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> In the end, a hammer is a hammer. If it hammers well, what difference does it make how it got that precise shape? "Hand made" has been a selling point since

> In the end, a hammer is a hammer. If it hammers well, what difference does it make how it got that precise shape? "Hand made" has been a selling point since things were first made by things other than hands. Example: "The factory, known as the Ateller, [...] it is the place where our craftspeople assemble each BUGATTI by hand."

dale_glass 4y ago
I never got the appeal of that honestly, less for something like a BUGATTI. Not like an artisan hammered the panels into shape by hand, or somebody manually bored those cylinders. In fact it's probably something completely incidental to the entire thing -- they're not assembled by hand because it's better, but because not enough of the cars are made to make automation make sense. It's just a pragmatic business decision, which then some marketer figured out how to spin.
- nemo44x 4y ago
  > It's just a pragmatic business decision, which then some marketer figured out how to spin. Possibly but not necessarily. Automation limits what you can do as you are restricted to what the machines can do. Hand-made components do not have the same limits. Additionally, materials are often not perfect or uniform and a machine will work with different tolerances than a craftsman. Lastly, in certain cases the idea is the craftsman can discern the better materials and choose accordingly. So for instance when making acoustic instruments, being "hand-made" means that the craftsman could tap-test the wood and use discretion on which pieces to use for each instrument. They would have examined the wood for both structural and form considerations. There would be special attention to assembly and anything custom can be done. Independent decisions would be made on a case by case basis instead of using a general rule. Handmade also implies superior materials because when automation is used, often the inputs are the most expensive part. When you go to a handmade hob, the labor generally will far surpass the costs of materials so using premium materials is of little consequence to the final price. But yes, marketing can be a big part of it in many cases.
gowld 4y ago
That's because "handmade" was a proxy for "high quality", in situations where machines lack the skill to meet tolerances and fine details and customization that humans can.

dale_glass 4y ago

I never got the appeal of that honestly, less for something like a BUGATTI. Not like an artisan hammered the panels into shape by hand, or somebody manually bored those cylinders. In fact it's probably something completely incidental to the entire thing -- they're not assembled by hand because it's better, but because not enough of the cars are made to make automation make sense. It's just a pragmatic business decision, which then some marketer figured out how to spin.

nemo44x 4y ago
> It's just a pragmatic business decision, which then some marketer figured out how to spin. Possibly but not necessarily. Automation limits what you can do as you are restricted to what the machines can do. Hand-made components do not have the same limits. Additionally, materials are often not perfect or uniform and a machine will work with different tolerances than a craftsman. Lastly, in certain cases the idea is the craftsman can discern the better materials and choose accordingly. So for instance when making acoustic instruments, being "hand-made" means that the craftsman could tap-test the wood and use discretion on which pieces to use for each instrument. They would have examined the wood for both structural and form considerations. There would be special attention to assembly and anything custom can be done. Independent decisions would be made on a case by case basis instead of using a general rule. Handmade also implies superior materials because when automation is used, often the inputs are the most expensive part. When you go to a handmade hob, the labor generally will far surpass the costs of materials so using premium materials is of little consequence to the final price. But yes, marketing can be a big part of it in many cases.

gowld 4y ago

That's because "handmade" was a proxy for "high quality", in situations where machines lack the skill to meet tolerances and fine details and customization that humans can.