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Ya... That just won't work, at least here in the states. Those old appliances were great and lasted forever but they consumed a massive amount of energy, they would never pass federal regulations now a days.
Also fridges from the 50s had a tiny tendency to explode from time to time.
There was a startup that wanted to build exactly that, a washing machine that would last a lifetime.
You’re using past-tense, did they fail?
Yes and no. Yes they should build those old patents in a general sense. No they should not follow those patents exactly because they contained things like asbestos and lead.
Reliable appliances already exist. They cost 10x what the cheap stuff costs and very, very few people buy them because “why would I get this washing machine for $5000 when I can get this other one with more features for $500?”.
TBF, there are lot of the “10x as expensive” appliances that are absolute garbage, have awful reliability and are very expensive to repair. The “best” would be to buy commercial kitchen gear, but it isn’t pretty enamel colors or designer chic. Of course there are still a few reliable standouts like the typical Kitchen Aid stand mixer, but like you said, a hand mixer can be had for $50, and Kitchen Aids can cost $500+.
So much of the world's problems comes from that if you have one product that 8.99 and the other thats 9.99 everyone will buy the first one without question
Exactly. People paid high prices for high quality appliances back in the 50s and 60s because there was no other option. Now we have choices. So if you want quality appliances, just pay for them.
People also made more, dollar to dollar, so they could afford a more expensive appliance...
And if they didn't? Well, we don't think about them when we think of the idealized appliances of the past.
But even then, you never know if you're paying for higher quality, or you're just being sold shit at a higher price.
Back in 2000 I bought a pair of North Face shoes, when they were known as being a quality outfitter company. They were amazing shoes and I would replace them about every 3 years... Then around 2012 they had completed their shift to a fashion brand and their shoes barely lasted 6 months, but still cost the same.
Exactly. Am I paying for a brand or the product?
The only thing is just VEEEERY MINOR gap in purchasing parity of salaries bro
what? real compensation is up
What compensation?
And WiFi.
And AI.
My trusty garage fridge looks almost identical.
My parents have 3, they are older then my parents.
You can find refurbished used and/or antique appliances too. There are a couple accounts that I follow who have really cool appliances from the 50s and 60s, among other eras - lots of chrome and pastels! I think they will customize ones too, and even look out for specific models or option sets.
Pretty neat!
These appliances would cost similar to 60 years ago? You’ll be spending 2-3 months salary on a washing machine or television. We got used to cheap and poor quality - poor repairability devices in the consumer economy.
Yeah, the bummer is that you can pay that much for appliances, but you are paying for extra features, NOT for extra durability and repairability. They simply don't make them like that anymore.
Linus and Luke from LTT were talking about this the other day, how you can spend like 20-30 grand on a sub-zero or some other fancy brand fridge, and it will last 50 years like appliances used to. But when you sell your house eventually it will add NO value, the buyer is just going to see "great, the house comes with a fridge like it's supposed to". So unless you plan to take the fridge with you from house to house and go through the trouble of replacing it with something normal when you do then the economics just don't work for most people anymore.
I live in a city below sea level and almost every house has foundation issues. At one point I was living in a house that was over 120 years old. It had been through a fire, had no central support beam, and every time the roof had previously been repaired, instead of removing the old one, a new one was just slapped on top, so there were 3 total roofs. It was kind of a miracle (and probably only because of old style lattice work in the frame) that it never collapsed. Anyway, the foundation in that house was beyond fucked to say the least.
Almost the whole time we lived there we kept having problems with our washer over and over. Our landlord would hire a repairman to fix it, they were never quite sure what was wrong, but they would fiddle around with it until they got it working, then a week later it would just stop working again. Eventually our landlord got so fed up they just got rid of the washer and dryer and bought a brand new really fancy stackable washer and dryer set. They were so pissed when not even a week later we started having the same issue.
Eventually we got a repairman out who figured out the problem. The laundry room was an addition that had been a back porch at one point in history so it was even more janky than the rest of the house. The foundation in that room had become so fucked, it was throwing off the sensors all newer washers have. The landlord had to sell the almost brand new washer, and then go out and find a 20+ year old washer to place next to our fancy dryer.
Anyway, the point is, I could see the value in vintage appliances being included in houses where the age of the home itself may interfere with newer technology.
oh shit this is FASCINATING. i'm glad you had a landlord that at least dealt with the problem instead of blaming you after the first couple times.
The washer and dryer was in our lease, but I think they did tell us if the repairman figured out it was our fault then we would be on the hook.
Honestly, I don't think not having a fridge is that big of a deal. If someone actually wants the house they will haggle you down for the cost of a fridge and I would be totally fine with that. Hey, I could have bought a $900 fridge and put it in here, I will give you $900 out of the sell. If you don't want a $900 fridge you can take that money and put it to the fridge you do want.
just a reminder that survivorship bias is a huge thing. There have been shitty products from back then too. Many. We just don't see them now, because only the few good products have survived. The same happens today.
Its not all planned obsolescence and not all obsolescence is bad. Imagine having a 40 year old fridge that doesn't cool shit and burn 3 times the energy.
2 tips for good quality products now: end capitalism and spend money on the right products (not just convenience) and the right people to repair them.