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ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?

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Re: ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?

#91

Post by Eumenes »

thorin wrote: post #85
Eumenes wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

do you take it backpacking? i would be concerned finding dry kindling if you relied in it for boiling water/cooking

It cooks well enough that you'd always find something useable unless it's torrential rain and you'd get used to carrying a few bits of dry flammables with you. The size of thing makes it not very suitable for backpacking though. It's great to have in your open boat, van etc though.

got it, seems nice for that. for weight/bulk, hard to beat a msr pocketrocket, 750ml toaks pot, and tiny cannister of fuel.

Re: ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?

#92

Post by davidmanheim »

Here are some good lists; Rob Wiblin https://medium.com/@robertwiblin/things-i-recommend-you-buy-...

Rosie Campbell https://www.facebook.com/ardenlk/posts/10156553178262333

Sam Bowman https://medium.com/@s8mb/things-i-recommend-you-buy-and-use-...

Re: ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?

#93

Post by prawn »

crims0n wrote: post #73
prawn wrote: post #45

A Pitbull Skull Shaver: https://skullshaver.com/products/pitbull-silver-pro-head-and... Shaves well dry (which I do when camping) but is also water resistant for the shower. Recharge once a week at most. Used to dread shaving my head each morning, but having an excuse to stand around in the shower longer suits me just fine.

Does it get a decently close shave? I use a razor every other day because I haven't found anything electric that gets that "clean shaven" look. Definitely open to not having to do that.

I think so. I don't like using a razor or the feel of it afterwards, so my standards of "clean shaven" might be different, but I upgraded from a previous, non-waterproof Pitbull (bought in 2018) and remember thinking that it felt like the new one (mid-2022) was shaving far closer.

Re: ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?

#94

Post by awiesenhofer »

wildrhythms wrote: post #38
HPsquared wrote: post #4

Noise cancelling headphones have been a revelation. I can now work in an open plan office without blasting music etc in my ears. I can drive my old cheap car on the highway without lots of annoying noise. Etc etc. The benefits are many.

I find too many of noise cancelling headphones cause 'stuffy ear' feeling for me. I have yet to find a pair that doesn't cause me that discomfort.

I love my Samsung Buds Live for that. They are shaped like beans and dont go into your ear but into the "fold" in front of it. Naturally they dont block as much noise as normal buds or headphones but the noise canceling is still good and they feel so much better especially when you are using them for long stretches ie. on long flights or similar. I guess its mostly about letting the inner ear breathe.

Re: ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?

#96

Post by fanf2 »

throw101010 wrote: post #48
coldblues wrote: post #17

A mechanical keyboard.

What does it change from normal/cheaper keyboards? I've never made the jump because I'm always scared that the additional noise will bother people around me who might sleep at times when I am working.

The thing that makes mechanical keyboards interesting is their customizability. For example, they can be as quiet or as loud as you like - linear or tactile switches are quieter than clicky switches, and can be quieter than a cheap rattly membrane keyboard.

Re: ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?

#97

Post by bryanlarsen »

logicalmonster wrote: post #86

I'm a big fan of so-called "bone-conduction headphones". Being able to be in public with audio while not disturbing others makes a big impact on life enjoyment while not limiting your safety as you can still hear the surrounding environment.

I like them because i find them much more comfortable to wear for long periods than any in ear, on ear or around ear head phones.

Re: ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?

#98

Post by RetroTechie »

Kim_Bruning wrote: post #3

A tea-sieve specifically made to fit inside a thermos bottle. Lets you prepare loose-leaf teas and be able to drink them all day! Most useful thing ever!

Related: some coffee cups.

Arcopal Volcan, late '70s/early 80's. Quality, beautiful design & craftmanship. I don't know any modern product that comes near. Almost as old as I am, used daily, but looks new. Weren't expensive either. Just hard to find.

Each time I pick it up, sip my coffee, or hold it in sunlight, my day is a little more joyful vs. using regular store-bought mug.

Manufacturer taking pride in their skills & doing what they can to fabricate the best product possible, vs. today's race-to-the bottom cheap crap where enduser opinion doesn't matter as long as a profit can be made.

Re: ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?

#99

Post by Larrikin »

vidanay wrote: post #66
gms7777 wrote: post #59

I know HN skews largely male so this might not be interesting to many, but an Ethnotek crossbody purse. It's the most well-thought-through bag I've ever used, especially for travel. Everything has a place and is secure (so I don't worry about pickpockets), but is still easily accessible when needed. And it's expandable for a water bottle or jacket but rolls up small when empty.

Manbags/murses/satchels need to be normalized for men too. I hate carrying a wallet in my back pocket. Men have been carrying purses for a couple thousand years, IDK why we don't in modern society.

I don't see any reason to try and normalize the murse now that the briefcase has been slowly beaten into irrelevance and backpacks are far more comfortable.

Also why do some people carry their wallet in their back pockets instead of the roomier front pockets? Seems like you have to shift stuff around if you ever want to sit and are just begging to be pickpocketed

Re: ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?

#100

Post by logicalmonster »

svet_0 wrote: post #90
logicalmonster wrote: post #86

I'm a big fan of so-called "bone-conduction headphones". Being able to be in public with audio while not disturbing others makes a big impact on life enjoyment while not limiting your safety as you can still hear the surrounding environment.

You don't need bone conduction for that, air pods pro 2 work just as well. Bone conducting headphones are mainly good for sports involving water (or sweat) IMO, but the quality is significantly subpar to regular headphones. Also, you can definitely hear bone conducting headphones in the environment if the volume is high enough as the vibrations also vibrate the air.

* I'm sure Airpods are phenomenal for what they are, but I haven't ever found an earbud I can comfortably walk in without having them slip out very quickly, let alone run in. They're a class of product that just doesn't work for me.

* A nearby observer might be able to hear a bone-conducting headphone if you blast the volume, but the main point is that it doesn't reach a disturbing volume for anybody in the surrounding environment, unlike some other potential solutions.

* The audio quality isn't phenomenal, but is acceptable for the use case where you're out in public and still wanting to focus on the surrounding environment. I wouldn't use those kinds of headphones for general home use, but they're good enough for the intended purpose.

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