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Schadenfreude, the malicious enjoyment of the misfortune of others… often created by gear named after Haitian black arts, and California endangered species 😉 among many others.
If you want to spend three times as much for a incremental increase in performance for something you might likely only possess as man jewelry, well, sure, fork over the cash.
It’s not about cred, nor is it about “best”. The statement is about good quality vs low prices.
Price out the cost over the expected life of the item.
If it will function as new for one year and cost $60.00 then fail- that might be enough for you.
If another version costs $350.00 and lasts ten years, you have better value over time.
If a third version costs $500.00 and lasts ten and a half years- the cost now outweighs the value over time.
Don’t try to buy expensive to kit replace good training, but your training won’t fix your cheap kit if it fails completely when you need it.
You get what you pay for is a rule of thumb, not a law of nature.
I’m reminded of a service my brother was selling. At $500 he had no takers, but when he bumped the price up to $2000 for the same thing on the advice of his mentor, he was so busy he had to get an assistant. People assumed that since it was so high priced, it must be worth it and very high quality.
That sort of manipulation is what Minimum Advertised Price, like what many premium brands uses, is all about. They don’t want to be seen as ‘cheap’ or low quality.
When I see that, I know I’m paying 60% for an item and 40% for a logo.
This subject this one that drives me crazy on this site. It’s got good reporting like the Army’s Camo drama, but the Gucci gear is covered on the assumption that price is no object when for 98% of military and police, it very much is. They are pulling a government paycheck after all.
For those that are so high speed that they must have the best, price be damned, they’re not paying for it, Uncle Sam is.
All said, some use the price of an item (high or low) to justify its purchase. For some, the least expensive price is sought because they hold on to their money too tightly. For others, it’s a status symbol.
At the range, too many focus on the wrong side of the firing line.
My rule is to buy the best equipment I can afford and then do the best I can with it.
FWIW, typically Uncle Same selects the lowest bidder with a minimum acceptable performance standard.
Used to wear a 100% wool shirt over the body armor, winter and summer, no brand of t-shirt made a difference. A polo shirt was and would never be an option for that job. Now I’m lucky to get a year out a polo no matter what the brand, if you carry concealed you wear holes in them.
Ya know I used to buy my boots and then cheapskate on the socks, I mean they are just socks right?
I can get a handful of socks in a bag for $10! They would last a few washes, the dryer would eat some but hey at $10 for a bag I can just get more, right?
I then read an article on just how important socks are to your overall comfort. So I splurged on a pair of Merino wool socks at $12.95 for a pair. My wife thought I was nuts as did I cause I figured socks was just socks. Got home and slipped them on and suddenly realized I would never buy another $10 Bag-O-Socks from WallyMart.
So yes they are very expensive BUT the socks I get from Bass Pro and REI have a Lifetime warranty on them so spending $15 per pair is well worth it and my feet thank me also. Merino wool feels great!
It’s not just socks. Same goes for Tshirts and drawers. I watch guys put the cheapest thung next to their body they can find and then wonder why they’re uncomfortable.
Fully agree. Quality cost more, but you don’t need to overpay to get the highest quality.
I saved up to buy a $1000 diving watch 22 years ago. My dad was appauld. “Why do you need that? My $50 cheapo tells time just as well.” He bought them a few at time so he could replace them when they broke. I still wear my watch every day and it has worked reliably since the day I bought it.
Amen… although I really enjoy when “I bought the same but made in China” finds his gear fails in the first day of a week-long exercise 😀
Schadenfreude, the malicious enjoyment of the misfortune of others… often created by gear named after Haitian black arts, and California endangered species 😉 among many others.
Jon, OPT
+1
Oh look, the Condor mission statement
Can someone photoshop the AAFES logo on this?
Best is the enemy of good.
If you want to spend three times as much for a incremental increase in performance for something you might likely only possess as man jewelry, well, sure, fork over the cash.
Skills make cred. Not high dollar toys.
It’s not about cred, nor is it about “best”. The statement is about good quality vs low prices.
Price out the cost over the expected life of the item.
If it will function as new for one year and cost $60.00 then fail- that might be enough for you.
If another version costs $350.00 and lasts ten years, you have better value over time.
If a third version costs $500.00 and lasts ten and a half years- the cost now outweighs the value over time.
Don’t try to buy expensive to kit replace good training, but your training won’t fix your cheap kit if it fails completely when you need it.
Optics come to mind….
You’ve never seen Primary Arms optics have you?
You get what you pay for is a rule of thumb, not a law of nature.
I’m reminded of a service my brother was selling. At $500 he had no takers, but when he bumped the price up to $2000 for the same thing on the advice of his mentor, he was so busy he had to get an assistant. People assumed that since it was so high priced, it must be worth it and very high quality.
That sort of manipulation is what Minimum Advertised Price, like what many premium brands uses, is all about. They don’t want to be seen as ‘cheap’ or low quality.
When I see that, I know I’m paying 60% for an item and 40% for a logo.
This subject this one that drives me crazy on this site. It’s got good reporting like the Army’s Camo drama, but the Gucci gear is covered on the assumption that price is no object when for 98% of military and police, it very much is. They are pulling a government paycheck after all.
For those that are so high speed that they must have the best, price be damned, they’re not paying for it, Uncle Sam is.
Agree.
All said, some use the price of an item (high or low) to justify its purchase. For some, the least expensive price is sought because they hold on to their money too tightly. For others, it’s a status symbol.
At the range, too many focus on the wrong side of the firing line.
My rule is to buy the best equipment I can afford and then do the best I can with it.
FWIW, typically Uncle Same selects the lowest bidder with a minimum acceptable performance standard.
There’s plenty of cheap shit out there and even more websites that are more than grateful to be able to write about it. Crap isn’t the focus of SSD.
So exactly were is the $64.99 value of a 5.11 brand “Rapid Performance” polo shirt vs. a Costco $14.99 special?
I mean it’s kit right?
Wear both over/under armor and with a duty belt, you’ll find that extra value.
Used to wear a 100% wool shirt over the body armor, winter and summer, no brand of t-shirt made a difference. A polo shirt was and would never be an option for that job. Now I’m lucky to get a year out a polo no matter what the brand, if you carry concealed you wear holes in them.
Ya know I used to buy my boots and then cheapskate on the socks, I mean they are just socks right?
I can get a handful of socks in a bag for $10! They would last a few washes, the dryer would eat some but hey at $10 for a bag I can just get more, right?
I then read an article on just how important socks are to your overall comfort. So I splurged on a pair of Merino wool socks at $12.95 for a pair. My wife thought I was nuts as did I cause I figured socks was just socks. Got home and slipped them on and suddenly realized I would never buy another $10 Bag-O-Socks from WallyMart.
So yes they are very expensive BUT the socks I get from Bass Pro and REI have a Lifetime warranty on them so spending $15 per pair is well worth it and my feet thank me also. Merino wool feels great!
It’s not just socks. Same goes for Tshirts and drawers. I watch guys put the cheapest thung next to their body they can find and then wonder why they’re uncomfortable.
Cry BIG once then not cry anymore…
Fully agree. Quality cost more, but you don’t need to overpay to get the highest quality.
I saved up to buy a $1000 diving watch 22 years ago. My dad was appauld. “Why do you need that? My $50 cheapo tells time just as well.” He bought them a few at time so he could replace them when they broke. I still wear my watch every day and it has worked reliably since the day I bought it.
Same goes for Night Vision optics in a huge way to say the least….