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Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2023

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Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2023

#51

Post by sowbug »

A sous vide machine. It's just a fancy stick that circulates water at a precise temperature, but it makes the most delicious and tender chicken and fish that you'll ever make at home. You can start it in the morning and leave it going while you're out. Then dump the contents into a frying pan for a minute or two to sear the outside, and lunch/dinner is ready.

You do need a vacuum sealer, but the total investment is less than $150, which you can easily recoup when you find that you don't crave restaurant or takeout food as much as you used to.

Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2023

#52

Post by dw_arthur »

marconey wrote: post #4

The Wera Toolcheck Plus has been a great addition to my toolbox Generally now grab it first, when a job comes up! https://products.wera.de/en/ratchets_and_accessories_zyklop_...

Damn that's nice. If you don't need the sockets the Icon mini ratchet set works well for $39 and it also has a flexhead.

Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2023

#54

Post by straight-shoota »

jmye wrote: post #35
TrevorFSmith wrote: post #27

Hands down my choice is the Pinecil soldering iron: https://pine64.com/product/pinecil-smart-mini-portable-solde... It's less than $50, it runs FOSS (IronOS) so you own it, and it can be powered by USB or by via a barrel jack so it's ding dang handy.

Why does a soldering iron need an OS? I read the product page and I think I’m still missing something.

IronOS is actually a firmware, not a classical operating system. The soldering iron is like many modern appliances a smart device and contains a RISC-V CPU on which the firmware runs. I bought a Pinecil as well this year, and it's really a great tool, and I dare say much more versatile and powerful than many traditional soldering stations which cost much more.

Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2023

#55

Post by nulld3v »

maxglute wrote: post #23

Aster ( https://www.ibik.ru/ ) Surprisingly functional multiseat for windows. Lifetime license 50-100 for 2 seats depending on region. Partner's computer went kaput, and used this + steamlink to turn monitor into another computer. I see people online using this to play two seperate games on different "seats". Was planning to get seperate media centre PC, but this worked so well I ended up using money to upgrade PC co…

Wow, I remember using this back when I was a poor high school student trying to share my GPU with my younger brother. I don't think I was able to get it working reliably though.

Multiseat in general is just super niche. I wish it took off more and maybe it would have turned into an officially supported solution.

Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2023

#56

Post by paulryanrogers »

maxglute wrote: post #23

Aster ( https://www.ibik.ru/ ) Surprisingly functional multiseat for windows. Lifetime license 50-100 for 2 seats depending on region. Partner's computer went kaput, and used this + steamlink to turn monitor into another computer. I see people online using this to play two seperate games on different "seats". Was planning to get seperate media centre PC, but this worked so well I ended up using money to upgrade PC co…

It is a shame Windows gates this behind their business edition(s) as it could really cut down on waste, especially now that streaming is becoming practical.

I recall trying this with Linux and it worked reasonably well.

Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2023

#57

Post by nslice »

Wyze Smart Deadbolt. $79, secure, and convenient. You never have to worry about losing a key again. I live in a cold area and it works reliably. The auto lock is so nice so you don’t worry about if you locked the door. Also great to allow guests or contractors in if you can’t go home to let them in. Makes my life so amazing.

Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2023

#58

Post by tgv »

petee wrote: post #26
shinycode wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does it really makes a difference ?

Depends on the kind of sleeper you are. Personally I can't sleep even in the summer without some amount of weight from fabric on me, which I know doesn't make much sense but it is what it is. My roommate tosses alot when sleeping and a really heavy blanket keeps her still, which she says helps her get a deeper sleep

I have the same preference, especially when falling asleep.

Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2023

#59

Post by dragonwriter »

sowbug wrote: post #51

A sous vide machine. It's just a fancy stick that circulates water at a precise temperature, but it makes the most delicious and tender chicken and fish that you'll ever make at home. You can start it in the morning and leave it going while you're out. Then dump the contents into a frying pan for a minute or two to sear the outside, and lunch/dinner is ready. You do need a vacuum sealer, but the total investment is l…

> You do need a vacuum sealer,

No, you don't, zip-top bags with the excess air pushed out by water pressure and sealing after most of the bag is submerged work quite well.

Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2023

#60

Post by sxp »

maxglute wrote: post #23

Aster ( https://www.ibik.ru/ ) Surprisingly functional multiseat for windows. Lifetime license 50-100 for 2 seats depending on region. Partner's computer went kaput, and used this + steamlink to turn monitor into another computer. I see people online using this to play two seperate games on different "seats". Was planning to get seperate media centre PC, but this worked so well I ended up using money to upgrade PC co…

Doesn't this violate most Windows Licenses? Windows simultaneous multiuser support on all NT-based OSes but it was normally disabled by policy unless you paid for the Server license. This is why Windows RDP normally locks the local desktop when you connect remotely rather than spawning a parallel session. I remember there were some US-based startups doing this but they ran into legal issues once they got past a certain point.

This company appears to be Russian so they can ignore the legal issues, but it would be bad to use this in a situation where MS might want to enforce their license.

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