Value of a dollar and dollar to value.

[fattsgalore]

I don't know about spending almost $300 bucks for a Crimson Trace Laser or close to $200 for a flashlight. I got a flea market special (a cheapo universal laser) for five bucks.

All i did was adjust it to 10 yards, which didn't take long. I set it to where i could use my sights and laser at the same time. I adjusted the red dot to sit right above the front sight at ten yards I can even carry concealed with my laser.(a hand me down holster from a larger gun i cut down)
I then took it to the range. Spot on!
$300 or five bucks plus another five bucks for batteries.

If you want a speech from a broke man about the value of a dollar and dollar to value. Give me a holler. If your like me and refuse to spend exuberant amounts of money, tell me how you get your the value out of your dollar.

 

[dmftoy1]

I'm curious how you mounted it to the pistol? Any pictures?

Have a good one,
Dave

 

[fattsgalore]

It's my first pic of my gun taken at like 3AM. Sorry about quality.

And once agian. Spot on.

 

[rbernie]

Nuttin' wrong with saving dollars when the use is non-critical. Having said that - many people spring the bucks for the more expensive options when the item in question is intended for serious use. The reason that the expensive item costs so much is because it's actually engineered and build to a survivability standard that the $5 version simply doesn't care about.

It sure would suck to have that $5 laser break when you trip into the wall at oh-dark-thirty trying to figure out what that BUMP! was all about.

 

[Gord]

Quality costs money. Why spend $500 on a Glock when you can get a Jennings J9 for fifty bucks?

High-dollar lasers, I imagine, have lifespans measuring years or decades; with a $5 laser I'd be measuring its lifespan by "how many rounds until the recoil busts it?"

Likewise, a $100 Surefire is a different beast than a $10 Maglite.

Bang-for-your-buck is an important factor in deciding what product to buy, but you have to compare apples to apples.

 

[thexrayboy]

In the real world 9 times out of 10 you will get exactly what you pay for.
Cheap prices generally indicate cheap items. High prices generally indicate quality items. Unfortunately this guideline is not 100% accurate. Thus the need for research prior to purchase. When you get a cheap price for a quality item you feel like you just got a steal. When the reverse happens you feel as if you just got bent over. Research is your friend. The internet
makes research convenient.

 

[fattsgalore]

I like intelligent discussions.
So far so good.

 

[iamkris]

I'll agree and disagree with you.

I'm a tiny bit like you when it comes to optics. I can't fathom spending $600-700 on a scope for one of my rifles. I've seen those scopes and, while the optics really are great, my $250 Burris is no where near 1/3 the quality. I'd put it much closer to 80-90% the quality. It does the job and then some.

Where I don't agree is as a poster mentioned above...if you take your logic full forward, you really should sell that Glock and buy a Hi-Point or Lorcin...you're just throwing your money away with that arrogant Austrian brand

Likewise, everytime time I buy super cheap, I am always disappointed. I tend to buy mid-priced items...I'm occasionally disappointed but not often.

When my life depends on it, though, I'll stick to the best I can afford.

 

[logical]

I've always found it easier to just make more money and not have to make those trade-offs.

 

[Gord]

I've always found it easier to just make more money and not have to make those trade-offs.

Genius. Know anybody who's hiring no-college 19-year-olds in SoCal for around $30/hr?

 

[larry_minn]

Edited quote from iamkris
" ..I'm a tiny bit like you when it comes to optics. I can't fathom spending $600-700 on a scope for one of my rifles. I've seen those scopes and, while the optics really are great, my $250 Burris is no where near 1/3 the quality. I'd put it much closer to 80-90% the quality. It does the job and then some.
...
Likewise, everytime time I buy super cheap, I am always disappointed. I tend to buy mid-priced items...I'm occasionally disappointed but not often.

When my life depends on it, though, I'll stick to the best I can afford." end (edited) quote.

Ok we are talking a different animal here. If you had said a $20 scope but $250 IS a fair quality scope (unless overpriced) I would expect that scope to be 80% and maybe not be compatable with night vision.other stuff.
That $5 laser likely won't hold (zero) for hundreds of rds or be as visible in daylight/battery life.
I bought a cheap (red dot sight) that I used for carbine course. ($50) it worked ok for short distances/reaction shooting. BUT I can easily look under it and use iron sights (also how I sighted it in roughly from bags) I mainly bought it to TRY a red dot before I looked into spending $500 area.
Also if you keep in mind any extra WILL fail someday and be prepared to work around it that failure won't be a big deal.
IF I had a holster/laser for G26 that was cheap (and did NOT have chance of causing gun problems) I would get it.

 

[Dmack_901]

I say you should've gotten two. Put one on, and run as many rounds as you can through the gun trying to kick the laser's zero or kill it. Then you could get a rough estimate on the other's lifespan, and a fun(although expensive...) day.

 

[fattsgalore]

I agree and disagree with everyone if that helps?

I'm not gonna lie, I could have gotten something cheaper, but I also could have gotten something quite a bit more expensive. It's what fit my needs.

Hi-point pistols? Come on. I really like their carbines but their pistols, nah.
I meant it when i say I like their carbines, again best for the buck.
The .40cal is so quiet.

 

[Zen21Tao]

As an MBA student let me talk a little bit about how and why some companies sell items for low costs. There are companies that sell products cheaper because they are of cheaper quality but their are also companies that sell their products cheaper because that is simply their corporate strategy to compete against their larger more capitalized competitors.

Typically firms that are looking to build brand image position themselves to offer a superior product at lower prices than their competitors. These are typically firms that are not innovators of technology and/or are less capitalized (smaller firms with less resources). Those firms that lead the industry in innovation and are highly capitalized have to recoup their R&D and operating costs through extending their product margin (Amt of $ they make per unit). Firms that don't pioneer innovation through R&D and have less operating expenses to recoup dont have to rely on as high a product margins. They, often, are also able to further cut costs through more efficent supply chain management. This allows them to reduce their production costs even more so that they turn around and lower their sales price without having to lower their margins.

The trick is determining whether or not the low cost you are paying for a product is the result of strategic management of the firm or is because they have an inferior product. The best indicator is the strength of the brands image. As Larry mentioned, Burris scopes are less than high dollar scope but they are not of inferior quality. They also have a strong and trusted brand image in the industry.

Just my 2 cents.