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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)

#281

Post by selimthegrim »

DarmokJalad1701 wrote: post #203

Under 1000: - Robot vacuum (with mapping+LIDAR): Major game changer. I should have bought this years ago! The tech is now good enough that it basically never gets stuck unless you leave cables lying on the floor. It costs about as much as it would to hire a cleaning crew for a day. And this will do clean your house every single day! - Bidet Seat (Heated) - Chest freezer: Unlike the anti-car people on Reddit, I don't…

I guess I’m stuck with the immersion blender with the attached cord, which makes the dishwasher impossible

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

#282

Post by caseyy »

memset wrote: post #214
caseyy wrote: post #94

Under $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…

I think about this a lot! How did you overcome the compulsion? I quickly revert when I try to ween off any tech. What do you do instead?

That’s why it’s important to have tech that serves you, like a dumbphone. You throw your smartphone away (leave it in your car, leave it at work, throw it in the deep end of your attic, etc), make it really inconvenient to act in these compulsions.

And then you just suffer through it for a few days. It gets better very quickly.

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

#283

Post by theshrike79 »

ekkeke wrote: post #255
theshrike79 wrote: post #64

AirPods Pro Max I've had two Sonys (XM4 and XM5) and a bunch of Boses (QC 1x something, 25, 35II). These are by far the best ones for me. The fabric on the ear cups doesn't get sweaty, I have tactile buttons for every function (unlike the Sonys), ANC works even when the mic is on (Bose can't do this). And the best feature: I can charge them while I'm using them. Neither the Sony or Bose can do that, they just go offl…

This might be something I'll end up buying, I've got a pair of xm4s and they're beyond irritating. There's no way to permanently disable speak-to-chat so every time I clear my throat the music pauses. It constantly re-enables if you touch the side whilst taking them off or picking them up, or also possibly for no reason at all. I've read dozens of complaints about this and I've just about had it with them. /rant

Yea, that's annoying as all hell, as is the fact that it takes 5-7 business days to adjust the volume with the stupid swipe-badonk -system compared to a physical knob or button.

And the companion app has ACHIEVEMENTS.

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

#284

Post by dyeje »

Kiro wrote: post #141
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…

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 ended up buying a travel bidet because I couldn’t install one at our house for various reasons. It’s basically just a squeeze bottle with an angled head. Works great!

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

#285

Post by rdoherty »

idontwantthis wrote: post #152
rdoherty wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It will hold my coffee at the perfect temperature all day. Also if the battery runs out I can put it on its charger and after ~5 mins it will start heating my now cold coffee back up to temperature. I thought it was kinda gimmicky too before I bought it but I am surprised at how great it is to have perfect temp coffee all the time.

Why do you take all day to drink a coffee? Mine is definitely gone by the time it gets cold in an insulated mug.

Sometimes I forget, sometimes I need to run an errand or take the kids to school or any number of things happen.

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

#286

Post by drcongo »

arrakark wrote: post #271
wonger_ wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Electric toothbrush on the list? And possibly over $100? What benefits have you experienced? Just curious, asking as a lifelong boring toothbrush user.

I've tried OralB's $120 toothbrush, and their cheapest $30 Pro 300. Functionally, they are almost exactly the same!

Same, I replaced mine with a Suri a few months ago because while brushing my teeth I can't help thinking about the amount of plastic waste Oral B and regular toothbrushes produce. I love the Suri - https://www.trysuri.com

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

#287

Post by looping__lui »

leononame wrote: post #251
keiferski wrote: post #221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dentists pretty much universally recommend electronic toothbrushes, in my experience.

Interesting, the dentists I have asked (4) all said it doesn't matter (Spain and Germany, maybe it's relevant) at all and it's up to personal preference.

I’d recommend to switch dentists maybe. Philips Sonicare is such an improvement for teeth hygiene - how could I live without?

Also: floss and mouthwash. Like floss is really important…

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

#288

Post by BryantD »

Under $1000: Litter Robot 4. It actually works and our two new cats are fine with it (which was one of our concerns). I do need to fiddle with it now and again, mostly WiFi resets, but in comparison to emptying two litter boxes daily that's nothing.

Also, in the category of special interests, the Radiance Films 2024 Blu-Ray bundle was a significantly good purchase for me. They're an English boutique Blu-Ray company that releases 3-4 movies a month; for about $1000 I got 50-odd movies that I never would have purchased otherwise, most of which I enjoyed. In many cases it opened my eyes to whole categories of foreign genre cinema I would have missed otherwise -- say, modern Chinese neo-noirs. Life-changing is a stretch but I'm really happy with the purchase. https://www.radiancefilms.co.uk/products/radiance-2025-bundl... for the next year bundle.

Under $100: second the rice cooker and bidet recommendations, although we're considering upgrading to a heated bidet.

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

#289

Post by fiatpandas »

silcoon wrote: post #128
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…

They are aluminum and are recyclable. They even have a recycling program. Assuming you aren’t brewing a flavored one, it’s only roasted coffee inside.

I was a bit of a coffee geek and went all out on grinding and brew methods, but then got real busy… nespresso makes good coffee and is super fast.

The downside as you mention is you are stuck with their varieties and can’t geek out on trying different roasts / regions outside of what they offer. But for some people like me that is lower on my priorities now.

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

#290

Post by iKlsR »

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'd add a cheap hand massager to that list, just basic compression and some heat with vibration can do wonders for your hand after a day of coding, bonus if it kneads as well.
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