Re: Naughtyhorse Re: Re:current level of technical capability.
".....You are aware that in making a carving knife that by carefully controlling the carbon content of the steel, and the rate at which the steel is heated and allowed to cool you can make a knife that will hold an edge a hundred times longer than a 9.99 special from walmart....." And how many of those knifes get sold, compared to the millions sold at shops like Walmart? Think had, now, why would that be...?
".....and THAT knife will not need 'constant sharpening'....." Bullshit. Whilst it may not need constant sharpening, it will need sharpening at some point if used. Please do pretend there is such a thing as a knife with an edge that can be used as much as you like and never requires sharpening. Samurai swords, industrial chainsaws, even top-of-the-line medical knives and saws, all require sharpening at some point, and ALL will degrade over time.
".....(really lame choice btw considering the existence of a) professional knives....." I can comfortably claim - going by your lack of knowledge displayed in your post - to have a far greater experience of using expensive cutting tools and knives. The plastic putty knife in your Playdough set seems to be the limit of your experience.
"..... and b) the now defunct tradition of gifting a quality carver to a newlywed couple - which would last a lifetime. til death us do part....." Yup, got one of those sets, a very expensive one, actually. It came with a sharpener.
"....Have you noticed the only old cars you see are good quality ones...." Really? As in 'such good quality they do not need massive amounts of cash and skills for maintenance to provide the same capabilities as a cheap vehicle today' quality? Bullshit. A cheap Ford Ka provides a more secure, safer, more economic and more reliable means of transport than a 1940s Rolls Royce, and with a far lower maintenance requirement.
".....I mean really old? 70-80-90 years old.....how many austin allegros?....." WTF? You think an Allegro is a modern car? You do realise you can't get half the parts for an Allegro new nowadays. Obviously not. As for the '70-80-90 years old' cars, please tell me how many millions of them are in daily use outside of static museum displays and collections? And then try and find ones with 100% original parts that do more than a few miles a year. You are talking complete bollocks, and the reason I know that is because my father used to own an engineering company in the Seventies that made parts to order for those museums and collections for pre- and post-War cars. According to you his business shouldn't have existed.
".....And what is wrong with maintenance?...." Nothing, except it costs. When that cost and the associated hassle become too much then an item will be replaced, even if it is still operational. That is a simple fact you seem blind to.
"......When was the last time you saw a kettle element for sale in an ironmongers....." The ironmonger went out of business because the cost and trouble of maintaining such appliances became higher than the cost of simply buying a new one. And, if you had bothered to look before ranting, you would have found plenty of companies that make elements online - most kettle manufacturers don't make their own, they buy them in from China or India and assemble them into their kettles.
"......We have been collectively fucked by the eeeeevil capitalists....." Fail. The Wall came down for a reason, and that reason is because democracy and capitalism beats communism. Just get over it and join the rest of us in the 21st century.