How much are you saving? Since I have a job, and would rather trade some money for more time, I choose nicer kit with better warranty. I definitely didn’t do this when I was younger and would run at a much lower cost.

I had more losses and maintenance work back then. In either case, the real specs are what matters. There is more obfuscation of things now than there used to be. There is also more market consolidation and less competition to keep manufacturers on their toes. None of this is great for the consumer.

Anyone know about the actual attrition here? When companies get acquired they usually try to force a bunch of people out that are hard to replace. What intellectual property and manufacturing they can take can is also a big factor.