Practical Engineering
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 14 of 43 YouTube channels by recommenders
Free engineering explainer videos and blog posts that people say always teach them something new, delivered with an enthusiastic host.
10 people recommended Practical Engineering in Hacker News comments, 2 had mixed feelings and none criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
Summary written by Claude from 11 comments.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 10
- mixed feelings
- 2
- warn against or regret it
- 0
The record
Recommended in 8 of 12 months
In 7 different threads.
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
Why it carries the badge
- 10 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 8 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
- Recommended in 7 threadsNeeds 5 or more, met.
- The biggest thread supplies 40% of its recommendersNeeds half or less, met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 11 of the 14 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Always teaches something new
“this Civil engineering blog / video site is really good. I always learn something new, and his enthusiasm is infectious.”
Comment from 23 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What are the best engineering blogs with real-world depth?” “I always learn something, even if I’m familiar with the subject.”
Comment from 26 Jan 2026 in “The Hidden Engineering of Runways” Enthusiastic, infectious presenter
“Grady Hillhouse's enthusiasm for engineering shows through brilliantly.”
Comment from 21 Mar 2026 in “The Los Angeles Aqueduct Is Wild”
Other YouTube channels people recommend
The four most recommended other YouTube channels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3Blue1Brown | 79 | 13 | 4 | 95% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Veritasium | 37 | 4 | 12 | 76% | 11 | — | Approved |
| Technology Connections YouTube channel | 36 | 2 | 2 | 95% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Asianometry | 23 | 0 | 1 | 96% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Practical EngineeringThis page | 10 | 2 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
Also compared with Gamers Nexus, Patrick Boyle YouTube channel, Project Farm and Smarter Every Day.
What people said
11 of the 14 opinions about it, picked in proportion to the three counts, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“One of the most informative videos from Practical Engineering channel.”
“He quite often gets into problematic areas of many projects”
“amazing and useful YouTube channels that I use all the time”
“Grady Hillhouse's enthusiasm for engineering shows through brilliantly.”
“is focused on engineering, but more on specific vehicles or products than individual concepts”
“Practical Engineering is very deliberately framed as edutainment.”
“this is absolutely not one of his more original content videos”
“Writing off Practical Engineering's videos as "stock footage" is utterly hilarious to me.”
“I always learn something, even if I’m familiar with the subject.”
“I absolutely love that Grady includes full transcripts of his videos.”
“this Civil engineering blog / video site is really good. I always learn something new, and his enthusiasm is infectious.”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.