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Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money

johnwhiles.com

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Re: Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money

#391

Post by metadat »

moeris wrote: post #268
metadat wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With a "safety razor" you can really cut yourself. Surely it's my fault, but I don't want another visit to the E.R. I went back to Mach3, $30 per year is worth it to me compared to risking expensive emergency room visits.

I think you're confusing terms. A safety razor exposed no more of the blade than a cartridge razor. I think you're probably referring to a straight razor.

Ah, you're right, thanks for the correction!

The straight razor incidents were pretty traumatizing, so much blood..

Stay safe Edit: I double checked, it actually was with a safety razor. They don't have any buffer to avoid slicing you up compared to a mach3 or modern disposable razor. Please do be careful folks, they are super sharp and a single swipe can cut you up real good.

Re: Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money

#393

Post by tristor »

hindsightbias wrote: post #275
gruez wrote: post #158

>Other examples of products that seem to exhibit a similar trend, where purported convenience leads to higher prices >Cooking equipment: essentially indestructible Cast Iron skillets transition into teflon pans. The newer pans perform worse, and must be replaced on a shockingly regular basis. They also seem to be poisonous. They have their uses. I wouldn't try frying eggs in a cast iron, for instance (technically you…

There is only one conspiracy theory I believe in, it’s /reddit/r/castiron is a troll site created to make people believe ‘seasoning’ is really a thing. After spending a few weeks trying, I’ve had multiple people tell me they got theirs ‘seasoned’ after three or four months. Don’t let yourself be sucked in.

That's weird that you believe this, because cast iron was the predominant way of cooking for literally centuries, and it works exactly as described. I have some new pans I've seasoned, and I have some vintage pans I inherited that my grandmother was cooking with for most of her life, and then I cooked with extensively after. Both are effectively nonstick, and I don't need much oil at all to cook with them. Care is also way easier.

There is a /lot/ of bullshit myths around cast iron, like that you cannot use soap for instance, or shouldn't scrub it, both of which are totally fine, but the idea of seasoning and what occurs when it's done properly are entirely true. Most people just want to otherthink it. All you need to do with cast iron is use it and care for it properly, the longer and more often you use it, the better it gets.

Re: Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money

#394

Post by francesco »

Unlike Gillette, safety razors do not use proprietary systems for their blades. The consequence is you can use any double edge blade and you can have fun finding the double edge blades that best matches your razor and beard. Shameless plug: years ago with my brother I made this small site (https://www.razorbladesclub.com) that I presented on "Show HN" exactly to allow people to buy samplers of blades and try them out. It didn't get much attention then but years later the site is still alive and hopefully it still serves people well :)

Re: Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money

#395

Post by watwut »

gruez wrote: post #158

>Other examples of products that seem to exhibit a similar trend, where purported convenience leads to higher prices >Cooking equipment: essentially indestructible Cast Iron skillets transition into teflon pans. The newer pans perform worse, and must be replaced on a shockingly regular basis. They also seem to be poisonous. They have their uses. I wouldn't try frying eggs in a cast iron, for instance (technically you…

> I wouldn't try frying eggs in a cast iron, for instance (technically you can, but it requires an absurd amount of oil).

Fried eggs were a thing long before before teflon. I dont know what you consider absurd about of oil, some oil is needed, but I would qualify it as "normal"

Re: Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money

#396

Post by Phrodo_00 »

zeroonetwothree wrote: post #214
shiftpgdn wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

His video about dish washer pods explain they also work significantly worse since your dishwasher was designed with a pre-rinse area to use soap twice during a cleaning cycle. A pod will not be able to be used twice and leaves dishes dirtier.

I’m skeptical this is universally true since my dishwasher actually suggests to use pods.

Not saying this is the case as I don't know what dishwasher you have, but one of the points of the video is that this recommendation is often part of a marketing deal and as such shouldn't be trusted. I think it'd say in small print in the manual if this is the case.

Re: Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money

#397

Post by duxup »

gruez wrote: post #158

>Other examples of products that seem to exhibit a similar trend, where purported convenience leads to higher prices >Cooking equipment: essentially indestructible Cast Iron skillets transition into teflon pans. The newer pans perform worse, and must be replaced on a shockingly regular basis. They also seem to be poisonous. They have their uses. I wouldn't try frying eggs in a cast iron, for instance (technically you…

I agree that you have to know your tools, the results you want and etc to make an evaluation.

It’s so easy to just say “oh that’s to extract money from you” when you don’t know…

Re: Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money

#398

Post by jader201 »

Why is a thread on electric razors not the top comment on a post about the expense/waste of straight razors?

I get that they have some downsides, but if we’re talking about the expense/waste of straight razors, then it would make sense to consider electric razors.

I’ve seen so many ads about companies trying to “invent” the most effective, lowest cost straight razor and it still confuses me, given we already have electric razors that will last literally years before needing to be replaced.

I’ve been using my current electric razor for probably close to 10 years, and while the blades could probably use to be replaced (still on the original), they get the job done about 98%, which is completely fine given the expense, waste, and mess of straight razors.

Edit: the article itself doesn’t even mention electric razors (as a solution to the expense/waste of straight razors), almost as if they don’t even exist. And before I posted this (after 3 hours of comments), maybe only one or two other buried comments referenced electric razors. So genuinely curious why so many don’t even give them a second thought?

Re: Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money

#399

Post by tristor »

smoyer wrote: post #346
hindsightbias wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is only one conspiracy theory I believe in, it’s /reddit/r/castiron is a troll site created to make people believe ‘seasoning’ is really a thing. After spending a few weeks trying, I’ve had multiple people tell me they got theirs ‘seasoned’ after three or four months. Don’t let yourself be sucked in.

I cook the family breakfast on a cast iron skillet every Dadurday. I like the taste of butter with eggs and use about a 1/2 teaspoon per pan full. It's about the same for pancakes if there's oil in the batter. My best advice is to never wash the pan ...just wipe it down with a paper towel.

> My best advice is to never wash the pan ...just wipe it down with a paper towel.

Eww... You can and should wash your cast iron pans. Dish soap is no longer made with lye or other harsh chemicals, just use a bit of Dawn and a blue scrub pad (same you'd use on nonstick) and properly clean it, make sure it's very dry afterwards and put a very thin layer of oil. Also don't use paper towels on cast iron unless it's a smooth bottom pan, the modern style cast iron will cause shreds of paper to get embedded in the pan which will burn and get nasty (also paper towels are bleached and that's nasty).

Re: Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money

#400

Post by justinator »

gruez wrote: post #158

>Other examples of products that seem to exhibit a similar trend, where purported convenience leads to higher prices >Cooking equipment: essentially indestructible Cast Iron skillets transition into teflon pans. The newer pans perform worse, and must be replaced on a shockingly regular basis. They also seem to be poisonous. They have their uses. I wouldn't try frying eggs in a cast iron, for instance (technically you…

>They have their uses. I wouldn't try frying eggs in a cast iron, for instance (technically you can, but it requires an absurd amount of oil).

It requires proper seasoning. Once you got that, egg away!

>Also, claiming that they "seem to be poisonous" without any qualifiers is a little misleading. To my knowledge they're only poisonous during manufacturing (ie. the precursor chemicals) and when they get too hot.

Agreed - they're not poisonous to use, but the manufacturing chemicals used to produce them are, and those chemicals are often dumped into the environment - they're also known as, "forever chemicals", which reek some havoc on well: us.

https://www.ewg.org/what-are-pfas-chemicals

>Why are they only superficially convenient? They seem pretty convenient to me.

The plastic waste they produce still have the inconvenient problem of what to do with them. Like many conveniences, the problem is just offloaded to someone else.

https://money.cnn.com/2015/03/04/news/k-cups-keurig-inventor...

Some feel microplastics in our blood stream is a worthy compromise to easy-to-make coffee.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/24/micropla...

I dunno much about TVs (I've never owned one), but sounds like subscription over ownership which, grumbles over Adobe

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