How Good is Good Enough? Craft Pursuits & Diminishing Returns

How Good is Good Enough? Craft Pursuits & Diminishing Returns

Author: BLISTER May 20, 2026 Duration: 1:11:00

How good is good enough? For those of us obsessed with any craft category (e.g., coffee, watches, wine, knives, audio gear, etc), we can find ourselves crossing the line of ‘diminishing returns,’ where we keep chasing some notion or ideal of perfection. So why do we do this? Today, our CRAFTED co-hosts, Eli Brown, Jonathan Ellsworth, & Simon Stewart discuss.

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Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.

TOPICS & TIMES:

JE's Manifesto (1:54)

Eli's Categories For Spending (11:14)

MOMA NYC (16:38)

Status As Return? (20:48)

Rabbit Holes (26:58)

Wine Price Points (30:09)

Craft As Experience (35:45)

Audio Space: Diminishing Returns (37:25)

Headphones (41:12)

Contentment and Curiosity (46:22)

Hario V60 (53:16)

Watches (56:12)

Paying Scarcity (1:04:17)

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There's a particular kind of conversation that happens when someone has dedicated their life to making something tangible, driven by obsession over details most of us overlook. CRAFTED, from BLISTER, is built on those conversations. Each episode moves beyond a simple product review to explore the entire ecosystem of creation, whether the subject is a meticulously roasted coffee, a complex whiskey, a precision timepiece, or a bold new wine. You'll hear directly from the individuals who define these fields-brewers, distillers, founders, and artisans who started their ventures not because it was easy, but because they couldn't imagine doing anything else. This podcast digs into the raw materials, the failed experiments, the business risks taken on a principle, and the quiet triumphs that happen long before a product reaches a shelf. It’s about the philosophy embedded in the process as much as the technical skill. Tuning in feels less like listening to an interview and more like pulling up a stool in a workshop or a tasting room, offering an intimate look at the patience, setbacks, and unwavering standards that transform a simple idea into a crafted object. The stories are specific, but the themes of creativity, resilience, and entrepreneurial spirit are universal, connecting anyone who appreciates the depth behind a well-made thing.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

CRAFTED
Podcast Episodes
Wayfarer Vans w/ Andy Mullins [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:40
Camper vans seem to be everywhere these days, and for good reason — the level of versatility and convenience they offer is hard to ignore. But starting down the road of ownership can be extremely overwhelming, so in toda…
Chef Mark Connell on Skiing & High-End Cuisine (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:46:10
“My whole goal in life was to be a ski bum and a chef.” For Mark Connell, the executive chef at PARC Aspen, we can definitely say: mission accomplished. Mark is a passionate skier and a culinary genius, and we discuss ho…
The Vinyl Revival, Records, & Turntables w/ Michael Fremer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:27
In this episode, we get a crash course on the vinyl revival and why spinning records on a turntable is a more engaging way of listening to music. Our guest, Michael Fremer, is regarded as one of the premier experts in th…
Sage Cattabriga-Alosa on Pizza Making & Big-Mountain Skiing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:15
One of the greatest big-mountain skiers of all time is also seriously passionate about making great pizza. So what’s the story here, and what do pizza and skiing have in common? What has Sage learned about the art of mak…
La Marzocco Product Designer, Stefano Della Pietra [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:46
La Marzocco is the most iconic espresso-machine maker in the world, and last month, Jonathan went to the La Marzocco Accademia to talk with their head product designer, Stefano Della Pietra, about the history and core pr…
Coffee Gear, Pt. 4: “Hero Espresso” & Jonathan’s Current Setup [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:27:29
After much deliberation, we’re revealing the machine that Jonathan ended up going with on his quest to create daily doses of “hero espresso” — a phrase coined at the end of this conversation. Simon Stewart joins Jonathan…