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FictitiousThreat t1_iro27kp wrote

How have you made a plastic basket last for almost 50 years?

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waehrik t1_iro3qsu wrote

Plastic stuff is nothing like it used to be. It was nice, durable, thick, and flexible. Now it's all just very brittle with barely enough plasticizers to make it last a little while. Plastic bins are constantly broken on store shelves because they're so fragile

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FictitiousThreat t1_iro4jk0 wrote

I don’t get it. Most Old plastics from the 60s and 70s were quite rigid and inflexible, and sitting around for 50 years usually makes them brittle as well. Plastics have actually improved a lot since then, so I’m thinking this basket of yours must’ve been pretty expensive when it was new to be such high quality. 🤷🏽‍♂️

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waehrik t1_iroa0mm wrote

That's exactly it, plastics nowadays can be and are value engineered and have the potential of being far better but most often aren't. There's a lot of survivorship bias here too. Because all of the cheap stuff from 50 years ago has long been sitting in the landfill. You can absolutely buy good stuff today but it'll cost a lot more

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turikk t1_irop9tt wrote

I'm glad you're admitting to survivorship bias since "they don't make it like they used to" is the oldest trope in the world. I'm pretty sure it's one of the phrases on the Rosetta stone.

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waehrik t1_irozk9z wrote

Absolutely. There's also the fact that back in the day things were intentionally overbuilt prior to the introduction of finite element analysis and CAD design. And engineers had to intentionally make things overbuilt in order to make sure they were sufficiently strong enough. Sometimes that meant it was adequate, other times it meant that it was so overbuilt that was impossible to break. Value engineering for many common products didn't exist 50 years ago because it wasn't possible.

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conanmack t1_irqxvss wrote

It was more likely that value engineering did exist but was not widely adopted. Every company must know the costs of production to survive and grow. Adjusting them through different business cycles.

Increasing shareholder value has most likely lead to a focus on value engineering and planned obsolescence. A constant stream of sales is deemed more important than solid and reliable products.

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waehrik t1_irsdjve wrote

Exactly, and just as with survivorship bias that's what skews the bias of "good" to smaller companies sometimes. Sometimes they truly are better but sometimes it's also because they didn't have the large resources to perform the value engineering analysis to perform the cost reduction so had to overbuild. Nowadays the bar to entry is so low that anyone can do it. So the often-smaller quality driven companies really stand out. Those are the modern ones we see for sale today though sadly they're few and far between.

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Ymirsson t1_irr2jc9 wrote

Also one of the phrases about the Rosetta stone.

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lwrdmp t1_irnrgj7 wrote

Mieles are unbreakable I have a similar one

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waitingforliah t1_irpv5jq wrote

Unfortunately a lot of people are complaining about broken machines and very poor customer service and repair policies.

I don't own one, but I would like to. But as they are very expensive, every time I think about buying one, I read the comments on their Instagram and don't know if they really are worth the money anymore.

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BlueBelleNOLA t1_irqx1i5 wrote

Reading comments on pretty much any large purchase nowadays gives me a major case of analysis paralysis.

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Nakken t1_irqy0lx wrote

> analysis paralysis

Well thank you for coining this term for me. I have this big time.

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PiersPlays t1_irrdan8 wrote

There's always people trying to use their washing machine as a dishwasher 5 years after their warranty ended, screaming abuse at the customer support people then complaining online that they didn't get the outcome they wanted. Miele is generally a good brand.

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Shaidreas t1_it9qjdb wrote

Remember that reviews and feedback on such pages are very skewed in the negative direction. People tend to share their negative experiences and complain much more than they share positive feedback and praise for a product.

Unfortunately that's just human nature. When you produce thousands upon thousands of a product, someone will eventually have a product that malfunctions or breaks. It might even be the user's own fault due to negligence, and they still blame the producer.

Read several reviews and varying opinions to make up your own conclusions

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citygirluk t1_iro0x32 wrote

My dad bought miele dishwasher, washing machine in 1980s and they were still going strong until at least the 2010s, I bought a dishwasher in 2013 and it's still going strong now!

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oglop121 t1_irqfxx0 wrote

Yep, my dad always swore by Miele too.

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talin77 t1_iromkw1 wrote

Mom! Is that you? My mom has the samen setup! Only the Miele is walking sometimes…

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Lindsch t1_irqvwfv wrote

You can put in new dampeners. Not that expensive and will keep it from walking out on you.

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Gold-Elderberry-8463 t1_iroo6pa wrote

My parents have had their Miele canister vacuum since 2002, still chugging away. I’m not sure which model they have. I saved up and bought a Miele Compact C1 vacuum around 6 years ago and it’s still good as new.

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MetalAF383 t1_irpxn3o wrote

I have a Miele espresso maker. It sucks and breaks constantly. It’s also very high maintenance. Looks like their washing machines might be better.

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gamrin t1_irqitiy wrote

Miele washing apparatus and vacuums are bulletproof.

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ken28e t1_irq75ij wrote

I’m using a pair of Maytags from the seventies

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Firstpoet t1_irqfawa wrote

Our appliances over the years have lasted 10-12 years on average. We buy robust brands. The issue then is when minor repairs become uneconomical and ensuring the old machine is recycled properly.

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ashleyriddell61 t1_irqxw7j wrote

Had that Model Miele. Only croaked a couple of years ago after doing at least one load most days for 20 years. Promptly replaced with a new Miele.

They are worth the extra money.

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hazzatrazza t1_irr1ils wrote

We didn't have the same experience with our Miele. The repairs ended up costing more than a brand new lower quality machine on 2 separate occasions. I still loved the washer

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Alberqueque t1_irq78uv wrote

There's a reason why most yachts I've been on use Miele professional.

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panabulana t1_irqfsil wrote

Haha I know a German set up when I see one!

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inumineq t1_iseom6z wrote

I’ve just purchased my first Miele washing machine - it’s the most silent, effective and energy efficient machine I’ve ever used. 20 wash cycles of all different sizes and types amounted to approximately $2,50 in water and electricity, which is absolutely mind blowing compared to the danish energy prices these days. Admitted, Miele costs an arm and a leg, but supposedly lasting a generation. Their customer services is well renowned here as well.

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Technical-Spare t1_isdossl wrote

Are you able to see the cycle count on the Miele? I had a Samsung front loader that only lasted 11 years. I was able to pull up the diagnostics and it reported about 3,300 wash cycles, so I wasn't too disappointed. It was a prorated cost of about 21 cents a load.

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JoLudvS OP t1_iseg8o9 wrote

Not me... service might readout such, as there probably is a non- user accessible port or connector for a laptop on the electronics. So to say... it barely has a display besides a counter :).
I learned by repairing our Miele dishwasher (same age btw) years ago by that there are newer models (of that dishwasher and prolly washing machines too) that have a user accessible setup menu, that shows energy, water and total running time. But those are the fancier models, having a 'real' display. Yes, would be nice to know ...

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