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Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

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

#821

Post by Groxx »

I've been super happy so far with the Drop Pandas (bluetooth headset). It's the first bluetooth headset I found that solidly beats my old $150 pair of wired headphones in audio quality in every way, after trying ~8 of the "best" options (my reviews are on amazon!). thousands of hours using in their first year is cheap, the mic is good enough to use for calls, and "good" headphones tend to last a decade or more. If you're less picky about audio, the main Sony and Bose headsets are also excellent, other brands are broadly not worth the money (endless frustrations / flaky connections / terrible mic and noise canceling).

Also, not this year but I'd re-buy it in an instant: a 100% latex mattress. They're relatively pricey for a mattress, but it has already out-lasted every other mattress I've used, and still feels like new - no sag whatsoever, at 7 years. Expected lifespan is 2x or more compared to springs, and it has absolutely been worth the money already.

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

#822

Post by pedalpete »

TacticalCoder wrote: post #362

Unlikely to get upvoted here but a used Porsche Panamera with an extended bumper-to-bumper manufacturer warranty. As Doug Demuro says it's cheap, really cheap. There's not a single brand new car costing, say, 75 K EUR or less that I'd have rather than that because the quality simply ain't there. The ride comfort, soundsystem, sound insulation, interior quality, how it drives superbly (and can yet be used for some spi…

Similar, I got 2014 BMW 535i Touring. With everyone buying EVs and nobody wanting wagons, it was a steal. I haven't had many cars in my life, but this thing is just astounding, and I'm always afraid when I take it in that BMW is going to try to upsell me on something or tell me something is broken, but everytime I go in they just say "oh my god! we never see these. You're cars in perfect shape!".

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

#823

Post by tomcam »

csteubs wrote: post #605
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…

Ditto on the large vehicle purchase. I've been spending more time out in the wilderness and my 2WD Volvo sedan wasn't cutting it on dirt roads and with little-to-no suspension, so I bought a 2005 Yukon from a good friend. He bought it from the original owner last year for $1100, used his employee discount at CarMax to fix a bunch of small issues, and I picked it up for $2000. It's a beast of a truck, has tons of opti…

Nice setup you have going. Don’t think I wasn’t looking at the Yukons myself!

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

#824

Post by couchdb_ouchdb »

omarhaneef wrote: post #567

Scanning these recommendations, the plurality -- perhaps even the majority -- are ergonomic. You would think everyone is constantly in pain: keyboards, desks, monitors, chairs, shoes, that relieve pain. Even the air filters, robot vacuums, and noise reduction devices reduce some kind of pain. The only non-pain recommendation that comes close is coffee and the apple M1. One strange thing is the contrary recommendation…

The Apple M1 is also an ergonomic choice for me, as the new keyboards are much easier on the hands.

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

#825

Post by Sohcahtoa82 »

hirundo wrote: post #63
lbotos wrote: post #42

Anova Sous Vide. Cooking perfect Chicken or pork chops every single time is an absolute joy. I don't eat as many steaks but also cooks them just the same. It's one of my go-to kitchen gadgets, and I cook most of my meals with it.

I have the Anova and it's a pain due to very flaky bluetooth support. As in, I have umpteen working bluetooth gadgets in the house that all work, but I couldn't get the Anova to work after two replacements. If I didn't pay so much extra for the bluetooth it wouldn't bother me, since it works fine without it. But I prefer the Instant Pot sous vide, my daily driver, which doesn't attempt bluetooth.

Can you or someone explain to me why you need or want Bluetooth on a sous vide circulator?

You already have to be physically next to it put your food into the water bath. It makes no sense to pull out your phone and launch an app to turn it on and set the temp when you're already physically standing right next to it, and I've never heard of any sous vide recipes that require you to change the water temp partway through cooking, so there's no need to change the temperature remotely.

The only thing I could possibly see wanting a Bluetooth app for is monitoring the water temperature in case it's gone wonky, but in the 5+ years I've had my Anova, it's always been flawless.

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

#826

Post by ilamont »

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.

How do you do ramen? We use it a lot for stews, never tried it for lighter broths.

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

#827

Post by tomcam »

cpr wrote: post #615
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 bought a barely-used (2K miles, 35% off (year on lot)) high-roof Sprinter on a whim back in 2017 (was a PGA tour shuttle, apparently) and took out all 3 benches, for a truly wonderfully capacious, full-enclosed hauling and moving machine. We've also used it as a great family country-touring machine with all benches in (8 kids), and the kids have taken it around the country a couple of times with friends. Can't reco…

Eight kids. What I would give to have eight kids. You’re a living life right, that’s all I have to say.

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

#828

Post by browningstreet »

slimbods wrote: post #647

A very basic but effective home gym: A barbell and 140kg of bumper plates, Squat/bench stands, bench, slam ball, dumbbells and a small range of kettlebells. The whole thing cost about the equivalent of a year's gym membership but have lasted two years so far and show no sign of wear. Being able to lift something heavy on a regular basis over the last year has been a massive boost for my mental and physical health. Yo…

I built out the basic home gym over the pandemic, but gyms in my town have dropped the mask mandate and I can't wait to get back in. I'll continue both, and the home gym improved the last year of my life immeasurably, but I've always like going to other gyms. When I lived in the city, I made the rounds among the different gym locations available to me.

I guess I'm back to having the best of both worlds.

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

#829

Post by g8oz »

throwaway00127 wrote: post #644
ultra-jeremyx wrote: post #299

Cold climate mini-split heat pumps * I live in northern New England and used to heat exclusively with wood in the winter time. Very cozy, but hard to maintain a consistent temp throughout the house. The new cold-climate models can operate at 100% capacity down to an ambient temp of -13F outdoors. One in each bedroom, the living area, and home office makes it easy to dial in the optimal temp for the space. No more loa…

Whole-house centralized variable speed heat-pump with zones is actually the most efficient way to heat/cool your home. Also better at circulating air, filtering, dehumidifying, etc. HVAC companies push multiple mini-splits these days because they're faster to install, and have better margins, even though they're technically not the best solution versus centralized air.

The Mitsubishi Zuba system is a good example of this type.

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

#830

Post by BostonEnginerd »

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…

They also have better compatibility with glass cooktop’s as they are much smoother and less likely to scratch.
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