Go Cheap or Go for Quality?

I have always, well OK, not always, but recently, wondered why we expect so much out of some home products and so little from others. I understand the disposable mentality that we have and how it is related to economics and availability.

There are some times when all of us purchase a product or tool and do not have long term expectations as to the durability or the lasting value of the item. Other times, we expect a lot out of a product and are let down years later when it quits performing for us.

So, as a little mental exercise for you to run through the gray matter between your ears, think about this: The next time you go to buy an item for you house. Any item, I would like you to ask yourself the following; do I really need it? If so, what other options in this type of product do I have? Also, is there the chance that this will be the last one of these that I will ever need to buy? And, am I buying the best quality that I can afford.

Without going to the extremes and great overkill, this could get interesting. We all know about the things that we have that are very old and still working just fine. We might even take pride in the fact that they do still work. We also wonder why other things seem to have built in obsolescence in them.

Care and proper usage are critical to long-term performance. Manufacturers cannot make things “idiot proof”, although they do try to take into account customer abuse.

I am going through my house right now replacing and adding a few doors. Door hardware is something I have come to appreciate and I want to install something that won’t cause problems later. I feel that I interact with it every day, and I don’t want to be reminded of a poor choice. In fact a good choice is one that I actually forget about because there are no reminders.

I chose to use a good grade of ball bearing hinges on all the new doors. I won’t have squeaks, sags, or the poofs of black grindings on the trim and carpets. Install them right the first time and there should be no problems as long as I am around. The hinges cost $7 each instead of $2 but to me it is well worth it.

I also need to practice what I preach in a future purchase of some lighting fixtures for my workshop / barn / man cave. I could go the cheap shop light route, have them up in a couple of hours, and fight the temperature and flicker problems for the next 20 years or until they fry themselves or I could select a commercial grade, exterior fixture that will avoid all this yet will be more difficult to install and will cost more out of the chute. I hope to have a clear head and make the choice of quality and durability.

So what are you going to bring into your home this week? Is there a better choice that can be made?