It’s hand made!

[Thankyou4calling]

But is it?

What’s the legal definition, indeed is there one?

I heard an ad for DFS hand made sofas on the radio and I’m struggling to visualise no machines being used.

And craft beer, artisan bakeries.

Is it just marketing or does it have a genuine meaning?

[HTP99]

I like "hand finished" on food products, so likely a "hand finished" cake has just had some bloke randomly throw a few hundreds and thousands on it, right at the end of it's mechanised production.

[Henners]

HTP99 said:

I like "hand finished" on food products, so likely a "hand finished" cake has just had some bloke randomly throw a few hundreds and thousands on it, right at the end of it's mechanised production.

I too like being hand finished.

[Zetec-S]

Henners said:

I too like being hand finished.

[anonymous-user]

Everything is handmade. You use hands to press the buttons to make the robots work.

Plus the robots are handmade.

[Notreallymeeither]

It is a bit like when estate agents say “architect designed” for a fancy house.

Presumably, pretty much every house from the 20th century onwards is “architect designed” (even the Barrett / Taylor Wimpey massive developments)

[sparkythecat]

One of Harry Enfields sketches was in an artisan bakery.
When asked what the difference was between an ordinary bakery and an artisan bakery, the baker replied "About four quid a loaf"

[Tyre Smoke]

I've long toyed with the idea of advertising (albeit tongue in cheek) Artisan Private Hire.

I'm sure along with my desire for a modern classic, I could charge Felicity and Giles from Notting Hill an absolute fortune when they come to Devon to go to Annabelle and Gerald's wedding.

[essayer]

“Home-made cakes” in a restaurant

What, literally in the chef’s kitchen before work?

[Alucidnation]

Can’t imagine how automation would put a sofa together.

[dudleybloke]

Some butchers say they sell "home killed meat" too.

[Andeh1]

Never understood it. I'll take an emotionless, calculated, uncaring machine made product any day of the week. The alternative is normally a wheezing Daz on a Monday morning, still annoyed at his misses, being paid minimum wage.

Man made insinuates someone who gives a st, which is very rarely the case!

[Baldchap]

What is surprising to many is that the overwhelming majority of clothes are made by hand on old fashioned sewing machines, rolling down lines of people as they proceed from operation (eg sew a single hem) to operation (attach a button) and pass along. The efficiency in doing so is fantastic, but if you have a heart at all it's depressing to see because it's robot work that's just cheaper with humans.

I don't believe there are any mainstream manufacturers using 'sweat shops' (at least not outside the UK, but that's another story), and conditions are generally good and inspected by retailers. Gap and M&S and the like all got burned by suppliers subcontracting work to places without decent standards but I genuinely do believe that's all stopped now.

I used to install systems for these places (typically located in the arse-end of the world). Interesting work. But you very rarely see anyone advertise their £5 t-shirt as 'Hand made', which always struck me as odd.

[Matt Cup]

Hand cooked gets me, it must fking hurt.

[Andeh1]

Matt Cup said:

Hand cooked gets me, it must fking hurt.

And there's so rarely much meat on the bones.

The other hand fighting back also makes it almost too much hassle.

[Jader1973]

PRND said:

Plus the robots are handmade.

Thank fk. Because once the robots start making robots we’re all fked.

[Heartworm]

Jader1973 said:

Thank fk. Because once the robots start making robots we’re all fked.

They do now, they are also working out how to do it from a bundle of parts with no instructions or code on how. It’s very cool, and a tad scary!

[Jader1973]

Heartworm said:

Jader1973 said:

Thank fk. Because once the robots start making robots we’re all fked.

They do now, they are also working out how to do it from a bundle of parts with no instructions or code on how. It’s very cool, and a tad scary!

I remember seeing a clip about AI and how they were getting robots to make decisions without any existing coding (or something similar). I remember thinking “haven’t they seen Terminator?”.

The Boston Dynamics robo-dogs are a bit worrying too.

[bristolbaron]

HTP99 said:

I like "hand finished" on food products, so likely a "hand finished" cake has just had some bloke randomly throw a few hundreds and thousands on it, right at the end of it's mechanised production.

I have absolutely no evidence to back this up but apparently Mr Kiplings employ ‘cherry wobblers’ to secure the cherries to their Bakewell tarts. It sounds plausible and ticks the ‘hand finished’ box.

[Johnnytheboy]

sparkythecat said:

One of Harry Enfields sketches was in an artisan bakery.
When asked what the difference was between an ordinary bakery and an artisan bakery, the baker replied "About four quid a loaf"

As far as I can make out, "artisan" means "made in the traditional way by someone who doesn't come from round here".

So if a somerset farmer starts selling cider it's cider.

If a man from London gives up banking, moves to Somerset and starts selling cider it's "artisan cider".

I saw an advert for an "artisan/craftisan market" in a nearby town recently.

I did not attend.