Products I Own (Updated January 2020)
It’s always interesting to hear what products other people use and why. This is a short list of things I own with brief descriptions, detailed reviews where complete.
| Category | Product | Competitors | Why | Notes |
| Computer | MacBook Pro | Dell XPS, HP, Asus Zenbook | macOS stability, iMovie, longevity | I still prefer Macs for daily use, but Windows is narrowing the gap. Even Chromebooks have their niche. Things I dislike on MacBook: butterfly keyboard, soldered RAM. |
| Custom built desktop | Mainstream laptops | More computing power, upgrade flexibility, gaming | Great for difficult encoding tasks, gaming, and multi-monitor setups. It’s amazing how much machine you can get for your money now. | |
| Phone | iPhone XR | Other iPhone models, Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy | iOS. | To me, the XR (iPhone 11 in 2019/2020) is the sweet spot for value. If you want optical zoom, buy an external lens adapter on Amazon. If I was on Android, I’d go for the Pixel 3a and plan to upgrade in 2 years. |
| Headphones |
Bose QuietComfort 25 AirPods Gen 2 |
Beats Studio, Sennheiser, Shure, others |
Bose: Best noise canceling and comfort on flights/trains. Airpods: Best everyday use for calls. |
I prefer over-the-ear to wear for more than 3 hours, and the Bose have the best noise canceling I’ve heard. Or not heard? Whichever. For train rides and phone calls though, I love my AirPods. Gotta be Gen 2, Gen 1 batteries die too quickly. |
| Television | Samsung 55″ 4k UN55JU6500 | LG, Sony, Panasonic, Vizio | I specifically bought this as a “stop-gap” TV until LG’s OLEDs (the gold standard) decrease to under $1k | Review sites rave about the TCL 6-series as the best value TV, but in my experience they’ve had terrible grayscale banding (dark to light doesn’t blend smoothly but has strips of color bands). |
| Toilet Seat (yes…) | Toto Washlet C100 | Any non-bidet seat, BioBidet | Once you’ve used Japanese toilets, it’s difficult to go back. Heated seat, warm water wash with adjustable pressure and position, dryer | Better than a cold Euro bidet and miles better than just toilet paper. Americans, keep an open mind – and trial privately if you’re nervous. Retails around $250 and worth every penny. |
| Mattress | Purple | Casper, Tuft and Needle, Loom and Leaf, a whole host of Chinese import brands, and Temper-Pedic | Special “hyper-elastic polymer” layer is Purple’s secret sauce. (Which makes it very heavy, 100+ lbs) | This segment has the most misinformation out there, with so many paid promotion reviewers. I trialed many of the new memory foam mattresses and of them, liked Purple the most. However, it hasn’t stayed comfortable over time, and I no longer recommend it. |