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Overkill objects for everyday life

neil.computer

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Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#441

Post by megablast »

Grustaf wrote: post #252
jlkuester7 wrote: post #227

I am a huge fan of highly durable equipment, but one thing to watch out for is that comfort/ergonimics are often sacrificed for the sake of simplicity and duribility. Ask anyone who has spent time in a military vehicle. Those things can take a beating and are made to be repaired quickly and sent back out for more. But a quite comfortable ride they are not.... Sometimes that no-compromise toughness is exactly what you…

For me that's one of the selling points. Modern life is so ridiculously over engineered to be comfortable, we can all use some rough edges.

You are in a car. That is already over engineered. Get a bike or hike.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#442

Post by neilpanchal »

IgorPartola wrote: post #436
neilpanchal wrote: post #401

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I kinda disagree. These aren’t very good examples. Also the dough mixer is for restaurants, not military use. :-) Although I want one now. Here is a kitchen scale I bought. Made in Switzerland, no less. It’s bloody beautiful: https://neil.computer/notes/mettler-toledo-ml3002e-teardown/ Does that mean all consumer grade stuff is bad? No. Leatherman tools and 3M consumer grade stuff is usually great. Nalgene bottles. D…

There are definitely nice finds out there. That doesn’t mean that the military equivalent of a consumer good is better. Duct tape is duct tape. A Humvee is a shit grocery hauler. Military boots aren’t going to be as nice or comfortable as a pair of Italian hand made boots. I remember looking at ToughBooks because their shells are amazing. But what does that do for me if inside it has a 10 year old computer?

Agreed, there is a bit of selectivity and careful consideration. These are misuses and illfits. Wearing military boots to a wedding is an impedence mismatch so to speak, not really a fault of military boots.

You gotta compare apples to apples.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#443

Post by crooked-v »

stepanhruda wrote: post #183
crooked-v wrote: post #174

To make my own recommendation along these lines, Bluffworks pants: https://shop.bluffworks.com/pages/technical-pants I've found them excellent for travel because they remain wrinkle-resistant and looking like I've just stepped out of an office no matter what conditions I put them through, up to and including a month backpacking with constant wear on hikes and irregular sink-washing.

Looks cool, but is it in the same category as anything in the article? This just seems like a good brand.

They may not be 'military grade', but I'd say that clothes designed to look like freshly-pressed office wear after a month spent backpacking broadly count.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#444

Post by zzo38computer »

I can comment about the things mentioned at the end. I don't like touch screens, and I don't like "smart" TV sets either (the functions other than the display can be done by the VCR instead; I do have a VCR that can decode captions). (Although, I would want to be able to adjust the picture settings on the TV.)

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#445

Post by MereInterest »

bayindirh wrote: post #353
IgorPartola wrote: post #341

I will postulate an opposing view to TFA: Quality consumer goods are better in two key areas. First, they are replaceable. I don’t want a military grade mixer in my kitchen if getting a broken whisk or motor on it is going to require me hunting all over eBay for the specific part hoping it’s available. I was very excited at one point about the idea of getting a commercial dishwasher that can run a load of dishes in l…

Moreover, consumer items beyond a price point are both very well made and backed by long term warranties anyway. Paying a bit more for a better item which can be repaired or serviced for a very long time makes it cheaper in the long run in my experience, because you buy it once and for life. I love "overkill items for everyday life" point of view, but it comes with trade-offs for noise, ergonomics, size, replaceabili…

> Moreover, consumer items beyond a price point are both very well made and backed by long term warranties anyway.

Except that there isn't a good way to distinguish between something that is expensive because it has quality construction and something that is expensive because it is a brand name.

Searching for information online is nigh-useless due to aggressive SEO on the part of advertisers. Sometimes I can get lucky and find an enthusiast forum, but those are harder and harder to find.

Online reviews in general are effectively anonymous. Amazon reviews might not even be the same manufacturer, let alone the same product. Newegg lists different firmware versions under the same product ID, so compatibility reviews are useless.

The best thing I've found is to reach out to a group of friends and hope that one of them did the research previously, or can at least steer you towards/away a brand. This doesn't scale, and any approach that does scale is at risk of being overwhelmed by advertisers and other bad actors.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#446

Post by greenice »

bartread wrote: post #360
IgorPartola wrote: post #341

I will postulate an opposing view to TFA: Quality consumer goods are better in two key areas. First, they are replaceable. I don’t want a military grade mixer in my kitchen if getting a broken whisk or motor on it is going to require me hunting all over eBay for the specific part hoping it’s available. I was very excited at one point about the idea of getting a commercial dishwasher that can run a load of dishes in l…

I think one needs to be a bit selective here. About 8 years ago I bought the cheapest catering/professional microwave/combioven I could get my hands on. I did this because I got tired of consumer units with overcomplicated UIs designed (apparently) by unregenerate misanthropes, rotating dishes that are a pain in the ass to clean, overzealous bleeps that go off every 30 - 60 seconds after a cycle is finished, peeling…

Commenting on the „overcomplicated UI“ designs:

It takes quite some research to find single-purpose devices, that are tailored for a specific use case - and are not overburdened with often unused features. There‘s not enough metadata out there on ecommerce sites to filter for that.

Take the microwave example: I‘m happy with the Samsung MWF300G microwave which does just one thing (heating stuff) really well in a very straightforward way:

One haptic dial for duration. One for Watt. And a simple display for time.

Just use the duration dial to set the time. That‘s it. You‘re done by turning your hand just once.

It starts automatically. No start button needed. No program selection. No stop button - just dial it back to zero if needed.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#447

Post by jmercouris »

Grustaf wrote: post #428
jmercouris wrote: post #414

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For a while... until it isn't. I've been very poor, and I've experienced very similar things. Traveling everywhere by bike in the freezing cold. I think there is a romaniticization of suffering. I also wanted to show my merit, my worth in some way. I had grown up in a very cushy environment, and I was trying to prove something. Going back in time I would advise anyone against your belief. Anyone who reads this, pleas…

Biking everywhere in the rain is what you do if you live in Copenhagen, and it does make you a better person. It always warms my heart to see my fellow citizens in one of the wealthiest societies in the world, walking and biking to work in the rain and wind that is Danish winter. Or when you go to the beach when the water is 12 degrees and there are already families there, splashing around. That fills me with hope. D…

As you wish. I will then just suggest you don’t prescribe your beliefs to unwitting followers without heavy disclaimer. I think your philosophy is both harmful and unsubstantiated.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#448

Post by Multicomp »

easton wrote: post #75
ListeningPie wrote: post #50

The recommendation for a commercial panel which avoids built smart TV functions is one I'm taking seriously. We have an Apple TV connected and use nothing else. Does anyone have experience or recommendations? Here is a link to NEC's commercial displays https://www.sharpnecdisplays.us/products/displays#2

Find the hospitality version of whatever you want from CDW (Samsung and LG do a lot of them, idk about Sony). They are designed for hotels and hospitals, and have the same picture quality but no smart stuff. An example from Samsung: https://www.cdw.com/product/samsung-678u-series-55-4k-uhd-le...

We use NEC E and P series TVs for digital menuboards in amusement parks.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#450

Post by a9h74j »

sfeng wrote: post #297

Everyone should shop at restaurant supply stores. You can get identical metal mixing bowls for a fraction of the price of the heavy bowls most people have. Plus they clean easily and stack, so you can have a dozen at the ready easily.

Need trays to alternately shelve while working on different hobbies or projects? Consider rolled-edge baking sheets and a baking rack. Restaurant supply has solved the problem of trays that do not warp and have no sharp edges or corners, at sheet-metal prices.
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