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Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money

johnwhiles.com

491–500 of 982 posts

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

#491

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…

What electric razor do you recommend?

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

#492
post #200
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…

For coffee: French press + grinder is straightforward and has little maintenance. Machines have to be descaled.

Unless you have high cholesterol. In that case you want filtered coffee.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/28/well/eat/filtered-coffee-...

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

#493
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 have somewhat smart TV, though bought couple of years back. It is not getting on the internet, it's only job is to receive signal over HDMI. I don't ever interact with its menus or other buttons expect power and volume, it stays on HDMI and is quite nice dumb TV.

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

#494
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…

There is only one conspiracy theory I believe in, it’s /reddit/r/castiron is a troll site created to make people believe ‘seasoning’ is really a thing. After spending a few weeks trying, I’ve had multiple people tell me they got theirs ‘seasoned’ after three or four months. Don’t let yourself be sucked in.

It’s definitely a real thing. But some people go nuts and I’ll never understand.

Use the right tool for the job and cast iron is definitely not the right choice a lot of the time. Unless you exclusively cook meals where heat control is never needed, I don’t see why you’d only use cast iron.

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

#495
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 ditched pods some time ago and use powder now. I had an issue that occurred almost every time I used the dishwasher (with pods), it left things slightly smelly. Nothing major, other people didn’t really notice it but for me it was a major source of frustration. Powder got rid of the smell, and now I am a happy man. I can pick a glass from the cabin and it doesn’t smell like anything. Wish I had learned this 10 year…

Smelly "dishwasher smell" on your dishes is usually fixed by cleaning out the filters in my experience, and ensuring the dishwasher is actually loaded properly.

In particular, it's critical to ensure the washing arms can rotate freely, something my flatmates (some of whom are engineers) will never understand no matter how many times I try to explain it to them! Otherwise the dishes will come out looking clean-ish but actually smelly and not properly clean.

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

#496
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…

> Also, claiming that they "seem to be poisonous" without any qualifiers is a little misleading. To my knowledge they're only poisonous during manufacturing (ie. the precursor chemicals) and when they get too hot. 1. The manufacturing process results in those precursor chemicals entering urban water supplies where they are nearly impossible to filter out (only RO is effective and it's not even 100% effective), and on…

> Cast Iron is effectively non-stick after enough use, and you can absolutely fry an egg in it without sticking if you have a smooth-bottom pan (either a vintage cast iron, new vintage-style, or a new style that you've sanded down and seasoned yourself).

I replied to the GP, but I fry eggs in a bog-standard Lodge which is neither vintage nor sanded down. It still has a distinct ”pebbly” appearance to it, though perhaps less than when I first got it.

Works like a charm, and a shake of the pan is usually all that’s needed to release eggs.

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

#497
> The double edged razor has become a product that you can only buy on the internet, and which you will only buy if you know that it exists.

If you have skin sensitivity issues and/or ingrown hairs, then these razors should be at the very top of your wishlist. There is also quite a bit of joy in the art/routine of using one of these. And I've nicked myself far more often (and far more painfully) with cartridge razors.

Cartridge razors are definitely one area where the newer technology is worse than what it replaced.

The only thing to be careful of is safely disposing of the razors, remember that they can cut through your trash bag and hurt anyone involved with your garbage collection.

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

#498
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…

>Why are they only superficially convenient? They seem pretty convenient to me. how can anything that produces a worse quality of a productivity enhancing stimulant than you would have using another method ever be truly convenient in comparison to that other method?

In what world does "quality" factor into "convenience"?

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

#499
IMO min maxing everything is sometimes not great either. I just don't shave every day, maybe every few days but no longer since it gets too long, and it seems like the blades last for a very long time (over a month at least). I can't remember when I bought the $30 pack of a bunch of cartriges but its been sitting in my bathroom seemingly forever.

Then there is the actual using of the thing. Go ahead and shave with one of those box cutter razors. The first couple of times your sink will look like bloody murder and even after that you need to be careful. I don't want to think about technique. I barely heed grain. With a cartrige I can even use just hot water in a pinch and mash the thing against my face and get an OK shave in not very long. I'm paying extra sure, a dozen dollars a year I guess, but I get the convenience of speed and being able to have the sloppiest shaving technique imaginable and not walk out with a dozen globs of tp fused to my bleeding face.

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

#500
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…

It's also easy to tell how many pods/loads you have left. Switched to Finish pods after Cascade powder stopped working for me. They took out the phosphorus or whatever apocalyptic chemical du jour it was. Things are almost as clean.
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