Got a buddy who owns a painting company. He drove by a house he painted five years ago and the trim was peeling everywhere. Said he used cheap paint the homeowner picked out and didn't want to argue. He still takes the long way home to avoid looking at it.

I had the same thing happen with a $40 hammock from a brand called "Outdoor Vibes." The stitching gave out right at the gathered end, scared the heck out of me. I ended up getting a Grand Trunk double hammock for about $70 and its been solid for three years now. The fabric is thicker and the seams look way better. I'd skip anything with those thin little gathered ends and look for ones with reinforced stitching around the loops.

My dad was exactly that kind of guy. He fixed our dryer with a paperclip once and it ran for another five years. I swear he could look at a broken motor and just know what was wrong with it. That kind of hands-on knowledge is something you just can't get from a video tutorial, no matter how good it is.

Oh man, I feel this in my bones. You're not old school, you're just practical.

Hold on though, a single viral video doesn't prove that gear is a good investment for most people. Lots of folks drop cash on cameras and still never break past a few hundred views, so your one lucky break doesn't really change the odds. Just saying, your mileage may vary hugely on this one.