Thursday, April 28, 2022

Be a Pareto Prepper



“A fool and his money are soon parted, nowhere is this more true that at a Maserati dealership.”

 

Yesterday’s missive  on the use, or nonuse, of firearms optics ruffled the expected feathers.  Some readers may have missed the point of the exercise.  Therefore, some clarification is needed.

At no point did I dismiss the effectiveness of said devices. 

I simply questioned the longevity of 
OR spending large amount of capital on them.

(google Tin Whiskers if you think anything electronics made after 2006 you own that has solder will be around in 30years


Kiss of Death

I for instance own several chinesium clones that, at the time were about 30$US. 0

I have no illusions about how they would stand up to a daily beating, but for my purposes they will do 80% of the job for 10% of the money.

That number there is the Pareto Principle in action.

And I am a Pareto Prepper.

The idea that 20% of the effort / cash will get you 80% of the way.

The ratio can be 90/10 to 70/30.  For fun learn about Powerlaws and Gini Indicies.

 

Think of a whole home generator. I have many friends with them.  They are fantastic to have. But the bill they come with after installation can easily be 15,000$US.

But hang out in a few pawnshops for a few days and one can Find a used Honda EU3000 for less than a grand. After I add in 100ft 10/3 Extension Cord  (You do know about voltage drop, right?) 

I can do 90% of the job and have 14K to use on something else. 

Spend another 300$ on a transfer switch and some Jack Daniels for your buddy that can tie it in to the panel.....Things get even easier.

Sure I cannot fire up my A/C, but I can keep the freezers / fridges / well pump / instant gas hot water heater running a few hours a day and use less than half gallon of gasoline per day.  

How many therms of Natgas will they burn thru in a few days powering an entire home?

Oh wait.....if I add one of these to my A/C  

Then I CAN run the A/C and prolong its life as a side effect.

 

I see these examples everywhere:


Yeti Cooler vs Walmart Yeti knockoff

Freeze dried food vs a mixed pantry of staples and frozen foods

An Apple iPhone on Verizon vs A Google Fi phone and service

Snap On  vs Craftsman



Basically if your profession is not paying you to go the last 20% 

(Alaskan Field Guide,  Prepping Blogger,  Director of Communication at SOMEHuge INC,  Diesel Mechanic) .


Don’t do it.




Comments section here is the sandbox at preschool...y'all tards wanna throw sand in each others eyes, knock yourself out.....find your own hose.

6 comments:

  1. I'm a diesel mech. Have some Harbor Freight tools. 3/8 drive impact sockets, a flex head ratchet, 1/4 drive flex head ratchet. Use them everyday. I've broke the 1/4 ratchet a couple of times. Take it back, they replace it. Broke one socket and wore out 2 of them. Ive got Snap On and Matco tools but keep using the Harbor Freight cheapo stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  2. thanks for the clarification. i like the train of thought. in many instances, good enough is good enough. good enough may allow for 2 of an item instead of 1

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have several rifles around a hundred years old, that will probably be around another hundred years or so. Some of my scopes might last, but none of the electronics!

    When prepping few of us have unlimited amounts of money, the Pareto principle is a good one! I have used the principle for decades, just never had a name.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yup. Those old milsurps will be good for another ten generations of soldiers...provided there is ammo.

      Delete
  4. When I pull a trigger, I want the gun to go bang 100% of the time. It's not a cost thing, it's a reliability thing. Well tested guns and good ammo 100% of the time.

    ReplyDelete

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