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Overkill objects for everyday life

neil.computer

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Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#561

Post by jhardy54 »

californical wrote: post #517
snowwrestler wrote: post #438

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At least in the area of outdoor gear (clothes, packs, tents, sleeping bags, etc) I know serious military dudes buy the high end commercial stuff, sometimes with their own money, rather than get stuck with “military grade” stuff.

I’m really into camping and outdoors stuff, but have never heard of this. What do commercial packs / sleeping bags look like? Are they heavier? What commercial use even is there for this sort of thing? I’m so interested! I’m a huge fan of buying high quality gear that’ll last forever - do you have any ideas where to shop for these?

I’m guessing they mean options like https://leaf.arcteryx.com/us/en/

If they mean something else, I’d also be curious.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#562

Post by neilv »

crooked-v wrote: post #146
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 obvious example here given the people on this website is servers: if you're going to have a home server, unless you can go put it in a soundproofed room in the basement, you're going to want to use consumer-grade fans that aren't inherently screamingly loud.

Your home server can be a RasPi or a NUC or similar. Or it's possible to make/convert rackmount server to be quiet.

Right now, I have a silent 4U rackmount GPU server running 24/7 in my living room, cooled just fine by a 120mm Noctua fan (plus a silent consumer ATX PSU fan).

I also have a commercial 1U Atom server that I've adapted for living room. The Atom and mirrored HDDs are passively-cooled (though you can also get Xeons in the same chassis). The Flex-ATX PSU was loud, but I opened it up and soldered in an effectively silent Noctua.

The noise-no-object jet engine servers are a problem, especially full-depth 1U ones with a phalanx of jet engine fans. But people have had some luck removing fans and replacing some of them with quieter fans, or liquid cooling.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#563

Post by dflock »

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…

I, too, would read that site.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#564

Post by gostsamo »

IgorPartola wrote: post #341

I will postulate an opposing view to TFA: Quality consumer goods are better in two key areas. First, they are replaceable. I don’t want a military grade mixer in my kitchen if getting a broken whisk or motor on it is going to require me hunting all over eBay for the specific part hoping it’s available. I was very excited at one point about the idea of getting a commercial dishwasher that can run a load of dishes in l…

I'll disagree. A right to repair law would make most products equally servicable and it will naturally displace the replace-when-broken type of products because this is an enormous waste of resources.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#565

Post by Grustaf »

jmercouris wrote: post #447
Grustaf wrote: post #428

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Biking everywhere in the rain is what you do if you live in Copenhagen, and it does make you a better person. It always warms my heart to see my fellow citizens in one of the wealthiest societies in the world, walking and biking to work in the rain and wind that is Danish winter. Or when you go to the beach when the water is 12 degrees and there are already families there, splashing around. That fills me with hope. D…

As you wish. I will then just suggest you don’t prescribe your beliefs to unwitting followers without heavy disclaimer. I think your philosophy is both harmful and unsubstantiated.

I think people here are smart enough to decide if they agree or not with me, without disclaimers.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#566

Post by Jiro »

kube-system wrote: post #485
Jiro wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Something "engineered to fail" may be cheaper because materials that don't last so long are cheaper. But it's also possible that the material isn't cheaper at all, but the manufaturer gains because if the part wears out sooner they can sell a replacement sooner. That isn't a case of "consumers prioritize price". For instance, manufacturers have tried to sell printers which refuse to print when there is still quite a…

The “razors and blades model” you’re referring to isn’t really the same thing as obsolescence. People know these items have consumables when they purchase them, and the original item doesn’t “break”, it just inherently requires another product. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razor_and_blades_model

The ink cartridge isn't actually consumed. The printer falsely reports that the cartridge is consumed so that the consumer has to purchase another one.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#567

Post by aidenn0 »

yourapostasy wrote: post #417
Grustaf wrote: post #393

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this a joke or are you missing the point? The guy doesn't actually think that a fighter jet seat is better than a normal office chair in any practical sense. He just thinks these things are cool. Often, part of the charm is how incredibly impractical they are.

> The guy doesn't actually think that a fighter jet seat is better than a normal office chair in any practical sense. Now that people are discussing it, I do want to find out if there are former air force pilots reading this who can corroborate or refute my hypothesis: I suspect long-duration mission bombers like the US B-52 and B-2 have pilot seats especially tuned for extended operational comfort, even more so than…

My dad was in the Navy, and he said the F4 had the reputation for having a comfortable cockpit.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#568

Post by Wistar »

tristor wrote: post #551
Wistar wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I’d really appreciate a site like that. Light switches in particular piss me off. Every single switch sold at Lowes or Home Depot are crap and I’ve yet to figure out where to buy something that’s actually decent with proper tactility. What light switches do you use?

The $5 Levitons rather than the $1 Levitons. They have an ever so slightly larger handle and a significantly heavier "throw." They are built way better. They are available at Home Depot. Lutron builds the best outlets, they're just better made but they are pricey.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#569

Post by Wistar »

bombcar wrote: post #529
Wistar wrote: post #367

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I apologize as I wasn't clear enough: I was not focused on the appliances themselves but, rather, the water valves, and hoses, used to supply the water. The small but really important stuff. Crummy valves break. Most builders use the cheapest crap they can get. They save a couple thousand dollars building a house but replacing the $2 crap can sometimes cost a fortune. One of the worst offenses I have had to deal with…

These are the ones that are really annoying because the cost difference is so minimal between the cheap junk and the good quality stuff, and most of the cost is the installation.

Exactly. I have, personally, spent more than $10K repairing damage from a $2 piece of crap CPVC pipe that burst in the wall.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#570

Post by porphyra »

bartread wrote: post #360
IgorPartola wrote: post #341

I will postulate an opposing view to TFA: Quality consumer goods are better in two key areas. First, they are replaceable. I don’t want a military grade mixer in my kitchen if getting a broken whisk or motor on it is going to require me hunting all over eBay for the specific part hoping it’s available. I was very excited at one point about the idea of getting a commercial dishwasher that can run a load of dishes in l…

I think one needs to be a bit selective here. About 8 years ago I bought the cheapest catering/professional microwave/combioven I could get my hands on. I did this because I got tired of consumer units with overcomplicated UIs designed (apparently) by unregenerate misanthropes, rotating dishes that are a pain in the ass to clean, overzealous bleeps that go off every 30 - 60 seconds after a cycle is finished, peeling…

Noise is really a big thing. Apparently commercial fridges are ridiculously loud too.
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