Well, I do have a light but its broken and I have a lot of feelings on it.
This light was given to me by a friend that also rides bikes and was concerned for me riding at night. And while it was a thoughtful gesture and I appreciated it very much, its not the light I would have selected. I hadn't asked for it and I hadn't researched one at all. Really the biggest problem I have with it is that it charges with micro USB. I don't like thinking about my feelings on it because it makes me seem ungrateful. It’s a gift, I shouldn't critique it. And what does it matter what cable I'm using? It’s a little annoying to bring an extra cable if I'm taking my bike somewhere, but that's it. I'm upset with myself that I have this urge for things to be "perfect" and that little deviations from that annoy me.
That didn't stop me from using it, it just lingered in the back of my mind. Now, after not many hours of using it, the battery is dead. A whole new set of feelings. I hate manufactured garbage. I hate things that break too easily. The world is using untold tonnes of materials and kilowatts to manufacture, package and ship crappy products. And by possessing this broken light, I feel responsible for supporting some manufacturer building non-quality products. I have buyer's remorse for something I didn't buy.
I'm going to fix it rather than throw it away. I need to crack it open, find out what sort of battery it uses and see if I cant replace the charging port somehow. This makes me wonder "how is this going to come apart?" "where are the clips located?" "am I going to damage the battery?" "is it still going to be water resistant when I'm done?" "am I better off just making a new one from scratch?" This isn't stressful but it takes mental bandwidth.
I don't think these are the questions most people ask themselves when facing a broken object. I don't think most people ask how long their stuff will last. I don't think most people ask if this is the best version of a thing that can be bought. Many do; but most don’t.
Certainly compromises to quality can be reasonably made; I wont tell anyone they need to get a $50 bike light even if it works forever and ever. But it should be considered if you care about quality and making the most of our resources.
I suppose this post is just me staking my flag, trying to advance the "buy it for life" mentality and encourage more thoughtful consumerism
