Is there something you've bought which has been better than you expected?
I'm really pleased with this recent buy:
tinyurl.com/37e3kbz
It's a Roberts ecologic1 portable DAB radio.
Best feature is it takes AA rechargeable batteries and has an on-board charger, so no messing about taking the cells in and out.
I bought four beefy ones which I reckon easily reach the quoted life of 10 to 20 hours.
The radio itself is easy to operate - some early DAB ones weren't - and has a good sound for its size.
So are there any gadgets you've bought which you are really pleased with?
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Bought a remote radio control 13 amp spcket from lidl for £6.99 i think. One rf remote control with TWO remote sockets. Works from the dinning room to the garden lights, controls each socket or both.,
Superb.
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Good idea for a thread!, can't remember it coming up before over the last few years of BR/C4P.
Mine would be my wifi radio/media streamer, bought from PCW a couple of years back for 50 quid. A very versatile and useful bit of kit for listening to music.
...and in second place would be my 125 quid Pure DMX50 DAB micro system, even if the CD player has gone for a burton:-/
Last edited by: spamcan61 on Thu 1 Jul 10 at 19:04
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Many years ago and used a lot ever since an offset ratchet screwdriver.
like this
www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/13-piece-offset-ratchet-screwdriver-and-bit-se/path/screwdrivers-bits-hex-key-sets-2
IMO everyone who is into DIY /Mechanics should have one.
I have a large collection of Gardena garden tools etc.
All a joy to use and a bonus that they were bought at stupidly low low prices.
Rawlplug filler for when I drill holes that drift or get too large.
Last edited by: henry k on Thu 1 Jul 10 at 20:03
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Opitmate - one for both bikes. Just saved me a big problem thanks to pilot error.
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I got a screw driver with an LED in it for christmas as one of my stocking fillers. It sounds like cheap tat but its actually very well made and extremely useful. Well worth the cost, I think it was £15.00
I also have a Bosch mini driver also a present many years ago, these are £50 and again its worth very penny.
I think my best reason buy though as to my Grado SR60i headphones which cost me £70.00. They have gone up a lot now and are £100 in some stores. The sound quality compared to say a £50 of senny's is simply staggering. Worth every penny.
Come to think of most things I buy I have been very pleased with. Worth thing I bought was a DAB seperate for £100, it sounds awful in both DAB and FM modes. I just use my old analogue Sony for radio purposes.
DAB is fine as a portable radio but as soon as you feed it into a HIFI system the problems become clear.
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the rotavator for the allotment
had our first meal from there tonight
carrots (small)
cabbage (small)
potatoes (normal to small)
all tasted beautiful especially the very sweet carrots
we were going to pull the tatties and have them on site but decided a 10 minute walk home was a reasonable distance for vegetables to travel
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Most recent car boot buys
Nokia 6310i in perfect cosmetic condition £4 took a little while to unlock it as I did not know who was the original network provider. ( Sold by a geniune previous owner - his company had provided Blackberrys as replacements).
HP Deskjet 970Cxi £1 - no ink but perfect working order prints on 2 sides so cuts down on bulk and my paper bill! Takes same cartidges as my existing 930c. ( great printers as they are not fussy about ink levels, and black cartidges can be refilled almost ad infinitum).
Last edited by: pmh on Thu 1 Jul 10 at 20:32
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OK, I'll volunteer my Nikon D60. It has really got me back into photography. I had an Olympus OM10 years ago but carrying that plus a stack of prime lenses, filters and what have you around meant that it stayed in the boot more and more and I drifted out of photography. I used digital compacts but missed the control and quality you get from an SLR. So, while it is like carrying a half brick around, in size and weight, at least modern zoom lenses mean I'm not carrying a load of glass around.
And the icing on the cake is that SWMBO asked me to get some photos enlarged and they're hanging on the walls right now. :-)
JH
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I bought this mini Hi Fi from Argos 18 months ago to use with my computer but find I use it more than the Arcam based system in the lounge ~
www.ciao.co.uk/Sony_CMT_CPZ_1__6315421
The sound quality is quite good (for a mini) and I use it 7 days a week.
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Just realised I've had my Panasonic FZ7 camera for three and a half years now. In that time I have owned five cars. Must be a brilliant camera :).
I should also mention my Senheiser PX100 headphones I paid £30 for, compared with my Grados they are a lot worse but when I use it with my Nokia N97 although there is a lot of detail missing it still sounds musical and enjoyable.
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I'm with Spamcan on Internet radio. I bought a Roberts one in early 2008 and it's truly revolutionized the way I listen to radio, not least because Roberts didn't skimp on the analogue parts of it while they were concentrating on the digital, so as well as pulling in to my kitchen source material for which I'd otherwise have to sit at a computer, it even makes it sound good. It means I can now spend Sunday afternoon in the kitchen and have my pick of the Listen Again listings rather than being at the mercy of the schedule.
The only thing it's really missing is an FM tuner, which is still how I prefer to listen to BBC radio as it's broadcast. I've yet to find a use for DAB.
The iPhone and iPod Touch mean that it's now possible to access the same services and listen to them through anything with the right kind of docking station, but it's still worth paying the extra for something with the necessary acoustic guts to present it enjoyably. I'm now looking for another one to complement the Roberts (new house has more rooms to equip) but I do want FM as well this time.
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Nearly snap!
I got this
www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/5023?gclid=CP-oyqGYy6ICFY8A4wodVinarw
the sony CMT SPZ90DB. I saw them the day they got them into the local Currys. They were up for £99. I went home and checked the web, then shot back and picked it off the shelf. At the till it came up as £179.99. I pointed out to the manager it was labeled on the shelf for £99.95. He hummed and ha'ad and let me have it. The next day they were labeled ay 179.95
Re-sult!
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Just shows what their margins must be!
My mate has had a Sony similar to that for ten years now. I find it sounds very flat and lifeless compared to the Denons but they have probably improved since then.
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Speakers were a well known weak link on these...
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>>Nearly snap!<<
Yeah, they're good the ole Sony mini's ... leave the Samsongs to the others hey!
:D
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Dog,
I have an earlier version of that which has been in my study for the last ten years - good sound, especially when I replaced the standard Sony speakers with the Teac ones that came with my main Hi-Fi - been good company that, listened to 9/11 develop on it...good piece of kit.
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That will be the one my mate has. I think it is the speakers which really lets his down. I am guessing it would suit slightly bright speakers. They would sound terrible with my Wharfdale Diamond 9.1s or my parents old JPWs but would it would work really well with my bright Eltax Monitors.
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yup I ran it into my into the existing denons on the wall.
(through bell wire)
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I've thought about getting some half decent speakers Pugley but the standard ones suffice at the mo and I often wind the critters up to max when playing some good music vids,
like this offering ~ www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tdgYmBxy1A
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Woudl have thought this was more your mark?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdArTQ4FDGk
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>>Woudl have thought this was more your mark<<
Haha! The only Boney M I've got (on vinyl) was given to me by a customer.
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My Hewlett Packard calculator, HP12C. It's a financial calculator and I've had mine since 1985. That one still works but I bought the 25th anniversary edition a few years ago in case the original popped or I lost it and they stopped making them!
It came out in 1981 and they are still available. The innards have been updated, and the my newer one has the option of algebraic (normal) logic. The original is RPN (reverse polish notation) only, so instead of entering say 5 x 4 = to get the answer 20, you enter 5 [ENTER] 4 x and the answer is displayed. I've used it so long that I can't now use a normal calculator in a hurry.
It does many calculations that are simply impossible on a normal calculator and would require many keystrokes or much programming on a scientific one.
It's a phenomenal machine still beloved of people in the industry despite many newer products being introduced.
www.hpmuseum.org/hp12c.htm
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I have Boney M's greatest hits, it was 20p at a car boot so I thought I would buy it as I collected vinyl at the time.
I don't use calculators anymore, I just do everything on a spreadsheet because my numeric memory is poor.
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Manatee - where can these calculators be bought from?
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Lots of things I own impress me. I'm not one for audio/cameras,etc.
Have a Samsung camera which takes good pics and is easy to download.
A pair of Ryobi drills, identical, batteries interchangable and can do a lot of work.
A Honda Silverwing FJS600, best bike I've ever had. Nothing for the feet to do so great for my arthritic legs. Fast, 0 to 60 in 5.7 seconds. Pulls like a turbine. Comfy and fairly dry in the rain.
Probably my last bike now...I'll keep it !
Ted
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Thanks Zero.
NC, if algebraic logic is important to you then the Platinum edition definitely has it as an option - I don't think the standard one does.
User guides here goo.gl/zCji
There's a virtual one here goo.gl/ly9B
Last edited by: Manatee on Thu 1 Jul 10 at 23:19
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Thanks both - I'm thinking of buying one as a gift for someone who misses a calculator with RPN - browsing the site, there's also a scientific calculator with RPN, which is even more appropriate.
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Amazing;
>>There's a virtual one here goo.gl/ly9B
That site now forms my new baseline definition of deviance! A friend who has just bought a Hillman Avenger is providing close competition though!
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I have an HP11C, the scientific version of the 12C, here in front of me on the desk. I bought it about 30 years ago and have used it virtually every day since so I too have a Reverse Polish brain.
If I remember correctly I paid about £60 for it, which was a fortune in those days, but it has never let me down and all the keys have a nice positive click to them.
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The HP11C is making serious money on the big auction!
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Well, some chap in Portugal is trying to get £200.
You can have mine for £190.
It will be like chopping my arm off but I need the money.
There's a spare HP10C somewhere around here!
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Two things that have been better than expected purely because hey've lasted so long:
Rexel stapler, bought in 1961 when I went to a new school at 13 - still working perfectly.
19" electric Flymo, bought in 1980 and also still going strong. Flymos aren't what they were and I don't think you can get a 19" one any more.
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Xantia HDi Estate - top 'bangernomics' motoring for 3 years / 60k miles, hoping for another 3 years / 60k at least.
Battery powered drill / screwdriver and big box of screws - dunno how I ever managed without it, and wonder why we ever nailed things together - screws are nearly as cheap and make a much better job.
TEAC Reference 300 Hi-Fi with (Free at the time!) Castle Clifton 2 speakers. Still looks and sounds good - was still available not that long ago and still listed amongst best buys.
A high quality pocket sprung / topped mattress - makes every other bed feel average to uncomfortable
Last edited by: RichardW on Fri 2 Jul 10 at 08:23
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I've got a slide-rule. Don't think I'll ever wear it out. ;>)
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My best buy is a Flip Ultra Video camera for around £100 on Amazon - So simple to operate - just point and go , you can get 2 hours of video on the memory and then it has a USB connector on the side which plugs straight into the computer.
2 AA batteries is all you need to run it . I carry it everywhere on my belt now and its just so much more useful than a phone camera. I can record meetings and video items I sell to customers and email them on , simple technology.
www.theflip.com/en-gb/
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Vuvuzela, £1.99 from Lidl.
:-D
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His n hers bikes which we bought last year. We go out every day for at least an hour. It's 30 degrees and we've just come back from a three hour ride. I look forward to it from the moment I get up.
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Sony eBook reader. Goes everywhere with me, battery runs for a month before it needs filling up with electricity.
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Copy of Tennyson's epic poem ' In Memoriam.'
Found a second edition in aq bookshop in Huddersfield 20 yrs ago....1892 copy.
Handcut pages, stitched into the cover. Only £2.
I try and read it every year if I've got time.....700 verses.
Took him 17 years to write, though !
Ted
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I'm pleased I bought that - Zero
