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…
I struggled for a long time with ear wax problems before I found the solution. I was a <$10 plastic ear curette from Ototek. I just use it after I shower and everything is great.
Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
261–270 of 618 posts
Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
#262Under $100: - A dumbphone. Even if I’m not using it anymore, it has shown me what life I could be living without distractions. My anxiety and stress levels went down from about the second day using it, I became much more aware of my emotional state and the environment around me, it was a noticeable shift. I no longer buy the arguments that we can control our smartphone addictions with will. The technology is too opti…
Agreed. Only stupid thing is that my dumb phone comes with fb that cannot be deleted, but I have no data-plan. Oh and some games that apparently auto-bill your phone account if you start using them, also cannot be deleted. Still it was the best tech purchase in a long time under 100e for quality of life improvement, and helped me finally escape the depressing 'news/propaganda' streams.
under 1000e: I am still experimenting with, but a water distiller and some glass bottles to try and escape the plastic water bottle madness.
Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
#263( 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…
How have they improved quality of life? Asthma?
Thankfully, none of us has had asthma. As far as anecdata:
The device does have a what-appears-to-be-accurate AQ (air quality) sensor on the side. In the presence of smoke, it turns red, cranks itself up, and then returns to blue (clearest) through purple over the course of some minutes. As such, I'd say that the "response curves" looked legit to my programmer brain, besides that the air certainly smells better.
I can definitely say, however, that -- having replaced the filters three times over these four years -- the HEPA layer (the inmost) definitely got brownish. Each 3-6 month pre-filter cleaning cycle had nice gradations of dust and stuff after each cleaning, sometimes a great deal if we were slacking.
Regardless, who knows what's been sucked into and blown through our ancient HVAC unit's ducts over these past decades, what with most people probably just buying the cheapest air filter possible? Why not err on the side of caution w/rt AQ?
Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
#264Under $100: lightweight battery operated LED headlamp
See and be seen in the dark, while keeping your hands free. Great for taking out the garbage or checking the mail at night, especially because we don’t have much lighting outside (unless it’s a full moon) due to light pollution regulations.
Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
#265Earlier quoted context omitted.
All bidets I've looked at including Tushy seem really complicated to install (basically having to redo the plumbing) and I don't understand how so many people can just buy and install one like it's nothing. Am I imagining things? Edit: Not in the US and the plumbing looks a bit like this, but without the nuts so you can't easily disconnect a part of it: https://static.byggahus.se/attachments/images/large/341/3416...
I bought a Tushy during the pandemic, it took about 10 minutes and a flathead screwdriver. I liked it so much that when I had a new bathroom installed a year later I put in a Toto Washlet.
I feel like Toto is failing with their marketing, since people are not really aware of their products outside of Japan. No good and cheap alternatives either
Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
#266Under $1k - electric scooter for $600 from hiboy. Costs nothing to recharge, no insurance, no license. It was a one time payment with recurring fun on every use. Under $100 - tracydog vibrator. More spice.
Assuming the US - are they legal to ride on roads or pavements? In the UK they are not.
Best just keep it in the bedroom.
Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
#267An air purifier. Note that they'll try to sell you on an infinite supply of replacement filters, but if you do the maintenance aggressively, you keep much of the benefit even just reusing the same filter.
Besides that, they say to never cheap out on anything that goes between you and the ground. Car tires appear to be a scam but most everything else works. Advice for specific items will be highly specific to where you are and what you do, but a general observation is: an object stops being effective long before it breaks entirely.
Since we're computer people, I would point out that there's a huge difference between a $150 ergonomic office chair and a $50 office chair. (though changing position is also important)
Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
#268Under $1000 - a power cage, a bench, an olympic weightlifting bar and a few hundred pounds of weight plates.
I never liked to go to the gym and having the essential tools at home have been the first time I've stuck with it. I've increased my strength substantially, lowered my body fat, and I generally have a better mental state with regular exercise incorporated into my weekly routine. It does require a good bit of space though.
Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
#269Under $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…
Over here we have these peroxide things you can get at the pharmacy. You pour three drops in your ear, it foams up and all the wax goes away. Do you not have those?
Can't you do the same thing by pouring half a capful of H2O2 into your ear while lying on your side? After it stops fizzing (about 10 minutes) you sit up and catch the effluent with a tissue. And no need to add oil or carefully shoot a stream of water at your eardrum.
Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
#270I bought a MagSafe charger for my iPhone to keep at my desk. It’s very convenient, I love it.