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I think it would be cool to have a hammock awards section. You can make sub topics for...
Lightist hammock
Biggist Hammock
Best Bridge
Best Gathered End
Most Used
Most affordable
Hammock Company of the Year
Best New Tarp
Best Tarp
Best Under quilt
Best Top Quilt
Best Suspension
HF members can vote using a pole or something to get the results. I think this would be a cool way to highlight different companies and help people to make decisions based on the responses.
"Best" can be a sensitive term around here. ;)
Hammocks, and even the accessories for hammocks, are comfortable on a personal level. Since none of us are the same, declaring a "Best" anything is largely impractical. That doesn't even account for specific use hammocks for different situations. I don't think it is possible to declare a "Best" hammock...best for what? Camping? Hiking? Long Distance Hiking? Lounging? Survival? Home use? Flat lay? Knee break? Those questions would also apply to underquilts, tarps, and suspensions too.
Beyond all of that, HF isn't here to highlight one company over another. We exist as an educational resource that has a bit of fun while educating. Hammocks are far too personal to merit awards for best of breed. That's what opinions are for and everybody here has at least 6 opinions. It's also why many here own more than one hammock, or two hammocks, or a closet full of hammocks. Different rigs for different purposes and different moods.
As much as I despise the current trend of 'everybody is a winner' in sporting events, with hammocks it really is true. There are some that just don't measure up to basic standards, sure. But, by and large, every hammock discussed on this site is a winner on its own to someone for something. :cool:
No need to rate them, just enjoy them. The newbs will always ask "What's the best hammock" anyway. Why take that initial joy away from them? Asking that question constantly results in totally different responses almost every time it is asked. Around here, "Best" is just too much of a moving target.
Outside of ones own needs, there is no "best". It is a personal concept, not a global one.
Read. Study. Think! That was the battle cry of a great teacher from my past, and it holds many truths for all.
This forum is here for you to Read about what others have found or are discovering for themselves.
You can Study many shared viewpoints and see which resonate with your own.
You can Think about how such an item may fulfill your wants or needs, then Act on that.
Once you've taken the plunge and discovered how something works for you, you can come and share your viewpoints for others to Read, Study, and Think about before Acting. If what you try doesn't work as you'd hoped, you can come here and Sell your item at little loss. If you want to try something and don't want to buy new, you can Buy items from others, even things they've made for themselves. It's a great forum for discovery. This isn't consumer reports. You're expected to do some RST and maybe even learn to enjoy the process of discovery.
At least, that's how I see things.
(That's also why I now have 3 plus "professional" hammocks, and 5 DIY hammocks... each item is "the best" at something. The joy of discovery, gotta love it!)
There is best of everything in the world, in music awards Best artist isn't always who you would pick but it is who got the most votes. Best Actor isn't always your favorite actor but it is who got the most votes.
I thought it would be FUN to do. I am not saying we would give someone an award and declare them the best hammock maker and therefore noone should ever purchase another hammock again. I thought it would just be a fun thing to do with everyone to see what the majority is thinking on each product.
I hear what you're saying, and it may be an interesting experiment. Taking a longer term view of it, though, we've seen opinions swayed widely over a specific product because of a particularly prolific or persuasive poster, that really doesn't have anything to do with its quality...just how much that individual enjoys it. And that's fine for that individual to enjoy it and post about it, but what you're talking about will influence the business volume of our cottage manufacturers in a way that we can't ensure is fair to everyone, or even is representative of the actual state of the market. It would be an unofficial seal of approval.
Think of it like backpackgeartest.org. They write very in-depth reviews, but they have a strict rule against comparing competitors' products in the reviews. There are so many variables that's not fair to the vendor, or even to the consumer.
Besides, I like to think that Hammock Forums is cooler than Kanye and has more integrity than the music industry.
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Originally Posted by Cannibal
Well put :)
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Originally Posted by Just Jeff
Yes I understand what everyone was saying. I was not implying that we have an official awards cerimony, I meant for FUN:D it would be cool;). Not to ruin cottage manufacturing or anything. I think this was over thought. I just thought it would be FUN and only that.