Is it just me or is everything made like crap?

[look 171]

Originally Posted by masraum

I've heard and read that when you buy products (even with a good name/rep) from the big box stores, that you're not getting the product that has the good rep.

I've heard that if you buy a John Deere device from Home Depot, you're getting a mower/tractor made much more cheaply than if you go to one of the independent dealers and pay for for what looks like the same thing.

Read this.
The Man Who Said No to Wal-Mart | Fast Company

Yes, Bosch calls that the B line tool. I talk to a rep once (they offer me a job to demo their tools at home centers) and he told me about the small serial # difference. They are not the same. That's the reason I buy from tool shops and industrial places. Sure they are more money, but it doesn't break down when you need it the most.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by RedBaron

People want to be as "green" as possible, yet they buy crap that won't last and will be thrown into a landfill. It's a real shame things are made carelessly with no quality.

Screw energy star BS. Mfg use to make ref. to last a long time. Now because they have to comply, the gears are all plastic so a smaller motor can be use. You pay 2-3 thousand bucks for a new ref, they will break within 7-9 year time. it really doesn't matter. Washer and dryer, same damn thing. Is not China, it the consumers.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by Rapewta

The paradox of inflation.... we pay more and get less.
If you have been in construction for a long time then you have been witness to
the quality of the parts needed to put things together, i.e. bolts, nuts, washers. flanges, pre-fab boxes, lids, chains, levers, and what-ever else have become
shoddy. Grade 8 should still be grade 8 I would think.
Maybe they used to re-tool after so many widjits were punched out and now they just keep on using the old mfg equipment longer. I don't know what has happened but it is frustrating when things don't "line up" like they used too or break because the material is thinner or just made with weaker materials.

That has been happening for a long time. Nominal size 2x4? everything is getting thinner, even the quality stuff. Baldwin locks use to be the best, not not so good anymore. A switch use to be one grade, now there's consumer grade and i suppose there's industrial and military grade.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Taz's Master

I can remember when they made stuff that didn't fall apart. I had a grass trimmer I used for years and years, and it was very inexpensive. Started right up every time, and I would run out of gas before it did. Of course you had to squeeze it to make it work, and you crawled around on the ground while it was running. I bet you can still buy them, and they'll be durable enough to give them to your grandchildren. Durability is out there, and inexpensive as well, but it can be inconvenient.

Hah, my trimmer is currently dead. I think it's partly my fault. It's not that old and is in good shape, I just need to get off of my butt and order the replacement parts. (gas got old and some rubber got nasty)

So, I've been using a cheap old set of these this summer. They were in the house when we moved in and are extremely rusty, but the cutting surfaces are good and cut easily and cleanly. Fortunately, because of the drought, it hasn't been that bad.

[Baz]

I had a Kenmore washer that I bought new from Sears. In less than 5 years...3 things broke and eventually it leaked at the bottom (pump failure) so I found an old Magic Chef washer on CL for $50.00 incl. delivery and removal my old unit.

That was last year and it's been working GREAT and BETTER than the Kenmore. This thing washes a load of clothes TWICE as fast as the Kenmore.

My girlfriend of course didn't understand why I wanted an old appliance even after I explained the last one I bought - which was new - didn't exactly impress me.

There's PLENTY of examples of old stuff that out performs new stuff as well as lasts longer.......I mean isn't a Porsche SC a prime example?

[john70t]

Way back when, companies strived to maintain a reputation. If there was competition, they'd strive to do everything better, because that was the way of business. If the purchasing agent bought junk without testing it, then they got replaced. The company president knew he had to appease the masses or get lynched.

Their customers also had loyalty. They were willing to pay more for products because they knew the company would back up their product or lose business. They demanded things that would last and could be passed down to their grandchildren. They valued the purchase, and took care of it because it was so expensive.

(taking off the rosy-colored history glasses)

Today, companies couldn't care less about reputation. The masses are easily swayed by a short selling campaign. Besides, every company is selling junk inventory these days and many get it from the same source. Product lines change from year to year and purchasing agents want quantity. International stockholders run the company and vote the president in complete with a golden parachute. There's no personal responsibility. Who cares about ten years from now? Get in, get money, get out.

Customers don't concern themselves with reputation. There's too much false info out there, and keeping track of all that information is too complicated. They also don't care about quality either. Get the job done fast, and toss the item while writing it off as a loss.

[porsche930dude]

pretty much everything i buy new is a dissapointment sooner than later. Problem solved by buying used cheap stuff. Its hard to be disappointed when you pay pennies on the dollar.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by Yorkie

Its a nasty spiral of customer demand verses what the market price will stand. I am in product development and we are constantly challenged to innovate through augmentation (new bells and whistles) but forced to hold or lower the current market price. Often to incorporate new technology or features something has to give and typically it is the quality of the materials we employ.

Take a look at a 50s vacuum cleaner then look at a modern version. The old one had sturdy aluminum castings and decent electrical connections. But it weighed a lot more than the current generation of cleaners and was a lot more expensive compared to what we will pay today. The problem is that now customers will not pay for that kind of durability so manufacturers simply do not bother to offer such products.

When we conduct typical focus groups with customers and rank the features and benefits that they value, durability is often well down on the list of needs. Lightweight and low cost is always near the top so unfortunately, we get what we deserve and we get the quality of products we are prepared to pay for.

But when we look at automobiles the reliability and quality far surpasses what was acceptable in years gone by. These days even the cheapest car is truly reliable for 10s of thousand in the areas where the technology is mature. Axles, Engines, Transmissions are in essence the same they were for decades and now they are very reliable. Now where new technology is applied you can see early failure.

If something is too good to be true (lots of wonderful features at a low low price) then its too good to be true.

Yes, its call a Kirby. My wife bought one from a traveling vacuum salesman, and I decided to take it back the very next day. It was 1700 bucks. Economically, it doesn't make sense, 1700 bucks can buy me a lot of cheap Chinese made Costco jobs for a long time before I can catch up to the price of a Kirby. By then, the Kirby will be need parts. There are some things I will not buy cheap like tools and machinery because we need it to make a living.

I have an Echo chainsaw that me guys beat around in back of their pick ups for a couple of years. We cut timber with it sometimes. The thing was purchased at a small lawnmower shop. It's a pretty good and durable tool. I was looking at the Stihl but the owner talked me into the Echo.

[WolfeMacleod]

Phpfftttt.. I just buy stuff, bring it home, and throw it away. Most of it is useless right outta the box these days.

[peppy]

Originally Posted by teenerted1

before the engine conked out and you wrapped it around a pecan tree, were you using ethanol free gas? if it was that would be under user error.

I use the 10% ethanol from the EXXON down the street.

[peppy]

Originally Posted by oldE

Peppy,

My current Stihl is an FS55, similar to yours. In my experience, if the line is melting together, it is because I an hitting stalks which are too thick or tough to be cut by the edged line. It seems the energy transferred along the line is enough to spot weld it when it wraps momentarily around the stalk. When that happens, I leave that area for the trash blade.

Sorry you had problems. Even more sorry you lost your temper with the thing.

All the best.
Les

Les I was just using this in a residential yard, nothing very heavy or thick. This trimmer was still under warranty, but the head was not a warranty item.

[peppy]

Sorry about the crappy pictures Vash.

[vash]

LOL!! i'll pass.

sorry the trimmer didnt work out for you. next time buy an ECHO? my stihl leaks fuel, my echo hedger and chainsaw are indestructable..so far.

[strupgolf]

When we were first married, we bought a GE TV. It worked great and lasted a long time. We then bought a fridge, washer/dryer; they too lasted a great long time. We bought GE for a very long time afterwards during our marriage and to me GE was the best. Now, I'm not even sure where they're made, I don't have any GE products in the house. That's when companies built things to last because of the great demand, and they wanted people to know it. Today, I'm just glad I have'nt had to replace anything under warrenty.

[911pcars]

Yep. They don't make then the way they used to. However, I'd like to know who makes this dryer. Seems to be pretty robust under the circumstances. The motor kept on ticking even after the drive train died,



Sherwood

[look 171]

Originally Posted by vash

LOL!! i'll pass.

sorry the trimmer didnt work out for you. next time buy an ECHO? my stihl leaks fuel, my echo hedger and chainsaw are indestructable..so far.

You know this is just one more point for those Japanese built things. I don't care what people say about how they are not innovators but copiers. They sure make the products better. I haven't try to kill my Echo chainsaw, but my workmen do it without trying. it has held up for a long time without problems. the guy at the lawnmower shop is right, a damn good tool.

[Kraftwerk]

Made in China

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by Kraftwerk

Made in China

Well. It all depends.

GM cars are made in the USA, and while the later versions seem to be designed and screwed together better, historically, they were crap (all nostalgia aside).

Consider also that many American products are made overseas by American-owned companies. Apple products are made in China, and they don't seem too shabby. Who's to blame for more inferior American products?

Sherwood

[Eric 951]

My Stihl chainsaw is full of complete garbage plastic on the inside. It cuts alright, but the on/off and speed controls are hooked into plastic tangs which have already snapped twice. When that happens, the only way to shut it of is to flood it with the choke. My father's Homelite is probably 30 years old and twice as good a saw.