3 ms·

> Common household appliances cost much less than they did in the earlier half of the 20th century, and people act surprised when they don't last as long as an

> Common household appliances cost much less than they did in the earlier half of the 20th century, and people act surprised when they don't last as long as an appliance from the 1950s that cost more than twice as much Citation for this (accounting for inflation)?

lb1lf 9y ago
I'll recycle a comment I made in another thread a year ago: When clearing out my grandmother's house a few years ago, my uncle and I almost broke our backs trying to get the freezer out. It felt like it weighed a ton, even empty. My grandmother told us it had been a wedding present, and that they had been totally awestruck at the time at the generous present from her parents-in-law. After all, a decent freezer cost at least 2,000 kroner! (At this time, the average yearly gross pay was just in excess of 7,000 kroner.) My grandparents married in 1950. Since then, monetary value has been reduced twenty-fold. You can still buy a top-loading freezer for 2,000 kroner; I just checked. So - in 1950, you had to work for five months to earn money for a freezer (after taxes.) In 2017, I have to work one day for a freezer (after taxes.)
tedunangst 9y ago
http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/50selectrical.html http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/50selectrical.html 1953 Washer and dryer, $494.90.
- gruez 9y ago
  which, by the way, works out to $5.2k https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=US$494.90+(1950+US+dollars) https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=US$494.90+(1950+US+dol.... I'm assuming the amounts listed on that page are in 1950s dollars because they have nice round endings like .95.
- kerkeslager 9y ago
  That's a very large difference. Interesting.
- njarboe 9y ago
  Bought my house around 2000 and it had a GE Combination Fridge from the mid 1960's. Looks like this one [1] but in turquoise. Still going 20 years later and all I have done is clean the lint off the cooling fins a few times a year. My Kill-A-Watt says it is about as efficient as a modern fridge. I think it is just very hard to impossible to judge the quality of an appliance just by looking at it. All external signals a seriously gamed by manufacturers. Even consumer reports does not do a total breakdown by electrical and mechanical engineers to let you know how good something is. Then, at most, 1% of people would care enough to read a quality guide. Price is easy to look at and compare. Want to by a copper tank water heater that will last a century for your home. Good luck. I've got one from the 50's but I had to know to replace the thermocouple when that breaks once a decade and not just throw it out when it stops working. [1]https://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/60s-GE-Combo-fridge-Amy.jpg https://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/60s-G...
  - akvadrako 9y ago
    Fridges also used to use more efficient coolant, which was outlawed. So newer fridges are typically worse, especially in that they run almost all the time and produce a more annoying sound. Personally I use an ammonia absorption fridge, the kind of thing you usually only see in hotel minis and camping vans, because of the noise.
    - njarboe 9y ago
      Do you know of any source for a full size one that could run on natural gas? Like you said, looks like they are all quite a bit smaller (or huge industrial systems). I do dislike the noise of refrigerators and if my current one fails I would like to try a gas powered replacement. Also, natural gas in California is way cheaper per unit of energy than electricity (thanks to Enron and other factors). A gas frig could be cheaper to run than electric here.
      - akvadrako 9y ago
        I got one from Dometic. I don't think they run on natural gas though, just propane. https://www.dometic.com/en-us/us/products/food-and-beverage/refrigeration/refrigerators https://www.dometic.com/en-us/us/products/food-and-beverage/...

lb1lf 9y ago

I'll recycle a comment I made in another thread a year ago: When clearing out my grandmother's house a few years ago, my uncle and I almost broke our backs trying to get the freezer out. It felt like it weighed a ton, even empty. My grandmother told us it had been a wedding present, and that they had been totally awestruck at the time at the generous present from her parents-in-law. After all, a decent freezer cost at least 2,000 kroner! (At this time, the average yearly gross pay was just in excess of 7,000 kroner.) My grandparents married in 1950. Since then, monetary value has been reduced twenty-fold. You can still buy a top-loading freezer for 2,000 kroner; I just checked. So - in 1950, you had to work for five months to earn money for a freezer (after taxes.) In 2017, I have to work one day for a freezer (after taxes.)

tedunangst 9y ago

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/50selectrical.html http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/50selectrical.html 1953 Washer and dryer, $494.90.

gruez 9y ago
which, by the way, works out to $5.2k https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=US$494.90+(1950+US+dollars) https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=US$494.90+(1950+US+dol.... I'm assuming the amounts listed on that page are in 1950s dollars because they have nice round endings like .95.
kerkeslager 9y ago
That's a very large difference. Interesting.
njarboe 9y ago
Bought my house around 2000 and it had a GE Combination Fridge from the mid 1960's. Looks like this one [1] but in turquoise. Still going 20 years later and all I have done is clean the lint off the cooling fins a few times a year. My Kill-A-Watt says it is about as efficient as a modern fridge. I think it is just very hard to impossible to judge the quality of an appliance just by looking at it. All external signals a seriously gamed by manufacturers. Even consumer reports does not do a total breakdown by electrical and mechanical engineers to let you know how good something is. Then, at most, 1% of people would care enough to read a quality guide. Price is easy to look at and compare. Want to by a copper tank water heater that will last a century for your home. Good luck. I've got one from the 50's but I had to know to replace the thermocouple when that breaks once a decade and not just throw it out when it stops working. [1]https://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/60s-GE-Combo-fridge-Amy.jpg https://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/60s-G...
- akvadrako 9y ago
  Fridges also used to use more efficient coolant, which was outlawed. So newer fridges are typically worse, especially in that they run almost all the time and produce a more annoying sound. Personally I use an ammonia absorption fridge, the kind of thing you usually only see in hotel minis and camping vans, because of the noise.
  - njarboe 9y ago
    Do you know of any source for a full size one that could run on natural gas? Like you said, looks like they are all quite a bit smaller (or huge industrial systems). I do dislike the noise of refrigerators and if my current one fails I would like to try a gas powered replacement. Also, natural gas in California is way cheaper per unit of energy than electricity (thanks to Enron and other factors). A gas frig could be cheaper to run than electric here.
    - akvadrako 9y ago
      I got one from Dometic. I don't think they run on natural gas though, just propane. https://www.dometic.com/en-us/us/products/food-and-beverage/refrigeration/refrigerators https://www.dometic.com/en-us/us/products/food-and-beverage/...