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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)

#331

Post by DarmokJalad1701 »

selimthegrim wrote: post #281
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

Mine also has a cord but the shaft/head is removable. I sort of assumed that that was the norm. It was some random "chinesium" brand from Amazon that cost $12. Works great so far!

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

#332

Post by dvngnt_ »

taftster wrote: post #325
Digory wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you can handle putting the nozzle on your garden hose, you should be able to handle it. In the US, the water pipe almost always connects to the toilet through a small shutoff valve. After the valve, it connects to the toilet through a "supply." The supply is basically a short garden hose, with screw-on connections at both ends. Shut off the water at the wall. Flush to empty the toilet tank. Unscrew the hose at the…

I mean, but don't you need warm water and/or electricity? I can't see liking a bidet if it's basically just cold tap water shooting up my bum. Not sure that's going to do it for me. I've always thought that both hot water and electricity would be a minimal barrier to entry for a bidet. And that neither of these exist in a typical toilet closet. Am I fundamentally wrong about this??

it's really not that cold. i can't do cold showers at all and tap water bidet feels nothing like it.

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

#334

Post by eps »

7373737373 wrote: post #321
andrewstuart wrote: post #313

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> - a non-stick pan (Tefal) - I threw out all my non stick surface pots and pans and all plastic kitchen implements because I don’t want chemicals or plastics in my food. Replaces everything with stainless steel.

I've encountered many conflicting opinions about this topic (of course sellers will say it's perfectly safe and health advisors/bloggers the opposite), so i'd really like to see some well-sourced neutral information on this Polymer fumes do seem to be a thing at high temperatures apparently https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/nonstick-cookware-safet... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymer_fume_fever

All non-stick pans deterriorate over time and become stick pans. In case, for example, of Creuset it takes about 2 years of daily use. With Tefal it's less.

Whether non-stick coating peels off when cooking or when washing is an open question, but chances of it being just the latter are slim to none.

A better option is copper-inlayed steel pans, something like Falk. They aren't hard to master and they last for decades and have superior heat distribution profile.

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

#335

Post by eigenvalue »

I got an awesome rice cooker (Zojirushi NeuroFuzzy) for around $200, and started buying "sushi rice" in 5 or 10 pound bags from various Japanese food companies on Amazon.

Being able to make extremely good rice just like the rice from a good restaurant is incredible, and even fancy rice is cheap enough when purchased in bulk that you end up saving a decent amount of money over time. It takes just a few minutes to wash the rice in the sink and then under an hour to cook it, and you can leave it in there for a while and it will keep it nice and warm.

It's really great with chicken or beef and vegetables cooked in a Japanese BBQ sauce (I like Bachan's, which you can buy in bulk jugs on Amazon for around $40).

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

#336

Post by fiatpandas »

taftster wrote: post #325
Digory wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you can handle putting the nozzle on your garden hose, you should be able to handle it. In the US, the water pipe almost always connects to the toilet through a small shutoff valve. After the valve, it connects to the toilet through a "supply." The supply is basically a short garden hose, with screw-on connections at both ends. Shut off the water at the wall. Flush to empty the toilet tank. Unscrew the hose at the…

I mean, but don't you need warm water and/or electricity? I can't see liking a bidet if it's basically just cold tap water shooting up my bum. Not sure that's going to do it for me. I've always thought that both hot water and electricity would be a minimal barrier to entry for a bidet. And that neither of these exist in a typical toilet closet. Am I fundamentally wrong about this??

The bidet heats up the water instantly, there is no requirement for a hot water supply. Just connect it to the existing water supply the toilet uses.

You do however need electricity. I had to run an extension cord for mine, which I tucked away in low profile conduit to keep things tidy looking.

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

#337

Post by ranger_danger »

thebruce87m wrote: post #234
nojvek wrote: post #134

Under $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.

Every city, county and/or state can typically provide their own rules for this.

Typically in most states they're not permitted on sidewalks except for specialized medical mobility scooters.

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

#338

Post by yen223 »

wonger_ wrote: post #211
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…

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

Electric toothbrushes clean a lot better than hand-cranked toothbrushes

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

#339

Post by dotmanish »

madamelic wrote: post #38
mikestew wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see that the cheapest Ember is now $130. My first-gen is about six years old, and the battery is about shot. I hesitate to drop another $150-ish on a new mug, but OTOH, is consistently hot coffee worth $25/year? Yeah, it probably is to me, so I'm going to have to suck it up soon.

Oh, I wasn't even aware they were that much. I could've sworn they were like $70 - $90 last I saw. That sucks.

different sizes. The black-10oz is still $91 at Amazon right now. Price goes upwards for other colors and other size (14oz).

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

#340

Post by antman »

asalahli wrote: post #156
prawn wrote: post #146

I’ve mentioned it before in a similar thread, but if you shave your head, get a Pitbull Skullshaver that can be used in the shower or while walking around the house, etc. About $100 and adding it to a shower routine is great. A wand for the vegetable garden hose. About $70 and much better than a normal gun/nozzle for watering plants at the base if not all of your gardens are raised. $500ish: 12v car fridge. I use min…

Which brand of fridge have you got?

Adding Vevor as a cheap brand of 12 compression fridges at about 200
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