People care a lot about this sort of quality. Nobody want a refrigerator that dies in five years. But what can you do about it? It’s not like these things are

People care a lot about this sort of quality. Nobody want a refrigerator that dies in five years. But what can you do about it? It’s not like these things are labeled with a honest assessment of their realistic lifespan. Reviews? That only gives you an early snapshot. That might catch the worst of the trash but it won’t distinguish between a lifespan of 5 years or 50 years. Reputation? Everyone knows how often companies go for short-term thinking and chasing next quarter’s profits. Just because they made stuff to last ten years ago doesn’t mean they don’t make crap today. So what do you do? Buy the cheapest one and it might be crap? Or spend more and it might still be crap?