Over the course of my career, I've noticed a trend in many fields of study: Novices, hangers-on, dabblers, and other folks tend to buy mid-to-high-end gear, thinking they'll "grow into it", but in reality, secretly hoping the gear will do the work for them.
Whereas the truly skilled are often the folks with lower-end equipment, but who can do some absolutely amazing stuff with it.
I've seen it in cyber. I've seen it in photography. I've seen it in woodworking. I've seen it in firearms. I've seen it in vehicles. And on, and on.
-WiscoDave
I fear the man with 1 weapon that has used it for years a whole lot more than a man with a safe full of weapons.
ReplyDeleteJD
Yep. I saw this old cowboy out here in a North Texas Wal Mart one time that had a Beretta 92 in this old pancake holster which is an unusual choice out here. That gun had all the blue worn off of it. I remember thinking "I wouldn't want him shooting at me with that thing".
DeleteA shot not taken is a shot missed...
DeleteThat’s a cute saying but I’ve never met a guy who owns 1 gun that can shoot worth a damn.
DeleteA guy who only has one gun likely can’t afford ammunition or is completely disinterested in training with it
DeleteI call them "Tech Weenies"
ReplyDeleteYep. Wife spent years chasing the elusive exercise and nutrition plan that would trim her down to fit 'n fabulous without having to work out or put down the Haagen-Dazs bars. We've got new, barely-used gadgets and machines collecting dust in the closet, lapsed gym membership cards, shelves full of quick weight loss diet books, you name it. She was always sure that she would eventually stumble across that magical protocol or program that would do all the work for her.
ReplyDeleteWould have been cheaper just to remove all the mirrors in the house and stay fat.
Anyone with younger brothers, sons, or knuckle head friends can attest to this. Especially when it comes to tools, yard & garden stuff and firearms.
ReplyDeleteJpaul
Natural talent is real and you can see that in the tools used.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to be a weiner wizard but my wife said no.
ReplyDeleteAs a participant in a variety of gear heavy hobbies over the years, some of which are noted in the story, I can attest to the allure of buying top of the line gear from the get-go. High-end products certainly have their virtues, but I've learned that in the beginning of a new endeavor or hobby I lack the knowledge or skills necessary to take advantage of those virtues. So I have rarely succumbed to the siren song of "it's the best." Hang gliding and woodworking are the first two examples that come to mind.
ReplyDeleteThat said, buying too low on the food chain interjects the limitation of a cheap tool into the struggles caused by the lack of skills of the user. At best it limits one's learning curve, at worst it may be downright dangerous.
So there is a middle ground. My audio, camera, fishing, hang gliding, etc. gear are all top notch. Most of it is not "the best there is". And absolutely none of it is what I started with. I started all of those hobbies between 35 -60 years ago and my gear for each has improved over time.
There is a philosophy that applies to all of this, but it must be tempered with prudence. "Buy once, cry once." Never buy junk, but beware the siren song of "it's the best."
Then there's the old adage "When it comes to tools, tires or shoes, buy the best."
DeletePretty much what I was going say - true low end stuff hurts, while super high-end is generally not needed. If it's a new hobby, I stick to lower mid-range just to see if I like it and to build some experience. As I progress, I'll buy upper mid-range where I think I need it (or where I can afford it). Never the top, never the bottom, and buy to your skill level.
DeleteAnd personally, I think some of the so-called high end stuff really isn't that much better and certainly not better enough to justify the price tags in a lot of cases. I'm not paying for the brand name, especially if it still says made in China on the box. I'm paying for quality, and in some cases I think stuff sells on hype instead of actually being the best.
The only exception is reloading equipment.
ReplyDeleteI helped RO a big run and gun last September. One shooter had thousands of dollars of rifle, handgun and gear. He just didn't seem to be all that familiar with using it. Our stage had several 5th Group active duty SF guys as role players. I heard one of them remark kind of wistfully, "If that guy had spent half of what he did on equipment on training and range time he would have done much better." If you want to get good at shooting, shoot a lot. Shoot with people better than you are. Most will jump at the chance to help make you better.
ReplyDeleteI always counseled my students to buy the best gear they could afford, because I saw all too many cheap out and the gear failed when they needed it. If you spend more for something, at worst you've lost a little money. Spend too little and you may have lost twice: the thing you bought might not do the job you need it to.
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about this. A good piece of equipment can last, while a cheap one won't. I have a Craftsman lawnmower/lawn tractor that my father bought back in the 1980s. When he died, I inherited it. For 44 years, it's started every time and it's run like a top. Every year I've taken it to my local small engine guy to get it tuned for the growing season, so I spend about $50 bucks a year on it. This year, I ended up replacing the spindle, pulleys, and belts and I've replaced blades a couple of times. Before I got that lawnmower, I always bought the cheapest I could find. It lasted a couple of years and then fell apart. I've seen the same thing with chainsaws and power washers -- buy the cheapest around and enjoy spending 10 hours or so every few months playing with the carburetor or rebuilding something or having nuts vibrate off or whatever. It's nice to have a chainsaw that starts up every time with just a pull or two.
ReplyDeleteI have always been able to make perfectly adequate ammunition with Lee equipment and there some years where I was shooting five hundred to a thousand rounds a week, except their powder measures, they truly sucked.
ReplyDeleteThings that I am good at like wiring or plumbing or various types of meat processing and preservation I have always gotten along with cheaper equipment as long as it was above the level of junk. But things where my skills are sadly lacking, I feel the siren call to more expensive gear in hopes of a miracle.
When you get good at life you know tool from toy and good enough from best.
ReplyDeleteBut never fall for gimmicks. That what you hate yourself for.
I always tell my friends, 'Make sure you buy the best because I hate borrowing junk'.
ReplyDeleteTim
I used to say at my ol job that “I’ve been doing so much, with so little, for so long, that now, I can do practically anything with nothing.”
ReplyDeleteThis article is silly.We all know everything you buy now a days is junk or throw away.
ReplyDelete45 year's commercial fishing,every decade has become worse!
As to the one gun guy, it ain't me but 90% of my shotguns, rifles and pistols are the same model. Familiarity breeds competence, training, talent and practice breed excellence.
ReplyDeleteNow photo gear is a little different. I progressed from Contaflex to Contax to Hasselblad. These were top of the line film cameras that all used ZEISS lenses. It's the lens that takes the picture. For digital the progression was Nikon D610, D750, D850, Z7 to Z9 and D5 and the glass to make them work. Note that the Z cameras have an adapter to use the early Nikkor and Zeiss lenses. The industry would call me a Prosumer customer. Actually the latest camera bodies have too many functions trying to be all things to all people. I would not shoot video with a stills camera but would use a video camera. I'd rather have better data offloading, focus detection, low light capability, image resolution than video. The sensor and processor is compromised to be able to do both. BTW most video shot with a stills camera (TikTok idiots) can be filmed as well or better by an iPhone.
The moral here is to think about what impact the tool will have on what you are doing. Shooting bullets or pellets it is the man machine interface, shooting photons it is the glass. Act accordingly.
Spin Drift
Don't buy crap. You just have to buy it again. Buy quality, it doesn't have to be top end, bells and whistles, just quality.
ReplyDeleteThere really is a difference between powermatic, and grizzly or shopfox.
Steve in KY
You can't buy points.
ReplyDeleteWhat you can't buy is skill, except by putting in the time. Expect to wear out (quite) a few barrels acquiring and maintaining acceptable rifle skills. Shooting is a perishable skill.
DeleteI see guys all the time at the range, they get out of their trucks with a few friends for their annual range day, older guys, they always sit comfortably at benches with rests, shoot 2 or 3 mags at steel at 200 and 300, get a few hits, never consistently or reliably, laugh and have a good time, and then go home thinking they can still shoot. Never see them again. It's actually pathetic and is one of my few pet peeves. No one, and I mean no one besides me is EVER shooting prone, sling support, sitting, kneeling. It's a bunch of fat old guys LARPing the old days.
If your rifle barrel lasts more than two years, you are not shooting it enough, unless you have duplicate rifles.
Anon@9:26, did you ever stop and think that they might be out there just to have a good time, laugh and share some good company? What makes you think they're training?
DeleteBut don't worry, I'm sure there's somebody out there that thinks your level of training doesn't measure up to his.
I'm in the "best you can afford" camp. Too many times I bought cheap, only to find I was unhappy with what I had, or had exceeded its capabilities. Don t overlook older used that needs some attention. My 1967 powermatic 66 is as good as it gets.
ReplyDeleteone thing that Mom was about was buying and taking care of your tools.
ReplyDeleteany money spent on good tools is never wasted. unless you do not take care of it.
I still have and use tools I bought back in the late 1960 and early 1970's.
have a old cast iron Craftsman table saw made in 1952-3. bought it for 80 bucks back in 1968-9, had a paper route and the lady's old man had died and she wanted to sell it.
had to bring by dad with as she was sure I was going to kill myself with it.
so, got some money out of the bank. had the tools needed to take it apart and was waiting for my dad to come home. dad ran a concrete crew.. he gave me shit the whole way to her house until he saw it. THEN. he shut up about me not knowing shit and told her it would be alright. so, got the saw, spare blades , a dado set and molding head.
even a spare set of matched belts for the drive.
since then, I have replaced the bearings and a few belts. but it still cuts straight and runs
a lot better than most new saws I have seen. so, I am also in the camp of get the best you can afford . and take care of your gear/tools. dave in pa.