Built to Last

Have you ever heard someone say "things aren't built like they used to be?"

Ever wonder why that is?  My parents bought a trailer for their lake place in 1992 and the trailer is from the 1960's if I recall.  It came with a fridge from that era, and the fridge still ran and worked great up until at least the mid 2000's.  Sure, it was small, and it probably used way more power than a new modern one did, but the point it, it still worked.

I remember my father always said, "Use it up, wear it out, for if you don't, you will be without."

Basically, don't replace something just because there is somehting new out there.  Use it until it is no longer usable.

It seems that with many products we buy today that the usable life is truncated and things don't last like they used to.  Although I have no proof of it, I can surmise it has to do with one thing - PROFIT.  If companies make things that last forever, they will not make as much money if it lasts 50 years vs. 5 years.

Almost a year ago I got frustrated with how much money I was wasting to keep my face shaved.  I started looking at alternatives and  I ran across wet shaving with a double edge safety razor.  It is cheaper in the long run (and even in the first year it is cheaper) and I get a much smoother and enjoyable shave.  I actually ENJOY shaving instead of dreading the ripping, tugging and tearing that the Fusion cartridges were giving me.  I spend about $0.10 a week on a blade instead of $2.50 (new Fusion Power cartridge every other week).  Yeah, that is $5.20 a year on blades.

One of my friends also started shaving this way using an old Gillette adjustable DE razor.  Gillette no longer makes DE razor bodies, only the blades.  My friend asked me why this is since the Gillette razor was better than his Edwin Jager (because it is adjustable so he can make it less aggressive on his sensitive neck).

The answer is simple - MONEY.  Gillette can make MORE money by marketing products like the Fusion Power with their 5+1 blades and most people will think it is better as it has more blades, but most of the people shaving today have never shaved with a DE or even a straight razor to know what it is all about.

So keep that in mind the next time some ad on TV sounds so great with their corporate hype.  Like AT&T's MORE is BETTER!  I disagree, I got away from AT&T because at my house with 3-4 bars of service I will drop at least 3 calls every hours.

More is not always better, and don't be afraid to go back and do things the way that they used to be done.

Sometimes I think we may be better off sticking to old ways of doing some things.