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Why is it hard to buy things that work well?

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Re: Why is it hard to buy things that work well?

#281

Post by namdnay »

dotancohen wrote: post #265
roland35 wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe more expensive up front but probably cheaper in the long run!

Just like a quality automobile, to bring the discussion closer to the article. For example, a Tesla Model 3 might cost more than a Hyundai I10, but after three years of ownership you've not had to change the oil, fill it with gas, get the tailpipe emissions inspected, possibly see the catalytic converter stolen, etc. And the difference in maintenance only grows from there, when the plugs and timing belt and seals and…

How many miles are you putting on that i10?! An oil change is every 2 years or 15k km. I think it’s a bad example btw, it’s a famously reliable car (the taxi of choice in Bogota fwiw)

Re: Why is it hard to buy things that work well?

#282

Post by lordnacho »

It comes down to information having a cost. Noise is everywhere in the market. For instance the lawyer who spends the most money on advertising on the radio might not be the best guy to do your case.

Information also decays. Yesterday's best burger in town may not be today's.

EMH is basically wrong. Like the pre-relativity concept of absolute time and space, it sounds like it should be right under certain conditions, but unlike the physical analogy we live in the inefficient information world mostly.

Re: Why is it hard to buy things that work well?

#283

Post by Ekaros »

namdnay wrote: post #281
dotancohen wrote: post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just like a quality automobile, to bring the discussion closer to the article. For example, a Tesla Model 3 might cost more than a Hyundai I10, but after three years of ownership you've not had to change the oil, fill it with gas, get the tailpipe emissions inspected, possibly see the catalytic converter stolen, etc. And the difference in maintenance only grows from there, when the plugs and timing belt and seals and…

How many miles are you putting on that i10?! An oil change is every 2 years or 15k km. I think it’s a bad example btw, it’s a famously reliable car (the taxi of choice in Bogota fwiw)

Even in Finland it is one oil change a year, and that includes proper winters...

The price difference buys lot of maintenance. And gas...

Re: Why is it hard to buy things that work well?

#284

Post by adhesive_wombat »

lifeplusplus wrote: post #254

My grandma had old stuff that was built like a tank.. AC that worked for 40 years, bulbs that still work, Fridge that has been working for 50 years, sewing machine also 50+, TV (huge bulky) still working, fans, etc..... I bought a coffee grinder from Amazon few days ago, it broke on the first try, like completely obliterated.

From an energy perspective, a 50 year old fridge is likely not great and probably a new one at some point would have paid for itself (and it's carbon footprint).

There was a story[1] about a guy who kept the same heating boiler for nearly 50 years. Can you imagine how much more he spent on fuel in that thing for 50 years compared to changing to a combi at some point? Condensing boilers are 90+% efficient, who knows what that is.

[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-50733890

Re: Why is it hard to buy things that work well?

#285

Post by bjarneh »

Double_a_92 wrote: post #263
bjarneh wrote: post #253

> I valued men and women equally, and found that because other employers did not, good women economists were less expensive than men. Is this a very nice way of saying that you can hire women economists and underpay them in order to make money?

Not because they are women though, but because they had trouble finding work somewhere else. So the company had a bigger negotiation power. That's just capitalism, supply and demand...

> Not because they are women though, but because they had trouble finding work somewhere else

Because they were women?

Re: Why is it hard to buy things that work well?

#286

Post by chronogram »

ncmncm wrote: post #232
et-al wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I beg to differ, many of these large household companies are shells of their former selves as they've been bought, bankrupted, and traded around. What's left is just a name with no solid product line backing it anymore. E.g. Sunbeam was a solid household appliance name, and now it's a crap. Same with Braun. The easy industrial design exercise seems to be luxurious looking materials paired with cheap electronics. Amaz…

I don't even know how I would identify a good toaster to buy, nowadays. Electric kettles are a problem, too.

I bought a store brand 9A kettle and it's fine [1]. They're simple products and shouldn't break unless you have very hard water, in which case a round of vinegar should clean that. What are you running into?

1: https://www.blokker.nl/blokker-waterkoker-bl-10202---rvs---1...

Re: Why is it hard to buy things that work well?

#287

Post by Ekaros »

ncmncm wrote: post #232
et-al wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I beg to differ, many of these large household companies are shells of their former selves as they've been bought, bankrupted, and traded around. What's left is just a name with no solid product line backing it anymore. E.g. Sunbeam was a solid household appliance name, and now it's a crap. Same with Braun. The easy industrial design exercise seems to be luxurious looking materials paired with cheap electronics. Amaz…

I don't even know how I would identify a good toaster to buy, nowadays. Electric kettles are a problem, too.

Last Yule I bought a toaster for my brother. All of them felt kinda like crap, flimsy cheap, scratchy action... I was not even looking at cheapest but something I imagine to be reasonably mid-range that is around 50€ mark. After all it is a moving platform, some heating elements and case. Not at all complicated.

Re: Why is it hard to buy things that work well?

#288

Post by bjoli »

roland35 wrote: post #130
analog31 wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

House foundations, light switches, and water delivery, along with the professions that install them, are all regulated and licensed. There is somewhat of a trend for the quality of those things to have regional variation, e.g., lower quality in places that have historically had weak code enforcement and weak unions. And yes, the regulation probably did make those things more expensive.

Maybe more expensive up front but probably cheaper in the long run!

I have two things in my possession that are wonders of engineering. One hair trimmer and one restaurant kitchen blender/kitchen multifunction machine. Both made in 1987 in East Germany.

The blender I bought second hand, and it came with a box of original replacement parts and specifications so detailed that I believe I could probably replace the motor if it ever fails (almost 6hp! Take that, Vitamix!). It makes nut butter in no time.

The trimmer could probably be used to cut down trees.

I love these machines, and if they ever fail I don't thing I could ever replace them with anything of similar quality. They are 35 years old. The electronics in the kitchen machine still look pristine. I keep all bearings well lubed. It runs like a Swiss watch. Only very loud.

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