A Rebuke For Brand Snobbery

[solaryellow]

I have been biting my tongue for the last month or so but I can't hold back any longer. I just surpassed the 200lbs mark on my slicer. Not much of a feat is it? Well, according to a few here it is. You see, I bought a Waring Pro slicer a few months back and have since read such crap as "I picked it up and it felt cheap so I put it back" or "I bought one and took it home. My first use of it I could smell the motor heat up so I returned it". No kidding? A $50 slicer felt cheap in your hands so you put it back? An electric motor got warm with usage? You don't say! It is a darn good thing that computer of yours has fans because the processor, memory, graphics card and power supply also heat up. That is what happens when you put an electrical device to work. I also was bothered to see someone read one of these same reviews and say "Two out of three, that is good enough for me".

You may notice I removed my avatar and also my signature. About 3 weeks ago I got so fed up with some of the snobbery from some of you that I decided to delete all my info and only lurk. But then I thought I would be a bigger thorn in the side of those who talk out their rear if I hung around so I decided not to. So here it is. My 12lbs of roast beef marks the first of 200lbs of sliced meat my "cheap" and "unsuitable" Waring Pro slicer has produced. It still is running great and doing exactly what I expect of it.

For those of you shooting from the hip, I am disappointed that you dare offer advice without any practical experience on the subject matter. I hope someday karma rewards you for the discouragement you have offered others. There are a few folks not around here much anymore that used to participate a lot until the upper echelons of SMF jumped down there throat for their methods. I miss their input. Not all of us can afford $1000+ Hobart commercial slicers or pre-built BDS UDS smokers, etc.

6lbs down and 6 to go.

12lbs of goodness waiting for bread.

 

[got14u]

First off nice meat. I would love to have some of that for sammies during the week. As for people saying things about a slicer....well to each his own. Just remember people will always think more expensive is better sometimes. And a lot of times it is. But if what you have is doing the job YOU bought it for then I figure it is well worth the money. I haven't ran into much attitudes here so I can't comment much on it. As for people reviewing things wrong in your opinion, all you can do is state your experience about the product and let it go. I wouldn't get to worked up over some peoples opinions you know what they say about them....They just like something else everyone has..lol

I hope you decide to stick around and not to just be a THORN in peoples sides. this place is great and there are still a lot of good people here. Hopefully you can let it go and smoke on. Also after looking at your slice it seems to look a lot like mine from Cabelas..I think mine is cheap also..BUT that's why I bought it. It turns out great slices when I need it.

 

[the dude abides]

Glad the slicer is working for you.

In the immortal words of the great philosopher Ferris Bueller...
"Don't worry about it, I don't even have a piece of ****. I have to envy yours.'

 

[got14u]

The wise words of THE DUDE ! how can you argue with such deep philosophy ???

 

[gnubee]

Solar I sure agree with you to a point.

I avidly the reviews of products that I'm interested in on such websites as Cabelas and Canadian tire store the places I shop most often. If there are 5 or less reviews I tend to not give them much credence. If there are 10 or more reviews I start with the lowest ratings and read them first. That way you can usually see a common thread about any products potential problems. You also have to discount reviews that simply say "Its Junk", or "It's Awesome", without any explaination. Some reviews will say something like I bought it this afternoon and it works really well. While sincere this kind of review is really useless, the product needs to work over a long period of time.

The very best reviews are from folks who have tried the product and perhaps several other similar comparable products, the reviewer will list its pros and cons and give fact based conclusions. Your product review about the Waring Pro Slicer is one example of a good review. Its from someone who has actually used the product in question.

The trick with reading any review is to decide if the person does or does not know what they are talking about in the first place and dont sweat it about the ones that don't.

PS. I have a Hobart commercial that will do several cows in a row without flinching. I bought it at a yard sale for $50.00 You can't move it around without help but dang that thing can slice meat. I also have a $49.00 Black and decker slicer that does a good job Is made of some kind of plastic and feels cheap but really cuts meat well.

 

[alx]

Nice Pics and good job.

Internet is a bad place to have feelings....I know!!! I have posted things i later regretted.

Hope you find a happy medium....I do not own a slicer myself or commented on any- and will look into yours..........

Good Luck and smoke on...

 

[bbq engineer]

Solar,

I don't have a slicer either...but I got some really sharp knives! Slicer is on the list though, and I'm sure for as much as I use it, it will be a waring pro slicer too.

Yesterday I got a new grinder for my birthday... Check it out. Under $90 bucks...works for me!



I tried this baby out today, and guess what, it worked exactly as it should have, and it ground up 8 lbs of pork butt as fast as I could shove it down the throat. It isn't a 1 HP cabelas or a hobart commercial, but guess what, it didn't cost me an arm and a leg, and it produced a fantastic result. It doesn't have to be incredibly expensive to work well. Hope you stick around and can continue to contribute to the conversation.

 

[solaryellow]

It is indeed the same slicer. In fact, I have seen the same slicer under 4 different brand names now. I pointed that out in another thread and got the unsurprising "Oh, I don't want that one then."

Don't misunderstand me, I am not gonna stay to be a *****. But one of the things that irks me is people who comment on things they have no business commenting on to begin with. If I don't know something, I keep my mouth shut or my fingers inactive as the case may be. I enjoy this place and there are more than a few people here who have given me some great advice and continue to help me out. It's the know-nothing who know everything that have been bugging me. I just wanted to take a couple minutes to point out to them how wrong they are and the advice they give is.

 

[alx]

Solar-.I hope a regular did not get your cotton up,but these things happen on a forum........

 

[solaryellow]

Yeah, I know. But this forum is different than most forums I visit and for the most part everyone here is thoughtful and courteous. Other places are not so much like that and I deal with that in an entirely different way. In fact, it probably would have been easier to sling some insults as opposed to construct a rant, but that is not what SMF is about and I appreciate that.

 

[alx]

I agree...I just hope you let it ride and stick with us.This forum is not immune from spammers/insulters etc...I like your work on that beef..and tons of good folk here who are regulars who appreciate the hard work brother...........

 

[solaryellow]

Based on some feedback I got privately, I want to clear something up. I am not upset that someone doesn't like my slicer. I personally don't care about that. I am using that as an example.

I haven't been here very long but I definitely notice the absence of some folks who may have had ideas that were contrary to others. Rather than poo-poo those ideas I tried some of them out. Most of them yielded a superior product to traditional means and I am a better person for trying something different. I just don't want to see more of those ideas driven out along with their originators.

 

[richoso1]

If it works good enough for you, then it was a good purchase on your part. I have had similiar experiences with otrher's comments, but the bottom line is... if your happy then that's all that counts. Slice one for me my friend.

 

[beer-b-q]

Now Days you can not buy a product by brand and think you are getting something different, ost major brands are made by the same companys...

For example, Whirlpool owns the following brands;

* Whirlpool
* Maytag
* KitchenAid
* Jenn-Air
* Amana
* Roper
* Acros
* Estate
* Inglis
* Bauknecht
* Brastemp
* Consul
* Gladiator GarageWorks

Note that Maytag now owned by Whirlpool owns the following brands;

* Admiral
* Amana
* Caloric
* Crosley
* Dynasty
* Gaffers & Sattler
* Glenwood
* Hardwick
* Holiday
* Hoover vacuums
* Jade
* JENN-Air
* Litton
* Magic Chef
* Menu Master
* Modern Maid
* Norge
* Sunray

Do you see where this is going?

Basically the only difference is cosmetic, they are all made by just a few manufacturers...

My suggestion is buy what you can afford and what fits your needs.

Why should a person the uses a slicer occasionally need a commercial duty slicer. I have been using my Rival electric for the last 25 years and it suits my current needs...

PS: Just don't get me started on the Bradley Digital Smoker I bought...

 

[hoser]

Well, I have a Waring Pro, been using it quite some time and have nothing to complain about with it.


http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ghlight=slicer

 

[adamj812]

I just have a little Rival fold up slicer. Does what I need it to. I think I paid like $23 for it on clearance at Walmart. I've easily ran 300lbs of meat through it the past couple years. It's about as flimsy as they come, but with a little work, gets the job done.

 

[alblancher]

About snob appeal on the forum

My sister in law baked a brisket a couple of weeks ago. Couple of hours in the oven, a bit of red sauce and spices. The brisket came out good. When asked my opinion I agreed with her family that the brisket was very good but please don't call it BBQed or smoked.

Rather then cause an argument that I couldn't win I let it slide. The audience I was speaking to just wanted a tender tasty brisket, not necessarily a tender, delicious smoked brisket. They didn't know the difference and didn't care to learn the difference. This forum does know and care about the difference. If you want to learn how to do quality smoke this is the place to be, if all you want is a good braised brisket you may seek advice somewhere else.

I prefer to use knives to slice meat, I may be a purist or I may be too cheap to buy a nice slicer, does it matter?

Al

 

[oneshot]

Great pics Solar!!!! Lookin good!!!!

Now for the other schtuff. If I ever act like a "snob" please slap me back into reality cause I hate snobby people too. I hope that's not how I come off cause those are not my intentions. When I post what I have or have gotten it's only to show a new product I've bought or use and to share with others what another option is for them. I've got an elcheapo slicer to and it's still workin great. I did buy a commercial slicer cause I'm doin larger stuff now and it made it much quicker and easier. I'm venturing into new areas now and I've weighed out prices, quality and ease of use for me cause I usually work alone. So if I buy a piece of equipment that has hands free controls like a foot peddle it's for ease of use by one person and I post it for others to see you don't need 4 hands to do something. I do enjoy when others post their equipment cause it may be something I'd like to have to make things easier or quicker for me (I believe in working smarter not harder...lol). On a forum of this size disagreements are going to happen (I've had a couple myself) but all in all for the number of members here the problems are relatively small in number compared to other sites.
So put your stuff back up and keep posting, you do some good stuff and I've enjoyed it.

And always remember......

Don't sweat the petty stuff and don't pet the sweaty stuff.....

 

[eaglewing]

Once again I have to chime in only as a perspective participant.
This is a public forum with 15K+ members 30% of which have NO POSTS or are not even active here. The rest are humans who by virtue of being members here feel they have an opinion to express. Some are driven to post 'useless' advice to increase their post count, others just want to belong to the group in one way or another.

I have said this before, this behavior is very common in large forums like this one. I have created and admined 4 other forums as popular as this one here and in every case there is ALWAYS those who tends to be the 'snob' or Mr. Know-it-all and feel the need to express. They also ALWAYS get called out by those who they bother like you solaryellow. And in most cases I don't blame them or you for saying what you did.
HOWEVER, "It's the nature of the beast". You wouldn't watch a 'debate' and actually expect a bunch of intelligent conversation would you??? NO!!! So sometimes it also happens here too.
ADMIN and MODS, you guys do a great job and this is a great place. It is just simply impossible to keep it pure and logical when there is so many flawed humans involved in one place, me being one of the worst of them all.

solaryellow, hang in there and thanks for the post. It may hit home with some and make this even a better place to hang... and it may not, no big deal.

 

[blue]

I'm with Dude on this one...I don't have one so I am jealous. $50-60 is my price range.