- Airpods Pro: Sound really good, walking around freely during calls has been great, solid noise cancelling. Most useful and fun pair of headphones I've ever owned by a long shot.
- A single 27" 2569x1440 screen on a monitor arm. Had a 34" Ultrawide, an Apple Cinema Display and several combinations of multiple displays, but that's my sweet spot. Would love to have 5k, but these are still too pricey.
- Metabo PowerMaxx BS 10.8v cordless drill. Almost as powerful as a big one but so small and light that it's suitable for delicate work and cramped corners. I've used it to screw small servos to an acrylic robot backplate and drill 12mm holes through 100mm of wood.
- Philips Hue: I'd never have thought how much of a difference being able to have warm, dim light in the evening and cold, bright light in the afternoon makes, but it's huge. Also makes it easy to have half a dozen dimmed small lamps instead of a single big one. I have LED strips behind my screen that have cured my nightly headaches.
- A small Victorinox Alox knife with just a blade and bottle/can opener/flat screwdriver. Lives permanently in my coin pocket and I wouldn't have believed just how often this comes in handy. It's also totally non-threatening, which is a must in an office environment.
- A tiny flashlight on my keychain. I use this a lot in the darker months, it's so much quicker to get to than fumbling with my phone.
- Victorinox Bike Tool: A 6mm or so hex key, a bit adapter that goes onto either end of the hex key, a number of metric bits (hex, philips, torx) and a pair of plastic tire levers. Snaps together into a package so lightweight and small that I actually have it with me when I need it and versatile enough to be useful, with bits for just the screw heads I actually have on my bike.
- A tarp poncho for summer/fall hiking. Much airier than a rain trousers/jacket combo, keeps me dry even in torrential downpours, backpack fits underneath, plus it doubles as a simple shelter in a pinch with a few tent lines and a hiking pole. Has saved the day more than once.
- A proper microphone (Elgato Wave 3), turns out I sounded like shit on calls and such but no one had the heart to tell me, but finally someone did and I got that microphone, mostly because it has an integrated pop filter (that also works). I've compared recordings with the old setup and the new microphone and it's night and day. I can't quantify it, but I believe not sounding awful has made at least some positive difference in how people interact with me. These days, audio is often as not the only way people get to perceive me.
- A TS80P USB-C soldering iron. I run this off a spare Macbook power adapter, so my soldering setup hardly takes up any space now. Being able to dial in just the temps I need has made for much better and more consistent solder joints, and I haven't even started digging into custom firmware.