Have you noticed that things are no longer made to last?

[mystery-ak]

September 15, 2024
Have you noticed that things are no longer made to last?
By Eric Utter

Nothing lasts anymore.

I should say nothing lasts very long anymore. Liberals used to disdain the concept of ‘planned obsolescence,’ yet they say not a word about the increasing short lives of appliances and other items. Their own policies, supposedly designed to reduce carbon emissions and conserve energy and water, are part of the problem.

Those of you who are old enough to have had appliances from Whirlpool, Maytag, et al. in the distant past and have recently purchased new ones will know of what I speak.

My family once had a refrigerator that lasted 40 years. The original washer, dryer, and dishwasher that we purchased in 1994 for our then-new house just quit working in the past couple of years. One of their replacements already died. In our latest excursion to a very reputable appliance outlet near where we live, we were told flat out: “Appliances which used to last for decades are now only going to last you maybe seven, eight, nine years tops.”

more
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/09/have_you_noticed_that_things_are_no_longer_made_to_last.html

[banddag]

Liberals used to disdain the concept of ‘planned obsolescence,’ yet they say not a word about the increasing short lives of appliances and other items. Their own policies, supposedly designed to reduce carbon emissions and conserve energy and water, are part of the problem.

Does everything have to be about left versus right anymore?

Liberalism has ZERO to do with it.

Corporations for the last 20-25 years have cut back on  quality to make an extra penny per item. Corporations and board members are under extreme pressure to max out dividends to make their shareholders happy.

[catfish1957]

HVAC has seemed to have the biggest drop in quality due to left wing environmentalist standards.  Used to be, your Unit (A-Coil/Compressor) would last 10-15 years with minimal maintenance.

Now?  These have become the least dependable of all of our modern conveniences . I have had 6 major repairs (3 houses) in the past 5 years.

[Timber Rattler]

Yep, 3-5 years at most for most appliances and electronics, with disposable shoes and clothing and such.  NOTHING is made to last anymore because the companies want people to buy more. 

[libertybele]

HVAC has seemed to have the biggest drop in quality due to left wing environmentalist standards.  Used to be, your Unit (A-Coil/Compressor) would last 10-15 years with minimal maintenance.

Now?  These have become the least dependable of all of our modern conveniences . I have had 6 major repairs (3 houses) in the past 5 years.

We have a heat pump unit made by Carrier and we have service maintenance performed on it every 6 mos.  We've been told by the techs that Carrier makes a great A/C. It gets it's workout during the summer months and the unit is now 6 years old, so we shall see.

[libertybele]

Yep, 3-5 years at most for most appliances and electronics, with disposable shoes and clothing and such.  NOTHING is made to last anymore because the companies want people to buy more.

I have found over the years the the best appliances the have lasted us (last buy over 20 years) are made by GE.  When we sold our house and moved into this house, the appliances were new and came with the house. They are now 6 years old and are Frigidaire brand; I find that they are cheaply made. The dishwasher now only works on the 'heavy cycle', the stove handles keep coming loose and the oven racks are thin. The refrigerator is holding up fine. The washer sounds like a jet engine when the spin cycle is on and it's so loud that I have to close the door to the laundry room and you can still hear it. The dryer works fine.

I would love to replace them, but I'll keep them till they stop working as I don't have the money to replace them just because I want new. When the time comes, I'll replace them with GE brand.

[catfish1957]

We have a heat pump unit made by Carrier and we have service maintenance performed on it every 6 mos.  We've been told by the techs that Carrier makes a great A/C. It gets it's workout during the summer months and the unit is now 6 years old, so we shall see.

The up side, is that these repairs are mostly in the window of warranty.  Considering the breakage, I am wondering how these mfg's are making any money.

[mountaineer]

The cost of a service call for most appliances is so high, one really must do careful cost-benefit analysis to determine it makes more sense to repair or replace an item.

[libertybele]

The cost of a service call for most appliances is so high, one really must do careful cost-benefit analysis to determine it makes more sense to repair or replace an item.

Indeed ... we went to replace a supposedly top-of-the-line (LG) dishwasher that we paid a ridiculous amount for that lasted 2 years -- the service call/repair was going to cost about the same as a new cheaper brand (GE). We opted to replace the Samsung. I know I keep mentioning GE, but so far, they've lasted the longest -- they may not come equipped with all the fancy new gadgets, but they seem to last.

[roamer_1]

Simple systems... non-computerized... last a long, long time It's normally a sub-board failure, that cannot be replaced without purchasing the entire mb package, which costs more, on purpose, than the new machine.

It is planned obsolescence as a purposeful and widely accepted business strategy.

[Fishrrman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRgbfxJ8MTQ

[mountaineer]

Indeed ... we went to replace a supposedly top-of-the-line (LG) dishwasher that we paid a ridiculous amount for that lasted 2 years -- the service call/repair was going to cost about the same as a new cheaper brand (GE). We opted to replace the Samsung. I know I keep mentioning GE, but so far, they've lasted the longest -- they may not come equipped with all the fancy new gadgets, but they seem to last.

I saw a discussion on Facebook about refrigerators and every single person said don't waste your money on a Samsung.

We have Kenmore appliances (range, refrigerator, microwave) in our kitchen and they've lasted 15 years so far, although one of the burners on the gas range isn't working properly. We may be able to troubleshoot it on the Kenmore website - just haven't gotten around to it.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Yep, 3-5 years at most for most appliances and electronics, with disposable shoes and clothing and such.  NOTHING is made to last anymore because the companies want people to buy more.

And/or people usually want new shit after a few years anyway. My family all get rid of perfectly good appliances because they weren't stainless steel.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Simple systems... non-computerized... last a long, long time It's normally a sub-board failure, that cannot be replaced without purchasing the entire mb package, which costs more, on purpose, than the new machine.

It is planned obsolescence as a purposeful and widely accepted business strategy.

A lot electronic sensors and such are soldered onto the logic boards now, that should be illegal IMO.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

The up side, is that these repairs are mostly in the window of warranty.  Considering the breakage, I am wondering how these mfg's are making any money.

I bought a new Samsung washer from Lowe's (don't btw). It busted, bricked, wouldn't spin or anything, no codes. Lowe's attempted repair 3 times and could not fix. Warranty repair guy told me that they billed lowe's for $1500 for a $500 washer. I don't get it either. We ended up getting a free floor unit from lowe's, not a fancy front loader, but a simple top loader. We had a baby on the way and couldn't be without a washer so I was grateful.

[roamer_1]

A lot electronic sensors and such are soldered onto the logic boards now, that should be illegal IMO.

More than that... many, many appliances work just fine with mechanical (thereby repairable) controls. Most of em shouldn't have electronics in the first place...

I get it though... as an instance, I prefer HEI ignition to an old points system... HEI is durable, and better, until you're thirty miles up in the boondocks and the truck won't start... then you'll be wishing you had points to file, I'll tell you what.

Same goes with appliances. pretty much anything from the 50s, 60s, and 70s can be fixed... Doesn't matter what's wrong. 80's are on the bubble... altogether too much plastic... 90's, fuggetaboutit. It'll be some solid state electronics that either the board ain't made no more so you have to bet on used (if you can find it), or it costs three times what you'd pay to replace the whole thing...

And the rubbish pit out at the dump is turning into a mountain.

[roamer_1]

I bought a new Samsung washer from Lowe's (don't btw). It busted, bricked, wouldn't spin or anything, no codes. Lowe's attempted repair 3 times and could not fix. Warranty repair guy told me that they billed lowe's for $1500 for a $500 washer. I don't get it either. We ended up getting a free floor unit from lowe's, not a fancy front loader, but a simple top loader. We had a baby on the way and couldn't be without a washer so I was grateful.

So happy I bought the heavy duty Speed Queens with mechanical controls... not a single problem with em since '12... and they'll go another 10 years, easy.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

So happy I bought the heavy duty Speed Queens with mechanical controls... not a single problem with em since '12... and they'll go another 10 years, easy.

They're great but expensive. Commercial units that last forever. We looked into them but dropping $1200 on a washer wasn't in the cards.

[Sighlass]

We have the Speed Queens washers/dryer (mostly manual settings, but does have like a fingerprint on), I do have to wash my clothes on Heavy Duty.... But they work now for 4 years which was about all we got out of the other brands... so far, no problems. Wife is big on washing the hell out of clothes... me not so much, if it looks fine, I wear it another day... I tend not to have a BO problem for some reason, but have sweaty feet, so I do more socks and less jeans and shirts. I do my own laundry, cause I prefer to do it myself and she gets pissy at times about how I do her clothes... (love ya babe, but it is what it is)...

Note: Speed Queen Washer is top load, S.Q. dryer is front load....

I do not have a dish washer (other than these hands)... and our fridge does not have hooked up ice makers... Hate ice makers cause they break down so often. Yes we have ice trays and freeze plastic bottles for summer use.

[Lando Lincoln]

My son bought an older home a few years ago in Bismarck. It came with the exact Maytag washer and dryer models my Mother had who passed in 2006. When the drier unexpectedly quit, he opened it up diagnosed the problem - and fixed it. They really were simple machines back then. The new stuff with sensors and controls have added layers of complexity that is simply not needed for the intended function.

[roamer_1]

They're great but expensive. Commercial units that last forever. We looked into them but dropping $1200 on a washer wasn't in the cards.

Buy once, cry once... But that is significantly more than I paid for mine.

But they keep on hummin...And that's no small thing - Granted, they're loafing with only me in the house, until the clan's women get to going at it with spring cleans, and horse blankets, and linen whenever we have a whole tribe come out to visit...  All them womenfolk know them machines are here for auxiliary purposes.

[Smokin Joe]

Washer: three load, top load stainless tub, industrial model. doing fine so far, no computer. Amana dryer, no computer. Have replaced the timer, the wheels the drum rolls on, all the thermal switches in back (there are four) at least once (about $20 for the set). still going strong. Water heater: replaced the thermocouple/burner assembly once. Still going strong. Furnace is from the '60s. Huge footprint (natural gas, forced air) but I replaced the drive belt on the blower and oiled the bearings on the motor and cage, and keep up with the filters. Works fine, no computers.Thermostat is an old bimetallic mercury switch. works fine. Fireplace backup.
A/C accomplished with three window units and a small box fan, keeps the house livable when we hit triple digits here (yeah, that happens). A unit goes out, it is replaced, under $500, no service call.
Fridge and freezer are new units, no automatic icemaker/water cooler, so no plumbing. one less set of timers. Still chugging along.

I had a set (Whirlpool Duet) of the newfangled front loaders, and they were, imho, junk. We went back to basics and never looked back.

So far, so good. None of it can be hacked, none of it is interwebbed. Just the way I like it.

[Kamaji]

If longer-lived goods were really in demand - based on peoples' actual conduct, not what they might say in polls - then they would still be produced.

The average person doesn't really want a washing machine that will last for 20 years, or a car that will last for 20 years, or ....  That's just a fact.

[deb]

So happy I bought the heavy duty Speed Queens with mechanical controls... not a single problem with em since '12... and they'll go another 10 years, easy.

I want, I want, I want! Can I come do my laundry at your place? Please? 

[the OlLine Rebel]

I remember my grandparents still had their ‘50s refrigerator when they sold the old Victorian in the ‘80s.

My parents had washer/dryer by Westinghouse for 30 years.  Actually there was nothing wrong with them.  My sister and I bought new GE for them.  No more than 15 years and they replaced it with new Whirlpool.  The kind with no agitator (agitating because you still have to place the clothes in a circle as if there was one WTH) and locks into cycle can’t stop it.  As stated nothing really wrong with the old Westinghouse from the ‘60s….we finally gave up because the washer had developed rust-thru holes that were dripping rust stains on the clothes.  It still worked fine.  So did the dryer but this was funny -the plastic clasp had broken in the ‘80s and we locked the door by shoving a broom between the door and the furnace for some 15 years!  Other than that, nothing wrong!