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xopranaut t1_iqn45qv wrote

> devices with 1950’s technology.

I think it’s worth pointing out that this a good sign that compared with modern equivalents they suffered from being some combination of expensive, large, noisy, inefficient, limited functionality, prone to failure, etc etc.

Consumer white goods have always been designed to hit a price point with just enough quality and durability that customer complaints and warranty costs stay at acceptable levels. As production techniques, technologies and material science improved over the decades those price points have come way down.

In the fifties a counter top microwave would have cost you $500, which is about $5,500 nowadays. At that price it would have to have been a buy it for life purchase. Now you can buy a microwave for $50(!), one-hundredth of the original price, and it still lasts about as long.

I suspect that there aren’t many people who develop the same “feeling” for their washing machine as they do for their leather wallet or their Opinel knife, and so there’s less emphasis on long life in white goods, though as you point out, a few manufacturers do still push that aspect.

If I had a strong feeling for that aspect, I’d generally look at German brands who still do a lot of their manufacture in house.

Edit: just had a look. My dishwasher is Siemens, the cooker is AEG, the washing machine is LG, and the fridge is some budget brand, which all gives a clue as to their relative priority in this household!

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StickyNode OP t1_iqormom wrote

Fair point and I understand where you are coming from, but there is still unmet demand so you have to ask what the "free" market is really doing here. As a previous commentor said, 6-10 years is too soon. Its a big decision, the fridge handles may need to be removed, the doors from the frame to move it in and out, ai'd like to make the choice as infrequently as possible. If I'm a landlord that includes appliances these choices become WAY unacceptable. 6-10 years is not what the consumer asked for, just like nobody wanted all phone manufacturers to collectively and simultaneously deicide that they would remove microSD card slots so they could price gouge flash storage, unanimously, oligarchically, and contrary to a truly free market, removing the slot from every single example of leading phones. The same thing is going on here. The landfills are becoming packed with appliances.

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xopranaut t1_iqq4v5z wrote

The market is responding as it normally does: by focusing its efforts on where the profits are. Fridges last long enough to keep nearly every consumer from worrying about this factor when making their buying decisions.

The fact that you don’t like the outcome of the workings of the free market doesn’t mean there’s a massive conspiracy against you, just that you don’t represent a profitable market segment.

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