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Overkill objects for everyday life

neil.computer

311–320 of 732 posts

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#311

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree consumers are misled but Apple is a poor example here. I know the App Store fee is a popular topic right now but they are one of the few companies making a consumer product that is bounds ahead of military or industrial versions.

Does the us army or ISS use apple products?

According to Sam.gov they do.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#312
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I briefly lived in a studio apartment. The kitchen was spacious and had tile flooring, so that's where the bandsaw went. I didn't cut food with it, but food packets were fair game. Though -- I'd argue that using a bandsaw for blisterpacks isn't overkill; it's the safest way to get them open.

I have a pair of cheap (harbor freight) tin snips I keep in the kitchen drawer for opening blister packs.

I mean, I love the idea of finding more uses for tin snips, but I use a standard utility knife on a cutting board and it works great. The key is to cut all the way around, and press hard through the plastic. Don't force yourself to lever up the plastic, because that's how you slice open your hand.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#313
post #255

This started off as a fun article about "what's the most overkill way I can get this?" and then looking for second-hand fighter jet seats just for the shits and giggles. I like that. But then it goes south from there, the author seems to believe that anything that isn't from the USA military must be crap: > Made in the USA from military grade [...] preferably a military supplier [...] This is the real thing, used by…

The irony here is that anyone who has actually served would gladly tell you that half the military grade stuff they had to deal with is utter junk.

Indeed, this concept that "military grade" quality is superior to consumer grade is mythological in many cases. It is all about the relative worthiness of the specification(s) to which the product is built, meaning that crappy specs yield crappy results, whether military or commercial. Also the amount of rework sometimes required on "military grade" gear to make it actually do its job is seldom publicized except in occasional oversight proceedings in some countries. So, "military grade" is a mysterious, mythological, misused quality.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the same for laptops, but most of the people (I assume?) buy Macbooks for programming which is... kinda weird, since it's difficult to repair. Than business laptops like the Z-book, ThinkPad or insert Dell business laptop eg; Latitude 7000 series (Dell XPS isn't a business laptop from my perspective.)

> kinda weird, since it's difficult to repair. Why would I care? If it breaks, I tell my company to pay the repair bill or buy me a new one.

Because it's annoying and will interrupt your work much longer, especially if it's something that could have been easily fixed in e.g. a Thinkpad. Even more so, if it's your own device.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#315

A note about the 'Ka-Bar' knife, since I've both been in the Marine Corps and am into knives: the military doesn't use it. In the real world, if you want a knife in the service, you typically buy it yourself. Does the USMC still use 'bayonets'? Yes, in certain circumstances they're issued--but it's not common, and it's not the Ka-Bar, it's another brand (I forget which one). TL;DR: Ka-Bar 'USMC knives' are a marketin…

I think this is due to the reliability of rifles now though?

Trench warfare and massed charges really aren't much of a thing any more. And if you really end up in close quarter combat it's much better to retreat and do something else.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree consumers are misled but Apple is a poor example here. I know the App Store fee is a popular topic right now but they are one of the few companies making a consumer product that is bounds ahead of military or industrial versions.

Does the us army or ISS use apple products?

NASA does

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#317
post #301
post #255

This started off as a fun article about "what's the most overkill way I can get this?" and then looking for second-hand fighter jet seats just for the shits and giggles. I like that. But then it goes south from there, the author seems to believe that anything that isn't from the USA military must be crap: > Made in the USA from military grade [...] preferably a military supplier [...] This is the real thing, used by…

Buy expensive knife? Or I could buy 15 cheap ones and just replace them as I go... And it's not like those cheap ones can be sharpened if needed.

That sounds...really wasteful.

Perhaps a happy medium? Maybe not $1500 Damascus knife, but maybe a nice Wüsthof so you're not throwing so much out, and damaging the environment.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#318

I could get behind some of these. Like that Hobart mixer. Granted, I don't use a mixer 24/7 in a bakery, but my first Kitchen Aid overheated and broke after ~5 years. I'd prefer if commodity things, like computer mice, were made to last, and not $5 pieces of cheap plastic that end up in landfills. But I'm the person who complains about the tons of cheap plastic trash sold in 0.99 stores while able to afford $500 mixe…

NB: KitchenAid is Hobart.

I immediately recognised the design from the pictured mixer. Turns out they are the same company, different branding. Now owned by Whirlpool.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KitchenAid

TIL, FWIW.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#319
post #111

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…

Sounds kind of like what thewirecutter.com used to be, or a higher end consumer reports?

Nowadays youtube channels like Project Farm have kind of replaced that niche, I could see a channel dedicated to hands-on reviews, funded by affiliate links. I'd watch long videos on several of the topics you mention above...

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#320

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the same for laptops, but most of the people (I assume?) buy Macbooks for programming which is... kinda weird, since it's difficult to repair. Than business laptops like the Z-book, ThinkPad or insert Dell business laptop eg; Latitude 7000 series (Dell XPS isn't a business laptop from my perspective.)

Repairability is a red herring. As a professional, I care about “time in service” and “maintenance cost”. A completely unrepairable tool that is in service a lot longer for way less maintenance? I take that any day of the week. And here’s the thing, I don’t really care that you can repair your Dell. I wouldn’t be able to do so without putting in a lot of time and it would be a little stressful. Reducing that time req…

I find it less stressful when I know that I could easily swap out a broken RAM module and continue to work, than to wait for the repair of my device.
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