Skills

10 Subreddits Every Fixer Should Know

Photo by Carlos Gomez of Flickr.

Here at the iFixit offices, most of us Reddit… hard. And while the “front page of the internet” is great for aww-some animal gifs, it’s a good resource for other (productive) things, too. There are around 70 million users on Reddit every month, and they can teach you how to make, build, hack, and fix just about anything—you just have to know which subreddits to look in.

Here’s a list of subs that’ll help make you more awesome:

r/DIY: Your go-to source for awesome DIY projects by Redditors. A general catch-all category, posts in this sub include everything from woodworking to boat building.

Repair image from Reddit
Reddit user jackrabbitslimz submitted his parent’s 14-year boat-building project in r/DIY.

r/TechSupportGore: An amusing collection of IT projects gone wrong and general computer-related carnage. We’ve found that learning from other people’s failures is a great way to prevent making mistakes of your own.

r/TechSupportMacGyver: The antithesis to r/techsupportgore, r/techsupportmacgyver is full of innovative hardware fixes and hacks. Prepare to be amazed at what people can do with the right combination of paper clips, chewing gum, solder, and skill.

Tech repair image from reddit
Redditor siddv pioneers the VelcSafe solution for a roaming laptop charger in r/TechSupportMacGyver.

r/JustRolledIntoTheShop: It’s like r/techsupportgore, but for cars. Our cars take a lot of abuse, and the mechanics of Reddit document the worst cases here. As with r/techsupportgore, it’s a vivid lesson in what not to do as a car owner.

r/MechanicAdvice: Want to keep yourself off the pages of r/justrolledintotheshop? Get advice from real mechanics who want to help you navigate the wonderful world of car repair, boat repair, tractor repair, and more.

r/Somethingimade: Did you make something really cool? Great, post it here—and while you’re there, ogle other people’s submissions. This sub is a hotbed of hand-crafted goodness—everything from art to homemade jewelry, custom playhouses to sewing projects.

Image from something made subreddit
Hand built coffee table made by Xyloiid from unfinished wooden crates, submitted to r/somethingimade.

r/Fixit: Need to fix something, but don’t know how? Ask the people of r/fixit. Describe the problem or submit a picture of what’s broken, and they will do their best to help you repair it. (Shameless plug here: We do the same thing on iFixit. It’s called Answers—check it out.)

r/LifeProTips: Want to impress people at a party with your incredible life skills? This sub, filled with uncommon solutions to common problems, is a great way to master all of life’s little foibles.

Image of a hack from Reddit
Never struggle to fill another bucket, thanks to this tip from Reddit user mrfitzy in r/LifeProTips.

r/TechSupport: The wonderful IT guys here will help you diagnose and fix any computer problem you’re having. They even have a livechat for problems that need urgent help, like say your computer just caught fire.

r/BuildaPC: If you’re thinking of building a PC, you’re in the middle of building a PC, or you are reading this post from your own sweet build, you should probably head over to r/buildapc. These are your people.

Reddit has thousands of active subs, so we probably missed a couple of worthy candidates in our list. Know of a subreddit that should be included? Tell us about it in the comments.