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A question was flagged for closing because it was seen as being a shopping question. I didn't read it as an ephemeral "which X should I buy this week?" Rather, I saw an engineer's request for suggestions about what to design in for a specific, identified purpose. Although the OP didn't explicitly say it was going into a robot, that application was entirely plausible.

Maybe I'm too trepidatious here, finding myself voting in disagreement with an old-timer. Occasional differences in judgment are expected, and maybe that's all this one is, but if I'm out of line I hope to be corrected. Thanks!

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For that question, the OP came with a set of specifications and essentially wants us to do the Googling to find the product that meets those specs.

If they have specifications and are looking for product recommendations then it's a shopping question. From that post, they want something:

  • that has good fatigue resistance
  • that has good strength
  • that will lift a weight of around 2-3 kg
  • that is relatively lightweight
  • if there is a kind of thread that is also good with spooling then please let me know , although that is not a big priority.

They're describing a product they want to buy. That's shopping. I look at that and scratch my head because they're only looking to lift 2-3 kg, which is only about 5-7 pounds. Why does fishing line not work? It spools, and I think the lightest gage fishing line still holds 10 pounds, or >4 kg.

They go on to say:

I have been looking at steel thread wires but I was wondering if there are any alternatives.

But they're not saying why they're looking at steel for 3 kg lifts or why they're considering alternatives. Is cost a problem? Does it need to be conductive? Something else?

There's a lot of back and forth trying to get to the heart of the problem they're trying to solve, and even then ultimately what we'll wind up with are a set of specifications that OP could search for online.

The ultimate reason why questions like this are off-topic is the same that's provided in the stock closing text: it's not likely to be useful to future visitors. It's one particular product that is the solution for one person's problem. There's no guidance on why it would be superior, etc. There's no correct answer and no knowledge to impart.

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    $\begingroup$ @r-bryan This no shopping questions is something that we haven't had on ROS answers and is something that I've seen as one of the large causes of lingering clutter of unanswered questions. These sorts of questions take a lot of effort to fully understand and at the same time are not going to be useful for anyone else unless then end up doing exactly the same thing at the same time with the same limitations. And there's a level that the question is basically asking for others to do your research. $\endgroup$
    – Tully Mod
    Commented Jan 4, 2022 at 16:58
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    $\begingroup$ A much more useful question is to turn it around and ask how to do the research process in the abstract. Then the OP as well as future readers can understand the evaluation and research process and apply it to their own application and available materials. $\endgroup$
    – Tully Mod
    Commented Jan 4, 2022 at 16:59
  • $\begingroup$ I believe that Chuck, Tully, and Ben have helped me see the light. I'm not the only questioner who wishes he/she had more than one green checkmark to check. $\endgroup$
    – r-bryan
    Commented Jan 5, 2022 at 17:31
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That question looks to me like it should be closed because it is opinion based rather than a shopping question. But it is kind of a fine line between the two.

Because I don't believe there is any way for any of our members to definitively say that product X will solve the OPs problem. The specifics of the application are a little vague. But even if there were more details, it still would be an engineering decision / opinion. Two engineers might very well choose different cables given the same problem.

In any case, it is not closed (yet), and I threw in my (opinion) answer. And I'm glad you did too.

Note that even when a question is closed:

  1. It can be re-opened with an edit to the question (and the appropriate re-open votes)
  2. The question is not deleted from the site. It stays up to help the OP and future visitors. Only additional answers are disallowed.
  3. Comments are still allowed on the question, and I've seen many times an answer sneaked into a comment to a closed question that perfectly answered it and was greatly appreciated by the OP.

Opinions / discussions like this are better suited to the chat. Although I know you need a certain reputation to enter, and our chat is fairly quiet.

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    $\begingroup$ Lol I typically try to throw in answers as comments as a kind of "parting gift" to help the OP get on the right track. I'll write more about this case in particular as a separate answer here. $\endgroup$
    – Chuck Mod
    Commented Jan 3, 2022 at 0:19

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