Tell Uncrate: What Was Your Best Purchase Of 2006?
We're assuming that if you read Uncrate, you've probably bought at least a couple interesting items in '06. What we're asking is out of everything you bought, what has been the best purchase, either because of value or due to quality. Among the Uncrate staffers, our best purchases were probably a VW Jetta GLI, a Sony WEGA 50" HDTV, a pair of True Religion Joey jeans, and a Hearts on Fire engagement ring. So tell us, what are you happy to have bought this year?
Related Goods
A prime lens.
Specifically, a 50mm/f1.8 (for Canon, but they make them for other manufacturers as well)
It makes photographing people an absolute joy.
This particular lens is (relatively) cheap and made of plastic. If you get one, make sure to keep it in a padded camera bag.
2006 Aprilia SR50 R Factory
http://www.apriliausa.com/modelli/scooter/modello.asp?id=113
Best way so far to lessen my greenhouse gas footprint, save cash on gas and get around in style. Can't go on the freeway (CA law for "Motor-Driven Cycles") so I'm forced to use backcountry roads (poor me.)
By far the best purchase of the year is the new ThinkPad x60 tablet PC Fast, durable, light... just can't ask for much more.
Nintendo Wii
Hands down, my best purchase of 2006 was a MacBook Pro. It's way faster than any computer I've owned, it's comfortably portable (not too heavy or too awkward to carry) and its ease of use and bevy of cool apps have changed the way I work and play.
Hmm, that's a tough one because I spend so much damn money with this addiction I have. I think the best purchase I have made this year would have to be my Kayak
P&H Capella 166 - Expedition Kayak
I spent a lot of time on the water with it and I can't wait for the weather to get better so I can get out again. Very good upper body exercise too. I wish I was able to kayak to work, but I would look weird on I-95.
[url]http://www.phseakayaks.com/osb/itemdetails.cfm?ID=8[/url]
My bed from haikudesigns.com. It's such a comfortable bed that I don't want to get out of it in the morning. The only thing that motivates me to get up is my Wii which is the second best purchase.
My divx DVD player. Only $30. Goodbye bockbuster. Goodbye Netflix.
I love my slimy wallet. It forced me to pick the few cards that I always use and it removes that unsightly bulge that used to plague my pants.
top 3:
1: One way plane ticket to Tokyo
2: Nikon D40 (two days ago)
3: Nintendo Wii
by far the best thing I bought this year was a Canon 30d dSLR. My second would probably be my HP dv1650 laptop for dirt cheap!
Macbook Pro
Garmin Street Pilot i5. Got it for my wife who is terrible with directions. Now she never gets lost.
2x raptor hard drives that I use in raid 0. Next would be xbox 360 and gears of war.
That would have to be my PS3 (flame suit on). I've been really impressed with the graphics on my 50" plasma...The downloadble version of GT HD Sony made available on Christmas day is absolutely incredible. Too bad they don't plan to make the game :(
My Series 3 TiVo had to be one of my favorite purchases of 2006 and my Nintendo Wii
It is a toss-up between Madden 07 or this obscure thing called an iPod 5G 30GB.
Western Digital MyBook 500GB Hard Drive.
So cheap for the amount of storage and incredibly quiet. Will purchase the new WD MyBook Pro 1TB hard drive in a second when the time comes that I need it.
Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
It helps fight off RSI for a couple more years despite spending way too much time on the computer....
I second the joey jeans. I'll thrown in my 42in plasma and tempurpedic bed.
The single greatest gift to myself this year has to be my Bose surround system. Amazing sound in such a little package!
My MacBook, by far. It delivers the perfect Mac experience for my needs and for the money - much better than my 15" Powerbook G4.
-jf.
my new Windows Mobile Smartphone - Qtek-8310 a.k.a. HTC Tornado:
http://www.europe.htc.com/products/qtek8310.html
1) macbook pro
2) 42" samsung plasma
MacBook Pro
Xbox 360
Infrant Readnas NV+
difficult to name the best, so heres top 3:
1. 5 day trip to cozumel (leaving next friday)
2. colorado pass (season ski pass to a bunch of CO resorts) - AAAAAAAAAWESOME deal!
3. sony ericsson w810i phone - love it!
best purchase of 2007?
my life back from sallie mae. gonna bite the bullet and pay off my student loan in one chunk. heh
Blackberry Pearl 8100, sweet.
Volkswagen Golf GTI.
My favorite purchase of 2006 was a 2007 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10! That beast is fast and sexy.
2006 Honda CBR600RR
Fast. Sexy. Good gas mileage. No traffic (lane sharing is legal in CA).
Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner!
It's amazing. I havn't had a need to clean my shower since March -- it's still immaculate!
Word on the Jetta GLI. I have a 2004 but the 2006 packs a lot of cool new features that I wish mine had. Though I'm not digging the new Jetta design so much.
Best purchases: Nintendo DS Lite, Palm Treo 650, Spy LeBaron sunglasses, Smith Serpico sunglasses, Abercrombie underwear that was featured on here
My wife and I started building a home in http://www.flinthillsresidences.com/ it should be completed in late spring '07, so does this count for '06?
Mini Cooper JCW GP #GP0650
ok, glad some people did more than one, because...
1) Macbook 13 inch - refurb from apple, under a grand delivered :-)
2) Mac G5 500gigs HD, 7 gigs RAM ($1000 used - the RAM alone is worth that much!)
3) Wacom tablet
4) Photoshop CS2
5) Canon 24-70mm 2.8L lens
2007 Tahoe
Motorola Q
A BenQ HD Projector and the X360.
My PSP. I can play games, download and watch video Podcasts, songs and convert my TV shows to my memory sticks. Love my PSP.
A D40. It was my Christmas present from my wife, but I picked it out and purchased it.
Prolly my Sony Ericsson w600i cellie. It's solid reception means I've only had like 3 calls drop (from MY end) all year. Stores about 50 mp3's... and amazing feature set.
Beats my Canon S3 IS by a nose (for sheer USAGE). Maybe Cleveland CG2 iron set and CG10 black pearl wedges? I don't think anything else comes close to those three/four things. That's my short list.
MacBook Pro (awesome computer- ill never buy a desktop again)... seems to be the winner here also huh?!!! VWs are awesome but do they give you guys a box of replacement bulbs with new car purchase.... hahahaha.... you'll see what im talking about!!!! Good luck though.
Lucio Fulci's
"Zombi 2"
Mine would be a military version of the Patagonia Dimension soft shell - I spend a lot of time in the variable weather of the Pacific Northwest, and this jacket has become the anchor of my outdoor clothing system.
It wicks well, dries quickly, has great pocket placement and freedom of movement. Another plus is that the hood is so well designed that it fits over climbing and rescue helmets with ease.
About the only thing that I wish it had was zip-up pockets on both outer sleeves, then it would be perfect.
In no particular order...
- Vespa LX50 (now that's gas mileage)
- Leica Digilux 3 (film-like grain quality, very sharp, excellent design)
- Canon L series 80-200 zoom lens (for the wife...super sharp, awesome low light shots)
- Nintendo Wii (great fun, worth the wait in the cold)
- Macbook Pro 17 (still having sleep issues post firmware update, but it's still awesome)
Nikon D200 w/18-200mm VR lens. An incredibly versatile combination.
Logitech Wireless Music System for PC. One of the few purchases that has exceeded my expectations.
Panasonic 37" Plasma HDTV, TH-37PX60U
1. Apple MacBook, no questions about it
2. Apple HiFi (w/airport express)
3. Airplane ticket to NYC
Macbook hands down!
1)Sony VAIO Premium SZ laptop. Extremely powerful in a stylish, light Carbon fiber case.
2)True Religion Raw denim bobby jeans
My plane ticket home to see my family and friends; didn't know how much I was missing them until I saw them again.
Motorola A1200 in red, the Ming. It's such a cute practical phone
Macbook
Animals, etc bought at www.heifer.org to help others and sponsoring a couple of kids at www.planusa.org
1] 2004 mini cooper s
2] canon 5d with 24-105mmL lens
3] seraphin leather jacket
4] 2x scanspeak 9" revelator subwoofers
- it's been a big year.
-MacBook (Black C2D w/ 160G HD & 2G RAM)
I absolutely love this thing. Easily the best purchase I've made this year. :)
2007 VW GTI
United Grey, 2.0T, DSG
Hard to choose just one;
My Bentley Arkitekt Fossil Watch w/Diamond
Nintendo Wii
Chrome Mini Messenger Bag
Norcent 20" HDTV LCD
Dension Ice>Link Plus iPod interface
Paper, Denim & Cloth Jeans (first pair of $100+ jeans)
Hollister Jake Cologne
It's gotta be one of those...
Love my MacBook Pro ... but I have to give props to my reconditioned Scotty Cameron putter. No way it makes me a better putter, but the smile on my face every time I pull it out of my bag makes it worth it.
Bose headphones (audio bliss)
David Yurman chain
Nike Sneakers.
It's the simple and small things that make me happy.
The Nokia 770, hands down. It has cut the tether to my desk and fills a need I didn't even know I had. I carry it everywhere I go now. In fact this post is being made on it right now from the local Starbucks.
Canon Powershot A630
and
One Click Butter Cutter (not exactly high tech, but very cool)
1) Sony HD3 High Def cam corder.. simply stunning!
2) 24" iMac and 15" MacBook Pro core2duo
3) Parallels software to run on those machines!
Hmm.. Lot of good ones this year.
1. Macbook - I've switched sides and I'm absolutely happy I did!
2. 2004 Yukon Denali - Put 24's on it two days after purchase.
3. My new Townhome - Best of both worlds. Home owner but without all the yard work!
3. Weekend trip to Vegas! - Enough said about that.
1. A short holiday in Venice, Italy. Beautiful.
2. AKG K81DJ headphones; cheap and very good. Many rave reviews on head-fi.org, and I'm glad that I believed them.
3. A few other less high tech and relevant things.
Another list:
1. Sonos - now my 300 CDs sit in the basement
2. MacBook - after 15 years I am never going back to buying a PC
3. iPod 80GB Video - get to download shows off the TIVO and watch them while the wife shops or during flights.
4. BMW K1200S - Not you teenage son's motorcycle
5. Canon Rebel XT - allowed me to rediscover photography after years in the point'n'shoot wasteland
Prospective best purchases of 2007:
1. Panasonic 42" Plasma
2. Nintendo Wii
3. Ducati 1098
4. Canon EF-S 17-85mm IS lens
My 20" iMac Core2Duo and my Nikon d80.
1. Sonno Prima mattress from Design Within Reach -- truly amazing.
2. Tumi messenger bag in black with red interior (style 5112) -- the perfect bag.
3. Nike "Hammer" wristwatch -- every time I wear it someone comments on it.
The new Dell UltraSharp 2407FPW 24" wide LCD monitor for my Christmas present. Working at home will look so much better.
Oh, and there were some good bottles of wine as well. :)
A Meizu Miniplayer, the "iPod knockoff that could."
A VW GTI United gray, 6 speed. Just got it a week ago and it is by far my best purchase this year.
wurkin stiffs
my core2duo macbook pro
1. I jumped on the adicolor release early and was able to grab an adicolor "red" track jacket. It's the Dark Horse inspired version. I bought it online from a UK store (Triads)(I'm Canadian)with little hassles and a price I could rationalize later.
2. My Moto Q. Other than a bit of a powering down issue (grrr) and a drop (son of a...)this thing has been an absolute dream. It's my first data device and I'm really wondering what I was doing before I had the Q.
The best purchase I have made this year has to be the logitech harmony 890 remote. No more having to deal with five remotes because it controls every home entertainment device I have with the push of a button, and it evens controls my lights through RF.
I finally broke down and bought an iPod (5th gen 30GB video). Don't know why I waited so long. What a great little piece of technology.
1. Canon 5D dSLR camera + 135mm f/2.0L prime lens
2. MacBook Pro 17" + Adobe Creative Suite 2
3. Epson r2400 printer
olympus om-1
Range Rover Sport Supercharged
MacBook Pro 2
Grado SR225 headphones. Wow! Truly rich sound.
iPod 5G 30 gig. Resisted for so long.
TaylorMade r7 driver (oh how it's changed my game)
Best purchases of 2006:
1) 1995 Toyota Supra TT
2) Canon SD630
Hopeful for 2007:
1) 2008 Honda CBR600RR
I got the binary watch. I love it, it's a great conversation opener, and it always grabs people's attention.
My best purchase has to be my Cingular 8525 which I'm writing this on. How did I live without this 3G phone.
An Aeron Chair, with custom leather arms
MacBook and then a 1 gig RAM upgrade.
1. Nintendo Wii
2. black iPod nano 2G
PicooZ mini helicopter.
Remote controlled and SO badass.
Best $30.00 a boy could spend.
Once you make the proper adjustments and trial and error, you'll be shocked at how you can get the little sucker to move around your livingroom, garage or backyard.
$30.00 bones was never better spent. This thing is a phenomenon. If you don't have one, you're late to the party, my friend.
1. 24"iMac
2. Xbox360
3. PinkFloyd Animals on LP
Toyota Camry 07.
Best thing I bought in 2006 was a Macbook, which also happened to be my very first Apple computer.
Golf - TDi 1.9L Comfortline
Nintendo Wii
Toyota Yaris
Blackberry Pearl
pumas (suede sicily romas) -- awesome shoes.
nike shocks -- not for b-ball but for running, changed the way i run... for the better
v-moda vibe headphones -- awesome earbuds. fit great. look great. saves me battery on my ipod due to the in-ear thing. ive had other in-ear earbuds but this thing is something else.
various shirts from threadless -- cool and funny. threadless.com
The best purchase I made was a 20" imac as well as some studio monitors (which also make for really cool stereo speakers) The JBL LSR4300 series...
Mitsubishi HD1000u 720p native DLP front projector. It is an amazing projector with a retail price of only $999.00, Just astounding.
Mac Pro with two 20" Dell UltraSharp monitors. Parallels allows me to run WinXP (ugh!) in one monitor for job related stuff and the top notch Apple apps in the other monitor. As this is already becoming the next supercharged year of the video, Apple's iMovie, Garageband, and QuickTime Pro has enabled me to create my first videos with minimum pain. Happy New Year Y'all!
iRiver Clix at a 35% discount. I love it.
VW Golf GTI......
Canon EOS 350......
They Both Rock!!
Volkswagen 2007 4-door 2.0T GTI
2007 Honda CR-V EX (great mileage/perfect size), Ikea "Jerker" computer desk ($99 - great deal)
Sonos Digital Music System!
By far the best purchase of the year! I have three zone players in my condo streaming all my stored CD's and Rhapsody. I had a party on New Years playing old 80's hits to current Pop.
Hands down, an imported, unlocked Sony Ericsson w810i. The phone is practically promiscuious with it's data sharing and, with a 4GB memory card, is also the MP3 player that never leaves my side.
Just picked up a 32" Sharp Aquos LCD for $899, canadian!!
A hard to find Mos Def 12-inch vinyl.(universal Magnetic to be precise.) 5 bucks on ebay! And I was about to pay 40 to get it from England! Ha Ha Ha Hee!
My OQO 01+. No doubt it is the most amazing machine I've purchased for a couple of years.
Happy New Year to you all.
a Playstation 3.
Salomon FSK 3VSL inline skates:
- Faster around London than ANY car/bus/underground
- More reliable
- Cheaper to run
- Much, much, more fun (especially watching car driver's faces when they sit bored in the traffic)
- And keeps me fit to boot
http://www.salomoninline.com/ch/products/products.asp?id=785679
1. 46" Sony Bravia XBR2
2. Nintendo Wii
3. Playstation 3
This was a really awesome year for me. I also receive my first child and she is getting bigger and bigger, and getting more and more expensive!!!
A week at Disney World with my wife and two kids; Especially stunning when you consider that I HATE theme parks.
Land Rover LR3 HSE. Navigation! Penn State vs. Tennesse. A few.
custom made leather laptop bag from the village tannery in the west village (NYC) - sooo much cooler than any laptop bag on the market.
www.villagetannery.com
I was really hungry one night and got a pizza from Mellow Mushroom........grubbin'.
1. Logitech Revolution MX Mouse
2. University of Michigan Football Jersey
MacBook Pro
Custom shirts. No question. I got mine in NYC at Cego (cego.com). They fit perfectly, are exactly the color/shade/pattern/style I want and they were a steal (~$130per) compared to designer shirts. I used to pay >$200 for Zegna or Etro, which didn't even fit that well.
If you live in the nyc area, you should peep cego.
a 32" samsumg lcd tv,black, its sick because its made for gamers and ipod so i think its just right for the youth for today and me
Audi A3 3.2
Roomba robot vacuum
Wine cellar
And most important of all, all the money spent introducing my daughter to more "adventurous" foods
TICKETS TO SHOWDOWN LAN 2K6! HELLZ YES. \m/
can't wait for the next one!
www.showdownlan.com
That would have to be my '05 BMW 645ci. It was hardly driven by the previous owner (Only 3800 miles in 7 months!). $12,000 off MSRP made it even better!
Lot's of ideas for `07 on this thread!
Definitely my white shiny Macbook
I got a Sachs Madass scooter.
The coolest scooter ever!
I got a really cool bracelet that has healing properties at WWW.LeatherRockBands.com
A Panasonic VHS/DVD Recorder. My wife no longer has an excuse to keep her 60+ VHS tapes!
Comments closed. Thanks for all the great responses!