In relation to these questions:
- Should product recommendations be on-topic?
- Do questions asking for common-sense advice really count as asking about lifehacks?...
- Should we be downvoting conventional answers?
And these Meta discussions:
- What is a lifehack?
- Should we be downvoting conventional answers?
- Are devices considered life hacks?
Are product / tool / device specific answers (when used by design) acceptable?
Examples for definition purposes:
Tool
A simple everyday item you might use in a myriad of ways:
- A cup
- A "lever"
- A screwdriver
- A knife, et. al.
Product
A purchasable common household agent/chemical/solution (liquid, not answer) you could buy at a variety of common stores to assist in a task/chore:
- Window cleaner
- Ammonia
- Bleach
- Paint thinner
- Antifreeze, et. al.
Device
A contraption/mechanism designed with a specific purpose in mind
- A can opener
- A paper shredder
- A multimeter
- A potato peeler
I have seen/read examples of the Law of Parsimony/Ockhams razor used in here (The simplest answer is most likely the best/right one) yet I have seen mixed results throughout the site stating both sides of the argument of weather a product/tool/device, when used in it's intended way, is an acceptable answer.
A life-hack is just that; a hack. A creative/innovative way to circumvent/solve a problem. Using toothpaste to fill nail holes, or chewed up paper is perfect example of a hack, however "purchasing spackle" isn't necessarily a hack but it solves the problem with the simple solution.
The dichotomy of the site seems to be "Simple solution to solve a problem" and "ingenious and creative way to solve a problem" We should set a precedent here as to our goal for the "Life Hack" amalgamation of those two terms.
If I want to clean my hands of sticky stuff a life hack isn't "buy a citrus cleaner". One of many life hack examples could be "use water and sand as make shift pumice to exfoliate"
If I want to remove lint from an iphone headphone jack - use tape wrapped inside out around a paperclip or toothpick...not "buy a lint removal tool"
HOWEVER...
If I suggest using a product / tool / device in an ingenious way because I have it lying around (If you are high-centered on a snowbank in winter without a shovel to dig out with, you can use any number of products/tools as a makeshift shovel)
Are we going to allow users to answer questions with product or tool/device recommendations when that said tool or product is specifically designed for that exact purpose? Isn't this going against the design of this SE site in the first place?
For example:
Using a cheese grater to grate cheese - unaceptable?
Using a cheese grater to shred a credit card - acceptable?