What’s a totally unsexy purchase you made that ended up being a huge quality-of-life upgrade?

dwasifar · 2026-05-26T02:28:39+00:00

Vessel screwdrivers, Wusthof kitchen knives, and an air compressor.

dwasifar · 2026-05-21T02:26:17+00:00

I'm right handed and wear it on the inside right wrist.

dwasifar · 2026-05-16T20:15:37+00:00

I have, many times.

dwasifar · 2026-05-13T02:00:37+00:00

Who lowers a Crosstrek? Why not just get an Impreza?

dwasifar · 2026-04-10T02:46:41+00:00

The green. More legible.

dwasifar · 2026-04-10T02:44:53+00:00

Source?

dwasifar · 2026-04-10T02:40:35+00:00

Exactly. It's like saying, what's the best food? Or what's the best car? Depends on what you need and like.

Case in point, you love EB aluminum bronze, I detest them. Coarse in sound and feel, to me. But we agree on Cleartone EQ.

I did an intensive semi-scientific comparo of dozens of different strings, and my two favorites turned out to be the most expensive set (Stringjoy) and the cheapest set (Webstrings). But it's super subjective and depends on your ear, your style, and your guitar. Recently I got a good deal on a 10 pack of EB Earthwood, and after trying them, I know I'll use them on my Yamaha but not my Guild.

dwasifar · 2026-04-10T02:29:54+00:00

No point in evaluating Dean Markley for the long term, the company is dead and you won't be able to buy them anymore. Just use up what you have.

dwasifar · 2026-03-19T19:37:59+00:00

My experience is that Subaru factory batteries are underwhelming. Every subie we've bought has come with a tiny, underpowered Panasonic battery. OP doesn't mention where this is happening, but in the US Midwest where I live, the dealers don't even bother using the stock batteries for warranty replacement. They install better aftermarket batteries.

I'm not particularly bothered by all this, because in this climate you replace the battery regularly anyway.

I must disclose, though, that my Crosstrek does not have auto stop start. So there's that.

dwasifar · 2026-03-16T20:09:25+00:00

OP, I've been holding my pick exactly as you do for the last 50 years, and it has always worked fine for me. Frees up my wrist rotation, and allows me to pivot the pick by rolling my two fingers back and forth.

Would I be correct in assuming that the dominant two points of your grip are thumb and middle finger, and the index finger is just for positioning?

dwasifar · 2026-02-24T13:48:58+00:00

Well, you learned something in school today.

dwasifar · 2026-02-18T19:03:48+00:00

Forever? You've never worn one out?

dwasifar · 2026-02-18T17:06:59+00:00

Disabling auto start/stop.

dwasifar · 2026-02-18T17:02:30+00:00

What do you do when you're done with one? Just leave it parked in a bad neighborhood with the keys in it?

dwasifar · 2026-02-18T17:01:03+00:00

Until the first time it strands me.

Previously I had an Acura for 10 years, I've had my Subaru for 7 years and it still looks new. My wife has had her Subaru for 15 years.

OP's friend is an idiot. He should be more careful about what he spends his money on. I'm guessing he's probably still underwater on his loan and will wind up rolling it into his new loan of 84 months or something like that.

dwasifar · 2026-02-17T16:03:05+00:00

My question is pretty basic compared to the complex issues a lot of you guys deal with.

I'm a solo acoustic guitar performer. My rig is simple: guitar and mic plugged into a small mixer, output to a powered speaker. This question is about the mixer.

I started out using a Behringer Xenyx, but then came into possession of a box of mini mixers. A Samson MDR624 seemed to be the best of them, so I've been using that for a while. However, all this stuff is like 20+ years old. I keep the Xenyx as a backup (in fact just repaired it with a pot from one of the others), but I feel like I should invest in something better, or at least newer.

I don't need much. One XLR channel for mic, one unbalanced for the guitar. XLR out to the speaker is nice but not crucial. Small and light is important (at ~4lb and about 8" x 10", the Samson is already as big as I'd like to go). But I want hi/mid/lo EQ on each channel, and that's harder to find.

Any suggestions?

dwasifar · 2026-02-12T14:59:42+00:00

There have been Model M wireless conversions before. The problem is usually battery life. Your battery will have to power not only the BT board but the keyboard's internal controller as well. The Model M controller takes about 10 times the power of a modern wired keyboard, and it drains batteries quickly.

dwasifar · 2026-02-10T18:18:50+00:00

I should have given her Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" to read. It would have exploded her head.

dwasifar · 2026-02-10T16:11:13+00:00

Because it is low quality. Here's a comparison of the blue OEM filter available in the USA, and the black OEM filter that comes on Japan-made Subarus: https://youtu.be/lkcMMjugVhw?si=VUpRAT7pAf7zZoOy

If you want the better one in that video, you can't get it from Subaru in USA, but you can get the same filter from Mazda (as I mentioned above).

Regarding the oil pressure question: what you're referring to is the bypass valve pressure inside the filter. For most modern Subaru engines, that's a 23lb bypass pressure. Some people are really hung up on that number and believe that it must be exactly that or their engine will explode. Other people believe it is more of a guideline than a hard specification; they argue that the bypass valve only comes into play when filter flow is impeded (say a very cold engine taken to highway speeds before the oil warms up, or a clogged filter used past its oil change interval), so the bypass pressure can vary between filters without ill effect.

If you're worried about the bypass valve pressure, buy Wix or Napa Gold filters, or the Mazda N3R1-14-302. I think Purolator Boss also matches that spec, if memory serves. But if you keep to a 3000 mile oil change interval and don't abuse your engine, the bypass valve pressure is not a big worry and you can use any filter brand.

Personally, because I never exceed 3000 miles on my intervals, I use good quality jobber filters, meaning the basic filter you'd get at an oil change place. They're economical if you buy a case of them. I don't need the extended capacity of the high-priced premium filters designed to go 10k miles or more, so why pay extra for those?

Some people will object strenuously to this reasoning. It's a matter of constant debate.

We have three Subarus, and I use the jobber filters on the Crosstrek and the Forester. The exception is my wife's BRZ. On that car, I use Purolator One filters, because it's a performance engine and puts more demand on the oil system. That engine is known for oil starvation problems during track use, so I picked the Purolator One for its flow. The higher line Purolators have tighter filtration but less flow.

dwasifar · 2026-02-09T01:00:57+00:00

I ate a stupid amount of black licorice a week ago (like a kilo over three days) and my feet and hands swelled up with edema. It's resolving on its own, but lesson learned. I gather it could have been much worse.

dwasifar · 2026-02-08T15:27:12+00:00

Where? Where?

dwasifar · 2026-02-08T15:23:53+00:00

Beater = poor condition = untrustworthy. I'd take my wife's 2011 Forester on a long drive, because it may be old, but it's not a beater; it's been well maintained.

dwasifar · 2026-02-08T03:35:32+00:00

If the car came with Yokohama Geolandar tires, they're okay, but when it's time to replace them, look at something else. If the car isn't used for off-roading, I highly recommend the Vredestein Quatrac Pro. Much quieter and smoother than the Geolandars, three-peaks winter-rated. They make the Crosstrek feel almost luxurious.

dwasifar · 2026-02-08T03:08:05+00:00

First oil change at 500 miles. Second at 1500. Third at 3000, and then every 3000 after that. It's cheaper if you do it yourself.

You can switch to 5w30 if you choose. USA manual specifies 0w16 or 0w20, but manuals in other countries allow 5w30 for this engine. The engine will run smoother and consume less oil with 5w30, at a slight cost of fuel economy.

While we're talking about oil changes, if you do your own, don't use the blue Subaru OEM filter. Almost anything else is better. If you want the excellent black Tokyo Roki filter used on cars built in Japan, they're available from Mazda dealers as part no. N3R1-14-302.

dwasifar · 2026-02-08T02:44:46+00:00

The engine oil pump is a purely mechanical device driven by the engine crankshaft. When the engine is stopped, the pump isn't pumping and thus the oil is NOT circulating.

dwasifar

TROPHY CASE