Experiencing the feeling of buyer's remorse is familiar to most people. That expensive shirt looked great in the store. So many imagined uses for that toaster oven. As a tech enthusiast, I have had this experience more times than I care to think about. My Amazon purchase history is riddled with things I wish I had the forethought to pass on. Some of these I've been able to return, but more often the remorse will hit after the return window closes. I also have items I am extremely happy with to this day that I was sure I would regret, so I will go through a few of both examples. Maybe the reflection will help future me in making better spending choices? Probably not, but one can hope.
2017 13" Intel MacBook Pro
I have been using macOS for a long time now. I spent my first five years on macOS using unofficially supported hardware, ahackintosh. Apple hardware has always been expensive, but thanks to Apple's transition to Intel it became easier to run macOS on off-the-shelf hardware. Day to day you couldn't tell it wasn't on unofficial hardware. In 2017 I got picked up a used 2015 15" MacBook Pro, and it became my everyday computer. It worked great and had zero issues. In 2020 I bought my first new Apple computer, a 2017 13" Macbook Pro. It was older hardware, and the entry-level model but I was super excited by it.
Enter the fan noise. The older 2015 model did not spin the fan up as fast or as often, so I was pretty surprised by the noise the smaller 13" emitted. Fan noise wasn't something new to me, but the pitch of this MacBook's fans is what drove me bonkers. I tried what I could to minimize the fan spinning up from constantly cleaning the heatsinks or watching Activity Monitor for anything using too much CPU in the background. Some things helped a little, but not by much if I am being honest. I lived with it and used headphones a lot!
Thankfully I traded that in and ordered a 2020 MacBook Air M1 when it was released and that was the end of the horrible fan noise.
Reebok Work All Terrain Shoe
Buying shoes that aren't exactly right is nothing out of the ordinary. That this happened within the last few years, and how long I did nothing about it is what stands out to me.
I buy wide shoes so that limits my choices at times, but the selection on Amazon is good for wide sizes. Buying off Amazon means I should read the reviews more often or use the generous return policy. I don't do either enough, and that ends badly for me.
First, the tongue of the shoe is attached to the sides up the entire length. As a result, no matter how tight I tried to make the laces the shoe never felt tight. The sides couldn't overlap the tongue to cinch up tighter. The second, and bigger issue for me was the sole. The soles have a slight angle to them causing my calf to start to crap up after a short time wearing them.
Instead of just returning them, or at least not wearing them, I kept on wearing them for a good two weeks. I finally gave up and ordered a pair of cheap New Balance sneakers that were perfect. All this is to say, I am not too bright at times.
Despite the numerous and at times expensive regrets, not all of my purchases end badly!
Dyson V6 Cordless Vacuum
I've had this vacuum for seven years now, but to this day I still think how great it is after every use. It still works almost as well as the day I bought it. It's light enough to vacuum the entire apartment with no issue. The powered brush does a great job on carpet, and even larger debris is picked up with no problem. The battery pack will need to be replaced soon, but that's not bad considering its age. It is easy to disassemble for cleaning, and replacement filters are cheap.
While I have had good luck with Dyson products there are plenty of stories from others with the opposite experience, especially with earlier products. Maybe I got lucky but I do know whenever my old vacuum gives up the ghost, I will without a doubt be picking up a new cordless Dyson vacuum.
Milwaukee Fastback Utility Knife
I've owned and lost knives of every shape, size, and price point. In 2014 I used a knife daily to cut cardboard boxes for work, and this knife became my favorite. A utility knife hasn't always been the best option, I've lost and then found this knife a dozen times. It spent most of a winter season in a snowbank when it fell out of my pocket. I couldn't believe my luck when I found it in a pile of melting snow. I cracked the body of the knife using it to open a beer bottle. No matter what abuse I've put it through this knife still works perfectly.
I have been trying to replace it with a smaller, slightly more appropriate pocket knife for an office worker, but nothing compares to this $17 utility knife.
There are plenty of other purchases big and small that I regret or I am happy with, but in the end, it is all just stuff. A few things stand out, but mostly I try to buy something that will last, and I don't have to think about again.