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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

#931

Post by Too »

paintman252 wrote: post #760
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…

"My time is precious to me" Not to be snarky, but considering you're leaving comments here then I doubt it

All time is not equal. Willpower is finite.

People would look strange on me if i started shaving while commuting on the train. Here i have ample of time to read.

One could also simply prefer watch junk on the telly to wind down after a long day of work, rather than seasoning my pan again. (Personally, i do have a seasoned skillet, it's a amazing)

Take this thinking too far and one should even give up washing machines and go back to hand laundry?

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

#932

Post by Too »

Spoom wrote: post #232
seanwilson wrote: post #59

> 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. I fell for this marketing thinking non-stick was the best out of everything always and kept having to buy new pans and trays when the teflon would eventually flake off thinking it was my fault. Stainless steel is fine: works without a lot of…

You can fairly quickly get a temporary non-stick coating on a stainless steel pan by seasoning it as you would a cast iron pan: spread a tiny amount of oil around the pan, heat until just smoking, allow to cool.

Not just temporary. Steel pans can get fantastic non-stick properties if you season them like a cast iron pan. In fact it's even more important to perform a dedicated seasoning on steel, because they don't absorb the fat as easy as cast iron do during normal cooking. It also disappears after a while so in that sense you could say it's temporary.

Once you've done this you should also avoid detergent, dishwasher and acid (tomato sauce). Again - just like a cast iron skillet. Which is a shame because it's easy to believe one of the benefits with a steel pan is that it is convenient to pop into the dishwasher.

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

#933

Post by therealdrag0 »

robonerd wrote: post #594
tristor wrote: post #378

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

> 2. Teflon is extremely hazardous when consumed and it flakes off of the pans over time (which is why they must be replaced often) or when incorrect utensils are used (common among unsophisticated users). It's very common to use incorrect utensils (metal) because the correct ones (wood, plastic) are are harder to clean and don't last as long, and few people would choose to use such utensils if all else were equal.

I use non stick pans with non metal utensils and it’s worked great for me for years.

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

#934

Post by account-5 »

hiptobecubic wrote: post #927
account-5 wrote: post #865

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought this, grew one, and found it more of a pain to maintain than shaving was. Flaky skin, itchy, and a lot of work to stop those things. Plus I still had to shave/buzz around it to make it neat. Shaving is a lot less hassle. I use a DR razor, have for years.

I don't understand how people end up like this. As if it's normal for your skin to just flake off if you let your hair grow naturally. If your body is falling apart without constant cosmetics, you probably have an issue that needs addressing. Maybe something in your diet or something in your soap or I don't know what, but spontaneous skin issues are not normal at all.

I've just got dry skin mate, I'd hardly categorise it as my body falling apart. I also use zero cosmetics. No issues here.

Your skin naturally flakes as it replenishes itself (I think it's called the skin cycle), it was getting caught in my beard, I'm lazy I can't be bothered with that. Plus when it gets long you have to cut it straight, right pain in the arse. A lot less hassle shaving.

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

#935

Post by tasuki »

aksss wrote: post #780
tasuki wrote: post #737

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

Loose leaf for real is just dumping tea in a cup and pouring water over. All but a few leaves will settle, signifying it's ready to drink. You develop skill to not let the few floaters get in the way of drinking it. Whack and rinse cup to get leaves out, don't let it sit long. Easily done on the trail when weight and trash are important to minimize. I prefer tea bags because it's still easier to clean up, even though…

Depends on the tea. For most Chinese varieties, dumping tea in a cup and pouring water works great. Eg for sencha, esp fukamushi, this wouldn't be a great idea: the leaves are tiny and you need to control the brewing time precisely.

Using a gaiwan is just so joyful: stuff it with leaves, keep an eye on the temperature and steeping time, and you can resteep good leaves many times and get so much more out of them. Each of the steeps is different, you can see how the leaves open, how the taste develops. I have some Chinese greens that go on forever, start with around 75°C and 10 seconds, and gradually increase both over perhaps twenty steeps, ending with boiling water and brewing for however long I forget about it. Thinking about it, I'm off to make some tea :)

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

#936

Post by wodenokoto »

While expensive, Nespresso is pretty tasty and I can totally understand why some shops use them.

Compared to a whole espresso setup, I’m not even sure they are expensive in the short to medium run.

Espresso pots are the only obviously cheap way to get espresso, but I often wonder if they aren’t really a different category.

Compared to drip coffee? Sure, but drip coffee isn’t espresso based coffee.

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

#937

Post by iancmceachern »

I've literally heard it referred to as the "razor razor blade model" when referring to a low cost disposable where you make your money and a loss leader capital piece of equipment that is fancy and helps you sell more of the disposables. Much of the medical device industry has oriented itself to this kind of model.

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

#939

Post by refurb »

beloch wrote: post #834
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…

Modern trackball,flexing, etc. multi-blade razors are expensive, but idiot proof. You can copy one of the Gillette commercials and just mash the thing to your face and make one long stroke through the chemical foam. Bam. Done. If you're happy with this, be happy. Read no further. What this article isn't telling you is that DE razors can be almost as fast, but there's a learning curve. They don't flex, bend, or rotate…

This is just the audiophile’s “tube amplifiers have a warmer sound” of the shaving world.

I mean, no one is telling you to stop, but I wouldn’t chalk up your recommendations to anything more just preferences.

It’s just another hobby. Some people love scotch, others coffee and some people getting the best shave experience.

If I loved scotch and someone said “yuck, I don’t like it” I wouldn’t somehow assume they were living their life incorrectly or missing out, they just don’t like it.

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

#940

Post by muro »

DonaldFisk wrote: post #881
chaps wrote: post #869

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On soap/shaving foam -- absolutely. I asked an old-timey barber what his product of choice was and he answered "soap after a shower", in awe, as if what I was asking him some obvious question. Sure enough, it worked fantastically and I haven't stopped since. I use a DE and beyond that first month of slice and dice and coagulant markers, it's been smooth sailing since.

You don't even need soap. Your stubble will be saturated and easily shaveable immediately after the shower.

Doesn't work at all with an electric razor. If I forget to shave and take a shower, I can forget to shave that morning.
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