Sunday Open Thread: Perennial Best Choices?
Subscribers only
Prior to early 2021, this was a world where we knew the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Now we don’t even know the price.
Which makes every purchase decision just that much harder and/or more miserable.
In this thread, I’d like you to recommend “perennial best choices” in your chosen fields of labor and/or enjoyment, with special attention given to items that can be purchased, ahem, “pre-owned” rather than new. It could be a car or a computer or a piece of industrial equipment.
I’ll start it off with five of my favorite recommendations.
Hart Schaffner Marx clothing: This company was a bulwark of affordable-ish USA men’s clothing for a century. No longer. So you’ll have to go on eBay, where you will find HSM suits in like new condition for $100 or less. Get to know a tailor or alteration expert. Get measured. Then you can shop for stuff that can be tailored for you after the fact.
Eighth-Generation Honda Accord 2008-2012: Some of you will recall that this bloated, ponderous, domestic-looking Accord was widely panned by the press — except for the suckmeisters at Car and Driver, who somehow gave this sled the 10 Best award for every year of production after having denied that particular pelf to the stunning and much-desired 1996-1997 cars. At the time, everybody with any sense hated Honda’s decision to super-size the Accord, but in retrospect it was a change that had to come anyway. While no Accord other than the Crosstour will ever be a used-car showroom paperweight, these come close. Yet they are solid, reliable vehicles that are a pleasure to drive. They just don’t feel all that Honda-ish. The ninth generation was much better in all respects, which is why they’re still hilariously valuable — but the eighth-gen will give you honest service in four- or six-cylinder form.
USA Craftsman tools from the 20th century: If you’re a Project Farm viewer, then you know how often some raggy-ass leftover Craftsman wrench beats the brand-new competition from Taiwan and China. It’s still possible to get this stuff at a low price; the big numbers on eBay really only apply to new-old-stock Craftsman in the original packaging.
Yamaha FZ-1 Fazer, both generations: Long-time readers will recall that I own half of an early FZ-1 and enjoy the bike tremendously. There was a brief time when you could get brand-new second-generation bikes for $5995. Wish I’d done that. Now the prices are up but not staggeringly so. Whether you choose the rowdy first-gen bike or the chilled-out successor, this is a ten-second motorcycle with robust reliability, high quality finishing, and comfortable ergonomics.
Kershaw Leek By Ken Onion: The finest thirty-dollar knife in the world. USA-made, dead-nuts reliable, as fast as a switchblade to open but without the tedious legal baggage. All over eBay for less than fifty bucks, even brand new. It’s possible to spend a lot of money on a Leek, and God knows I’ve done that with various Damascus blade editions and LynchNW upgrades, but all of that is strictly unnecessary.
The stunning four-speed Dodge stakebed truck above is a kinda-sorta Honorable Mention, because it’s possible to get a good D150 for less than the equivalent Ford or Chevy. Each and every one of these trucks is at least 19.5 years old, however, so don’t think you’re going to pick one up at a used-car lot and drive it for a year without any mechanical intervention.
Alright, ACF, over to you.
How does that old song go? 'When the world is running down, you make the best of what's still around'.
One of the things I hate with the passion of a million burning suns is that how ALL products out of China are just ONE VERSION! Yup, any particular item made in China is made in the same factory. Christmas lights? They're all exactly the same, same options, same behavior, same everything. Sure there are 20,000 vendors on Amazon selling them - but they're all selling the exact same damn product. There is ZERO variation! The PARTY HAS SPOKEN! It's like this with everything.
Like I want a high power LED flashlight that just turns ON & OFF - NOTHING ELSE! But guess what you can't buy anywhere on the entire fucking planet? I don't want to have to click through a dozen different button presses just to have a highpower LED light - but the Chinese government has spoken and they only make ONE type.
Is it wrong of me to want a nuclear war with China so all their production gets destroyed so we can have product variation again?
I don't have any particular expertise on gear, except possibly computer peripherals, among this crowd. You all know cars and clothes as well as I do and tools, knives, and guns better.
So I'll focus on something where I do have expertise: how you know your lawyer is good. (I'm not your lawyer, and you probably shouldn't hire me as your lawyer unless you run a nonprofit or give away a lot of money to nonprofits, but these principles apply in all legal settings I'm familiar with.)
Working with lawyers is frustrating at the best of times. We're stunningly expensive, often behind schedule (which really isn't a sign we're incompetent—it's inherent to how the profession works), and have to deliver a lot of bad news. So how do you tell between an inherently frustrating situation and one where your lawyer, specifically, is the problem?
(1) Listening. If you don't feel that your lawyer is listening to what you are saying, that's a problem. Like doctors, we often confuse knowing the solution with knowing the problem. We're paid to advise you about how to solve your problems (or, sometimes, tell you there's not much you can do), not to tell you what your problems are or aren't. Expect your lawyer to tell you from time to time "I hear what you're saying, but acting on this would be worse than not acting, for these reasons." Don't put up with "It's really not a problem."
(2) Leveling with you. You hire us for our expertise. You're paying, so the expertise should work for you, not be wielded against you. If you feel we're trying to intimidate you with jargon or pull rank over you, that's not good. (But we'll be happy to do those things to your adversaries where it's helpful.) Servility isn't good either, because it's a sign we won't give bad news when necessary. Your lawyer should treat you as an equal and start from a position of mutual respect.
(3) Speaking and writing. If you want to evaluate your lawyer's credentials, don't look first at the fancy school where they got their degree or the fancy firm where they work. Look at their public writing and where they speak. Lawyers who are active in speaking and writing, especially in their own professional associations, tend to be the ones who are most committed to expanding their knowledge and who are the most respected among the people who do the same thing they do.
(4) Advising against interest. We don't always have the opportunity to do this, but if we give you advice that would reduce the amount of fees we can collect, that's a good sign of our honesty.
(5) Careful attention to conflicts of interest. A good lawyer will always need to check for potential conflicts of interest before taking on a new client. Sometimes we find them, and in some of those cases it's still in your best interest to hire us. If we bargain with you about how to handle conflicts, that can seem either slick or frustrating, but it's usually a sign we're trying to do the right thing in a careful way.
These aren't guarantees, and often when you're working with us it's in a situation that's bad to start with - but they are some signs that you're dealing with someone who is conscientious and ethical.