How to identify quality products

qual·i·ty /ˈkwälədē/

noun: quality; plural noun: qualities
1.
the standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence of something.
“an improvement in product quality”

2.
a distinctive attribute or characteristic possessed by someone or something.
“he shows strong leadership qualities”

Weird article to be writing in these times. COVID-19 has the world quarantined, everything is shut down, and we are writing about how to shop smarter. We think it’s important. The objects, services and PEOPLE we choose to support with our money, matters A LOT. We are learning more and more each day, that businesses run America. The people we give our money to, sculpt our destiny.

Enough philosophy, what makes a good product GREAT? Here’s our list of what we think matters most, but first a caveat: this is free thinking here, we are expressing concepts from our experience. We know there are established schools of thought around this, we are not perpetuating them in detail. We are writing this article as a form of exploration into our own purchasing habits, exploring motives in real time and sharing them with you, transparency free. Many things will be omitted, many concepts may be mislead. Add a healthy dose of salt <3

1. Process

The origins of how a product is made can have monumental impacts on your experience(more on that later). If the algae shampoo you bought was made with radioactive chemicals or with inconsistent proportions from bottle to bottle, you might not enjoy the experience. The way products are made can have large and lasting impacts on not only your experience, but the experience of those creating the product. We tend to place greater value on services, objects & digital purchases made by people who are passionate about it.

A handmade leather wallet made by your daughter or best friend is going land higher on your value scale. The value of knowing the process adds to the experience, you smile and/or gain pleasure from knowing the origins of your purchase are deliberate, carefully made, and done by someone in a positive light. You hold it with care, you repair it as needed, it’s percieved value grows with time. This emotional component adds to the “degree of excellence” we attribute to something as living breathing organic human beings. This is an intangible though powerful factor we always try to consider when making a purchase.

2. Experience

Why do people pay thousands for cameras and lenses, overextend on mortgages for houses, spend endlessly on automobile modifications? We believe these purchases are driven by experience in some form or another.

Here are some elements of experience:

Experience from process: In whatever capactiy, process serves to incrase value. It’s nature adds an improvement in the functionality and effectiveness of a service, product or digital media.
Experience from association: The buyer’s awareness and societal value placed on the process/materials used in production solicit an a desirable association in any capacity. Whether that association be youth, sex, prestige, affluence, intelligence, strength, etc.
Experience from function: The design of the service or item is unique in its makeup. The experience of using, the speed of the service, the effectiveness of the medium is valued more due to the novelty and strength of the design’s function. It works, and it works exceedingly well.
Experience from form: The visual identiy of the service, for example a Roomba vacuum, adds to the enjoyment, increases value and creates a higher quality item. If Roombas where three times the size, they might still function, but the value you place on it’s form would be diminished. Coffee mugs are round for a reason.

As you we see, there are many factors influencing the experience of using a product and thus the level of quality we assign to it.

3. Longevity

Here emerges longevity, the side effect of process and experience.

What makes a product last longer? You guessed it! The materials used, the process of using them, and the experience produced by that process. It’s the classic question of Form vs Function – a question we admittedly have not researched enough. Typically form should follow function. A beautiful Swiss cheese umbrella keeps nothing dry. Design & form must follow function or risk uselessness. So what makes something last longer? how can you identify it in the products we buy? Well first we start in researching and identifying the week points of a particular product category. If we were buying a tea/coffee mug for example:

We would want to consider the product’s achilles heels:

Is it durable? thick glass? Does it microwave? Dishwasher? This is the easy part

2. Does the product, service or media actively anticipate its own demise? What does it do to prevent it? this comes back to process, it revisits experience. What measures are taken to improve the resilience amidst consistence experience.

"this may easily be our most important indicator of longevity. The extent to which a maker anticipates and resists the perils of deterioration."

So how do you find these high-quality products? Obviously, use our search engine, they live in the top 40 of most categories. On the other hand, seek out these things.

Keep in mind that sometimes, it pays to pony up. There are hidden costs that you inevitably pay when you choose cheap and fast:

The cost of enjoying the user experience less, in perpetuity for the life of the product. It’s a missed smile or feeling of joy, every time.
The environmental and humanitarian cost that inevitably reflects back to us from supporting unethical businesses.
The emotional, personal and or professional cost of having an item fails at a critical or decisive moment.
The added cost of time, energy and money repairing the item more often.
The added cost of replacing the item with a similar or better alternative inevitably.
The cost of speed: purchasing an item in front of us, instead of vetting a better alternative, conditions us with dopamine toward impulsivity.

Here is our simple "find better" formula for purchases you'll regret less:

Find the most expensive/high-profile product in the industry.
Identify what they state makes them different.
Find products that make and honor similar claims.
Research the companies that manufacture these products
Search “product name” vs “competitor” and see what comes up
Research “best 2020 “product or service” “
READ the reviews of the top three industry leaders, see what the top complaints are, find products that actively address these shortcomings.

These methods don't always apply, but they have consistently helped us understand what challenges plague the process, experience and longevity of a purchase.

We have found that by becoming informed by the industry leaders, our decisions are typically more successful. Give it a try and let us know!! 🙂

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