this post was submitted on 05 Jan 2024
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I saw this post and wanted to ask the opposite. What are some items that really aren't worth paying the expensive version for? Preferably more extreme or unexpected examples.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Razors

Definitely! I used to chase the largest number of blades. Mach 3, then Fusion. And then noticed that it was getting a bit insane paying $30 for a pack of four replacement heads. About ten years ago, I noticed a resurgence in double edged safety razor popularity. Bought a $50 Edwin Jaggar handle (which they replaced with a sturdier version for free when I broke it!), and have been picking up my Dorco blades $10 for 100 since. The shave is just as good, if not better, and getting straight lines is actually much easier. I feel like if more people knew, Gillette would just go out of business.

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

Yeah it's the early version of enshittification. When the current product is too cheap and effective , make a newer "advanced" one with all of their "technology" and "precision".

I've seen this in knives and tools. For much of woodworking all you need is a bench, saw, hammer and chisels, however today, people are convinced you need a hardware store's worth of power tools to even think about building basic furniture.

Or in cooking, everyone tries to convince you to buy their stupid expensive set of fake Japanese knives with some thermo plastic resin handle and their special unbreakable stainless super steel.

Many modern knives are actually worse than their contemporaries because now they are designed for marketing. Big heavy oversized bolsters and super thick blades to market them as invincible, tough knives that can chop through a cinder block or some goofy shit. In reality you just need a thin knife and a small bolster, of which older chef knives had, because they were built for actual use.

I ALWAYS compare new products vs old, because oftentimes the new version only exists because it's more profitable.