This morning, I had a very unusual experience. I had a shoelace break. It has been years since I had that experience. Usually my shoes wear out before the strings.
That made me think about the value of over engineering. We often hear about how the government will pay $2,000 for a toilet seat and wonder what is wrong with them. If it is for the space shuttle and can’t be replaced in space then it might be worth the cost. Then again, it might not.
When I step on a ladder rated for 250 pounds I want it to really hold to 400. When my tires are supposed to last 50,000 miles I want them still in good shape at that point. I like my Bibles to last 20 years instead of falling apart after a year of use.
One of the reasons we like things made in America is that experience has shown us American made products are often better than those made in China by slave labor. I remember when I bought a Fender Stratocaster. I got the Mexican Strat. It was much cheaper than an American Strat but much higher quality than the Japanese and Korean Strats. I don’t remember if any were made in China but there was a definite difference.
Quality has a price. If I need a tool for a single use then cheap might work but if I want to pass it on to my children, more is required.
homo unius libri
Saturday, August 16, 2025
Opus 2025-378: Over-Engineering
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Comments are welcome. Feel free to agree or disagree but keep it clean, courteous and short. I heard some shorthand on a podcast: TLDR, Too long, didn't read.