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A big part of the problem is the new 'Low E' requirements. It takes 2 1/2 hours to do a load of dishes where it used to take an hour. Laundry takes twice as long. And the mechanisms are not designed for high torques, but to use as little energy as possible. Tat means lighter weight materials, etc.
Prices start at $149.95 in 1959 dollars or $1200 in 2015 dollars.
1. Black & White TV.
2. Constant adjustments/tweaks required.
3. 19-inch (guess) size.
Oh, wait, you want color.
$495 then would be $4000 today.
Compared with
Samsung UN50H6203 50-Inch 1080p 120Hz Smart LED TV for $730
Better picture (1080 p vs 512i)
Larger picture.
Less weight.
Occupies less space.
No adjustments after day 1.
When it comes to TVs, I'll take the old days of no "setup" when you just plugged the dang things in, and turned 'em on.
When it comes to TVs, I'll take the old days of no "setup" when you just plugged the dang things in, and turned 'em on.
Amen... my poor Mom has a very hard time and often says when did things become so complicated.
When she would babysit for family she often could not figure out the TV/Cable remotes or even the thermostat... not to mention how to answer the phone!
As for TV... I've never bought one... have a very nice 32" picture in picture Toshiba with surround my neighbor tossed for a flat screen... funny thing is in the last 7 years... their old Toshiba has been flawless and they are on TV number 3... and almost regret giving me the Toshiba.
In 33 years I've owned 3 computers... an Apple //e that never crashed, a Windows 98 that worked well and now a $199 Laptop... and still use the 98 machine for some picture files...
If you lined up a toaster, tv, refrigerator, oven, lawn mower, and toilet from 1959 and compared it to their modern counterparts in an endurance test I can guarantee you team 1959 appliances would grossly outperform.
It seems as if modern appliances are designed to last a few years at best.
Er.. even the TV??
I just hung a 65" super-slim UHD Samsung Smart-TV on my LR wall .. using a wire-cable system, signed up for Netflix immediately, and was watching a 3D - THREE DEE !! - movie instantly!
I and my cohort, Ed, could not stop saying "Oh my god! Oh my god!".
They say the HD shows have a visible upgrade, which I thought might be BS, but was visible and awesome.
The only problem now is that I have lost my senses and want a BIGGER one.
I had the same Kenmore washing machine for over 20 years...it was a tank! It was solidly made & my spouse could easily (and cheaply) make repairs to it. Parts were easy to find/buy. We only stopped using it because the tub broke free from the mountings & we couldn't find any replacement parts, or way to fix it. Now, 12 years after replacing it, we have gone through 2 other washing machines, and have a lot less laundry to do than we used to...the newer ones are cheap pieces of c---! And, like someone else said, I don't even want to talk about my one-year-old dishwasher!
We've had to replace the same part, a flimsy rail mechanism, three times now. The darn part was on back order for over a month this last time, so we bought three for each side. I frickin' hate that dishwasher, and the fridge is just as bad!
Two things; modern energy requirements and competition. Take the typical refrigerator. To meet energy requirements means a electronic circuit board because it can no longer defrost by time; it has to measure need. Then cost.I bought my mother and father a side by side just after they came out some time in the 60's. 1200 dollars. You can buy the same much cheaper today in 2015. Most manufacturers use many of the same parts provided by a supplier and they use just in time manufacturing to save warehouse cost. In fact competition means less manufacturers because they all make several brands. Can you image what a 1200 1960's frig would cost now if allowed when a Pontiac Bonneville loaded then was about 5000 MSRP.
If you lined up a toaster, tv, refrigerator, oven, lawn mower, and toilet from 1959 and compared it to their modern counterparts in an endurance test I can guarantee you team 1959 appliances would grossly outperform.
It seems as if modern appliances are designed to last a few years at best.
Then why don't you have these things from 1959 still? As I posted above, the TV... forget about it. A 1959 TV would probably still have tubes, which wear out relatively quickly.
because modern people shop at places like walmart?
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