CBC's Marketplace just did a thing on this. https://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/episodes/2017-2018/appliance-breakdowns-and-repairs Most modern appliance companies suck and want shit to break and you to buy a new one more often. There's a real push in Canada to adopt "right to repair" legislation much like what is found in Sweden. Basically, manufacturers have to provide parts and repair manual for normal people to be able to fix their own shit, rather than not supplying either and delaying repairs to the point people give in and buy new. There are a few manufacturers that do this on their own, like Miele, but most people won't pay for that. Personally, I do, and it's worth every penny in my opinion.
Yep. I actually will pay for that, and I often find that I can't. I have a couple relatives that, in an effort to get something 'built to last' they bought VERY high end appliances from ostensibly reputable brands. They nearly all failed within a couple years. Because the highest-end appliances don't sell as well, they don't build as many, their quality control sucks, and you can't get replacement parts (or, if you can, the parts cost hundreds of dollars and have the same built-in design flaws as the original, so they too will fail in a couple years - at which point you'll be even further out of warranty and super-fucked). Few years ago I bought a high-end $500 convection microwave from a national brand with excellent reviews. Wonderful machine. Shit itself last year. There is one repair place 50 miles from my house. I live in one of the most densely-populated areas of the country. That repair place is staffed by exactly one guy, who claimed that the problem was unfixable. I did research on what to replace it with, and the most reputable sources I could find on the Internet said: "All microwaves, regardless of price, brand, or features, are essentially manufactured in one of two plants in the United States, and they are all built like shit. There is no way to buy a good one, because they do not exist. Buy a reasonably-inexpensive one that you like and expect to replace it in a few years. Don't spend too much because you will never recoup your loss." So, as best I can figure, the only reasonable strategy is to buy low-middle end stuff, use it until it shits itself in a ridiculously short amount of time, and replace it with more low-middle end stuff. I can't imagine the environmental damage of this.
@DrFrylock I don't really watch reality TV in any form but mentioned that one to hubs. He did you one better. We are watching The Joe Shmoe Show now. So cringey. It's kinda Truman Show-esque with one real guy and the rest being plants. Two of the plants are familiar to me, Kristen Wiig and David Hornsby (Cricket on ASIP). This is....huh. Something. Has anyone else seen the show?
I sold high end appliances for years no nobody makes their products like Miele makes theirs. No one. That's why I own a Miele vacuum, dishwasher and washer/dryer. Their level of anal-ness is unmatched. They built their own foundry just to pour the cast iron for their washing machines counter weights. The wood racks in their wine units, yeah, that's from their own trees. They put 10 kilograms in their dishwashers upper basket and then pull it in and out 10,000 times to make sure it still rolls properly. Their dishwasher racks are made from stainless steel so if the nylon coating gets nicked, they don't rust out. I could just go on and on about them. Around the late 90's I bought a Miele vacuum and my brother bought a cheapie from Target. 2 years later he bought another cheapie from Target. 2 years later another cheapie. His wife said that's asinine and to pony up and get a Miele. We both still have our Miele vacs.
Ok quick question then. Our washer and dryer is about to die. One of those fancy bells and whistles samsung ones where the basic shit never worked and it took forever to get a repair guy because they needed one with a degree in aerospace engineering. So now I can hear it going, I give them both another 2-3 months max. What would be your recommendation for a high-use, large capacity washer and dryer? And where should I be looking to purchase one? I'd rather buy once cry once this time.
When we first got together, some 12 years ago, my wife convinced me to get the Miele Vacuum - for a house that had no carpet. Aside from a small crack in the hose, it's still chugging along like the day it was bought. When even had family and friends come by to test out their sales spiel for Rainbow and other "high-end" vacs and our Miele still outperformed them. As for you washer (can't speak about the dryer) - Speed Queen. They stopped for a while but due to popular demand have restarted making their commercial grade washer. No bells and whistles, no motherboards, no engineers needed for repair. Ours was about a year old when the flood happened and it got about 13 inches of water. Our buddy took the cover off, doused it with simple green and it still ran pretty well. We needed a guy to come out to diagnose a loud whirring noise it was making during the spin cycle - which was just that the bearings needed to be regreased. Since then, runs like a champ.
I decided that, too. I think there was another thread on here maybe? Somebody was talking about how easy it was to clean out the lint and how long lasting and well made the machines are.
Can’t find any place with them locally. Is there a way to order online? I’ve tried searching and my google-fu is off today.
I am making french onion soup right meow. Between the baked beans earlier and the onion soup, tonight's farts are going to be righteous.
Me and my impulse buys.... Spoiler It's the supercharged XKR variant of the XK8....I just wish it was a coupe, but I'll live with it. 31K, 1 owner miles. Damn thing was over $90K new. And of course when it breaks, it's still a $90K car. But she sure is purdy...