Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#591

Post by itomato » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:46 PM UTC

barrkel wrote: post #498

baby wrote: post #248

Instant pot. This thing is magical, everything taste so fucking good in it. I bought a crockpot and never used it, but the instant pot was a game changer for me: ramen, couscous, stews, etc. The meat tastes so good when cooked there, vegetables are the same.

My partner got an Instant pot but I don't like the meat that is made in it. Maybe it's overcooked? Tomato-based ground meat (e.g. ground lamb) sauces are tolerable. I generally prefer my meat fried (seared) in a cast iron pan and finished in an oven (if necessary, e.g. a big piece of beef).

Pork shoulder, garlic, cumin, onion, thyme, oregano, olive oil, 1C water, salt, pepper.

Close the lid, seal the vent.

Press meat. Wait for the beep.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#592

Post by tomcam » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:46 PM UTC

busterarm wrote: post #163

tomcam wrote: post #37

1999 GMC Savanna passenger van (seats removed) for use as a farm truck. It’s huge inside and easily holds 4x8 sheets of ply. Here in Seattle it gets wet a lot so I never have to worry about transporting or storing in the rain. Has 8 cylinder engine that will last forever and is easyish to maintain. I get an surprising amount of sheepish interest/envy from dudes who had the same idea but who bought pickups (which seld…

Former '99 GMC Safari owner here. Watch out for (common) front axle failures & other wheel problems. Replacements are near-unobtainium now and after two times having to do so in short succession we finally put ours in the junkyard. Miss the hell out of that van though. Drove it fully loaded across the country 10 different ways a couple dozen times. Ran that thing to dust.

Man, thanks for the warning. Bought off the city at auction with 100,000 miles. Hoping it will give me another few thousand; I only need it maybe 100 miles/week.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#593

Post by satyanash » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:47 PM UTC

drewzero1 wrote: post #493

tinybear1 wrote: post #256

- A New Model M keyboard from Unicomp. I was initially skeptical of spending >$100 on a keyboard but those doubts quickly evaporated, typing on this keyboard is true bliss. Every keystroke has excellent auditory and tactical feedback. - Uniball Jetstream: One of the best pens that I have used, extremely smooth and smudge resistant. - A Kindle, renting books through Overdrive saves a physical trip to the library and m…

I've been a fountain pen user for years but in the last few years have found gel pens to be a good compromise for their relative reliability. The Uniball Signo 207/307 gives a clean line without much pressure, on par with some of my favorite fountain pens, plus I've been impressed with the waterproofness of the ink. (My overall favorite has to be the Parker 21, if only they didn't crack so easily!) I'll have had my K…

> Uniball Signo 207/307

The signos are pretty good pens. I especially love the flow as it compares to Fountain, but the stroke width could be a bit less.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#594

Post by tomcam » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:47 PM UTC

second--shift wrote: post #559

tomcam wrote: post #37

1999 GMC Savanna passenger van (seats removed) for use as a farm truck. It’s huge inside and easily holds 4x8 sheets of ply. Here in Seattle it gets wet a lot so I never have to worry about transporting or storing in the rain. Has 8 cylinder engine that will last forever and is easyish to maintain. I get an surprising amount of sheepish interest/envy from dudes who had the same idea but who bought pickups (which seld…

I always say "the best compact pickup truck these days is a Grand Caravan"

You have fine taste, my friend. I felt a little bit like an idiot making this choice, but once I came out of the closet the number of people who thought it was a good idea was downright gratifying.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#595

Post by skeeterbug » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:47 PM UTC

runjake wrote: post #313

1. MacBook Pro 13" M1. Fast, quiet. 2. Streamlight pocket flashlight. Tiny, USB rechargeable. 3. A decent drill and impact driver. (Dewalt Brushless) 4. A cordless/battery string trimmer. No more messing with gas/oil mixtures or lugging an extension cord around. 5. AirPods

I purchased a battery powered hedge trimmer and edger. Things work great! Still on a gas powered trimmer though, is your 18v?

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#596

Post by Jakobeha » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:47 PM UTC

ad404b8a372f2b9 wrote: post #171

Jakobeha wrote: post #128

Material goods: Ear plugs (silicone). Don't waste your money on noise-cancelling headphones, I have $200 ones and they don't compare to simple ear plugs. If you live in a moderately noisy area and you want peace and quiet, get them. They basically just make everything quiet. 24 from CVS = $10. OpenMove by Aftershokz - Bone-conduction headphones. Perfect for running and just good for listening to music. They work, the…

What brand ear plugs do you recommend? I bought some just last week on amazon (some foam ones from Howard Leight) and it was a toss-up which were good and which were bad according to the reviews and descriptions.

I just get basic CSV silicone earplugs. Nothing special, but they work surprisingly well and only cost $10.

Foam earplugs are supposed to me more effective, but apparently harder to wear and sometimes less comfortable.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#597

Post by ed_balls » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:48 PM UTC

tomcam wrote: post #37

1999 GMC Savanna passenger van (seats removed) for use as a farm truck. It’s huge inside and easily holds 4x8 sheets of ply. Here in Seattle it gets wet a lot so I never have to worry about transporting or storing in the rain. Has 8 cylinder engine that will last forever and is easyish to maintain. I get an surprising amount of sheepish interest/envy from dudes who had the same idea but who bought pickups (which seld…

That's the reason why so few people buy pickups in Europe. Vans are better in many ways (you can transport 9 people; get more cargo, especially when you remove seats; better weather resistance, you can use it a storage when you live in a flat, better for transporting a dog)

"VW Transporter is not sold in the US market because it is classed as a light truck, accruing the 25% chicken tax on importation." - US is missing out on these.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#598

Post by lmilcin » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:49 PM UTC

tomtheelder wrote: post #566

shireboy wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Second cast iron. We use ours daily - and it's a handmedown from my grandmother who also used daily for 20+ years. Once seasoned properly, it is non-stick, cleans easy. We just be sure to put a little oil on it after each use. Really the only skillet you need.

I would like to throw in a strong rec for carbon steel. I was (and to a degree still am) a big cast iron guy, but I find that these days I use my carbon steel pans much, much more frequently. They share many of the benefits of cast iron in terms of durability, oven safety, high temp cooking, natural non-stick, etc. However they can be much, much lighter and their heating properties make them superior for many, and I…

I bought a set of carbon steel pans and my cast iron ones fell into complete disuse.

Especially carbon steel crepes pans (https://www.debuyer.com/en/poele-a-crepes-mineral-b-1472.htm...) are completely unbeatable. I have two of them and I can feed a small crowd of family and friends faster than they can eat. Nothing sticks if you take proper care.

The best thing, they are dirt cheap.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#599

Post by thrower123 » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:49 PM UTC

A John Deere 2025r compact tractor. Four-wheel drive, with a diesel engine. I have a bucket and a set of pallet forks for the front-end loader, along with the front-mounted snow blower, a five foot rear grader blade, and a Tractor Supply three-point carry-all frame that I built into a dump body. I have about five acres of land, and it's almost the perfect swiss army knife piece of equipment for that size of property.

The build quality is good. Maintenance is easy, with all of the grease points easily accessible. I really like the John Deere quick connect system for the loader implements, compared to the skidsteer-style, and the loader is also really easy to take on and off when I'm switching to the snow blower. It has a hydrostatic transmission exactly like that on their lawn tractors, so it is dead simple to drive. The hydraulics are smooth, and it has a float setting that is really handy when plowing snow or back-dragging dirt to level areas out with the bucket.

I've done a lot of work with it, moving dirt, moving rocks, pulling stumps, clearing snow, twitching logs, and just picking things up an moving them around, that would have taken so much longer and been more difficult without it.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#600

Post by codezero » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:50 PM UTC

AfterShokz Aeropex bone conducting headphones.

I'm not an audiophile but not having my ears obstructed while hearing music/podcasts/meetings is a game changer.

Definitely not for everyone but I bet most folks who are curious about them probably would like them more than they expect, and worst case you can just return them right?