Hi all,
It certainly goes to show that Victa haven't learnt a thing !
Even as far back as this machine they had that stupid method of attaching the handle bar, something they still have to this day.
Without a doubt this is just one of the most deplorable examples of ultra poor design which inevitably has become planned obsolescence if nothing else.
Cheers,
BB.
Same applies to cars. You'd think the amount of time humans have been making mechanical things like cars, all of the problems would eventually be ironed out. Well I know sometimes they create new problems when they try to introduce new technology on to old designs, but when they just keep replicating old problems, there seems little excuse. It really makes me wonder sometimes.
I suspect in some ways poor designing is a good thing from a commercial point of view. Make things last just long enough that they begin to fall apart by the time the next generation of machines comes out. In the old days flaws and weaknesses were probably not deliberate, just the result of bad designing and engineering. Today it is more likely deliberate. How many of us have bought cheap Chinese screwdrivers, only to find the steel end has simply been inserted into the handle, which is soft plastic? After using a few times the steel end part turns inside the handle. Or bought a Chinese made spanner for $2 and had it break in two the first time you've put a bit of strain on it?
I see this all the time in modern chain stores like Bunnings. They will release a prototype edger or trimmer in some unheard-of brand name. Sell them cheap with 12 months warranty. The machine lasts 1-1/2 years. You realize it is "out of warranty". You go back to buy parts, only to be told the item is now "obsolete" so no parts are available. You are told to buy another cheap one in same brand, next generation, on which all parts have been deliberately made a bit different to the model before. Sometimes they have ironed out the problems with the earlier model, other times not. All very hit and miss. Today we are seeing consumerism gone mad and despite "Clayton's" recycling, we have become the most wasteful period in human history.
