You get what you pay for

showcrop

Well-known Member
Maybe I am just getting cynical in my old age, but I don't think that there is much truth to this old saying, yet you still see it on these forums from time to time. I think that you need have your eyes wide open and learn a little about something before making a decision on it. Before making a major purchase maybe you need to learn a lot about it. Sometimes people price things way too low and you can get a lot more than you paid for, and sometimes something is priced with inadequate knowledge, or maybe even with full knowledge of poor workmanship or materials that went into it. I believe that the saying really means that you should not expect to get quality at a low price, but I think that you can easily pay the long dollar for poor quality if you are not careful. What do you think?
 
some things are decieving too,my dad always was a firm believer in buying American,,the herman shoes at that time had a big flag on several styles shoes. The style my dad bought didnt have a flag,but he didnt realize it wasnt made in America,We had a slight argument one day,he was scolding me because I bought something not from America,I showed him the label on his shoes,snd the label on his woolrich shirt. He stopped yelling st me.
 
You need to know what something is worth before you buy it. Buying impulsively can cost you a bundle. Recognize a bargain when you see one. I recently sold a Savage combo gun for $500 that I had only paid $150 for a year or so earlier because I knew it was a great deal when I bought it. But let's not talk about my NOT being able to sell the Winchester 9422 I raised my hand on once too often at a recent auction. Bargains good, impulse purchases bad.
 
Yes you really have to shop around. But with the internet it is easier then ever before. Case in point. A rear driveshaft made by Dorman to fit Honda crv around $600 at all the local parts stores. Same thing at rockauto or ebay around $ 350
I see work boots made in China are up to $ 200.00 !!! WOW boots are expensive now. I got made in Chine Walmart brand for $ 19.99 time will tell but if they last a few months it is still cheaper. I had chine cheap price shoes last as long as expensive ones.
 
Part of what you pay is time and research.
Part of what you receive is the experience. Good or bad.
Good research, good experience.
When I look at it like that, I usually get what I pay for.
 
(quoted from post at 05:56:03 11/29/15) Maybe I am just getting cynical in my old age, but I don't think that there is much truth to this old saying, yet you still see it on these forums from time to time. I think that you need have your eyes wide open and learn a little about something before making a decision on it. Before making a major purchase maybe you need to learn a lot about it. Sometimes people price things way too low and you can get a lot more than you paid for, and sometimes something is priced with inadequate knowledge, or maybe even with full knowledge of poor workmanship or materials that went into it. I believe that the saying really means that you should not expect to get quality at a low price, but I think that you can easily pay the long dollar for poor quality if you are not careful. What do you think?

Yes and no. While I agree that you can pay big bucks and still wind up with junk certain items that are cheap in price can wind up costing far more in the long run. The cheap import China utility tractors being a prime example. When you can't get parts to repair them that's money down the drain. Another thing I've noticed is pants. If I buy Levies, Wrangler or Lee jeans they don't last me more than about 6 months. Pay twice the price for Carharts and they last 4 times as long. But it does depend on what you are buying. Now get into electronics and a cheaper product may last as long but may not perform as well. You may get better picture or sound quality for the extra money spent. If your hearing isn't so good you really don't enjoy that extra sound quality enough to justify the extra money.

Rick
 
You can pay $2k for a very good Honda inverter or buy 6 champion generators. Which one is the
best? Honda. If you do cost averaging? champion.

You can pay big bucks for shoes or buy cheaper ones every year.

I like to use cost averaging to decide what to buy. The cost of 35 year shingles vs the cost of a
50 year metal roof? I also use probability, insurance will replace my shingles every 15-20 years,
hail.

Some are fans of heat pumps and think they will pay for themselves. If you factor in maintenance,
life expectancy, your climate, total investment, you may do better to invest in the stock market.

So, it's your money do what you want. If you make wise decisions by the time you get to old age,
you will have a happy retirement. If not, you will be living in the poor house.
 
OK Dan what does HF mean? I am guessing we don't have a HF around us as I can only think HF means Harry Ferguson.
 
There is some truth to you get what you pay for but you also don't need top quality every time. Buy to the level of quality you need. You get what you pay for is a really good saying for a sales guy selling top quality stuff. I really don't need Snap On Tools for my hobby work shop.
 

Yes, but to the point made by several others: I buy 4.5 inch angle grinders six at a time at HF. I abuse them, knowingly, by cutting a ton of angle iron, often with the thing upside down so that the cuttings go into the grinder (I put a "shoe" on it and use it like a small table saw). I am money ahead to do this with the cheap, disposable grinder instead of purchasing an expensive one that will still burn up.
 
I also have heard a good saying - "The bitterness of poor quality lasts far longer than the sweetness of a low price".

I do understand what you're saying. I started buying Duluth Trading Co pants last year as they hyped up the quality of material "tougher than a bears grope" right? I paid over $50 for them. I've worn them maybe 40 times and they're already worn out in the crotch. The fabric is crap. Back to the less expensive Carharrts. I can usually get 2 or three years out of them.



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You're right, great rifles. I paid about the usual asking price at gun shows, and I don't need to sell the gun. The 9422s seem to keep going up in value, so I'll be OK in the long run. Plus I have a few other 9422s that were somewhat cheaper, so it will all average out if/when I ever decide to sell.
 
I totally agree Showcrop. As I get older it's become apparent that nothing good is cheap and buying something used is always buying somebody elses junk. It doesn't matter what it is, if I buy it used and human hands have touched it before me it's a pile of junk. I can buy something new and have it forever but if I pick it up second hand it ALWAYS needs repairing constantly.
 
"The cheapest is not always the least expensive."

Very similar to what my buddy's grandmother always told us:
"The frugal man spends the most."
 
Yeah, I try to leave the lawyers out of it Loren.
I know they gotta eat too, but they don't need caviar every meal!

And let's not forget another 10% for all the warning stickers to prevent those lawsuits!
 
(quoted from post at 11:05:22 11/29/15) I totally agree Showcrop. As I get older it's become apparent that nothing good is cheap and buying something used is always buying somebody elses junk. It doesn't matter what it is, if I buy it used and human hands have touched it before me it's a pile of junk. I can buy something new and have it forever but if I pick it up second hand it ALWAYS needs repairing constantly.

I have to disagree with you. I have had some bad experiences with used things, but for the most part I have been way ahead by buying something that is in good condition that costs way less than new, provided that I am not going to use it a whole lot. case in point is my Zero turn mower. I bought a ten year old, commercial mower for $1,400.00. I could have paid considerably more for a cheap new homeowner model. Mine has been pretty much trouble free for five years, while on these forums I have seen plenty of indications that five years is the expected life of the homeowner units.
 
I just know that I want stuff that will go to the field and work when I need it, with minimum of repairs. I
also want said equipment to be resalable later, Don't want to be the last owner of any equipment , truck ,
or tractor. What is the difference between a good hair cut and a poor one ? About two weeks !
 
(quoted from post at 09:55:15 11/29/15)
Yes, but to the point made by several others: I buy 4.5 inch angle grinders six at a time at HF. I abuse them, knowingly, by cutting a ton of angle iron, often with the thing upside down so that the cuttings go into the grinder (I put a "shoe" on it and use it like a small table saw). I am money ahead to do this with the cheap, disposable grinder instead of purchasing an expensive one that will still burn up.

Really? One of my brother in laws buys the cheap ones at HF. I have a Dewalt. I've had mine for over 10 years and use it a lot. My BIL uses his about half as much as I use mine yet he goes through one or 2 a year. I had to put a new switch in mine. His go in the garbage.

Rick
 
If your talking new, neither the cheapest nor costliest are seldom the right purchase.

Cheap stuff is often just cheap. the most expensive usually has a lot of cost added on due to wide advertising, costly warranty coverage (think snap-on) and other overhead not related to building quality into the product.

An informed purchaser can buy good stuff for less that the highest priced stuff.

short answer: sometimes
 

I sort of enjoy conversing with pound owners of "American Made" tractors etc . Then rubbing the grime off the serial number plate to reveal India , China, Korea, England, Mexico or Germany. Makes for some pouty faces .
Just looked at the data plate on the wife's new vehie last night . Made in Mexico.
 
I have 81k on truck's 70k michelins. Got another 10k still on them. I was told by the dealer who sold me the michelins in 2007 that Michelins changed ownership and their tires aren't as good. Now what?
 
I just picked up a Honda EU1000I off craigslist for $ 200 it was from an estate sale.
I don't think it was ever started until we fired it up right before I bought it. Shipping label was only 2 years old. Was too good of deal to pass up I thought ?
 
I still remember getting in a little trouble with the boss near the end of my tenure at an equipment dealership. I was delivering a brand new AC 5050 tractor to this business woman who was not to be messed with. In our conversation I told her just what it said in plain sight on the tag- made in Italy by Fiat. Apparently this came as a surprise to her, and she gave the boss a little tongue lashing, and he passed some of it along. The problem with not being absolutely up front honest is you can't pass along to everyone else what the rules are- what you say and what you don't!
 
I got a $70 pair of the Dickies that are more hiking-oriented. Been wearing them since early summer. The Wolverine, Brahma, and Cat boots I got at walmart, the soles fell apart after about 3 days on the 4-wheeler spraying weeds.
 
Never thought Dewalt tools were anything to brag about, maybe 35 years ago when they made the radial arm saws. The switches went bad on every drill, sander, etc. I ever bought.
 
The Harbor Freights around us have a variety of levels of tools. I bought a 2.5 HP vertical Chinese air compressor and about wore it out sandblasting my JD B rear wheels rusted up from chloride. When it developed a death rattle, the Harbor Freight manager offered to give me 100% credit toward a new 5 HP American made air compressor, all I had to do was to buy 3 year warranty. Worked for me..
 
It helps to do your homework and find out for sure what you are buying.

This goes back a few years, but I once rebuilt a 3.0 V6 engine in an Olds Ciera for a customer. For customer work, I bought a rebuild kit from NAPA.

Six months later, I rebuilt the very same engine in a Buick Century for our daughter. Northern Auto Parts in Sioux City had a rebuild kit advertised for about half the price of the NAPA kit. I ordered it. Guess what? Identical brand name parts as the kit from NAPA, Felpro gaskets, Perfect Circle piston rings, Clevite bearings, etc.

If Northern could sell the kit at that price, and presumably make a fair profit, how much was NAPA making off the same kit?
 
"you get what you pay for" has always been a conundrum for me. Obviously you can get the same products for less money if you shop carefully. Obviously some equipment has better steel than others. Sometimes well-engineered equipment using high strength materials is not as good as heavier duty equipment made of cheaper materials. In reality, high strength materials usually are the bargain, much more strength for the price. But the engineers can design too close and result in less reliable equipment costing much more. John Deere and Mahindra may be on both sides of this argument. I'm not guessing which is better. I see lots of folks waste lots of money buying what they think is the higher quality but it is an exceedingly difficult balancing act. I am amazed at the value of Harbor Freight tools, hadn't been there in a few years. I usually start cheap and make improvement where the equipment does not hold up. Used equipment: if the last guy didn't maintain it well it is usually a bargain because the cost of repairs is normally less than the improvement in value by upgrading.
 

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