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They Used To Last 50 Years

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Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#271

Post by blt »

mrfusion wrote: post #149

On the other hand cars have gotten way better. I wonder why? I remember in 1990s it would be somewhat remarkable to see a car from the 70s. But in the 2010s it's pretty common to see cars from the 90s. And the paint in my nine year old car basically looks brand new.

1990s cars have a nice mixture of simplicity and modern engineering practices. Cars nowadays are more complicated due to safety/emissions/efficiency goals and buyer preference for electronic gadgets. I'm not sure we'll see as many 2010s cars on the road in the 2030s.

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#272

Post by ethbro »

mrbill wrote: post #200
foxylad wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Microwave ovens are another classic. We got ours 25 years ago, and it's still going strong. In fact several people who know about appliances have warned us never to ditch it - apparently the magnetron tubes for all modern microwave ovens burn out in a couple of years.

When we moved into this house, the wife made noises about replacing the "ancient" oven [0]. I asked "Has the technique of cooking food with heat, changed drastically since the 70s?" We left it in. When I went to college in 1993, I was given my grandmother's original Amana RadarRange microwave from 1968 or so, the model with the two dials and the "done" buzzer that wouldn't stop until you hit a button [1]. It was huge…

I have a Sunbeam Radiant Toaster from the 1960s that I inherited after my grandmother passed away.

It still makes toast like a champ.

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#273

Post by josho »

bnolsen wrote: post #197
mrbill wrote: post #174

When we moved into this house 12 years ago, I got the cheapest, simplest, most "mechanical" washer and dryer set that Lowe's offered (I think it's branded GE). Haven't had a single problem other than the light inside the dryer eventually burned out when a housemate left the door open. I know that when one of them eventually fails, it will hopefully be a cheap and simple mechanical fix. I have no desire to own a "majo…

A serious problem in the US was that regulation demanded clothes washer lids be locked when in operation. This led to forced electronics on clothes washers starting several years ago just to handle the automatic switch. I know Speed Queen was trying to delay this mess but I don't know if they are still manufacturing purely mechanical washers or not...

The problem is not regulation or electronics. Rather the problem is designs intended to fail shortly after the warranty period expires.

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#274

Post by hourislate »

foxylad wrote: post #189
mrbill wrote: post #174

When we moved into this house 12 years ago, I got the cheapest, simplest, most "mechanical" washer and dryer set that Lowe's offered (I think it's branded GE). Haven't had a single problem other than the light inside the dryer eventually burned out when a housemate left the door open. I know that when one of them eventually fails, it will hopefully be a cheap and simple mechanical fix. I have no desire to own a "majo…

Microwave ovens are another classic. We got ours 25 years ago, and it's still going strong. In fact several people who know about appliances have warned us never to ditch it - apparently the magnetron tubes for all modern microwave ovens burn out in a couple of years.

I justs recently replaced a built in GE Microwave's magnetron and diode for around $75 with parts off of Amazon (it was 5 years old). To replace the Microwave would have cost me around $800 and to call a repair person would have been about $250.

Thanks to youtube and about 30 minutes of work it is working like new again. These days I fix everything myself. Appliances, cars, electronics, furniture, etc. I also try to buy quality instead of disposable but that is getting harder every year.

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#276

Post by dredmorbius »

cyberferret wrote: post #67

This Christmas just gone, we stayed with some friends in their holiday cabin that their father had hand built back in the 1960's. It had a refrigerator (cannot remember the brand) that had been there since 1961, and it still worked perfectly. The only thing was that you could not open it too many times, otherwise the ice build up would mean you had to turn it off and defrost it. Makes me wonder if 'convenience' leads…

Older refrigerators tended to be power hogs (though not always).

From the 1970s through the 1990s, possibly 2000s, efficiency improved tremendously.

That said, some 1950s manual defrost were quite efficient, though you'd probably want to check door seals.

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#277

Post by yborg »

ars wrote: post #245
liveoneggs wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

recycling in the US has to be profitable. Where I live we are no longer allowed to put glass into the recycling because it is no longer a profit center for the city. I should add that getting rid of big items can be especially difficult, but most appliance delivery includes taking away the old one to .. wherever they go.

> to put glass into the recycling because it is no longer a profit center And because recycling it is one of the most pointless things you can do. It's sand, we have unlimited quantities of it, the planet is made of it.

This is incorrect. Making good glass is not trivial, glass has been recycled since Roman times. Even today, "Savings for other materials are lower but still substantial: about 70% for plastics, 60% for steel, 40% for paper and 30% for glass."

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#278

Post by dredmorbius »

WalterBright wrote: post #64
steffan wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the reasons for the limited life would be the longevity of the actual heat exchanger - they will eventually corrode due to the corrosive nature of the exhaust gases passing through them. Additionally, the manufacturer probably doesn't want to have to stock parts for 16+ year old models. An analog would be software; nothing stops a circa-1994 Windows NT machine from continuing to work, but good luck getting sup…

> corrode Corrosion is unlikely to cause any problem with the heat exchanger unless it is really severe, as there are no moving parts in it. > nothing stops a circa-1994 Windows NT machine from continuing to work My older machines of that era have all failed due (most likely) to failed capacitors. The disk drives fail most likely due to lubrication issues. The semiconductors fail because all semiconductors fail due t…

If you prefer O2 to CO, you'll care about corrosion.

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#280

Post by zer00eyz »

foobarian wrote: post #242
mrbill wrote: post #174

When we moved into this house 12 years ago, I got the cheapest, simplest, most "mechanical" washer and dryer set that Lowe's offered (I think it's branded GE). Haven't had a single problem other than the light inside the dryer eventually burned out when a housemate left the door open. I know that when one of them eventually fails, it will hopefully be a cheap and simple mechanical fix. I have no desire to own a "majo…

My problem with the current market is that it's next to impossible to determine the quality of a machine. I would gladly pay $3000 for a washer if I could somehow tell that it will be better built, with higher quality metals, inner parts, and overall longer lasting. But it seems that the extra money these days just buys more flashy bells and whistles that just increase the chance of failure. Sadly my strategy has bee…

For tools (think saws and drills) this is changing somewhat.

Check out AVE on youtube, his teardown are great!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChWv6Pn_zP0rI6lgGt3MyfA

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