Kindle Paperwhite. I increased my reading so much with it.
This was my 2020 buy that was a game changer. I really, really love the e-reader experience. Being able to dim it down at night and read myself to sleep is very pleasant.
Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022
671–680 of 1001 posts
Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022
#672Bluffworks Chinos. I travel a lot for work and these are the first slacks I’ve owned that look professional rather than tactical/adventurous and actually travel well. On the more technical side of things, an Evoluent vertical mouse. Has made a massive improvement in my hand fatigue/pain.
I absolutely love my Bluffworks jeans and I'm sad they stopped selling them, but Ministry of Supply does sell them (although they're currently marked "final sale" so I'm guessing the end is near): https://www.ministryofsupply.com/products/mens-chroma-denim-...
Here's another shout-out for the dress shirts made by both companies, if one has need of dress shirts
Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022
#673Airpod Pro 2 They are basically bionic ears. Headphones, headset, earplugs, hearing protection, hearing aids, extendable ears, and more. Wish they could act as universal translators, but I suppose that's still yet to come.
i have to use different sized tips and they push out over the course of time.. i like them and accept that it's my ears, but after the airpods pro i'll go with something with a hook or over the ear.
I find the Pros migrate out no matter what size I use. I was hopeful that the new XS size on the v2 Pros would help, but it doesn't appear to.
As a result, I use my old Airpods (not sure what gen, but pre-Pro) for zoom calls. I don't need ANC under these circumstances, and I prefer to not be reaching for my ear every couple minutes to push the pod back in.
Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022
#674I'm a student, so I write a lot, and the rOtring 600 mechanical pencil is incredible. I've not used a single genetic #2 pencil since I bought it last year, and I don't plan on using one ever again. The feel of the pencil is super solid, and rOtring also handles small lead sizes much better than any other brand I've used (especially .35mm) which means I rarely break my lead. Other than the pencil, maybe my Peak Design…
I use the same bag (also bought 2 years ago) and I'm not a student. It's great for transporting things to and from work, and I travel with it too. I suspect you'll find it useful for a while!
It's so easy to organize for all kinds of trips. I love the dividers, and I generally feel way safer keeping electronics in that bag over others.
Also, I bought a mechanical pencil (more specifically a lead holder, I guess) 20 years ago and I still have it and use it. They're such a great investment. Mine isn't rotring-nice, it's just a little blue staedtler thing, but it has been a great tool. It's essentially this one:
https://www.staedtler.com/us/en/products/technical-drawing-i...
Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022
#675Meater plus, a wireless meat thermometer. We don't even do BBQ, just cook in the kitchen. The phone app shows meat internal temperature, oven air temperature, tells you how long to cook, estimated time remaining, and how long to let your roast, chicken or fish rest after taking it out of the oven. The app also keeps a log of your past cooks.
If anyone from Meater reads this: Please add a feature to add a photos of the food to the cooks log.
Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022
#676Meta comment, but I'm curious about the money range of $200-$1000. Many threads like this are for cheaper products (granted, upper limit here of $200 is higher than usual), and a lot of the answers are repeated. I feel it's hard to justify spending larger amounts of money in the range I provided, but in the end, there are times when the value absolutely is worth it. Finding those times is the difficult part.
32” 4k monitor - $550
Good standing desk - $500
Adjustable dual arm mount for monitors - $100
RTX 3090 to play with Stable Diffusion - $1000
Good reverse osmosis filter - $400
Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022
#6771zpresso K-Max manual coffee grinder. Excellent build quality and grind for the money. A joy to use every morning and I expect it will last a long time. Their large range of models is confusing and takes some time to understand but with enough youtube reviews, you can decode it. Might be a bit over $200 in the US but I think I bought it at a discount to roughly be at $200 after currency conversion. https://sigmacoffe…
Just need to throw in single origin recently roasted beans, and you'll never go back to Starbucks again.
Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022
#678This is gonna sound dumb but an ice scoop for my freezer. Always just used my hands or cup but it would make it slightly annoying to get the right amount of ice. Plus if I’m making cocktails for other people it’s just so much easier and more hygienic.
It wasn't a new purchase so I didn't think of it for this thread, but I started leaving a water pitcher beside the sink. It's handy for watering plants, carrying water to the dog bowl (instead of carrying the dog bowl to the sink), filling the coffee maker, adding water to pots on the stove, and filling water glasses at the table. It's nothing big, but it's helpful in many small ways.
Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022
#679Not 2022, but in 2021 I switched all of my clothing to synthetic including socks and underwear. This made living in a high humidity area (90+ pretty much every day) soo much more comfortable.
Interesting. I think this shows what a change there's been in synthetic materials in the last 20 years.
The standard advice I used to hear was to never wear synthetics in hot climates, because they'd be terribly uncomfortable! Instead you were advised to wear only natural fibers in the heat, particularly cotton and linen, because they were more "breathable".
What I also find interesting is that many of the 'new' synthetics, including the "Bamboo" derived ones, are basically updated versions of Rayon, a fiber that had a terrible reputation in the 80s and 90s (and was typically associated with very cheap faux-silk clothing that was hard to wash and harder to keep unwrinkled). Some of my older family members were shocked to find out that the high-tech synthetics were made from wood pulp in a manner similar (although obviously much improved) to the 'manufactured silk' of the early/mid 20th century.
Re: Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2022
#680Not the first to say this but: Sodastream. I wanted glass bottles so I didn’t think a sodastream was possible for me but it turns out there is a glass bottle Sodastream and Lu can get it on sale for a bit above $100. I have bottles and haven’t spent a penny on Perrier since buying it. Plus I can take advantage of my fancy home water filter.
Reference: https://helpatmyhome.com/which-sodastream-and-soda-makers-ha...