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"planned ob·so·les·cence
ˌpland ˌäbsəˈlesəns/
noun
noun: planned obsolescence
Two examples sitting on my bench right now.
The first: A small Ingersoll Rand twin tank compressor, about ten years old, gets intermittent use blowing chips out of turnings, an occasional tire fill and what little nail gunning I do. Still bright and shiny, gets it's oil changed regularly and good for another ten years, at least. Dead in the water a couple of weeks ago due to a small 15 amp circuit breaker/fuse thingy (best I can tell). Called Ingersoll Rand parts hot line and the guy asked if I was using an extension chord, because this machine doesn't like to be far from the outlet. Yup, been on an extension chord all its life and has popped the fuse twice. The thirty some odd dollar part!! had a projected shipping time of 58 days?? Yup 58 days OK, I'm dumb as a rock when it comes to electrical things, so I ordered it. Friday I got a call from IR and was told the part was no longer available. You mean my compressor is dead?? Yup, better buy another, I can hook you up . No thanks....so, I sucked it up and got out my magnifying glass and found some numbers on the part, made in Mexico, which Google then located for me-- @$2.36 a piece. Five are on the way, just in case. They aren't here yet, but I'm hoping for a happy ending
The second:
Two years ago a Kitchen Aid toaster oven (made in India) in my wife's favorite red color quit dead in the water after a year and a half of very limited use--probably fewer than 20 toasted cheese sandwiches It was out of warranty, so I didn't even try calling Kitchen Aid. I put it in the attic with the rest of the "retired" appliances and yesterday, after the wife started talking about finding another one but couldn't find her color, I took it down to the shop and opened it up. The innards were pristine. No scorched wires and all parts functioning as they should, except a small 206C thermal fuse with an insulator. Google helped me locate the part from the only place in the world now listing them, a company in the UK, which stopped selling to the US in 2012 because of soaring shipping and insurance rates Refusing to give up, I started looking for comparable thermal fuses and found one I think I can crimp onto the circuit that will do the job. Ten are on the way for less than $15. (for $55 AliBaba would have sent me 2,000!!!) Again, hoping for another Happy ending
It's possible that I expect too much. It could be generational. WWII caused a lot of sacrifice on the home front and my folks saved/resuscitated everything they had. I try and take care of my stuff and expect it to last a reasonable length of time. When it dies, I want it to be of old age and total exhaustion--DRT (dead right there) and ready to recycle or re-purpose. What do you think?
ˌpland ˌäbsəˈlesəns/
noun
noun: planned obsolescence
- a policy of producing consumer goods that rapidly become obsolete and so require replacing, achieved by frequent changes in design, termination of the supply of spare parts, and the use of non-durable materials."
Two examples sitting on my bench right now.
The first: A small Ingersoll Rand twin tank compressor, about ten years old, gets intermittent use blowing chips out of turnings, an occasional tire fill and what little nail gunning I do. Still bright and shiny, gets it's oil changed regularly and good for another ten years, at least. Dead in the water a couple of weeks ago due to a small 15 amp circuit breaker/fuse thingy (best I can tell). Called Ingersoll Rand parts hot line and the guy asked if I was using an extension chord, because this machine doesn't like to be far from the outlet. Yup, been on an extension chord all its life and has popped the fuse twice. The thirty some odd dollar part!! had a projected shipping time of 58 days?? Yup 58 days OK, I'm dumb as a rock when it comes to electrical things, so I ordered it. Friday I got a call from IR and was told the part was no longer available. You mean my compressor is dead?? Yup, better buy another, I can hook you up . No thanks....so, I sucked it up and got out my magnifying glass and found some numbers on the part, made in Mexico, which Google then located for me-- @$2.36 a piece. Five are on the way, just in case. They aren't here yet, but I'm hoping for a happy ending
The second:
Two years ago a Kitchen Aid toaster oven (made in India) in my wife's favorite red color quit dead in the water after a year and a half of very limited use--probably fewer than 20 toasted cheese sandwiches It was out of warranty, so I didn't even try calling Kitchen Aid. I put it in the attic with the rest of the "retired" appliances and yesterday, after the wife started talking about finding another one but couldn't find her color, I took it down to the shop and opened it up. The innards were pristine. No scorched wires and all parts functioning as they should, except a small 206C thermal fuse with an insulator. Google helped me locate the part from the only place in the world now listing them, a company in the UK, which stopped selling to the US in 2012 because of soaring shipping and insurance rates Refusing to give up, I started looking for comparable thermal fuses and found one I think I can crimp onto the circuit that will do the job. Ten are on the way for less than $15. (for $55 AliBaba would have sent me 2,000!!!) Again, hoping for another Happy ending
It's possible that I expect too much. It could be generational. WWII caused a lot of sacrifice on the home front and my folks saved/resuscitated everything they had. I try and take care of my stuff and expect it to last a reasonable length of time. When it dies, I want it to be of old age and total exhaustion--DRT (dead right there) and ready to recycle or re-purpose. What do you think?