Here are a couple of things I've developed strong opinions on
Like:
- My BMW. Specifically, the 2006 - 2012 3-series and derivatives (which include the 1- and Z-series). They all share the same chassis and drivetrain, with the 3.0 liter straight-six engine and 6-speed manual transmission. I've owned 3 of these cars: a 2006 Z4 roadster, a 2011 128i convertible, and now a 2008 328i convertible. They are just magic on wheels, and my current one is the best of them all. I'm not a fan of the newer models, or the other series of cars from them. And just as a reminder, I paid $12k for my current car. It's not a rich-person car.
Dislike:
- Our Dyson vacuum. I'll start with this disclaimer; if you have a Dyson vacuum, and you like it, then good for you. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind. I'm just describing my experience.
Mrs. Scotch has always bought Miele vacuums. When our last one got old and crappy, she ordered a replacement, but was expecting more for the price, so she returned it. And instead, she wanted to try a Dyson. I always saw Dyson as one of those slick, marketing-driven snake-oil companies, but if she was willing to try one, then what the hell.
The first thing I noticed, is that the wall charger had no indicator light. The vacuum has a charge-level indicator, but it just shows the level of the battery, not whether it's successfully charging. So when I first set it up, I had a hard time verifying if it was connecting and charging. Moving to the power switch, we are used to having a foot pedal switch to turn on the old vacuum. With the Dyson, it has a hand trigger like a gun, and it's in the only place to grab the unit. There's no way to handle the vacuum without constantly starting it accidentally. But then after using the vacuum for a few minutes, you realize how stupid it is to have to constantly squeeze the trigger. My hand gets cramped. Why is there no trigger lock? Why can't it just click on, and then click again for off?
The whole unit is made of a shiny, hard plastic, that feels like something from the '80s. And the thing will not stand up on it's own! If you need to put it down for a minute, what do you do? It won't even stand up against a wall or counter. It's also very noisy. Those TV commercials where it sounds like a hushed whisper are bullshit. And the whole time you're using it, you're basically scraping the plastic head across your floor. There are little, tiny front wheels, and then a rubber strip in the back. But most of the head is in contact with the floor, which also explains why it's so hard to control the direction.
It also doesn't pick-up many things well; it clogs easily; and the battery lasts for maybe 15-20 minutes on low, but less than 10 minutes on high. Other than that, it's great.