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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

#711

Post by diogenescynic »

hindsightbias wrote: post #340
travisporter wrote: post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What’s a good brand? I am new to cast iron and have a lodge and am okay with it for breakfast stuff.

I polished a Griswold older than anyone on this site and the eggs still stuck. Someone then claimed my pan was manganese deficient due to some war in Gabon pre-WWII. It will always be something with these people.

Maybe you just aren't used to cooking on the pan or it needs to be seasoned further? I can cook amazing eggs on my Griswold, so I doubt the issue is the pan itself.

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

#712

Post by hn_version_0023 »

mgraczyk wrote: post #690
jimmaswell wrote: post #684

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cast iron becomes very low maintenance after the seasoning is started. I don't even usually wash mine. Everything slides right off at the end. Just let it heat up before using it, use a moderately high heat but not too high, and it's a nonstick pan without the carcinogens.

> Just let it heat up before using it No lol that's the whole point > without the carcinogens. I'll take that trade, I'm not going to spend my 30s sitting around waiting for pans to heat up because there's some very small probability a pan will harm me.

I cook with cast iron constantly, and I don’t recall sitting around and waiting for the pan to heat. I do other related cooking tasks while the pans heat. There’s really never a point where I’m doing nothing waiting on the pan.

Mise en place helps immensely!

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

#713

Post by jka »

this_is_eline wrote: post #588
asdff wrote: post #516

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The thing is it takes skill and time to get there. Look at the reddit groups with everyone having some favorite brush or soap lather. The first few times you do it will probably go terribly too, maybe even ongoing. Meanwhile, 3 blade gillete can do an OK job with only a splash of water and a dozen strokes if you were in a true pinch. the skinguard is even better than old man mach 3. in a world where a pint of beer at…

> it takes skill and time Yes, and, as I probably haven't said, I've been doin' it for 'years', and I do have a favorite soap/razor brand/razor handle... you name it... And I rarely ever (1/10 prob) get cuts, and the end result _is_ better, purely quality wise (double-edged razor is just sharper and can access spots, like under your nose, that 4-blade razor, let's say it's 4-blade, just can not). My point is that aft…

Although I've used a few electric razors over the years (and much prefer using them to buying and keeping track of disposables), it's probably worth referring to a more detailed analysis of the options out there, so here's Wirecutter's writeup of recommended brands and models as of Dec 2021:

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-electric-raz...

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

#714

Post by BostonEnginerd »

gmiller123456 wrote: post #600
this_is_eline wrote: post #462

While I believe that many things stated in this post are correct, this still has that hard 'old man yelling at the internet' odor. If you are to compare stuff, stuff like modern razor cartridges and double-edged razors, you ought to mention the convenience side of the things. I hate being the devil's advocate, but shaving with 4-blade cartridge designed for easy shaving is still 'miles' ahead compared to shaving with…

>but shaving with 4-blade cartridge designed for easy shaving is still 'miles' ahead compared to shaving with double-edged razor What is/are the things you prefer with the cartridge? For me, I switched to the double edge a long time ago, and didn't really notice a whole lot of difference in what it does, but a big difference in price. I keep a cartridge for getting under my nose, but doesn't need to be replaced very…

The double edged safety razor is amazing for thicker facial hair. Even if I’m shaving every day, cartridge razors all get clogged on me. No amount of hot water gets it out, and the stuck hair roughs up my face like sandpaper.

The double edge safety razor is so much easier to clean out.

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

#715

Post by autoexec »

Bud wrote: post #692
hattmall wrote: post #592

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reminds me of George W Bush vs Al Gore in that Bush had a modest ranch house with all the eco friendly features and Gore, the environmentalalist had some 20,000+ foot megamansion.

The bad-faith narratives about Al Gore's personal life were hilariously wrong and offensive and irrelevant 25-30 years ago. I guess some people still haven't caught on. Al Gore was right about, well, basically everything he said on major policy issues. BTW, that supposed "megamansion"? It's a 5-bedroom home, really quite modest by the standards of today's billionaires. It's basically what you'd assume a former Senato…

I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that everything he said on major policy issues was correct... seems like that'd a lot of room to be wrong there, but he was sure as hell right that global warming was real and needed to be addressed.

The attacks on him for his house were just to distract from his message. He also paid extra cash to his utility company to get blocks of "green power" produced using renewable sources to help offset the extra power his home consumed each year.

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

#716

Post by mgraczyk »

hn_version_0023 wrote: post #712
mgraczyk wrote: post #690

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Just let it heat up before using it No lol that's the whole point > without the carcinogens. I'll take that trade, I'm not going to spend my 30s sitting around waiting for pans to heat up because there's some very small probability a pan will harm me.

I cook with cast iron constantly, and I don’t recall sitting around and waiting for the pan to heat. I do other related cooking tasks while the pans heat. There’s really never a point where I’m doing nothing waiting on the pan. Mise en place helps immensely!

This is also exactly what I'm pointing out. You enjoy cooking, you have other "cooking related tasks", you gather your ingredients before cooking. You have skill and a plan.

I just want to eat and I want to get that out of the way as quickly as possible. For a nice meal, I'll go to a restaurant. I'm not interested in learning how to prepare my own food better, and all of these comments and the OP seems to forget that.

In any high-dimensional space, most samples are far from the median on at least one axis. You have cooking, I have coffee, programming, and looking at birds.

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

#717

Post by throwaway787544 »

I use a double headed razor, and this article is ridiculous. I don't use it because it's cheaper or works better, I use it because I rarely shave and one pack of blades has lasted me years.

But it's so problematic. It does not shave nearly as well as a modern multi-razor disposable, it's prone to cutting me if I'm not careful, and takes more time. You can't bring the blades on airplanes. It's clear that you actually need disposables sometimes, and that they often shave better and for longer.

The best and cheapest shave is from a straight razor. You know how many people use that? About zero. ~$150 for a decent razor and you have it for life. But then it's a chore to maintain and not easy to shave with.

It's clear that we pay more for products that are more convenient. They are providing additional value, even if the cost is inflated.

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

#718

Post by ajmurmann »

gernb wrote: post #638
ericmay wrote: post #604

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yea... it was unfortunate that so many people focused on that instead of the general problem and now we are barreling toward a very bad outcome. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what wealthy people do - they're going to be just fine regardless of what the rest of us do, except that if we kick and scream about their big houses and refuse to do anything we just wind up inheriting the problem and they're still right where…

people need to set examples. "Do as I say not as I do" it's not about distraction, it's about showing you're sincere. If you're like "save the planet" out of one side and on the other planning your 5th airflight you don't "actually" care. it's like asking poor countries to bare all the burden of climate change and rich countries doing little. "I've got mine and sorry you don't but too bad, you're not allowed to have…

I think the difference comes down to a question of leadership style and effectiveness vs correct policy making. For example I used to be 100% vegetarian for ~5 years due to ethical concerns. The reason I stopped is that I am pretty sure that no single animal's life got spared because of me not eating meat. However, I'd immediately have voted "yes" to ban all meat eating. If I had run for office on that platform nobody would have elected me because they perceived me as insincere. Not understanding that might be bad leadership rather than actual insincerity.

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

#719

Post by bbojan »

Bud wrote: post #687
betwixthewires wrote: post #580

My dad bought me one of these bulky 12 speed razors, 5 years ago. I've used 1 cartridge from it about 6 months ago. I hadn't shaved my face since before they came out. I use a clipper to keep it trimmed. Why use any disposable product whatsoever. His point on single use plastics is spot on. I know a lot of people that love to lecture me about my moralistic views, the types of people who believe in overpopulation and…

I started using Braun electric razors about 34 years ago. This turns out to have been a good choice. They are lasting around 16 years each, on average. I recently had to get a new one; only the 3rd one I have had to buy in all that time. No packaging used up for all kinds of shaving soap or cream or other products, no packaging or plastic or metal used up to buy thousands of blades, etc.

I've been using an electric razor for years, too, and I agree that they are much cheaper and more environmentally friendly.

The only reason I've had to replace them so far is that it becomes impossible to buy replacement blades and foil. So I have to buy a model that is only superficially different, instead of just replacing the expendables.

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

#720

Post by autoexec »

betwixthewires wrote: post #629
avgcorrection wrote: post #610

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of corporate propaganda has gone into this line that the consumers are the most to blame for “disposable crap”.

They are. You don't have to buy any of it.

Part of the point of this article is that more economical and environmentally friendly alternatives have been made harder for consumers to find. There's nothing wrong with shaving or drinking tea, yet when we go down to the shops to get the things we need, all our choices are limited to plastic disposable razors and pre-filled plastic tea bags. We don't always have the choice to vote with our wallets because the alternatives aren't equally accessible.
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