Are things built to last?

By : Forum Moderator
Published 9th November 2017 |
Read latest comment - 5th December 2017

I was drying my hair this morning and I looked at my hairdryer and realised I got it when I was about 15, so it is 25 years old!! I just don't think things ever last that long anymore, or is that a myth? Do you expect things to last you years? I know my dad uses a really old Nokia phone still and is happy enough with it, he doesn't want a smart phone.

People seem to replace their phones regularly now, it does of course keep the economy rolling as people spend to replace items, but I am not sure it is doing the environment that much good. We are a consumer society whether we like it or not. There is a definite shift towards cheap, almost disposable items in areas such as a clothing rather than paying for better quality.  Although I know that there is a trend to use local small businesses for Christmas gifts, or at least I have seen this on my Facebook feed. Handmade, bespoke gifts are likely to last longer than mass produced tat, one would hope.


Do you prefer quality or is it all down to price? What's the longest lasting product you have? I am sure someone can beat my hairdryer!

Comments

Hi Rebecca

I find it so annoying when things that should last a long time, don't. We have gone through about three microwaves in the last 10 years,  which is madness! It is even more infuriating when an expensive item such as a TV breaks. Ours stopped working a while ago and I struggled to find anyone who would fix it because "most people just replace"!

It has got to the point now where I would rather purchase a cheaper item so that if it breaks I am not so bothered, even though my common sense tells me that's counter-productive because surely the cheaper things are not going to last as long as the expensive ones...? Some people-in-the-know  tell me that even the top manufacturers use low grade parts, so you can't really win!

I need to know who made your hairdryer Rebecca because if they manufacture other items too then I am going to fill my house with them  - they obviously build things to last!

 


Many thanks,
Natalie - Your Local Girl Friday

Hahaha well it's Clairol one. Used it just this morning. For something that gets used every day for my fringe, it's done ridiculously well. 

That's ridiculous with microwaves! I remember growing up that at Christmas we'd be choosing from the Argos catalogue what we wanted. We could never get the high end makes so we had alba as the cheapest then Bush the next up. So my parents always got Bush. Then I found out years later they were owned by the same company! A bit like buying the economy bread in the supermarket I suppose, some people will never do it, even if it's no worse than the supermarket's other branded bread. 

The art of fixing goods is definitely being lost.  

 


We had a hotpoint washing machine that just wouldn't die. It had to be 20 years old and used daily. In the end we replaced it with a modern Bosch as we thought it was only a matter of time as it was making dodgy noises.

But now the Bosch after about 3 years of use is on the way out  I've also heard things are now engineered to fail which is a sad reflection on progress in the ever more weird world we live in...


Steve Richardson
Gaffer of My Local Services
My Local Services | Me on LinkedIn

Oh no! That poor Hotpoint served you well and you ditched it for a newer, younger model, which let you down. There's an analogy in there somewhere. Haha.

 


We had a hotpoint washing machine that just wouldn't die. It had to be 20 years old and used daily. In the end we replaced it with a modern Bosch as we thought it was only a matter of time as it was making dodgy noises.

But now the Bosch after about 3 years of use is on the way out  I've also heard things are now engineered to fail which is a sad reflection on progress in the ever more weird world we live in...”

 

Let that be a lesson to you Steve 


Many thanks,
Natalie - Your Local Girl Friday

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