They Used To Last 50 Years • Hacker News Board

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#471

Post by craigds » Mon, Mar 20, 2017, 10:12 AM UTC

iNerdier wrote: post #465

lb1lf wrote: post #384

Earlier 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?

I have one 18month old kid. We average about 1.3 loads a day. Several sets of clothes, towels, nappies, sheets, bibs, ... It adds up very quickly

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#472

Post by Angostura » Mon, Mar 20, 2017, 10:12 AM UTC

iNerdier wrote: post #465

lb1lf wrote: post #384

Earlier 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?

If you have three kids and one of them is a baby in washable nappies this is quite possible. You don't want the soiled diapers in with other items

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#473

Post by k-mcgrady » Mon, Mar 20, 2017, 10:14 AM UTC

PuffinBlue wrote: post #31

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…

Sorry but I'm not drinking the Miele Kool-Aid any longer. Maybe in the past they were great (my MIL has a 20 years old washing machine that's going great) but not the new stuff. Both my washer and dryer failed within 2 months of each other after 6 years. The dryers main board failed and price to repair was nearly £350 just for the part. The washers pump and some kind of water sensor failed simultaneously, leading to…

>> The warranty is only 2 years standard (thanks for that at least EU)

Maybe it's different depending on EU country but it should be 2 year manufacturer warranty followed by 4 years covered by the retailer.

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#474

Post by ishi » Mon, Mar 20, 2017, 10:16 AM UTC

Here's an idea: build a website that collects reliability statistics about home appliances by maker and model. Let users report when exactly they bought a specific appliance, and how long it lasted without repairs (or following repairs). Such statistics could help users make an informed choice, and also put some pressure on manufacturers to improve the reliability of their products. Or maybe they'll just sue the site out of existence...

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#475

Post by ysavir » Mon, Mar 20, 2017, 10:17 AM UTC

ishi wrote: post #474

Here's an idea: build a website that collects reliability statistics about home appliances by maker and model. Let users report when exactly they bought a specific appliance, and how long it lasted without repairs (or following repairs). Such statistics could help users make an informed choice, and also put some pressure on manufacturers to improve the reliability of their products. Or maybe they'll just sue the site…

> and also put some pressure on manufacturers to improve the reliability of their products.

You mean put pressure on them to wait for the site to get traction and then flood it with fake reviews.

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#476

Post by alkonaut » Mon, Mar 20, 2017, 10:24 AM UTC

Here is a guess: the fridge that lasted 50 years cost a months salary, while the fridge that lasts 10 years costs 1/5 a months salary. So you get exactly what you pay for, and you pay exactly as much for "having a fridge" today as you did when they lasted 50 years.

But here is the kicker: a) People don't want to pay big money for something they don't know will last 50 years,. b) People want new things. While it's convenient to not have to replace something for decades, they also want to remodel their kitchen efter 10-15 years, at which time thet fridge needs replacement anyway (in 2000 it was chrome, in 2010 it needs to be black, etc).

That said, it would be good if the people who want new things could sell their old ones, instead of throwing them away.

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#477

Post by BJanecke » Mon, Mar 20, 2017, 10:25 AM UTC

iNerdier wrote: post #465

lb1lf wrote: post #384

Earlier 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?

I'm going to assume it's got to do with the multiple layers of clothing they no doubt have to wear in that climate.

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#478

Post by FrankyHollywood » Mon, Mar 20, 2017, 10:28 AM UTC

A while ago I read the biography of Anton Philips. He described a board meeting where they decided to make the lifetime of a light bulb 1000 hours instead of 5000. So they actually decided to make their product less good, only to get more (short term?) profit.

(some) people are never satisfied, always want more more more...

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#479

Post by amelius » Mon, Mar 20, 2017, 10:30 AM UTC

FrankyHollywood wrote: post #478

A while ago I read the biography of Anton Philips. He described a board meeting where they decided to make the lifetime of a light bulb 1000 hours instead of 5000. So they actually decided to make their product less good, only to get more (short term?) profit. (some) people are never satisfied, always want more more more...

Wouldn't the free market solve this automatically?

Re: They Used To Last 50 Years

#480

Post by redsummer » Mon, Mar 20, 2017, 10:31 AM UTC

A good rule is just to buy Miele or high-end Bosch. Make sure it's made in Germany and sold in the German market. They have higher standards. I don't know if this is true for ovens, but with other appliances it's a good rule to follow.

I can see an opening for Trump here. If he wants the US to be known for high quality, long-lasting products, he could differentiate US products from cheap and crappy Far East stuff. There is clearly a demand.