
Ask HN: What is the best thing you ever owned? - meagher
Could be a piece of tech, car, clothing, book, pair of indestructible boots—I’m curious what is is&#x2F;was and why.
======
matwood
My dogs, even though they probably own me more than I own them. No matter how
stressful a day I have, we can go out back and goof off. They are eternally
happy, and always want to hang out :)

If my house was burning down, I would rescue in order my wife, dogs, and a far
third my computer. Everything else is replaceable. When I originally saw Fight
Club in the theater I thought a lot about consumerism. I do buy/own things of
because they bring some level of joy/fun/happiness, but I actively make sure
their importance is where they should be - way below anything that really
matters.

~~~
shortoncash
Have an up vote. It does feel insulting (awkward?) to say "own" when there's
talk regarding pets since they're often family.

I responded to your post because one time there was smoke in my building and
what I thought was a fire when alarms went off. I immediately ran to secure my
pets before everything else without even thinking about it. I even had
thoughts going through my head about how to jump off the balcony if necessary.
The difficulty I had is that the loud alarms caused the pets to hide and it
made it difficult to retrieve them efficiently in an emergency situation.

~~~
wkonk
I forget where I read this... set off your fire alarms every now and then and
give your pets treats. That way they come looking for you when the alarm
legitimately goes off.

------
_jal
A house fire made my substantially less attached to my possessions. I take
care of things, but if someone doesn't give something back or I break
something, I don't really feel much emotional loss over it.

I had an extensive midcentury science fiction collection (about three thousand
volumes) - most of those are out of print and a lot largely forgotten. That
was a bummer.

I've been doing a fair amount of soldering lately, and for some dumb reason
was resistant to buying helping hands for a while, instead building
complicated fixtures that didn't work well. I was a moron, and those tentacle-
clips are currently my favorite things.

------
kendallpark
My bicycle.

I commute year round (even in the winter). Life is busy. It's not always easy
to get to the gym or set aside time to exercise. But at the very least I do
20-40 minutes of cycling a day. It's an efficient way to transform travel time
into physical activity.

My bike is not super fancy. It's an old Trek mountain bike, worth less than 80
bucks these days without the customizations. I've put some work into making it
_my_ bike. I swapped out the flat handlebar with a butterfly bar. I have
Shimano pedals that are flat on one side and clip-in on the other. I also have
a Topeak trunk bag that slides on and off the rear rack and a Nite Ize
HandleBand to strap my phone to my handlebar. The HandleBand allows me to
listen/watch to lectures while going on long rides (on secluded bike-only
trails, I should mention).

~~~
potta_coffee
That's awesome. I have a cheapo bike that I've customized and I agree, there's
nothing like having YOUR bike.

------
ALee
Lasik - I had terrible eyesight (-12 in each eye) and I decided to get Lasik.
It changed my life. Perhaps I was already going to be changing my life anyway,
but it became a lot easier to go out for a run, workout, and be healthy. I
don't have to worry about contacts late at night drying out.

Probably a close second might be my bluetooth Jaybird headphones (before it
was sennheiser. The bluetooth cordless experience is amazing, they're
waterproof (I sweat a lot when working out) and combined with Overcast,
Audible, or Spotify - any situation has been vastly improved with audio. This
by itself is how eons ago people would marvel at this ability once reserved
for royalty.

------
schoen
I had a very good experience with my original Leatherman Wave pocketknife. I
carried it every day and it seemed like at least once a week I used it for
something or other -- opening a package, tightening a screw, trimming my
fingernails, or whatever. The selection of tools seemed pretty ideal somehow,
it was possible to apply quite a lot of force with the pliers, and it was
extremely durable. I even used the saw a couple of times, though I can't
remember for what purpose!

I still have a smaller Leatherman tool on my keyring and use it not
infrequently, but it seems a lot less awesome somehow.

~~~
masklinn
> I had a very good experience with my original Leatherman Wave pocketknife.

I feel the same way about my Leatherman Charge, the toolset is great, it's
solid and it does many jobs well. I don't think I ever used the saw but I
believe I've used every other tool on it, even the ruler graduations.

------
exabrial
My electric guitar. Not that it has any sentimental value, but I have put in a
lot of time practicing and I have some results to show. I wish I would have
learned the discipline of frequent schedule practice earlier in life

~~~
GTP
What is frequent schedule practice?

~~~
exabrial
It took two things. One, playing every single day. Two, having a continuous
stream of new music to learn. I did this by joining a local church's band who
needed someone to conquer some solo passages. It's a great way to learn music
and give back.

------
obombration
Since someone already mentioned electric guitar, I'll go with: Petzl Grigri
2[1]

I was initially pretty skeptical of Grigris. Climbers have used far more
primitive devices for a long time, why do I need a big, bulky hunk of metal
and plastic to catch falls? But now that I have one, you'll have to pry it
from my hopefully not cold or dead hands. I don't need to have a death-grip on
my rope if my climber is hanging for a while. I can go hands-free on rappel to
get stuck gear. Most importantly, it has certainly helped prevent some
accidents that could have been catastrophic--one particular incident left me
with a broken foot, but without the braking assistance from the Grigri, I may
have instead walked over to a cratered climber. Best $99 I've ever spent.

[1] [https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/Belay-devices--
descenders/...](https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/Belay-devices--
descenders/GRIGRI-2)

~~~
projectileboy
While I agree with you, for toprope belaying I still like my old school Sticht
plate. A round piece of steel with a rounded rectangle cut out the middle. You
can lock off a climber and hold them indefinitely with barely a pinch.

------
clavalle
'Computer' is the obvious answer (though I'd have to pick one from my early
childhood like Commodore 64 or Atari 800 since it gave me the programming bug
early).

My most surprising bit of joy that I never would have thought of, though, is a
towel warmer.

There is something wonderful about stepping out of a shower and into a warm,
fluffy towel and you get to have that every single day.

~~~
mcphage
> My most surprising bit of joy that I never would have thought of, though, is
> a towel warmer.

> There is something wonderful about stepping out of a shower and into a warm,
> fluffy towel and you get to have that every single day.

I "invented" a box with a heating pad in it, that I put my clean boxers in
when I take a shower. That's a nice feeling.

~~~
clavalle
I think you're on to something, there.

------
cwbrandsma
Probably my college degree.

First note: my high school was pretty bad, and being rural there were few
opportunities that did not involve cows or driving.

The degree got me out of my town, started on my profession, even helped my
find my wife (also in the list of best thing I've owned -- hey, weddings are
expensive, and the process is the father handing her off to you, so...).

------
throwawayjava
Sony Clie, ~5 years before iPhone. It's a major part of what convinced me to
drop law school ambitions and go all in on CS.

------
michaelhoffman
Pretty fond of my Roomba. Maybe it's not the best thing I've ever owned but it
is one of the things I have been most surprised about how much it's changed my
life for the better.

------
kadabra9
Cool thread. I'm not sure if I can narrow it down to once specific "thing" \-
but here are a few off of the top of my head:

\- A high quality pair of noise cancelling headphones. I use the Bose QC35.
They're great for tuning everything out and either enjoying your music or
focusing on work if you want. If you fly somewhat frequently, these are a
godsend for tuning out plane noise and enjoying music/movies.

\- A really high quality bed - a little while ago we splurged and bought one
of the Heavenly Beds from Westin. It's seriously amazing, for me at least. Now
everyone has their own preferences when it comes to sleep/comfort, but my
larger point is that sleep is so important and you spend so much time doing it
that its wise to invest in something high quality that works for you/your
partner.

------
throwaway2016a
I'm quite fond of my Audi A4. I've had it almost 10 years, it's been paid off
for 7 and still runs like a new (low end) sports car. Plus it's a convertible
and driving with the top down is one of my favorite summer time activities.

I refuse to give it up even though I have a kid now and it is REALLY hard to
get a car seat in the back of a coup.

But close seconds:

\- My Sonos audio system (I love music)

\- My Audible.com subscription - I wouldn't have time to "read" otherwise

Not on the list:

\- My Mac Book Pro. I love the computer, it's lasted me years, but it is
overpriced

\- My house. I wanted to keep renting, my wife insisted we buy. It hasn't been
bad I just wouldn't call it "best"

\- My Galaxy note 5. Awesome phone, battery life stinks.

------
blakesterz
I'm not sure anyTHING has changed my life more than my smartphones (I've had
both iPhones and Androids). I'm not sure I could do my job without it. It's
changed everything for me in very meaningful and substantial ways.

------
Max_Mustermann
My Kindle. Ever since it was gifted to me I have read a ton more and now have
the opportunity to _comfortably_ and very quickly read any book I'd like to
for a low cost. Living in a developing country this is specially useful.

------
jerf
One of my favorite little things is when I get a little piece of crap mass-
manufactured for things like trade show giveaways or party favors for which
all the stars aligned and all the angels in heaven sang and by some cosmic
miracle, something _way_ better than what they intended to make popped out of
the process. One of the best pens I've ever had came from a trade show, for
instance. I also have a big soft spot for the all-plastic slinkies; I've got a
rainbow one here on my desk that I like to use as a fiddle tool. (I'm a
fiddler, but in this age of fidget spinners and fiddle cubes, I now call
myself a free-range fiddler, because I prefer "real" objects for whatever
reason. Dunno. I don't question the fiddle neurons in my brain, I merely
obey.)

Dunno if it's the "best" things I've ever had, but they have the biggest gap
between expectation and reality.

Also a similar situation, there is an astonishing variety of earbud headphones
that run the gamut from "absolute shit" to "not quite studio quality but as
close as you can get without being there", and remarkably, they all cost about
the same overall. I use these:
[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WP67G5Y/ref=oh_aui_sear...](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WP67G5Y/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
(which, again, I want to emphasize don't substitute for studio quality but for
what you can stick in your pocket comfortably and just always have on you, are
pretty darned good)

------
nijynot
Just to pick something more unusual, my Porter-Yoshida & Co. waist bag.

Women can carry a purse and keep all kind of things in it, but for men it's
not really the same. Where do I keep my wallet, pack of tissues, some band
aids, keys? A backpack is way big, too burdensome and overkill in most cases.
That's why a waist bag is so perfect, it's the right size for kindle, keys,
wallet, etc. and is low profile. Though I don't wear it as a waist bag, but
diagonally from my shoulder.

------
deadmetheny
My writing desk.

My grandfather owned it well before I was even born, I got it from him and
have used it in all of my offices or work spaces since I was in high school.
It's seen very many different computers and electronics/mechanical projects
over the years and is a very handsome and elegant piece of furniture on top of
being highly functional, and it allows me to think of him having done the same
with it whenever I have a spare moment to admire it.

------
rzr999
A kitchen hand mixer from the time of the DDR inherited from my grandparents.
Still works today, use it to make mashed potatoes, etc multiple times a week.

------
stronglikedan
In order: My dog (as other's have said), my house (or really, the equity in it
that provides a sense of financial security), my new car (my _first_ new car
ever, 1 week old today, transitioning from a 14 year old card with 255k miles,
woohoo), and my last meal (if only owned briefly, and probably still in there
somewhere).

------
voyager2
I'm sure I'd have a different answer on a different day, but today the answer
is a '68 Ford Taunus. V-4, front wheel drive, 4 on the column. It handled wet
cobblestone like you can't imagine, had plenty of power for the autobahn yet
spared the gas. Mostly, it was just fun to drive!

Commodore64 used daily from '84 until '92\. I actually still have it packed
away in a box somewhere. We've moved 40-some times, so certain things just
never seem to get unpacked.

Yamaha FG-110. Not the greatest guitar in the world, but my first. (bought in
'73) Replaced the frets over the years, and it could use frets again, so other
guitars get more use these days.

Several dogs and few cats over the years, but I don't consider family members
to be possessions.

~~~
RyanOD
Oh, the Commodore 64 is a good one. Playing Zork, Ultima IV, and dialing into
BBS services stand out as some of the highlights of my middle school years.

------
mindcrime
Basically this, except the 3/8" drive version (which Snap-On apparently no
longer make)

[https://store.snapon.com/Handled-Drivers-Square-Drive-
Handle...](https://store.snapon.com/Handled-Drivers-Square-Drive-
Handle-1-4-Drive-Standard-Shank-Driver-1-4-female-square-drive-in-handle-6--
P630552.aspx)

That's the only tool from Snap-On that I've ever owned, and since they don't
make them anymore, I'd just about fight to the death to protect this thing.

A friend of mine once made the comment that "Snap-On tools feel like sex".
That might be a bit of hyperbole, but they are very nice. But crazy expensive.
I think that driver handle cost me around $80.00 back in the 90's.

------
jrowley
I'm pretty fond of my black diamond sprinter headlamp [0]. It's great for
running, and I used it the other day when soldering to get some extra light.

I'm also fond of the Bluetooth speaker I use on my bike for my commute, UE
Roll 2. [1]. It works well, attaches quickly, is water proof and is plenty
loud.

0\. [https://www.amazon.com/Black-Diamond-Sprinter-
Headlamp/dp/B0...](https://www.amazon.com/Black-Diamond-Sprinter-
Headlamp/dp/B0077NU8YQ)

1\. [https://www.amazon.com/Volcano-Wireless-Portable-
Bluetooth-W...](https://www.amazon.com/Volcano-Wireless-Portable-Bluetooth-
Waterproof/dp/B01FFV59PY)

------
jetti
My 2007 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck. It is rusting and makes a lot of noise
when driving but it is the first car I paid for on my own. There are newer
trucks with more bells and whistles but there is just something special about
this truck.

------
maxxxxx
My boxing gloves changed my life for the better. Best investment I have ever
made.

------
justjash
Probably a DSLR. I've had a few different cameras since I picked up my first
~10 years ago but going back through pictures and actually having some quality
photos of different memories is always a plus.

------
BrandoElFollito
This is not a thing but a service : house cleaning. An extraordinary
investment which relieved me from something I hate to do extensively.

I do not like to own things, but if I had to single out something : a simple
kitchen robot which slices and chops things for me. Also a good mattress, hard
and not that expensive.

What I should invest in but somehow never have the time : a finance advisor, I
am bad with money and have zero interest in the subject (I sure like to have
lots of money, just not to deal with it)

------
whitingx
Commodore Amiga 500 -
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiga_500](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiga_500)

Things I do today to earn a living and enjoy myself (Design, Music, Games) I
got into via the Amiga ツ

(A great retrospective of the Amiga here -
[https://arstechnica.com/series/history-of-the-
amiga/](https://arstechnica.com/series/history-of-the-amiga/))

------
emorning2
I penny that my kids and I flattened in a machine in a general store in
YellowStone Park in the 90s. If my house was on fire that's what I'd go back
in to get...

------
RyanOD
My Rob Roskopp board by Santa Cruz is directly connected to some of the
greatest memories of my childhood. It was a great board for its time and I
rode it relentlessly. Light weight with a narrower cut than most boards during
the 80s. Good times!

[https://www.sk8board.com/uploads/images/1DSANROSFA950G6.png](https://www.sk8board.com/uploads/images/1DSANROSFA950G6.png)

------
lkrubner
In 1989 I bought a backpack from NorthFace. It is still the backpack that I
use. It has been all over the world. It has been on countless hikes and
adventures. It is damn near indestructible.

I have the impression that NorthFace later retreated from quality. I suppose
this was to boost profits? In 2010 I got a cheap daypack which has bears the
NorthFace branch. It gave out after 2 or 3 years. Not terrible, but nothing
like the backpack.

------
THE_PUN_STOPS
My high-visibility yellow Arai Signet-X motorcycle helmet. [1]

I do believe it is my single most used item, as I use it for my motorcycle, my
gas-bike and my e-skateboard.

Haven't hit my head yet, but I feel confident that if/when I do, it'll be
well-protected.

[1]: [https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/arai-signet-x-hi-viz-
hel...](https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/arai-signet-x-hi-viz-helmet)

------
esaym
Hard to answer. But the things I use the most and are really old:

    
    
      * 2000 Ford Mustang
      * 2011 Lenovo T520
      * 2008 Citizen 8651 watch
      * Perl

------
sevensor
I have a warm wool shirt that's lasted for going on 25 years now. I use it for
a jacket in fall and spring. Shows very few signs of wear.

------
alexeyzab
I don't own a lot of things, so it has to be my MacBook Air 2013. It's not a
particularly powerful machine (with 4 GB of RAM I try to avoid using things
like Slack), but it's been serving me well for the past 4 years. I've tried
installing Arch Linux, Ubuntu, and now NixOS on it and all of those worked
quite well for my needs. (Mostly Haskell and Rust stuff).

------
pitiburi
My grandpa military badge. It reminds me who I am, where we were and at what
length we went for the sake of our honour and our people. I am part of a
Nation, I am part of that history. And that badge represents, physically, the
proud I have of being who I am. And it's a permanent call to what I have to be
and how I should behave.

------
sfsafdasaf
HP48 - About as close to LISP as I'll probably ever get.

A modest, tarnished silver cross - The only thing I have from my grandfather

------
rlafranchi
I've gone my entire life owning at least one pair of skis at a time. Although
it's a physical object, the sport of skiing brings me a lot of joy. Could be
synonymous to computers, it's the activity of developing|coding|building
something that brings me joy, not the "thing" itself.

~~~
zepn
In a similar vein, my bicycle.

I use it for commuting, transport, and leisure. A good bicycle ride, like a
good ski, is magical and freeing, and the object is imbued with some of that.

It doesn't require much maintenance, but it's fun to maintain, as well.

------
ssijak
My various memories installed in my brain.

------
potta_coffee
I have an Epiphone Les Paul. I traded an old motorcycle for it. It's not a
Gibson but it's the fanciest model that Epiphone ever made and it plays and
sounds amazing. I'm so used to it that it's like a part of me now.

The other thing my Miata. It's a fabulous car. Mazda did everything right.

------
mokkol
I still make my living on the same Macbook Pro from 2009. 8 year old and still
no need to change it!

------
ainiriand
I don't feel attached to any particular thing I have bought. I can buy it
again if anything happens. But really appreciate gifts and presents, I am
really attached to one particular t-shirt that my brother gave me.

~~~
mcphage
> I don't feel attached to any particular thing I have bought. I can buy it
> again if anything happens.

I don't think the question was about attachment, though. You can think
something is good, or useful, while still acknowledging it's a _thing_ that
can be replaced if necessary.

------
dozzie
Workshop vacuum cleaner. Does the same job as one designed for home usage, but
it's ergonomic, resistant to abuse, and requires so little effort in
maintenance (especially important with two cats worth of fur).

------
eqmvii
iPhone 6+ in a waterproof LifeProof case.

Feels consumerist and horrible to say it, but it's lasted me almost 2.5 years
without any issues. The gigantic screen is a great companion while I've been
on the road. The case makes it almost comically large, but I can now use my
phone as a coaster and never worry about tossing it in a bag.

Every smartphone I owned prior to this one wound up with some combination of
bugs, hardware issues, and degrading performance. This one feels as good as
the day I got it, and I never expected that to be true of a cellphone.

------
cmenge
Stereo set. I bought some HiFi equipment from the first money I ever made, 16
years ago. Still enjoy it every day, be it for music or movies... And the tech
hardly ages, awesome.

------
fluxic
Library card!

------
RickJWag
2004 wrx sti. I bought it new, it's been fun ever since.

------
oblib
The five acres of land I live on in the Ozark Mountains.

------
GlenTheMachine
1) The family farm. Technically I only own 20% of it. But I'll never be
homeless.

2) migraine meds. In terms of quality of life, I would rather go without
clothes.

------
Glench
An electric mattress pad is one of my favorite things. Getting into a nice
warm bed on a cold winter night is so wonderful. :)

------
Overtonwindow
Smartphone. Not necessarily one brand over another, but the smartphone has
been the best thing I've ever owned.

------
smonroe
An NS Design CR4 electric upright bass.

I have never owned anything this well made with such attention to detail and
craftsmanship.

------
vax425
My sawstop table saw, because working as a dev without fingers would be
harder. Also, it’s a great saw.

------
michaelmcmillan
Sony PSP (first generation). That little sucker could do anything.

------
arethuza
Our two Burmese cats - although I'm not sure who owns who.

------
soyrunner
A Sears ½" reversible 600 RPM 3 amp drill.

------
antidaily
iPhone 3GS. Between iOS, Shazam, Maps, Safari... just felt like magic. My
previous phone was a Samsung flip phone.

------
larsen161-2
My Trezor wallet and all the crypto on it

------
cenan
My digital piano (yamaha clavinova).

------
kenny_g
My life - I own it !

------
miguelrochefort
Kinesis Advantage

------
arisAlexis
A bitcoin

------
Justen
My dog

------
cesidio
ruby language

------
corporateslave3
Mac book/iPhone, unfortunately.

I use them more than anything else.

