A good burr coffee grinder.
For less than $100!? Do tell, my friend.
Helikon-Tex Camp Hand Coffee Grinder is 35€ all-metal beast.
Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?
71–80 of 260 posts
Re: Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?
#72$50 RTLSDR Kit
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CD7558GT
I got this to play around with what's on the air, and now I'm a full blown extra.
Re: Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?
#73Shoehorn! Particularly a long one if you'd like to avoid bending down at all when putting on slip-ons. Of course they are primarily great for saving the backs of your shoes. The IKEA one is perfect (at least for 6'1" me).
STEEL long shoehorns.
Once you break one, you'll spend the money.
Re: Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?
#74I like this question because I come at it from a very different lifestyle. I’m a digital nomad and I have mostly lived out of a backpack and carry on for the past 10 years. My philosophy is that things have to be worth carrying and they should be very easily replaceable if anything gets lost, stolen or breaks. A few of my under $100 favs:
Universal GaN travel adapter: One of those square bricks that converts from any AC outlet to any AC outlet and has 3 or 4 USB charging ports built in. I got enough wattage to charge my usb-c laptop as well, so one brick takes care of all my devices.
Backup android phone: Our phones are so critical that I keep a hot swappable spare phone on me, currently a Moto G 2025. It’s already logged into all my apps and 2FA. I could throw my iPhone into the Seine and keep on trucking. It even has backup NFC credit cards. I keep a cheap travel eSim plan active on it so that if I am somewhere sketchy I can leave my main phone at home.
Logitech MX Keys Mini: Great portable keyboard. Backlit, usb c and multi-device. Typing this post out on my phone now.
GL-iNet Beryl: The do anything travel VPN router running OpenWRT out of the box. Great for securing and extending sketchy WiFi connections or if you have to work off your phone’s hotspot all day.
Decathalon Quecha Escape 500 23L: Such a great personal item size backpack for the price, less than 40 euros.
Re: Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?
#75Dual-end pliers, like this:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Performance-Tool-W1105-Side-Locki...
There used to be a beefier version that was just perfect; despite over two decades of abuse (dropping off ladders onto sidewalks, letting children play with them...) my first pair is still going strong.
Now you can only buy slimmer knock-offs, but they're still great. Needle nose, std pliers, hex pliers, and wire strippers in a single, rugged tool.
Re: Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?
#76Pocket operators are really fun to play with when you need a break from work.
What is a pocket operator? Got a link?
Re: Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?
#77Uniqlo Ultra Light Down Jacket
Re: Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?
#78One of those reoriented vertical Logitech mice that reduce wrist pain. Amazing!
I use a Logitech MX Ergo that has a trackball, and it's helped me a lot with wrist pain. Using a trackball felt a bit weird initially.
I got "fashion shamed" by another geek for using a trackball "like it's still the 90s".
I don't put much stock in anything they've ever said, since.
Re: Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?
#79Shoehorn! Particularly a long one if you'd like to avoid bending down at all when putting on slip-ons. Of course they are primarily great for saving the backs of your shoes. The IKEA one is perfect (at least for 6'1" me).
STEEL long shoehorns. Once you break one, you'll spend the money.
Yes, good callout! The one from IKEA is metal (usually not an IKEA fan but some good stuff like this and it's under $100, but of course there are tons of other options).
Re: Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100?
#80Pocket operators are really fun to play with when you need a break from work.
What is a pocket operator? Got a link?
These are pocket operators: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhFIUdICYSA
They can be used on their own or together, frustrating, fiddly, fun. :)