Comment by miloignis

Comment by miloignis 6 days ago

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Under $100:

1) A bidet! Got one in the pandemic when toilet paper was scarce and I wanted to be more efficient, but now I'll never go back. The Tushy ones are good.

2) A safety razor & accessories. I get a cheaper, closer, less irritating shave, and I get to customize every part of it. This can certainly be a rabbithole you spend a lot of money on, but you can get a solid customized starter kit for under $100 that will be totally solid, and from then on you're saving money over cartridges and gel unless you really want to splurge.

I'll second the electric toothbrush suggestion too, its great having my teeth fel clean and smooth.

fnimick 6 days ago

Safety razors are amazing and life changing. Even if you have something basic it's better for your skin than a cartridge razor, plus it's better for the planet (way less plastic), plus it's way less expensive! I don't know how they are still a niche item.

For anyone who wants to get started, I recommend (no affiliation): - the henson razor for those who want something on automatic. It's less efficient (worse at cutting long hair) but it's basically impossible to cut yourself with it due to the small blade gap - the rockwell 6s for tinkerers. It has 6 different settings for blade gap so you can choose your favorite, switch it up if you skipped shaving for a day and have longer hair, etc

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  • tomcam 2 days ago

    I abandoned safety razors because the handles are minuscule. Never found one that didn’t cramp up my big farmer hands.

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stavros 6 days ago

Yesss bidet post upvote!

Seriously, whenever I stay somewhere without a bidet I feel like a caveman. It's just such a quality of life improvement, it's crazy.

Under $1000: My 3D printer. I just super love 3D printers.

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  • Corrado 6 days ago

    Same for me. The bidet is absolutely a life changer.

    And the BambuLab's A1 3D printer (and mini-AMS) was by far my favorite under $1000 purchase. I've already printed some fidget "tools", toys for the grandchildren, toys for the children, and even a couple of useful tools for me. As a bonus I get some more experience in CAD and other 3D design tools. It's turning into quite a hobby for me.

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    • stavros 6 days ago

      Hell, the A1 mini is something like $199, it's such a steal I'm thinking of buying some to gift to friends.

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      • benterix 6 days ago

        For me P1S hits the soft spot: it's not terribly expensive, and it just works out of the box, is closed so the temperature is well-controlled (plus a carbon filter to keep the fumes down), you can add AMS easily. With 0.2 nozzle you can basically print figurines with almost resin quality.

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        • stavros 6 days ago

          I love my P1S. Maybe not a great starter printer, if you don't know if you like printers or not, but definitely the best bang for buck if you know it's not going to be a "let's try 3D printing and see if I like it" purchase.

          I do recommend a small length of foam tape for the left side of the door, though, the hinge is not lined and some fumes come out. Putting some foam there greatly improves that.

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  • jorisboris 6 days ago

    What do you use the 3D printer for?

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    • stavros 6 days ago

      I get this question a lot, and I never have a good answer. The best way to describe it is that it's a tool, so it unlocks a whole solution space that wasn't there before.

      Before, I used to live with random little annoyances so much that I couldn't even see them as annoyances. After you get something that can solve all of them, your mind just unlocks.

      Toilet seat won't stay up? Print a hook. Taking my glasses out of the glove compartment takes too long? Make a custom glasses holder. The cat eats too much? Print a cat feeder. My USB hub slides around too much? Print a bracket to hold it down. Too many devices on my desk? Print under-desk mounts for them.

      The list just goes on and on and on, I've printed probably thousands of useful things, especially for my hobbies.

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cameronh90 6 days ago

For anyone in the UK interested in getting a bidet: most normal bidets are illegal due to our water safety backflow prevention regulations. As a minimum you need a break tank - a double check valve isn’t sufficient.

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  • oliwarner 6 days ago

    I know this applies for bumguns —various water boards have published guidance— but a lot of the under-seat bidets retract [without positive water pressure].

    There's no risk of the spout sitting in and siphoning dirty toilet water it back into your supply. I'm neither a lawyer or a plumber but these seem like they might be okay.

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    • Const-me 6 days ago

      > There's no risk of the spout sitting in and siphoning dirty toilet water it back into your supply

      In many places in Europe tap water is safe to drink. However, hot tap water is not.

      The regulations mentioned by GP might protect safety of the cold tap water from intake of hot tap water. Which is easy to do unintentionally when mixing hot and cold water.

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      • benterix 6 days ago

        Oh so that's why the Brits all have this crazy setup with separate cold and hot taps! I was always wondering why - I'm from a country where you can mix water easily.

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        • mattmanser 5 days ago

          Nah, in the UK it's now fairly uncommon to still have a hot water tank. Most houses have mixer taps, and new fittings for bathrooms or kitchens will have mixer taps unless the home owner is masochist.

          The separate taps thing is more because it costs to replace a sink. So even if you put a new boiler in an old houses lots of people aren't going to replace the fittings in the kitchens and bathrooms at the same time.

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gwbas1c 6 days ago

I bought some Tushies for my house and they were awful, they were so thick that they broke my toilet seats. I then bought new toilet seats and little stick-on bumpers, but they fell off.

I then visited a friend who had an older Tushy and it was thin enough that he had no problems.

It's like they switched to a cheaper version without testing it, and then marketed the hell out of it.

I ended up replacing all my Tushies with Amazon's toilet seat with a built in bidet. It's decent.

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jtwaleson 6 days ago

My parents in law lived in the middle east for a long time, and we all got used to bidets over there. I've had a "mini shower head" version next to my toilet for the last 15 years or so. A bit afraid that it'll start leaking at some point, but so far it's holding up great. I would never go back to TP only.

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  • al_borland 5 days ago

    Without meaning to get too personal, what is the technique for using those? When I took a work trip to India the office had what I think you’re talking about. In the US, it’s like a sprayer on a kitchen sink. I didn’t dare try it out, as I couldn’t think of a scenario where I tried it for the first time and didn’t soak my clothes. I didn’t want that to be my reputation at the office.

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    • jtwaleson 5 days ago

      You hold it relatively close to the area that needs cleaning. Adjust the pressure as needed using the control on the handle. Then use TP (just to dry), in my experience this is optional in warmer climates.

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  • HenryBemis 3 days ago

    I have seen that 'mini shower head' in multiple homes and hotels in Finland and Russia (but not in Sweden or Denmark). It is amazing!!

    A side-hack for that matter is to switch from plain-TP to wet-wipes. Some time ago I visited a friend who had younglings, and treated myself to a pamper-wet-wipe and it was amazing.

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    • jtwaleson a day ago

      The sewage system won't be happy with wet wipes. Caused huge problems in some areas as it doesn't break down.

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dangus 6 days ago

I would asterisk the bidet suggestion just to say that higher end bidet seats that cost starting around $400 are wildly better the cheap ones, especially the unseated ones.

I’ve bought the cheap kind, got tired of it and tossed it, then years later went with a more expensive Toto (around $400) and it’s like a completely different experience.

The Toto keeps itself and the toilet cleaner for longer, it has options for gentle spray and oscillating movement, it’s entirely controlled by electronic remote rather than a crude manual knob, the water and seat are heated, it detects when you are sitting down and operates accordingly, and it even has a warm air dryer.

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Kiro 6 days ago

All bidets I've looked at including Tushy seem really complicated to install (basically having to redo the plumbing) and I don't understand how so many people can just buy and install one like it's nothing. Am I imagining things?

Edit: Not in the US and the plumbing looks a bit like this, but without the nuts so you can't easily disconnect a part of it: https://static.byggahus.se/attachments/images/large/341/3416...

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  • Digory 6 days ago

    If you can handle putting the nozzle on your garden hose, you should be able to handle it.

    In the US, the water pipe almost always connects to the toilet through a small shutoff valve. After the valve, it connects to the toilet through a "supply." The supply is basically a short garden hose, with screw-on connections at both ends.

    Shut off the water at the wall. Flush to empty the toilet tank. Unscrew the hose at the toilet, and screw that end into what amounts to a y, or splitter that comes with the bidet. From the splitter, screw one side back into the toilet connection; the other goes to the bidet itself. Turn back on the water at the wall.

    (This is for a simple cold-water bidet. If you need heated water or electricity, it can be more complex.)

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    • taftster 6 days ago

      I mean, but don't you need warm water and/or electricity? I can't see liking a bidet if it's basically just cold tap water shooting up my bum. Not sure that's going to do it for me.

      I've always thought that both hot water and electricity would be a minimal barrier to entry for a bidet. And that neither of these exist in a typical toilet closet. Am I fundamentally wrong about this??

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      • Digory 6 days ago

        Whether you need it probably depends on your climate and your house.

        Water in pipes inside a house's "thermal envelope" is presumably around 72 deg. F. I wash my hands with "cold water" without wincing. Tap water strikes me as tepid if I drink it without ice.

        If your pipes run through an outside wall in Canada, it might be a different story.

        If you do need warmer water, and the bidet heats it, you probably just need an electrician to fish a wire and add a receptacle. That's not outrageously complex, usually, but I tend toward calling a professional for anything behind the walls.

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      • dvngnt_ 6 days ago

        it's really not that cold. i can't do cold showers at all and tap water bidet feels nothing like it.

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        • jdyer9 6 days ago

          Same, I don't even like washing my hands with cold tap water, but cold bidet water is no issue.

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      • fiatpandas 6 days ago

        The bidet heats up the water instantly, there is no requirement for a hot water supply. Just connect it to the existing water supply the toilet uses.

        You do however need electricity. I had to run an extension cord for mine, which I tucked away in low profile conduit to keep things tidy looking.

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  • raphaelb 6 days ago

    It depends on what your toilet supply lines are like and if you use a cold water only or a cold/hot water bidet, but a cold water only one (not nearly as uncomfortable as imagined before trying it) is very easy to install as long as your supply line has a shutoff valve and is relatively flexible.

    It takes 15-20 minutes and it basically consists of unscrewing a few things and screwing them back together again.

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  • tapoxi 6 days ago

    I bought a Tushy during the pandemic, it took about 10 minutes and a flathead screwdriver.

    I liked it so much that when I had a new bathroom installed a year later I put in a Toto Washlet.

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    • 7373737373 6 days ago

      I feel like Toto is failing with their marketing, since people are not really aware of their products outside of Japan. No good and cheap alternatives either

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      • toyg 6 days ago

        Toto is failing with their prices. I know they can print money in Japan, but it looks like they don't really want to be competitive elsewhere. Sooner or later someone will persuade the right influencer to start a bidet craze and they will get 10x bigger than Toto overnight.

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      • dzhiurgis 6 days ago

        Is Toto really that better than others? I have both (very old Toto vs Chinese no-name) and I see no difference.

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      • newdee 6 days ago

        Duravit aren’t cheap, but are much cheaper than Toto (at least in the UK) whose pricing is kinda outrageous.

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        • its_down_again 5 days ago

          I’ve got a Duravit toilet here in the US, and I'm on the hunt for a compatible cold-water bidet seat under $300 on Amazon. I originally went for a Brondell, thinking it would match the shape and dimensions. But halfway through the install, I realized it wasn’t going to fit around the seat connectors. Duravit's own bidet seats are around $1,000-- I'm tempted, but they look like a lot of work to install. I’m starting to wonder if I should just upgrade the whole toilet to a model that comes with a bidet.

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  • MisterTea 6 days ago

    Those are compression fittings which we also use in the USA for sink and toilet connections. Standard size here is 3/8 inch which is the outer diameter of the tubing. They are easy to work with as you only need a tube cutter (or hacksaw with fine tooth pitch) and a wrench. You cut the tube, slide a compression nut over, slide the ferrule(s) on, insert the tube into the fitting, finger tighten the compression nut, make sure everything is aligned then tighten nut with wrench. No solder, no fancy crimp tools. You can disassemble and reassemble without leaks. The only issue is the ferrule winds up becoming swaged to the tube after wrench tightening so you have to cut the tube end off behind the ferrule if you want to replace the nut.

    However, instead of using rigid metal or plastic tubing you commonly find a flexible hose assembly[1]. Only fancy installs use custom formed polished rigid tube for the look. We also tend to leave most of the plumbing in the walls and only the shut off valve protrudes from the wall. Maybe there are flexible hoses available in your region.

    When I installed my bidet all I needed was a 3/8 compression tee[2] which they make specifically to tap shutoff valves. The bidet came with a 3/8 connection hose so that went to the tee and I was up and running. The big issue was electric - no outlets in the bathroom. So having seen how Japan loves extension cords I too used one, ran a 12 AWG cord out to the hall to a GFI adapter plugged into a socket. Jank but highly unlikely to cause a fire.

    [1] https://www.homedepot.com/b/Plumbing-Plumbing-Parts-Supply-L...

    [2] https://www.amazon.com/Breezliy-Lead-Free-Compression-Outlet...

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  • mikestew 6 days ago

    To follow on to user infecto’s sibling comment, for most U. S. homes, it is probably fifteen minutes of work. Shut off water, connect t-line, bolt down new toilet seat, sorted. It shouldn’t be complicated for most installations.

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  • dyeje 6 days ago

    I ended up buying a travel bidet because I couldn’t install one at our house for various reasons. It’s basically just a squeeze bottle with an angled head. Works great!

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    • roland35 5 days ago

      Just don't get it mixed up with your water bottle!!

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  • infecto 6 days ago

    US based plumbing. You are imagining things. Most/all resi toilets in the US use a flex hose to connect the toilet to your water supply. Its usually a threaded connection. All these style of bidets simply have a T off of this connection.

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    • Kiro 6 days ago

      Not in the US. The pipe just goes straight into the toilet. When googling around seeing articles about installing Tushy when you have rigid pipes they are still much more flexible than mine, with separate parts you can disconnect and replace.

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      • syntheticnature 6 days ago

        I was in the situation you describe when I got a bidet. It's possible to replace that pipe -- a little more work of course, but it's still turn off water, replace pipe with flexi-hose, connect bidet.

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        • Kiro 6 days ago

          I posted a picture in my original comment. Was it in the same ballpark? The difference with mine is that there are no nuts on the pipes next to the wall. It's one solid construction going from the sink through the toilet to the shower.

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    • [removed] 6 days ago
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K0balt 6 days ago

I’ll Third a bidet. Once you experience the exhilarating bliss of cleaning your nether regions with fresh, clean water, you’ll never willingly go back to smearing excrement around your fiddly bits with the dry paper.

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  • foobarian 6 days ago

    Sorry if this is getting into TMI territory but how does the bidet avoid dissolving the unwanted material and spraying it all over everywhere? And how does one dry this without toilet paper?

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    • BurdensomeCount 6 days ago

      It works under the same principle as pressure washing, as long as the water pressure is high enough the final result is completely clean. Too high pressure can lead to material flying around everywhere but there's a very large range where the pressure is high enough to clean you but not enough to spray things around.

      Drying is a personal preference and isn't as important anymore as you're clean down there now. Toilet paper is one option but you don't have to do it (I don't dry for reference) as it'll dry out by itself in a few minutes once you put your underwear on to absorb the water (which is fine because you're completely clean down there so it really is just clean water left).

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    • wingerlang 2 days ago

      > And how does one dry this without toilet paper?

      Normally you still use some small amount of toilet paper to dry away most of the water.

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    • Cyph0n 6 days ago

      By controlling the water pressure.

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iKlsR 6 days ago

I'd add a cheap hand massager to that list, just basic compression and some heat with vibration can do wonders for your hand after a day of coding, bonus if it kneads as well.

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declan_roberts 6 days ago

Second a bidet. Used one in Asia and bought one immediately on returning to the USA.

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scruple 6 days ago

I've had my safety razor (a Merkur) since 2008 or 2009 and I am still working through the original pack of 1,000 razorblades that I got with it. I keep a beard year-round so I don't really shave much. Incredible value purchase, with very minimal effort it has remained practically as good as new.

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ingend88 5 days ago

Is there a travel bidet that falls into the same category in terms of the quality ? I have tried many but nothing works at the same level as tushy and thought i would make one myself! Would anyone from this community buy one if I made a very strong force bidet thats portable ?

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  • bidet_user 5 days ago

    You’re looking for a culo clean:

    https://www.amazon.com/CuloClean-Portable-Compatible-Discree...

    I have the high-end Totos installed at home, and occasionally still revert to this. It’s the best.

    Have one in my travel bag, car, backup in luggage, briefcase. All you need is a cheap water bottle.

    Test it at home so you know how to use it. Keep it in a tiny ziploc with extra tp (for drying in a public WC)

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bigyikes 6 days ago

I can’t live without a bidet but the Tushy ones are no good - tight knobs and awkward spray angle.

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  • dmckeon 6 days ago

    Luxe Neo bidet attachment - easy to tee into supply, fits under toilet seat, options for rear/male only, or both rear/front male/female separate spray nozzles.

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telcal 6 days ago

Yes for a bidet! My wife wanted one, I thought I'd hate it but it really is fantastic. We have a Toto Washlet C5. Heated seat, heated spray, warm air dryer. Had to cancel the Amazon toilet paper auto-delivery.

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theFlamewithin 5 days ago

I am so glad you mentioned this. My son is intellectually challenged, and teaching him to wipe himself is . . . challenging. A bidet seems like an excellent game changer. Cheers!

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HellDunkel 6 days ago

A bidet for under 100$?

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  • dole 6 days ago

    Luxe Neo bidets are like $40-60, sturdy, easy to install and yes, rather life-changing.

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