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"Military grade" has very different connotations if you have been in the service. So yeah, great conversation starter, interesting worldview; can't say I share
by arpa 5y ago
"Military grade" has very different connotations if you have been in the service. So yeah, great conversation starter, interesting worldview; can't say I share it though.
- dkdbejwi383 5y agoMilitary grade = the cheapest product that meets the spec.
- enchiridion 5y agoThat's always the line. The left out part is how rigorous the spec is.
- zokier 5y agoWell, at least there is a spec, unlike many consumer goods that are just cheapest product no spec.
- mcguire 5y agoThis is my periodic comment reminding everyone who has to support more than one computer to not buy the consumer versions from Dell, HP, whatever. They're built from whatever was in the parts bin today. No two of them will be the same.
- killjoywashere 5y agoProblem with the spec is often that the military "needs a car". But the specification process forces them to design all the parameters, and they end up with a very rigorous spec for "Toyota Camry, no A/C, coyote brown, steel wheels" which adds up to 800 pages and a product that even Toyota can't produce for less than $250k/unit. Meanwhile, by the time they've written the spec, the CyberTruck has been designed, marketed, produced, and iterated, and exceeds the spec in every meaningful dimension. The military has required an entirely US-based supply chain that will sustain their vehicle for the next 30 years, but accepts that it's entirely reasonable, in that circumstance, that each washer (Type 304 stainless, O.D. +/- 0.00001 inch) is $47.82/unit.
- orangefox 5y agoThe cybertruck won't meet milspec because it runs solely on battery power. A military vehicle needs to be able to run in expeditionary environments with the ability to store and carry extra fuel for long range operations and refuel quickly. Neither one of those requirements can be met by a battery vehicle.
- Nition 5y agoIt's just a couple of made-up examples to illustrate a possible scenario; I'm sure the military didn't really ask for a Toyota Camry either. This does bring up a different issue though, which is that any time someone uses a hypothetical example to illustrate a point on the Internet, responses end up picking apart the example instead of the point itself.
- ianmcgowan 5y agoThat's a really interesting point that explains the $600 hammer urban myths - the military has a ton of constraints in their specs that are defendable, but result in much higher costs than equivalent consumer spec.
- mnd999 5y agoSure, but the spec usually says things like “Can be dropped 6ft onto concrete”.
- Symbiote 5y agoJust buy a toy tested according to European Union standards, and labelled with the "CE" mark. > Drop the toy, or the relevant toy component, five times through a height of (850 ± 50) mm on to a 4 mm thick steel plate with a 2 mm thick coating of Shore A hardness (75 ± 5) as measured according to EN ISO 868 or ISO 7619-2 and which is placed on a non-flexible horizontal surface. > Prior to release, orientate the toy in a position that allows the most onerous impact onto the coated surface of the steel plate. (850mm is 2¾ ft.) More seriously, I think some of these regulations do prevent the lowest-quality stuff you might find in the USA being legally sold in the EU. https://law.resource.org/pub/eu/toys/en.71.1.2014.html#s8.5 https://law.resource.org/pub/eu/toys/en.71.1.2014.html#s8.5
- monkpit 5y agoI’ve always wondered what the difference between “orient” and “orientate” is... apparently there’s no difference, it’s just a UK vs US thing
- spaetzleesser 5y agoFrom my experience “military grade” means grossly overpriced and based on a spec that’s often detached from reality.
- user3939382 5y agoJust to offer a counterexample, I have a Cammenga 3H compass that I use for camping. The thing is a beast, one of the coolest things I own.
- SavantIdiot 5y agoAre you teasing us: do you actually use a compass camping? I've never met someone (who wasn't a Boy Scout) that camps so hard they need a compass! (Said in a joking yet genuinely curious voice.)
- cecilpl2 5y agoAnyone who does any backcountry camping should have a map and compass and know how to use them.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- DrPhish 5y agoand the first thing to know when bringing a map and compass into the backcountry is that if you didn't use them (properly!) to get in, it'll be hard-to-impossible to use them to get you back out. There's more to it than you think! Orienteering is a deep enough subject to be a tool, hobby and sport. Recommended skill, just for the entertainment value
- aYsY4dDQ2NrcNzA 5y agoTry to aim for a spot somewhat left or right of your destination, so that when you arrive you know which side to begin your search.
- CRConrad 5y agoSide note: Oriente(e)ring is still, AFAICT, part of phys. ed. in Nordic schools just like it was decades ago when I went. Conscription also helps, of course. On the whole, I'm pretty damn satisfied with the overweening cradle-to-grave nanny state, making sure you get at least the rudiments of basic life skillz and all.
- cosmojg 5y agoOn the bright side, there's a spec.
- iratewizard 5y agoTrijicon scopes were top dog for a very long time and to this day are still fantastic hardware. They're just one of many examples where the supplier cares about the product and it's reflected in the quality.
- Grustaf 5y agoI don't know about the US army, but in Sweden military grade means "extremely basic, works forever and can be operated by an idiot".
- ok123456 5y ago"Military grade" means it will break.
- SilverRed 5y ago"Military grade" Is an entirely useless marketing buzzword. We are at the point where products are being marketed with "Military grade PCI-E slots" and "Aerospace grade aluminum spoon"