[barbequeer]

> How much does the soap dispenser cost in a 777 bathroom

This might not be a fair comparison, since Boeing also makes the ones for commercial customers, and probably overcharges them also.

> This one from CB2 is $40 and it doesn't conform to FAA rules and it's not MIL-SPEC.

People talk about MIL-SPEC like its some unattainable gold-standard. I can buy a MIL-SPEC rated Thinkpad from Lenovo for less than $600. I mean, sure, it doesn't dispense soap...

[_djo_]

MIL-SPEC is a very broad category. It just means it conforms to a military specification, which can be very simple and easy to meet in some cases. But when the MIL-SEC refers to safety-critical and flight-critical specifications it's a whole other story, and does become an extremely costly and difficult to meet set of standards for good reason.

Compare the cost of a MIL-SPEC ThinkPad with that of an actual flight control computer designed to be an integral part of an aircraft's avionics.

[barbequeer]

Yes, but this is for soap.

[_djo_]

Sure, and there are useful points in the rest of this conversation about whether you need something that special for a soap dispenser and what might be driving up costs, and whether a commercial off the shelf alternative really was an option.

I wasn't trying to cover all that, I was just pointing out that MIL-SPEC is a very wide category and therefore effectively meaningless unless you're pointing out what type of application it is.