When the in-door ice dispenser in Lance Hussey’s refrigerator broke after less than a year, he took it in stride.
“It’s just like all the other technology we re-up every [few] years,” said Hussey, the creative director at RKS Design, a Los Angeles industrial design firm that has worked for nearly every major appliance manufacturer. “You aren’t surprised when things break, even when they’re not that old.”
Hussey knows that sleek modern refrigerators barely resemble the hulking, spare machines from the 20th century. As an experienced product designer, he now regards today’s fridges — packed with computer circuit boards, electronics, and mechanical features that manage pressurized gases or extreme cold — as some of the most complex consumer technology products available.
All that complexity takes a toll. “The life cycle for appliances — it keeps getting shorter, every fridge I’ve gotten,” Hussey said. “My last one has had more problems in the shortest amount of time.”
Hussey’s experience is common. News stories, buyer surveys, and my own interviews with appliance owners make it clear that many Americans think the reliability and durability of their refrigerators, dishwashers, stoves, washing machines, and dryers have taken a nosedive in the past few decades.
As a writer covering large kitchen appliances, I’ve heard countless tales of appliance failures, frustrations, and feeble life expectancies. I wanted to find out what’s really happening.
Like many people, I wondered whether the culprit was planned obsolescence — a business strategy in which companies intentionally design products with a limited lifespan, requiring people to buy new ones with increasing frequency. This is a common practice across product categories, from tech to toasters.
Yet after a six-month investigation, I found a much more complicated answer.
It’s true that appliances don’t last as long as they used to — though the difference is probably not as dramatic as many people seem to believe.
Although companies are partially to blame, the fault also lies with the unintended consequences of government regulations, price wars driven by global trade, and people’s own desire for increasingly sophisticated features requiring complex components that are far more likely to fail.
Maybe even more surprising, you can still find durable appliances that can last for decades — but only if you are willing to make certain trade-offs. Read our seven tips on making your appliance last for details.
Originally published on Source.
