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Well apparently not all people want to be eco friendly. Most people I know would rather buy a new low/mid range product than a used/refurbished device that was

Well apparently not all people want to be eco friendly. Most people I know would rather buy a new low/mid range product than a used/refurbished device that was high end when it was released. It's mind boggling - you'd rather get a creaky piece of shit locked down cheap NEW laptop than a high quality business grade used one, because... it hasn't been used before? I believe that if a device was gently used and hasn't failed, the chance of it failing after 1-2 years is actually lower than with a new one. I don't know if it's true, but it's been my experience. But then again, my relationship with tools is weird - if I get them, I clean and rebuild them, so they're mine. No one else gets to use them. They're almost like pets. And I don't care how many people used them before me...

type0 9y ago
> It's mind boggling - you'd rather get a creaky piece of shit locked down cheap NEW laptop than a high quality business grade used one, because... Yes but not only that, for laptops it comes down to priorities. I know plenty of people who are better served with Chromebook with 8 hour battery life than a refurb high end one with 2 h battery. > I believe that if a device was gently used and hasn't failed, the chance of it failing after 1-2 years is actually lower than with a new one. I don't know if it's true, but it's been my experience. True for some devices and not true for others. > They're almost like pets. And I don't care how many people used them before me... It's unhealthy to think about tools that way, off course rebuilding your tools increases their emotional value. If your rebuilds of tools are good, not very custom and things are not expensive, try to give them away to friends and family, it usually increases your satisfaction, lowers materialistic attachment and can make you more creative.
- throwanem 9y ago
  If I give away my tools, I can't use them any more without borrowing them back. If I keep my tools, I can make all manner of things to give away, or not, just as I choose. The buddha might not approve, but the buddha is dead.
tonyedgecombe 9y ago
To be fair it's only in the last couple of years that second hand devices haven't been complete dogs in terms of performance.
amiga-workbench 9y ago
I only buy old ThinkPads, I avoid all the horrific shit Lenovo is doing to them, and get solid Linux support.

type0 9y ago

> It's mind boggling - you'd rather get a creaky piece of shit locked down cheap NEW laptop than a high quality business grade used one, because... Yes but not only that, for laptops it comes down to priorities. I know plenty of people who are better served with Chromebook with 8 hour battery life than a refurb high end one with 2 h battery. > I believe that if a device was gently used and hasn't failed, the chance of it failing after 1-2 years is actually lower than with a new one. I don't know if it's true, but it's been my experience. True for some devices and not true for others. > They're almost like pets. And I don't care how many people used them before me... It's unhealthy to think about tools that way, off course rebuilding your tools increases their emotional value. If your rebuilds of tools are good, not very custom and things are not expensive, try to give them away to friends and family, it usually increases your satisfaction, lowers materialistic attachment and can make you more creative.

throwanem 9y ago
If I give away my tools, I can't use them any more without borrowing them back. If I keep my tools, I can make all manner of things to give away, or not, just as I choose. The buddha might not approve, but the buddha is dead.

tonyedgecombe 9y ago

To be fair it's only in the last couple of years that second hand devices haven't been complete dogs in terms of performance.

amiga-workbench 9y ago

I only buy old ThinkPads, I avoid all the horrific shit Lenovo is doing to them, and get solid Linux support.