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Comment by StevePerkins | Hacker News Reader

This product just seems... like a throwback to the first decade of this century.

A time when we rebelled against over-advertised, and over-priced Gillette Fusion cartridges. Not by growing beards (that would come in the 2010's). But rather by shaving with $100 German double-edge razors, badger hair brushes, and artisial shaving soaps instead.

This here is a cheap pocket radio, like you could find at Walmart for $5. Except that it is built to tune into only one frequency, it has no headphone jack, and its form-factor is a old-timey mason jar. It's "artisanal", and "locally-sourced" and all that, and it does look like a pretty conversation piece. But do people still gravitate to stuff like this?

I'm asking from genuine curiosity, because I'm not sure whether the "hipster" era faded away, or if it's still there and I just grew a little too old?

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(Note: I co-created this product, wrote this blog post, etc)

Your skepticism is something I hear a lot, and something I make it a rule not to argue with. A lot of people look at The Public Radio with disdain, and at least as many look at it without any emotional reaction at all (which is arguably worse). This was never meant to be a mass market product, and it's okay that not everyone likes it.

I will say, however, that our customer base might not be as young, bearded, and IPA-drinking as you might expect. We do sell a lot to Brooklyn (I live in Brooklyn; Kickstarter is in Brooklyn; etc) but one of our biggest customers to date is KUER, which is Utah's NPR affiliate. We've also sold large orders to a pop station in Singapore, an Orthodox Jewish community radio station in New Jersey, and to someone's grandma in rural Nebraska who makes mason jars into light fixtures that look like fireflies (one of our first customers, back in ~early 2014).

As to whether the market's going away: As I mentioned in another comment, I'm continuously surprised when I see The Public Radio in the wild and can say without reservation that we have sold way more of these things than I ever expected. And if it were someone else's creation, there's a good chance that I'd look at it with furrowed brows as well.

I really admire this respectful and level-headed comment. I think your product is neat, keep it up!

Wow, internet compliment of the year. Thanks!

You should try selling it to the DPRK, except tuned to a different frequency.

A Merkur 34 costs $40 and blades are $6/100. I broke even vs. cartridge razors in three months, a decade ago.

This is not a throwback to the safety-razor hipster era of yesterday, this is a manifestation of the artisan-chic post hipster/hipster-yuppie/yupster reality of today.

Alternate take: in an increasingly complicated world, people are coming to value simplicity and aesthetics, and will pay for these things.

Chiming in on shaving.

The double-edge safety razor can either be something that's cost saving compared to Gillette or an expensive hobby. I personally know people that spent $750 in shaving equipment, only to go back to an electric Phillips within five years.

Echoing, at 7 years in with my original DE and brush, I've saved hundreds of dollars by now and created a lot less waste compared to disposables even at costco pack prices.

But if you're the type that is going to spend huge amounts on fancy soaps and multiple brushes etc.. Then yeah you won't save money but you'll probably be spending it on other stuff anyway if you're that type.

> 7 years in with my original DE and brush

Badger hair brushes should really be replaced more frequently than once every seven years. The soaps/creams build up over time, and bristles get damaged during use, and it's something that frequently gets wet with hot water which can cause bacteria buildup.

In business school we have a framework for understanding customer needs.. jobs to be done (functional, emotional, social).

In this case the "job to be done" is probably not really to listen to news/music (there's a million better things for this).

Likely it's emotional.. decoration, nostalgia, "toy"

Therefore alternatives to this product are not other radios but other fun decorations, throw back items, or simple electronic devices.

For modeling I think this is similar to "the light phone" that also did well on crowd funding. So I think there is a trend here.

My 16 year old daughter has a spotify premium account yet has discovered vinyl and now is collecting it (yikes).

I think it's about the overall experience: tactile, "old fashioned", and functional.

Pressing play on an iPhone is a thoughtless experience. Lifting the needle or grabbing a knob is more engaging.

I didn't appreciate physical albums when I was younger but now I find it difficult to throw them out, especially if they were bought in a store. Just looking at them reminds me of the time in my life that I bought them, who I was with and where I was.

I think it's meaningful to surround yourself with objects that remind you who you are, and your ability to shape your world. I do not get this sense with Spotify or Apple Music or Youtube. I still use those services but there's a sense of detachment, like listening to an song in a store.

My son has also gotten into vinyl and more recently... cassettes! I think part of the fun is going to the used record store with his friends. It's a pretty harmless hobby -- most of the tapes tapes are a buck apiece.

Another aspect might be just being different than his dad. I got my first hi-fi system in the early 80s. Today, my "home stereo" is an old cell phone and a bluetooth audio adapter board that powers a pair of bookshelf speakers.

I've got a friend (who, yes, is a Brooklyn hipster) who puts out his new music in two formats: FLAC and cassette.

Oddly enough, cassette might be a better business model. For second-tier and small time musicians, monetizing recorded music via digital distribution is nearly a bust. This is one reason why, even in this day and age, a traveling band will still lug a suitcase full of CDs around with them. There is still something about having a physical deliverable that makes people willing to pay for it.

"Free download code with every t-shirt" is a surprisingly effective model for indie artists.

You can get 200% markup on a decent T-shirt and not make it feel like it's gouging either.

As wonderful as my smartphone is at accomplishing a billion different tasks, occasionally I want something that does exactly one thing and does it well.

For many years I listened effectively to just one radio station, and something like this would have indeed been delightful.

I could see using this to rekindle my love for public radio.

I bought a double sided razor for $10. A pack of blades was only a few dollars more, mere pennies per blade.

This idea that non-cartridge shaving is an expensive hipster pursuit is probably FUD promulgated by the companies trying to sell you razor cartridges. Everything I currently own for shaving cost me less that a single pack of replacement cartridges.

I don't think there is a problem with the product per se; as others have mentioned I only listen to one radio station ever. That isn't a limiting factor for me, and I like the design and aesthetic it gives off. The kicker for me is I can't justify the cost, even if I understand 100% why it costs what it does.

That being said, there are still a lot of people out there in a certain age bracket with a certain life style for whom $60 isn't a big deal and they would be be more than happy to pay that much for something that 'brings them joy'. The Farmers Market set is still out there and living large, even if it isn't quite as rampant as it was a few years ago.

Now if it was $25, I would probably get one in a heartbeat, because that's my 'this isn't going to hurt me and if I enjoy it, why not' price.

(Co-creator of the product again)

For what it's worth, we would have loved to sell The Public Radio for $25 and tried for many years at $40/45. I think that our experience is a testament to the idea that at least sometimes, it's okay to raise your prices above what you personally would be willing to pay. But yes, it's a very expensive member of its category (battery powered FM radios) even without the UI limitations.

It would be a welcome addition to my dentist's office. He is forever struggling with his staff switching the office radio from classical to something else. I guess that's a use case.

That's also a use case for a cheap radio with mechanical controls and some glue.

I bought one of the original kit versions of this and also bought one of the most recent units as a gift to my mother-in-law. We love it; it runs in our bathroom in the morning, is dead simple to use, and lasts a very long time on a battery. Yes, a cheap plastic radio would be less expensive, but then we'd be dealing with tuning that can drift, a poorer speaker, and a less charming exterior.

I think it's a throwback to the B. Braun days when Dieter Rams was in charge. The product is more than the task it performs, it is a piece if art.

See also: tiny houses. Mobile homes or RVs were too low-class, I guess. Not enough hand-planed teak or whatever. Tiny home, now that signals you've attended higher education and have made a thoughtful philosophical choice rather than just being poor. eyeroll

the “first decade of this century”?

i think you’ve grown a little too old.

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