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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

#451

Post by buildsjets »

moron4hire wrote: post #292
ElevenLathe wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

what do you do with the angle grinder?

Well, you don't use it to cut the handle off. You grind the bottom of the pan smooth. Isn't that obvious? I guess not, apparently. But it seems like it should be.

Have you ever in your life tried to use an angle grinder for this sort of thing? It’s one of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

If i had a cast iron pan I had to flatten, I’d dog it down on my CNC router, set up a 1/4” endmill, whip up some code for 33% overlapping passes in Fusion 360, and take off .005” layers until it was flat.

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

#452

Post by bscphil »

jrootabega wrote: post #225
bonoboTP wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People are allowed to have hobbies and interests.

But it's not necessary to turn shaving into a hobby with toys and status symbols (look at all the conspicious brand-name-dropping going on in these comments). However, the anti-Gillette marketing zeitgeist makes you think that that is THE alternative. Looking for information about safety/straight razor usage will undoubtedly suck someone into SEO-friendly shaving "enthusiast" traps unless they avoid it. People should…

> the anti-Gillette marketing zeitgeist

Which is why it might as well be the pro-Gillette marketing zeitgeist. Too easy to turn away from something under the assumption you'll just get sucked into it and waste a lot of money. Another good example of this is the fountain pen community. As a total outsider, I was actually under the impression that a fountain pen cost well over $100 and was difficult to maintain and write with. I happened to randomly look into it one day only to discover that some very well regarded pens are only $30 or so, write well on almost everything, and will last for years of high quality writing.

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

#453

Post by gbronner »

caymanjim wrote: post #217
ginko wrote: post #192

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). That's because many cast iron pans you can get these days have unpolished bottoms unlike antique ones. If you get a polished one (or polish it yourself - there's plenty of youtube videos on that) it'll be incredible non-stick. You can also just get a carbon steel pan which doesn't need polishing.

Modern mass-market cast iron is garbage. Lodge's marketing department has managed to convince people that their garbage pans are actually better, and that the texture holds on to seasoning, but it's all nonsense. It's vastly cheaper for them to produce pans by skipping the polishing step. You can still get good polished cast iron, but the pans cost hundreds of dollars. Next time an old relative dies, go raid their ki…

I have a 20 year old Lodge and I also use some of my grandmother's old Lodge/Griswold pans which were polished. My pan is well seasoned and pretty smooth after constant use. I've never noticed any practical difference except that mine can easily be replaced

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

#454

Post by otterley »

My favorite trick is to buy imported Gillette cartridges from foreign countries. These cartridges have been discontinued in the U.S. market but remain my personal favorite brand. I get my cartridges for around $1/each. Not cheap, but half the price of contemporary cartridges, and with far less plastic waste than fully-disposable razors. (I’m willing to pay more to protect the environment.)

As someone who fully shaves his head almost daily, closeness, speed, and minimal risk of injury are the most important factors for me. I’ve tried all the alternatives - electric shavers, old-school double edged blades with handles, etc. and found them either to not provide a close enough shave, or to be too high-maintenance or slow (too many passes required) to be worth the cost savings. Electric is out because I shave in the shower and they don’t cut close enough anyway. (Also, electric shaver blades dull over time, too.)

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

#455

Post by jader201 »

rhacker wrote: post #447
jader201 wrote: post #398

Why is a thread on electric razors not the top comment on a post about the expense/waste of straight razors? I get that they have some downsides, but if we’re talking about the expense/waste of straight razors, then it would make sense to consider electric razors. I’ve seen so many ads about companies trying to “invent” the most effective, lowest cost straight razor and it still confuses me, given we already have ele…

I think it's preference. I started out using electric when I first started shaving when I was like 16 or something. As soon as I tried actual razors I couldn't go back. Been like 26 years now.

I guess it’s hard to imagine the upsides of straight razors justifying the (apparent) downsides. I mean, other than a somewhat closer shave, it seems like everything else about them is worse (expense, waste, time/effort, mess, cuts/removing skin, ingrown hairs).

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

#456

Post by hammock »

jader201 wrote: post #398

Why is a thread on electric razors not the top comment on a post about the expense/waste of straight razors? I get that they have some downsides, but if we’re talking about the expense/waste of straight razors, then it would make sense to consider electric razors. I’ve seen so many ads about companies trying to “invent” the most effective, lowest cost straight razor and it still confuses me, given we already have ele…

All good points. But the biggest thread on this post isn’t about shaving at all, it’s about cast iron pans.

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

#457

Post by eutropia »

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…

Get a vintage cast iron skillet; before the race to the bottom resulted in unfinished junk like Lodge, manufacturers used to machine polish the surface of the skillet.

I can put a tiny amount of oil in my cast iron and fry eggs without sticking.

Over time, cooking oils polymerize from heat and form a smooth seal in the microsurfaces of the cast iron, resulting in a natural non stick surface which is resilient and replenish-able.

80% of my stovetop cooking is in a 70 year old cast iron skillet, the rest happens in stainless steel or enameled cast iron.

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

#458

Post by gruez »

simias wrote: post #386
connor4312 wrote: post #359

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

>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

Not even that, I suspect that projectors would be defeated by mid-range VA-LED TVs, especially when you factor in that TVs have nifty tricks like FALD

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

#459

Post by fanf2 »

SamoyedFurFluff wrote: post #224
naet wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wet shaving is also a great experience IMO, even with dirt cheap razors and soaps and brushes I prefer it. As the article stated a single safety razor handle will last basically a lifetime too.

Dirt cheap doesn’t mean a bad shave too, which is where that wealth of knowledge can come in handy. Astra plat blades are both some of the cheapest and also smoothest blades around for example.

Worth noting that Astra is owned by Gillette and manufactured in Russia.

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

#460

Post by FpUser »

jader201 wrote: post #398

Why is a thread on electric razors not the top comment on a post about the expense/waste of straight razors? I get that they have some downsides, but if we’re talking about the expense/waste of straight razors, then it would make sense to consider electric razors. I’ve seen so many ads about companies trying to “invent” the most effective, lowest cost straight razor and it still confuses me, given we already have ele…

>"I get that they have some downsides, but if we’re talking about the expense/waste of straight razors, then it would make sense to consider electric razors."

I've tried using electric, even expensive ones few times in my life but had always ended up with skin irritation starting to develop. No soup for me ;(

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