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BoilerButtSlut t1_iqs44tf wrote

So I'm an engineer, and I've worked on consumer devices, and I'm going to tell you the secret here:

Take any of those "long-lasting" appliances from the 50s. What did it cost? How much is that in today's money? Here's one reference to look at. Plug them into a cpi calculator and see for yourself.

That $21 toaster from 1951 is the equivalent of $230 today. How about that $329 fridge? That's over $3k today.

Does the modern equivalent you are using for comparison cost the same with the same features? No? Well then it's no different than comparing chinese-made junk from the dollar store to premium stuff at a high-end store. Of course the cheap junk is going to look worse.

This is the basic problem: most people want their stuff cheap. They want lots of features. Well, when you cut price and add features, corners have to be cut somewhere, and it's going to come out of materials and build quality.

You can absolutely find good quality stuff that will last decades. You have to completely recalibrate what you think is reasonable to pay for an appliance though: Miele dishwashers have been known to easily go 20+ years. Their most basic, no-frills model *starts* at $1.3k. Some of their higher-end models go over $4k. Want a toaster that lasts decades? Well you're looking at $200+, but you can absolutely still find them once you know what you're looking for.

Here, I'll even use a clear example. Let's take a look at washing machines. Here's some Samsung piece of shit that will fall apart within a few years but has every whiz-bang feature you can imagine that you will use exactly once and never touch again. Here's a commercial washing machine that has nothing more than two simple dials and a button that costs more, but will last you until you die. But consumers almost exclusively want the shiny box with all the features, because people tend to shop by looking for the most features per $, not for longevity. So that's why most stuff you buy at the store is junk.

As soon as you start expanding your budget for an appliance but not looking for gimmicky features, suddenly you can find lots of stuff that lasts a long time.

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StickyNode OP t1_iqs6e0i wrote

I have a kenmore dishwasher from 1998. It might have cost $1300 in today's dollars but 10,000 in today's dollars isnt going to garantee 24 years of operation from any appliance. Thats the qunadary. Short of manufacturing your own appliance soup to nuts, NO budget can satisfy an appetite for longevity, because there arent any more. I agree the average consumer wants junk with features, so thats the end all be all. Its like listening to pop music all day. You cant just scan the radio and find good stuff from lesser-knowns. My purpose here is to propose something at os at work here other than the free market and I want to know what answering accordingly looks like.

Also the "last until you die" example doesnt even last weeks for a qaurter of the people writing the reviews. Yes, who knows with that, maybe home depots shipping company sucks.

I withdraw myself.

I still really appreciate this community, I need honesty, not echochambers

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BoilerButtSlut t1_iqsa7zt wrote

>10,000 in today's dollars isnt going to garantee 24 years of operation from any appliance.

I never said it did. What I'm saying is that quality costs money. You will not be able to make a durable appliance at bargain basement prices and that has always been true. You have to expect to spend more money than most people think is reasonable for fewer features.

>Short of manufacturing your own appliance soup to nuts, NO budget can satisfy an appetite for longevity, because there arent any more

Again, you are just not looking int he right spots. I just posted you a washing machine that will easily last 20+ years. I know because I have the same commercial washing machine from 2003 that is still going fine despite multiple loads per day for almost two decades. Laundromats aren't in the business of buying junk and constantly replacing it.

You can find a BIFL version for any appliance you are looking for.

I've been on the design side of this stuff. I know how it works. This is 100% consumer-driven. Consumers don't want longevity for the most part, and the ones that do go to the premium brands or versions for it.

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StickyNode OP t1_iqsbgzb wrote

I appreciate that. This a started with finding a good refrigerator I want to last 20 years. I dont mind spending the extra money. I was just amazed at the examples from 80 years ago still in operation and how advancement meant we had to move backwards to satisfy the bells and whistles crowd, which has essentially taken over. But i agree, if your washer lasted 20 years and it has all these bad reviews then theres a great chance im not seeing the forest through the trees in my search for a fridge that lasts.
I've had people in the industry tell me Liebherr and Miele and Bosch fridges are still 6-10 years. This was the poison pill that started this.

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BoilerButtSlut t1_iqshssd wrote

Most reviews are junk. People don't usually report the status of their appliance 10 years later. Some stuff breaks during shipment or breaks within the warranty period and that's normal. What's important is that the initial breakages are fixed and then it lasts after that.

Maybe this particular commercial model has gone down in value? It's possible, but their customers keep records and metrics on this kind of stuff, and would quickly notice and it would sink the whole line. Businesses don't usually like to buy junk appliances for situations like this.

FWIW, there *may* be some effects from shortages going on right now. Some factories have relaxed quality assurance just to get stuff out because the shortages are getting so bad. So admittedly right now might not be the time to buy unless you are in dire need of something.

>I've had people in the industry tell me Liebherr and Miele and Bosch fridges are still 6-10 years.

The marketshare for these appliances is so small that anecdotal information about them can skew pretty hard. I've also noticed a mindset of "ahhh they're all the same no matter the price", which isn't really true, but I can understand why they think that. It's similar to how people think planned obsolescence is standard company practice: it's absolutely not, but given they don't have all the context or understand the decision-making involved, it's not surprising they think that it is.

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StickyNode OP t1_iqt48zy wrote

You've given me hope in this thread when I thought I was going to walk away empty-handed.
Thank you boilerbuttslut, haha wtf is that name

Well time to get some fridges. I'll need about 9 new ones in the next 10 years and one asap.

My plan is to do research and cross my fingers like everyone else. I think I want bosch or kitchenaid.

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StickyNode OP t1_iqsdrt8 wrote

I should add I own some apartments so im asking for the included appliances as well

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