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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

#151

Post by ginko »

jchw wrote: post #114
GingerMidas wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've seen that video, the takeaway was the difference in price is so miniscule you might as well use what you're comfortable with.

Except that it’s also way more expensive and wasteful (edit: both because you have to buy them more often and because each pod is more packaging and the packaging for all of the pods has to be sealed, unlike powder in cardboard…) than just grabbing the powder. If the discomfort from using powder over plastic pods is anything more than completely trivial to you, I’m not sure we can communicate meaningfully on this sub…

The tablets I use are wrapped into some kind of wrapper that dissolves in the dishwasher (I think it's some sort of gelatin) so there's no real waste other than the bag they came in. A big bag of tablets lasts me over a year so I really see few downsides here.

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

#153

Post by stevesimmons »

maxerickson wrote: post #128
chongli wrote: post #26

The key thing to recognize with modern Gillette cartridges is that the blades last a lot longer than the lubricating strips. For me, those lubricating strips last a couple of shaves at most but I get 15-20 shaves out of the blades. When the strip wears off the shaves get a bit uncomfortable while that stuff peels off but then they start to feel better again after that. A friend of mine actually hates the strip so muc…

The razor blade doesn't really dull, it gets mineral deposits that make it rough. So water hardness can make a big difference in how long they last.

Does that mean soaking in say vinegar would revive them?

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

#154

Post by jchw »

kstenerud wrote: post #121
jchw wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No CRT has tried to work against me; they just, at worst, suck. I do have a trinitron in my basement that has Zero of these problems, of course! Now of course I can return my Samsung TVs, but I do test my devices somewhat, and Samsung seems to have the best overall TVs, looking at aspects like value, panel quality, latency in game mode, etc. Other models I’ve tried (Vizeo, whatever the hell Best Buy sells generically…

You're comparing a Trinitron (must have cost a pretty penny) to a low end Vizio and a Samsung (who have a long history of consumer hostility in their products). You get what you pay for.

I am only comparing it to the Samsung. And for what it’s worth, I have not been buying cheap Samsung TVs. Also yes. You get what you pay for. But also, I have other reasons to not pay the Sony premium. I can actually mildly tolerate Android TV and its stupid home screen ads, for some reason, but having it shipped with my TV seems like a step too far, and that’s exactly what Bravia TVs do.

My only real option is to have a monitor and use that as a TV. But aside from a lot of other downsides, like no TV remote and a UX not designed to handle TV use cases, and builtin speakers that are just embarrassing, large monitors are also horridly expensive and the most likely to have extremely bad problems (like the horrible backlight bleed on some of the larger screen options from ViewSonic.)

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

#155

Post by SamoyedFurFluff »

jrootabega wrote: post #47

Shaving is like an Inception-level hierarchy of waste and affectation. It's easy to feel superior because you ditched the biggest brands, and still be wasting your money on unnecessary and crappy products because you were tricked by marketing. Those hipster shave-by-mail clubs are not really better than Gillette. And the safety razor market-disguised-as-a-community is also full of waste disguised by hipster affectati…

Honestly the wetshaving (safety razor, brush, etc) community is also a wealth of knowledge for bang-for-your-buck shaving. It’s simple enough to get in, soak up the knowledge you need, get out. You don’t have to buy into the acquisition hype, and the community is generous enough that you can often get started for free on some decent basics.

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

#156

Post by shigawire »

throwaway821909 wrote: post #124
eckesicle wrote: post #75

My dad never taught me how to shave, and for the longest time I just used these disposable Gillette style blades, and got terrible results. Missed spots, cuts and skin infections. At some point I decided to do some research and settled on double edge disposable blades. I've never been happier, and feel much better about my skin too. These are the products I use: * A wooden synthetic shaving brush (I felt bad about th…

Mine "taught me" by handing over a cheap electric shaver and basically saying "you can't go wrong"... I think you can change the blades but he never did, so neither do I, just wait for the entire thing to break or get lost. So all the debate around what's cheapest or most manly has always somewhat confused me.

I come from a long line of electricians.

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

#157

Post by swayvil »

Etheryte wrote: post #115
swayvil wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seriously? It's white, optimized for showing dirt. It's closest to the ground, optimized for getting dirty. And (In the case of your typical sneaker) It's a special weird porous rubber that is difficult to get clean, optimized for quickly looking like crap. And when your shoes look like crap it's time to buy new shoes. Thus we have shoes optimized for short lifespan. But this is dead obvious.

Have you considered that you don't have to throw out your shoes just because they're dirty? You don't throw away your clothes when they're dirty, do you? What about dishes? I buy new shoes when my old shoes are broken and they can't be fixed anymore. If you like to throw away your shoes when they get dirty, you do you, but in that case you'll be throwing money at the very same industry you seem to strongly dislike. A…

That's quite beside my point.

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

#158

Post by gruez »

>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 can, but it requires an absurd amount of oil). 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.

>Nespresso machines, and other coffee pod brands, replace many styles of coffee brewing. Provide much worse coffee, at a higher price but are superficially convenient.

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

>Televisions moving from being screens which accept input, to self contained 'smart' devices that require software updates and thus have a shortened useful lifespan.

I thought it was the other way around? ie. smart TVs are cheaper than dumb TVs because they're subsidized by ad revenue. Also, the claim itself doesn't really make any sense. Even if you stop getting software updates, that doesn't prevent you from using it as a dumb display.

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

#159

Post by denton-scratch »

namdnay wrote: post #40

It’s not a conspiracy, it’s just convenience. Shaving with a Mach3 is a hell of a lot easier than a DE. Cooking with a Teflon pan is a hell of a lot easier than looking after a carbon steel skillet. The vast majority of people have busy lives, and don’t want to deal with that hassle. For those of us who do, great.

I use a cast iron comal. I wash it in soapy water (no scourer!), same as any other pan. The only added hassle is drying it before putting it away. It's as goodnas a Teflon pan for non-stickness, but I don't have to eat Teflon or replace the pan. And it spreads the heat better.

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

#160

Post by 4ad »

samsa wrote: post #127
4ad wrote: post #16

My facial hair is very thick and realistically I can use any type of blade at most once. I used to use Gillette blades, but at the advice of the Internet I switched to double edge razors. The Internet claims this type of shaving is best, not just in terms of cost and enviromental impact, but that it reduces irritation and produces a closer shave. After using a double edge razor for over five tears now, let me dubunk…

Have you experimented with blades? This was my takeaway after using Merkur blades and I abandoned safety razors for a while. I tried again using Feather blades and the experience was much better: far superior to cartridge shaving. With more practice I also improved my technique which undoubtedly helps.

Yes, I experimented with blades, I didn't think it would make any difference, but to my surprise it makes a huge difference. I still don't understand how there can be such a huge variance in the experience you get with different blades, it's not about the sharpness, they are all sharp.

To be honest, this is a negative point, because it takes time to experiment with blades, and it's extremely unlikely you will be able to find your favorite blades when you travel somewhere.

Practice undoubtedly helps, how much more more can I practice. I shave every other day. In fact, when I used disposables I shaved every day, and I wish I could still do that, but double edge blades are too harsh on my skin to be able to do that. After I shave, I need a day to heal. And this is with special creams and balms and alum blocks. With disposables I didn't even need to use any kind of after shave treatment at all.

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