Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022 • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022

#491

Post by Hamuko » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 5:47 PM UTC

LandR wrote: post #239

Havoc wrote: post #146

Sodastream. Has significantly increased the amount of water i drink and conversely decreased other crap being drunk High end ricecooker ended up getting more use than expected. USB KVM style switch to change mouse/kyb over between work and personal device

My setup at home is 3 monitors, and I switch between a connected laptop (work), and my home desktop machine. IT means when I finish work I have to hit the switch to change input on each monitor (and with one setup vertically, it can be awkward, and one requires going through a menu, which is annoying). I also have to swap the USB dongles for keyboard and mouse from the laptop docking station to my desktop. Would a KV…

I have a personal computer, a work computer and a gaming computer and I switch between them using an Aten USB switch [1] and this software that switches monitor inputs when your plug/unplug USB devices [2]. Works quite well and costs less than 50€.

[1] https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00B1SENTE/

[2] https://github.com/haimgel/display-switch

Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022

#492

Post by jmacd » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 5:47 PM UTC

nerdawson wrote: post #288

spaceman_2020 wrote: post #154

An air fryer. It’s really a badly marketed product. Its real utility isn’t that it uses less oil, but that it cooks incredibly fast. Essentially an oven on steroids. It’s made cooking so much easier. I usually toss some boneless chicken in with a light coating of soy sauce and cornflour. While the chicken cooks, I prep a basic Asian sauce on the stovetop. The chicken and the sauce are both done within 10-15 minutes.…

> It’s really a badly marketed product. I think the marketing is really smart. It's positioned as a new category of product. Oven on steroids won't sell because people already own ovens. It has to be a distinct appliance otherwise it's competing against a full sized oven. That's not the comparison you want a consumer to make.

Also, AirFryer.

Fryers have oil, right? Oh, this one doesn't. Air??? Air Fryer??

Not an oven. Not a fryer?

I don't own a fryer anyway, they are gross with all that oil.

This fryer uses no oil?????!!!!

My oven doesn't use oil either. But it's not a fryer!

And then it gets bought.

Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022

#493

Post by cheeze » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 5:47 PM UTC

loeg wrote: post #483

holy_diver wrote: post #209

A bidet. We got one with heated water and seats and going to the bathroom feels super luxurious now. Not to mention all the toilet paper we save and increased hygiene.

You can spend a lot more than $200 on a fancy bidet toilet and IMO it was worth it.

When I bought my house, the first two purchases were a super fancy bidet (Toto Ultramax II with an S550E+), and a fancy dishwasher.

Best purchases ever.

Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022

#494

Post by gadders » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 5:48 PM UTC

Insanity wrote: post #470

Something silly off the top of my head... We bought a “dog backpack”. We have a pretty small dog but love longer walks or strolling through smaller shops. With the backpack, he can go with us anywhere and it has been a really fun experience. Also our dog hates walking in rain (he will refuse to move). Now he goes in the backpack, we put a scarf / other clothing over it and we can go on for a bit until we find shelter…

For a minute I thought you were making your dog carry your shopping for you.

Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022

#495

Post by dabernathy89 » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 5:49 PM UTC

orm wrote: post #169

Instant Pot. Can be used as a rice cooker, slow cooker, pressure cooker (mostly known for this last use) Though probably not as good for rice specifically as an actual high-end rice cooker, it greatly increased the range of foods I eat. Makes it easy to make nice one pot meals overnight for multiple days, you can make really good broth soups from chickens etc quickly, or slowly if you prefer. If you like to try tough…

I love our Instant Pot! I keep finding uses for it. The other day I'd forgotten to thaw a 4-pack of pre-cooked chicken sausages. Threw them into the Instant Pot (steam tray w/ a cup of water under them), 5 minutes on low pressure (~10 min total), and they were totally warmed through.

Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022

#496

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 5:50 PM UTC

naasking wrote: post #363

Havoc wrote: post #146

Sodastream. Has significantly increased the amount of water i drink and conversely decreased other crap being drunk High end ricecooker ended up getting more use than expected. USB KVM style switch to change mouse/kyb over between work and personal device

> Sodastream. Has significantly increased the amount of water i drink and conversely decreased other crap being drunk I agree with carbonating your own water, but sodastream is expensive compared to a DIY carbonation setup. Get a 5LB CO2 tank, some carbonation caps on Amazon, and a good gas regulator. Total should still be less than $200 USD. The 5LB tank will last at least 5 times longer than the sodastream and tota…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022

#497

Post by jonfw » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 5:51 PM UTC

kradroy wrote: post #188

jonfw wrote: post #155

We set up a motorized curtain in our bedroom. It's been really nice to black everything out at night while sleeping (some of our neighbors leave outdoor lights on) but in the morning, wake up with natural light

I've been looking for something like this. Is it DIY or something off-the-shelf? My spouse requires absolute darkness when sleeping, but I have SAD and require the blinds to be always open in order to... not want to die.

I use zemi smart curtains, they were a huge pain to assemble but work great now. We’re just using the remote so I can’t comment on the smart home features

Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022

#498

Post by rPlayer6554 » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 5:51 PM UTC

A fountain pen! I got a LAMY safari and it's so nice to write with. It's expensive for a pen although cheap for a fountain pen which can get expensive. I was peckish about buying it for 20 bucks but now that I use it I'm eying a $200 LAMY 2000.

Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022

#499

Post by dabernathy89 » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 5:52 PM UTC

holy_diver wrote: post #209

A bidet. We got one with heated water and seats and going to the bathroom feels super luxurious now. Not to mention all the toilet paper we save and increased hygiene.

which one did you get?

Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022

#500

Post by jhinds » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 5:52 PM UTC

A small portable scanner. I don't take it anywhere I just got a portable one due to it's size so I can stick it in a drawer.

I've been able to save a bunch of space and get rid of 99% of documents in my filing cabinet by making a digital copy and getting rid of the physical ones. Now when I get an important document I scan it save it to a few places and get rid of it.