- Victorinox Classic SD Pocket Knife - Japanese toilet roll holders - 3M Command Strips
One step better is the Victorinox Swiss Army Manager Pocket Tool. Adds a bottle opener, philips driver & pen in a slightly thicker package.
http://a.co/gsud2iY
Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
631–640 of 1001 posts
Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
#632Tupperware orange peeler
Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
#633* Blendtec Blender - blew my first pay cheque on one nearly 10 years ago and it still looks and works good as new. Absolutely superb design and construction. * AGA Oven - I don't own one, but my parents do and growing up this thing was just incredible. Still looks and works like new. I honestly have never used an oven which looks and cooks so damn good. * Apple (Unibody) Macbook Pro - Despite my present feelings towa…
I have to argue with the last one, I think this garlic press https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/oxo-good-grip... is superior. When you're done with this one, you rotate the handle all the way around and the rubber cleaner on the back cleans the press. I've used both, and mine is easier to clean. You've hit on something though - it's amazing how many people out there suffer with badly designed kitchen uten…
I'm on my second OXO garlic press because the hinge on the first one cracked. They did replace it for me for free, but I was surprised that it broke at all. It does not feel like a cheap tool and I'm not sure I could break the hinge on it again if someone challenged me to.
Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
#634The VW Up! (aka Škoda Citigo aka Seat Mii) It weighs under a ton, is only 3.5m long, and has a 1.0L, 3-cylinder engine that fairly sips gas. It shifts like butter and, considering it's powered by a glorified sewing machine, it has decent acceleration and top-end speed. And, if you spring for the Czech rebadge, you can get the basic model for less than 10k euros. But the real killer is that it has almost as much usabl…
I have to say this reminds me of my 1st generation Scion xB- it's a 1.7L engine, the only car of its size that I (6'4") can sit in the back seat comfortably, and its vertical sides and fold-down seats make it capable of carrying a ridiculous amount of stuff, and quite comfortable for camping in, too. It's an entirely utilitarian car. http://www.scionxb.org/xbreviews.htm
My wife got a 2nd gen Scion xB after we had our first kid and were starting to plan for the second one. In its class, it fit a double stroller in the back the easiest.
Not quite as tall as you (I'm 6'2"), but I would sometimes ride in the backseat of it with our young son, as opposed to riding shotgun. Lots of room back there and it was comfortable as well.
Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
#635I have a thin, fold-out, apx 2 inch box cutter knife that fits perfectly in my small jeans pocket. I need it around work all day long and it's always there for me and I don't feel it otherwise. It locks when it flips out too which I appreciate, and there's a button to press to safely fold it back in. It just has such an elegant, simple, and safe design, I love it.
Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
#636The ancient microwave in my first apartment. It had two knobs: one for time, one for power. It's immediately obvious how to cook something for how long, how to add more time, etc. All other microwaves that I've used I had to have someone explain to me what buttons to press in what order to do even the simplest things. And I've never seen anyone use all of those fancy buttons.
The last time I bought a microwave I had two feature requests:
Two knobs, one for time, one for power.
An inverter so it would run at that power instead of just turning on to full power for a while and then turning off and on again, which ends up scorching food and blowing fuses.
Apparently, this was too much to ask. I get the impression one company has the patent on the inverter tech, and they refuse to put a simple interface on their microwaves.
Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
#637Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are you kidding me? These plastic toys break like 4 months in. Would never buy another one. Luckily I bought it at Costco so I could return it.
Don't know. I've had mine for > 6 years now, not a single problem with it. Newer ones aren't as good?
Mine's 12 years old and still works great. Anecdotally I've heard other people complain about the newer ones too, so maybe the quality control is slipping?
Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
#638Nokia 1100 - World's best selling mobile phone
Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
#639Earlier quoted context omitted.
Had one of those for a looong time when I was in middle/high school. My teachers especially loved how it emitted 2 strident beeps at each hour. And indeed, that was the most efficient watch I ever had.
The frequency at which those beeps are emitted, and the fact that there are, as you put it, precisely "2 strident beeps" makes it impossible to locate by sound alone. I misplaced one of these a decade ago somewhere in the "mess that is my home office" and had been punished with these two, maddening, beeps going off every hour for about nine of those ten years. I'm not sure if it was found by someone else or the batte…
Let's face it, that's not a problem with the watch per se :)
Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
#640- Thinkpad 701C(S) w/ butterfly keyboard - Shouter (for Android) - Amazon Kindle - Leatherman Wave - Collapsable Electric Kettle - Esbit Stoves - Merrell Hiking Shoes - Moleskins
Butterfly keyboard demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLj3aCfqzOM