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"Originality is the fine art of remembering what you hear,
but forgetting where you heard it."
-Laurence J. Peter
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"Read not to contradict and confute,
nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider."
-Francis Bacon
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In an industrialized world with goods and gadgets that have to be available immediately and everywhere, to everyone,
we seem to have lost sight of things that used to be quite normal. Quality, for instance.
When you buy childrenīs toys, to name but an example, it is considered perfectly normal when
they break, or simply stop working, after a short while. Household goods are expected to be replaced after some time,
instead of lasting a lifetime. Clothes last only until the next fashion trend - if youīre lucky.
In a little over twenty years of marriage, my wife and I have had to replace our tin opener ("can
opener", if youīre from one of those renegade countries where they donīt quite speak the Queenīs English anymore) five
times. Weīve had so many washing machines that I loose count.
And cars are hardly better. (Admitted, we donīt buy new cars, but second-hand vehicles.
And I suppose the first few cars donīt count anyway, because they were French. Also because they were from an era when
French cars were so environmentally friendly that there really wasnīt anything left of them by the time you had to
replace them...)
But my point is that manufacturers seem to have forgotten that quality gives satisfaction. Satisfaction that lasts.
And that poor quality, or rather: a lack of quality, only leaves you with an aftertaste of bitterness.
I wasnīt particularly fond of my first boss, to use an understatement. But she was right in one thing.
Her favourite motto was:
"The bitter taste of poor quality remains long
after the sweet taste of low price has faded."
Unfortunately, my budget doesnīt always allow me to buy quality goods. But I have discovered that sometimes you can try
to do without cheap goods until you can afford to buy quality. That doesnīt always work. But in
cases that it does, it can save you a lot of frustration and money. Yes, money. After all, if you have to buy a cheap item
more than once, or a quality item once, which is more economic? Right!
Of course, sometimes you can only dream about something. Some prices may be so high that you either just donīt have the
budget for it, or you cannot justify the purchase. Take garden tools. I would love to have the very best,
but cannot always afford it.
Watering cans, for instance, are a good example. I started using plastic ones first. Terrible. They do the job,
for a while. Until you find that even just falling over will destroy them. So you buy a metal one. And to keep
it cheap, you buy one that was manufactured in Eastern Europe. So I have a green enamelled watering can from Slovakia. Well,
it used to be a green enamelware watering can. The enamelling wasnīt terribly well done, so it flakes, and the can rusts.
I suppose that would be perfect for those who like a "distressed look". But I wish I could have a
Haws Professional long reach watering can, like my favourite BBC garden gurus
(Alan Titchmarsh and colleagues) use. Even an old one would do, because they really do last forever.
But I think it will be on my list for a while, unless I get lucky.
Itīs a bit like pocket knives. Once I was given a real Swiss army knife when I was young, a cheaper alternative simply
wouldnīt do anymore. So when I lost it, I did without for years, until I felt I could afford a new Victorinox. In our
village there is an indoor market. Quite a few stalls sell pocket knives that more or less look like Swiss army knives.
But apart from the colour, there really is no comparison. The fakes donīt feel right, and they give up the ghost before
you know it. Quality isnīt very hard to discern.
But unfortunately it is getting scarce. Too bad, really, because you
simply cannot beat real quality!
For a long time, a Sussex garden trug was on my wifeīs wish list. But it was just too expensive to justify buying.
I mean, we have a family of five, and they have needs too. And a nice, handmade wooden garden trug was not exactly at
the top of their needs list. And then, one day, I saw a nice used trug on eBay. Now my wife has the real thing.
eBay is sometimes a good solution to this kind of problem, by the way. If I want
something nice, but donīt have the budget to go buy a brand new item in the high street, I sometimes try to find a good
alternative on eBay. Years ago, I broke my camera on a trip. Of course the travel insurance company refused to pay.
Thatīs what insurance companies do: they take your money, and then donīt help when you think you had any eventuality
covered. Anyway, it was a nice single lens reflex camera, one that I couldnīt easily replace from my budget
at the time. So I temporarily gave up my photographic hobby. But now that Iīve discovered the possibilities of eBay,
Iīve been able to solve the problem.
I found a nice camera, a nice lens, some nice accessories,
and all at unbelievably low prices. Iīm one happy amateur photographer again,
thanks to looking for second-hand quality goods at low prices on eBay! And, by the way, I bought a sturdy metal
camera. The same model is also available in plastic. And I know, plastic cameras are much lighter. But I like to have
a good, solid product in my hand.
If I can get it, and I can afford it, I prefer handmade items. Or goods that have been produced with a time-tested process
that ensures quality. I like to give crafts, craftsmen, artisans, and other things that are supposedly from the past a
chance. They give me a lot more satisfaction than cheap, mass produced stuff.
Often I donīt even have to use these quality goods to find satisfaction. Just holding a well-made item, or looking at it,
can give me a really good feeling. Furniture is a good example. I donīt have the budget to buy just any quality furniture
I like. So yes, there is quite a lot from Ikea in my home. But in the kitchen cum dining room stands my pride and joy.
A really nice, nostalgic pine dresser (a cupboard for crockery etc., in British English) with glass doors and carved
mouldings. Itīs sturdy. It looks like someone put a lot of time and effort into making it.
And it inspires me a lot more than the cheap, mass-produced furnishings in the rest of the house.
And in it, by the way, youīll find some Wedgwood
and some Royal Albert. Mostly secondhand, but you
hardly notice that. These things were made to last and to keep pleasing the eye for years and years. And they will.
The funny thing about well-made, quality goods, is that they seem to be timeless. Take Leica cameras.
Most older cameras
are hardly worth anything anymore. I have some antique cameras and theyīre not even worth advertising on eBay. But if you
have an old Leica, you have a valuable camera. (But watch out for Russian copies!) Why does it retain its value?
Because quality never goes out of date. Itīs like the Haws watering cans I mentioned.
Its famous design was conceived in 1885. And now, some 120 years later, it is still the most popular watering
can among professionals and other discerning individuals. Quality really is timeless. And it gives you so much extra
that it is worth saving or waiting for. Itīs like Peter Roe said in
Gardens Illustrated:
"There are some things you just have to own.
A Victorinox knife.
Felco secateurs.
"
Zeiss binoculars.
"An Aston Martin.
OK then, not an Aston Martin; let's keep it real.
"But the principle's the same.
When something looks the way it does because it performs perfectly, it always looks right.
Function is the best designer, as Alec Issigonis and Le Corbusier might have said.
And the Haws Professional looks right.
It's only a watering can, but it's beautiful; every stylish line and curve of it.
Many gardeners (...) won't use anything else." Amen.
So ... do yourself a favour - go for something good!
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Disclaimer
This column is only for the purpose of entertaining, educating or
giving food for thought. Any persons, characters, countries, institutions or groups
mentioned are - as a matter of principle - fictional: any resemblance to existing ones is
purely by chance. ;-)
If the content of this column offends anyone, please accept the
columnist's apologies: no offense was intended.
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column noun
1a: a vertical arrangement of items on a page
b: a vertical section of a printed page
c: an accumulation arranged vertically
d: a department or feature (as of humor, sports,
literary reviewing, or gossip) in a newspaper or periodical, under a permanent
title and generally reflecting the writer's individual tastes and point of view.
2: a supporting pillar
3: a form, structure, or formation shaped like a column
(Webster's Dictionary.)
Relevant reads:
 Swiss Army Knife Handbook
Garden Tools & Equipment
The Mitchell Beazley Pocket Guide to Gardening
Swiss Army Knife Companion: The Improbable History of the World's Handiest Knife
Ebay the Smart Way: Selling, Buying, and Profiting on the Web's #1 Auction Site
The Official eBay Bible: The Most Up-to-Date, Comprehensive How-to Manual for Everyone from First-Time Users to People Who Want to Run Their Own Business
Leica
Wedgwood Ceramics, 1846-1959
Royal Doulton: A Legacy of Excellence
Zeiss Compendium East and West,1940-1971
Aston Martin Db4, 5, 6
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