I guess I've gained a certain reputation on GAF for my oddly detailed threads devoted to pens, pencils, and paper:
Why did they need to specify that they meant it as a compliment???
I admit that most people I meet think that having a strong pen preference in general is slightly weird, while having a strong preference for specific ballpoint pens is decidedly nutso. But hey - I like to write by hand and my job requires that I use a ballpoint pen. I do a lot of writing every day and having tools that I really like using makes the experience a lot better *and* encourages me to do more writing for pleasure (trying out new fountain pens and inks is just really super fun to me!). With the ballpoint pens in particular, the $20 I spent on a really, really nice pen makes the part of my job that everyone hates the most - the endless amount of documentation that is required - into something way less odious. The improvement to my daily life is actually pretty big for that $20 investment. And I literally cannot count the number of times gorgeous members of the fairer sex have come up to me and said, "If that is a Pilot S20, you need to make love to me right now."
So, in that spirit, are there little things that you are strangely passionate about and/or where you have found the version of some little thing in your life that makes some everyday task way better? I'm not talking about the $1200 graphics card that makes your games run way better, or the luxury car that is way more pleasurable to drive than the 1987 Chevy Malibu with the transmission problem that you used to drive around in. This is more along the lines of, say, the keyring you found that you just love, or how you found the world's greatest bottle opener, the best kind of windshield washer fluid, the socks that you get all of your friends hooked on, or the pocket flashlight that you improbably describe as "kicking so much fucking ass!"* - things that people take for granted where you've found one version that just makes you happy to use or that is just the absolute best.
Aside from my passion for particular brands of, say, paper, here are two other examples of little things that I really love that most people never think about.
I was handed these and told that they are "the world's greatest folding pocket scissors," a remark which made me look at the person who said this in the way that most people look at me when I show them "the world's greatest ballpoint pen."
But holy shit are these amazing folding pocket scissors! They feel like they come from some alternate dimension where every product, no matter how mundane, is precision-crafted to the highest possible standards, fit only for kings and queens. There is something so intrinsically pleasing about a perfectly crafted object, even when that object is a tiny pair of scissors.
I really dislike shaving, but after being given a bottle of this shaving cream, I don't mind it quite as much. I'm tempted to give wet shaving a try, but until that day arrives, I'm using this and getting a better shave than I ever have before. I used to just grab whatever was on sale, because I could not tell much difference. But this stuff is so much better than anything else I have ever tried I'm never going back.
So tell me about the world's greatest pepper grinder, GAF! Or the measuring cup that changed your life. I want to hear about the tweezers that made you believe in love again.
*There are HUGE forums devoted just to flashlights. A bad flashlight definitely sucks, and I can appreciate a nice, bright flashlight, but these people are insane.
Why did they need to specify that they meant it as a compliment???
I admit that most people I meet think that having a strong pen preference in general is slightly weird, while having a strong preference for specific ballpoint pens is decidedly nutso. But hey - I like to write by hand and my job requires that I use a ballpoint pen. I do a lot of writing every day and having tools that I really like using makes the experience a lot better *and* encourages me to do more writing for pleasure (trying out new fountain pens and inks is just really super fun to me!). With the ballpoint pens in particular, the $20 I spent on a really, really nice pen makes the part of my job that everyone hates the most - the endless amount of documentation that is required - into something way less odious. The improvement to my daily life is actually pretty big for that $20 investment. And I literally cannot count the number of times gorgeous members of the fairer sex have come up to me and said, "If that is a Pilot S20, you need to make love to me right now."
So, in that spirit, are there little things that you are strangely passionate about and/or where you have found the version of some little thing in your life that makes some everyday task way better? I'm not talking about the $1200 graphics card that makes your games run way better, or the luxury car that is way more pleasurable to drive than the 1987 Chevy Malibu with the transmission problem that you used to drive around in. This is more along the lines of, say, the keyring you found that you just love, or how you found the world's greatest bottle opener, the best kind of windshield washer fluid, the socks that you get all of your friends hooked on, or the pocket flashlight that you improbably describe as "kicking so much fucking ass!"* - things that people take for granted where you've found one version that just makes you happy to use or that is just the absolute best.
Aside from my passion for particular brands of, say, paper, here are two other examples of little things that I really love that most people never think about.
I was handed these and told that they are "the world's greatest folding pocket scissors," a remark which made me look at the person who said this in the way that most people look at me when I show them "the world's greatest ballpoint pen."
But holy shit are these amazing folding pocket scissors! They feel like they come from some alternate dimension where every product, no matter how mundane, is precision-crafted to the highest possible standards, fit only for kings and queens. There is something so intrinsically pleasing about a perfectly crafted object, even when that object is a tiny pair of scissors.
I really dislike shaving, but after being given a bottle of this shaving cream, I don't mind it quite as much. I'm tempted to give wet shaving a try, but until that day arrives, I'm using this and getting a better shave than I ever have before. I used to just grab whatever was on sale, because I could not tell much difference. But this stuff is so much better than anything else I have ever tried I'm never going back.
So tell me about the world's greatest pepper grinder, GAF! Or the measuring cup that changed your life. I want to hear about the tweezers that made you believe in love again.
*There are HUGE forums devoted just to flashlights. A bad flashlight definitely sucks, and I can appreciate a nice, bright flashlight, but these people are insane.
Great 
