3 ms·

Add to the list: Kirby vacuums, Craftsman tools, Kitchenaid mixers. Still using my grandparent's heirlooms from the 60s/70s for all of those. All strictly bett

Add to the list: Kirby vacuums, Craftsman tools, Kitchenaid mixers. Still using my grandparent's heirlooms from the 60s/70s for all of those. All strictly better than anything you can buy for any price today. So many things have improved since then, but basic consumer goods have almost entirely degraded to worthless crap.

vel0city 3y ago
How are modern Kitchenaid stand mixers worse today than before? I've taken a somewhat recent (<10yr old) mixer apart to clean and re-grease it, and it didn't seem meaningfully different from a 30+yr old one I helped a friend restore.
- Finnucane 3y ago
  Depends somewhat on the model and when it was manufactured. After Whirlpool bought Kitchenaid from Hobart, they built a new plant to manufacture them in, though with Hobart's original tooling. Later, they introduced new models that substituted some plastic parts, and they had horrible QA problems. KA made some effort to fix these things, but their reputation took a big hit.
- dmoy 3y ago
  There was a period of time in the middle there where they switched to non-metal gear thingy in there which would occasionally strip out and break with improper use. That was evidently intentional, to save the motor from breaking, but it does wear out faster. You can still get metal gear ones, but they're a little pricier. Besides that they seem the same to me
  - Our_Benefactors 3y ago
    it only really wears out if you are running the machine beyond what it’s supposed to, if you do this with a metal gear you will break the motor instead of the gear. Because of this there are lots of units “for parts” on eBay and will often even mention that it just needs a new worm gear. This is an easy fix and how I got KitchenAid in my kitchen for under $150
criley2 3y ago
This is nonsense. Those tools and mixers and vacuums from the 60s and 70s cost the equivalent of thousands of dollars today. A 1950s kirby vacuum adjusted for inflation was $1800USD in todays dollars. Are you really claiming that an $1800 vacuum today is worse than an $200 vacuum from 1956, or that a $200 vacuum today is worse than a $200 vacuum from 1956? Because the latter is dishonest and untrue. Similarly, the first kitchenaid mixer H-5 was introduced in 1919 and cost $189, which is about $3,500 today. Do you really think that the original kitchenaid H5 is better than a $3500 mixer today? For reference, here's some ideas of what you can get in that price range. https://www.webstaurantstore.com/14255/commercial-mixers.html?filter=type:stand-mixers https://www.webstaurantstore.com/14255/commercial-mixers.htm... The reality is that people want to spend a tiny fraction of what their grandparents did and think they can still receive the same quality. Try spending 10% of your yearly income on a vacuum or a mixer and see how long it lasts. The only difference is that your grandparents didn't have the option to spend 20X less on a cheap version.
- postalrat 3y ago
  And shortly after the release of that H-5 you could get a kitchenaid mixer for $20-30. Which might be around $400 now. I doubt any vacuums made today other than some commercial ones will last over 30 years. They are great when new but not built to last.
  - criley2 3y ago
    I don't believe kitchenaid mixers were $20 "shortly after release" and I can't find any information around that. If you have sources, I'd love to see them, otherwise I do not believe that. For vacuums, any quality vacuum will claim it will last for 20 years. When I bought my entry level Miele for 1/10 the price of what my grandparents paid for their vacuum, they proudly promoted that the motor in it would last over 20 years. The thing about a 30 year old vacuum is that it likely went to a repair shop (or was self-repaired) a half dozen times over that 30 years and became a "Vacuum of Theseus" where very few components may truly have been original. You can still do this today with any medium or high end vacuum. You don't have to buy a $150 Shark Crap, you can buy a quality repairable brand and keep it 20+ years, and you'll pay 1/10 or 1/5 what your grandparents paid. You don't have to buy a $2000 vacuum like they did. My Miele is 5 years old and has needed zero repair and still operates fantastically with basically no wear. While I doubt the entire thing will make it to 20, Miele continues to sell the design and parts and I don't doubt I can repair it in 5 or 10 years when the first part breaks.
ilamont 3y ago
I wish someone would figure out how to Frankenstein the controls for a 1984 era TV set onto a modern TV. My parents are basically unable to use their TV without writing down lengthy instructions on how to switch from cable to Netflix to live local news using 2 controllers, and I still get tech support calls nearly every week owing to Wifi issues, someone accidentally activating an obscure accessibility setting, or other random issues.
- paxys 3y ago
  The easy solution is to lock the standard remote away and buy an aftermarket one that has 4 buttons.
- dekhn 3y ago
  I noticed that once I stopped responding to my parents questions about how to do all the switching, as soon as there was something important, they figured it out on their own.

vel0city 3y ago

How are modern Kitchenaid stand mixers worse today than before? I've taken a somewhat recent (<10yr old) mixer apart to clean and re-grease it, and it didn't seem meaningfully different from a 30+yr old one I helped a friend restore.

Finnucane 3y ago
Depends somewhat on the model and when it was manufactured. After Whirlpool bought Kitchenaid from Hobart, they built a new plant to manufacture them in, though with Hobart's original tooling. Later, they introduced new models that substituted some plastic parts, and they had horrible QA problems. KA made some effort to fix these things, but their reputation took a big hit.
dmoy 3y ago
There was a period of time in the middle there where they switched to non-metal gear thingy in there which would occasionally strip out and break with improper use. That was evidently intentional, to save the motor from breaking, but it does wear out faster. You can still get metal gear ones, but they're a little pricier. Besides that they seem the same to me
- Our_Benefactors 3y ago
  it only really wears out if you are running the machine beyond what it’s supposed to, if you do this with a metal gear you will break the motor instead of the gear. Because of this there are lots of units “for parts” on eBay and will often even mention that it just needs a new worm gear. This is an easy fix and how I got KitchenAid in my kitchen for under $150

criley2 3y ago

This is nonsense. Those tools and mixers and vacuums from the 60s and 70s cost the equivalent of thousands of dollars today. A 1950s kirby vacuum adjusted for inflation was $1800USD in todays dollars. Are you really claiming that an $1800 vacuum today is worse than an $200 vacuum from 1956, or that a $200 vacuum today is worse than a $200 vacuum from 1956? Because the latter is dishonest and untrue. Similarly, the first kitchenaid mixer H-5 was introduced in 1919 and cost $189, which is about $3,500 today. Do you really think that the original kitchenaid H5 is better than a $3500 mixer today? For reference, here's some ideas of what you can get in that price range. https://www.webstaurantstore.com/14255/commercial-mixers.html?filter=type:stand-mixers https://www.webstaurantstore.com/14255/commercial-mixers.htm... The reality is that people want to spend a tiny fraction of what their grandparents did and think they can still receive the same quality. Try spending 10% of your yearly income on a vacuum or a mixer and see how long it lasts. The only difference is that your grandparents didn't have the option to spend 20X less on a cheap version.

postalrat 3y ago
And shortly after the release of that H-5 you could get a kitchenaid mixer for $20-30. Which might be around $400 now. I doubt any vacuums made today other than some commercial ones will last over 30 years. They are great when new but not built to last.
- criley2 3y ago
  I don't believe kitchenaid mixers were $20 "shortly after release" and I can't find any information around that. If you have sources, I'd love to see them, otherwise I do not believe that. For vacuums, any quality vacuum will claim it will last for 20 years. When I bought my entry level Miele for 1/10 the price of what my grandparents paid for their vacuum, they proudly promoted that the motor in it would last over 20 years. The thing about a 30 year old vacuum is that it likely went to a repair shop (or was self-repaired) a half dozen times over that 30 years and became a "Vacuum of Theseus" where very few components may truly have been original. You can still do this today with any medium or high end vacuum. You don't have to buy a $150 Shark Crap, you can buy a quality repairable brand and keep it 20+ years, and you'll pay 1/10 or 1/5 what your grandparents paid. You don't have to buy a $2000 vacuum like they did. My Miele is 5 years old and has needed zero repair and still operates fantastically with basically no wear. While I doubt the entire thing will make it to 20, Miele continues to sell the design and parts and I don't doubt I can repair it in 5 or 10 years when the first part breaks.

ilamont 3y ago

I wish someone would figure out how to Frankenstein the controls for a 1984 era TV set onto a modern TV. My parents are basically unable to use their TV without writing down lengthy instructions on how to switch from cable to Netflix to live local news using 2 controllers, and I still get tech support calls nearly every week owing to Wifi issues, someone accidentally activating an obscure accessibility setting, or other random issues.

paxys 3y ago
The easy solution is to lock the standard remote away and buy an aftermarket one that has 4 buttons.
dekhn 3y ago
I noticed that once I stopped responding to my parents questions about how to do all the switching, as soon as there was something important, they figured it out on their own.