Informed consumer or gadget snob?

Soldato
Joined
9 Mar 2007
Posts
12,604
Location
Nodnol
It's just dawned on me that i have... well i'm not going to say problem as that's too strong a word, i'm going to say 'issue'.

I like to own 'good' things. By this i don't mean necessarily luxurious items, more that i like to own an item that is considered above average for a specific task, even if my personal hobbies don't lie toward its intended use. I tend to just stick to one of each item, i'm not particularly well off and i'm not a 'collector', i just like to have it 'just in case'.

Examples would be, today i just bought a flashlight for £40. I don't need a £40 flashlight, i just disliked the idea of buying a £12 one as 'i might need a good flashlight in the future!'. I shave with a Merkur razor instead of a disposable, to be fair i did get shaving rash with the generic brands and it has helped, but i don't need a £30 razor in the big picture of life. I own one of every peripheral for my PS3, not that i use them all. I have a mid-level leatherman, not that i do much DIY. I own a fairly decent cordless drill, but i use it once a year. I buy blu-rays instead of DVDs when i can. I own CX-300II headphones when i only use them for the occasional jog. I have good rechargeable batteries, when cheap ones would be fine. I wear a watch that cost £120, when one that cost £20 would do the job just as well. I have a blackberry when a cheaper phone would be just fine i'm sure.

Its strange, i don't need these items, but i buy them as i might. I also don't spend too much, for example i didn't buy a flashlight that cost £100, i didn't get a watch that cost £300. I don't believe in owning the best, i just believe in owning something that's 'better'. Not to gain a misplaced sense of superiority, not in the delusion that i need that item, purely because i know i'm getting something 'good'. I also only shop for a specific use, for example i cannot see a specific use that i'd make of an ipad, so i cannot justify buying one. I can see me using a torch however, so i managed to justify that to myself. I also research meticulously, i do not buy based on what one guy on a shop floor has told me is good, for example i use a £4 HDMI cable as i know it will provide just as good a picture as a £100 one would. I also price hunt and will always buy at the cheapest price i can find. Anything i buy (within reason) has to be researched, and has to be better than the bog standard.

I guess i'm just rambling, maybe there's a point in there somewhere. Does anyone else 'consume' in the same manner as me?

Am i an informed consumer or am i a gadget snob?
 
Last edited:
I see the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy **** we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact.

;)

Can't say I'm any better, I prefer clothes from House of Fraser instead of TK Maxx, prefer my shopping from Waitrose rather than tesco. I feel like the extra cost is somehow reflected in the quality but I doubt it actually is if its analysed.
I detest buying cheap ****
 
Last edited:
Yeah, I'm exactly the same. I actually really enjoy shopping in that sector (mid-range stuff, generally speaking) as there's usually tons of choice and lots of deals to be had. Thinking back to all the things I've been "into" over the years, I can't ever remember buying anything budget or high-end.
 
Most people on here will be the same, we're geeky. We look into things, it's in our nature.

If I get something new, that I'm not familiar with, I'll get just slightly obsessive about it for a week or so, then when I think I know what I need, I'll buy it, and then probably never read about it again in a lot of cases, but I have a good example of whatever it is I bought.
 
Am i an informed consumer or am i a gadget snob?

It is an either/or option only? You might well be both. Although you say you're not a collector if you own every peripheral for your PS3 when you don't use them all then it sounds rather as if you are a collector of some description.

It's not intended as a criticism as frequently if I think I need an item then I'll buy something a bit better than is strictly necessary to ensure that if I should need to use it again I can.
 
It is an either/or option only? You might well be both. Although you say you're not a collector if you own every peripheral for your PS3 when you don't use them all then it sounds rather as if you are a collector of some description.

It's not intended as a criticism as frequently if I think I need an item then I'll buy something a bit better than is strictly necessary to ensure that if I should need to use it again I can.

Well like he said, he can find a clear use for it. Justify buying it, maybe it will enhance game XXXX or any game in the future.
 
I do like to buy quality products whatever they are, but generally work on the basis of how much time I'll be using them. I can justify quite a lot on speakers for instance! I have an excessively good PC for what I do but because I use it so much (:o) I wanted something fast and efficient for everyday tasks. I too won't spend money where it isn't needed (like your HDMI cable example) :)
 
It is an either/or option only? You might well be both. Although you say you're not a collector if you own every peripheral for your PS3 when you don't use them all then it sounds rather as if you are a collector of some description.

It's not intended as a criticism as frequently if I think I need an item then I'll buy something a bit better than is strictly necessary to ensure that if I should need to use it again I can.

By collector i mean more; i'm not like the guy in the torch thread that has seven decent torches. I have one of each peripheral for the PS3 as each has its own specific use, but in my eyes i'm not 'a collector' of PS3 peripherals as i don't own every variant of each peripheral if you see what i mean. But i do take your point and it is well put.

I bought them all more because i like to have every feature of the console available to me (voice chat, text chat, Sony Move, force feedback steering etc.), not because i needed to own that last peripheral.

I'd agree that you're just rambling..

Thought so :p
 
Last edited:
No - you just understand you get what you pay for.

This.

I always have to bite my tongue when someone blabbers on about their "bargain" they bought, similar to the gadget (or whatever) I bought for 5 times the amount. Problem is it's probably less than half as good as what I bought.

Things like TV's and monitors are prime examples. You CAN tell the difference between a cheap TV and a decent TV, there really is a reason one is 2-3 times more.

The one that really gets me at the moment (because I end up having to use them) are gardening products, things like forks and more specifically secateurs, shears and saws. They go on about these bargains they got for £5 from Tesco or something. I gulp, hold my tongue and think "maybe it'll be different this time"... Get given them, try using them and spend the next hour trying to use some piece of ****, trying not to break them...

Oh yes, you get what you pay for...:p So yeah when I buy something I make sure it's a good version, even if I only use it rarely and could "get away" with something much cheaper...
 
For certain things yes i agree with you but Torch for 40 quid is stupid in my eyes :O

Im Very much a disposable person, I recently decorated the lounge and bought everything i needed to do it again (roller brushes tray some masking tape) for under 10 quid cos i know ill just chuck it away and get a new lot next time... Sod spending 100 quid on professional grade tools and stuff and having to clean and maintain it properly.
 
Normal i reckon...

Just last weekend i decided i needed a new coats for winter/going out and after a quick train journey was scouring london mainly covent garden, oxford street + selfridges. Tried on so many coats, some of them were cheap did the job look o.k. but just didnt cut it.. ended up getting a black jacket from all saints, wasnt cheap but its good quality fabric and feels like it will last a long time with regular use, rather than buying some tat from topman that will probably start to fray and fall apart after a year or so...

So you get what you pay for , sometimes we like to have stuff that we dont really need but want, after all its nice to spoil ourselves while being reasonable at the same time!

Thought it relevant that i should add that i had a little looky online to see what was available then use the shops to see if said items were any good - informed or not you decide :P
 
Last edited:
For certain things yes i agree with you but Torch for 40 quid is stupid in my eyes :O

Im Very much a disposable person, I recently decorated the lounge and bought everything i needed to do it again (roller brushes tray some masking tape) for under 10 quid cos i know ill just chuck it away and get a new lot next time... Sod spending 100 quid on professional grade tools and stuff and having to clean and maintain it properly.

That's another one... :p

Decent decorating tools pay for themselves in saved time, hassle and finish. Obviously don't buy something that's stupidly expensive but roller covers, paintbrushes and paint are vitally important IMO. Dulux Trade or potentially Crown paint, all the rest is water and just makes a mess. :p
 
Back
Top Bottom