Tool sponsors ruin instagram makers

[Van Huskey]

She mentioned about water repellent uppers, traditional Norwegian welt stitched (no idea what it was!) and blah blah blah. Hikers and climbers here probably can tell us if she was a big sucker spending that kind of money on a pair of boots (the same way how we might look at the next guy spending $300 on a coping saw).

Simon

I have bought several pairs of boots that were over 500 and a lot if adjusted to today's money. One has to keep in mind if one is a light weight backpacker, trekker or alpine climber the condition of your feet can literally be the difference between life and death. I have a pair of Scarpa Phantoms that cost about the same as a Laguna 14" bandsaw but saw my feet through ascents on Cho Oyu, Everest and Denali in the winter (when I was younger, broker and harder I wore what I could afford, usually the bare minimum). I will say when you get to $350 or more in a boot it should be a "technical" boot. If I am out strolling on a marked "tourist" trail I likely to just have a pair of running shoes, maybe trail running shoes but at most a pair of very lightweight hiking boots that I probably bought on clearance from Sierra Trading post, but the cell phone works, other people will happen by and I could crawl back to the car if I had to.

As for content creators and paid "commercials" I don't really mind since it is usually very obvious (I think youtube requires disclosures now) and I often find it useful. A case in point is a video by Marc (The Wood Whisperer) about the new(er) Powermatic tenon jig. Marc and his wife are possibly the king and queen of woodworking content monetization. The thing I found useful was he explained and showed exactly how to use it explaining pretty much every feature. This is something to that point nobody including Powermatic had done successfully. What he produced was an excellent 10 min (or so) commercial but it gave me all the info I was interested in, I didn't expect him to tell me every tiny flaw or if he the first one in and it was a lemon but I could see how it worked and it made sense. BTW it works just as advertised, while I have lots of ways to makes tenons it truly is a set it and get darn near perfect results jig. So I like in-depth "commercials" when they are well thought out.

[Peter Kelly]

I trust those are the most charming hiking boots in existence.

Strictly intended for social climbing.

[Simon MacGowen]

Strictly intended for social climbing.

Indeed! She is a hobbyist climber, doing it on a weekend basis as a form of outing, meeting others of the same interest, etc. But she does it even in the winter time.

Simon

[Thomas L Carpenter]

I have just started to use Instagram and only follow a couple of people. Who are your favorites? I don't own the most expensive tools nor do I own the cheapest and not really interested in folks telling me what to buy. Just tell me how to make something.

[William Chain]

At this point I’m following furniture and furniture designers/builders. They sometimes post a how-to but the ones I follow are mostly progress on pieces, and some other stuff. I unfollowed anyone that flogged tools. That pared it down at lot. I gave up on the “makers”.

Edit: a new tool dropped today. Cue the praise from "makers" - Thomas, anyone who posts on that tool today is exactly what I'm talking about.

I have just started to use Instagram and only follow a couple of people. Who are your favorites? I don't own the most expensive tools nor do I own the cheapest and not really interested in folks telling me what to buy. Just tell me how to make something.

[Stan Calow]

Not just in woodworking. A friend of mine showed me her new pair of hiking boots:$500+! She is a hobbyist hiker/climber.

Simon

I didn't know Festool made boots.

[Simon MacGowen]

I didn't know Festool made boots.

She said her boots were made in Italy, not Germany. I think she would look at my Festool toys more or the less the same way I looked at her hiking gear, to be fair.

Simon

[William Chain]

They got their hooks in another one of my preferred makers. Sigh, another one off the list. Overpriced square makers are turning every furniture and maker channel into the same series of dumb photos of squares. Great, you have seven of them. I’m sure it took all those to make the trestle work.