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Planned Obselescence....A Good Thing?

L

lsmartino

Jan 1, 1970
0
William Souden ha escrito:
Off your meds again, welfare boy?

Probably not. The Rod Speed robot is waiting for a long due update to
its A.I. software. Until that happens, it won´t be able to produce an
understandable or meaningful answer since the current software reached
the end of all possible combination of insults and answers. I wonder if
there is a way to reset Rod remotely...
 
R

Rod Speed

Jan 1, 1970
0
Some stupid wog claiming to be
just the puerile shit you'd expect from a stupid wog.
 
D

David Nebenzahl

Jan 1, 1970
0
Alex spake thus:
I was buying a vacuum cleaner from a local vacuum cleaner repair guy and
while he was complaining about quality of modern he showed me a vacuum
cleaner that looked like it was from from 50s or 60s that he was
repairing(replacing a motor) He has a contract with a airline to service
vacuum cleaners that are used to vacuum airplane salons. These vacuum
cleaners work 24/7 for 50 years and all they need a minor service and
motor replaced every so many years.

Since you brought up the subject of old vacuums, thought I should
mention mine: a Kenmore upright that I bought for $10 back in 1980, when
it was already, what? probably 30 years old. I just used it yesterday.

In the time I've had it, I've replaced the footswitch, repaired the plug
(the cord going into it got a bit frayed, so I epoxied it into the
plug), and that's it. Oh, and it has a resuable filter bag, so no
filters to buy.

Beat that with any of the pieces of shit made today (except for the
expensive, gold-plated ones) ...


--
Just as McDonald's is where you go when you're hungry but don't really
care about the quality of your food, Wikipedia is where you go when
you're curious but don't really care about the quality of your knowledge.

- Matthew White's WikiWatch (http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/wikiwoo.htm)
 
N

Noozer

Jan 1, 1970
0
Since you brought up the subject of old vacuums, thought I should mention
mine: a Kenmore upright that I bought for $10 back in 1980, when it was
already, what? probably 30 years old. I just used it yesterday.

In the time I've had it, I've replaced the footswitch, repaired the plug
(the cord going into it got a bit frayed, so I epoxied it into the plug),
and that's it. Oh, and it has a resuable filter bag, so no filters to buy.

Hrm... a 50 year old vacuum bag probably doesn't filter dust out like the
disposable bags of today. Other than that I'd prefer a referbed old unit.
Beat that with any of the pieces of shit made today (except for the
expensive, gold-plated ones) ...

Saw an ad for a vacuum using water to catch the dirt and dust instead of a
filter. It SOUNDS like a good idea. They were selling for $200 for two.
That's more than I'll spend to find out how well it works, but at $100 for
one I may have considered. Dumb marketing.

Any idea if the idea of filtering with water is actually a good idea? Maybe
something I should look for when buying the central vac I'll install in the
next year or two when our old canister dies.
 
M

Mike Hartigan

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hrm... a 50 year old vacuum bag probably doesn't filter dust out like the
disposable bags of today. Other than that I'd prefer a referbed old unit.


Saw an ad for a vacuum using water to catch the dirt and dust instead of a
filter. It SOUNDS like a good idea. They were selling for $200 for two.
That's more than I'll spend to find out how well it works, but at $100 for
one I may have considered. Dumb marketing.

Any idea if the idea of filtering with water is actually a good idea? Maybe
something I should look for when buying the central vac I'll install in the
next year or two when our old canister dies.

We've owned a Rainbow for about 25 years. It filters through water.
The idea is that virtually nothing gets past the water, so you're not
redistributing dust throughout the area you just cleaned. After 25
years, I'm sold! It was (and, if I'm not mistaken, still is) only
available through home sales. I originally thought that it would be
too much hassle filling, emptying, and rinsing each time we used it,
but it was well worth the effort, IMO. After 20 years or so, it
needed new bearings. The cost of repair was such that I chose to
buy a refurbished unit on ebay instead. I paid a bit more than the
repair, but got all new hoses and accessories in the process.

WRT central vac - there's no point in getting a water filter with CV,
since the exhaust doesn't go into your living space.
 
D

David Nebenzahl

Jan 1, 1970
0
Noozer spake thus:
Hrm... a 50 year old vacuum bag probably doesn't filter dust out like the
disposable bags of today. Other than that I'd prefer a referbed old unit.

Well, I'd never claim that it filters to HEPA specs, but it does work
plenty well enough for my needs (and, I imagine, for most folks'). I
don't need a modren vacuum for which I have to buy disposable bags.


--
Just as McDonald's is where you go when you're hungry but don't really
care about the quality of your food, Wikipedia is where you go when
you're curious but don't really care about the quality of your knowledge.

- Matthew White's WikiWatch (http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/wikiwoo.htm)
 
S

SMS

Jan 1, 1970
0
Vic said:
The only effect these stories have had on me is to make me pull over
after *anybody* changes my oil and make sure nothing is screwed up.
Since I don't crawl under the car, even that won't help with a
hand-tightened plug, which is a time bomb.

I prefer to go to a competent mechanic who has the experience and
attitude to do things properly. This eliminates the need to check that
everything was done properly.

You can't see if everything was done properly with an oil change easily.
Did the mechanic leave the old oil filter gasket stuck onto the engine,
a fairly common occurrence? Did he replace the oil drain plug gasket?
Did he use the proper oil (something that even the dealer sometimes
doesn't do)? Was the filter tightened sufficiently, but not
over-tightened? Was the drain plug tightened sufficiently, but not
over-tightened.

My mechanic now even stocks factory oil filters for his regular
customers so you don't have to bring our own. He doesn't try to sell you
unneeded services such as the Bilstein Wallet Flush, etc. Oh, and he's
about $10 less for an oil change than Jiffy Lube. I'd go there even if
he wasn't my brother-in-law!
 
G

Guest

Jan 1, 1970
0
new stuff is junk. all strategy by companies is to MAKE money for them and
TAKE money from you.

somebody seems to think the 'economy' has a life of it's own. they are the
thieving corporate thugs who send money to their CEO by the basket loads.

and we as lazy hapless consumers continue to put up with it.



Too_Many_Tools said:
In my opinon...no.

I intentionally try to have older appliances, vehicles, machines to
lower repair costs and keep overall ownership cost to a minimum.

Your thoughts?

TMT

Irreparable damageBy Bryce Baschuk
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
January 9, 2007
Bill Jones, after 42 years, is finally closing the Procter Appliance
Service shop in Silver Spring.
"You can't make a good salary to survive on the way you could years
ago," said the 61-year-old owner of the oven, refrigerator and
washer-dryer repair shop. "Everything has changed in the appliance
business."
Mr. Jones recently sold his home in Laurel and is in the process of
moving to Bluffton, S.C., with his wife, Jeannette.
Mr. Jones is one of the many Washington-area repairmen who have
struggled to stay afloat as residents replace, not repair, old
appliances.
"It's a dying trade," said Scott Brown, Webmaster of
www.fixitnow.com and self-proclaimed "Samurai Appliance Repairman."
The reason for this is twofold, Mr. Brown said: The cost of
appliances is coming down because of cheap overseas labor and improved
manufacturing techniques, and repairmen are literally dying off.
The average age of appliance technicians is 42, and there are few
young repairmen to take their place, said Mr. Brown, 47. He has been
repairing appliances in New Hampshire for the past 13 years.
In the next seven years, the number of veteran appliance repairmen
will decrease nationwide as current workers retire or transfer to other
occupations, the Department of Labor said in its 2007 Occupational
Outlook Handbook.
The federal agency said many prospective repairmen prefer work that
is less strenuous and want more comfortable working conditions.
Local repairmen said it is simply a question of economics.
"Nowadays appliances are cheap, so people are just getting new
ones," said Paul Singh, a manager at the Appliance Service Depot, a
repair shop in Northwest. "As a result, business has slowed down a
lot."
"The average repair cost for a household appliance is $50 to $350,"
said Shahid Rana, a service technician at Rana Refrigeration, a repair
shop in Capitol Heights. "If the repair is going to cost more than
that, we usually tell the customer to go out and buy a new one."
It's not uncommon for today's repairmen to condemn an appliance
instead of fixing it for the sake of their customers' wallets.
If they decide to repair an appliance that is likely to break down
again, repairmen are criticized by their customers and often lose
business because of a damaged reputation.
Mr. Jones said he based his repair decisions on the 50 percent
rule: "If the cost of service costs more than 50 percent of the price
of a new machine, I'll tell my customers to get a new one."
"A lot of customers want me to be honest with them, so I'll tell
them my opinion and leave the decision making up to them," he said.
In recent years, consumers have tended to buy new appliances when
existing warranties expire rather than repair old appliances, the
Department of Labor said.
Mr. Brown acknowledged this trend. "Lower-end appliances which you
can buy for $200 to $300 are basically throwaway appliances," he said.
"They are so inexpensive that you shouldn't pay to get them repaired."
"The quality of the materials that are being made aren't lasting,"
Mr. Jones said. "Nowadays you're seeing more plastic and more circuit
boards, and they aren't holding up."
Many home appliances sold in the United States are made in Taiwan,
Singapore, China and Mexico.
"Nothing is made [in the United States] anymore," Mr. Jones said.
"But then again, American parts are only better to a point, a lot of
U.S. companies are all about the dollar."
Fortunately for the next generation of repairmen, some of today's
high-end appliances make service repairs the most cost-effective
option.
The Department of Labor concurred. "Over the next decade, as more
consumers purchase higher-priced appliances designed to have much
longer lives, they will be more likely to use repair services than to
purchase new appliances," said the 2007 Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Modern, energy-efficient refrigerators can cost as much as $5,000
to $10,000, and with such a hefty price tag, throwing one away is not
an option.
In some cases, repairmen can help consumers reduce the amount of
aggravation that a broken appliance will cause.
Consider the time and effort it takes to shop for a new appliance,
wait for its delivery, remove the old one and get the new one
installed.
In addition, certain appliances such as ovens and washing machines
can be a bigger hassle to replace because they are connected to gas and
water lines.
"It takes your time, it takes your effort, and if you don't install
the new appliance, you'll have to hire a service technician to install
it anyways," Mr. Brown said.
Some consumers bond with their appliances like old pets, and for
loyalty or sentimental reasons, refuse to let them go.
Mr. Rana said some of his clients have appliances that are more
than 30 years old. It makes sense, he said. "A lot of old refrigerators
are worth fixing because they give people good service. They just don't
make things like they used to."
 
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