The most useful things I've ever purchased

Time and time again I've gotten household/automotive appliances (eg: george foreman grill or a $20 paper shredder) that have either broken or I've stopped using. Below are a few items I've gotten off of Amazon over the years that I have found to be well made and gotten a lot of use out of and I have no hesitation recommending.

1) Giant, Powerful Scissors.


Ok well maybe they refer to them as "Tin Snips" but these things are awesome, and amazingly useful. According to Amazon: "Super sharp blades easily cut through sheet metal, aluminum sliding and more ." I've used these to cut through so many things I can hardly keep count. In particular, they are good on packaging. The hard plastic packaging that most electronics seem to come in most days can be easily disposed of with this thing. It also eats right through whatever plastic ring in a package may be securing the item inside. Do yourself a favor and get the twelve inch ones. Whenever you need scissors on steroids, keep these handy.

2) Tire Inflator



I've had this Slime compressor for about a year and it is great. Throw it in your trunk and you will never have to pay a dollar at the gas station each time you want to inflate your tires. This particular model is pretty heavy duty and feels like it will last a long time. Plus, when you get that inevidable flat tire only to find out your spare needs 40 pounds of pressure, this thing will be there to help you out. It will also get you to the gas station if you discover a nail has slow-leaked your tire flat overnight. As a bonus, it also comes with attachments to inflate things like bicycle tires, basketballs and other inflatables.

3) Aeropress


If you need single serving coffee, forget about the tasteless pods that everybody seems to be buying these days. The Aeropress is the way to go. The reviews on Amazon speak for themselves. I've had mine for over three years now and it is the only thing I use to make coffee at home. This is especially good for people who (like me) enjoy strong coffee. Read all of the Amazon reviews if you don't believe me.
Being a finance person, I'm not a big fan of buying crap you don't need or can't use, but this stuff is either incredibly useful and built to last forever (the snips), saves you money and gives you peace of mind (the tire inflator), or saves you money and gives you delicious life-giving coffee (the AeroPress) and I'm willing to go out on a limb and recommend all of the items above. As long as you can comfortably afford them, you won't regret buying them.