3 ms·
> On the flip side, modern toasters cost $10 and last nearly as long. This claim can only be meaningfully examined in like 60 years, minimum, and I have my dou
by forgetfreeman 2y ago
> On the flip side, modern toasters cost $10 and last nearly as long.
This claim can only be meaningfully examined in like 60 years, minimum, and I have my doubts. I've yet to see a 70s era toaster die, and have personally watched four modern toasters go into a dumpster in the last 25 years. Old toasters were reliable because consumers of the day wouldn't tolerate disposable crap which informed every aspect of material selection and design.
- Suppafly 2y agoAnd I've never seen a modern toaster die, even the cheapest of the cheap ones, but I have seen people replace them for aesthetic or feature related reasons. I can almost guarantee there are more 70s toasters in the landfill than there are 2000s ones. You're falling hard for survivorship bias.
- forgetfreeman 2y agoYou appear to be confusing first hand experience with some kind of theoretical misunderstanding of why shit gets thrown away. I used a 70s toaster in the 70s, know how their made, etc. Likewise I've closely examined a number of more modern toasters over the decades. Without exception newer models come with noticeably flimsier internal springs and locking components, thinner heating elements and cords, and less durable housing materials. If you're convinced you can engineer a product out of substandard parts and materials and expect durability to remain unaffected I might have a few questions.