In Business Skool, I learned a very intriguing definition of "quality". It was basically, "The degree to which the finished product conforms to the specifications".
This means that a White Castle hamburger, for instance, can be absolutely 100% top-quality if it meets/meats the specs of the manufacturer. In other words, (I'm making this up) meat weighs 1.1 oz, and has a fat content by weight of 17%, and is served at a temperature of between 145 - 152 degrees Fahrenheit, has a bun that is no more than 17 hours old and has a softness of 24 on the bunski scale, etc., etc.
I think it's HUGELY arrogant for one person to think that they get to define the attributes of quality/perfection for someone else's product.
In other words, one bicycle builder dude might build a bike for affordability, another for handling, another for paint aesthetics, another for alignment accuracy, another for thinness of lugs, another for squareness of lug edges, another for lightness, another for stiffness, another for aerodynamics, another for lack of file marks, blah, blah, blah.
If I made something by hand, (I take pride in everything I do) and some dork proclaimed that my product didn't meet *their* definition of perfection, I'd kick their fu**ing ass... or, I'd take a sip of wine, and go on to the next post.
John Barron
Minneapolis
http://www.velostuf.com