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They Used To Last 50 Years

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Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#11

Post by koolba »

prodmerc wrote: post #8

I've worked on hundreds of domestic appliances. Newer ones from any manufacturer are indeed failing more often, and are designed worse. The only explanation is that this is on purpose - just like cars or laptops or smartphones, they are designed to fail faster so you buy new ones. Planned obsolescence, plain and simple. The best appliances today, by the way, are made by Bosch/Siemens and Miele. None of the other manu…

> The best appliances today, by the way, are made by Bosch/Siemens and Miele. None of the other manufacturers come close, period.

> Interestingly, the high-end machines from Bosch/Siemens made in Germany are higher quality than the ones made in Poland, China, Spain or Turkey.

What's the price difference for a made in Germany Bosch/Siemens v.s. a wherever-it-comes-from Whirlpool? Does it justify shelling out the extra $$$ for it v.s. the expected life to replace the latter when it dies? (presumably sooner than the German one)

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#12

Post by wodenokoto »

emodendroket wrote: post #3

While planned obsolescence is probably a factor I'd also consider the desire for more complicated features, efficiency requirements, and high (upfront) price sensitivity on the part of consumers. To the last point in particular I think you will find that a refrigerator was way more expensive in real dollars in 1950.

And this is a very interesting point. How good is a similarly priced 2017 fridge compared to a 1950's when price is measured in real dollars.

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#13

Post by rbg246 »

nickhalfasleep wrote: post #9

A coworker was raving about their refrigerator from New Zealand as being against this trend: https://www.fisherpaykel.com/

I used to sell these about fifteen years ago and maybe they have changed but they were no different than any other fridge brand and their washing machines... they were one of the first brands to have led control panels which used to always break after five years. But that's a while back now.

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#15

Post by philipkglass »

If these observations are correct, it seems like all the other issues are just fallout from the first, "not enough competition."

Because everything else -- the push for higher efficiency, more bells and whistles, a proliferation of models that change all the time, lighter metal parts -- applies to automobiles too, and today's automobiles are significantly more durable and low-maintenance than those of my parents' and grandparents' generations.

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#16

Post by ta4567 »

I’ve bought and sold refrigerators and freezers from the 1950’s that still work perfectly fine. I’ve come across washers and dryers from the 1960’s and 1970’s that were still working like the day they were made.

Isn't there an element of survivorship bias to these statements? What about all the 1950's fridges that didn't last until today?

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#18

Post by philipkglass »

wodenokoto wrote: post #12
emodendroket wrote: post #3

While planned obsolescence is probably a factor I'd also consider the desire for more complicated features, efficiency requirements, and high (upfront) price sensitivity on the part of consumers. To the last point in particular I think you will find that a refrigerator was way more expensive in real dollars in 1950.

And this is a very interesting point. How good is a similarly priced 2017 fridge compared to a 1950's when price is measured in real dollars.

Pretty damn good. You can still buy refrigerators built like a tank, intended for commercial environments, if you're willing to spend 4 figures.

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/50selectrical.html

https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=329&year1=1952...

That household refrigerator that was $329 in 1952? $3024 in 2017 dollars.

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#19

Post by mikeash »

orless wrote: post #10
emodendroket wrote: post #3

While planned obsolescence is probably a factor I'd also consider the desire for more complicated features, efficiency requirements, and high (upfront) price sensitivity on the part of consumers. To the last point in particular I think you will find that a refrigerator was way more expensive in real dollars in 1950.

I think many people won't mind paying a higher price for a longer-lasting product. But there's just no way to know it will really be longer-lasting.

If a manufacturer is confident that their product will last, they can convey this to the buyer by providing a really good warranty.

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#20

Post by xutopia »

nickhalfasleep wrote: post #9

A coworker was raving about their refrigerator from New Zealand as being against this trend: https://www.fisherpaykel.com/

I own two fridges, an oven and a dual dishwasher from them. The fridges are beautiful to look at but the pump is rather noisy. The oven is the best oven I've ever had in my life. The dishwasher broke down more times than I care to say and caused water damage in my house.

I've had the lot for 4 years now.

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