All I Want For Christmas Is Something That Won’t Break Immediately

The appliance and tool short-livedness is due to regulation forcing manufacturers to build unreliable crap.

When my folks got married in the mid-1960s, they bought a used late 1950s stand-up freezer (pink inside, either a Frigidaire or Amana, thinking the latter). That thing was still running when they had to move in 2011. They got a rebate for it, and bought a newer, more efficient model, and the guy who came to take it cut the insulation out of it. That thing was between 50-55 years-old and still working. It may not have been cheap for its time, but it certainly made up for it in longevity. They had a 30+ year-old Maytag washer that only needed a new gear for the dial when they traded it in.

How much are we wasting in resources for crap that constantly has to be replaced because the energy mandates make it so things are already pushing the limits of what they can do?

If a company made something of quality and gave a good warranty, they'd have my business again if the product lasted more than 15 years.

I have an LG fridge with the linear compressor I'm just waiting for to die. There is now a class-action suit against LG (and their parent brand Kenmore) because of these things failing in short order. Hell, I had to replace the water tank in the door (for cold water from the fridge) within 18 months of buying it, because it started leaking on a seam. I did it myself because all the warranty people involved wanted to replace the whole door to fix a leak (replacing the whole door absolves them of replacing anything in that door during the warranty period, and that is where the icemaker and water nozzle are). $20 and my time later, no more leak.

One thing that really pisses me off these days is all the integrated LED lights/fixtures for both homes and cars. Gone are the days of simply replacing a bulb.

Keep those old incandescent fixtures and flashlights. You can buy LED replacements with the old standard base, and bring those old Maglite flashlights back into use again. I've been experimenting with LED purchases, and trying to stay away from integrated LED lights in favor of replaceable bulbs. That started with the realization that the large nice LED fixtures I built into my kitchen ceiling had integrated lights, and that I would have to throw the whole things away if they failed.

Good on you to take care of that leak. I’m not a fan of warranties myself and do what I can repair wise as well.

I’ve heard, per LG and Samsung fridges, some repair folks won’t even work on them. I don’t know how true that is, but I remember seeing that when looking for some appliances about 5 years ago.

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