Ask HN: What sub $200 product improved your 2024

[mooritzvc]

Someone asked this at the beginning of last year [0] and the year before [1] and I got a lot of great ideas from the comments.

Thought I'd continue the tradition especially as its getting harder and harder to filter signal from noise using traditional search.

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38585109 [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34272687

[serjester]

High quality casters for your office chair - they all come with generic, cheap plastic casters no matter how nice the actual chair. You can pick up, top quality rubber casters for $20 off amazon [1]. Makes rolling around 10X better.

[1] https://a.co/d/dqXmP4F

[magic_smoke_ee → serjester]

Oddly enough, I just bought some for my Aeron classic 2 weeks ago. They're about 10x better than the default casters on mid-height pile carpet with no/low padding and hardly move at all. It's not perfect, but almost usable.

And this is before I'm able to get a (carpet-covering) chair floor mat for one of the custom floor mat, preferably not PVC or glass, but made from one of the harder plastics. I have 2 105x30" Uplift tables in an overlapping L configuration (due to the small size of the room) that needs a rolling surface. I've seen price quotes ranging from $300-1000 USD for custom mats. Bonus points for a mat and wheel material combination that doesn't create terrible static (ESD) problems.

[thenaturalist → serjester]

<strikethrough>Low effort affiliate link...

Unaffiliated: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088D8XHHQ

</strikethrough>

EDIT: My very bad @serjester, it seems a.co is indeed just shorted but can't contain affiliate tags. That's always amzn.to.

TIL!

[serjester → thenaturalist]

I just used the Amazon app share button.

[solardev]

Also, my Jetbrains IDEs (mostly use Webstorm and RubyMine). As an individual, I pay $173/year for their all products pack after a 40%loyalty discount. It's an incredible productivity boost over VScode and I'm quite happy to pay for it.

[rirze → solardev]

What is your working stack like?

[solardev → rirze]

I work in a support role, so most often just various frontend web frameworks that our customers use (Next, Astro, Svelte, etc.). Occasionally basic node scripts. Rarely, I also interact with dev instances of our backend in Ruby inside Docker containers.

In the past, at other jobs, we've had Java backends (IntelliJ), PHP (PHPStorm), etc.

They have a standalone IDEs for many specific languages, or IntellIJ Ultimate (the Java one) can also handle a bunch of other languages via official language handler plugins.

But what makes the IDE truly awesome isn't just the basic language support (which VScode also has) but extensive refactoring, built in visual git and a great three-way diff engine, built-in database browser and table viewer and query editor and analyzer, visual diagrammers, test frameworks, debugger, various services and monitors... too much to list. A lot of those things are available in VScode too, but only through plugins of various quality and pricing. It's all built into Jetbrains, in one subscription. And if you ever stop a subscription, you keep the last licensed version you paid for forever (just without further upgrades). And you get a 40% loyalty discount if you subscribe as an individual after a year or two (forget exactly how long).

It's just incredibly helpful software at a very fair price point.

[binary_slinger → solardev]

what is one great thing do you get that vscode doesn't provide?

[decide1000 → binary_slinger]

It's the whole ecosystem. VScode is nice for coding. Jetbrains is great for engineering.

[ravenstine]

A Levoit air purifier for my apartment.

It turns out my respiratory and sleep issues came down to indoor air pollution. Within two hours of receiving the purifier and turning it on full blast, my sinuses cleared, even when laying down for bed. That night I had intense dreams and have been dreaming much more ever since.

[tencentshill → ravenstine]

Note you can make a DIY air purifier that's just as effective for much cheaper, though it's ugly. Set up a few of these during wildfire season and it really helps.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corsi%E2%80%93Rosenthal_Box

[magic_smoke_ee → tencentshill]

Yep. Impractical and fugly, but okay if you don't have a spouse, children, or care about aesthetics. BlueAir Classic 500/600 series-compatible models are the the way to go. (Was tested by Consumer Reports as the cleanest and quietest combination.) Most are basically just a rugged but minimal holder box for 3 identical filters on 3 sides with a much quieter and durable fan motor, and known good filters. The air a 680i/605 delivers is verifiably <0.5 ppm across PM0.1/2.5/10, eventually cleaning indoor air volume of reasonable size and minimal door opening frequency to an AQI <5. Note: the Classic Pro CP7i new costs almost twice what a Classic 680i/605 used to cost and uses different filters that aren't as good (thinner with less area), and the price is absolutely stupid. Buy a used 500/600 series on eBay for ~$200, clean the heck out of it, and source good filters.

[seanmcdirmid → ravenstine]

Where do you live?

We had a 8000 kuai (~$1000?) BlueAir when we were in Beijing, it was necessary but really loud (and huge).

[opwieurposiu]

I got a cable tie gun (aka zip tie gun) and it it does it's job perfectly. Pulls the cable tie to the correct tension and then cuts of the excess perfectly flush. Very satisfying to use. The one I got is made by panduit, but there are many brands that work more or less the same way.

[solardev → opwieurposiu]

Wait... what! How have I gone my whole life without knowing about these?! That's an amazing invention!

[folknor]

I upgraded my bed linens from standard cheapest cotton to satin.

It's such a huge difference I can't quite put it into words. It's completely different. I love it - some people might not though.

It feels cool and smooth. I sleep wearing only boxer briefs, and did previously as well.

One downside is you have to wash and dry them separately - but I already did that anyway because of the load.

[mmh0000 → folknor]

Sateen (satin) vs. Percale is just the weave. Some people prefer one over the other.

Check out this wirecutter podcast for WAY more information than you ever probably wanted to know about bedsheets[1]

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/wirecutter-show-p...

[satvikpendem → folknor]

I did something similar and actually upgraded my boxer briefs as well to a similar material, to bamboo fiber which feels much softer than cotton.

[solardev → satvikpendem]

There's nothing quite like waking up to your private parts being gently caressed by panda food.

[HenryBemis → solardev]

I've been catching up on my The Daily Stoic, and still the best phrase I've read today has "your private parts being gently massaged", with "panda food"!!!

[satvikpendem → solardev]

Yes exactly feels great.

[anbotero → satvikpendem]

Any particular brand/model? I used to buy some Calvin Klein in Modal textile, but they switched to Cotton which is not as smooth and piles over time. :(

Thanks.

[satvikpendem → anbotero]

I believe it was Knitlord but Bamboo Cool seems to be another good brand, at least on Amazon.

[dzhiurgis → satvikpendem]

You people don't sleep naked?

[satvikpendem → dzhiurgis]

I used to, then my roommate got quite a shock one day, so I don't anymore, lol.

[WillAdams]

Refurbished Wacom One 13 (Gen 1)

It allows me to use my MacBook in the same way that I use my other devices --- with a stylus, so writing/annotation/drawing are perfectly natural, and it's also easy to move from device-to-device:

- Samsung Galaxy Note 10+

- Kindle Scribe

- Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360

Looking at upgrading to either the new Touch edition or a Wacom Movink 13 (I just wish the latter was high-resolution, or the Cintiq's didn't use a different stylus technology).

[iamben]

Ignoring some of the obvious ones, something that made a big difference to me was an Aarke water carbonator.

Looks pretty, works really well, no more lugging heavy sparkling water bottles, and taking away the (many!) plastic bottles I used to go through makes me feel less like an eco-terrorist.

I get my CO2 via subscription in swappable/replaceable bottles. Excellent.

[mdaniel → iamben]

It may require a top-level comment, and I actually got mine 4 years ago, but I'll also plug Sparkel which is the "can-less" carbonator: https://sparkel.com/products/sparkel-beverage-system ($150 for the system). It is unquestionably slower than actual CO2 bottles (a "level 3" strength carbonation takes 2 minutes), but for me it more than makes up for the bazillions of minutes I don't have to spend driving to the store to exchange CO2 bottles. Your mileage may literally vary :)

This being HN one can also "void the warranty" by just making the recharge packets yourself with 10ml of baking soda and 10ml of citric acid, both of which one can get in multi-pound containers for ease of assembly. I use something akin to this[1] to keep moisture out of the charge until I need them, and I make them in batches of 30 which takes me 7 minutes for all 30, using any 10ml sized scoops[2]

1: https://www.amazon.com/Goeielewe-Graduated-Transparent-Measu... but with the advantage that I got mine at the $1 store

2: e.g. https://www.amazon.com/GSHLLO-Stainless-Measuring-Ingredient...

[insane_dreamer → mdaniel]

Interesting. I have a subscription service where I put the 2 CO2 canisters in the provided prepaid box and drop it in the mail, then get 2 full ones back. Rinse and repeat.

[mdaniel → insane_dreamer]

That's the process that I thought I understood from your comment, but for me personally it bothers me spending precious USPS/UPS resources mailing aluminium bottles of gas around the country. For absolute clarity: I'm not shipping-shaming, I'm just saying that's why _I_ would not choose that process

That said, I bet my girlfriend has no such qualms :-D so I'll be sure to look into that further for her. Thanks for making me aware of it o/

[insane_dreamer → mdaniel]

yeah, it's a fair point; I should probably check if there's an in person exchange facility nearby

[satvikpendem → iamben]

Isn't drinking too much carbonated water bad for your teeth? For that reason I try to limit the amount of sparkling water I drink, even though I like it. I know I'd be drinking it daily if I had such a machine on hand at home.

[mdaniel → satvikpendem]

I'm merely one datum (and here's a reminder not to take advice from the Internet) but I've been drinking sparking water almost exclusively since college (25 years now) and my teeth are still intact and pass inspection every 6 months

I switched because I find that still water not "satisfying" to drink, probably because I grew up damn near addicted to Coca-cola. So, if the choice is between drinking something other than water, because drinking still water drives me crazy, or drinking sparkling water and rolling the dice about my teeth, I chose the latter and so far so good :fingers_crossed:

[mdaniel → iamben]

Related to my sibling comment, I donated my Sodastream to my girlfriend and have tried repeatedly to get https://www.amazon.com/Machine-Cylinder-Adapter-Canister-Sta... to work with a tank of CO2 from the local brew store, but it always only fills the bottle up about 50% which is a huge pain

My current theory is to try and involve a vacuum pump to create a vacuum in the bottle to force more CO2 in but I'm waiting on vacuum oil for my pump to try that out

Anyway, if anyone has positive experiences loading sodastream bottles locally using a CO2 tank, I'd welcome that experience

I'm aware there are hoses that run directly from the CO2 tank into the sodastream but I am not yet on board with its failure cases

[tmerc → mdaniel]

I've only done some research, but if you have the space, you can skip the soda stream and carbonate in a corny keg in large batches. The lid of the keg has an input for co2 and an outlet for liquid. You should probably have enough space in the fridge for the large keg. There are smaller keg sizes but I'm not familiar enough to name them.

You can also find continuous carbonation lids but there are constraints on the water pressure being higher than the co2 pressure. My well water is 30 to 40 and the recommended co2 pressure is about 60.

On the whip (cylinder to cylinder filling tool) you linked, you can only ever equalize the pressure between the two cylinders. Most gas cylinders I've seen start around 2000 or 2200 psi if they were professionally filled (as in by a gas supplier like airgas). If your home brew store used a whip to fill your cylinder, it's going to be below their starting cylinder pressure. Each fill is going to lower the source pressure and generate a lower pressure in the filled cylinder. Vacuuming the cylinder should get more CO2 out of the source, but won't fill the small cylinder more. If I understand correctly, because you're pulling the remaining co2 out, you'll get lower pressure in both cylinders at the end because more gas has to leave the source to equalize the pressure.

Tbh, I'm more scared of the whip than a regulator and a hose after it. If you don't have a regulator on your source cylinder, whatever comes next has to handle the full cylinder pressure. In your case, all parts of the whip are at cylinder pressure. Regulators can handle full tank pressure and make it a safe level for the hoses so that in the event of hose failure, you're only leaking 60 psi (or whatever the regulator is set to).

I used to work with tanked oxygen for torch work (not professionally), but I think the above is correct. If not, please correct me.

[schwartzworld → mdaniel]

I use regular soda bottles. If I buy a seltzer or soda while I'm out I save the bottle and reuse it with a carbonator cap https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Carbonation-Pressure-Barb%E... Works great, and if I take a bottle to-go when leaving the house, I can toss it in the recycling instead of schlepping it home.

[giraffe_lady → mdaniel]

Once you have a CO2 tank and regulator the only thing the sodastream is providing is the interface from tank to water bottle.

Direct into the bottle is the way. You can buy carbonator caps for different bottles from a homebrew store. This is a routine maneuver for homebrewers and the risks are small & well understood if you approach it using their gear, knowledge, and technique.

Once your current sodastream bottles expire you can replace them with something else entirely. Getting the tank and regulator is like 80% of breaking free of their stuff entirely, just finish the process.

[kstenerud → iamben]

Seconded. Don't get any of those other crappy carbonators made with plastic parts that break (like Sodastream).

Aarke is a bit more expensive, but it's built to last. https://aarke.com/

I also got Luckymoose stainless steel bottles for it because I don't like keeping water in plastic bottles. https://luckymoose.de/

[folknor → kstenerud]

Careful here - GP said Aarke Carbonator Pro, but luckymoose bottles do not fit the Pro. They fit the Carbonator 2 and 3.

EDIT: Actually they didn't say that, I presumed they did because the Pro model AFAIK is the only one that comes with glass bottles insted of PET. But still, make sure you check that these bottles work with your machine :-) They dont work with mine!

[insane_dreamer → kstenerud]

Mine is plastic; been using it frequently for 4 years now. No issues.

[insane_dreamer → iamben]

Same here (Drinkmate brand, using SodaSense for swapping the bottles), about 3-4 years ago. Even though by my calculations it's close to the same cost as buying the canned flavored soda (i.e., LaCroix at Costco), there's a lot less waste. Actually, I did the comparison years ago so I wouldn't be surprised if now it's cheaper than buying the cans.

I flavor it myself by squeezing a bit of lemon or lime (sometimes other fruit) it in.

[fiftyacorn]

Yoyo desk bike - i bought it for a bit of fun thinking if it wasnt any good id get rid of it, but its really good fun. Ill do 20-30 "miles" on it in the morning - just tapping away and it helps me concentrate

[thebruce87m → fiftyacorn]

Why is miles in quotes? Is it real miles? That’s a lot!

[fiftyacorn → thebruce87m]

Its in quotes as im not sure how well calibrated it is - tbh it prob is miles

I do wish it had ant support - i keep thinking i should write an app using an ant sensor on it

Speedwise im doing around 10mph

[d23 → fiftyacorn]

Can you recommend a brand / model?

[fiftyacorn → d23]

The brand i have is yo yo bike

[chrismatheson]

A pack of 10 tea spoons. Cant tell you how self-satisfied I am every time I make a brew and DONT need to wash up a spoon.

[MrVandemar → chrismatheson]

I went to a 2nd-Hand store and bought a bunch of teaspoons, no two alike. It reuses something, and gives you cool, weird teaspoons.

[merek]

A large stainless steal drink bottle (36 oz or 1065 ml). Specifically a Yeti after doing careful research.

Major improvements I've noticed:

- not having to frequently refill a small glass

- not having to bother anyone for water when I visit

- readily available for outings

Thanks to the above, I'm well hydrated more of the time. The bottle is a bit bulky (it's insulated) but I'm happy with that tradeoff.

[roland35 → merek]

Is it dishwasher safe? Cleaning is the biggest hassle for me at least!

[vinnski → roland35]

I'm not entirely sure about the others but their Rambler line is definitely dishwasher safe (I own a couple).

[wojciii]

I had a Samsung laser printer which died after ~10 years. I bought this instead of German Amazon.

https://www.lexmark.com/da_dk/printer/14204/Lexmark-B2236dw

It works without nasty binary only drivers, as it supports IPP Everywhere of similar protocol. I was surprised that it just worked on Ubuntu and MS Windows 11.

[runjake]

A couple things:

- Qingping Air Monitor Lite: https://a.co/d/1jUkawZ

- AirGradient DIY: https://www.airgradient.com/

They helped determine why everyone feels so sleepy and groggy at home in the winter: the CO2 levels are routinely over 2,000 ppm. If we have any guests for a couple hours, it usually goes above 3,000 ppm.

And before anyone comments about accuracy, I've measure both of the above against very expensive, high quality air quality monitors we have at work, and they all give the same readings over months.

More:

- AirPods Pro 2. They are a significant upgrade over my 1st generation in terms of both sound quality and noise cancellation.

- Milwaukee Fastback utility knife. Cheap and useful. I usually carry it at work so I'm not dulling my daily carry knife with a bunch of cardboard. Have a phillips screwdriver too. https://www.milwaukeetool.com/products/48-22-1505

- Streamlight ProTac 1L-1AA flashlight. Uses CR123 or AA batteries. Small, compact. Will stay charged for months, unlike the USB charging flashlights. I usually run with AAs and keep a spare in my backpack. Super reliable. These go on sale a lot so don't pay full price. You can supposedly use these to charge your electronic devices as well. https://a.co/d/ecQKQca

- Ninja Air Fryer and an "mister-style" oil sprayer. https://a.co/d/2Vo2x6j

- ASPERX car jump starter. Charges via USB-C. I ordered this randomly on a good sale and the day after it was delivered, I had my car battery randomly die at a gas station and I used it to jump start me. https://a.co/d/cYAokwT

- Quansheng K6 radios. $30. Already used these for camping (FRS/GMRS), power outages and storm communications. GMRS worked about a mile non-LOS in a suburb and several miles with direct-LOS from a nearby mountain top. Work good as short range ham, and for radio scanning too. https://a.co/d/2ihGVZd

[satvikpendem]

I went traveling for much of 2024 and I wanted a universal charger and powerbank that just worked without issues. I also didn't want to carry around two different things so the best option I found was this combined universal charger and powerbank called the SnapWireless PowerPack Universal Pro, it is a brick but it has a 15k mAh battery with wired and wireless charging and also comes with attachable plug adapters. It saved my ass more than a few times when I was running out of juice for my devices.

[solardev]

I got a big portable monitor (22 inches, https://www.asus.com/us/displays-desktops/monitors/zenscreen...) that was just a bit over $200 on sale. They make a more expensive 24 in version too.

Love it. It can take USB C power from the laptop or plugged in to AC power for additional brightness. Comes with both a built in kickstand and a desk and cubicle mount.

[mdaniel → solardev]

I am a fan of more monitor more better, but $200 for 1080p is crazypants to me. I think the 24" you're referring to is https://www.asus.com/us/displays-desktops/monitors/zenscreen... but is also regrettably 1080p just in a bigger form factor. In contrast, QHD ones in 14", 16", or 18.5" seem to go for about $150 (although I'm cognizant this is an "improved your life" thread not "I dunno, try it" :-) )

[solardev → mdaniel]

I'd prefer slightly higher resolution too, but for coding work (especially for my aging eyes) 1080p is actually fine. It's actually really hard to find portable monitors of this size. Maybe there just isn't a market for an even more expensive non-1080p one...? If you do find one, please let me know.

[seanmcdirmid → solardev]

They exist:

https://www.viewsonic.com/us/vx1655-4k-oled-15-6-uhd-oled-po...

But there are so many off brands, and ViewSonic is sort of a step below what I usually go for. Here is one from LG that is not quite 4K but still better than 1080P:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1766952-REG/lg_16mr70...

[solardev → seanmcdirmid]

Sorry, I mean in a larger form factor (20 plus inches). It's easy to find smaller high res ones. But I specifically needed something bigger so I can see the text.

[jjice → solardev]

Big plus to this one. I carry a 15” from Amazon for something absurd like $80 whenever I’m working while visiting family. Doubling your screen real estate in the go is a massive win.

[xdfgh1112]

A USB powered neck cooler/fan. Bought a 200usd one instead of a cheap one and I think it's worth it - it can cool and heat, charges very fast over usb c and has survived a few drops. It makes a huge difference in humid counties.

A USB charging cable that displays its wattage. Some devices are bad at showing when they're done charging, or even if they're charging properly at all.

[ActorNightly]

The two most usefull things I got were

* Generic mini PC from amazon, that basically just runs docker containers. Very usefull to have as I use a windows pc mainly (cad and gaming), and while WSL2 works for dev, I want to have running services, and this thing works pretty well.

* Some Zwave stuff, which uses the above with a Zwave usb antenna, and HomeAssistant. Arose from a need to never forget to close the garage door, but I have been doing more complex stuff with optical and motion sensors.

* USB audio interface (focusrite), XLR Mic, and USB switch for keyboard mouse and audio interface. I can now wear super light headhphones (Seinheiser) instead of a bulky headset, and can seamlessly switch from controlling my work laptop to my main desktop, with correct audio output, never having issues with bluetooth or other connectivity.

* I also pay about $200 every 2 months to have my house cleaned. Well worth the cost for em.

[gradschool]

I got the kind of neck brace normally used by health care practitioners for immobilizing a person's head and wore it on several long haul flights during the year, lashed to the headrest on the seat back with an improvised system of belts, along with a blindfold. It enabled restful sleep during the flights with the only downside being that I looked weird. Normal travel pillows are useless to me because the tendency for my head is to hang forward when I'm on a plane.

[conception → gradschool]

The commercial version of this -

https://a.co/d/87HNHRu

Works well.

[nicbou]

A sharp knife. I already had a sharp knife relative to most people, but this is a lightsaber by comparison. I am almost excited to chop stuff with it, and it also looks really nice. It's probably the best souvenir I could get from Japan because I use it every day.

[mettamage → nicbou]

Yea, I've done something similar a few years ago, definitely a nice upgrade. I feel that it taught me how knives are supposed to cut. So I know much better whether the issue is my technique or the knife.

[isaachawley → nicbou]

Similar to this, I bought a Lansky knife sharpening kit. I thought I was good at sharpening with a whetstone, but this makes a huge difference. $75 or so.

https://www.lansky.com/deluxe-5-stone-system.html

[chrismatheson → nicbou]

can you share a link? my old Le-Crouset (15y/o) ones are EOL I think....

[nicbou → chrismatheson]

It's not a specific brand. Throw a hundreds euros at the matter and you are bound to have a really fine knife. Then you just need to keep it sharp.

Before that I had a Victorinox fibrox. A real workhorse of a knife. I suspect that it's just as serviceable, and that I am just not skilled enough at sharpening it.

You would probably get more out of getting them sharpened by a professional.

[muzani]

Annual subscription to Cursor. Easily one of the most powerful pieces of software out there and even if it's the only thing that survives this AI bubble, I'd be very happy.

[2024user → muzani]

The VS clone that lets you use other companies AI models? I have actually tried it but didn't "get" it. What is good about it?

[muzani → 2024user]

I was working on a game. The game is about conversations... what someone is saying, how they say it, how they interrupt and talk over each other, reading the feel of the room.

There was a lot of tweaking around the pace of conversation. It can't be too fast or too slow. I can tell Cursor to have character A speak faster when angry, or I can say that the hesitation pause between characters is too long. I can ask it to make characters cut off each other. I can say I want to add a typewriter effect to the dialogue. I can tell it that the typewriter effect and music needs to be aligned to the same pace.

Basically, I want to be working on the engine as the creative expert, not as a code writer.

I know how the engine works; I know when Cursor is updating the code wrong and I can correct it or give it a better suggestion. Something more autonomous is not good at this; it's at my ideal level of semi-auto.

And since it reads code, I can point it to the file with all the dialogue and tell it to make the dialogue snappier. It did a lot of really good "autotuning" on my writing.

[seanmcdirmid]

Not under $200, but this year I spent $220 on a nice non-stick wok:

https://www.scanpan.com/techniq-wok-90556?srsltid=AfmBOooVv9...

Definitely not for high heat cooking (well, theoretically you can, but it will reduce the pan's life), but it retains heat and doesn't scratch if you use wooden spatulas, it has been a very noticeable upgrade for our cooking, in a way that previous $40/50 woks can't match.

[eimrine]

Illegal drugs.

[ElevenLathe → eimrine]

Any ones in particular?

[theoreticalmal → eimrine]

Really stretching the definition of “improved”

[folknor → theoreticalmal]

How so? Just because a drug is illegal doesn't mean it can't improve your life. Conversely, just because a drug is legal doesn't mean it can't destroy your life.

[giraffe_lady → theoreticalmal]

A couple years ago I had two very similar conversations with two different friends, reminiscing about being in our early 20s, aspiring musicians, just sitting around with friends getting high and playing music for hours and how nostalgic we were for that.

We're all deep into adulthood with responsibilities but I scheduled a "bring your guitar and smoke weed" party. It was a blast, we do it a few times a year now. Cannabis may not be illegal in your area, but.

[whoareyou24]

I finally bit the bullet, and bought one of those weighted blankets.

I wonder how I ever could sleep without one. Well, I couldn't. Sleeping like a newborn since I got used to it. Takes about a week or so.

[monroewalker → whoareyou24]

Which one?

[sakjur]

A portable 20W solar panel that lets me recharge my power banks while hiking.

[solardev → sakjur]

Do you keep it at "base camp" so to speak, like with the tent? Or do you wear it on the pack while hiking?

[sakjur → solardev]

I’ve tried both, it’s way more efficient to set it up at camp facing the sun. I think for the future I’d rather just take it out during breaks and when setting up camp for the day.

I live 59°N, during the summer there’s plenty of time to both hike far and recharge batteries after setting up camp for the day.

[danhardman]

Home Wifi Mesh System - https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/deco/deco-x55/

Found my WiFi dropping off walking around my house and swapping to using data. Super frustrating but since installing these I've had perfect signal around my house.

[wlamond]

A digital picture frame. The one I have gets a custom email address that family can use to send me pictures, or they can use an app to add pics. It's been great having pics of siblings, nieces and nephews, parents, etc all popping up on my frame. It does what FB used to do for me before the feed was filled with random things that aren't from my friends and family.

[gadders → wlamond]

Post the email address I dare you :-)

[wannabebarista]

Boox Color 7 e-ink reader. I read a lot of pdfs but wasn't a believer in e-ink. However, the screen has dramatically reduced my eye strain.

This model is usually ~$250 but it regularly goes on sale for under $200.

[gnatman]

high-torque 20v impact wrench from harbor freight, came with battery & charger, probably $175 after tax

i do the occasional maintenance on my high-mileage car including, recently, a front-end suspension rebuild. having a portable impact wrench with some juice made that job 1000x times easier!

[potato3732842 → gnatman]

Walmart is where it's at for the cheap stuff these days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBNplsklWvY

I wish they had came out with that generation of stuff about 6mo earlier because I locked myself into Ryobi. I would have gone Walmart because I was primarily concerned with home and garden tools but Walmart didn't have a good impact at the time and that was a deal breaker.

[aabiji]

Noise cancelling headphones were a huge boost to my productivity.

[dzhiurgis]

Cheapest robot vacuum I could find ($150 refurbished Eufy). I will be upgrading to more expensive for sure, but even basic one is so good over vacuuming yourself.

[bilsbie → dzhiurgis]

Are there any that detect and avoid obstacles like cords and socks? I’d love to be able to run it without cleaning up.

You’d think with all the Ai out there this would be possible.

[dzhiurgis → bilsbie]

Yes. At CES just few days ago there was one announced that has a robot arm that tidies up for you.

Personally I kinda like being forced to tidy up (and I have 2 small children).

[segmondy → dzhiurgis]

wyze sells their new robot vacuum for about $100-$150 every year, you have to look around nov - dec (black friday and christmas sells), you might also find it sold by walmart for $100. it usually goes for around $300.

[dzhiurgis → segmondy]

I'll be transiting China this summer so plan is to get a high end Roborock.

[more_corn]

I bought a motion activated plug so my workbench lights turn on automatically when I walk up and off when I leave.

[rewsiffer]

$35 Manta Sleep Mask has drastically improved my sleep

[tim333]

$220 but a rusty used ebike. Great fun.

[panchhhh]

airpods 4, more convenient than bose qc35, now I bring them everywhere :)

[bloomingkales]

A competitive online game. A ranked game lets you work on something other than work. This is for the goal oriented people that need something like this.

Life may not be perfect but, but hey, I been working on grinding to Plat slowly and I’m almost there. It’s one of the simpler hobbies to add for those looking for it.

If you really decide that starting today you want to be a competent sc2 player, that’s going to take serious effort lol.

So a lot of these games are truly compelling personal challenges - if you’re competitive.

[rirze → bloomingkales]

Don't take this too far though.

Played for years and realized I kept playing just to reach the same "high" I once had when I first climbed. Even when I won, I was dissatisfied.

Once I stopped playing, I noticed myself getting calmer and less frustrated during my day-to-day.

All this to say- self-reflection is key.

[deathgripsss → bloomingkales]

As someone who was mid-diamond around HotS I couldn't disagree more :D. I started playing the piano this year and my blood pressure is significantly lower, still get the dopamine rush of successfully playing a piece without the rage of getting cannon rushed

[2024user → deathgripsss]

What piano did you buy?

[xdfgh1112 → bloomingkales]

Every competitive gamer I know is persistently stressed and angry. They don't seem to enjoy the game at all.

[brudgers]

Hakko 888.

Brother Ptouch D220.

About $200 all-in for both.

[fullstackwife]

chatgpt ($20 per month)

[roland35 → fullstackwife]

That's $240 a year!

[mythrwy → roland35]

You could take Dec and Jan off to make sure your mundane coding skills don't atrophy.