I consider eshops like Aliexpress.com pretty good for getting cheap obscure replacement parts. Eg. I can buy there a new battery or other parts for the oldest PSP model for a few bucks.
They Used To Last 50 Years
461–470 of 877 posts
Re: They Used To Last 50 Years
#462Of the list I didn't see any Japanese brands... and I guess it makes since because I don't see many Japanese washers, refrigerators, etc outside of Japan. The ones I bought while living in Japan seemed good and of high quality... I had no issues with them. I wonder why they aren't sold outside of Japan?
There seems to be more willingness to pay extra for build quality or domestic manufacturing here in Japan than elsewhere.
Japanese brands are sold in some other parts of South-East Asia where they cash in on the Japanese quality reputation
Re: They Used To Last 50 Years
#463Earlier quoted context omitted.
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
Second. This is the best thing on YouTube. If you like more workshop instructions, check out "this old Tony"
Absolutely second this, I love 'this old tony' and I have no experience at all with machining in the slightest. AvE by contrast is I think a bit of an acquired taste.
Re: They Used To Last 50 Years
#464Earlier quoted context omitted.
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…
"would gladly pay $3000 for a washer" Miele. https://9to5mac.com/2011/03/07/how-steve-jobs-picks-a-washer...
With risk of sounding like a shill. Miele is the only thing I ever buy. We had an old washing machine that broke after 10 years, so I called a repair man. He came, and looked at it and said: "I have been working for 5 years, and this is the second time I see a broken Miele. They practically never break". It was an easy fix, and the machine ran for another 7 years until lightning killed every electrical thing in the house.
Bought another Miele, and that is running just fine after 4 years.
Re: They Used To Last 50 Years
#465Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I would gladly pay $3000 for a washer if I could somehow tell that it will be better built Perhaps you should check out commercial washers. The kind that you find in laundromats are designed to take a lot more punishment than the residential ones.
I purchased my appliances with much the same idea in mind; I wanted something that would last, period. Turns out around here (Scandinavia), the brand to beat is Miele, which also seems to enjoy a near monopoly in pro gear, from what I can tell (Just about every vessel I've ever sailed on carries Miele gear in their laundries. I cannot recall ever seeing anything else.) Also, after asking around at a place repairing a…
Two a day? What on earth are they doing to require that much washing?
Re: They Used To Last 50 Years
#466In relation with the topic of programmed obsolescence, I highly recommend the documentary "The Light Bulb Conspiracy" by Cosima Dannoritzer: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825163
Re: They Used To Last 50 Years
#467Earlier quoted context omitted.
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…
Could it be that the lifespan of a appliance is shortened because it his to be more energy-efficient? The old fridges (and car-engines, or antything) were not very economic. A few decades ago getting 10 km per liter of petrol was more or less standard. Now the engine with the same cilinders (1.6 liter for instance) easily get as much as 20 km for the same liter of petrol. The engine is highly optimized by cutting awa…
The technology to make motors efficient has been around for a century, not much has changed there besides controls and feedback. Engines on the other hand have greatly benefitted from modern control systems. Here is a primer on motor history: https://www.eti.kit.edu/english/1390.php
And http://m.hpac.com/motors-drives/understanding-efficiency-mot...
Re: They Used To Last 50 Years
#468When 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...
You don't need electronics to do that. A solenoid hooked up to the timer would be enough.
Re: They Used To Last 50 Years
#469Earlier quoted context omitted.
I purchased my appliances with much the same idea in mind; I wanted something that would last, period. Turns out around here (Scandinavia), the brand to beat is Miele, which also seems to enjoy a near monopoly in pro gear, from what I can tell (Just about every vessel I've ever sailed on carries Miele gear in their laundries. I cannot recall ever seeing anything else.) Also, after asking around at a place repairing a…
Two a day ? What on earth are they doing to require that much washing?
The oldest kid does track&field and soccer practice after school every day. Also, he swims once a week.
The two-year old runs around outdoors in kindergarten all day. More often than not, it is rainy and muddy.
The youngest still run through a couple of sets of babywear a day, down to a somewhat lackadaisical approach to her excretion of various bodily fluids.
We all swim weekly. Add to that the occasional nightly mishap by the child currently quitting diapers, and you're looking at lots and lots of laundry cycles.
Good thing water is free (It's not that we haven't got plenty of it to go around!) and power is cheap.
Re: They Used To Last 50 Years
#470I already try to buy the brands known for their quality and extended guarantees, but you do not know, which of them still produce here and which just benefit of their past. You do not even know, which company actually owns which brands.
This is not only about avoiding to replace your own machine, it's also about everybody else’s machine littering the environment. So I think, this is a market failure and an environmental disaster. Governments have to intervene.
New EU rule: Everything, which is heavier than 10kg has to last for 10 years, otherwise mandatory on-site repair and replacement. If you get caught putting in parts designed to fail (maybe even with reversal of burden of proof), the company has to pay back a multiple of the profits made from that machine, plus mandatory prison sentences. Problem solved.