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Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?

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Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?

#351

Post by nodesocket »

adrianh wrote: post #331
nodesocket wrote: post #89

My Altec Lansing ACS48 computer speakers. I paid $299 for them in 1999 and to this day they still work flawlessly and beat most every other computer speaker. Audiophiles swear by them, and still buy them in bulk when they can find them. Here's the Amazon reviews: https://www.amazon.com/Altec-Lansing-ACS48-Computer-Speakers...

Whoa! I had these, and used them religiously, between 1998 and late 2015 (when I moved). Never realized they had a cult following. Otherwise I wouldn't have taken them to the electronics recycling center... :-/

That's cool you had them as well. I was blown away when I discovered their cult following.

Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?

#352

Post by Chestofdraw »

wastedhours wrote: post #321
MooMooMilkParty wrote: post #199

Masakage knives: http://masakageknives.com/ There are many other makers of kitchen knives that are comparable to Masakage knives, but if someone who was serious about cooking asked me for a single recommendation of which knife brand they should buy into this would probably be my response. Their knives are reasonably priced, feature beautiful aesthetics, have personality, and perform as well as anyone could reasonably…

On kitchen knives, these are the collection I started with: https://www.robertwelch.com/kitchen/kitchen_knives/signature... Perhaps not the best, but from a design standpoint and the exquisite feeling using them, their blades are perfect for what I use, and their handles are sublime. I went into the shop to spend a huge whack on a set of Globals, but they just felt off. These were perfect.

+1 for Robert Welch knives, have a few myself. My friend, who's a CDP at a double starred place, said they were comparable to his Globals when he tried them out too.

Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?

#353

Post by ry_ry »

artimaeis wrote: post #78

Seiko 5 automatic watch - Simple, timeless, affordable. It's just a great watch and it always will be. rOtring 600 mechanical pencil - the feel of this pencil is unlike any other writing implement I've found. It's a legend. My new goal is to find a fountain pen that I can enjoy as much as I enjoy this. Though I fear that will be a notably more expensive purchase. Yamaha Custom Series Bb trumpet - before becoming a de…

I've been using Sport5 Automatics as general beaters for years, they're generally just nice little uncomplicated watches.

They tend to drift a little, but it's no hardship to +- a minute or two once a week.

Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?

#354

Post by tech2 »

pcr0 wrote: post #219
apankrat wrote: post #67

Aeron chair. Aeropress. EIZO monitors - http://www.eizo.com uTorrent, the older versions. Dead serious about uTorrent. One of the best designed and engineered pieces of software ever. Everything you need, where you expect it to be, doing exactly what it should be doing, and nothing more.

Asking out of ignorance, what sets EIZO monitors apart from other monitors?

Built-in colour management is really quite well done. Corner-to-corner evenness in illumination, true 10bit per colour. You pay for the privilege though.

Beyond the features they're also very nicely built.

Really not cheap though (for the high end ones I'm talking about). For a _lot_ less money if you weren't bothered about perfection then one of the Dell Ultrasharp displays would likely get you 95+% of the way there.

Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?

#356

Post by [deleted] »

tech2 wrote: post #335

The Faber Castell Alpha-matic pencil. Auto-feed, good cut-metal grip. I found this in a field in the early 90's, it still writes wonderfully, the feed mechanism is amazing. It's a device that's so perfectly fit-for-purpose. If I had to replace it I'd be looking at spending a LOT of money these days :( Honda Civic SiR II (EG chassis) - Not hugely powerful, but great fun to drive, everything in the right place, fold-fl…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?

#357

Post by ry_ry »

interfixus wrote: post #272

Electrolux Twin Clean vacuum cleaner. With a black labrador and several cats in the house, bagless vacuuming is a must. I used to own a Dyson, but it eventually died from old age, and a friend gave me an almost brand new TwinClean, which for some reason they were disappointed with at his place. And this thing beats the Dyson on every count that matters. It is far less noisy, not scaring the life out of cats and dogs,…

Not the same brand vacuum, but we have more animals than strictly necessary, and until I'd tried a Miele hover I didn't fully appreciate how terrible most vacuum cleaners are.

Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?

#358

Post by arachnophobe »

mixmastamyk wrote: post #270
FreakyT wrote: post #27

Another odd one, but my Honda Fit 2nd Generation. So many things about that car are so well thought-out, and even more expensive/luxurious cars miss things that the Fit designers included. Some examples: - Cup holder on the dashboard to the left of the steering wheel. As a left-handed person, this is amazing. - Window power remains on after turning off the car as long as doors haven't been opened, allowing you to clo…

> the fuel tank is below the front seats. Doesn't sound like a good idea in an accident.

Putting it at the back isn't always a good idea - Ford Pinto anyone?

Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?

#359

Post by awjr »

hackathonguy wrote: post #337

The way I see it, great design is about meshing seamlessly with the end user. If an item or software feel like they extend me they're exquisitely well designed. Here are several such things: - MacBook Pro 13" with Touchbar. The MacBook Pro is the first laptop I've used that doesn't feel like a tool I need to struggle with and manipulate to get the job done. It's powerful enough so I don't need to worry about system r…

A good leather messenger bag is worth every penny. The harder you treat them the better they look.

Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?

#360

Post by angry-hacker »

goldenchrome wrote: post #227
dcw303 wrote: post #209

The Casio F-91W Digital wrist watch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casio_F-91W Keeps better time than a Rolex, and is a fraction of the price. Waterproof. Has an alarm, stopwatch, and timer; all things missing from traditional wind ups. Interface is easy to use and discover. The battery last almost forever. Now, if you're asking if it's aesthetically pleasing, that's a different story. But we were talking about design…

Aesthetics is often part of design.

I'm sure at the time this watch was released, it felt like your latest iPhone!
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