When is it ok to buy cheap?
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Actually no. A phobia (any phobia) by definition is a fear. From Mirriam-Webster:
Definition of phobia
: an exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation
Following that, Phobic is somebody affected with said phobia. Also from Mirriam-Webster:
Definition of phobic
: of, relating to, affected with, or constituting phobia
Mod hat again. Santaman2000. The thread had moved on from walking the fine line between interesting and needlessly confrontational.
Please do not drag it back or I will issue a temp ban and close the thread.
You may be right regarding American-English or regarding the word 'phobia' on it's own.
However the Oxford English Dictionary (the great keepers of the English language) defines '-phobia' as a suffix, as I said.
Please see
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/-phobia
My own copy goes into a lot more detail.
Apologies if this is confrontational but I thought the true definition might be interesting to some.
Back to the OP and the original question I think Santaman (Sunndog) and Wayne have pretty much covered it.
Buy the best quality you can when the item is critical.
Try to buy once so future proof with durability etc.
But if all you can afford is the cheapest, and doing without and saving up is not a likely option then cheapest doesn't necessarily mean bad. But perhaps consider second hand, military surplus and older gear made to much higher specs than today's offerings.
Also it's worth remembering that knowledge is underrated. A skilled man will do better with second rate tools than an unskilled man will do with the best tools available.
That is learn where your skills can make up for potential poor quality so that your resources can be used to buy quality items to perhaps make up for lack of skills.
I've read this twice and still not sure it makes sense but I hope it does.
Buy the best quality you can when the item is critical.
Try to buy once so future proof with durability etc.
But if all you can afford is the cheapest, and doing without and saving up is not a likely option then cheapest doesn't necessarily mean bad. But perhaps consider second hand, military surplus and older gear made to much higher specs than today's offerings.
Also it's worth remembering that knowledge is underrated. A skilled man will do better with second rate tools than an unskilled man will do with the best tools available.
That is learn where your skills can make up for potential poor quality so that your resources can be used to buy quality items to perhaps make up for lack of skills.
I've read this twice and still not sure it makes sense but I hope it does.
Weird. In Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, German it translates to ‘fear’.
Good to know the British have expanded the original meaning!
Thank you, I learned something new!
If I may go back to the Cheap buying, I bought a couple of knives in Norway of a brand ‘Ferax’. S/s blade, badly finished ( burrs on spine, not 100 % edge) but priced for 2/3 of what a Basic Mora costs.
No country of manufacture on knife, or the store display packaging.
As I will reshape the blade for a small mushroom knife, and change the handle, quality is not that crucial.
Absolutely, skill in using is absolutely the most important.
We must not forget that before industrialisation and modern development in materials, people only had tools we would laugh at. Iron implements that had to be sharpened all the time, and so on.
We are spoilt!
But the inbuilt, planned lifespan I hate. And when things are designed not to be repairable,
That I hate even more. Expensive, unrepairable. Not good!
Good to know the British have expanded the original meaning!
Thank you, I learned something new!
If I may go back to the Cheap buying, I bought a couple of knives in Norway of a brand ‘Ferax’. S/s blade, badly finished ( burrs on spine, not 100 % edge) but priced for 2/3 of what a Basic Mora costs.
No country of manufacture on knife, or the store display packaging.
As I will reshape the blade for a small mushroom knife, and change the handle, quality is not that crucial.
Absolutely, skill in using is absolutely the most important.
We must not forget that before industrialisation and modern development in materials, people only had tools we would laugh at. Iron implements that had to be sharpened all the time, and so on.
We are spoilt!
But the inbuilt, planned lifespan I hate. And when things are designed not to be repairable,
That I hate even more. Expensive, unrepairable. Not good!
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I am an advocate of buying inexpensive over branded. But you do have to do your research. This community doesn't suffer as much with the lightweight curse but it is still there. A quechua down jacket will cost you £20 whereas a branded will be in the 100's. DIY where possible. There is a big difference between inexpensive and cheap.
It is cheaper to buy online (of the same brand) but I rather spend more so Ican feel it, test it for faults and function.
Plus select the model I prefer.
I think it is important to sponsor and keep ‘brick and mortar’ shops.
Plus select the model I prefer.
I think it is important to sponsor and keep ‘brick and mortar’ shops.
I think there is definitely a place for bricks and mortar shops. They cannot always compete on price but I’m a little old school and I value service. I expect a business to work hard for my money. Whether that’s by selling a product with a reduced margin or by offering exceptional service.
What gets me really annoyed is people that visit a store waste hours of a shop assistants time trying gear. Then go on line to buy it at the cheapest price.
Some things are just rude.
Yes. I think it is ok to go between shops and compare prices, maybe even mention a lower price in another shop. But rude to mention internet prices.
Incredibly rude to go and look, try, then internet buy. Even if it saves money.
Much can be bought over the net, but I personally prefer to feel and handle.
A negative is of course that shops can not carry the full range, but I am happy with that.
The unknown knife I mentioned I also bought because the three shops that carry Mora knives ( builder, pro fishery and sports shop) had run out of S/s standard no frills basic Moras, and this unknown (for me) brand will do as a base.
I just hope the tang is of sufficient length!
Incredibly rude to go and look, try, then internet buy. Even if it saves money.
Much can be bought over the net, but I personally prefer to feel and handle.
A negative is of course that shops can not carry the full range, but I am happy with that.
The unknown knife I mentioned I also bought because the three shops that carry Mora knives ( builder, pro fishery and sports shop) had run out of S/s standard no frills basic Moras, and this unknown (for me) brand will do as a base.
I just hope the tang is of sufficient length!
I bought an 'unknown' brand of Mora lookalike in Norway a few years ago for fishing (stainless, and I didn't want to be using my carbon steel knife for the three weeks I was there). It worked fine for the trip but when I got home I decided to re-handle it - the tang was all of 30mm long!!! All countries are capable of producing and selling Cr*p.
I will take an x-ray tomorrow and check. I can always prolong the tang by taking off a bit of the blade.
Those knives are not made in Europe, not at that price point, and they would be marked.
The reason Morakniv can produce their knives that cheaply is a highly automated process, then they are the only factory left in Scandinavia producing these cheap knives and everybody buys them. The other brand, name withokd, produces them outside Euope and us Swedes like to buy home produces, like Åhus Absolut vodka.
Those knives are not made in Europe, not at that price point, and they would be marked.
The reason Morakniv can produce their knives that cheaply is a highly automated process, then they are the only factory left in Scandinavia producing these cheap knives and everybody buys them. The other brand, name withokd, produces them outside Euope and us Swedes like to buy home produces, like Åhus Absolut vodka.
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It was never my intent to be confrontational and If i came across so, I apologize. Instead of confrontation I'd like to pose a question below.
Neither the American nor British dictionaries nor the translations Janne mentions are really the final word (after all, the word isn't of origin in any of our countries) so Hopefully somebody can enlighten us to the proper Greek definition?
Back to the topic as discussed in the last few posts, I've seen many small mom & pop shops closed from internet competition. Often they were plagued with exactly the problem y'all have described; i.e. customers coming in to compare products and/or try on for size before ordering online. Dven the larger brick and mortar chain store are affec ted but the small ones simply can't survive.
I think I've found something of interest for you Santaman.
As I suspected your American dictionary does define '-phobia' (the suffix or noun combining form) differently to the word 'Phobia' you described
-phobia
noun combining form
Definition of -phobia
1 : exaggerated fear of
- acrophobia
- photophobia
Please see link below, you have to scroll down a little.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/-phobia?utm_campaign=sd&utm_medium=serp&utm_source=jsonld
Although the entymology of words is useful, language and meaning evolves. Therefore though it originally meant 'fear of', it now encompasses 'disgust', 'dislike', 'aversion' etc.
Thanks. That's interesting, but scrolling down it appeared to leave the dictionary section and move to a "new to English" learner's section. Yes, once there it did give both "intolerance" and "strong dislike" as uses. However I've only ever seen that use in two particular related words: "homophobia" and "homophobic." I suppose because the more common prefix of "anti" doesn't sound as easy on the ears as it does with other prejudicial terms such as "antisemitic" or "antisemitism." YES, languages and definitions evolve, but as yet, the use of "phobia" or "phobic" is still considered incorrect for anything other than fear. Most of my homosexual friends are quick to point out it's incorrect because rarely are the people accused of being homophobic have any real fear; rather they're just prejudiced.
I don't know what else I can do to explain it to you. I highlighted the relevant part from your dictionary, if you check the webpage again it is the definition of "-phobia" below the definition of "Phobia" and above the 'new to English learners' section.
I don't want to keep flogging this but to be honest I expected you just to accept the correct definition by now. It might seem petty or pedantic but you started this when you said I was wrong to correct Janne. It might seem a small thing but exactness of language is important to me, especially in written form. I find it hard sometimes to understand subtle meaning so I like to be literal and correct in use of words and their meaning. Also like most people I don't like it when others call me out on mistakes, especially when I haven't made any! But I hope I'm big enough when I have made errors to admit them and learn from them.
Anyway since I think it's only you and I who seem to care at this point I'm out. It's too late and I'm too tired to try to teach those that wilfully refuse to learn.
I am still not Xenophobic. Would be quite impossible, considering my multicultural heritage and international living. Plus the fact that I treat patients fom around 150 nationalities! Even from China, plus a handful English!
The word ‘phobia’ derives from ‘phobos’ (greek) meaning fear. Nothing more, nothing less.
That is the original international definition, and I frankly do not care what a British modern PC snowflake adds to it in a dictionary, just to increase the negative meaning of words ending in -phobia.
Can we please go back to the ‘cheap thread’ ?
The word ‘phobia’ derives from ‘phobos’ (greek) meaning fear. Nothing more, nothing less.
That is the original international definition, and I frankly do not care what a British modern PC snowflake adds to it in a dictionary, just to increase the negative meaning of words ending in -phobia.
Can we please go back to the ‘cheap thread’ ?
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As I have a phobia against going off track, I will try and get the discussion back on its true path
I think it is down to personal choice and availability, and to some extent we should not worry too much where we get our goods from, there are things we need that we don't need to know where they come from, Banking, Insurance,etc, and there are things we use without thinking of the environmental consequences like our cars, electricity,gas,a lot will depend on what we want to spend paying a high price for goods is no guarantee of quality, and paying a low price is no guarantee of good value, we pays our money and we take a chance
I think it is down to personal choice and availability, and to some extent we should not worry too much where we get our goods from, there are things we need that we don't need to know where they come from, Banking, Insurance,etc, and there are things we use without thinking of the environmental consequences like our cars, electricity,gas,a lot will depend on what we want to spend paying a high price for goods is no guarantee of quality, and paying a low price is no guarantee of good value, we pays our money and we take a chance
The point is, that people try to explain us, that aggression would result of fear.
"Fear" is the original greek meaning, that's fore sure. It is a greek word, nothing else, who translates it different is simply wrong, even if he describes, how it is used in his country.
Agoraphobia is agoraphobia nothing else!
Arachnophobia is arachnophobia, even if someone would try to translate it with Mickey Mouse!
But here we have to think about the word "competition".
I am a German and surely I am not afraid about the force of the chinese industry.
But of course there is competition!
And of course I buy and recommend the Snugpack Special Forces sleeping and bivvy bag with it's Swiss filling, or Ajungilak, the Fjellkniven F1, the Victorinox Compact, the Hilleberg Nallo 2, the Meindl boots, the folding knifes from Opinel, the Ortlieb dry sacks, Steinkogler boots and Carinthia Jackets, bikes with Campagnolo equipment, Fiskars axes and so on!
Because they are simply the best on the world market!
And because I love the countries, where they are produced! And I wish, that these countries will stay how they are!
Why should I buy a Toyota, if I can buy a Land Rover???
That is the point.
"Fear" is the original greek meaning, that's fore sure. It is a greek word, nothing else, who translates it different is simply wrong, even if he describes, how it is used in his country.
Agoraphobia is agoraphobia nothing else!
Arachnophobia is arachnophobia, even if someone would try to translate it with Mickey Mouse!
But here we have to think about the word "competition".
I am a German and surely I am not afraid about the force of the chinese industry.
But of course there is competition!
And of course I buy and recommend the Snugpack Special Forces sleeping and bivvy bag with it's Swiss filling, or Ajungilak, the Fjellkniven F1, the Victorinox Compact, the Hilleberg Nallo 2, the Meindl boots, the folding knifes from Opinel, the Ortlieb dry sacks, Steinkogler boots and Carinthia Jackets, bikes with Campagnolo equipment, Fiskars axes and so on!
Because they are simply the best on the world market!
And because I love the countries, where they are produced! And I wish, that these countries will stay how they are!
Why should I buy a Toyota, if I can buy a Land Rover???
That is the point.
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