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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

#381

Post by SergeAx »

tushar-r wrote: post #352
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…

Are there modern double-sided bodies with floating mechanism? Quick googling got me only antiques.

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

#382

Post by gumby »

cainxinth wrote: post #273
gumby wrote: post #238

As I became older I found that the fancy multi-blade razors don’t give as good a shave as the safety razor (called double edge in the blog post). The blades are just too flimsy. The biggest advantage of the flimsy multi-blades is that groggy morning shavers are less likely to cut themselves (but at the cost of being less likely to get a complete shave). In this regard they are good for kids. And what’s the deal with…

I disagree. I alternate between Harry's 5 blade disposable and a classic safety razor (Feather blades and Merkur long handle). The disposables make for a faster and closer shave. It's also much harder to nick yourself with a disposable cartridge. The advantage of the safety razor is that it's much, much cheaper, and it doesn't lift whiskers like a multiblade setup does, so it's not as close a shave, but it's gentler…

Starting in my late thirties my facial hair became coarser and the cartridges just didn’t do as good a job.

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

#383

Post by tristor »

andix wrote: post #266
pard68 wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not only is it possible with a reasonable amount of oil in any cast iron pan, but with a very thin cast iron pan one can do it without oil even. Eggs start sticking with high heat and the thinner the metal the lower the heat needed to cook.

You probably want to use a wrought iron pan for that. They can be really cheap (starting from less than 10€), are indestructible (they don’t break if you drop them) and can be much thinner than cast iron. They are better for eggs, where you want to change the temperature during frying very quickly.

Yes, a good Matfer or Solidteknics carbon steel / wrought iron / blue iron pan is fantastic for eggs, omelettes, and crepes. Matfer as a French brand even has specific crepe and omelette pans made this way.

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

#384

Post by ransom1538 »

darkwizard42 wrote: post #358
ajdude wrote: post #324

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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)

tl;dr; Monitors require high pixel density - you generally sit closer. Checkout this graph:

https://www.displayninja.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/best...

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

#385

Post by mint2 »

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…

If wanting a Teflon coating, is there any benefit for doing cast iron? Or do you mean ceramic coating.

Isn’t a main reason people go to cast iron is to avoid Teflon and get the natural non-stick of seasoned iron? If that isn’t needed, what’s the draw? Seems other pans would be more suitable.

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

#386

Post by simias »

connor4312 wrote: post #359
algoatecorn wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I use a projector as well instead of a TV but they're definitely not standard replacement for a normal TV in all situations. You need a dark room (so if you like to have the TV on while do you chores or other tasks, it won't work well with a projector), the fans can be a bit loud depending on your noise tolerance, the contrast, color and brightness/blacks won't be as good as a decent OLED TV unless you go for a very high end projector and screen, which is going to be very expensive.

It's definitely worth considering but there are pros and cons to consider, it's not an acceptable replacement in all situations.

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

#387

Post by pm90 »

allears wrote: post #317

Norelco (Phillips) electric shaver user here. I'm in my 70's and have used them all my life. Got the habit from my dad, who sold them in his store and used them all his life too. Not as close as a blade, but much more comfortable to use, quicker, and less mess. Don't need a sink or a towel, shaving cream, blades. You do have to replace the heads once a year or so, so they're not super cheap, but they're way, way more…

I use a Braun Series 7. It has detachable heads for different kinds of shaving (body v/s face) and for different “lengths”. It takes a bit more time than a razor to get a close shave, but no chemicals, no waste and no recurring expenses (except in the cleaning alcohol I guess, but that’s optional).

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

#389

Post by callamdelaney »

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 have invested in a complete range of cast iron pans. I really don't care if it's convenient or not, at least I can use whatever piece of cutlery which happens to be at hand (while not poisoning my entire family, which is a huge plus)- oh and they'll last forever.

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

#390

Post by mrob »

steelframe wrote: post #50

Semi-serious cyclist chiming in about this part of the article: "Well understood mechanical bike shifting transitions to electronic shifting which requires you to pay more and charge your pedal bike (Not sure about this example, as in theory a bike derailleur needs not be a repeated purchased)" One of my bikes has a Shimano electronic shifter. The others are a mix between mechanical SRAM and Shimano components. The e…

I assume you're a sports cyclist, where I agree that electronic shifting can make sense. For general transport use I think hub gears are a better solution to the "oops" shifting problem. Hub gears let you shift while stationary, as well as being clean and reliable. They won't win you any races, but performance is more than acceptable for shopping/commuting.
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