At the end of the day or is about funneling more cash toward themselves. Companies have to be reigned in lest they imprison the consumer with their products.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
I'm going to stick to my guns here. I think labour cost is the limiting factor at least as far as the bottom end of the market is concerned and that's where the waste is.
Hi all ... a great conversation about this. If nothing more, it's therapeutic.
Of course PRD speaks wisely. The low end of the market is ... as it is - governed by economics; as I guess, nowadays, any other end is.
I wish we lived in simpler times - when pride in work was a factor, and quality products could be repaired to last a life time.
I accept the problem is with US.
I guess Mowerfreak'sDeere link is another example of the farrago of nonsense we live in today.
Sorry gml, I forgot your boss doesn't have to justify his job or how the money is spent, doesn't sound like he is hard up for a quid and your vehicle problems probably don't go across his desk. Yesterday I pulled my air conditioner out of the wall because the fan had begun hitting something. 2 of the rubber mounts had started to fail, quick repair with a couple of Victa height adjuster springs and it is back in service. This air con unit is one that was built to last, I bought it in 1975 and it is still going strong
morning Norm,it's great to be amongst other's who repair rather than throw,i did a similar thing with the rangehood the other day,cheer's(we cant get $50 out of boss for our bbq)
I found a a Volta vacuum in good looking condition on the kerb with its accessories only to find some numbnut had cut nearly all the retractable cord away. There was just enough of a stub left to test the machine out with another plug and it worked. So I harvested another cord from an Electrolux with a stuffed motor I had decided to keep and after careful soldering and the use of strong shrink I got from Jaycar, it's now the household vacuum with Electrolux famous suction and is very manoeuvrable with made in Australia prominently printed on the machine.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
In Australia, HP, have been caught out more than once... [also note the new connection between HP and Samsung]
Yer, and Samsung were already on that path some years ago.
My motorcycle mechanic bought a fairly exy Samsung all-bells-and-whistles combo scanner/colour laser printer/copier unit. About 3 years into ownership IIRC, it just locked up one day, and wouldn't do anything but display error messages saying it needed servicing. When he made enquiries, he was told 'yep, it's programmed to do that on an elapsed time/number of pages basis - whichever occurs first'. To add insult to injury, it couldn't be serviced by the local mob - it had to go to Melbourne at his expense to be fixed, including all new toner cartridges, even if he fitted a new set before sending it down!
Dunno if he ever took it up with Consumer Affairs/ACCC, but I reckon he would have had a good case on a 'not fit for purpose/not merchantable quality' basis, as the service and freight costs were going to exceed what it cost new. Bastards!
On the planned obsolescence front, as BB says, the automotive industry was the first in the 'durable goods' sector to go this way. In the US, this really took off in the 1950's. If anyone's interested in reading how it came about, a US writer by the name of Vance Packard [appropriate surname there ] wrote a book in 1960 titled 'The Waste Makers' that's still well worth tracking down.
Even the Nobel Prize winning author John Steinbeck commented on the loss of durability of US passenger cars, in his 1962 book 'Travels with Charley'. He planned a freewheeling solo [with companion dog, though] tour around the US, to get to know his own country again, so he bought a 3/4 ton utility to fit with a slide-on camper.
In the course of the trip, he had cause to note the way that light trucks were still very much built to last then - he said:
Quote
I believe that American-made automobiles for passengers are made to wear out so that they must be replaced. This is not so with the trucks. A trucker requires many more thousands of miles of good service than a passenger-car owner. He is not to be dazzled with trimming or fins or doodads and he is not required by his status to buy a new model every year or so to maintain social face. Everything about my truck was made to last. Its frame was heavy, the metal rigid, the engine big and sturdy.
A commercial traveller Vance Packard knew had a similar experience - he wanted a new car, but wasn't at all impressed with the offerings of the major manufacturers, and the experiences he'd previously had with their maintenance costs. At that time [and up to 1982 in fact], there was one independent US car maker who specifically targeted the taxicab market, so their products really were built for maximum passenger/driver comfort, durability, manoeuvrability, and easy repair. Therefore he bought one of their Superba models, and was very happy with it. The company's potted history; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checker_Motors_Corporation
We've largely continued on a downhill path since then...
Cheers, Gadge
"ODK Mods can explain it to you, but they can't understand it for you..."
"Crazy can be medicated, ignorance can be educated - but there is no cure for stupid..."
On the subject of the time limit software on the printer, I've heard it said (though haven't personally experienced it) that some modern Makita (and probably other brands) cordless drill will act up after a certain lifespan due to smarts in the battery pak. Can anyone confirm this?
The idea of durable vehicles is compelling to many of the readers here and for one I'm completely up for it but there is one massive pitfall. BB mentioned it earlier. While there are people like my wife around it'll never happen. Let's call it 'shiny factor'!.......
Ooohhhh, look at your new car! It's got a reversing camera! And oooohhhh, I looove the new colour. Has yours got the bluetooth curling iron and the automatic makeup mirror focus? Ours has! And does yours have the automatic retina scan to adjust the seat height!?
Manufacturers don't have to be shifty and clever to sell new products when the average consumer (read sucker!) happily falls for this as justification to buy a nu thang or be conned into an upsell so they can have even more goodies! Sadly repairability or durability (in motor vehicles especially) is only one of the problems......
Yup, it's like that Jack. Fortunately my wife's only like this when it comes to cars. Other stuff round the house is allowed to get old and die naturally. I pity those who's other half have to have new everythings!
When I say the stuff in our house can grow old gracefully I'm literally including the furniture. That, I guess, is another angle on this discussion. Old (perhaps restored) or quality built new stuff Vs Fantastic furniture and Hardly Normal. We've got both old (antique?)and quality new including some stuff from a local cabinet maker who made new stuff the old way
My theory about all the home invasions that are happening around Melb these days is not to have big flashy stuff or anything worth pinching. The stuff we have here all functions, does what it is supposed to do but to a thief not worth the effort. Most of the tools in my shed are old and have worked hard, but once again tools were once expensive, now they are cheap so the desire to steal is not there. The tools that do get stolen are usually from a tradie who has a ute full of the latest battery powered gear. Our cars are 10 year old Hyundais, hardly an interest for car jackers
Another thing about those home invasions and burglaries, well known to law enforcement and insurers, is the follow-up burglaries a few weeks later, to pinch the replacement goods!
Or the ones that are triggered by the householders openly putting out the cartons from the new gear for collection.
Cheers, Gadge
"ODK Mods can explain it to you, but they can't understand it for you..."
"Crazy can be medicated, ignorance can be educated - but there is no cure for stupid..."
The article is fine and challenges how WE became a throw-away society. Manufacturers need to come on board too by:- - making repairable goods; and - Having a pricing policy that makes repairs economic.
Hi Jack They are making what they believe are the right noises but nothing will ever change as long as the world has China churning out the millions of tons of products that are sent around the world because as we know it is cheaper to buy that repair. The thought of using the Mens Sheds as repair places has as much ability to achieve anything as wind farms. Makes people feel all warm and fuzzy but that is about it
The thought of using the Mens Sheds as repair places has as much ability to achieve anything as wind farms. Makes people feel all warm and fuzzy but that is about it
Hi Norm I can't say I disagree - but we can't go on like this...
As Paul Kelly has reminded us, ... From little things big things grow.
We are finally getting a "men's shed" and the one and only parts and tools supply guy in town, in conjunction with KC Tools, donated a huge tool chest with all brand new spanners and stuff. The retailer also has promised that any machines returned that are not under warranty and not economical to repair labor wise will be sent to the men's shed for them to repair and resell to help fund the shed but secondhand stuff is hard to sell out here even if it is overhauled and running like new. I guess it is the shiny toy syndrome but also being a rural area I guess the tax write off of new machines might make more sense than taking on something with no warranty.
The Chinese appear to have taken the whole idea one step further. Make a crap product that is only designed to last a few months beyond the 12 month warranty and flood the market place with it. Make no spare parts at all. Sell it cheaply. Consumer throws it away and goes back to the store to buy a replacement. None of the new parts will fit the older models. In most cases the product cannot be recycled and ends up as landfill.
But I wonder how long this kind of wasteful attitude can last? It is certainly not sustainable and flies in the face of so-called modern efforts to "reduce, re-use, recycle". In all truth people recycled more things in the past than they do today, and it was out of economic necessity.
The Chinese method worked fine during the economic boom time but as soon as the GFC hit the world stage, China was hit badly. Products disappeared from our "cheapie" stores virtually overnight. They have gradually been replaced, but the cost has risen considerably. An item that was once sold for $2 is now sold for $8.99, and often more. I guess the prices are more realistic, but also far less affordable. But it is a sure sign that the Chinese method of selling cheap crap for landfill is not working. They too will be forced to improve the quality of their products if they intend to increase the prices while staying in the game. I think the same sort of thing happened to Japan after WW2. Most of the stuff coming from Japan during the 50s and 60s was cheap crap that broke shortly after you bought it. But they gradually improved and anything Made in Japan today is usually top quality and expensive.
Taiwanese products are now respected like Japanese. I now see anything stamped made in Taiwan as a plus both for trustworthy quality and good value for money. I can remember when that was not the case at all. The quality of Chinese made deeply depends on the company concerned. If it's a company from outside China with a good name that has set up shop in China, they can churn out top shelf stuff, especially when the technical comonentry is likely sourced from Japan or Germany anyway. My Kodak easyshare from 12 years ago is still going strong and feels solid as a rock in my hand and was made in China.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
I bought a new 10 inch chainsaw a couple of weeks ago, looks well made, cost $89 delivered. Cut through about 3 branches and it threw the chain. When I looked closely at the chain it had about 9 pins that I believe had been pressed too tightly and this was the problem. I will inspect the new chains when they arrive before I fit them. Apart from that the saw was only intended to do one job and I after that probably never used again, but it is easy to justify buying stuff at this sort of money if the use is only occasional. I have a new view on the cheap small mowers after last weekend where I witnessed the fact that the only way to get the mower into the back yard of a unit was to take it through the house with probably 5 mins mowing time out there.
Yes indeed Norm, blocks of land are so small today. What people call "lawns" today is what I would call a patch of carpet. No wonder some people are not bothering with growing the real stuff and just laying down a few strips of artificial lawn. The whole concept of gardens has changed fast. Now a garden is something that you can grow in a pot beside a wall on top of pavers.
Another thing I noticed during the drought years, lots of councils and private residences were dispensing with lawns entirely and replacing them with colourful stones a few inches deep.
This topic - the right to repair - is getting some AUS interest. At a time when the public cannot have faith in recycling, this issue is more important at this juncture than ever before.
This is such a complicated issue. It not only involves a right to repair.
The message must include an expectation given to manufacturers:
- Please make machines designed for repair; - Please make service tools available to all; - Please make parts pricing viable for repair; - Please take pride in what you make; - Please don't treat your customers with contempt.
I am so angry I want to go out and put a lounge chair on a ride-on!
One wonders whether some of these 'makers' have any pride in their product. One wonders: what a wonderful world ...
] wrote a book in 1960 titled 'The Waste Makers' that's still well worth tracking down. ![[Linked Image]](https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/uploads/usergals/2017/02/full-7392-32932-shut_up_and_take_my_money.jpg)
