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Buy well, buy once

fellow.ventures

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Re: Buy well, buy once

#181

Post by Retric »

pjerem wrote: post #168
onion2k wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Our clothes are cheaper... There's a useful function in limited lifespan - things are much easier to update and upgrade. My tastes have changed a lot over the past 20 years. If my clothes lasted longer I'd have a wardrobe full of things I don't like now and wouldn't wear. If my TV lasted 20 years I'd still have an old, inefficient SD CRT box in the corner, or I'd have passed it on to someone else and maybe they'd hav…

> My tastes have changed a lot over the past 20 years. If my TV lasted 20 years I'd still have an old, inefficient SD CRT box in the corner Societal context is important here. Did your taste really changed on itself or did the constant marketing pressure changed your taste for clothes and your expectations for what is an acceptable TV ? I mean : of course, I’m a tech enthusiast : I love big modern OLED screens, I lov…

I really don’t notice much difference between 4k and 1080 or even 720 as long as it’s minimally compressed data. High compression ratios is IMO is a huge driver for 4k because you can hide a multitude of artifacts once individual pixels aren’t as noticeable, but rarely do you compare identical bandwidth streams at 1080 and 4k.

That’s IMO what’s driving a lot of technological advancement. It’s not necessarily about needing progress as it is separating yourself from the profit maximization processes which makes most things worse over time. Tiny companies don’t have inherent advantages when it comes to say food, but they don’t have the expertise to perfectly maximize shelf life while keeping the food reasonably palatable.

That same maximization causes Windows and smart TV’s to include so much advertising because it’s maximizing their profits at the expense of the product. But you don’t see that in new categories like AR headsets.

Re: Buy well, buy once

#182

Post by alecst »

pwpw wrote: post #141

An observation I have made of my grandparents, who certainly had a bit of money, is everything they own is high quality and has lasted them years. My grandfather still has his Hickey Freeman suits and sports coats tailored and repaired by a local menswear shop. Their Dualit toaster still works while I have personally gone through many Cuisinart toasters. Their technics AV components still work with their high quality…

My grandparents grew up during the depression. They buy everything on sale, including food. They have olive oil in their cabinets that’s from 2009 (it survived a move.) My grampa, in his own words, loves buying “junk” and “crap” and holding into it forever. They probably spend most of their money on gifts, dining out, cruises, and trading stocks. I love them so much. But I fear the day I have to accept their hand-me-downs. I’ll probably end up with the oil.

Re: Buy well, buy once

#183

Post by wellanyway »

mattmanser wrote: post #174
mdorazio wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This sounds to me like a combination of survivorship bias and cost preference. You see the resilient things at your grandparents' house because those are the only things that have survived. All the poor quality things they purchased over the years are gone by now. Also, you and your parents probably favor lower-cost items (as do most people these days) over longevity. This may simply not have been possible in your gr…

I personally don't favour cheap over longevity, and I don't really believe most consumer do either. The problem is that it has become increasingly difficult to discern if something will last. An expensive product, from what was a trusted brand, can be just as short lived as a cheap one these days. Cost does not always reflect quality. And brands that build long-lived products struggle as they don't have the repeat cu…

Exactly. Marshall Major headphones I bought some tears ago looked and were priced in a way I thought would guarantee decade of service at least. They fell apart in half a year revealing multiple fundamental design flaws.

Re: Buy well, buy once

#184

Post by cinntaile »

gnicholas wrote: post #144
dieselgate wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was using a broccoli rubber band as a wallet for years but they have a tendency to break after a while. Have settled on a metal binder clip and it’s worked much better - less friction in/out of pocket too

I use a broccoli rubber band as a minimalist iPhone 'case'. [1] It makes the back and bottom of the phone grippy, so it's easier to hold. It does slightly block the corners of the screen, but not much. It doesn't provide much protection in case of a drop, obviously. But the added grippiness makes drops much less likely! I have occasionally bought broccoli that I didn't need just so I could get another rubber band, af…

I don't think I have seen rubber bands that thick in ages. It surprises me they don't use the tiny ones?

Re: Buy well, buy once

#185

Post by adhesive_wombat »

mattmanser wrote: post #174
mdorazio wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This sounds to me like a combination of survivorship bias and cost preference. You see the resilient things at your grandparents' house because those are the only things that have survived. All the poor quality things they purchased over the years are gone by now. Also, you and your parents probably favor lower-cost items (as do most people these days) over longevity. This may simply not have been possible in your gr…

I personally don't favour cheap over longevity, and I don't really believe most consumer do either. The problem is that it has become increasingly difficult to discern if something will last. An expensive product, from what was a trusted brand, can be just as short lived as a cheap one these days. Cost does not always reflect quality. And brands that build long-lived products struggle as they don't have the repeat cu…

> And brands that build long-lived products struggle as they don't have the repeat customers of products that are good

I know of a company that was a national leader in a certain kind of industrial equipment. Now that the industry isn't expanding in this country, the market is saturated and they can't sell anything because what they sold decades ago was designed for excellence and just won't die. Nearly all business now is occasional servicing of their old equipment.

Re: Buy well, buy once

#186

Post by safety1st »

pfannkuchen wrote: post #99
safety1st wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Replacing broken or worn items often feels like a nightmare of upheaval and system change It seems like if this is where someone's application of minimalism lands them, they have missed the point. On that note I went from owning one pair of shoes last year to three. It was a great non-minimalist decision. My shoes now take three times longer to wear out, and now I'm always wearing shoes that are more useful or more…

Whenever I try to do this, I inevitably settle on wearing one of the three 100% of the time. How do you manage it?

I go by function. A pair of everyday shoes for regular days, a pair of cross-trainers for gym days, and an expensive pair of boots for days when I get dressed up.

Re: Buy well, buy once

#187

Post by [deleted] »

metadat wrote: post #101
throwaway74513 wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I used to be interested in minimalism, but I realised that they just obsess over objects in a different way. This is really interesting, particularly since you use the word “obsess”. I meet all of the criteria for OCPD (obsessive compulsive personality disorder — NOT the same thing as OCD), except for “unwilling to throw out broken or worthless objects, even if they have no sentimental value”. In fact, I’m quite th…

In case you haven't already, please consult a professional. Do yourself the favor, you're worth it. Edit: @asddubs: thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, though you never know what reality faces the person on the other end of a link, which is why I still try. Sometimes you might be surprised. And thank you for helping get my karma back to an even number, all is well again. Your friendly friend, MD.

[deleted]

Re: Buy well, buy once

#188

Post by v-erne »

Gigachad wrote: post #86
nicbou wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Buy used. You pay less and nothing gets produced. I have the same obsession as you and this is how I reconcile with it. If I'm not ready to meet someone across town I probably don't need it.

Buying used has become a huge pain. The platforms are absolutely full of scammers and time wasters, the items are either overpriced or immediately purchased by flippers, and they often aren’t very accessible without owning a car. I prefer to just buy new, where I can have stuff delivered, and then use it until it’s completely worn out or obsolete.

Depnends on the item I suppose - half of my small board game collection (100+ titles) is used games bought from local eBay equivalent. And almost all of them were in perfect condition but half the price.

Re: Buy well, buy once

#189

Post by galacticdessert »

pwpw wrote: post #153
mdorazio wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This sounds to me like a combination of survivorship bias and cost preference. You see the resilient things at your grandparents' house because those are the only things that have survived. All the poor quality things they purchased over the years are gone by now. Also, you and your parents probably favor lower-cost items (as do most people these days) over longevity. This may simply not have been possible in your gr…

I definitely agree with you. I would also add that I believe there’s an element of the period of time in which they had the money to purchase their goods. Many goods had been iterated upon and become the best versions while having been around long enough to make an informed decision on high quality products. Today, we have been in a period of rapid change as technology advances. My grandparents bought the best of the…

Small and efficient ICE engines are as proved a technology as it gets. If you end up buying a V6 engine now it is not because of how good or reliable the engine is, it is either nostalgia or status symbol. So, please don’t and be more mindful of your emissions.

Re: Buy well, buy once

#190

Post by joshspankit »

Retric wrote: post #181
pjerem wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My tastes have changed a lot over the past 20 years. If my TV lasted 20 years I'd still have an old, inefficient SD CRT box in the corner Societal context is important here. Did your taste really changed on itself or did the constant marketing pressure changed your taste for clothes and your expectations for what is an acceptable TV ? I mean : of course, I’m a tech enthusiast : I love big modern OLED screens, I lov…

I really don’t notice much difference between 4k and 1080 or even 720 as long as it’s minimally compressed data. High compression ratios is IMO is a huge driver for 4k because you can hide a multitude of artifacts once individual pixels aren’t as noticeable, but rarely do you compare identical bandwidth streams at 1080 and 4k. That’s IMO what’s driving a lot of technological advancement. It’s not necessarily about ne…

I have direct experience that supports your point:

There’s a local TV/internet provider who rolled out a new system of TV boxes. They compete with the big giant who had “4K” at the time. This provider sent out a signal that was 720P natively but it looked way better due to the rock-solid bitrate that was planned from the beginning. It was so noticeable that sports on the big giant’s boxes were a smeary blurry mess by comparison. And yet, the majority of bigger-spending customers still got pulled in by the “4k” marketing.

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