You Get What You Pay For!

[johnwoitalla]

How long did it take for you to learn this lesson? I'm always looking for that "Goldilocks" sweet spot when it comes to buying...just about everything. I've been through it with stereos, fishing gear, camera/photgraphy gear, and of course shooting/airgunning. One example that comes to mind was when I bought a Simmons 44 mag scope, everything worked on it, but the reticle was as thick as two telephone poles. Fortunately I didn't have to go through it with wives...I'm still on my first one for the last 31 years.

 

[dgeesaman]

I learned it pretty early on, when I started shooting springers and tried cheap Simmons scopes ve Leupolds, and a fine Air Arms vs a medium grade RWS and a junk Crosman big box thing.
It’s continued at a different price point as I now have a Thomas and S&B scope at my top end and in some ways it’s unfair to compare it to those springers. But at the higher end I find the exact performance of a particular copy of that airgun or scope is as big of a difference as the change in price point. So you don’t always get more for your money, but on average over multiple days points you definitely do.

 

[trapdoor2]

My favorite quote, attributed to John Ruskin.

"It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money - that's all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot - it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better." ~ John Ruskin

 

[6gun]

How long did it take for you to learn this lesson? I'm always looking for that "Goldilocks" sweet spot when it comes to buying...just about everything. I've been through it with stereos, fishing gear, camera/photgraphy gear, and of course shooting/airgunning. One example that comes to mind was when I bought a Simmons 44 mag scope, everything worked on it, but the reticle was as thick as two telephone poles. Fortunately I didn't have to go through it with wives...I'm still on my first one for the last 31 years.

It took me 30 years to realize I'm buying low end stuff and putting the same amount of money in it over time to soup it up as if I had just done the "buy once cry once".

I tried to make a marauder something it isn't. 15 years down the line I bought an fx and do not regret it. I still don't have a Martin rapid gun or a leshiy 2....so i didnt go all the way

No more sub 100 dollar optics either. It took about 25 scopes to realize that.

I still dump money into crosmans because.... Nostalgia.

 

[6gun]

I learned it pretty early on, when I started shooting springers and tried cheap Simmons scopes ve Leupolds, and a fine Air Arms vs a medium grade RWS and a junk Crosman big box thing.
It’s continued at a different price point as I now have a Thomas and S&B scope at my top end and in some ways it’s unfair to compare it to those springers. But at the higher end I find the exact performance of a particular copy of that airgun or scope is as big of a difference as the change in price point. So you don’t always get more for your money, but on average over multiple days points you definitely do.

I learned the Simmons and optics planet chinesium lesson so many times now I just stuck a vortex viper pst on an old discovery in 177.

 

[dgeesaman]

I learned the Simmons and optics planet chinesium lesson so many times now I just stuck a vortex viper pst on an old discovery in 177.

The Simmons I have is old school before China was making scopes for name brands. But the optical quality is only OK compared to better glass.

 

[Ranchibi]

I also learned that lesson when I am able to afford the better quality things, buy once cry once is a pretty truthful saying in my guesstimation...

 

[DeanB]

How long did it take for you to learn this lesson? I'm always looking for that "Goldilocks" sweet spot when it comes to buying...just about everything. I've been through it with stereos, fishing gear, camera/photgraphy gear, and of course shooting/airgunning. One example that comes to mind was when I bought a Simmons 44 mag scope, everything worked on it, but the reticle was as thick as two telephone poles. Fortunately I didn't have to go through it with wives...I'm still on my first one for the last 31 years.

Personally I like the .44 Mag scope with target turrets, perfect for hunting not paper punching. I can dial with it and it returns to zero every time. Have owned at least 4 of them and 3 of them were on magnum springers with zero issues. Not the Chinese ones made in Philippines.

 

[Vana2]

For me, it's a Goldilocks thing - too cheap, too expensive, just right.

In the sliding scale from useless junk to over priced status stuff there are (typically/usually) well designed, well made products at a reasonable price available.

In most things I consider myself to be a "serious amateur" and (try) to make my purchases just below the "professional level" where the laws of diminishing returns kick in.

A basic, inexpensive product may function well and with a bit of effort (polishing and improving fit and tollerances) turn out to be exceptional. But I'm always dubious about inexpensive products that are loaded with all of the fancy high-end features - that implies that serious compromises were likely made to meet the price point.

Like others, I've wasted a lot of money/effort buying bargains and trying to improve them. Being older now, I prefer to wait and save a bit more money to buy in at the level I want to be at.

Cheers!

 

[RickH]

It’s been variable for me. After getting the old Crosmans restored and shooting nicely my next one was a Maximus. Not fast, fancy or expensive but with a $40 red dot it was breaking eggs at 30 yards. A couple of Benjamin Trails, able to split cards at 10 meters. My Gauntlets were a bit lacking in workmanship but a little work on each and they both shoot accurately and hard. Meanwhile my 2078A 10 meter gun groups nicely while the Anschutz sometimes makes me consider taking up golf. There are good bargain priced guns available that will cover most people’s needs or wants while a high price piece can on occasion be truly disappointing. Figure out what your needs are, make a budget and learn all you can. In terms of quality, money isn’t everything.

Rick H.