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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

#761

Post by autoexec »

betwixthewires wrote: post #739
autoexec wrote: post #720

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 alte…

Yes, people are being steered towards behaviors that are more profitable for manufacturers and away from behaviors that are better for themselves. And the way to stop it is to stop buying that stuff. Stores get pressured to stock things, and they can only justify it if it gets bought. If a store doesn't stock the things you want, don't buy things from that store except the things it does have that you do want. They w…

You have a choice to the extent that you're willing to be homeless and live without income and act in violation of the law. The rest of us are constrained in our choices by the society we live in and the expectations it places on us.

I want a cell phone that respects my privacy, but none exist on the market today so I have no choice. I still need a cell phone though since my work requires one. We also don't all have the same amount of choices. Those with fewer resources have fewer choices. People should do the best they can given their circumstances, but its worth trying to remove the artificial barriers which limit our choices where we can. Especially when those barriers are put in place to funnel profit into the hands of a small number of people at our expense.

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

#762

Post by oblio »

betwixthewires wrote: post #678
avgcorrection wrote: post #646

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not a multi-billion industry on account of it not working. This individualistic refrain doesn’t make sense in the context of a critique of the overall system. Maybe as advice on how to be a self-flagelating low-eco-impact consumer or how to better master your personal finances. But ultimately it’s just an excuse for corporations to do the usual thing because the buck stops with the consumer (and corporations can…

But it's true. If people don't buy it they won't make it. We have all the power, not them.

They fight back.

Laws, propaganda, tradition, abusing human weaknesses like addictions.

Our power is diffuse and slow.

They're Javelin anti tank weapons pinpoint targeting our weakest points.

The fight is not fair and they're winning.

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

#763

Post by LorenPechtel »

tristor wrote: post #378
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…

> 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…

Teflon flaking off isn't hazardous--the whole point of Teflon is that the chemicals are polymerized into a very inert form. That's why food doesn't stick. They only become dangerous if they depolymerize--which is where the issue with overheating comes from. Heating an empty pan can reach depolymerizing temperature.

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

#764

Post by s0rce »

drakonka wrote: post #699
mgraczyk wrote: post #696

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thinner pans heat up faster

I'm definitely no pan expert, but I think there are now cast iron options that heat up very quickly, so maybe one doesn't have to compromise on that. I've had a Ronneby Bruk "ultra light" cast iron pan for years and it tends to heat up within a few minutes. At this point I don't remember what a regular pan's heat-up time is though, maybe I've just gotten used to the "pain".

Probably carbon steel made from thinner sheets, there is a limit to how thin you can practically make a cast iron pan due to the brittle nature of the material and the casting process. The resulting properties with respect to seasoning are basically the same if the surface finish is consistent.

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

#765

Post by Hamuko »

tasuki wrote: post #737
mgraczyk wrote: post #680

I appreciate the writing style, but this article is shockingly naive to me. Convenient consumer products tend to sell better than less convenient ones, even if the product is worse. That's the entire story. People have finite time, so when they receive more income they will tend to spend it to reduce the time they spend doing things that they don't care about. I for one hate spending time doing all the things that th…

> I don't like filling bags with tea, so I buy tea bags that are pre-filled Uh, that's not how loose leaf tea is used... Usually one would use a strainer or a gaiwan. Your point still stands, tea bags are less hassle, you just won't get to drink fine oolong or puerh. I don't mind cleaning the gaiwan - taking out the leaves takes a couple seconds.

I only use bags since strainers leave a bunch of leaves floating in my tea.

Filling a paper tea filter is pretty easy though, just grab one, and shovel in a bit of leaves with a spoon. It's faster to fill a tea bag than it is to boil water for a cup.

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

#766

Post by jedberg »

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.

If you really care about your time and have a lot of money, get an induction cooktop. It will heat your cast iron super quickly.

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

#767

Post by drakonka »

s0rce wrote: post #764
drakonka wrote: post #699

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm definitely no pan expert, but I think there are now cast iron options that heat up very quickly, so maybe one doesn't have to compromise on that. I've had a Ronneby Bruk "ultra light" cast iron pan for years and it tends to heat up within a few minutes. At this point I don't remember what a regular pan's heat-up time is though, maybe I've just gotten used to the "pain".

Probably carbon steel made from thinner sheets, there is a limit to how thin you can practically make a cast iron pan due to the brittle nature of the material and the casting process. The resulting properties with respect to seasoning are basically the same if the surface finish is consistent.

No, I'm pretty sure this is cast iron:

"The raw material in Ultra Light Original is exactly the same as for our traditional cast iron. The difference is that with the new technique, the pans are less porous. This explains why the pans responds much quicker to changes in the stove’s power effect, and why they heat up and cool down faster than traditional cast iron cookware."

https://ronnebybruk.us/blogs/cookware/ultralight-original

It isn't near-feather-light like some pans I've picked up in the store for sure. It's just light enough to be a noticeable difference from other cast iron pans I've tried, like being much more comfortable to hold one-handed.

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

#768

Post by xmprt »

betwixthewires wrote: post #675
lotsofpulp wrote: post #632

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Start refusing to buy things and stop making excuses and until then you should feel ashamed to lecture anyone about anything. This does not make sense to me. The single biggest consumption item is living in a detached single family house with yard space (due to knock on effects of everything you consume having to travel further, including the people in your house). I know this, and I can advocate for change such th…

Yes, there is. Personal fulfilment. Living up to your own standards. Why do you want to consume because everyone else is doing so? Is the only reason you're willing to consider doing otherwise to save the world? Is life worse without the disposable products? Why are the decisions you make in your life contingent on some insurmountable, unachievable goal such as "everyone else must do it first"?

Life is worse without disposable products. In some cases, the disposable products are cheaper. In other cases, they are more convenient. In most cases, you can't buy products without a ton of disposable plastic, foam, and cardboard packaging. It's hard/extremely expensive to not buy a detached single family home in the US. Public transportation in America sucks and you can't get anywhere without a car.

I want to live a world with as close to zero carbon footprint as possible, however, short of sacrificing all my possessions and living like a hermit, I can't do that without collective change. I've taken many steps to minimize it but it feels like the next step I take will have almost no impact while also making the quality of my life significantly worse.

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

#769

Post by staindk »

josteink wrote: post #724
mordymoop wrote: post #708

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if people know that electric razors last like … ten years. I’ve owned, I think, two electric razors in my life, and I’m in my late thirties. I never have to replace any part of it.

My biggest issue with electric razors is that they never gave me as smooth a shave as using a razor-blade (or cartridge). That annoyed me enough to stop using it. But sure, they do last forever.

Smoothest shave I get from an electric shaver/razor is by shaving in the shower with some face wash as "shaving cream" and using a wet shaver e.g. from the Philips AquaTouch line. Quick, easy, everything is clean after etc.

I'd say it gets very very close to a manual razor in terms of smoothness.

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

#770

Post by ip26 »

CitrusFruits wrote: post #758

Electronic bike shifting is a bad example here imo. You do have to stay on top of the charging (you get about 20 hours of riding out of a single charge), but aside from that the precision and consistency is waaaaaaay better than anything that had come before it, at least from my perspective. I used to have to adjust my derailleur every couple of rides on my mountain bike, but with electronic shifting I haven't had to…

The elimination of shift cables may (eventually) result in a simpler lighter setup as well. Could also allow some innovation in gear design if the shifts are computer controlled. We’ll see.
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