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yotama9 OP t1_jat5uj1 wrote

Reply to comment by CamelHairy in Are there kits/instructions for making your own equipment? by yotama9

The question here is not about a sewing machine. Or maybe not only. It's a more general one, about why there is no market for devices that can be easily disassembled and maintained. Or maybe there is only I'm not aware of the right term

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CamelHairy t1_jat6zd7 wrote

The problem is that we have become a throwaway society. I still remember appliance repair shops (toasters and the like) back in the 70s. Most people now look at price first and quality second. Before the age of computer design, most good engineers followed the rule of three. Make it three times stronger than you need, now with computers it's design slightly above margin.

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yotama9 OP t1_jatda6c wrote

Yes, it's not as popular as it used to be, but I find hard to believe that this is something that completely gone. The thing is that making something "three times as strong" is (potentially) costly in resources and energy, so we don't really want that either. So sure, it cannot be the case to any home appliance, but I'd expect that some major ones should still be offered.

There is a makers and hackers market out there. People who (think they) are good with their hands. These people would probably be happy to build their own washing machine or their own toaster or their own whatever. I'd expect that they'll be happy to put 10-20 percent more to their device knowing that they can fix/modify it.

And one last thing, the rule of three is not a great solution either. It's waistful. If I build car that can sustain a hit of a bullet, then it means that I paid more in materials and will pay more in energy. It's not as bad as replacing your car every two years (yes, I know people who do that) but it is not great either.

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