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Review broken products instead of new ones

buyforlife.com

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Re: Review broken products instead of new ones

#31

Post by 1-6 »

MichaelApproved wrote: post #23
1-6 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're right but if a company can convince consumers that they've done it once, they're surely able to do it again. Unfortunately, technology changes too quickly for that to work in many cases.

I’ve also seen companies with quality brands milk it for all it’s worth. Newer products get made with 1/4 the quality while trading on the reputation they built with their previous higher quality products. Craftsman was a good example of this. They use to have high quality tools with lifetime warranties. Now, that warranty is gone and they don’t seem much different than any other low end manufacturer. Anyone have oth…

Yup, the Made in USA Craftsman has long been gone since it's been sold to China. MAC and Snap-on still maintain their quality but I don't run an auto repair shop to justify my purchase. I try to look for the Made in Taiwan Craftsman tools as a compromise or pay extra to buy German steel. I like the concept of Buy it for Life but sometimes you just need something once (like a Harbor Freight tool).

Re: Review broken products instead of new ones

#32

Post by IgorPartola »

Igelau wrote: post #30
IgorPartola wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You pinpointed what I’ve been feeling. There are things I want to buy for life. Things like (most) tools, camping equipment, or things I don’t expect to improve over time. But there is a large number of products that I don’t plan to hold onto because they are imperfect either because state of the art hasn’t advanced enough or because I can’t afford the better version yet. For example: Boots. I can afford the boots I…

> a $60 T shirt will need to last me more than 20 to make it worth it. And then there's the $120 T-shirt they endorse: https://www.buyforlife.com/products/33/outlier-ultra-fine-me... That better last more than 40 years and be wholly responsible for saving my life +1 family member, wash/dry on any cycle I want, and never get chewed up by mice if I leave it on floor.

Yes. If I need a shirt that will be critical to what I’m doing, it might be worth it. Something to keep me warm in a critical situation. But I wouldn’t expect it to last me for life, just be high quality to not fail unexpectedly.

Re: Review broken products instead of new ones

#33

Post by IgorPartola »

ghaff wrote: post #26
IgorPartola wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You pinpointed what I’ve been feeling. There are things I want to buy for life. Things like (most) tools, camping equipment, or things I don’t expect to improve over time. But there is a large number of products that I don’t plan to hold onto because they are imperfect either because state of the art hasn’t advanced enough or because I can’t afford the better version yet. For example: Boots. I can afford the boots I…

>camping equipment There's a lot of variation. Materials change. Stuff wears out. I have old gear and I have gear I've replaced because what I wanted wasn't available 10 years ago. As for boot. I have custom boot that I've had for a couple decades (and have had repaired). But they're heavy and I don't wear them for everything.

I don’t camp enough so for me longevity is the more important one I guess, but mostly I just want things that will dial reliably and predictably.

Boots: I specifically mostly wear motorcycle boots and the tech on those is evolving quite fast.

Re: Review broken products instead of new ones

#34

Post by ddingus »

jonah wrote: post #18

Speaking of useful reviews, I'm a fan of AvE's BOLTRs[1]. Takes tools apart and analyses materials, construction, and estimated failure points. (Beware some NSFW language though.) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvgS71fU12Mbx-w18Chu_... [1] - Arduino vs. Evil - Bored of Lame Tool Reviews

That guy is full of basic wisdom. Big fan here. Love the language too. Exemplary shop talker.

Re: Review broken products instead of new ones

#35

Post by s0rce »

Igelau wrote: post #30
IgorPartola wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You pinpointed what I’ve been feeling. There are things I want to buy for life. Things like (most) tools, camping equipment, or things I don’t expect to improve over time. But there is a large number of products that I don’t plan to hold onto because they are imperfect either because state of the art hasn’t advanced enough or because I can’t afford the better version yet. For example: Boots. I can afford the boots I…

> a $60 T shirt will need to last me more than 20 to make it worth it. And then there's the $120 T-shirt they endorse: https://www.buyforlife.com/products/33/outlier-ultra-fine-me... That better last more than 40 years and be wholly responsible for saving my life +1 family member, wash/dry on any cycle I want, and never get chewed up by mice if I leave it on floor.

I wear merino wool t-shirts to bike to work because they don't get smelly, however, they actually wear out much faster than cheap synthetic shirts. I usually buy them on clearance/sale for $30-40. $70-120 is nuts for a t-shit. I also don't understand how that can be buy it for life anyways. Its a cloth shirt, maybe its decently made but any synthetic fabric will last longer (still not forever).

Re: Review broken products instead of new ones

#37

Post by notatoad »

jonah wrote: post #18

Speaking of useful reviews, I'm a fan of AvE's BOLTRs[1]. Takes tools apart and analyses materials, construction, and estimated failure points. (Beware some NSFW language though.) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvgS71fU12Mbx-w18Chu_... [1] - Arduino vs. Evil - Bored of Lame Tool Reviews

AvE is fun to watch, and full of cool insights into the underappreciated details of tools. but you've got to take his reviews with a few grains of salt. He's coming at it from the perspective of somebody who buys tools to use in heavy industry. If you're buying a cordless drill to hang pictures or maybe build a desk or a fence once a decade, the things he derides as being "not very skookum" will likely last you a lifetime.

Maybe you actually do need an angle grinder rated for an 8-hour duty cycle. But don't buy one just because a YouTuber told you you do. That DeWalt is probably fine.

Re: Review broken products instead of new ones

#39

Post by jfim »

gwbas1c wrote: post #28

I hope someday stores like Amazon will rate based on expected lifespan. I just had a receiver die. It was 8.5 years old, not really outdated... But those kinds of things should last a lot longer!

> I just had a receiver die. It was 8.5 years old, not really outdated... But those kinds of things should last a lot longer!

If it's just a capacitor that failed, it might be repairable for a few dollars. Electrolytic capacitors unfortunately have a finite lifetime, which gets worse with higher temperatures.

Re: Review broken products instead of new ones

#40

Post by ed25519FUUU »

Speaking of repairing, learning a little bit about electronics and soldering has greatly improved my ability to fix various electronics. Usually it’s something small like a bad cap or mosfet.

I really believe they should teach basic electronic repair in school. A tiny bit goes a long way.

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