Anthony ParrottFeb 19, 2024
Cabel Sasser

The little ways companies try to get you to waste their product — so you buy more — always gets to me.

This laundry detergent’s cap has four measuring lines, so you’d assume #4 is for maximum loads, right? No — #2 is for large loads. There’s no mention of ever needing to fill it to #4. 😵‍💫

Feb 18, 2024 at 11:41pmWeb
Show threadCabel SasserFeb 19, 2024
In ancient web times I worked on a site for Tektronix color laser printers — and there was a meeting where they said, and I wish I remembered the actual numbers here, that if everyone who owned their printers printed just ONE extra piece of paper a week they would make tens of millions of dollars more from ink sales.
Show threadMatt HealeyFeb 19, 2024
@cabel we owned a bunch of those solid wax ones. They were great printers for the period. (And yes, we printed hundreds of full color pages a week on them).
Show threadRené FouquetFeb 19, 2024
@cabel Wait, the laser printer used ink? 🤔
Show threadCabel SasserFeb 19, 2024
@rene Solid ink! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_ink
Solid ink - Wikipedia

Show threadRené FouquetFeb 19, 2024
@cabel Cool, never heard of that type before
Show threadJonathan WFeb 19, 2024
@rene they were amazingly good “business printers” but when you used them for any time, the whole office would end up smelling of melted crayons. The bit I loved best was that the wax ink “chunks” came differently shaped per colour to ensure you loaded the correct colour into each slot, reminiscent of a cylinder/square/semicircle children’s sorting blocks toy.
Show threadJackaninnyFeb 19, 2024
@cabel My company would get these printers for FREE and we just had to buy the ink from Tektronix. Sounds scammy but wasn’t a terrible deal overall (free maint). Those things were workhorses too.
Show threadChris JansenFeb 19, 2024
@cabel See also: Any "cleaning" cycles on modern inkjets when they're powered off for x amount of time, and test pattern pages that subsequently have to be printed for "verification"
Show threadJohn ClearyFeb 19, 2024
@cabel I remember the Tektronix phasers. Loved them. Black wax (they weren’t toner) was free & unlimited. Just had to pay for super pricy colour wax. 😂
Show threadTHIS ACCOUNT HAS MOVEDFeb 18, 2024
@cabel it goes to 11
Show threadManu MFeb 18, 2024
@cabel And using too much detergent could also, in the long run, ruin your clothes.
Show threadIan MurrenFeb 19, 2024

@cabel every manufacturer should take miele’s idea, let the machine dose the detergent based on soil levels (and water hardness) Two detergents one for whites only.

While might not be more economical, there is less waste.

Show threadDCActualFeb 19, 2024
@ianmurren @cabel My Whirlpool does this, but you fill it up on the top, and only one type.
Show threadIan MurrenFeb 19, 2024
@davidcameron @cabel in the EU they sell refillable containers but not in the US.
I don’t mind using one brand, as the “it just works” convenience is there.
Show threadDCActualFeb 19, 2024
@cabel Getting a washer that has a detergent reservoir is been amazing. Find a super concentrated brand that we like, fill it up every few months.
Show threadChancerubbageFeb 19, 2024
@cabel There are lines? I always probably load to 80 - 90 % of a cap regardless. Sometimes after the spin cycle, the wash might have suds residue even, but that is almost always the case if I have used a towel loaded with soap for some odd reason before washing.
Show threadDavid ThomsonFeb 19, 2024
@cabel maybe 4 is like the secret “not on the menu” options? IYKYK etc?
Show threadMarc Robinson Feb 19, 2024
@cabel It’s possible the cap is used for multiple products/containers from the parent company. Unlikely, but possible.
Show threadTimFeb 19, 2024
@cabel It’s for doing two large loads at the same time haha
Show threadDan WhiteFeb 19, 2024
@cabel I never realized until looking at this picture how much the VS Code logo looks like a rotated number 4.
Show threadschlaepsMar 2, 2024
@cabel I was thinking about this again this weekend when a plastic resealable zipper on a food bag failed yet again. What if zippers have gotten worse recently intentionally? 🤔 Need to buy more frequently if your food suddenly goes stale.