Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Overkill objects for everyday life

neil.computer

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

201–210 of 732 posts

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#201

Post by spockz »

Wistar wrote: post #111
notatoad wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yeah, i don't mean to say that no commercial-grade products are suitable for home use, just that you need to be a lot more careful if you're buying products for a use they aren't intended for. if you buy a product designed for home use, you can be reasonably sure that it will work in a home setting if you buy a commercial-grade product, you just need to pay close attention to what trade-offs have been made that might…

I have been, over-time, retro-fitting my home with pro/commercial-grade infrastructure items such as: quarter-turn marine-grade ball valves for the water-main; toilets, clothes washer, fridge and dishwasher; recessed sillcock valves; outdoor hose reels and hoses; sprinklers (this is a biggie as so many sprinklers are one-season junk); heavy-duty light switches; ceiling fans (the wonderful Big-Ass fans stuff); locks a…

Awesome idea! How do you distinguish professional vs overpriced normal stuff?

For example, Festool, Makita, and DeWalt offer awesome products but are very pricy. All the tools from the DIY shops are rubbish. Things from Bosch are slightly better. But these are all expensive. Meanwhile, the tools from Lidl around €30-50 price point are quite cool.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#203

Post by defterGoose »

smnrchrds wrote: post #42
kmfrk wrote: post #10

/r/buyitforlife is great for this sort of stuff, if people ever need something specific.

It used to be like that many years ago. Then it got flooded with posts like "I found this unused tool in my garage, it has been sitting there for 40 years in original packaging, it still works". Has it gone back to its root recently?

Yeah, every time ive been there half the posts are someone raving about a vacuum flask or how durable cast iron skillets are...

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#204

Post by SkyMarshal »

Fyi, I have an industrial fan in my home similar to the one listed at the end of the article [1]. Beware, they're loud as hell and not really suited for indoors use. It sits dormant now.

I replaced it with a smaller Vornado [2]. Powerful, nearly silent (can't hear the motor, only the blades), with a durable sealed-bearing motor. Much better.

[1]:https://king-electric.com/products/high-velocity-air-circula...

[2]:https://www.vornado.com/shop/circulators-fans/293-heavy-duty...

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#205

Post by LanceH »

bob1029 wrote: post #149
hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #17

Like the Hobart mixer from this article, I always find it interesting that many of the best "overkill" objects are simply ones from the early/mid 20th century before manufacturers figured out it makes more economic sense to pump out low quality shit that will break just after the warranty expires. I'm into old school espresso machines, and there is a robust market (and some fascinating refurb videos) for older, lever…

I've been considering the economics around a startup company that exclusively produces home appliances & tools that are purely electro-mechanical in design. I know I am not alone in saying that I would happily pay a 2-3x premium for any appliance if it were engineered properly and actually left out all the ridiculous technological bullshit it never needed in the first place. To this day, no one at Best Buy can explai…

Take my idea. Produce the same children's toys which make noises and make the same thing with maximum volume a lot less. That's it. Your marketing is taken care of right there.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#206

Post by valec »

notatoad wrote: post #4

I love to use professional-grade items where i can, but sometimes "overkill" means a worse product. like the professional-grade fan - it's not just designed for a high duty cycle, it's also probably designed to be operated in an environment where people regularly use hearing protection, so quiet operation is not a consideration.

Another example is weight. The average consumer Rogue or Titan power rack or machine will outlive the one or two people using it. It is completely sufficient even for light-commercial use while still being light enough to move around with only a couple people.

Commercial gym equipment, on the other hand is more expensive, much heavier, and doesn't bring many advantages over a high quality consumer product. If you're running a gym where thousands of people use it every year the extra weight and cost makes sense but for a single person it's just a pain.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#207

Post by defterGoose »

bluedino wrote: post #86

I see this all the time. Friend of mine bought a $200 Milwaukee drill to put up a couple picture frames.

Yeah, but you have to be careful with literally any product available at a big box store. My first foray into the Milwaukee brand was their M12 rotary tool and the speed controller broke after about 2-3 total hours of use. Meanwhile my Grandpa's Dremel from the 70s is still chooching along.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#208

Post by swader999 »

tbran wrote: post #93
wyager wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use a knife all the time while hiking - good luck cutting a salami with scissors. That said, the ka-bar is not worth the weight. I really like my benchmade hidden canyon.

Ultralight hiking tip: You can cut meat and cheese with fishing line. Still like to carry a knife, though!

HN suprises me all the time with little gems like this.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#209

Post by LanceH »

dehrmann wrote: post #29

> I want a Martin Baker ejection seat as a chair in my living room I get the draw, but comfort in these seats is mixed. You should be able to sit in them for a few hours, but remember that the foam is dense enough to handle 7Gs.

I heard someone make the comfort argument, saying a toilet seat would be ideal.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#210

Post by ValentineC »

BossingAround wrote: post #150
user3939382 wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tangentially related: if you do want an amazing electric coffee grinder, feel free to piggy back on my countless hours of research and go with this: Baratza Virtuoso+ It is excellent.

What's the main difference between Virtuoso+ and Encore? From just a quick glance, Virtuoso+ has a number of features that aren't very useful (like a timer, or LEDs/display) while having seemingly identical burr system?

I believe the Virtuoso also comes with a better M2 burr set. The Encore can be upgraded to it.
Post reply on HN