What are the items you refuse to own on principle?

[Pianorak]

Whether 'the brushing is done properly' without an electric brush may depend on one's particular physiognomy. I find my e-brush makes it far easier to clean the very back molars thoroughly, and also the backs of my lower incisors where a normal hand brush-head is too long to really get round the tight curve. . .

Electric toothbrush, Kindle, battery-operated vacuum cleaner are all a godsend!

[Richard Tarleton]

My dentist tells me there's no particular advantage to having an electric toothbrush as long as the brushing is done properly.

....especially if used in conjunction with those "interdental brushes" and floss/tape, which between them get at the surfaces between your teeth, and bits of food lodged there which resist brushing....

My dental hygienist (separate session, more money) pleased with results, says I don't need to go electric. My dentist, a conservationist, I think does a rough cost/benefit calculation of the relative life expectancy of you and your teeth when discussing anything expensive. I haven't gone the full Keith Richards yet.

[Serial_Apologist]

Ah, we have something in common. I have two self-tie bow ties. I only use them 2/3 times a year, but I think they are so cool.

Whenever I see someone in a bow tie, rightly or wrongly, I always associate it with Terry Thomas - that type of person, if you get me, who was still very much "around" in the 1950s.

[Serial_Apologist]

Time to revisit some of the overlooked ones from up-thread.

I think electric toothbrushes are good, and personally I think they may be helping to stop my teeth falling out. I recommend them.

We have a small battery operated vacuum cleaner which we use for picking up crumbs. We had one before which was hopeless, but this one seems OK. Are you referring to larger vacuum cleaners by any chance? Many tools these days are battery powered and seem to work quite well, judging from the heavy duty kit which workmen sometimes bring round to do various jobs, and they seem much more convenient than devices connected directly to the mains. We still have some wired vacuum cleaners which we use if the mains lead permits.

Perhaps you use a brush, or have a man to clean for you?

Re hedges - we employ a gardener, or sometimes I trim the hedges with shears.

There's an ad for the G-Tech Power Unit or some such, all-in-one with detachable parts, and which now apparently replaces two units, one large, one small for vacuuming sofas etc., so you probably would have wasted money on last year's model(s)! Like so often these days with TV advertisements the man advertising it, ostensibly the designer of the thing, I find intensely annoying in his manner, apart from the questionableness of some of his claims. Enough power to last an hour? It takes me longer than that to hoover my wee flat! Do the batteries then run flat? - and if so, what does one then do?? Folowing Mr G-Tech they're all now at it, trying to outbid each other in assault with batteries! Also there are far too many appliances on sale these days whch depend on battery operation, which must be increasing landfill and subsequent ground water acid contamination exponentially. FYI I do my own housework, and for much of the time I use one of those mini-Ewbank carpet sweepers I got from a catalogue many years ago, which has lasted well, and gathers up a surprising amount of dust etc., as well as not adding to electricity bills!

[Serial_Apologist]

It's the bonkersness of buying pre-ripped, factory-distressed jeans, to whose current condition you have contributed nothing. They're a fraud. Well-worn (by you) jeans acquire a patina of use which is quite different - the pre-ripped ones usually have just a slit or cut without the corresponding fading and fraying and wear around the hole (a fashionisto writes ) . What makes it worse these days is the penchant for 'skinny' jeans.

I got through lots of 501s once upon a time but have now given up on jeans. Ties - I own 4 but I don't think I've worn one since my niece's wedding in 2013 - and that was with kilt and Argyll jacket. I last wore a bow tie on 09.11.1997.

Whenever my jeans reach the stage of holiness at the knees, I just cut them off at that point, giving me a new pair of shorts, in fashionable denim! I haven't managed to find a use for the cut off legs: the neighbour's cat finds them too difficult to crawl into!

[teamsaint]

....especially if used in conjunction with those "interdental brushes" and floss/tape, which between them get at the surfaces between your teeth, and bits of food lodged there which resist brushing....

My dental hygienist (separate session, more money) pleased with results, says I don't need to go electric. My dentist, a conservationist, I think does a rough cost/benefit calculation of the relative life expectancy of you and your teeth when discussing anything expensive. I haven't gone the full Keith Richards yet.

Rather oddly, I was on hold waiting for a conference call today, and instead of hold music, we got the US news from an un-named outlet. ( I'm honestly not making this up). And the main item that I caught, was one telling us that some US govt dept has now determined that flossing is of no proven use.

Which, IMO is likely a load of rubbish.

But I'm passing it on for the greater good. No doubt the spokesperson who announced this to journalists got a good pasting.

[Serial_Apologist]

It's the bonkersness of buying pre-ripped, factory-distressed jeans, to whose current condition you have contributed nothing. They're a fraud. Well-worn (by you) jeans acquire a patina of use which is quite different - the pre-ripped ones usually have just a slit or cut without the corresponding fading and fraying and wear around the hole (a fashionisto writes ) . What makes it worse these days is the penchant for 'skinny' jeans.

The main problem for the wearer of "skinny jeans" - or for that matter the many forms of trouserment that taper to near ankle circumference measurement these days - is the way they tighten up and catch behind the knees when one sits down. This is a design fault that never used to happen with drainpipes!

[ahinton]

Rather oddly, I was on hold waiting for a conference call today, and instead of hold music, we got the US news from an un-named outlet. ( I'm honestly not making this up). And the main item that I caught, was one telling us that some US govt dept has now determined that flossing is of no proven use.

Which, IMO is likely a load of rubbish.

But I'm passing it on for the greater good. No doubt the spokesperson who announced this to journalists got a good pasting.

He probably deserved the brush-off, too.

[Serial_Apologist]

He probably deserved the brush-off, too.

Only if it were acciDENTAL.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The electric version can be useful for those with compromised manual dexterity such as arthritis sufferers, and children will often cooperate better with a gadget.

Oh, indeed - I wasn't putting e-brushes (to reuse LMP's handy abbreviation) in my own "wouldn't touch 'em on principle" list, just agreeing with LMP's comment that the efficacy of electric vs manual teethbrush is largely a matter of the contours & structure of one's cakehole. There are definitely groups of people for whom the electric variety are essential.

You mention arthritis - because of terrible pains in my arms from manual hedge trimming with shears, I've given in and bought myself an electric one, and have just used it for the very first time. The whole thing was done in the time it used to take me to do one row of a hedge. The e-toothbrush may yet be something I have to give in and buy one day.


(Apologies for all the Typos here - I'm getting used to typing with three fewer fingers.)

[Old Grumpy]

Rather oddly, I was on hold waiting for a conference call today, and instead of hold music, we got the US news from an un-named outlet. ( I'm honestly not making this up). And the main item that I caught, was one telling us that some US govt dept has now determined that flossing is of no proven use.

Which, IMO is likely a load of rubbish.

But I'm passing it on for the greater good. No doubt the spokesperson who announced this to journalists got a good pasting.

New tweet from @POTUS - Ha, FOLSS NEWS, Dude!

[HighlandDougie]

Anything electrical branded ‘Dyson’

[Serial_Apologist]

You mention arthritis - because of terrible pains in my arms from manual hedge trimming with shears, I've given in and bought myself an electric one, and have just used it for the very first time. The whole thing was done in the time it used to take me to do one row of a hedge. The e-toothbrush may yet be something I have to give in and buy one day.

My father's gardener owned a petrol-driven hedge trimmer, and always forgot about the cable on my father's whenever he came to cut our beech hedges, with the consequence that he frequently sliced through it. The amazing thing is that he never electrocuted himself - this being the days before automatic cut-outs - but that cable had more repairs along it than any other cable I've ever seen, almost worth taking out shares in insulating tape. Ws it the edge cutter, or the 'edgecutter that he was on about? - we used to wonder!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

My father's gardener owned a petrol-driven hedge trimmer, and always forgot about the cable on my father's whenever he came to cut our beech hedges, with the consequence that he frequently sliced through it. The amazing thing is that he never electrocuted himself - this being the days before automatic cut-outs - but that cable had more repairs along it than any other cable I've ever seen, almost worth taking out shares in insulating tape. Ws it the edge cutter, or the 'edgecutter that he was on about? - we used to wonder!

I'm very impressed with my new toy - not only does it do the job remarkably quickly, it's much tidier than the results I got from the hand shears. Looking down at the garden from my bedroom window, it's amazing how much I can see now: a Fuchsia, a group of Cyclamen, the bird table, my left leg ...

[french frank]

it's amazing how much I can see now: a Fuchsia, a group of Cyclamen, the bird table, my left leg ...

Bird table needs something to stand on.