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Re:The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy by KozmoNau7 on Tuesday March 06, 2018 @04:52AM (#16527896)
But at least you could buy devices that would last for decades and decades.

Try finding a washing machine these days, that will last for more than 5 years or so before something breaks and renders the machine useless.

You may be able to find an industrial machine, made for hotels or laundries. But it will be very expensive and likely be huge and it will need 3-phase power. It will also likely not have a spin cycle, so you'll have to either air dry your clothes for ages or buy a separate clothes spinner (most driers need the clothes to have been spin dried first).

Whether I buy a cheap Whirlpool or an expensive Miele/AEG/Bosch or whatever, the quality and longevity is universally shit.

Re:The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy by rsynnott on Tuesday March 06, 2018 @07:40AM (#16528424)
> Miele/AEG/Bosch

These aren't comparable; Miele is on a different level. In particular, Miele washing machines are properly repairable. Of course, they're also far more expensive.

EDIT: Missed AEG. These are essentially three tiers of product.

AEG is Electrolux's "premium" branding. In most cases, the same washing machine with different plastic will be available as Electrolux and Zanussi. Very much mid-range; better than Whirlpool/Hotpoint/Indesit, but that's not saying much. Should not be expected to be super-long-lasting.

Bosch (and Siemens, Neff; again, just different branding for the same thing) are definitely a step up. Some though not all machines are very repairable.

And Miele is a huge step up again. All machines should be properly repairable.

Re:The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy by Tomte on Tuesday March 06, 2018 @05:21AM (#16527984)
Only people with broken machines complain. That's why they seem "universally shit".

I've had my Bosch washing machine now for over ten years and there have been no repairs whatsoever, so far.

Re:The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy by MrFantastic on Tuesday March 06, 2018 @08:14AM (#16528605)
Bosch is a great brand but it comes at a premium ( mine was $1200 ). I had to replace a $650 Frigidaire washing after 4 years.
Re:The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy by mido22 on Tuesday March 06, 2018 @08:42AM (#16528762)
Reminds me of 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness in Discworld.
Re:The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy by aiCeivi9 on Tuesday March 06, 2018 @11:02AM (#16529610)
Real world finally fixed that issue. While selecting cheapest product still gets you the worst one, spending money on more expensive one doesn't guarantee it will be any better.
Re:The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy by antisthenes on Tuesday March 06, 2018 @12:38PM (#16530376)
I have a Frigidaire unit that's on its 10th year and works almost as new as far as I can tell.

For every vocal person with a broken unit, there are multiple people with working ones. These planned obsolescence debates are mostly pointless without actual data (case in point: arguing about WD vs Seagate before BackBlaze started publishing their data)

Re:The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy by lb1lf on Tuesday March 06, 2018 @05:26AM (#16527997)
The plural of anecdote is not data, but around here (Scandinavia) I've seen lots and lots of Miele and ASKO appliances which are way, way beyond 10 years old.

My 13 year old Miele washer and 9 year old ASKO dryer are still going strong without any signs of their age - and they are being run hard, what with three small kids in the house an'all.

Re:The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy by KozmoNau7 on Tuesday March 06, 2018 @07:16AM (#16528340)
Older Miele washers are generally good quality, but universally anything you buy today is pretty much junk.

And this is coming from an acquaintance of mine, who has installed and serviced white goods for over 30 years.

Re:The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy by SmellyGeekBoy on Tuesday March 06, 2018 @09:58AM (#16529201)
This "everything was better in the good old days" attitude explains a lot that's going on in the world at the moment. Shame it's demonstrably wrong on many levels.
Re:The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy by KozmoNau7 on Wednesday March 07, 2018 @02:53AM (#16534944)
Shame you couldn't be bothered to do so.

Consumer gear of all kinds is crap. You have to go where the pros go, and that isn't even a sure thing.

Re:The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy by chrisbennet on Tuesday March 06, 2018 @06:55AM (#16528265)
I’m keeping my old washer and dryer for that reason.

“They Used To Last 50 Years”

https://medium.com/@ryanfinlay/they-used-to-last-50-years-c3...

Re:The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy by w0m on Tuesday March 06, 2018 @10:23AM (#16529355)
That riles me up, it's comparing ~2500usd (adjusted) appliances with ~200usd appliances while glossing over actual cost to consumer or equivalent priced quality.
Re:The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy by chrisbennet on Tuesday March 06, 2018 @01:21PM (#16530756)
We bought our washer and drier used/refurbished in 1991. I finally replaced the one of them [with another used one] a couple of years ago.
Re:The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy by taeric on Tuesday March 06, 2018 @11:02AM (#16529617)
Meanwhile, I'll use mine that costs an astounding amount less to run. Gets clothes cleaner, to boot.