Going cheap on the small stuff

[boulderjohn]

I like a good martini from time to time, and when I do, I want it to be good. I use a premium gin, usually either Bombay Sapphire or Hendrix. Like most people, I don't use a lot of vermouth, but I choose a good quality one there, too. I use good quality olives, because I believe that taste is a good complement to the drink. To work as a complement, the olives should be consumed one at a time during the all-to-brief lifetime of the drink, not after it is over, so they must be on a toothpick of some sort for easy retrieval.

Now, the toothpick is where I skimp. I really don't see quality as an issue there. We have a box of plastic, pronged toothpicks we got for some reason a long time ago, and they do the job adequately, although they could be better. I shouldn't say "they," though; "it" is more appropriate. I don't see any reason to throw away a perfectly good plastic toothpick after a drink, so I rinse it off and store it to use the next time. I will bet that over time I have saved anywhere from 50 cents to a dollar by doing this. Maybe more.

Sound silly? Maybe it is.

It occurs to me that I have the same attitude toward technical diving gear. We all know that stuff is really expensive, but we have all taken a deep breath and committed ourselves to those essential purchases. If you are going to feel safe down there, you need to have faith in your equipment. Like I suppose everyone reading this, I have gear I feel good about, and I was willing to spend the money to get it.

Well, that's true about the big stuff at least--the computers, the regulators, the dry suit, the trimix analyzer, the booster, etc. On the other hand, I frequently find myself skimping on the toothpicks--the small items that cost relatively little to begin with. It could be any of a number of little bitty items where I either use something cheap or makeshift rather than buy the real thing. Every now and then I have to give myself a good slap on the head when I realize I am saving 50 cents or a dollar or two here or there on something that is attached to an item I spent thousands on.

Does anyone else have this disease? Is there a cure?

 

[divad]

No....maybe, but you are already doomed.

 

[BoltSnap]

I like a good martini from time to time, and when I do, I want it to be good. I use a premium gin, usually either Bombay Sapphire or Hendrix. Like most people, I don't use a lot of vermouth, but I choose a good quality one there, too. I use good quality olives, because I believe that taste is a good complement to the drink. To work as a complement, the olives should be consumed one at a time during the all-to-brief lifetime of the drink, not after it is over, so they must be on a toothpick of some sort for easy retrieval.

Now, the toothpick is where I skimp. I really don't see quality as an issue there. We have a box of plastic, pronged toothpicks we got for some reason a long time ago, and they do the job adequately, although they could be better. I shouldn't say "they," though; "it" is more appropriate. I don't see any reason to throw away a perfectly good plastic toothpick after a drink, so I rinse it off and store it to use the next time. I will bet that over time I have saved anywhere from 50 cents to a dollar by doing this. Maybe more.

I don't drink alcohol, never did, and I don't know what goes with what or what is good or what isn't but I am trying to understand what you are trying to say here. The question that comes to mind here is: What kind of glass/cups do you use to drink your satanic drink? A paper cup? A Styrofoam cup? A plastic cup? Glass? Crystal? I'll bet that you use an appropriate type of glass that fits with this occasion/ritual and not try to go dirt cheap here even when all other types of dirt cheap cups will do just fine and won't affect the taste. These cheaper cups wouldn't fit with the ambiance and tradition of this event/ceremony however I'll bet. So why go with an unfitting and inappropriate toothpick instead of the appropriate type of tool?? Is it just to give yourself a sense of an achievement for saving money somewhere and savoring the "victory" even when it is very minuscule compared with the rest of the expense???

 

[northernone]

I too save on the dollar dive items. However, unlike toothpicks, in dive gear it adds up.

I checked myself recently with a online cart, ran up a tab of 1200$ on dollar or two nicknacks I already owned but looked like traveling peddler when using.

 

[EricTheDood]

Reduce quantity, not quality.

Rather than saving that dollar on toothpicks, drink one fewer Martini per year and you'll be money ahead (as well as a few calories saved).

 

[Michael Guerrero]

This reminds me of the blind taste test for Grey Goose Vodka that found that most people found it to taste bad despite its premium price tag.

I have intentionally been a value shopper when it comes to scuba gear, particularly buying gear to do tech dives, that gear mostly being used. I'll take my $150 used HOG 1st/2nd stage combos for deep stage bottles over some $600 or $800 combo any day. I'll take my used $500 Viking drysuit over a $3K Santi any day because in the end they're just bags with seals at the ends. I like to let others pay full price and only pay for the things that truly provide value.

So I guess I have my cheapo things tying my somewhat cheapo gear to me. But I feel just as secure and safe as my dive buddies with their blue Hs who have spent thousands on equivalently functioning systems.

 

[tbone1004]

@victorzamora and I have this discussion on things pretty regularly and we both believe that you should either buy the best, or buy the cheapest.

The best has two forms, the actual best, and the best value. Pretty regularly they are the same. What items in particular are you thinking about @boulderjohn ?

Regulator: Apeks sidemount is $1550, Deep6 signature is $900, Deep6 DGX is $640
Deep6 DGX is not a good value because once the cost of service kits is factored in at $75, you are within $200 of the Signature which are better regulators. There is no justification for buying the Apeks sidemount kit unless you HAVE to have a reversible second stage, which case you should buy the Dive Rite for $800. The Deep6 Signature in this case is both the best and best value. Do you lose anything with the DGX, not really, but overall quality is a bit nicer with the Signature which is what you're paying for so it's the best value and best product.

Computers: Shearwater wins hands down. If you can't afford/justify the shearwater, buy as cheap of a computer as you can because there is no point in spending middle pricing only to be disappointed.

Things like those two are pretty clear cut. Where it gets grey is in the small stuff.
Do I buy the $12 DGX polycarb spool, or the $55 Light Monkey delrin spool? Is the LM spool nicer? yeah, of course it is, but is it almost 5x nicer? Hell no. No reason to spend the money on the LM because it's terrible value. Is it going to cause a safety issue in a cave? absolutely not, so why spend the money when you don't have to?

Do you spend $105 on a LM 2w LED or $55 on a DGX600? The DGX600 is both better, and half the price, so why would you buy the LM product?

The only things that I think you really shouldn't penny pinch on are things like bolt snaps where the cheap ones from Lowes/HD etc. have springs that can snag and sloppy tolerances that can cause binding. Other than that, most things are just lower cost products where the higher cost products don't offer enough of a performance bump to warrant the higher price

 

[divad]

This reminds me of the blind taste test for Grey Goose Vodka that found that most people found it to taste bad despite its premium price tag.

Yeah, vodka is just alcohol cut with water. The alcohol part will always taste the same no matter what it's distilled from. The rest is just a marketing lie.

 

[boulderjohn]

The only things that I think you really shouldn't penny pinch on are things like bolt snaps where the cheap ones from Lowes/HD etc. have springs that can snag and sloppy tolerances that can cause binding.

Great example.

I was once in a situation where I needed a bolt snap for a backup light, and I needed it NOW. I went to the local hardware store and found that the only things they had were cheap crap. I bought one and tied it on. It's still there, even though the spring is pure crap that barely functions. Rather than do the logical thing and replace it with a good quality piece of gear, I just don't carry that light in a situation where really needing a light in an emergency might be critical. Luckily I normally have enough lights where I can make a choice like that. Someday I will instead spring for a decent bolt snap on that light so I can take it into serious conditions with confidence.

 

[undrwater]

I reuse bamboo toothpicks for olives too. I'm the only one I know who drinks a gin martini, there are only a few picks left, so why not?

The only thing I can think of that can generalize it to other activities such as scuba, is that "it's there". I'll use a poor substitute for cave line (for attaching clips) sometimes because "it's there".

Btw, Hendricks is usually a bit too rich for me, though it's been reasonable at target recently. I've found it tastes similar to Aviation gin.