you can only use alkaline batteries that get to the 1.5 v and only from the 100%-90% of their supposed rated life. 1.35v / 1.5v = .9 WHich means only 10% of the battery life was drained before the camera couldn't use the battery anymore.

This is a real concern for waste because other devices can use the remaining 90% of the charge, but I know I'd normally assume the batteries were fully dead and throw them out. Maybe that's why our moms kept half dead batteries in the refrigerator growing up; they would work in other devices.

9 volt alkaline
Full = 9 volts
half full = 7.2 volts
Dead = 5.4 volts


Headphones
Used Bose IE2 ($45 craigslist)

Why? You hear sounds with these you miss with other headphones. They are more comfortable than many other brands as well. These are the most portable of the Bose series.

Camera
New Canon S100

Why? in 2012, Snapsort.com rated it as the highest pocketable camera under $500. It has a larger sensor than almost all the other pocket sized cameras to capture more detail. It has decent video, though the autofocus has let me down a little. You do have to stand more than 5 feet away from someone or else the flash produces white spots on the face. But I guess that happens with any flash. At the time, used Canon S100s were only $25 less.

Cool glassware
Das Boot

Why? watch this YouTube video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuDtACzKGRs Enough said. I fill it with water and it makes sure I drink a liter each day. Coincidentally, the Das Boot movie which also shows up in "Das Boot" search results is an amazing WWII movie about the life onboard a German U-Boat. One of my favs.

Bluetooth
Used Third gen Jawbone

I watched this video of the first gen Jawbone and was sold. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrRx805JqM4 Its ok, but it didn't perform as well as I'd hoped though. It resets the volume to the lowest level every time I reconnect it to my Samsung SIII and I think it also did that on my Evo 4G. Haveing the press the vlume up button several times every time I connect it is kind of annoying. I also feel like the sound quality, while fine, it's as good as it could be.

Not sure what the best Bluetooth headset is anymore

Snow Pants
North Face Freedom Insulated Pants (designed for snowboarding, but I typically use them for biking in the rain and snow) I probably paid $120 because of a coupon at REI.
http://www.rei.com/product/819556/the-north-face-freedom-insulated-pants-mens-short

Why? Few things feel as awesome as being able to run through snow and bike through slush without worrying if you will stay dry and not feel the dampness. These regulate temperature with side air vents as well. They were not cheap, but that is why I bought them at REI. I can return them if I don't like them. My qualm with these was that the inside style stitching came off on the right leg due to bike riding. Once that was sewn up by my loving mother and her sewing machine, they have been incredible. I look great in them and I feel like I can go anywhere comfortably in them. They roll up and don't take up much more space than regular rain pants, despite their insulation, and I've never been too hot in them, which seems crazy because of the insulation and the fact that I will wear them when biking in the rain int he summer. I just unsip the side air vents and I'm fine.

Boots
Asolo TPS 520 GV ($65ish  used with medium wear to the leather at an REI garage sale which was an amazing find because these are $289 new when not on sale-and for good reason)
http://www.rei.com/product/693828/asolo-tps-520-gv-hiking-boots-mens

Why? Much like my snow pants, I feel incredibly confident when I wear these boots. They are reinforced with a steel shank for heavy backpacking stability, so they are a tad heavier than other boots and the soles are thick, but they are so stable, I never have to worry about rolling my ancle or straining something in my feet. I have walked through a muddy field in a rainstorm with a 65lb backpack in a similar pair of Asolo boots (the Asolo Fugitive which was a good boot, but it just didn't fit my foot right, a cheaper Asolo boot which I returned after buying these full grain leather TPS 520 GV ones) and stayed perfectly dry. They run a tad narrow for my foot, so the sides of my feet aren't always comfortable, but I still feel an incredible sense of being able to do anything, walk anywhere, etc. with them. The full grain leather does show some crazy nicks and scratches from the previous owner, but they are still waterproof and the Vibram sole shows almost no wear.