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Generation Junk

walterkirn.substack.com

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Re: Generation Junk

#61

Post by emu »

twodave wrote: post #17

At least as far as coffee grinders go, find a reputable company that will repair them. My Baratza Encore stopped working after about a year or two of operation, and I sent it in for repairs. It was probably just a small short somewhere, but I'm not an electrician. They sent it back to me after a week or so, cleaned inside and out and working better than new. I keep saying I'm going to replace it with the one from Fel…

Baratza also sell replacement parts for their grinders on their web site, and provide clear instructions on how to install them. I am delighted to support a manufacturer that builds repairable products.

Re: Generation Junk

#62

Post by Kon-Peki »

This guy says he lives in Montana. That is probably part of the problem.

I live in a major metro area. It seems like for anything I could possibly want, there is a shop that sells it at whatever quality level I desire. And repairs... People are always saying that you can't fix anything. But that's not true. Just last year my oven stopped working; the local repairman sent the circuit board to a place nearby that "rebuilt" it (checked every component, desoldered and replaced anything that wasn't perfect).

Yep, houses are expensive in the big city. Taxes are crazy in the big city. But the economy supports having durable stuff. If your only option is Target and Amazon, I can understand feeling like nothing you buy works.

Oh, and don't get me started about pens. Come on. A Pilot Metropolitan and a bottle of ink that will last 5-10 years will set you back a whole $40. And then you only need to buy more ink.

Re: Generation Junk

#63

Post by [deleted] »

fullstop wrote: post #11
drcode wrote: post #4

I feel arguments like this always ignore the fact that buying a toaster in 1950 was a major investment for a family, and if you want to spend $2000 on a high-end toaster in 2023, which is probably equivalent in inflation-adjusted price to the 1950s toaster, it will probably also be very nice.

A toaster in 1951 was $21, which is about $250 today. I would argue that a $250 toaster today is still not a "buy it for life" item, but it would certainly have a lot of bells and whistles and almost no user-serviceable parts.

[deleted]

Re: Generation Junk

#64

Post by ryukoposting »

All of this rings painfully true for home appliances. Besides a lucky break with an air fryer (knock on wood), all our non-shitty kitchen items are at least 15 years old. My 1-year old HP printer is obtuse and stupid. Even my $1900 work-issued ThinkPad is rife with stupid driver bugs.

My workshop tools, however, don't seem to be affected. My soldering iron? Absolute tank. Milwaukee drill bits? I abuse them, and they don't care. Even the mid-grade Craftsman multimeter is totally competent.

Re: Generation Junk

#65

Post by jefftk »

citizenpaul wrote: post #55

A huge number of the things most people buy weekly are made on machines not even made last century. Your grains, rice, cereals beans were probably made on a machine from the 1800's. Yep all the big brands. My brother works at a co that makes custom repair parts for these machines he sees them all the time. They often have to fly people out to the factory to do measurements and calibrations because no documentation ex…

> Your grains, rice, cereals beans were probably made on a machine from the 1800's. Yep all the big brands.

I don't see how that could work: the population is far larger than it was then, so our consumption of those must be up a lot. How could a stock of machines that was suitable then could be producing even half the volume consumed now?

Re: Generation Junk

#66

Post by mitthrowaway2 »

ljnelson wrote: post #23
neilv wrote: post #9

> For the remains of the Pyrex casserole that shattered when I removed it from the oven, Noteworthy example. Current Pyrex-branded kitchenware is no longer borosilicate glass. I shattered a Pyrex casserole dish with what I guess was probably thermal shock, by moving it out of the oven, into a stainless steel sink.

You want to make sure you're using PYREX, not pyrex. They're different![1] [1]: https://www.allrecipes.com/article/what-is-the-difference-be...

The biggest difference is that the latter is the only one you'll find in stores, at least in north america.

Re: Generation Junk

#67

Post by jonahss »

naravara wrote: post #44
drcode wrote: post #4

I feel arguments like this always ignore the fact that buying a toaster in 1950 was a major investment for a family, and if you want to spend $2000 on a high-end toaster in 2023, which is probably equivalent in inflation-adjusted price to the 1950s toaster, it will probably also be very nice.

Honestly if you could plonk down a ton of money for a reliable appliance that’d be great but that’s usually not what money buys you now. Spending more usually results in fancier styling, nicer materials if you’re lucky, and a bunch of unnecessary technological frippery that ends up making the thing less reliable, not more. That’s the real problem is that the luxury tier of so many markets has thoroughly enshittified.…

the Miele vacuums are incredible.

If you want appliances that last, buy the commercial ones. Hobart makes an under counter dishwasher that you can bet will never wear out and can be repaired.

Shell out for an industrial washing machine like they have at the laundromats. Those things are made to run all day for years. If they break down, they're repairable.

Re: Generation Junk

#68

Post by im_down_w_otp »

I’ve had to buy a lot of furniture and other things for my new house this year, and one of the things that really sticks out to me is that practically every category of product seems to be split into a bimodal distribution: cheap crap & luxury boutique.

There are practically no entries occupying the middle of the market that are on the basic end regarding features & frills but also high-quality.

It’s incredibly annoying. I can either get an absolute trash sofa for less than $1,000 or I can get a high-end, high-quality one for $5000+. Now there are definitely sofas that occupy the price range between those, but they’re almost all just wildly overpriced garbage that’s no better than the sub-$1000 junk. The same goes for dining tables, cabinetry, window treatments, cooking appliances, etc. I end up just scouring for “vintage” stuff that’s in decent shape whenever possible. It’s like I have this whole other full-time job trying to find quality used goods because the only things I can just get new immediately are garbage.

Re: Generation Junk

#69

Post by klausa »

klipklop wrote: post #42

I wonder if this is the symptom of ever eroding purchasing power the average western person is experiencing. Everyone is looking to stretch their income further and are willing to buy ever cheaper, but flimsy goods. Really the only thing that will fix it is stronger warranty law, this will make things more expensive, but it will massively cut down on landfill fodder. A refrigerator that can’t last 20 years is terribl…

>A refrigerator that can’t last 20 years is terrible for the environment to throw away when it lasts 3-6 like many Samsung and LG fridges do…

Modern fridges are much more energy efficient, which makes this calculus somewhat complicated.

Re: Generation Junk

#70

Post by ericbarrett »

fritzo wrote: post #29

Author neglects selection bias: antiques that stopped working after 1 or 5 or 10 years have been in landfills for a long time. My grandfather (1922-2006) opined: "Some folks say things aren't made like they used to be. But I remember those junky old cars that would break down every 50 or 100 miles. I remember that unreliable crap. I'd far rather have a modern car, even if I can't fix it." (He was more of a carpenter…

The comparison I'd make is not to cars from the 20th century, but the early 21st, about the last your grandfather experienced. There's a vast difference in the quality of a car from 2005 or 2010 and the equivalent from 2023, and it's not favorable to the latter.
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