# Tell us about a product that you were pleasantly surprised by its usefulness **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 19, 2022, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838 "2022-09-19T16:15:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2023, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/141 "2023-01-06T14:45:07Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > My contribution is a cordless, battery operated water pick (I.e. water streamed teeth flosser). I’m late to this thread… which particular flosser do you have? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2023, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/142 "2023-01-06T19:42:15Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > And rather than messing around with the air compressors at gas stations to inflate my car tires, I bought [this gizmo](https://www.amazon.com/AstroAI-Compressor-Inflator-Emergency-Inflatables/dp/B08TWCMQ8D/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HEAE0L3DSCER&keywords=AstroAI+Tire+Inflator+Portable+Air+Compressor+Air+Pump+for+Car+Tires+-+Car+Accessories%2C+12V+DC+Auto+Tire+Pump+with+Digital+Pressure+Gauge%2C+100PSI+with+Emergency+LED+Light+for+Car%2C+Bicycle%2C+Balloons&qid=1672958083&sprefix=astroai+tire+inflator+portable+air+compressor+air+pump+for+car+tires+-+car+accessories%2C+12v+dc+auto+tire+pump+with+digital+pressure+gauge%2C+100psi+with+emergency+led+light+for+car%2C+bicycle%2C+balloons%2Caps%2C127&sr=8-1) from Amazon a couple of years ago. It’s powered by the cigarette lighter. It’s basically idiot-proof, in that I just screw the end of the hose to the tire valve, set the display to the desired PSI and turn it on. It runs (noisily) for a while until the tire is inflated to the proper pressure. Coincidentally, I bought a similar gizmo ([this one](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MFBV5NM?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1)) and it arrived on Tuesday. I had been meaning to try it out on my tires just to top them off and never got to it. Earlier this morning I got a call from a friend who had a flat and needed help. Lucky timing for her. It worked great. It cost $30 and everyone should have one. > [@kayaker](#): > > A buddy of mine bought a battery pack that saved him a few times already. It can jump start your car, charge your phone, has a very bright light, and is very solid/heavy. > > He liked it so much that he bought a few more (how ever many he needed to buy to get a price break) and gave them to his friends. I love mine. I have something similar to one of these as well. It was around $100. It’s a lifesaver. Everyone should have one of these too. 99% of AAA or whatever calls wouldn’t be needed if you have those two items. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2023, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/143 "2023-01-06T19:52:14Z")
I remember seeing a gizmo at Costco that combines both; it includes an air compressor/tire inflator and battery jump start. It was quite a bit larger though. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2023, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/144 "2023-01-11T14:33:20Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > which particular flosser do you have? Sorry for being late to reply. I just bought the one on the shelf at the grocery store - no particular brand. After a few months, it got wonky so I bought another one. I get the handheld cordless kind; they seem to come weatherproofed (so the water in the shower isn’t an issue) and are powered by batteries that come pre-installed. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2023, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/145 "2023-01-11T14:58:35Z")
That’s okay. I brushed in the meantime. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/146 "2023-01-14T11:54:27Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Last year my dental hygienist recommended I use an electric toothbrush. I had always assumed they were gimmicks, and told her so. But she said I was mistaken, and that they see good results from clients who use them. Likewise. After using it my teeth feel like the dentist just cleaned them. And dentist visits are quicker now. I don’t know if you could really call this a ‘product’ because of how expensive it was, but a 4x4 Kubota tractor with a loader on the front and a scrapper on the back. I use if for all kinds of stuff. It’s smaller and more maneuverable than my truck, but big enough to haul 1000 lbs in the bucket. Dirt, gravel, snow, pavers for walks, rocks to keep our dogs from digging under the fence, mix concrete in the bucket, grade my gravel drive, you name it. It’s invaluable. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/147 "2023-01-14T11:59:34Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > They must have really improved. A friend gave me one a long time ago. I’d never heard of them. I ran it at work a couple of times just to see it move around, but its performance was pitiful. It went in the dumpster during spring cleaning. Same experience. I really wanted it to work to. ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/148 "2023-01-14T12:19:59Z")
Seconding the back scratcher. A nephew gave me one with a telescoping handle, and it sat idle for years. I don’t know if my arms have gotten shorter or my back has gotten itchier, but now I couldn’t make it through a day without the thing. ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/149 "2023-01-14T12:52:54Z")
My other two pleasant surprise were also gifts, rather than purchases. My wife gave me a case for my Kindle, with a tiny lamp built in. At first I couldn’t imagine using it; now I can’t do without. It lets me read late into the night. A small fold of the top blanket shading the device, gives me the double pleasure of _not_ waking my wife, and feeling like a kid who’s taken a flashlight under the covers to read what/when he shouldn’t. The other is an early model GE microwave, a gift from my uncle in the mid- to late-80s when they weren’t so common. Mine has lost a little bit of its power, but I’m amazed at its durability. Here it is, maybe 35 years later, and it’s still cooking food, making tea and heating bedwarmers for the cold winter nights. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/150 "2023-01-14T20:35:55Z")
I was under the impression that all Kindles had backlighting. Maybe I’m out of touch. It’s certainly the case that every Kindle I’ve had to date (four) has had backlighting. I could read them perfectly well with the lights out. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/151 "2023-01-14T22:10:13Z")
The earliest Kindles did not have a built-in light. (Thus, you could not read them in the dark, any more than you could read a regular book in the dark.) Then, for a while, the cheapest Kindles did not have a light, but more expensive models (the Paperwhite et al) did. Nowadays, all the Kindles have built-in frontlighting (_not_ backlighting!). Note: I use “Kindle” here to refer to Amazon’s line of e-ink e-readers. Their first tablets were called “Kindle Fire” (and did, of course, have lit screens), but were later rebranded simply “Fire” tablets. There may well be other brands of ereaders (not made by Amazon) that do not have lights. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/152 "2023-01-14T22:34:31Z")
You learn something every day. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/153 "2023-01-14T22:50:58Z")
I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/154 "2023-01-14T23:44:13Z")
That’s because you’re special. And we love you for it. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/155 "2023-01-15T02:53:39Z")
This glove and boot dryer has been a godsend for me. We got it a few weeks ago. I bike year 'round in Montreal and body temperature management is a huge challenge, usually resulting in sweat-soaked gloves and boots. This machine is really effective at quickly drying things out. [https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/maxxdry-heavy-duty-forced-air-shoe-glove-dryer-0875295p.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAwomeBhBWEiwAM43YIBMYNIisVmbpoTjW\_ZGz6lA4JyuRjGpVnWZBlJKDWMc8TsVun\_QPLhoCVRQQAvD\_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds#store=234](https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/maxxdry-heavy-duty-forced-air-shoe-glove-dryer-0875295p.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAwomeBhBWEiwAM43YIBMYNIisVmbpoTjW_ZGz6lA4JyuRjGpVnWZBlJKDWMc8TsVun_QPLhoCVRQQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds#store=234) ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/156 "2023-01-15T07:49:58Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > You learn something every day. Yes indeed. Of course if my old Kindle weren’t so eminently satisfactory I would probably have checked out other models and learned about the built-in lighting long ago. I just assumed they were all like mine. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/157 "2023-01-15T14:33:38Z")
My ignorance was simply lack of experience. I’ve bought four Kindles, mostly paperwhites, and they all had lights. Never looked or checked to see if that was an optional feature. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/158 "2023-01-15T16:12:56Z")
I rarely use rubber gloves but I’ve always found it annoyig to try to dry them so that the inside doesn’t get funky… until I found this [rubber glove drying stand.](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DSW54VZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/159 "2023-01-15T19:26:43Z")
Out of perversity or frugality or curiosity, I’ve been cutting up my old credit cards to custom-make guitar picks. ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838/160 "2023-01-15T19:41:59Z")
I just bought an air pump on Amazon (a different brand) that I’m extremely unhappy with. it worked ok the first few times, a little glitchy because poorly written instructions, but now it’s gone completely insane, giving me non-existent readings, skipping straight from 10.0 PSI to 40.0 PSI with nothing possible between those settings etc. I’m thinking it was made in China, so unreliable. I’m looking for one manufactured in the USA, thinking maybe better quality or at least clearer instructions. Do you know where that one was made, and how long have you used it? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-a-product-that-you-were-pleasantly-surprised-by-its-usefulness/971838.md?page=9)