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.
Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money
61–70 of 982 posts
Re: Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money
#62Question: Why aren't there ceramic blades razors. You know, the knife blades that will chip before they get dull?
ceramic cant get that sharp with out fracturing and having really poor quality. I'm not aware of labmade Obsidian.
Ceramic knives don't seem to have that problem though? Or perhaps I don't understand what you mean.
Re: Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money
#63Yes, modern razors are a scam; they have AMAZING marketing teams. You still can buy old-style razors and blades cheap from Amazon because there's still a healthy demand. As for the rest of the article: > 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. No, no,…
> not poisonous unless you're eating the flakes from your scratched up pans
If you do happen to scratch the pan, surely the resulting flake is very likely to go into the food, and you’re then very likely to eat it?
Re: Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money
#64The key thing to recognize with modern Gillette cartridges is that the blades last a lot longer than the lubricating strips. For me, those lubricating strips last a couple of shaves at most but I get 15-20 shaves out of the blades. When the strip wears off the shaves get a bit uncomfortable while that stuff peels off but then they start to feel better again after that. A friend of mine actually hates the strip so muc…
I don’t want to risk sounding disgusting, I use a Mach III to shave my face…daily. Now I have a beard, so I don’t shave my whole face. Neck, cheeks … but I get 6 months to a year out of one cartridge on these. Having just replaced, I agree 100% about the lubrication strip.
You can get the cartridges to last quite a while if you strop them (as best you can) and keep them away from moisture when not in use. I have heard of some people just putting them in a tiny glass of mineral oil.
That said for as often as I shave, a couple times a week, I switched to a safety razor and got a sampler of double sided blades years ago. I am just about out of blades now and you can get 100 for like 10$.
Re: Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money
#65OP is simply referring to the Gillette Model [1] of business practice. I've been spotting, and avoiding it like the plague, for years.
Just wished that more people saw, understood, and voted with their wallets - the world would be a less costly place (both to ourselves, and the planet).
Re: Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money
#66Not a new phenomenon: Gillette patented the technique that Wilkinson Sword had invented for making stainless steel blades, and suppressed the production of the much longer lasting stainless steel blades for a while because they "knew that any gain for them in market share would be overwhelmed by the dramatic reduction in the size of the market"[0] (side note: when Wilkinson Sword started producing stainless steel blades using the technique they invented they were "forced to pay royalty to Gillette for each blade it sold"[1]).
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilkinson_Sword#Stainless_stee...
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gillette#Super_Blue_and_the_Wi...
Re: Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money
#67Shoes with white along the bottom. What a scam. What putty the mind of the fashion hive is.
I'm not sure if I see what you mean. My go-to sneakers have a white trim along the bottom edge and it's just... there? Yes, over time it gets dirty, but then again, so do all shoes in general. Perhaps I simply don't understand what problem you're trying to highlight?
You and everybody else. This is where the putty comes in.
Re: Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money
#68Yes, modern razors are a scam; they have AMAZING marketing teams. You still can buy old-style razors and blades cheap from Amazon because there's still a healthy demand. As for the rest of the article: > 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. No, no,…
> Their lifespan is unchanged.
No, even aside from the smart thing, modern panels don't last nearly as long as CRTs.
They are so much better in every other way, though.
Re: Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money
#69Yes, modern razors are a scam; they have AMAZING marketing teams. You still can buy old-style razors and blades cheap from Amazon because there's still a healthy demand. As for the rest of the article: > 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. No, no,…
> > 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.
Re: Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money
#70There is maybe another reason why cartridge razors are standard now, apart from the lower upfront cost: They are foolproof. It's more or less impossible to hurt yourself with it. On the other hand, it's absolutly possible to cut yourself with a double edge / safety razor, as you have to handle a razor blade and you can scratch yourself quite badly if you don't hold it at the right angle. But IMO, as with many of the…
Huge fan of safety razors. At least for me, razors with multiple blades would tug on my hair too much and cause ingrown hairs often (I think those two are casual) Plus, nothing wakes you up in morning like potentially cutting yourself
Safety razors are a much more reliable shaving experience for me then multi-blade razors too, but the big win was once I learned about them suddenly I also learned about a whole bunch of other stuff which made shaving so much easier.
The big win was using an alum block - disinfects and seals nicks quickly, and styptic pencils (same thing but stronger).