throw-away society

[Rickster]

My current girlfriend's teenage son is on his third X-Box 360... He says it is a known issue that the damn things rarely last more than a year - but is convinced that it is the thing to have and keeps buying them with the money he earns at a part-time job. ..

Tell him to opt for the 360 Elite, its $100 more but has the no-problems chip-set, otherwise you're taking a chance of getting another unit with a bad chip set.

I can't say enough about the Royal vacuums, very dependable and powerful, not to mention expensive. I've found two in perfect shape from estate sales for $20 each. Now I have one for upstairs and one for the main floor.

 

[BrianAltenhofel]

So far, my wife hasn't seemed to have the issue of "its not working right, so time to buy a new one" yet. However, I don't know how many PS2's her nephew has been through. We still have a big brick PS2, and just recently the motor for the laser aperture died. It wasn't unexpected... I recognized the sound a few months before it finally gave up. I don't mind spending the $100 in parts to go ahead and replace every moving part. If I'm going to open it up for one, might as well be certain of them all (if you've ever opened up modern gaming consoles, you know what I mean).

My wife's car has 195,000 miles on it and mine has 125,000. What's funny is recently, my wife's Sentra had a hose collapse on the backside of the water pump which caused it to overheat. The molded hose was $3 after having to wait two weeks for it because the dealer doesn't stock it for age and O'reilly's doesn't carry it because of too many variations on the GA16DE engine (I've noticed that about a lot of Nissans I've had to work on). I opted to also buy a water pump, because if I'm taking a 195,000 miler off, I might as well put a new one on because these imports are such a PITA to fix. My mom's idea: time to buy a new car. Same idea when I had the valve cover gaskets on my Intrepid develop a quart-a-month leak. I refuse to take my cars to a mechanic UNLESS it is something I am unsure about doing right, much less buy a new car just because something isn't perfect.

Generally, if something breaks around my house, I take it apart. If the guts look like someone Wayne Szelinski accidentally shrunk assembled it, then I might consider buying a new one; but if it looks like I might be able to repair it, I'll repair it even if it takes "more time than it's worth".

I do sorta the same with computers. When it gets to where my computer is too old to run the things I need, yeah, I buy a new one, but the old one gets a new "assignment" at home. I have old computers running as dedicated file servers, a RADIUS server (so if you get on my wireless, good luck getting any further, but its still possible...), a firewall, and a dedicated shell server for doing remote administration of the other boxes without giving someone else an easy chance at compromising them. Yes, there really is a 386 with 8MB of RAM still in practical use.

When I get new tires for my cars, I don't throw away the ones with decent tread until they are too hard. Why? I live in a rural area, and sometimes need to mount another spare myself. I've had two spare tires on a car before, one on a spare rim and the other one was mounted on the side of the road.

I also try to avoid buying imported goods as often as I can. Why? Imported goods are the reason that the economy is like it is. And when you buy a new imported item to replace that imported item that could've been fixed, you contribute even more to the problem.

 

[PAToyota]

Tell him to opt for the 360 Elite, its $100 more but has the no-problems chip-set, otherwise you're taking a chance of getting another unit with a bad chip set.

That's part of the issue - the "instant gratification" thing. He has a hard enough time waiting to save up the $250 (or whatever it is) for the basic unit much less saving up another $100 when he knows he could go get the basic one and be playing with it instead of still waiting...

Never-mind that he's spent $750 (if they are $250) on the ones that have already died...

And, of course, adults just don't understand and don't know anything...

 

[garagefanatic]

I bought a Speed Queen dryer out of a guy's garage for $100 a few months before I got married in 1983. Today is our 25th wedding anniversary and that dryer is still going strong. I have replaced every part at least once, some several times. The only original part left is the heating element. Several times, I have been ready to give up on it, but my wife thinks the new dryers don't dry the clothes as good as the old ones, so I'll keep fixing it until I run into a part that I can't replace from one of the two local appliance parts stores (the counter people there know me very well, the guy with the old dryer) or on the internet

 

[wilbilt]

I have replaced every part at least once, some several times. The only original part left is the heating element.

I have a Whirlpool we bought after our first child was born in 1987. The only thing I've had to replace is the heating element!

In fact, it's due for another one.

Congrats on the 25th...we will be celebrating our 22nd on the 24th of this month.

 

[ImportTuner]

I have a round Hoover canister vacuum that I bought in 1971 and it still works great ... the only problem is finding vacuum bags - have to go to the Hoover store to get them ...

 

[billymade]

Hey, about those PS2's going south; I have fixed a few on my own, they typically have the laser/optical drives fail. I ended up cleaning some with limited success and replacing drives too. Here is a place they will repair them with what seems like a decent price: http://www.fixmyplaystation.com/
If you are adventuresome; here is a guide to fixing it yourself: http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/hardware/ps2.ars
Here is a place that sells PS2 parts: http://www.richspsxparts.com/psx2.html
These consoles, once you open them up, are pretty much pc's inside; you sound like a pretty ********* pc guy already, so these should be a breeze, I cleaned the optical drive on the two I worked on with great success and I also have fixed 3 original XBOX units; all three needed new optical drives and one I had to reinstall the OS.
Hope this helps!

 

[PAToyota]

Hope this helps!

Well, considering the video of him smashing the last one with an ax when it failed is posted on his MySpace page....

As I said, teenagers know everything they need to know...

Thanks anyway, though...

 

[cruiser808]

Hey, I have a story to tell. Back in 1989 the owner of a service station gave me a 1954 Westinghouse refigerator beacause he wanted it off the property. These are the old fashioned round shaped ones with lock handles on them. Real vintage stuff. It wasn't running, but the owner said it was working recently, so I took it to have a look see. After opening it up, I come to find out it's really a very simple appliance. The compressor was A-Ok. All I needed to do was to replace the old cloth wiring that was shorting out and put in some new wiring. It worked like new. And it's been working great ever since in my garage office. I have to defrost it every 4 weeks, but it's not a big deal. By the way, as I am posting this, I'm having a frosty cold one from the frig. Life is good.

 

[ImportTuner]

Hey, I have a story to tell. Back in 1989 the owner of a service station gave me a 1954 Westinghouse refigerator beacause he wanted it off the property. These are the old fashioned round shaped ones with lock handles on them. Real vintage stuff. It wasn't running, but the owner said it was working recently, so I took it to have a look see. After opening it up, I come to find out it's really a very simple appliance. The compressor was A-Ok. All I needed to do was to replace the old cloth wiring that was shorting out and put in some new wiring. It worked like new. And it's been working great ever since in my garage office. I have to defrost it every 4 weeks, but it's not a big deal. By the way, as I am posting this, I'm having a frosty cold one from the frig. Life is good.

Cool ... any pictures?

 

[cruiser808]

Hi tuner - I'll try to get some pictures posted, but you'll probably not be too impressed. It's just an old refigerator that I got with some additional white paint on the front before I acquired it, but other than the wiring I did in '89, all I've done to it is defrost every 4 weeks. It's not restored visually in any way. But if you're ever in Hawaii, come on over to my house, I'll have a cold one waitin fer ya from the frig.

 

[ImportTuner]

Hi tuner - I'll try to get some pictures posted, but you'll probably not be too impressed. It's just an old refigerator that I got with some additional white paint on the front before I acquired it, but other than the wiring I did in '89, all I've done to it is defrost every 4 weeks. It's not restored visually in any way. But if you're ever in Hawaii, come on over to my house, I'll have a cold one waitin fer ya from the frig.

Thanks man ... the old Westinghouse sounds like the one my parents had; hated to defrost that thing ...

 

[mrsleeve]

My grand ma was harping on me about this a while back "you kids just throw everything away and dot bother to try and fix it"

This was not so much directed at me but the way things in general, I grew up on the farm I learned how to fix nearly anything from my grandpa and great uncle, dad was in there too but the vast majority I got form them. I had to spend about an hour trying to explain that replacement parts for nearly anything thats 4-5 years old will cost about the same as a new what ever. I hate it too, I would much rather fix something thats broke rather than toss it an get new but its just not as cost effective anymore in a lot of cases.

 

[nissan_crawler]

What really tweaks my berries is that if you add up the parts sheet for any given appliance/machine/etc., the parts cost comes to 10x what the item cost originally, and they don't have the assembly cost. What a load of ****.

 

[FinalFinishFlooring]

I had the same problems with vacuums. The suction sucked on every one. Seemed like the "better" the vacuum the more it weighed. I went through vacuums nonstop. Finally I sucked it up and spent hundreds on a Dyson. Havn't had a single problem with it. Had it for only a year so far but no signs of it giving up anytime soon. Also, it came with I think a manufacturers warranty for 5 years included in the price. Hasn't lost suction or anything. Not that heavy either. The bagless feature is also nice. On top of my normal household vacuum, my shotvacs always seemed to break. When I started my business I spent a couple thousand on a hepa filtration vacuum. The vacuum has two hoses. Ones thicker but about 10 ft long. The other is about 2 inches wide and is either 20ft or 25ft long. It has three filters on it that pulse about every 10 seconds. This blows the dust off the filters and self cleans them so I dont have to. Its designed for concrete dust so its pretty durable. Best vacuum ever bought.

 

[eschoendorff]

I had the same problems with vacuums. The suction sucked on every one. Seemed like the "better" the vacuum the more it weighed. I went through vacuums nonstop. Finally I sucked it up and spent hundreds on a Dyson. Havn't had a single problem with it. Had it for only a year so far but no signs of it giving up anytime soon. Also, it came with I think a manufacturers warranty for 5 years included in the price. Hasn't lost suction or anything. Not that heavy either. The bagless feature is also nice. On top of my normal household vacuum, my shotvacs always seemed to break. When I started my business I spent a couple thousand on a hepa filtration vacuum. The vacuum has two hoses. Ones thicker but about 10 ft long. The other is about 2 inches wide and is either 20ft or 25ft long. It has three filters on it that pulse about every 10 seconds. This blows the dust off the filters and self cleans them so I dont have to. Its designed for concrete dust so its pretty durable. Best vacuum ever bought.

I've always wondered about those Dyson vacuums. Nice to hear that they work well..

 

[Mike83]

I've always wondered about those Dyson vacuums. Nice to hear that they work well..

Hope so for $500 or whatever they go for! They are cool though

 

[Lugg_Nutt]

Tell him to opt for the 360 Elite, its $100 more but has the no-problems chip-set, otherwise you're taking a chance of getting another unit with a bad chip set.

They ALL use the same chipset now.

 

[Ducroix]

I want a dyson but I cannot justify the price so I will stick with my oreck

 

[Maulerman]

I have a Eureka D4870. It was a consumers reports best buy and I agree. It is about 4 years old now and shows no signs of quitting. You need to take care of things and be gentle using them in general nowadays. They aren't built like tanks anymore. My folks have a sanitaire that they bought 36 years ago. Still running well however it has been rebuilt twice.

I used to use a Royal when I was a custodian at my kids school. They are a fine unit.

 

[nissan_crawler]

Bye bye Frigidaire junk, Hello LG:

 

[ImportTuner]

Isn't LG Korean?

 

[PAToyota]

Isn't LG Korean?

Yep, South Korean. Used to be "Lucky Goldstar" back in the fifties...

 

[lbgradwell]

Yep, South Korean. Used to be "Lucky Goldstar" back in the fifties...

"Fifties"?! It was still "Lucky Goldstar" (or at least "Goldstar") 10 years ago!!

 

[PAToyota]

Well, Goldstar was started in the late Forties and then combined with Lucky in the early Fifties... Just saying that it has been around for awhile...

 

[Slide]

I'm kinda late to this one, but this is something that's really been miffing my wife and me a lot over the past few years... vacuums, coffee makers, dishwashers, CD players... all of it.

A couple others touched on the consumer aspect of things. The instant gratification. The "Wal-Mart Mentality™". Our excess of disposable income has gotten to where things that used to be carefully thought-out purchases (like household appliances) are now more like impulse buys.

We cry a lot on this site about "Made in China", but it's our fault that all that manufacturing has gone to China. We demand a lower price. We shop based on price, not value. (Whoa! You mean there's a difference?!?). All these things are no longer designed for "value". What rules is "Ease of Manufacture". And the easier they can manufacture the widget, the cheaper they can sell it. And if they can sell it cheaper than the other guy, they have a sale. If it breaks next week, then they have another sale.

Now, think about where all this stuff ends up. Eventually the landfill. If you want to truly get "green" or eco-friendly (not typically a big issue for us car guys, but...), then think about that $15 coffee maker that you HOPE will last 6 months.

In a way, I almost wonder if the ridiculous fuel prices have caused us to take some of this into consideration now. I know my family is surely a lot more careful about how we spend our money now. Fortunately, God has blessed us with the financial ability to give consideration to a widget that might cost 2-3 times as much, but expected to last 6-8 times as long.

Back to vacuums, after the last several of ours that barely made it 18 months, we just bought an Oreck with a 21 Year Warranty. We'll see how that holds up.

 

[PAToyota]

I agree totally with Slide about where the instant gratification mentality has gotten us...

And, as he says, back to the original topic of vacuums... I have a fifteen year old Dirt Devil Power Pak Pro. It has served me well, but lately just hasn't seemed to be picking up as well. Replaced the bag, then the filter. Still no better. Looked down each end of the hose but really didn't see anything. Felt along the hose for a bulge or anything suggesting a clog. Put my hand over the hose to see if the hose was clogged but it didn't react - you know, the hose shrinks up to the point of the clog while the rest of the hose remains limp.

Then noticed that the hose would also attach to the air outlet. Attached the hose and ran it out the door, just in case. Turned it on and blew out a cloud of dust, cat and dog fur, and other assorted ****. I was amazed at the amount of it! Guess it and just accumulated along the length of the hose over all the years - sort of like a drainpipe gets clogged from the outside in or your arteries from too much cholesterol...

Damn thing works like new again! Of course, they no longer make those models...

Interestingly, the vacuum my mother had the whole time I was growing up was a Hoover Constellation. She loved that thing and it worked well for decades. She finally had to quit using it (although I think it is still in the closet) because she couldn't get parts for it. Maytag sells Hoover to the Chinese because it isn't worth anything to them and one of the first things they do is go back and start using the old blueprints: http://www.hoover.com/product.aspx?model=S3345&ds=false

I wonder if the parts for the new model interchange with the old one... Might get Mom's vacuum up and running for her again yet!

 

[hamburglar]

I mostly go in the direction of what I don't need...here's a few.

1) Vacuum cleaners. Carpeting is disgusting, brooms and mops work great on decent flooring.
2) Garbage disposals. Evil. Hard on septic systems, not so good for sewer systems. I'll bet that they get removed from new construction at some point via code.
3) Dishwashers. WTF? You can't do your own dishes? They're mostly just storage units for dishes so far as I can tell.
4) Trash compactors. Absurd. I have nothing to add to that.
5) Complicated refrigerators. Water dispensors, ice makers...failure prone, not particularly useful.
6) About 1/2 the plug-in kitchen appliances that people have.
7) Microwave ovens. I guess if you eat frozen pizzas and 3/$5 TV dinners, those are useful.

I'd sooner spend kitchen $$$$ on decent knives, flatware, dishes/glassware than on all that junk that requires electricity.

 

[lbgradwell]

Well, Goldstar was started in the late Forties and then combined with Lucky in the early Fifties...

I didn't know they started as 2 companies and merged...

Either way, moving from "Goldstar" to "LG" has done wonders for the brand; Goldstar was regarded as lower-end, but LG enjoys premium status. It's hard to accomplish that type of change-of-consumer-perception. (At least it's hard to improve a poor brand; it's easy to f/u a good one!)

 

[StanBo]

The one and only goal in manufacturing today is to make it fast and cheap, then sell it for as much as the market will bear. It's a shame and very frustrating.

It goes well beyond consumer products. Equipment at work is getting smaller and better advanced. Another upgrade is the way they are maintained. They are replaced not rebuilt like our old equipment.

It's really hard to tell if you're getting something that's decent quality anymore. I pretty much go by Consumer Reports recommendations when I can. It's still no guarantee, but at least it's better than a shot in the dark. So far, for cars and appliances it's worked out ok.

I am a slow shopper. I shop for months researching the part, tool or piece of equipment I want. That is why I like this site so much. Shoot I have been on here for years just reading and just got a house with a garage to post about.

No one knows how to fix things anymore so what would be the point of making something user serviceable?

I agree with you Joe. The only people that fix are the ones that can't afford to pay someone to do it.

I often do get annoyed with the disposal nature of products nowadays, but I think one thing people often don't realize is how much cheaper many of these these items now are.

20 years ago, you bought an $1000 (inflation adjusted) VCR that was built like a tank, and had to pay a specialist $80 every time it needed a repair. Nowadays, you buy a $30 DVD player (which would be the equivalent of $10 back then), you get a few years out of it, and can just throw it away when it breaks down. The same was true with televisions. A 25" TV 20 years ago was a major investment for a family, now it's pocket change. The same is true with appliances. You can get a new dishwasher for $150. Adjusting for inflation, appliances weren't that inexpensive years ago.

You can buy high-quality, long lasting items, but most people (including me) are just too cheap to buy them. I would rather buy an $80 vacuum than a $500 commercial one. Same with appliances, I would rather buy a $500 refrigerator than a $5,000 Sub-zero, even though the Sub-Zero will probably last 30 years.

I really blame our disposable culture more on the consumers, not manufacturers. I'm sure manufacturers would prefer to build more high-quality, expensive goods, there's usually a much higher profit margin. Consumers, however, just want cheap, new things rather than making a big, initial investment on something we're forced to keep for many years.

I can't say I always blame them.

It is hard to get the more expensive item. Right now I am on the fence with the toolbox I want. I think I am going to **** it up and save for the Snap-On. At least my grandkids will be able to use them.

I'm kinda late to this one, but this is something that's really been miffing my wife and me a lot over the past few years... vacuums, coffee makers, dishwashers, CD players... all of it.

A couple others touched on the consumer aspect of things. The instant gratification. The "Wal-Mart Mentality™". Our excess of disposable income has gotten to where things that used to be carefully thought-out purchases (like household appliances) are now more like impulse buys.

We cry a lot on this site about "Made in China", but it's our fault that all that manufacturing has gone to China. We demand a lower price. We shop based on price, not value. (Whoa! You mean there's a difference?!?). All these things are no longer designed for "value". What rules is "Ease of Manufacture". And the easier they can manufacture the widget, the cheaper they can sell it. And if they can sell it cheaper than the other guy, they have a sale. If it breaks next week, then they have another sale.

Now, think about where all this stuff ends up. Eventually the landfill. If you want to truly get "green" or eco-friendly (not typically a big issue for us car guys, but...), then think about that $15 coffee maker that you HOPE will last 6 months.

In a way, I almost wonder if the ridiculous fuel prices have caused us to take some of this into consideration now. I know my family is surely a lot more careful about how we spend our money now. Fortunately, God has blessed us with the financial ability to give consideration to a widget that might cost 2-3 times as much, but expected to last 6-8 times as long.

Back to vacuums, after the last several of ours that barely made it 18 months, we just bought an Oreck with a 21 Year Warranty. We'll see how that holds up.

We have had our Oreck for 4 years now and it is operates fine. I like that there are Oreck dealers/repairmen close to our house so we can take care of them correctly.

I mostly go in the direction of what I don't need...here's a few.

1) Vacuum cleaners. Carpeting is disgusting, brooms and mops work great on decent flooring.
2) Garbage disposals. Evil. Hard on septic systems, not so good for sewer systems. I'll bet that they get removed from new construction at some point via code.
3) Dishwashers. WTF? You can't do your own dishes? They're mostly just storage units for dishes so far as I can tell.
4) Trash compactors. Absurd. I have nothing to add to that.
5) Complicated refrigerators. Water dispensors, ice makers...failure prone, not particularly useful.
6) About 1/2 the plug-in kitchen appliances that people have.
7) Microwave ovens. I guess if you eat frozen pizzas and 3/$5 TV dinners, those are useful.

I'd sooner spend kitchen $$$$ on decent knives, flatware, dishes/glassware than on all that junk that requires electricity.

I agree with the vacuums. My kids have alergies so we clean and dust daily.

I didn't think that about garbage disposals but it makes sense. I guess I will continue to scrape my plates into the trash and carry it out nightly.

Dishwashers are supposed to be more efficient then hand washing. They use less water and soap.

Just like the disposal I will walk the garbage out.

It is nice to have an ice dispenser in the fridge. Funny thing both of my handles broke so I am fixing them myself. Got the part numbers from an explosion diagram online.

I agree with the power items and knives. I like less clutter and **** a knife goes in a draw. Done and done.

 

[moody]

from philw-
"Another disposable item seems to be BBQ grills. The cheap ones seem to last a couple years before they need major work. Next grill purchase will be a Weber, they have a 10 year warranty on the burners."

We've had my cheapie grill for over 25 years.....rebuild it every few years with new burner, food grate, and deflector.....and I have replaced the propane hose and regulator (once). The trouble is with finding replacement parts--I spend my time split between fighting off the salesman pushing a new grill ("sounds like you just need a whole new unit") and looking for the closest parts that will fit since it is basically obsolete. Fortunately, only the quality of grills has changed, not the basic size of them. Last guy basically called me a liar when I told him how long I've had it, then said it was "outdated technology" if it was that old. Huh? Which part of cooking food over fire is new?

Wish more things I bought held up like that grill has and just needed "freshening up" from time to time. Almost bought a new one recently but I couldn't see replacing something that has lasted so long just because it's not new and shiny. Besides, I could tell a new one wouldn't last 1/4 of the time I've gotten out of this one.

Then again, my car is 70 years old.......

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

from philw-
"Another disposable item seems to be BBQ grills. The cheap ones seem to last a couple years before they need major work. Next grill purchase will be a Weber, they have a 10 year warranty on the burners."

We've had my cheapie grill for over 25 years.....rebuild it every few years with new burner, food grate, and deflector.....and I have replaced the propane hose and regulator (once). The trouble is with finding replacement parts--I spend my time split between fighting off the salesman pushing a new grill ("sounds like you just need a whole new unit") and looking for the closest parts that will fit since it is basically obsolete. Fortunately, only the quality of grills has changed, not the basic size of them. Last guy basically called me a liar when I told him how long I've had it, then said it was "outdated technology" if it was that old. Huh? Which part of cooking food over fire is new?

Wish more things I bought held up like that grill has and just needed "freshening up" from time to time. Almost bought a new one recently but I couldn't see replacing something that has lasted so long just because it's not new and shiny. Besides, I could tell a new one wouldn't last 1/4 of the time I've gotten out of this one.

Then again, my car is 70 years old.......

I stick with Webber Charcoal grills. While I have never tried a Webber gas grill, all the gas grills I see, the burners rust out quick (Heck I can pick up propane BBQ's on the side of the road, that just need new burners).

But you mentioned your vehicle. I went to the dealer for a dealer specific part a couple of years back, and one of the salesman came out and tried to block me from the parts entrance, saying "your about ready for a new vehicle aren't you?". I asked him, "so your saying you all just build cr@p, which is why I am here for parts, and you want me to wipe for you?"
He just stepped aside......

They haven't approached me when I go there since.

 

[Mike83]

I just bought a Kirby vacuum "system". It is my first and hopefully last vacuum purchase for the $1200 I dropped on it. But...I could spend a few hundred bucks every 2 years for the rest of my life on new, cheaper vacuums. It all depends on your priorities. Plus the Kirby vacuums, is a carpet cleaner and mattress cleaner!

 

[speed bump]

As far as refers go just buy a cheapie from GE or whoever has the best warrenty. They are all the same compressor have 95% of the same things go wrong and look exactly the same.

When I was working in the refrigeration business there are generally only a few things that go wrong with the new ones: 1.) the Embraco compressor relay fails, 2.) the defrost element or thermodisc fails 3.) captube plugs. After that you get into the just chuck it stuff such as evaportator fails, has a microspopic leak somewhere that can't be fixed, or the compressor fails.

BTW LG is really trying to penetrate the US market right now so LG does tend to offer the best appliance warrenty service becuase of that.

 

[jcs_in_ky]

I had bad luck with vacuums not lasting long. We bought a Dyson about 4 years ago and except for replacing a Hepa filter on it we haven't had to do anything else to it. We've used the heck out of it too, some of the stuff it was being used for should have probably been done with a shop vac.
My mom bought a Hoover 1 1/2 years ago and she's had lots of problems with it. The part that's broken on it now has been on backorder for 6 months. Hoover says it's on backorder from N. Korea.
It seemed like it used to be that buying a name brand met you were getting good quality, now days it's not always the case.

 

[BigChevy80]

I'm only 25 and I hate all the throwaway thinking too. I like to keep things for a long time and fix them when they break. I have alot of old things around the house:

Whiz-Mow lawnmower from 1970
Weber charcoal grill from 1973
Westinghouse table fan from 1952
Coleman camping lantern from 1947
Furnace fan motor from 1957 (now used to power a wire wheel)

Most of these things have been in the family since they were new. They all still work flawlessly.

I'll go out of my way to buy really old stuff because I know it can be rebuilt just like new.

 

[vssjim]

Alot of the problem with many items today is the company goes under or sells the division to another company that delete all the parts, no parts no service.

 

[Tool Pants]

And speaking of vacuum cleaners.

This Eureka is about 30 years old. Made of metal and in the USA. But there is a plastic connection from the motor to the bag.

Eureka has changed ownership many times over the years. Part is NLA. Just buy an new vac made in China.

There is a vac place in town that has been there for 100 years. Never paid attention to it. The owner had it as a used part for $3.00. That place will be gone in a few years.

This *****....

 

[superslinky]

Search YouTube for "Story of Stuff".
It's a longer video but well researched and produced.
It'll make you think...
It'll make you sad...

 

[catfish]

Well this thread sure came out of nowhere.
It's like everything , if you are willing to do the research then you can find better products that will last longer if you are willing to pay a little more (Not many people are nowdays).

I've heard good things about these swiss made mixing wands

, stay away from the kitchenaid mixers , even though they are made in USA they started using plastic gears instead of metal ones.There were numerous complaints because the gears kept breaking.