I always say this when a question like this comes up:
Find a repair person for what you’re looking to buy and ask them which brands and models last the longest and are easiest to get parts for and repair in your country. They are the people that actually know the answer.
Good quality shit still exists, you just need to pay for it, and if you remember the Terry Pratchett boots story, you’ll know paying more up front is going to save you money in the long run
Yeah people don’t realize that appliances were a LOT more expensive back then too, especially as a proportion of income. A washer dryer set in 1959 cost $380, at a time when the median household income was only $5,400. That means to buy a washer dryer set, they would have to spend 7% of their pre-tax income. Currently, the cheapest washer dryer set will set you back $1300, and the median household income is $83,000, so it’s about 1.5% of the annual household income. If you’re willing to pay what people were proportionally willing to pay in 1959, you can still buy a washer dryer set that will last a lifetime. Most people just aren’t.
Can you really, though? If you can tell me where those are available now (not just expensive, but proven lifetime quality), I would really like to know.
It actually is true. Sure the most expensive Maytag is basically the same as the least expensive one with extra computers on it, but if you look at brands like Speed Queen they’re built to last with simple repairable parts. If you haven’t been to a Laundromat, you’ve probably never heard of them, but they are the Queen of laundromat equipment. Why? Because Laundromats lose money when their shit isn’t working and they need rugged equipment that will work for a long time and that they’re able to do maintenance on. When looking at household goods where it seems like you can’t buy good stuff at any price anymore, look at what the pros are using. They will get what they need and someone will be making it for them.
Often times, your only option to cater to that is to go after a product targeted for commercial clients instead of consumer. Washer/Dryer targeted at laundromats. Kitchen equipment for restauraunts. The vendors are dealing with clients that are both more demanding, have the resources to get warranty promises fulfilled, and that have much more experience to quickly recognize a vendor faliing them. You don’t need a large business concern’s stuff to break in a year to get them buying again, but if their stuff does tend to break in a year or two your company won’t be considered for future purchases.
Commercial clients are about the only ones that have a chance of being on equal footing with vendors, the consumer market is so easily snowed by marketing that companies get away with being crap there all the time (worst comes to worst, just pack up your tarnished brand and relaunch with a new, exciting brand, same crap products but consumers will eat it up)
Don’t just go by the price tag though, because some of the expensive shit is actually cheap but they figured they’d sell more if they give it a premium price (and maybe some chrome-finnished plastic parts to make it look more premium).
I’m not going by the price tag, I’m going by the fact that Speed Queen is literally the only consumer washing machine brand whose machines you can explicitly use in a commercial setting and it won’t void the warranty, per the bond in the back of the manual.
What a Speed Queen washer costs now is roughly what a quality Kenmore or Whirlpool washing machine cost in the 1980s, once you adjust for inflation.
On yeah, that wasn’t meant in response to the Speed Queen recommendation but for the “if you want good, expect to pay more” and just wanted to point out that it doesn’t mean “pay more and you get good”.
When my oven element died (according to my girlfriend made a huge light then that’s it, repair guy said it basically welded) and we had a guy in to check it out he sent some recommendations of brands to purchase based on his fixing (actually had a list ready so it had some random don’t get their dryers but rest is okay for that brand) since it t blew the circuit board too. Though that was only a few months ago so hopefully it’ll work out. I imagine many repair people are willing to let you know their experiences though may want a general place than say specific brand repair ones.
It was amusing how apologetic he was that he couldn’t fix it, I always assume that’s a possibility but was still over $100 to get him there and basically lost money, if you were knowledgeable or prescient. I imagine others aren’t so calm when they hear that.
This is why I bought Maytag for an appliance… Then 4 years into its 10 “warranty”, I learned that it only covers things with pretty much no chance of breaking during that time and the actual functional bits aren’t covered, like the water pump (washers don’t work too good if the water doesn’t go anywhere).
And the repair cost about as much as I paid for it.
Companies buying companies with stellar reputations and then ride that reputation for every cent it’s worth into the ground… Gotta love capitalism, right?
I got my wife’s broken 4K monitor repaired for the grand cost of £3.50 a few weeks ago.
They were in the market for replacing it anyway because it’s ten years old, but when it wouldn’t turn on it that pushed their decision. Kinda pissed me off, because I was going to get it when the replacement arrived. So I figured it was already fucked, so it wouldn’t hurt to see if it could be repaired.
My boss at work trained as an electrician in the Army, so we opened it, where he immediately clocked a capacitor that was slightly expanded. A multimeter reading confirmed it, so I ordered a replacement. 8p, but I had to buy a pack of five. Add the postage and it came to £3.50.
The repair took 10 minutes, and now I’m the proud owner of a 28" 4K AOC.
That’s great, and learning to repair things yourself can be a great way to keep products running. But most people lack those skills or have acquaintances who’ll do it basically for free.
I’ve done similar to a part on my dryer’s control board, and a GPU’s vram. In both cases, there was no diagnostic needed because the part showed some kind of physical damage. You would be surprised how often things can be fixed for 1% the cost of replacing.
You got it correct there. If it’s junk, open it up, and take a look. It might be obvious. Given the rising cost of stuff like GPUs, this could become more relevant.
I had a mouse chew through the ignition wire on the ignitor on my propane furnace, which blew the board out. It cost me like 400 to do it myself after a repair guy just charged 100 to diagnose it then help3ed me over text swapping everything out. Could have been 2000 for an official repair company and way more for a new one.
Oh that’s a good one. I had a coal stove that had an idle timer (mechanical clock) to keep the fire going when the thermostat wasn’t calling for heat. It stopped working and the factory said they don’t make them anymore, but I could special order a thirty party replacement for $250. I replaced it with an Arduino, a relay shield and a 20 line program for < $10. If I was more electrically inclined, I could have powered it from the stove’s power. Instead, there is a USB cord sticking out the back =]
I could stand to have a look at my washer/drier. The washer works perfectly well, but the drier does nothing at all. It runs, but doesn’t dry. It came with the house and they’re usually expensive to run, so I’ve never really worried about it. But I live in England, where rain is our default mode, so it’s a pain to have washing up on racks in the house all the time.
Does it get hot at all? The heating element is just a coil of metal that can break. They can break easily if you put clothes in it that are too wet (like dripping). Once it breaks, it severs the current, so no heat. There should also be a fuse right next to it. These are all simple continuity checks if you have a meter.
Partly because they’ll know which ones they see least and/or have an easiest time with, but also that the perfect unbreakable machine doesn’t exist; accidents & “acts of god” (as in the insurance term) happen even to the best built appliances. E.g. there’re not many control boards that will survive a lightning strike.
Finally they will know other repair people and will talk shop with them from time to time, not least of all because they also need to buy appliances, and they know this same rule.
Yeah my next washer dryer set will be speed queen because I am sick of buying cheaply built computerized shit and it’s possible it’s the last one I’ll ever buy.
I always say this when a question like this comes up:
Find a repair person for what you’re looking to buy and ask them which brands and models last the longest and are easiest to get parts for and repair in your country. They are the people that actually know the answer.
Good quality shit still exists, you just need to pay for it, and if you remember the Terry Pratchett boots story, you’ll know paying more up front is going to save you money in the long run
GNU Terry Pratchett
😭
Yeah people don’t realize that appliances were a LOT more expensive back then too, especially as a proportion of income. A washer dryer set in 1959 cost $380, at a time when the median household income was only $5,400. That means to buy a washer dryer set, they would have to spend 7% of their pre-tax income. Currently, the cheapest washer dryer set will set you back $1300, and the median household income is $83,000, so it’s about 1.5% of the annual household income. If you’re willing to pay what people were proportionally willing to pay in 1959, you can still buy a washer dryer set that will last a lifetime. Most people just aren’t.
Can you really, though? If you can tell me where those are available now (not just expensive, but proven lifetime quality), I would really like to know.
Speed Queen.
If only that was true. It isn’t.
The rest is spot on.
It actually is true. Sure the most expensive Maytag is basically the same as the least expensive one with extra computers on it, but if you look at brands like Speed Queen they’re built to last with simple repairable parts. If you haven’t been to a Laundromat, you’ve probably never heard of them, but they are the Queen of laundromat equipment. Why? Because Laundromats lose money when their shit isn’t working and they need rugged equipment that will work for a long time and that they’re able to do maintenance on. When looking at household goods where it seems like you can’t buy good stuff at any price anymore, look at what the pros are using. They will get what they need and someone will be making it for them.
Often times, your only option to cater to that is to go after a product targeted for commercial clients instead of consumer. Washer/Dryer targeted at laundromats. Kitchen equipment for restauraunts. The vendors are dealing with clients that are both more demanding, have the resources to get warranty promises fulfilled, and that have much more experience to quickly recognize a vendor faliing them. You don’t need a large business concern’s stuff to break in a year to get them buying again, but if their stuff does tend to break in a year or two your company won’t be considered for future purchases.
Commercial clients are about the only ones that have a chance of being on equal footing with vendors, the consumer market is so easily snowed by marketing that companies get away with being crap there all the time (worst comes to worst, just pack up your tarnished brand and relaunch with a new, exciting brand, same crap products but consumers will eat it up)
It absolutely is. Buy a Speed Queen.
Don’t just go by the price tag though, because some of the expensive shit is actually cheap but they figured they’d sell more if they give it a premium price (and maybe some chrome-finnished plastic parts to make it look more premium).
I’m not going by the price tag, I’m going by the fact that Speed Queen is literally the only consumer washing machine brand whose machines you can explicitly use in a commercial setting and it won’t void the warranty, per the bond in the back of the manual.
What a Speed Queen washer costs now is roughly what a quality Kenmore or Whirlpool washing machine cost in the 1980s, once you adjust for inflation.
On yeah, that wasn’t meant in response to the Speed Queen recommendation but for the “if you want good, expect to pay more” and just wanted to point out that it doesn’t mean “pay more and you get good”.
When my oven element died (according to my girlfriend made a huge light then that’s it, repair guy said it basically welded) and we had a guy in to check it out he sent some recommendations of brands to purchase based on his fixing (actually had a list ready so it had some random don’t get their dryers but rest is okay for that brand) since it t blew the circuit board too. Though that was only a few months ago so hopefully it’ll work out. I imagine many repair people are willing to let you know their experiences though may want a general place than say specific brand repair ones.
It was amusing how apologetic he was that he couldn’t fix it, I always assume that’s a possibility but was still over $100 to get him there and basically lost money, if you were knowledgeable or prescient. I imagine others aren’t so calm when they hear that.
Th problem with that is most people don’t repair anymore as it’s often cheaper to replace.
And if it’s good quality without breaking down, why would the repair person ever work on it?
This is why I bought Maytag for an appliance… Then 4 years into its 10 “warranty”, I learned that it only covers things with pretty much no chance of breaking during that time and the actual functional bits aren’t covered, like the water pump (washers don’t work too good if the water doesn’t go anywhere).
And the repair cost about as much as I paid for it.
Companies buying companies with stellar reputations and then ride that reputation for every cent it’s worth into the ground… Gotta love capitalism, right?
I got my wife’s broken 4K monitor repaired for the grand cost of £3.50 a few weeks ago.
They were in the market for replacing it anyway because it’s ten years old, but when it wouldn’t turn on it that pushed their decision. Kinda pissed me off, because I was going to get it when the replacement arrived. So I figured it was already fucked, so it wouldn’t hurt to see if it could be repaired.
My boss at work trained as an electrician in the Army, so we opened it, where he immediately clocked a capacitor that was slightly expanded. A multimeter reading confirmed it, so I ordered a replacement. 8p, but I had to buy a pack of five. Add the postage and it came to £3.50.
The repair took 10 minutes, and now I’m the proud owner of a 28" 4K AOC.
That’s great, and learning to repair things yourself can be a great way to keep products running. But most people lack those skills or have acquaintances who’ll do it basically for free.
And to be fair, an awful lot of products these days aren’t built to be repaired anyway.
I was lucky with this monitor.
I’ve done similar to a part on my dryer’s control board, and a GPU’s vram. In both cases, there was no diagnostic needed because the part showed some kind of physical damage. You would be surprised how often things can be fixed for 1% the cost of replacing.
You got it correct there. If it’s junk, open it up, and take a look. It might be obvious. Given the rising cost of stuff like GPUs, this could become more relevant.
I had a mouse chew through the ignition wire on the ignitor on my propane furnace, which blew the board out. It cost me like 400 to do it myself after a repair guy just charged 100 to diagnose it then help3ed me over text swapping everything out. Could have been 2000 for an official repair company and way more for a new one.
Oh that’s a good one. I had a coal stove that had an idle timer (mechanical clock) to keep the fire going when the thermostat wasn’t calling for heat. It stopped working and the factory said they don’t make them anymore, but I could special order a thirty party replacement for $250. I replaced it with an Arduino, a relay shield and a 20 line program for < $10. If I was more electrically inclined, I could have powered it from the stove’s power. Instead, there is a USB cord sticking out the back =]
You sound a lot more electrically inclined than I, if I had help it would be easy enough.
I could stand to have a look at my washer/drier. The washer works perfectly well, but the drier does nothing at all. It runs, but doesn’t dry. It came with the house and they’re usually expensive to run, so I’ve never really worried about it. But I live in England, where rain is our default mode, so it’s a pain to have washing up on racks in the house all the time.
Does it get hot at all? The heating element is just a coil of metal that can break. They can break easily if you put clothes in it that are too wet (like dripping). Once it breaks, it severs the current, so no heat. There should also be a fuse right next to it. These are all simple continuity checks if you have a meter.
Driers are simple machines. I suspect a dead heating element. It’s probably visually broken.
Partly because they’ll know which ones they see least and/or have an easiest time with, but also that the perfect unbreakable machine doesn’t exist; accidents & “acts of god” (as in the insurance term) happen even to the best built appliances. E.g. there’re not many control boards that will survive a lightning strike.
Finally they will know other repair people and will talk shop with them from time to time, not least of all because they also need to buy appliances, and they know this same rule.
Much better than the plastic garbage no one would ever consider fixing. No appliance lasts forever but many may be serviceable.
My miele vacuum is rocking still, as good as many years ago. Asked and took the advice of the vacuum repair guy on reddit!
Even the expensiver stuff is garbage now.
You have to look in a different direction.
High end residential is more features and bullshit. It’s fragile.
You want commercial/industrial like a speed queen. Ugly as shit. No AI. No Wifi. Not even an LCD. Just an analog dial.
Yeah my next washer dryer set will be speed queen because I am sick of buying cheaply built computerized shit and it’s possible it’s the last one I’ll ever buy.
I dont really think “brands” are very meaningful.
Yeah they’re all owned by a couple companies.
That’s why I got a Chiq TV. The local guy said they’re reliable and he can get parts.