Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

191–200 of 260 posts

Re: Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?

#191

Post by maxglute »

yurishimo wrote: post #160
maxglute wrote: post #151

Price has gone up a lot, but briefly, multiseat program. Instead of buying a separate gaming/media system, bought one much more powerful system and split it into 2 systems. Setup kind of PIA, but worth it while needed it. Also an electric travel bidet.

Can you elaborate? “Multiseat program” is not returning any meaningful search results online.

Split single computer into multiple independent workplaces, i.e. plug in 2 monitors, 2 mouse, 2 keyboards and 2 users can use same computer at once. The program I used was ASTER multiseat.

Re: Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?

#192

Post by 7402 »

agentifysh wrote: post #25

gotta be a tire inflater (not sure what brand) that came with a flash light and works rain or snow powered by car adapter

I have one (NUSTE brand on Amazon) that has a built-in rechargeable battery. It takes up much less room than some I've had.

The ones that plug in to a lighter socket (which sometimes require the car to be running or the ignition switch in ACC position), or have to be clipped to the car battery are not as convenient.

Re: Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?

#193

Post by maxglute »

gcr wrote: post #176
maxglute wrote: post #151

Price has gone up a lot, but briefly, multiseat program. Instead of buying a separate gaming/media system, bought one much more powerful system and split it into 2 systems. Setup kind of PIA, but worth it while needed it. Also an electric travel bidet.

Is this a gaming console? I have no idea what you mean

It's software that lets you plug in 2-12 sets of inputs and monitors and let 2-12 users use one machine simultaneously. I spent 70% of cost of 2 mid tier system on a single system highend machine which ends up much more flexible / less idle.

Re: Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?

#194

Post by ThrowawayR2 »

twistedanimator wrote: post #100

My latest favorite gadget is a Wuben G5 light. Very compact, very bright, and has lots of handy features like a swivel and magnet. $20 on Amazon right now. I have 3 for myself as I like to keep them around the house. I've also bought a couple as gifts for my sons who both really liked them.

The rotary brightness/color control on those feels flimsy. Not a huge demerit for a $20 gadget but still worth mentioning.

Re: Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?

#195

Post by sceptic123 »

anotherevan wrote: post #136
ultrasandwich wrote: post #62

Aeropress coffee maker. Look up the James Hoffmann recipe on YouTube and you can never drink another coffee style again

I have two Aeropresses so I can make two cups at once for the two coffee drinkers in the house. I recently got a second shelf rack[1] so they can hang side by side instead of needing to put a plunger in the tube when one is hanging behind. [1] https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09NL9GDTQ

I make two cups in one Aeropress, am I doing it wrong?

Re: Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?

#196

Post by idontwantthis »

daringrain32781 wrote: post #115
idontwantthis wrote: post #6

A no name Espresso machine. I got it as a gift but I doubt it was much more than $100. It works great. I had always assumed I would regret not buying a super expensive one, but it turns out you can have great espresso for not much money.

You can have great espresso for cheap(er) but $100 seems suspiciously low. Manual espresso is about the best bang for you buck possible, but that stretches to $200 or more depending on how fancy you want to get.

I have the thing and it works great.

Re: Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?

#197

Post by rurp »

LeafItAlone wrote: post #126
ultrasandwich wrote: post #62

Aeropress coffee maker. Look up the James Hoffmann recipe on YouTube and you can never drink another coffee style again

I’ve tried most of the coffee making tools and fads, including the above mentioned recipe. I’ve spent thousands and hours and hours of time chasing the feeling others like you describe. It was so easy for me to go back to a cheap drip coffee maker and pre-ground coffee. I realized that I’ll never appreciate the flavors and process as much as the investment would call for.

My dad is adamant that coffee beans should only be ground right before use because the resulting coffee tastes so much better. I, on the other hand, can't taste a bit of difference; there's no way I could pick out the pre-ground coffee in a blind taste test.

Re: Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?

#198

Post by ThrowawayR2 »

ultrasandwich wrote: post #62

Aeropress coffee maker. Look up the James Hoffmann recipe on YouTube and you can never drink another coffee style again

James Hoffman's pourover and immersion dripper recipes are less muss and fuss, I would say, while still producing coffee that's far better than average.

While on the topic of James Hoffman and coffee, a <$100 device I'd nominate is the insulated heated mugs. I believe he tested the Ember Mug but there are competing models. For those who tend to drink their coffee while working, it's quite a decadent feeling to take a sip without ever having the unanticipated shock of your coffee having gone cold and having to trundle over to the microwave to warm it up (in my case sometimes more than once).

Re: Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?

#199

Post by [deleted] »

blackfawn wrote: post #144
twistedanimator wrote: post #100

My latest favorite gadget is a Wuben G5 light. Very compact, very bright, and has lots of handy features like a swivel and magnet. $20 on Amazon right now. I have 3 for myself as I like to keep them around the house. I've also bought a couple as gifts for my sons who both really liked them.

Neat looking flashlight! Can you turn it on and off without having to cycle through other modes? One thing I dislike about a lot of LED flashlights is having to go through dim, strobe, etc. modes before I can turn the light back off.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?

#200

Post by jjice »

SCUSKU wrote: post #43
jjcm wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

+1 to wool undergarments. I prefer Unbound Merino to Smartwool for shirts, though Smartwool's socks are better than Unbound.

How itchy do those get?

It's usually a fine wool that is very nice on the skin, not the itchy wool you may associate with a chunkier sweater.
Post reply on HN