[Dylan16807]

> How many aftermarket manufacturers will even pick up the phone for a one-off custom part, spec or no?

If you offered 1% of the entire device's replacement price, for a part that the average tinkerer could build, I think you'd find a stampede of competent offers. I'm sure much lower amounts would work too.

[bastawhiz]

If you're paying $1000 for every part on a $100,000 exoskeleton, there might be folks lining up, but that's terrible for the consumer.

[Dylan16807]

The point is there's a price where you could get the parts made, and that price is much much lower than a new model. A thousand dollars every few years is something that could go in a budget.

Don't focus too much on the exact number I used, I went on the high end just to make a point, also it's supposed to be a per-major-fix price not a per-part price.

[bastawhiz]

A thousand dollars for a part worth ones of dollars will simply never be the better alternative, sorry

[Dylan16807]

The better alternative to what?

I was describing an alternative to manufacturers not picking up the phone. I think what I described is better than simply being screwed.

[bastawhiz]

It's a terrible solution because it sets a price floor that makes it impossible for people to afford repairs. You need a $10 battery connector? 1% of 100k.

It's a vulnerable population who needs these parts. Probably lots of folks who can't work. Medicaid caps the amount of money you can have in an account at $8000 max. Pricing parts this way will push people into abject poverty out of desperation.

How about making parts for all medical devices something that must be covered by healthcare? Or, and this one is a crazy one, provide universal coverage so you can just get a new device at a reasonable price that's negotiated by the government?

[Dylan16807]

Again, I was only comparing to your scenario of manufacturers not picking up the phone.

It was not a general-purpose suggestion, it was a weak proposition on purpose for the sake of simplicity.

Please stop treating it as a suggestion of what should happen. That post only exists to counter a specific sentence, it does not exist beyond that scenario.

Analogy: If I say a punch in the gut is more realistic than getting shot, I am not advocating for punches in the gut, and you don't need to tell me about better alternatives to punches in the gut.