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Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

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Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#121

Post by m4tthumphrey »

hairywalt wrote: post #61

Under $100 - an ear bulb syringe I get blocked ears due to wax and it's really negatively impactful to conversation etc. Plus they would block when flying/swimming which ruined a few holidays. I used to go to my local (UK) GP which was very inconvenient due to appointment timings etc. Then somebody recommended buying a bulb syringe for self-treatment. Mine cost about £4 and has been totally game changing. I can sort…

Hey, I have just started to develop this problem and have been putting off going to the clinic. Can you link to the one you have please?

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#122

Post by criddell »

zoover2020 wrote: post #35
ekkeke wrote: post #18

Under $100: Electric toothbrush: Always hated having to brush my teeth and this makes it so much less tedious, also supposedly better for your teeth, from 1-2 times per day to 3 times every day. Under $1000: Nespresso machine, was using a mocha pot before but the coffee is much easier to make, no cleanup, and tastes better.

Did you try a proper brewing technique? Nespresso tastes bad in comparison afterwards. Under a 1000$ you can get decent espresso makers, too.

I have a drip brewer (Moccamaster), mocha pot, Senseo, french press, Keurig machine, aeropress, pour over setup, e61-based espresso machine (a heat exchanger), and am upgrading to a dual boiler espresso machine. I also have a Nespresso machine.

Each can make very good coffee and none of them taste bad in comparison to any others.

But if your budget is $1000, I would avoid the espresso category because you also need a grinder and a great grinder is probably more than a budget espresso machine and more important for consistent and good shots.

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#123

Post by jklinger410 »

miloignis wrote: post #29

Under $100: 1) A bidet! Got one in the pandemic when toilet paper was scarce and I wanted to be more efficient, but now I'll never go back. The Tushy ones are good. 2) A safety razor & accessories. I get a cheaper, closer, less irritating shave, and I get to customize every part of it. This can certainly be a rabbithole you spend a lot of money on, but you can get a solid customized starter kit for under $100 that wi…

+1 for the bidet

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#124

Post by MrMcCall »

(Living in American public housing, we used our pandemic stimulus money to buy two RabbitAir MinusA2 HEPA air purifiers. At $600 each plus $95/yr (for filter change) they're utterly fantastic and the pre-HEPA stages are easily cleanable with a cheap air compressor and wet paper towels. The multi-stage filter system is quite quiet on level 3 (of 5) but will really blow at 5 and be nearly silent at 2. You can tell how well they work by how the filters build up over time. The build quality is top-shelf with exquisite tolerances.

I can't recommend them enough. In my travels, I learned my favorite aphorism, which comes from China, I believe:

>>> Pay a lot, cry once.

Our RabbitAir units are the finest example we can afford, easily our best quality-of-life investment.

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#125

Post by foobarian »

K0balt wrote: post #85
miloignis wrote: post #29

Under $100: 1) A bidet! Got one in the pandemic when toilet paper was scarce and I wanted to be more efficient, but now I'll never go back. The Tushy ones are good. 2) A safety razor & accessories. I get a cheaper, closer, less irritating shave, and I get to customize every part of it. This can certainly be a rabbithole you spend a lot of money on, but you can get a solid customized starter kit for under $100 that wi…

I’ll Third a bidet. Once you experience the exhilarating bliss of cleaning your nether regions with fresh, clean water, you’ll never willingly go back to smearing excrement around your fiddly bits with the dry paper.

Sorry if this is getting into TMI territory but how does the bidet avoid dissolving the unwanted material and spraying it all over everywhere? And how does one dry this without toilet paper?

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#126

Post by threeio »

technothrasher wrote: post #109

In 2020, I bought an old broken clock on eBay for $60 on a lark. I wanted to tinker with something and see if I could figure out how it works. Since that time, I spent literally thousands of hours immersed in horology. Everything from clock repair where I started, to learning how to use a lathe and a mill, studying the impact of clockmaking on the industrial revolution in early America and the history of maritime nav…

Say you a member of the time-nuts mailing list without saying your a member of the time-nuts mailing list ;)

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#127

Post by hildolfr »

LVB wrote: post #77
madamelic wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It keeps the drink at a specific temperature indefinitely. With an insulated mug, you aren't putting more heat into the drink but just trying to keep it for longer. In my opinion, insulation works great for cold drinks (I use a giant insulated cup for my cold drinks) but not so much for warm drinks.

The old (maybe incorrect) advice I was always told was that continuing to heat the coffee fouled the taste, hence the recommendation to use an insulated mug/thermos as opposed to a Mr. Coffee style warmed carafe. What makes this gadget different/better?

It would foul the taste because in an open carafe it distills the brew via evaporation.

If you don't let the water escape the taste stays fairly stable.

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#128

Post by silcoon »

ekkeke wrote: post #18

Under $100: Electric toothbrush: Always hated having to brush my teeth and this makes it so much less tedious, also supposedly better for your teeth, from 1-2 times per day to 3 times every day. Under $1000: Nespresso machine, was using a mocha pot before but the coffee is much easier to make, no cleanup, and tastes better.

Nespresso machines hide the coffee inside plastic capsules. Why?

1. You don’t know what coffee you get, you cannot really vary the coffee anymore and maybe try a different local one (where I live we have local coffee). Then you don’t even know if it’s just 100% coffee or they add something else

2. Why consuming plastic for a simple thing like a coffee? Plastic is NOT recycled in most of the countries and its bad for environment if not properly managed. Burning plastic increase pollution, but leaving it in the nature can take 500 years to dissolve. Why a simple thing like coffe powder, kept in a glass jar, used in a metal coffee mocha, now has to become the new trend to involve plastic? It’s literally the same thing, just worst for the environment.

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#129

Post by Scoundreller »

hairywalt wrote: post #61

Under $100 - an ear bulb syringe I get blocked ears due to wax and it's really negatively impactful to conversation etc. Plus they would block when flying/swimming which ruined a few holidays. I used to go to my local (UK) GP which was very inconvenient due to appointment timings etc. Then somebody recommended buying a bulb syringe for self-treatment. Mine cost about £4 and has been totally game changing. I can sort…

In my area, they’re all labelled as “nasal syringes” because you’re not supposed to irrigate your ears randomly.

The words of my pharmacist: “I don’t recommend you use this for your ears. I do it myself, but officially I don’t recommend it”

Kinda how Q-Tips boxes mention all kinds of uses except jamming them into your ears for hygiene and pleasure.

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#130

Post by 9x39 »

qup wrote: post #95
fallinghawks wrote: post #74

Under 1000: - robot vacuum. Now my house gets vacuumed (that should tell you how much I hate doing it.) - the bidet seat is not tremendously life changing but it's very helpful. Under 100: - a quality probe thermometer. I use it for everything baked and most ways of cooking meat. Nothing is over~ or undercooked anymore. I do have another one with 2 probes for bbq/smoking -- you can use the two in the point and flat o…

> - a quality probe thermometer. Can you recommend one you like? This is a hard thing to research without hitting fake reviews and blogspam. Not like there's an established brand a normal consumer would know about. I guess that applies to a lot of things now.

Not parent but look at Meater.

My friends and I all use it.

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