Japanese sportsbikes are some of the best designed and engineered things I’ve used. Some designs haven’t even really evolved that much since the 80s as they were already pretty much the apotheosis of a high performance two wheeled vehicle . Tires, suspensions and brake designs have improved due to (i guess) materials science and manufacturing more than even design. Plenty of engines are used in models for decades because they were so good and overengineered. Aside from the engineering side of excellent performance and reliability the UI is very intuitive, and especially on Honda the ergonomics are near perfect to the point of disappearing out from under you. Of course same could be said of some cars but the design space is so huge its harder to nail down an ideal car.
Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
911–920 of 994 posts
Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
#912God i love my pebble so much, oldest piece of tech I've kept, but the most reliable. Good if you can get your hands on one but I have a feeling they're going the way of the radiant cobtrol toaster in that their prices are set to go up
I'm still rocking a Pebble 2SE every day, with 2 more in storage for when this one dies.
Keep an eye on Bangle.js 2 and PineTime for possible replacements.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
#913My Honda Element. It’s so versatile with the large side loading doors and the flip down removable back seats. You can toss a bike inside easily. It also is surprising short and has a small turning radius. I put 200000 miles on my first one before buying a second. Not a great looker though. https://www.core77.com/posts/61976/The-Honda-Elements-Unsung...
There are limited-release cars that I frequently wish I could have bought when they were on sale. The Honda Element, S2000, Prelude, del Sol, and Toyota FJ Cruiser are some that come to mind. I hope I'm not overlooking a cult classic today. Can anyone think of a cars like this?
Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
#914Macbook Air M1 gold. I love every detail of this machine.
I'm voting for this as well. I think Apple released a very well-built machine at a reasonable price for a 1st generation. The M1 sips battery as it leaves the Intel processor it replaces in the dust. I'm really happy with the Air I bought and considering another 16 GB RAM Air instead of the new M1 Pro or Max.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
#915GearWrench ratcheting wrenches. They're compact and fit in places that sockets never will. The ratcheting mechanism is very fine, with low backlash, which matters a lot in those tight places. They feel great, and they're a delight to use. Wirewrap tools. They're mechanically simple, easy to learn, and let you create neat, dense hobby prototypes faster and easier than soldering. Wago Lever Nuts. These let you join a w…
> GearWrench ratcheting wrenches There are also hex bit ratcheting wrenches (go by a variety of names). They key is they take a standard bit, and are only the depth of the bit + a few millimeters. Lifesavers on doorknobs. If you really needed the clearance, you could probably grind part of the hex end of a bit down too. Something like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/VIM-Tools-1-4-in-Hex-Bit-Ratchet...
Interesting, I didn't know they made those.
For quality hex wrenches Bondhus is a good brand. Having a quality set makes working on motorcycles, putting furniture together, etc. much easier: https://intl.bondhus.com/pages/hex-end
Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
#916MDN and the NHS website are some of the best knowledge base websites I know. Each do a really good job of communicating information. They put a lot of thought into the language they use and it shows.
Conversely, the "F1" help in so many other Microsoft (especially windows) help page - which often ignores preferred browser - is the absolute worst help system I've ever seen. Literally never once has that page aided me in any way.
You've never used the "Help" menu on macOS, I believe.
I simply don't understand why they still bother with it.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
#91720+ year old farm equipment. They are easy to use, simple to maintain, often repairable by the farmer on-site (with perhaps a trip to the store to buy a small part). I often found myself marvelling at the complex things that could be achieved by an arrangement of gears, such as the contraption on a square baler that wraps the bale with two pieces of twine and ties two perfectly tensioned knots that will hold the hay…
Is this still true, or is it 20 years from when you started thinking about how good things used to be? I ask because somewhere in there I assume there is a period where ICs were introduced but all the kinks might not have been worked out. It maybe that I have the time scales wrong myself though.
I cannot speak to whether this is still true for modern farm equipment for two reasons. First, my family ran a small livestock operation and older machinery was more affordable to buy/run/repair and fulfilled our needs. Second, the farm has since been sold and now I'm a mere city boy.
Does IC mean integrated chips? I have certainly read that modern farm equipment is less repairable, and I would not be surprised if they played a role. But I don't claim any knowledge about that. I may also have the time scales wrong.
But damn, those machines were a marvel sometimes. Here is a particularly fun one, the square bale picker/stacker. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUWrNZaLttQ&ab_channel=Thoma...
Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
#918Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have a few minor gripes: 1. Click (pause) and double click (full screen) interfere with each other. I don't really want pause to have more of a delay than it already has, but that's the only way to allow a non-pause double click. 2. I'd prefer if spacebar paused unconditionally. When focus is on other controls, it activates those instead, which I understand for a11y, but it's a bit annoying when other players do gr…
On 3: ',' and '.' go backwards/forwards by a single frame when paused.
Oh, yeah it does still work. Not sure why it was acting up for me the other day.
N.B.: You refer to the keystrokes correctly, while I refer to them using their modified characters (on EN-US keyboards, anyway) despite the modifier not actually being used, which I assume is why these keys were chosen.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
#919Kitchenaid direct-drive stand mixer. I have one from the 1950s that has been used multiple times a week since it was bought new by my grandmother. The dough hook, whisk, and other attachments secure in place with machined fittings so there is no play or wiggle. This has made them last. I took the top off of it 10 years ago to make sure it was still properly lubricated. That’s all the maintenance it has ever had. (Wel…
I just got one, and am impressed that the attachment port has not ever changed, so any attachment will work on every Kitchenaid mixer. Can I ask what you use yours for? I'm still trying to figure out what its best at.
Haven't used it, but I've heard great things about the sausage stuffer https://www.kitchenaid.com/countertop-appliances/stand-mixer...
Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
#920For working on bicycles, my favorite tool by far is the DT Swiss Spokey Pro spoke wrench [1]. Beautiful, ergonomic, pricey, and worth every penny. It completely transformed my attitude toward wheel building and truing. There are very few activities I do that are more meditative and satisfying than putting together a great wheel.
[1] https://www.jensonusa.com/DT-Swiss-Spokey-Pro-Nipple-Wrench