So you got a vague interest in what might be a new hobby or something that you need some equipment to do, whaddaya do, you check out the various forums for it right?
Save you some time: find the posts from people new to the thing asking what kinda gear to buy, and check the replies. See how long it takes before someone gives the only correct answer
🐿 Hey I'm new to this, what kinda badger comb should I get?
->🐁 BrushBoi 2000. Anything less is trash. You'll waste your money.
-> 🦊 BrushBoi 6000 costs a couple grand but it's well worth it
-> 🐺 Ignore these guys, DapperLad makes WAY better badger brushes
-> 🦌 TBH this is an expensive hobby and most people bail real quick, just get a cheap one off Amazon, it'll suck but you're probably not gonna stick around anyway
-> 🐧 Hi, welcome to the hobby! I'd start by checking the secondhand markets, badger brushes haven't really changed much in the last 30-odd years and you can spend the same money on a really good Tangle-B-Gon from the 90's or on a brand new cheap one that won't be nearly as good but will still basically get the job done. Good luck and happy brushing, show us what you got when you find a deal!
This forum has a Shite Index of 4, that is four awful responses before the only correct answer
yes the answer is *always* ebay or craigslist or forum marketplace or flea markets
The only time that isn't the answer is when the equipment goes in your body
@ifixcoinops There's (at least) one other case where that isn't the answer, though - when that's too spoons-intensive to deal with. Depending on the thing and where you are, getting stuff second-hand can take a lot of energy! And sometimes the predictable process of an online shop is just a lot more practical.
@joepie91 As a counterpoint, the last time I had to buy a toaster I spent literally hours reading online reviews and comparing features and didn't buy a toaster, and then I saw one at a secondhand shop for $5 and I was so overjoyed because it was The Only Toaster and also Right There
As a countercounterpoint, it's not a very good toaster
As a countercountercounterpoint, I actually have a toaster now, rather than a choice-paralysis-shaped hole where a toaster should be
@ifixcoinops I imagine that that's going to be something that's different for different folks; I don't tend to have a lot of choice paralysis issues because I tend to follow a heuristic that I've picked up from elsewhere: buy the cheapest option that looks acceptable, it'll probably be fine, and if it turns out not to be fine, that means that I'm far enough into the hobby to get something better! Works a lot better when you don't quite know yet what's going to stick (in the absence of better options like hobby exchange schemes).
It's very rare for something to not suffice on the first try.
@ifixcoinops (And in the rare case that it doesn't, I can usually find a new purpose or home for the old thing anyway)
