When you Google for "best whatever" and land on a reddit thread, take some time to look at the histories of the people commenting.
You'll find many cases where the only post they've ever made was for that product, and cases where the person posting the question also posts in the comments with an answer, like they forgot to switch to alt accounts.
A lot of it is obvious SEO marketing nonsense. Trust nothing. The entire Internet is trying to scam you. Enshittification, indeed. This used to be a nice neighborhood before the capitalists moved in in the 90s.
And it's only going to get WAY WORSE with LLM and Gen AI...
Good suggestion.
I think the savviest of the savvy out there are both properly seeding comment histories and continuing to post other comments after they astroturf which makes it all but impossible to identify.
Big bummer and no perfect solution I’ve ever heard of but we do what we can and can always hope.
The perfect solution is to research which to buy for 9 months and then end up buying none.
Because Reddit is infested with bot accounts at this point I tend to trust older threads over newer ones. Easy as hell to buy accs to say a competitor sucks dick
there needs to be a crowd sourced product review and maintenance website that can see trends of enshittification.
Let’s say everyone used an identity verification service to signup, like had to send photos of their ID and their SSN (national identity number) to be vetted by a third party.
How long after the service got popular would it take for the most aggressive marketers to pay rings of fraudsters to lend their identities and/or make fake reviews?
I think it would definitely start out great until it got big enough to be super useful and then the fraud would ramp up. I think an organization like Consumer Reports has a chance at successfully maintaining a low-bias product database, but the paywall is a big obstacle, as is the fact they’ll only review the largest product catalogs.
These are the pitfalls with the "amazon reviews/yelp" model.
A decent implementation of the Wikipedia/FOSS model sidesteps this because it theoretically is run by opinionated curators. No amount of bots/shills can break the article soft-lock ounce foul play is spotted.
That's not to say these systems haven't been occasionally broken through more sophisticated attacks, but empirically it seems clear that the model generally works well enough given enough community engagement (which would be the biggest challenge IMO, because maintainers can't be expected to buy every product, and reliable primary sources may be hard to come by).
I think it would need to be a subscriber service paid for by consumers who are willing to pay for good reviews. Otherwise the consumers become the product and eventually marketers take over.
Also crowd-sourced reviews are what we're supposed to have already, both on Reddit and Amazon (and anywhere else).
What I envision would be a publication that funds a set of reviewers (maybe a mix of full time and part time, since some products are appropriate for testing as a job while others are more appropriate to just use for a while).
Each product would either be bought by the org directly, or if manufacturers provide review samples, a layer of indirection is used to avoid the reviewer feeling like they need to give a good review to keep the free shit coming (with clear communication to the supplier that free or not well have no effect on the review).
Any issues get included in the review fairly, along with any kind of resolution (which should ideally go through both consumer channels as well as reviewer back channels, the former to show what average customers should expect, the latter to hopefully resolve design flaws).
The reviewer will then keep the product and give updates, either in the form of "still using it and it is like x after y months/years", "doesn't get much use because I'm using this other thing instead because of x, y, z", or "doesn't get much use because I'm not really part of the target audience".
My complete vision includes brick and mortar locations where products are available to try out, and maybe sales handled there, where any product available has a "we vouch for the quality of this product" where flaws are highlighted as much as features are.
Though I think the idea is self-defeating because if it gains momentum, it could halt or reverse enshitification and make it redundant, fail, then enshitification returns. Ideally, enshitification is stopped with legislation about quality and enforcement that questions why a bad design is used when a better one is obvious.
I mean it more or less follows a line. It getting ever steeper lately but it's pretty predictable.
The trick is designing the thing in such a way as to resist infiltration by astroturfing marketers.
This is the sort of thing that the old internet could really deliver on. Chances are, a search query could lead you to some guy's hoodie blog, and he just liked hoodies, and posted honestly about them.
Now, it's all a mess of SEO pumped affiliate link lists filled with crapware. If the query is even thinkable, there will be AI generated pages stuffed with sponsored links, ready and waiting for you. And with search engines preferring recent results, that's the type of page you'll be served.
I've had decent luck using marginalia search to seek out some of those old internet type results. Obscurity works as a barrier to corporate infiltration. Plus you get page results that don't have a million tracking and analytics scripts running on them, which is refreshing.
My exact experience finding out Audacity has adware
That's why Tenacity is here to save the day!
Reading your comment is how I found out. That makes me sad.
though not 100% audio software, i recommend davinci resolve! it's free, and no ads
And it does a pretty damn good job as audio software, tbh. Fairlight kicks ass.
No it doesn't?
I just googled it to be sure, but i already assumed you meant 'spyware' (which is something completely different), referring to the telemetry (which i can get is a sensitive thing, but anonymous usage statistics to know where to focus their development sounds like a decent idea, and afaik they implemented it with respect for the user)
I remember the concern years ago was: since the application was bought (acquired?) and the tool was still publically free, that the new owners had added the spyware to try and monetize the data coming from said spyware/telemetry.
After reading your comment I went back and did some cursory searches, and it looks like the general concensus is that its less of a concern than it was originally - although, there is still uncertainty around how the tool is being monetized, which is enough for some to stop using it.
I spent 3 hours reading Amazon reviews for shoes just trying to find ONE fucking pair that didn't have "falls apart in 3-6 months" as the most common review...
The state of everything is just absurd.
We've always had to pay for quality, buying crap on Amazon is always going to be a tossup. There's plenty of stores out there where you can buy good stuff, you just have to be willing to pay more than slave wages for it.
It's tough out there, but there's plenty of quality stuff if you look in the right place.
Yeah, the only shoes I've ever had falling apart (or more accurately, worn until there were holes in one of them) were worn for years before that happened.
I've also never spent under $100 on shoes.
And I don't think it's smart to buy shoes you haven't tried on. There's variation in foot shapes, some shoes just aren't designed for your foot and need to be "broken in". I thought all shoes needed to be broken in until one time I got lucky and the second pair I tried fit perfectly right away. Ever since then, I'll keep trying shoes until I find ones that don't need to be broken in.
One exception was when I forgot about that when my cousin saw a sale on good sandals and had him pick me up a pair. Was reminded the first time I wore them. I spent a day at an amusement park and my feet were killing me by the end of it. Figured it was because I hadn't been standing much leading up to that. But then, a few years later I wore the same sandals (now broken in) in a similar situation and my feet didn't feel nearly as bad.
So try on shoes until you feel ones that feel good right away and your feet will thank you. Spend money up front for quality and your wallet will thank you when those shoes last longer than that amount of cheap ones do.
Also take care of them. If they are tie up shoes, untie them to remove them. If they are difficult to get the heel in, get a shoe horn. If you're often walking through puddles and/or mud, wear boots. Always wear socks unless your footwear can breathe well.
I've never put shoes through the washer, not sure how that would affect the longevity, though it likely depends on the materials.
Good shoes will last longer than the laces, too, so just replace the laces when they get worn down. A new lace colour can also refresh the look.
Like new xiaomi phones right? At least the new Pocos are decent.
Part of that is just selection bias. Very few people would post Amazon reviews for their shoes unprompted. But if something unexpected happens, like if they have a defective pair, they're quite a bit more likely to go back and write something.
Shoes have too much of a usage difference to go off of Amazon reviews. You don't know their lifestyle. For anyone that runs a marathon or similar exercise to have shoes that last over 3 months would be a miracle. Any typical big brands like adidas, Nike, etc lasts me many years if I only wear them lightly, like if I take the car. But if I exercise outside in them, they're not gonna last half a year. It's just usage dependent.
Occasionally you might get a bad batch and glue comes off or stitching rips. That's inevitable bad luck. Though you can just get gorilla glue and glue it back yourself.
Dress shoes is a different ball game. Get stitched build/welted, not glued on. That's usually a safe choice though expensive. These can be repaired and resoled, so you could wear them for 10+ yrs. Though getting bored of them might be an issue.
Light weight shoes are also obviously going to not last. Like hey dude shoes. They're literally a single sheet of cloth. Easy to wash, but not going to last.
Also stop trying to buy shoes from Amazon. Go wear shit and try them on.
Sooooo depends on what you're using them for. Very few shoes will hold up to retail work, for instance. So 3-6 months for one reviewer without context could be 2 years for you.
It should go without saying that if the brand you're considering is called "Lahuekty" or "Mpanobeb" or something stupid like that you're taking a huge risk. Amazon's 'brands' are a joke.
This is where guitars are right now.
Both Fender and Gibson are now owned by venture capitalists. Their quality of everything, from strings to picks to guitars, has plummeted across every brand they own in the last five years. It’s sad really.
You go on Reddit and people talk about the models and which one is great for this, or why they prefer it for that, but then you find some deeper dives into more recent spaces and people who know what they are talking about have moved away entirely from both brands.
If anyone is curious, you can buy a better guitar from Harley-Benton, Cort, or Jet than from Fender/Gibson and it will be 1/2 to 1/4 the cost.
The classic "Buy a reputable brand, cut costs and coast along on the reputation until you can sell off all your shares and move on to another company". Bonus points for using
legalised embezzlementshare buyback.I saw a headline on some guitar magazine "These are the most over priced guitars currently". Says a lot and it's true.
There's not much point in throwing money at a brand name anymore. Quality control is long gone and they all come straight out of a factory anyway. It's alright though, because factory quality is decent, and with a little know-how you can easily make them play good.
My best guitar is a $100 kit-build. Acknowledging that I'd need to do a full setup on any guitar I figured I might as well paint and assemble it myself, because I'm not going to pay several hundreds just for a paint job and a logo.
Everyone replies with 'thanks', 'nailed it'. 'Holy shit that's perfect'
To a comment that's [deleted]
Holy shit thank you for this, i never even knew.
When I started fishing as a hobby, I couldn't believe that it was the only hobby I've ever taken up that pretty much had unanimous recommendations for beginners. Everyone seemed to suggest the Ugly Stik GX2 on every website or forum. And there were no threads about how I should buy a more expensive rod/reel, other than a few that mentioned that I might want to upgrade the reel on the GX2 after a year or so.
Even the salesperson at the Bass Pro Shops store recommended the GX2 even though I could have afforded a bit more.
It was a completely new experience for me. I am used to having to spend at least $300-400 on initial investments for new hobbies. Fishing was only CAD$120 for everything!
My hobby (speedcubing) is like that as well. If you ask any semi competent speedcuber you will hear something along the lines of "Get the newest RS3M (9$) and maybe some lube (4$)". I love it for that.
(Of course it s all a foot-in-the-door scam to get you hooked so you buy other events but shhh)
For something like a hoodie, I recommend you go to a thrift store. Anything you find there will be durable and quality enough to survive, and you can feel it or try it on. It's very easy to find high quality stuff while thrifting. 8 dollars for what might cost 80 new.
Try to focus on non-synthetic fibers or semi synthetic. Plastics in clothing are bad for the environment.
I snagged the world's comfiest leather jacket for $8 at a local thrift shop. All it needed was some stitching in a couple pockets, but it's bloody perfect otherwise. Eight friggen bucks.
You buy it anyway, and it’s a great purchase. Very happy. Dog eats it a few days later and the product is discontinued. Or Is it just me?
Every FOSS project I've ever looked into lol
depending on reddit for any kind of real world advice is a crapshoot at best
Even a crapshoot is better than the straight advertisements on Google.
I feel like here is not much better unless the advice is about technology
I ran into this when I was thinking about buying some Doc Martens recently. I know there have been other examples, that's just the most recent I can remember.
Gerber Legend 800 Multitool
The one I got from a PX the year after it was released is epic. Have carried it for 23 years. It has seen everything and outside of scraping the knife sharpish again, has never been maintained. I misplaced it for a bit (under friends driver's seat for about a year) and couldn't find a replacement "upgrade". Did the Leatherman wave2 for a bit. Couldn't take it, hit up eBay, got 3 more Gerber L800s (later release, still in boxes)...so bad. They just felt cheaper. When we stumbled upon my old Gerber, I kept the new ones for parts. Replace my knife with a new one...it already has rust dots on it. My old one after decades of abuse and being sharpened to half it's starting width, doesn't have a spot of rust on it.
ANYWAY....yeah...what OP said.
Yeah, Gerber fell the fuck off. They became just sloppy.
I feel Leatherman has stayed the course.Yeah, Leatherman seems to have come out ahead. I used the Wave2 for a while, and most folks I know have Leatherman multi-tools. The lack of spring on the pliers took a long time to get used to. The Gerber pliers and scissors springs are still going strong, so I never bought the "it is just going to fail" argument for not having them. The Gerber also had external access tools decades before people were praising the wave for its originality in having external tools lol. Honestly those are two selling points that kept me from ever getting a new multitool....well, now there is sentimental value for a tool that has been through hell with me and is still strong...but I probably won't be recommending Gerber any time soon.
Whether they're trustworthy or not I'm not sure, but they've not failed me yet
I tend to go for those "2024 top 10 x" lists, jabra 65t was a very good recommendation from there, my toaster, probably a bunch of other things I've now forgotten about
They generally aren't trustworthy overall, but many of those lists that have decent suggestions are just stolen content from more legit sources that don't SEO farm and get buried in search engine results.
Very happy with my jabra headphones as well. May not be best price for performance but they are solid enough. (85h elite and 65t active)
65t regular when I got it was about £80 I think, very good for the price I think
If you really are looking for a hoodie: 1620.
Prices are high, they're very proud of their products. Their work pants aren't worth it, garbage*. Both pairs I bought don't come close to my Wrangler for durability.
However, their hoodie is pretty dope. It's long, and the hood is huge. A proper functioning hood, I can pull it down to my nose. Buttons instead of string. It's thick & warm. Only downside is it's long, and I'm 6'1", it falls below my ass. The waist is also wide, or my waist is just more narrow than the average tradesman they're targeting.Sounds like you bought a size too large? If its too long and wide
Nah, fits my shoulders and arms great. I've just got a narrow waist. Everything for me weird.
“You click on a reddit link but their certificate expired and the page isn't opening”
Aka "larger sample size provides different results"
Not in this case, I found a recent thread where people posted a side by side of an old product with the new one.
The cotton/polyester split used to be 75/25, now it’s 55/45…
In this case, it is likely the company was bought out by venture capital who cut costs and quality to suck the brand dry between the first and second thread.
That's not really the case, everything is lower quality now on average.
It’s a moving target these days though
The hive mind / group think stuff on Reddit is strong. I had a friend doing a section of the PCT and he was saying literally everyone had the same setups from socks to water filters.
That kind of uniformity isn't good for anyone.
Lemmy wouldn't know anything about that 😏
Same with playing cards
