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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

#351

Post by SergeAx »

nrclark wrote: post #166
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). FWIW it's pretty easy to fry eggs in a cast iron. You do have to oil the pan, but I wouldn't call it absurd. Just a dollop of oil in the pan. And the end result has a crispy, yummy texture that's hard to achieve with Teflon. It just takes a little practice and an open mind.

> crispy [...] texture

Of course it's crispy, you are deep-frying your eggs in oil, like McDonalds-style fries. It may feel delicious, like almost anything overcooked with high temperature, but it is not quite healthy.

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

#352

Post by tushar-r »

SergeAx wrote: post #322

Why author doesn't take a change in quality into account? I never used a double-edged blades for shaving, but I think that 2- or 3-bladed cartridges will generally shave better or at least quicker. Not sure about 5-bladed, but whatever. Teflon skillets are much more convenient for cooking than cast iron, that I can tell from the experience. I once bought a super-expensive cast iron with non-sticking coating, and it b…

> I never used a double-edged blades for shaving, but I think that 2- or 3-bladed cartridges will generally shave better or at least quicker. Not sure about 5-bladed, but whatever.

Not really. DE doesn't jam as much as 2/3/5 blades, and is generally faster to get to a full shave with about a week's growth for me. Just that the setup and cleanup is a little longer. It also takes a bit more practice to get the DE razor working properly (angle/force etc.,) compared to the cartridge razors.

In general, I prefer DE at home and cartridges for travel, because it's generally easier to travel with cartridges in carryon.

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

#353

Post by notreallyserio »

kstenerud wrote: post #69
tehwebguy wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> > In many inner city shops it is now hard to buy an individual piece of fruit. > For some fruit maybe, but if the point is saving money, why are you buying individually? Because fruit rots.

It takes a week or more depending on the fruit. If that's happening, eat more or buy less. This is such a first-world problem.

How do you buy less than one piece of fruit? Isn't that what you're arguing against?

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

#354

Post by mastax »

krallja wrote: post #148
jchw wrote: post #61

Add dishwasher pods to the list. It’s literally just smoke and mirrors for nearly the same formula as powder, only less of it per package. All those fancy colors? It’s die. It’s the same formula across the entire pod. So… Yep: more cost, more waste, and it has some reasonable downsides. For “convenience,” since I guess deciding how much to put into the tray is just too much work. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll6-eGD…

I watched this video and was very excited to try out the powder, since I’ve just been using the pods they sell at Costco for my entire adult life. But there are Problems. 1. You can’t find powder anywhere. Not a single grocery store near me sells it. Gel, sure. Pods, sure. Powder, not even Wal-mart had it, and they have everything. I finally found a faded and dented box at an Ace Hardware, where I wasn’t even looking…

The gel detergent is more convenient than the powder for the reasons you mentioned

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

#355

Post by gruez »

willnonya wrote: post #323
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…

Their point about "smart" TV's having a shorter life than older dumb TV is a valid point. Some models tend to become pretty useless and at least inconvenient when their software gets outdated. Some require internet access to function while others just make it difficult to use streaming dongles and the like. The real issue is the lack of security in these devices. Updates are rare enough but for something that bridges…

>Their point about "smart" TV's having a shorter life than older dumb TV is a valid point. Some models tend to become pretty useless and at least inconvenient when their software gets outdated.

This sounds like a non-issue, in a "broken escalators become stairs" kind of way. If your smart TV doesn't work because it hasn't received software updates for years, and the youtube/netflix app no longer works anymore, can't you just... use it as a dumb TV?

>This doesn't even touch on the repairability issues inherent in modern TV design.

What "repairability issues"? TVs hasn't been repariable for decades now.

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

#356

Post by willnonya »

SergeAx wrote: post #322

Why author doesn't take a change in quality into account? I never used a double-edged blades for shaving, but I think that 2- or 3-bladed cartridges will generally shave better or at least quicker. Not sure about 5-bladed, but whatever. Teflon skillets are much more convenient for cooking than cast iron, that I can tell from the experience. I once bought a super-expensive cast iron with non-sticking coating, and it b…

"Why author doesn't take a change in quality into account?"

Followed by advocating the lower quality options...

The old safety razors shave just as well as a new cartridge razor. The only advantage to the cartridge razor is that if you're a moron you have a lower risk of slicing a finger open when changing the blade.

Your idea of convenience from using a Teflon skillet is based in ignorance. Both of the maintenence involved and of the difference in food quality between the two types of pans.

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

#357

Post by kuon »

I have one of those double edged rasor, I've been using it for like 20 years. Mine is made of silver, which is a good anti bacteria. For the blade, I use carbon steel ones made for cleaning the vitroceram/induction hot plates. They cut much better than stainless steel, and are cheaper, but must be changed once a week to prevent rust and also it is better to unscrew the razor a bit to let them dry. I don't use any cream, just regular soap and water.

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

#358

Post by darkwizard42 »

ajdude wrote: post #324
zevv wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A TV without smart software and a lot of ports is called a PC monitor.

A 70" 4k pc monitor sounds prohibitively expensive though.

Our of curiosity, do you know why that is? What makes TVs different from monitors? (Genuinely don’t know much about the space)

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

#359

Post by connor4312 »

algoatecorn wrote: post #278
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…

My wife and I got rid of our TV last year when we moved. It was a nice break, but we want at least one in the house, so we're currently shopping around for a nice 4K 70+ inch. I've come to realize the market is headed toward a TV without any ports. You'll plug it in and immediately prompted to link with wifi so you can log into your streaming services. Fuck that. I'm hell-bent on getting something with zero smart fun…

I made the switch to a projector a couple years ago and advocate highly for them. The screen can disappear when not in use, and they're "dumb by default". New LED projectors have bulbs rated to last 10k hours or more.

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

#360

Post by nkozyra »

SergeAx wrote: post #351
nrclark wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I wouldn't try frying eggs in a cast iron, for instance (technically you can, but it requires an absurd amount of oil). FWIW it's pretty easy to fry eggs in a cast iron. You do have to oil the pan, but I wouldn't call it absurd. Just a dollop of oil in the pan. And the end result has a crispy, yummy texture that's hard to achieve with Teflon. It just takes a little practice and an open mind.

> crispy [...] texture Of course it's crispy, you are deep-frying your eggs in oil, like McDonalds-style fries. It may feel delicious, like almost anything overcooked with high temperature, but it is not quite healthy.

Well you're not "deep frying" it you're pan frying it. The difference is the amount of food exposed to oil.
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