Everything is so cheaply made these days...

originally posted by: Allaroundyou
a reply to: tamusan


Maybe next time but something made in America and not China.
Just saying

No. Buy Australian!

a reply to: tamusan

Beer doesn’t need an on off switch.

Mic drop

a reply to: crayzeed

It's called built in obsolescence.

No, it isn't. Even if it was, it would be "built-in", not "built in".

The ACTUAL term is "PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE."

You can't BUILD obsolescence, in or otherwise, as it's an abstract concept. You can PLAN it, so it's planned obsolescence.

You can use weak materials, you can build structures, you can build things that will break after some amount of usage, but you can't build obsolescence any more than you can build other abstract concepts, like 'adulthood'. You can't take a coffee machine and point to a part in it and say "look, here's the obsolescence, I built it right there in the corner"!

Anyway, not EVERYTHING is built like that. I bought a brush fifteen years ago, and it's still as good as new - it is a very simple structure, with a strong plastic shape with bristles attached to it, and I can't even imagine HOW it could break or become useless even after 15 more years.

However, I bought an umbrella that broke around fifteen SECONDS after I used it the first time (strong gush of wind). We had a renovation, and when I used the new outlets the first time, they came off the wall and basically broke the wall structure, and yet I didn't do anything special or weird, just plugged in something, and then took it out. Something shouldn't rip off the wall just because you unplug something.

I have gone through SO many coffee makers, I can't even comprehend how they can sell these things. I am currently using a manual, unbreakable method, which is a bit more work, as you have to manually pour the water onto the coffee grounds and wait, then pour again, then wait again, etc. but the end result is the same, I get some more exercize, and once you get used to it, it's not a big hassle anyway, and this method can't break.

I would love to have an automated coffee machine, but it's just not possible, as -something- breaks every single time, and then I am going to be back to this method anyway. For example, my last two coffee machines - looked sturdy enough, but started having a 'flow problem'. It took 'forever' (figuratively speaking) for the coffee to be ready, because instead of proper flow, the machine just 'dripped' very slowly and inefficiently.

Two coffee machines with the same problem.. so much noise and steam and everything, but the end result was that it's just faster to use the manual method.

I guess you have to pay quite a hefty sum for an actual, functional, proper coffee machine, but I can't understand how they can mess it up this bad. If they can't make a reliable coffee machine for the cheap price they purport to, then just don't make the cheap ones and charge the higher price.

I do remember older coffee machines back in the day lasting for years without problems. These new ones last maybe a month, if that - definitely not worth it. Just do it by hand, you'll save yourself money and stress.

Then again, if you can, maybe better to not even indulge in vices like coffee, it's not really healthy.

Still, as I said, not EVERYTHING is done that way. I was able to find lamps that have lasted me for years and not broken, I have an expensive umbrella that has gone through all kinds of storms and heavy winds with me and it's still just as good as it ever was, and has not broken at all (but it's DESIGNED to be sturdy and to deflect wind (or allow it to flow through harmlessly) so it can't really be broken by wind by design - don't expect a cheap umbrella to do this, though, you have to PAY if you want things to last).

Old computers that were made in the early eighties still work like a charm (remarkable in itself, considering how much more complex a computer is than a simple coffee maker).

There are still things that are built to last, but it's not good capitalism, and we live in this weird capitalism-communism-system, where the oligarchs lust for more money and power every day, and corporations are trusted to run things so much that it's a miracle things are even this good.

Money should be a sideline, a temporary phase people go through towards a sustainable, proper future. It should be just a 'necessary evil' that's not all that important except to get things done, and to have something to use for goods, services and exchanges of all kinds.

It has become this weird monster that's tied to EVERYTHING, so nothing is protected from the corruptive influence of lust and greed nowadays, as money is also used for accumulating wealth, which it absolutely shouldn't be.

In any case, what can you do .. just try to endure through your incarnation, and never incarnate on an underdeveloped planet, like Terra again.

a reply to: ThatDamnDuckAgain

Thanks. I will take a look. I fixed the switch by replacing it with one from a computer. It's not aesthetically pleasing and is wrecking my wife's feng shui or something.

a reply to: KTemplar

I had an oven crap out after a year. If I go back to having an icehouse in the basement and one of those old fashioned wood stove/ovens, it'll be because of how everything breaks in short order nowadays.

a reply to: shaemac

I have a Keurig that I have had for about 10 years now. It works fine for not just coffee but anything hot. I expect it will keep going for a long time. I know others who have had them longer. They are not $$cheap but.....

Sometimes, you get what you pay for. *shrug*

I also paid a lot for my vacuum cleaner. I have had my Dyson for over 20 years and just bought a 2nd one (different model for different flooring).

I have a Keurig and a Nespresso. I'm just not a big fan. I'm a drink the coffee by the pot kind of fellow.

This coffee maker wasn't necessarily inexpensive. It was just the basic model with only an on/off switch. That's all I wanted. I don't use any of the other options that they come with. I hate to brag, but I don't really look at prices whenever I buy something.

I have a Dyson big ball animal that has been working great for over 15 years. I bought a Dyson V8 cordless and it stopped working after a few months. They gave me a free V10 cordless to replace it and it's been working good for a couple of years.

a reply to: rickymouse

I was happy with how long my last Mr. Coffee lasted. But this one has turned me off to the brand. I think that I will try a Bunn.

a reply to: BlissSeeker

Thanks for the idea to use a computer switch. I did that and now have an operational coffee pot. But wife is not pleased with the aesthetics. She cares more about how things look than anything else.

a reply to: Peeple

I put an order in for a Moka pot. If nothing else, I love strong coffee and should enjoy it. If it doesn't work out for my wife, I will just order one of those Bunn coffee makers for her.

a reply to: AtomicKangaroo

No. Buy Australian!

I find it worth considering. Do you recommend a brand?

a reply to: tamusan

I was about to write "try to exchange the switch" but then I remembered it's AC 120V/240V an shut up about it.