It feels like the author might be exaggerating ever so slightly, but it conveys a general feeling that things are built cheaply and without durability in mind.

It feels like the author might be exaggerating ever so slightly, but it conveys a general feeling that things are built cheaply and without durability in mind. To me, whether it's worse or better than before is somewhat of a moot point. To follow their example: after a hundred years of building juicers, we should have global juicer expertise. The generations of juicers created, the feedback on the models, the breakage rate should have generated a general knowledge of the best techniques for juice extraction, of the materials that are most adequate for the task, and how assembly should be designed for maximum durability. But we don't. What we have instead is cheap juicers, which underlines the point that cheap is what matters in how the design. Be it for maximum profitability or low price point. Following on their other example about coffee grinders: last year I renewed my coffee making stack. I like coffee such az many here, and wanted good hardware; quality first, and cost a secondary concern. I took care of asking friends, watching videos, going on forums, reading tests. I ended up investing quite a bit in a Baratza machine, which is quite celebrated and very repairable, they sell replacement parts at reasonable cost, they even give you tips on how to extend longevity. All marks of a manufacturer who wants their craft to last. I suspect that you might be able to find the one juicer on some small website which ships direct from the manufacturer in Vermont. Juicing enthusiasts share their experience and knowhow on juicing websites and all swear by their mothers that this one brand revolutionized juicing for them. For equipment with any mild complexity, you need to acquire a relative expertise, and shop in the outskirts of the market. And obviously, you have time for that only for the stuff you care about. As per not picking the cheapest option, price isn't a good indicator of quality. Certainly if you keep surrounding yourself with the cheapest copies, things will always break around you. But you'll get more reliability from a Corolla made by a manufacturer which obsesses about quality, then from a Mercedes which targets premium and luxury. Additional manufacturing cost is generally used to add more features and better looking materials, rather than producing sturdier things. Anecdotally, I am still using the peeler I bought when I was a student over 20y ago. I can guarantee you that no research went into this option, and it was likely the cheapest option that Tiengong had to offer back then. I enjoyed reading this, it's well written and entertaining.