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Comment by jaredezz | Hacker News Reader

I tend to follow what I call the "toolbox rule," mostly because I've used it the most with tools. If I find I need something, I'll buy a cheap version of it, even if the cheap version is noticeably lower quality (which it almost always is). Then, if I use said cheap version enough that it either breaks or is no longer useful to me anymore, I'll buy a nicer one. It helps me justify the greater expense and demonstrates the need for it.

I've done this with umbrellas, camelbaks, tents, ski equipment, but mostly, as stated before, tools.

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For me, this only makes sense for some products. I will do it with reasonably inexpensive, short-lived products where I'm not sure how much use or wear they will get (e.g., drill bits).

But I will do my research and get the better product (which is not necessarily the more expensive product) in these cases:

- I already know that I will use it a lot and wear it out if it is not good. (An example of a tool that falls into this category, for me, would be a drill or a garden hose.)

- The poor quality variant won't (or won't just) wear out, but it will give me worse results and is barely fit for purpose. (An example would be a mitre saw or a sewing machine, where cheaper ones are inaccurate/finicky and ruin projects.)

The counter approach to this is buying the branded version, and then if you're not using it as often as you thought you would, to sell it. It depends on a lot of factors such as age, condition, the product type etc but you can often sell branded products for 2/3 of what you paid for them on eBay, whereas unbranded or cheap products are very difficult to resell.

This is my approach and I generally enjoy nice products until I don’t: buy secondhand on eBay/CraigsList and sell it when/if I don’t need it anymore. The only problem is I notice I don’t feel a sense of “ownership” for most items I buy, it’s not really mine I’m just renting it until I sell it. I think this is largely fine, there are some items I intend to own forever (some film cameras and pens, couple tools) but I wonder if I’m using some of these products differently because I’d this mentality.

I think that's smart, on paper at least.

What so you do about the cheap tools that turn out so bad that they cause damage?

For example, you get a cheap screwdriver, it breaks while you use it, and you end up making a hole in the cabinet you were trying to fix.

While the general approach sounds sane, it seems to me there are a lot of cases where going for the cheap version could cost a lot in collateral damage.

That's not a remotely reasonable example. Cheap screwdrivers will fail to engage properly, wearing out fasteners, and they will break when being used as a lever or punch. But even the cheapest 100% pure Chinesium screwdriver is not going to break in the course of assembling a cabinet.

> pure Chinesium screwdriver is not going to break in the course of assembling a cabinet.

Oh, how naive you can be? https://old.reddit.com/r/Chinesium/

Yes, that was just an example to illustrate the "what if your cheap X causes collateral damage", which is a real thing.

Imagine you get a cheap drone for videography. It fails mid flight, falls and kills someone.

Bad tools can have consequences. What does parent commenter do about this?

I think if your tools are causing an inferior outcome, you are likely already working at a higher level of craft expectation and wouldn't be buying cheap tools in the first place. If your tools are for a basic handyman toolbox you're likely to never need very high quality and expensive tools are a straight up waste of money.

This was my standard mode for years until I had children. I remember a time I stood in the tool aisle at the hardware store considering the cheap tool and the nicer, name-brand tool, and went with what seemed to be the higher quality item because it may last to be passed down. I have many "vintage" tools in my tool boxes from my father and father-in-law that seem to be indestructible.

This really resonates. I've thrown away a lot of money, speculating on what future me will need.

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