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There are still some repairable brands. GE'a basic appliances (and their budget subbrands like Hotpoint) are a standout with excellent availability of parts and

There are still some repairable brands. GE'a basic appliances (and their budget subbrands like Hotpoint) are a standout with excellent availability of parts and service data. A hotpoint electric range can be fixed by any homeowner with a screwdriver.

analog31 1y ago
While we're on this topic, kudos to "Sears Parts Direct" for carrying a bewildering array of spare parts for those appliances.
- SoftTalker 1y ago
  repairclinic.com is another good one. Not always the cheapest but very DIY-oriented.
anjel 1y ago
The problem though is one of diminished durability by intent rather than repairability. Not to mention rising cost-of-repair.
dangus 1y ago
As I recall GE is also one of the few/only brands that operates its own service business. I will also point out that the way inflation has tended to work is that you can still buy high quality appliances and other consumer products (e.g., tailored clothes and built-to-last leather shoes), but when you do the inflation math you have to spend a lot to get the equivalent product from decades ago. In other words, the same quality products generally still exist, the real issue is that a bunch of low price products that didn’t used to exist now do, and average people didn’t own as much stuff as they do now. If you buy a $2500 Speed Queen or a $10,000 Sub-Zero you’re getting the kind of quality and repairability that used to exist in more appliances. But when it comes to a $500 washing machine or dryer, when you adjust for inflation that product did not exist 40 years ago. The other thing I’ve heard about this issue is that the mid-range consumer luxury type stuff is the segment to avoid: built cheaply but with a lot of features that fail and a high cost. E.g., Samsung refrigerators with touch screens on them. You’ll notice that most true luxury built-in brands don’t have a laundry list of gimmick features.
- criddell 1y ago
  GE was bought by Haier (a Chinese company) about ten years ago. I have a bunch of them and so far they are all pretty good.
  - SoftTalker 1y ago
    My GE fridge has been a disappointment. It is OK at its main function: cooling. However I've had to replace the main control board and the freezer defrost heater. The built-in water dispenser never really worked because the water line is routed too close to the freezer compartment and it freezes up. The ice maker is disconnected because its water line developed a leak and damaged my laminate floor before I noticed it. I don't think I'll be buying GE again.
    - trenchpilgrim 1y ago
      The trick with fridges: Don't but ones with ice makers or water dispensers built in. There's a reason the rich install dedicated ice makers and filtered sinks.
      - dangus 1y ago
        Well, they do that because they have so much square footage that it makes sense. You need physical space to have your fridge and freezer and ice machine and cold/sparkling/filtered water dispenser separate. And of course money for lots of appliances. I would say that it’s best to get a fridge that has a simple ice maker that’s in the freezer and water dispenser that is in the fridge interior with no weird rerouting like having the ice/water dispensed from the door (which also reduces efficiency because there’s essentially a hole in your fridge). As an example the Sub-Zero refrigerator lineup has a simple ice maker in the freezer and then the water dispenser is optional, and it’s accessed from inside the refrigerator.
  - sgerenser 1y ago
    Yes GE is owned by Haier, which worried me when I was researching fridges a couple years ago. But apparently most of the GE appliances are still manufactured in the U.S. and haven’t really changed much despite the change in ownership.

analog31 1y ago

While we're on this topic, kudos to "Sears Parts Direct" for carrying a bewildering array of spare parts for those appliances.

SoftTalker 1y ago
repairclinic.com is another good one. Not always the cheapest but very DIY-oriented.

anjel 1y ago

The problem though is one of diminished durability by intent rather than repairability. Not to mention rising cost-of-repair.

dangus 1y ago

As I recall GE is also one of the few/only brands that operates its own service business. I will also point out that the way inflation has tended to work is that you can still buy high quality appliances and other consumer products (e.g., tailored clothes and built-to-last leather shoes), but when you do the inflation math you have to spend a lot to get the equivalent product from decades ago. In other words, the same quality products generally still exist, the real issue is that a bunch of low price products that didn’t used to exist now do, and average people didn’t own as much stuff as they do now. If you buy a $2500 Speed Queen or a $10,000 Sub-Zero you’re getting the kind of quality and repairability that used to exist in more appliances. But when it comes to a $500 washing machine or dryer, when you adjust for inflation that product did not exist 40 years ago. The other thing I’ve heard about this issue is that the mid-range consumer luxury type stuff is the segment to avoid: built cheaply but with a lot of features that fail and a high cost. E.g., Samsung refrigerators with touch screens on them. You’ll notice that most true luxury built-in brands don’t have a laundry list of gimmick features.

criddell 1y ago
GE was bought by Haier (a Chinese company) about ten years ago. I have a bunch of them and so far they are all pretty good.
- SoftTalker 1y ago
  My GE fridge has been a disappointment. It is OK at its main function: cooling. However I've had to replace the main control board and the freezer defrost heater. The built-in water dispenser never really worked because the water line is routed too close to the freezer compartment and it freezes up. The ice maker is disconnected because its water line developed a leak and damaged my laminate floor before I noticed it. I don't think I'll be buying GE again.
  - trenchpilgrim 1y ago
    The trick with fridges: Don't but ones with ice makers or water dispensers built in. There's a reason the rich install dedicated ice makers and filtered sinks.
    - dangus 1y ago
      Well, they do that because they have so much square footage that it makes sense. You need physical space to have your fridge and freezer and ice machine and cold/sparkling/filtered water dispenser separate. And of course money for lots of appliances. I would say that it’s best to get a fridge that has a simple ice maker that’s in the freezer and water dispenser that is in the fridge interior with no weird rerouting like having the ice/water dispensed from the door (which also reduces efficiency because there’s essentially a hole in your fridge). As an example the Sub-Zero refrigerator lineup has a simple ice maker in the freezer and then the water dispenser is optional, and it’s accessed from inside the refrigerator.
- sgerenser 1y ago
  Yes GE is owned by Haier, which worried me when I was researching fridges a couple years ago. But apparently most of the GE appliances are still manufactured in the U.S. and haven’t really changed much despite the change in ownership.