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Washing machines were one of the first applications for microcontrollers. If you have an electric motor that's supposed to speed up, slow down, reverse, spin f

Washing machines were one of the first applications for microcontrollers. If you have an electric motor that's supposed to speed up, slow down, reverse, spin fast etc., all on a schedule, it's a no-brainer (pun intended). It's usually the pump that fails, but the controller-cards often fail too. Pumps and controller cards are, of course, outrageously expensive. These things are supposed to fail. Back in the day, they were much more reliable. I don't think it's "smart" tech that has made them less reliable; I think they've optimised their designs over the years, so that they nowadays fail just after the warranty ends. So what I want is kitchen equipment that is designed to last. For example, I bet they could build a washing machine that works perfectly for 30 years, for under £1,000. If they wanted to. It might not have 24 different program settings, but I only ever use one setting. Yeah, reliable equipment probably is a bit of a nerdy preoccupation; but you'd think at least someone would have a product to appeal to that niche. But nobody seems to want to compete on reliability. That makes me wonder if there is a cartel at work. [Edit] I actually don't mean to include Bosch in my comments about manufacturers; Bosch equipment I've had has been more reliable than other brands. But they still fail and need repairs much too often. Re. 30 years: that's how long my mother's Hoover twin-tub continued to provide service.

ClumsyPilot 5y ago
"Yeah, reliable equipment probably is a bit of a nerdy preoccupation" Efficient market hypothesis summed up in once sentence
- denton-scratch 5y ago
  /me not an economist! I don't see what my remark has to do with the EMH; perhaps you could explain.
jfim 5y ago
There are some companies that do build long lasting appliances. For example, one can buy a Speed Queen washing machine for home, and they're supposed to be comparable with their commercial laundromat offerings. They're also 2-4x the price of a similar washing machine. The big problem is that on the consumer side, it's pretty much impossible to evaluate durability of goods. Is the $80 toaster much more durable and better built than the $40 one, or is it just a "premium" offering that has the same internals but with a fancier appearance.
- Gigachad 5y ago
  And then is it even worth thinking about which toaster will last 50 years vs 10 years when the price may as well be free for how cheap they are.
  - jfim 5y ago
    That assumes that the sticker price is the only externality. If it breaks, one has to throw away the toaster and order a new one, potentially being without toast while the new one is shipped. For me, it's less about cost and more about not leaving a pile of cheap toasters in a landfill for future generations.
    - Gigachad 5y ago
      For me, there is a store I can walk to and pick up a new toaster within 200m, and I have never seen a toaster break since they are dead simple. Avoiding needless landfill is by far the most important part here but a toaster is pretty low on the priority list. Food packaging and just food production in general for a year would outweigh several lifetimes of toasters.
solraph 5y ago
> Yeah, reliable equipment probably is a bit of a nerdy preoccupation; Maybe it's a cultural thing? My extended family (both biological and in-laws) across my two countries (AU/NZ) frequently discuss what items lasted and what did not. This has led to a surprising commonality in the brands we all end up buying, and it's usually because someone bought something and it lasted, so others have bought similar, and when something isn't as good as expected, that gets mentioned as well. There's a pretty wide range of age, political opinions and incomes as well - but caring more about reliability and long term value for money over shiny features is pretty consistent.

ClumsyPilot 5y ago

"Yeah, reliable equipment probably is a bit of a nerdy preoccupation" Efficient market hypothesis summed up in once sentence

denton-scratch 5y ago
/me not an economist! I don't see what my remark has to do with the EMH; perhaps you could explain.

jfim 5y ago

There are some companies that do build long lasting appliances. For example, one can buy a Speed Queen washing machine for home, and they're supposed to be comparable with their commercial laundromat offerings. They're also 2-4x the price of a similar washing machine. The big problem is that on the consumer side, it's pretty much impossible to evaluate durability of goods. Is the $80 toaster much more durable and better built than the $40 one, or is it just a "premium" offering that has the same internals but with a fancier appearance.

Gigachad 5y ago
And then is it even worth thinking about which toaster will last 50 years vs 10 years when the price may as well be free for how cheap they are.
- jfim 5y ago
  That assumes that the sticker price is the only externality. If it breaks, one has to throw away the toaster and order a new one, potentially being without toast while the new one is shipped. For me, it's less about cost and more about not leaving a pile of cheap toasters in a landfill for future generations.
  - Gigachad 5y ago
    For me, there is a store I can walk to and pick up a new toaster within 200m, and I have never seen a toaster break since they are dead simple. Avoiding needless landfill is by far the most important part here but a toaster is pretty low on the priority list. Food packaging and just food production in general for a year would outweigh several lifetimes of toasters.

solraph 5y ago

> Yeah, reliable equipment probably is a bit of a nerdy preoccupation; Maybe it's a cultural thing? My extended family (both biological and in-laws) across my two countries (AU/NZ) frequently discuss what items lasted and what did not. This has led to a surprising commonality in the brands we all end up buying, and it's usually because someone bought something and it lasted, so others have bought similar, and when something isn't as good as expected, that gets mentioned as well. There's a pretty wide range of age, political opinions and incomes as well - but caring more about reliability and long term value for money over shiny features is pretty consistent.