- Aug 27, 2008
- 5,170
- 409
I have read some threads recently regarding the member's dissatisfaction with a product of some sort. A few thoughts came to mind as to why this is happening.
1. My personal experiences with various types of equipment in general are that I have almost always at some point in time tried to overload or otherwise mis-use the equipment in an attempt to save time, use it more efficiently or because of not having the proper tool/equipment to handle the job safely or within the equipment's designed limitations. Yes, there are some product designs that should have gone back to the drawing board before it was marketed...I won't deny that for one second.
2. I'll admit, I don't always have what I need, and sometimes I will cut corners to avoid spending more money. The problem with this line of thinking is that it will eventually catch-up with me, and I'll have to spend extra money on repairs for the damage I've caused.
3. A good example is how I damaged my wife's Kitchen Aid stand mixer while attempting to grind my own chuck into salami meat. I had too coarse of seasoning particles for the plate/blades to handle, and after not even getting one speck of meat through the plate before the drive gears were stripped, I realized that this would not be easy to explain to the wife. I'm still looking into repairing this, and it happened last winter. Lucky for me, she doesn't use this much lately, and all of the attachments are to date still brand new...or else I'd probably be getting the riot act by now. I'm greatful for her patience.
4. If we buy a product and do not know it's designed limitations (or the manual gives little info), we need to be extra careful during the first couple of uses, so as to avoid the dreaded ground gears (instead of meat), or smoked slicer motors (instead of smoked sliced meats).
5. If what you are attempting to do makes you uneasy, or something just doesn't feel right, it probably isn't right. Just stop and re-think the situation. If you are simply trying to force the product beyond it's capabilities, just slow down and let it do the work for you. If you are feeling harsh vibrations, smelling bad odors or hearing bad sounds, it's time to re-group and try it a different way.
6. If you want faster, or heavy duty gear, it will cost you alot of extra cash. If you go with the less expensive gear, remember, a little TLC will go a long way towards saving you money and alot of headaches.
7. It's better to take longer to do the job right, than to not be able to finish what you started due to damaged equipment. I have been in this situation numerous times over the years. Do you know what my first thoughts are everytime it happens? "I knew better than to do that", or "man, I gotta slow down".
It's just too easy to push the limits. If you make it a habit, and don't take the time to recognize the trouble signs, you will probably spend more time trying to fix or replace your gear than use it. Been there a few times myself...I have slowed down alot over the years. We'll never be able to completely avoid the ugly times. but we can sure reduce the chances of it happening. I truely hate having projects that are basically ruined or severely delayed because of a mistake I could have avoided.
I got long-winded here in hopes that there is a message here for all to ponder.
Have a great day everyone, and be careful out there.
Eric
1. My personal experiences with various types of equipment in general are that I have almost always at some point in time tried to overload or otherwise mis-use the equipment in an attempt to save time, use it more efficiently or because of not having the proper tool/equipment to handle the job safely or within the equipment's designed limitations. Yes, there are some product designs that should have gone back to the drawing board before it was marketed...I won't deny that for one second.
2. I'll admit, I don't always have what I need, and sometimes I will cut corners to avoid spending more money. The problem with this line of thinking is that it will eventually catch-up with me, and I'll have to spend extra money on repairs for the damage I've caused.
3. A good example is how I damaged my wife's Kitchen Aid stand mixer while attempting to grind my own chuck into salami meat. I had too coarse of seasoning particles for the plate/blades to handle, and after not even getting one speck of meat through the plate before the drive gears were stripped, I realized that this would not be easy to explain to the wife. I'm still looking into repairing this, and it happened last winter. Lucky for me, she doesn't use this much lately, and all of the attachments are to date still brand new...or else I'd probably be getting the riot act by now. I'm greatful for her patience.
4. If we buy a product and do not know it's designed limitations (or the manual gives little info), we need to be extra careful during the first couple of uses, so as to avoid the dreaded ground gears (instead of meat), or smoked slicer motors (instead of smoked sliced meats).
5. If what you are attempting to do makes you uneasy, or something just doesn't feel right, it probably isn't right. Just stop and re-think the situation. If you are simply trying to force the product beyond it's capabilities, just slow down and let it do the work for you. If you are feeling harsh vibrations, smelling bad odors or hearing bad sounds, it's time to re-group and try it a different way.
6. If you want faster, or heavy duty gear, it will cost you alot of extra cash. If you go with the less expensive gear, remember, a little TLC will go a long way towards saving you money and alot of headaches.
7. It's better to take longer to do the job right, than to not be able to finish what you started due to damaged equipment. I have been in this situation numerous times over the years. Do you know what my first thoughts are everytime it happens? "I knew better than to do that", or "man, I gotta slow down".
It's just too easy to push the limits. If you make it a habit, and don't take the time to recognize the trouble signs, you will probably spend more time trying to fix or replace your gear than use it. Been there a few times myself...I have slowed down alot over the years. We'll never be able to completely avoid the ugly times. but we can sure reduce the chances of it happening. I truely hate having projects that are basically ruined or severely delayed because of a mistake I could have avoided.
I got long-winded here in hopes that there is a message here for all to ponder.
Have a great day everyone, and be careful out there.
Eric
