Consumer products and planned obsolescence?

The IKEA stuff we have that was made in Scandinavia some years ago is of significantly higher quality than the recent stuff we have that was made in Eastern Europe.
 
Rroff said:
There is no guarantee these days paying more for something will get you better quality unfortunately :( but neither will you get better lifespan at the budget end of the range usually.
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Yes indeed. I do think there are still products out there that are genuinely made in a quality way and with quality parts, but it is all too easy to be fooled by a supposed good brand name these days. Many of the previously well renowned brands now just stick their name on cheap rubbish.
 
There's the factors of progress and innovation but price is the primary driver. For example your humble tumble drier - buy an appliance designed to be as cheap as possible. It hasn't had the research and development spend, it's made from cheap materials and components and will cost you a fortune to run, it will wear out quickly. The tumble drier that has been purposely designed to be the best it can be, made from better materials, has more functions and uses less energy will cost more. It will (or should :D) last longer. It's not that the cheaper machine was designed with obsolescence in mind, it was built to cost. It's no conspiracy.

Apple get a lot of stick for so-called planned obsolescence but then get panned when their devices don't progress significantly enough. Everything has a lifespan, even us.
 
I suggest people look at charities' furniture shops to get dining tables and chairs. Or eBay, Gumtree etc. Most are there because either the owner downsized or passed away - their family didn't need a table, or provoked memories. My friend bought a G Plan dining table and 4 chairs for £100 plus £10 delivery in a charity shop. Cost about £2k new back in the mid 80s. My parents' G Plan dining table plus 6 chairs (2 are carver chairs) for £2.7k in 1981. Had the seat pads recovered about 12 years ago as looked dated. Still looks good.

My mum swears that her hairdryers die on her 2 days after the warranty ends on purpose.
 
potatolord said:
I know the runners in self-assembly drawers are rubbish, as I've replaced a few of those (I love screwfix!).

I guess lots of people would just chuck out and buy new.

All my "old" furniture is more robust, and made from decent quality wood.
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Ok sure, but are you willing to pay for solid wood furniture instead of the quality you get from flat pack finish assembly at home.
 
I think products are designed to last no longer than is necessary. E.g. if a 5 year warranty is needed for marketing, there's no business need to make it last 20 years.

Environment hat on... it's because the cost of disposing of products isn't put on the business who made the [bad] product.
 
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Ice Tea said:
Do you believe that products have been purposely designed to break or become obsolete within a set time frame or is it just a conspiracy theory?
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Not so much imo because of trade wanting us to buy more, but more trade designing products that meet most peoples attentions spans and need for something, until the newest, brightest and willy waving product comes out.
 
SONICARE TOOTHBRUSHES!!!

They could easily make the base unscrew to replace the battery but they don't. That's the only reason I've had to replace them and it's a waste. Let me change the freaking battery without cutting the thing apart.
 
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i know people who have matching toaster and kettle. When one breaks, they replace both! Never done the matching lark.

Got a green kettle, brushed steel toaster and white combi microwave.

Friend bought a £50 kettle and lasted 2 years. My kettle - a £8 clearance bargain as colour was discontinued in 2014.

The switch is starting to play up. Will get one soon
 
I watched a interesting documentary about planned obsolescence.

Planned Obsolescence is the deliberate shortening of product life spans to guarantee consumer demand.

As a magazine for advertisers succinctly puts it: The article that refuses to wear out is a tragedy of business - and a tragedy for the modern growth society which relies on an ever-accelerating cycle of production, consumption and throwing away.

The Light Bulb Conspiracy combines investigative research and rare archive footage to trace the untold story of Planned Obsolescence, from its beginnings in the 1920s with a secret cartel, set up expressly to limit the life span of light bulbs, to present-day stories involving cutting edge electronics (such as the iPod) and the growing spirit of resistance amongst ordinary consumers.

This film travels to France, Germany, Spain and the US to find witnesses of a business practice which has become the basis of the modern economy, and brings back disquieting pictures from Africa where discarded electronics are piling up in huge cemeteries for electronic waste.
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topdocumentaryfilms.com

The Light Bulb Conspiracy

Planned Obsolescence is the deliberate shortening of product life spans to guarantee consumer demand. As a magazine for advertisers succinctly puts it:...
topdocumentaryfilms.com topdocumentaryfilms.com

 
Not all cheap electronics die an untimely death.

About 15 years ago I was skint but needed a new TV. Parents offered to help but I refused & spent £130 on a 32" HANNSPREE. Not a brand I'd ever heard of but it was FullHD. About 6 years later I found myself with some disposable income and bought a Samsung 40" FullHD, all the bells ans whistles. Within 3 years the backlight failed on the Samsung.

I still have the Hannspree tv. It's currently still in full working order, as is the remote, in my daughter's room, long after the Samsung was binned. I did take it to a repair shop but the controller for the back light has failed and it was integrated into the mainboard. The cost of parts before labour meant it wasn't worth it.


cheesefest said:
I suggest people look at charities' furniture shops to get dining tables and chairs. Or eBay, Gumtree etc. Most are there because either the owner downsized or passed away - their family didn't need a table, or provoked memories. My friend bought a G Plan dining table and 4 chairs for £100 plus £10 delivery in a charity shop. Cost about £2k new back in the mid 80s. My parents' G Plan dining table plus 6 chairs (2 are carver chairs) for £2.7k in 1981. Had the seat pads recovered about 12 years ago as looked dated. Still looks good.

My mum swears that her hairdryers die on her 2 days after the warranty ends on purpose.
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I often browse in charity shops when I have time to waste and tbh some of these places have forgotten they're a charity shop, often pricing the stuff they GOT FOR FREE at near their original or in some cases over their original price. BHF are notorious for it.
 
LCG-xyz said:
SONICARE TOOTHBRUSHES!!!

They could easily make the base unscrew to replace the battery but they don't. That's the only reason I've had to replace them and it's a waste. Let me change the freaking battery without cutting the thing apart.
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My end goes limp before the battery is knackered. They brushed me off when I complained.
 
Resident said:
Not all cheap electronics die an untimely death.

About 15 years ago I was skint but needed a new TV. Parents offered to help but I refused & spent £130 on a 32" HANNSPREE. Not a brand I'd ever heard of but it was FullHD. About 6 years later I found myself with some disposable income and bought a Samsung 40" FullHD, all the bells ans whistles. Within 3 years the backlight failed on the Samsung.

I still have the Hannspree tv. It's currently still in full working order, as is the remote, in my daughter's room, long after the Samsung was binned. I did take it to a repair shop but the controller for the back light has failed and it was integrated into the mainboard. The cost of parts before labour meant it wasn't worth it.




I often browse in charity shops when I have time to waste and tbh some of these places have forgotten they're a charity shop, often pricing the stuff they GOT FOR FREE at near their original or in some cases over their original price. BHF are notorious for it.
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Can second the quality of Hanspree - Good TV's!
 
What i find annoying is that you often can't buy a quality product without all the bells and whistles. The more you spend, the more failure points you get due to extra features.

I think half my house is out of skips, carboots, charity shops, family hand downs, or scrap from finishes jobs my Dad's worked at.
 
kind of, it is a number of factors that mean that products are designed to hit a minimum number expected number of cycles during testing and anything past that is not the companies concern.

So an engineer designs a part and tests it. did it pass the test?

Passed with no issues - Then move on
Barely made it over the line - Depending on company and if there is development time, go back and make changes so it passes with flying colours, otherwise leave it as is and move on.
Failed the test - Make the cheapest and quickest change necessary to get it over the line.


These companies aren't spending money to ensure that it fails just after warranty, they simply aren't spending the money to design them to last longer. There have been a number of other factors, that people have brought up already such as things just costing more and being more complex.
 
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