john m flores 

BREAKING NEWS: Expensive bicycles/golf clubs/knives/guitars/coolers are better! News at 11!

The distinction that needs to be made here is that advertising has made these things seem critical to "success" in those pursuits, to the point where some people spend more time agonizing over the tools instead of the education and training required to achieve success with those tools.

I'm a published motorcycle photographer. My photos have been on covers and on two-page spreads. I have been down that path thinking that a more expensive camera is going to make me a better photographer and it has failed every time. So I have worked on my craft for decades, looking at my own photos critically and participating in serious and substantive critique groups. I challenge myself to grow creatively every year. Thanks to that study and the confidence that it has given me, I can use mostly consumer-level, mid-grade camera gear to get the job done.

That said, if I were tasked with photographing the Super Bowl from the sidelines, I'd need both a big upgrade and gear AND a ton of practice with that gear to stand any chance of success. I'd stand a better chance of success with my current gear plus a lot of practice vs. new professional gear with little practice.

Tools matter. But skills matter more.

smd4

Even if you don't have the skills, quality tools still perform better.

big john

This is just silly. So you think he was trying to gaslight someone? Who? Was he trying to convince the person who's post he quoted or other readers?

You're saying there are rules to FIFY? I don't think so. It was a light hearted attempt at bringing a little humor in. Nothing wrong with that.

smd4

Nope, nothing wrong with humor. Too bad there wasn't any. LOL!!

Koyote

[QUOTEAgreed. My tools are far better than my mechanic skills, but at least that takes one potential problem out of the process.

Agreed again. My wife is an avid cook, but doesn't really spend money; when I buy her another fine knife, she ends up appreciating it. And though Le Creuset cookware is fantastically expensive, it is better -- and that high up-front cost brings great customer service: after about 15 years of heavy use and abuse, our Dutch oven was worn out -- my wife sometimes uses it more than 1x per day, and she had occasionally used metal utensils, which had worn away some of the enamel coating. That's a no-no, and the Le Creuset customer service person told me that it was not covered under the lifetime warranty. And then the next sentence was, "We'll send you a new one anyway." fyi: the new Dutch oven would've cost us about $350.

smd4

I'll definitely look into that brand for my son. Graduation is coming up.

Koyote

As long as he sticks to wooden and plastic utensils, it should last a lifetime.

Polaris OBark

I was thinking about the toxic byproducts of manufacturing (which is why so much of it is manufactured in countries with lax environmental standards).

(Also, 50 kg of a gas seems like quite a lot for a carbon frame.)

smd4

Honest question: Does putting carbon into a solid frame help the environment any?

BTinNYC 

Super quality but very heavy cast iron. My recent grad declined the same, as she'll be moving regularly during the next couple years.

Congrats to you and your son!

Polaris OBark

Their non-stick surface is vastly better than conventional Teflon (which is toxic enough to kill birds if you over-heat it). We abuse ours in the way you describe, and they are still in great shape, and will doubtless outlive us. We've bought a few for our kids. We've bought some of their matching plates, bowls, mugs, salt & pepper shakers, etc., too. You get what you pay for.

Polaris OBark

Yes, if you mean carbon capture. But the real problem is burning fossil fuels. So even if the above 50 kg/bike is true, if it gets you out of a fossil-burning car, it is a net gain.

smd4

Thanks! Heavy isn't a problem...yet. He's got a cast-steel frying pan I can hardly lift! I'm sure most of the stuff will stay with us until he's settled down.

PeteHski

50kg of CO2 is barely a rounding error on the average household carbon footprint - typically in the region of 50,000kg per year in the US.
Carbon production can be toxic for workers, but it can be safely controlled. I have no idea what standards are applied in the far East. Probably varies massively depending on the individual factory.

base2 

Oh my goodness, this sounds so troll-y even for you. But I know it's not. As a random data point: My commute is 8 miles each way, 16 miles total. According to Strava that is a net savings of carbon of ~5kg per commute day over whatever their baseline assumptions are...Probably based on average real vehicle carbon release. So, in 10 trips (160 miles) the bike has paid for it's own manufacturing carbon cost.

Whatever the balance is from transportation to the sales floor or whatever until you take ownership, it seems logical the bike would off set that very quickly because things tend to be transported in bulk by the most efficient means available. Though the exact numbers are probably hard to come by.

smd4

"Oh my goodness," grandma? Why does it sound "troll-y?" Believe it or not, I wonder about CO2 and its effect on the environment. I even wonder how much we put into the environment using CO2 cartridges to air up tires, or even carbonated beverages. I assume it adds up.

genejockey 

If you think cast iron is heavy, try copper.

genejockey 

About 16g/inflation, IIRC. About 1/25 as much as driving the average car 1 mile.

tomato coupe

In other words, it’s the same as driving an average car about 200 feet.

tomato coupe

carbon ≠ carbon dioxide

john m flores 

Need to account for the production of the single-use disposable cartridge too.

smd4

Gotcha. Sorry for assuming there was carbon in CO2.

tomato coupe

Carbon is not an environmental problem. Carbon dioxide is.

Carbon fiber is not made from carbon extracted from carbon dioxide.

bampilot06

shaving your armpit hair would make you even faster.

smd4

Correction: It's carbon-steel (which I guess brings us full-circle). Not sure why it's so good, but he's beyond me. I'm happy using the cast iron skillet he gave me (and my grandmother's Griswold).

I do like the look of copper cookware.