What is the BEST "value" you ever paid for?

[ChrisV]

I lost one while getting chased by children at a vineyard.

That's hilarious and adorable. But yea, I really like the Spunky's so far.. and they're 1/5th the price of AirPods and 5x the audio quality.

This site is also great. They list the best quality budget ($25-$150) earbuds they found

https://www.scarbir.com/truewireless

Usually when it comes to Audiophile IEM's I think of Ultimate Ears

Ultimate Ears Pro

pro.ultimateears.com

They're ridiculously expensive though.

Yea they have some IEMs that you have to get your ear measured and the plastic buds are custom molded to your ears via injection molding. I think they're for mostly for professional musicians or really really serious Audiophiles.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[peterb0yd]

A really nice pair of jeans from J Crew. It completely opened my eyes up to buying clothing for quality rather than price. Spending $120 on a pair of jeans was ridiculous to me at the time.

They quickly became my favorite pair of pants. That got me thinking--what else is worth paying extra for?

I later needed sweat pants. I normally would have gone to Gap or Macy's and picked out whatever seemed comfortable and affordable. However, I remembered the jeans and decided to do some research. I discovered Reigning Champ, a Canadian brand that makes high quality sweat gear. I then spent $115 on sweat pants.

Second best clothing purchase I've ever made. I continue to buy their sweatshirts (I own two) because of how comfortable they are.

 

[ChrisV]

A really nice pair of jeans from J Crew. It completely opened my eyes up to buying clothing for quality rather than price. Spending $120 on a pair of jeans was ridiculous to me at the time.

They quickly became my favorite pair of pants. That got me thinking--what else is worth paying extra for?

I later needed sweat pants. I normally would have gone to Gap or Macy's and picked out whatever seemed comfortable and affordable. However, I remembered the jeans and decided to do some research. I discovered Reigning Champ, a Canadian brand that makes high quality sweat gear. I then spent $115 on sweat pants.

Second best clothing purchase I've ever made. I continue to buy their sweatshirts (I own two) because of how comfortable they are.

Completely agree. I find expensive clothing to almost always be worth it. All my $40-$50 jeans? No idea where they are. Some ripped.. many faded, others are just junk. My $100-$300+ jeans? I still have every single pair and they're in amazing shape. When you get to that price point things are just made to last. At the ~$50 price point they're basically disposable snd meant to be thrown away after a year.

Buy nice stuff.. take care of it and it will last forever a lot of times.

They quickly became my favorite pair of pants. That got me thinking--what else is worth paying extra for?

It's actually ironic because many years ago, my first set of expensive headphones was the 'eye opening purchase' for me. I just redid my music collection, got a nice new iPod Touch (when those were still cool lol) and wanted to get the most out of my audio, so I researched the best headphones. After a ton of research I settled a set of $70 headphones even though I could have gotten something from RadioShack for $7, but it was one of the best purchases I ever made. After that I became somewhat of a product connoisseur.

 

[RazorCut]

Yea they have some IEMs that you have to get your ear measured and the plastic buds are custom molded to your ears via injection molding. I think they're for mostly for professional musicians or really really serious Audiophiles.

I’ve always been a big fan of Shure. Though I couldn’t get my last pair repaired so ended up with the Sony WH-1000XM3’s and a cheap pair of in-ear for the gym. The Sony’s are a good compromise between noise cancelling, battery life, (which is amazing) and sound quality.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Juan Pimentel]

A really nice pair of jeans from J Crew. It completely opened my eyes up to buying clothing for quality rather than price. Spending $120 on a pair of jeans was ridiculous to me at the time.

They quickly became my favorite pair of pants. That got me thinking--what else is worth paying extra for?

I later needed sweat pants. I normally would have gone to Gap or Macy's and picked out whatever seemed comfortable and affordable. However, I remembered the jeans and decided to do some research. I discovered Reigning Champ, a Canadian brand that makes high quality sweat gear. I then spent $115 on sweat pants.

Second best clothing purchase I've ever made. I continue to buy their sweatshirts (I own two) because of how comfortable they are.

I know i might sound like douche bro but spending money on high end clothes is a good investment. Now you shouldn’t go broke or in debt t buying expensive clothes but when you can buy them! I seriously don’t understand why most man neglect themselves when it come to fashion. Buying and wearing higher end product not just make you look good but feel good too. Girls notice you more and see you take pride in yourself. And high end clothes last longer . To this day i still have Hugo Boss and Ted Baker jacket i bought years ago. When I wear them people think they are new.

 

[RazorCut]

And high end clothes last longer . To this day i still have Hugo Boss and Ted Baker jacket i bought years ago. When I wear them people think they are new.

I’ve a pair of Ted Baker shoes I’ve had for twenty odd years. I just replace the leather soles when needed. Buying quality actually works out cheaper in the long run.

 

[Juan Pimentel]

I’ve a pair of Ted Baker shoes I’ve had for twenty odd years. I just replace the leather soles when needed. Buying quality actually works out cheaper in the long run.

I love Ted Baker its my go to brand now. I agreed i learn that years ago thanks to alphamale on youtube. Always choose quality or price. (As long as you don’t go broke )

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[The Abundant Man]

I know i might sound like douche bro but spending money on high end clothes is a good investment. Now you shouldn’t go broke or in debt t buying expensive clothes but when you can buy them! I seriously don’t understand why most man neglect themselves when it come to fashion. Buying and wearing higher end product not just make you look good but feel good too. Girls notice you more and see you take pride in yourself. And high end clothes last longer . To this day i still have Hugo Boss and Ted Baker jacket i bought years ago. When I wear them people think they are new.

Men should read this book:


Which peacock has the pretty feathers? The male
Which Lion has the mane? The male
These features are for mating purposes.

Throughout all of human history and throughout many cultures around the world, it is the leader, the king, etc that is well lavished. Indicates status.

Sexual evolution is predicated on...resources. Everything in this world is all about resources. (Gain resources for any potential future children)

The stuff that you buy, the clothes that you wear, etc all subconicously influence mating strategies.

Go to a woman closet. Full of shoes. Women subconcioulsy look at what shoes a guy is wearing.

It all indicates socio-economic status and whether she wants to mate with you or not.

 

[ChrisV]

I’ve always been a big fan of Shure. Though I couldn’t get my last pair repaired so ended up with the Sony WH-1000XM3’s and a cheap pair of in-ear for the gym. The Sony’s are a good compromise between noise cancelling, battery life, (which is amazing) and sound quality.

yea Shure and Sennheiser are probably my favorite brands when money’s not a factor. I’ve also heard very good things about those Sony’s.

 

[MetalGear]

yea Shure and Sennheiser are probably my favorite brands when money’s not a factor. I’ve also heard very good things about those Sony’s.

I have been looking for a good pair of wireless headphones and am trying to decide:
Sennheiser Momentum 3 or Sony WH1000XM3?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[ChrisV]

I have been looking for a good pair of wireless headphones and am trying to decide:
Sennheiser Momentum 3 or Sony WH1000XM3?

I'm biased toward Sennheisers, but Sony makes a quality headphone as well. Sennheisers are more 'vanilla' and they'll let you hear your music exactly how it is. Sony adds some chocolate sprinkles and hot fudge to make it sound 'better.' And I don't say 'better' sarcastically.. in some cases it really does sound great; but some people don't like anything changed about their music. Sennheisers in general will give you a more honest representation of the sound while Sony's will fluff it up a bit.

At this point in my life I kinda like my music fluffed a bit.

Here's some stuff that may be helpful. The guys at Head-fi are basically hardcore headphone connoisseurs. They're more knowledgable than any community I've found and really take their sound seriously.

Here are some reviews on the ones you asked about:

Sony WH-1000XM3 - Reviews

www.head-fi.org

Sennheiser Momentum 3 - Reviews

www.head-fi.org

But I wouldn't discount other full-size headphones because you might end up finding another pair you really like as well:

Headphones (full-size)

The Most Recent Sponsor Announcements & Deals Threads • Astell&Kern A&ultima SP3000T • Astell&Kern NOVUS IEM collab with Empire Ears • Noble Audio Onyx & Flash...

www.head-fi.org

There's also reddit's r/audiophile who are pretty good.

 

[Strategery]

Sony WH1000XM3

Love my Sony's! They block out the world

 

[WillHurtDontCare]

That's hilarious and adorable. But yea, I really like the Spunky's so far.. and they're 1/5th the price of AirPods and 5x the audio quality.

It was fun, probably the most fun part of the trip. My cousins are 3 & 5 and the two of them plus their friend chased me up & down a hill. There were a bunch of tables that I kept jumping on and over and my left headphone fell out (the game was more fun with a soundtrack). I was having too much fun to stop to pick it up.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[PapaGang]

Men should read this book:
View attachment 29889

Which peacock has the pretty feathers? The male
Which Lion has the mane? The male
These features are for mating purposes.

Throughout all of human history and throughout many cultures around the world, it is the leader, the king, etc that is well lavished. Indicates status.

Sexual evolution is predicated on...resources. Everything in this world is all about resources. (Gain resources for any potential future children)

The stuff that you buy, the clothes that you wear, etc all subconicously influence mating strategies.

Go to a woman closet. Full of shoes. Women subconcioulsy look at what shoes a guy is wearing.

It all indicates socio-economic status and whether she wants to mate with you or not.

Explains why women don't go near me and my Lebowski sandals.

 

[Juan Pimentel]

The $24.99 I spent of Millionaire Fastlane lol.

Other than that - I'd say the $99/month I spend on SEO software has been invaluable. I used to cheap out and use google search tools but a good SEO software tells you everything you need to know about your competitors, your audience, and how to bring them onto your site to buy.

What a good software i can use?

 

[reedracer]

I know i might sound like douche bro but spending money on high end clothes is a good investment. Now you shouldn’t go broke or in debt t buying expensive clothes but when you can buy them! I seriously don’t understand why most man neglect themselves when it come to fashion. Buying and wearing higher end product not just make you look good but feel good too. Girls notice you more and see you take pride in yourself. And high end clothes last longer . To this day i still have Hugo Boss and Ted Baker jacket i bought years ago. When I wear them people think they are new.

I found this out quite by accident. I went to a workout sponsored by the local Lulumon. We were given a $78 Vent Tech t-shirt in one of 3 colors and split into teams. OMG, this shirt is amazing! I wish I could afford to buy these clothes for all my sports! Similar revelation as when I traded my whitey tighties for Under Armour. $30 for a pair of drawers? Happily

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[being.simon]

You don't even have to spend a lot. I usually spend around $200 but I'm broke right now and I just picked up this amazing set on Amazon for 30 bucks because all the high-end audio sites were raving about them; and they're F*cking amazing. Seriously it's like I'm in my music. The battery died on them and I had to plug in my Samsung headphones and I want to strangle a baby seal. Samsung isn't a bad brand but these headphones sound like absolute rat shit in comparison to my Skunkys.

Have you actually tried AirPods or are you talking out your a$$? I highly highly highly doubt 30$ earpods are better than 200$ ones.

 

[ChrisV]

Have you actually tried AirPods or are you talking out your a$$? I highly highly highly doubt 30$ earpods are better than 200$ ones.

Half the people i know use airpods. i’ve heard them more times than I even want to. The audio quality for music is meh. It’s the same exact internals that the EarPods use. The sound quality is certainly nothing to write home about. The Spunky Encore headphones sound much much much better, even in comparison to the $260 Airpod Pro model. The poor music audio quality of Airpods is notorious among audiophiles and those who care about sound. For your average joe who just wants convenience and a good looking headphone they’re great - but for someone who really wants to enjoy their music the AirPods aren’t a good choice.

https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2017/12/20/apple-airpods

An Audiophile Review of the Apple AirPods • Audionist

The Apple AirPods are considered the spiritual successor to the EarPods. In this review, we compare the tone, design and fit of the much awaited AirPods.

audionist.com

I’ve been buying high-end headphones for over a decade now, and yes: the $30 Spunky Encores do sound a lot better than the Airpods. And there are a handful of other headphones in that price range that sound better as well.

 

[sparechange]

Ill tell you some crappy value I've paid for,

Tonight I went to see Bad Boys For Life (movie was ok with a cheesy plot kinda funny tho)

But I'm not complaining about the movie, what did kinda piss me off was the theatre, I paid a premium downtown Vancouver tax for uncomfortable seats and a messed up screen, it was 18 or 19 bucks while a city over its $13 with RECLINER seats.

(If your from Vancouver stay away from Burrard Cineplex) Stick with metrotown...

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[FeaRxUnLeAsHeD]

I haven't seen the fruition of the value yet, but...

I had two properties under agreement (one after the next) in 2018. Paid for home inspection and for appraisal for the first one - costed me a few grand. The seller turned out to be a scammer, and was withholding information about a tenant's child that was sick with high lead levels from the property that he knew about, and he had to fix that shit and the deal fell through / I walked away.

The second property had tenant issues with a tenant being evicted and that deal fell through, too. Another $500 home inspection invested.

But I'm pretty confident those poor experiences are going to set me up for a strong real estate purchase this year, now that I'm back in the market looking for a 3/4plex to invest in. Seemed like I was throwing away money at the time, but now I've been through a few rodeos and I'm more prepared than ever with the process, numbers I'm looking for, etc.

Edit: oh and a ninja blender / instapot.

 

[ChrisV]

Edit: oh and a ninja blender / instapot.

those are both awesome

loved my ninja.. use to make fresh juice daily

the instapot is redic.. throw meat in for 30 minutes and it completely falls apart

 

[The Abundant Man]

Have you actually tried AirPods or are you talking out your a$$? I highly highly highly doubt 30$ earpods are better than 200$ ones.

AirPods and Beats are way over rated

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[BizyDad]

My third employee.

The only two good things I'll say about the first one is he is a friend and he convinced me I should start hiring to grow my agency.

The second one was on track to be great, but he OD'ed. Fentanyl is a dirty dirty word.

But the third one... Because of him I've been able to up my rates, expand our service offerings. And when I've had issues with other lesser employees, he's been the one to help me mitigate those rough waters. If not for him, I might've closed up shop with #2 passed. I'm now building a team around him.

For a little while I thought he might be overpaid. But we've grown revenue 70% since he joined the team, and this week I signed a single client that more than covers his salary. I wouldn't have the client if not for him.

On an ROI basis, anything I do to put a smile on my kids faces has a bigger value impact for me. And I could probably name a few books that have gotten me a ridiculous ROI too. But in terms of raw dollars and sense, I think my third employee is my best investment yet.

 

[reedracer]

those are both awesome

loved my ninja.. use to make fresh juice daily

the instapot is redic.. throw meat in for 30 minutes and it completely falls apart

Love the Ninja blender. Kept over filling the Nutri-bullet I used for years, not a problem with the Ninja.

 

[zblundell]

Body Armour iphone 7 case. I think I paid $30 for this at Best Buy a while back and let me tell you it's worth every penny. I am a total klutz when it comes to owning a cell phone and I have dropped my current iphone 7 at least 20 times on concrete, hardwood floors, carpet, marble floor, etc. (you get the idea) and my phone still works very well with no cracks anywhere. The paint on the phone has a little wear (probably from taking a case on and off to clean it) but that is it. I love it because it is clear, I can still hear, and it is not bulky. I would buy another one if I ever decided to upgrade. No it is not a dinosaur, but thanks for asking lol.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Rickh]

Antibiotics. Without them, I/we would have probably died a long time ago.

 

[The Abundant Man]

OmniPod Insulin Pump. I just plug in the numbers, calculates everything and it gives me insulin. I feel like a robot/cyborg with it on my skin sometimes though. It actually is more of a hassle than Insulin Pens. There's like 10 steps to putting the insulin in the Pod. lol

 

[Gr8FUL]

What is the best "value" you ever paid for?

Just curious to hear people's experiences.

For me, my foam roller was a great value. It cost around $20 bucks but helps relieve my back and neck of stress and pain. On bad days, rolling on this thing becomes the best $20 bucks I ever spent!

What is the best $X you ever spent?

There is no limit ... if you spent $80K on a Corvette and felt is was the best value ever, then that's OK!

Let's hear it!

In all honesty, the books bY MJ b/c I got a million dollar value. I’m committed to do the same for others. The biggest game changer I’ve ever encountered. I’ve never read a book that made me want to leave my beautiful Hawaii to hop on a flight to Phoenix,AZ.
I don’t ever leave Hawaii in the winter . I don’t even own warm clothing.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[enri]

Nokia 1616 - Being a somewhat tech-savvy person and an internet addict, it keeps me focused and aware of surroundings and people around me, also forces better time management and doesn't work against my posture. Plus it keeps away a lot of meaningless incoming chitchat. And no worries about battery draining out, and no worries about dropping it.

Edit: It cost 15 euros, from a pawnshop. Have now been using it for many years.

 

[foodiepersecond]

Very hard to answer that. I would probably say my gaming PC. I can't think of anything more versatile. It's powered well to handle the top games. It has rendered all my old consoles obsolete. Since its powerful enough for games, simple day-to-day work with emails, browsing, etc is top notch. I can stream media so I don't need a TV. I've done trading and freelance work on it, so I make a little money with it. It's probably my best investment so far.

Only other thing that rivals that is my cast iron skillet and Victorinox chef knife. Again, very simplistic yet versatile.