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[Spyxos]

This month my electrical shaver and electric toothbrush broke down, both just over 1 year old. And no, they were not cheap, disposable products. My 3 year old tv is also slowly saying goodbye. They're also not the only things that have broken recently, even though they're still new.

My parents have a 20+ year old TV in the basement and a fridge that is probably even older and both work without any problems. Why is it so difficult to build things that are lasting longer? It has been going on for years and everything is breaking down faster and faster.

120 Year Old Light Bulb​

 

[Liljagare]

Moar moneyz to be made.

 

[Ownage]

Manufactured obsolescence.

 

[Krappadizzle]

Planned obsolescence.

 

[AJUMP23]

So you can buy another.

 

[Wastelander92]

Greed and broken education system

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Depends on the product. Some things last forever. Some dont. I find anything highly complex like electrical/mechanical being more prone to breaking or needing repairs. But simple solid state kind of shit (if it can be called that) like furniture, your typical stash of Rubbermaid containers, simple ceiling fan etc... all seem to last forever for me.

 

[Hugare]

Probably cause people want everything lighter and thinner while pushing the tech in complexity more and more

That, plus manufacturing being more and more excessive and faster than before, while companies push for wider profit margins by using cheap materials

 

[DGrayson]

Im still using a 40 inch Samsung 1080p from like 2012, no problems.

I think is hit or miss in some cases. But ya I agree some shit seems to fall apart quickly.

 

[Mistake]

Quality control and greed. I remember when electronics were made in Japan, and almost never had issues. The mindset over there is something else, like I once saw a guy cutting his grass with scissors. Stuff made in China is rarely the case.

There's some interesting lawsuits these days over it. Here's a few on refrigerators

 

[dem]

Appliances are absolute garbage now

LED lightbulbs are one of the biggest scams against humanity.
I remember when they were new the hype was that they would last like 15-20 years so the cost difference wasn't a big deal.

I fucking replace led lightbulbs ALL THE TIME

 

[Romulus]

I think people just suck at everything now, including build quality.

 

[Meicyn]

Quality control and greed. I remember when electronics were made in Japan, and almost never had issues. The mindset over there is something else, like I once saw a guy cutting his grass with scissors. Stuff made in China is rarely the case.

There's some interesting lawsuits these days over it. Here's a few on refrigerators

On refrigerators, the more features they have, the more likely they are to malfunction. The most reliable and energy efficient models are the ones that do nothing more than freeze on the top 1/3 and cool on the bottom 2/3. But most consumers don’t want the freezer up there and prefer french doors with the freezer on the bottom, desire water dispensers with ice makers that grind ice down, touch screens with android os support, etc.

Between the extra electronics and the compressor having to work harder over time, well… a lot more can go wrong. Samsung and LG models are notoriously bad, and go figure, those are the brands that tend to shove in as many features as they can.

Best way to make appliance purchases is to consult appliance repairmen. They will tell you which brands they have to service the most, which is a good indicator of what you should avoid. Samsung tops the list whether it be washers, refrigerators, or whatever. Stay away.

 

[Sleepwalker]

Planned obsolence for sure.

But also people nowadays, younger generations specifically have grown into a mindset that everything needs to be updated and/or replaced after a set time period or it's otherwise obsolete. Therefore they take less care of their stuff.

I.E our parents or grandparents having a fridge or other appliances that are over 20 yr olds.

Vs ricky the local tech bro who's on his 2nd fridge in 5 years because the new one can play skyrim.

So it's a bit of worse build quality + human conditioning.

 

[nush]

I think people just suck at everything now, including build quality.

These products are made to hit a price point now, not for quality.

 

[Futaleufu]

Things used to be built to last.

Best example I can think of is the VHS era. The early machines were almost entirely made of metal and weighed 40 lbs, I know someone who has one and still works. Late VHS players were light, made almost entirely of plastic, including loading and playback gears, I bought one of those made by Sony and barely lasted 5 years, I still have it 20 years later on my bucket list of "things to repair"

 

[West Texas CEO]

It's partially due to inflation.

A bag of chips, for example, can still be bought for 99 cents, but the contents in the bag weigh half of what it once was.

Manufacturers don't want to increase the price of these products too drastically, so they end up sacrificing the integrity of the build quality in order to save money and keep everything reasonably priced.

As a result, you the consumer end up getting stuck with shitty shit.

 

[AJUMP23]

I have a used appliance guy that I go to and he fixed two washing machines for me last week. $200 total.

 

[6502]

Buy cheap and you'll buy often.
Never buy a device made complex by tech, the more basic, the longer it lasts / easier to repair.

 

[Fbh]

I won't deny planned obsolesce isn't a big factor.
But I also think consumers started caring less about quality and more about cool features and sleek design for a low price. A lot of these older appliances that seemingly last forever were pretty expensive if you adjust their prices for inflation.

 

[John Marston]

Years ago I bought a JVC TV (NTSC format before HD) and it crapped out on me before 3 years.
Called a repairman and he explained to me how JVC has TVs made in Japan & in Mexico.
Mine was made in Mexico.
My bulb was burnt out along with some other stuff which made it less expensive to buy a new TV instead.

Also my favorite Corgi I still have an electric can opener from GE dating back to 1982 that still works perfectly

 

[Trilobit]

I think it's so weird that people are so crazy about everyone getting electric vehicles to save nature, but planned obsolescence is still allowed. Wasn't there a printer that even had a programmed code in it that made it crash after a certain time?

I would love if my gadgets could work for a much longer time. That's one thing I love about Linux where you can give new life to old computers and even make them faster than on Windows as you can get a slim OS like Lubuntu or even superlight ones.

It's sad that companies make it as expensive to fix a device as just buying one. All of this results in an enormous amount of unnecessary e-waste. It makes me think of Cubans and how they have kept their old cars running for decades because they couldn't import new cars.

The day my Pixel phone stops getting updates I'll check out the plethora of sideload OSs that exist, some of them look pretty sweet.

 

[jonnyp]

Because people don't want quality any more, they just want the cheapest shit possible.

 

[jufonuk]

It’s true some things seem to die quicker tech wise.

Not all. So far we have had lot smart tv’s for an around five years.
Our fridge is simple and lit washing machine is still going.


I’m glad Nintendo haven’t cheaped out for consoles (ok the switch stick drift is ass but apart from that it’s still kicking OG 2017 launch model)

My 3DS is still going
I also have my dads SNES (when he passed away I was sent it)

Plus the old n64 works.

Other than that we have an old crt tv that is still going.
Also
I think iPhones because the build quality is so good they have to force the slowdown etc via updates.

 

[Yonyx]

Capitalism.

 

[Ownage]

I think it's so weird that people are so crazy about everyone getting electric vehicles to save nature, but planned obsolescence is still allowed. Wasn't there a printer that even had a programmed code in it that made it crash after a certain time?

I would love if my gadgets could work for a much longer time. That's one thing I love about Linux where you can give new life to old computers and even make them faster than on Windows as you can get a slim OS like Lubuntu or even superlight ones.

It's sad that companies make it as expensive to fix a device as just buying one. All of this results in an enormous amount of unnecessary e-waste. It makes me think of Cubans and how they have kept their old cars running for decades because they couldn't import new cars.

The day my Pixel phone stops getting updates I'll check out the plethora of sideload OSs that exist, some of them look pretty sweet.

Digital Rights Management is worth learning more about. It can range from product security and protection to Draconian intellectual property ownership and product usage rights.

For example, Apple and HP are nasty in the area of DRM.

 

[Futaleufu]

Digital Rights Management is worth learning more about. It can range from product security and protection to Draconian intellectual property ownership and product usage rights.

For example, Apple and HP are nasty in the area of DRM.

Even something like a John Deere tractor will prevent regular people from fixing their own machine, to validate the replaced component the built in computer will ask for a manufacturer key provided by an in-house technician.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

If everything lasted forever, they would never be able to sell your a new one...

 

[Ownage]

If everything lasted forever, they would never be able to sell your a new one...

Lexus and Toyota have business models where they still attempt to build very long lasting products that remain high quality. They're not cutting edge as a Tesla might be, but 25 years from now they will still be going with minimal care. That's why both brands aren't nearly as affordable as say something like a Kia or Hyundai.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Years ago I bought a JVC TV (NTSC format before HD) and it crapped out on me before 3 years.
Called a repairman and he explained to me how JVC has TVs made in Japan & in Mexico.
Mine was made in Mexico.
My bulb was burnt out along with some other stuff which made it less expensive to buy a new TV instead.

Also my favorite Corgi I still have an electric can opener from GE dating back to 1982 that still works perfectly

Never had an issue with any old school console, boxy PC, my old Honda civic or Panasonic crt tv that needed two people to lift.

Since then, consoles flake out, laptops can crash or buttons don’t work, my car (Alfa Romeo) has needed repairs under warranty, and my last two TVs bought (panny plasma and Sony 900e) needed repairs.

Even the lawnmower I bought when I moved to a house for the first time bombed out. Got a free replacement. Yet I swear my dads old ass lawnmower lasted probably 30 years. It looked like a small shitty mower. But lasted forever. So whatever mechanical shit and engine used in it since like 1984 was rock solid.