Discontinued things you still wish were made today

Candle Power Forums

Help Support Candle Power:

Chauncey Gardener said:
That's what dirty grandpas are for. 😆 Who in the heck figured that one out!?
Click to expand...
Mine was actually very prim and proper. Every now and then something would come out, notoriously about "bumps" as he called them.

I never met my other grandfather, as he died a week before I was born. Which is also likely why I was born prematurely.
 
PhotonWrangler said:
Almost any home appliance where the moving parts were made of metal and had a decent lifespan.
Click to expand...
My GE fridge is 24 years old. Serviced two times. Still going strong!
Last time it was serviced, refrigeration Tech. told us not to get rid of it.
He's constantly servicing newer models that apparently barely last 5 years.
 
Monocrom said:
My GE fridge is 24 years old. Serviced two times. Still going strong!
Click to expand...
Anything with a sealed refrigeration system these days is generally crap.

A couple of years back I had a brand new Carrier rooftop AC unit arrive at our office building...with no charge. Totally sealed system, a leaker from the factory.

Likewise, I usually only get 0.5-2 years out of a dehumidifier at best. I've been doing some experiments and so far it appears the crappy controls they put in them are to blame. Replacing the built-in controls with external ones, so far, seems to be making a difference.

Last year I had to scrap a Samsung refrigerator. Compressor still worked, still had a full refrigerant charge. The controls had become erratic, so the freezer would go from -10F to 60F.

In contrast, all of the appliances at my parents' hurricane-damaged place are 25+ years old and still going. The dishwasher, washer, and microwave where I'm at tonight are still going. I doubt any replacement for them would last this long.
 
I'm sure most of you have read George Orwell's "1984."

Everything is turning to crap quality. In the novel, the state controlled everything. Including the garbage-quality Victory Cigarettes that would start to fall apart before most of the citizen-slaves had a chance to light up. Well, took around 2024 before private corporations decided to do a 1984 with appliances and cars.
 
Just thought of it.... Muscle cars, but put better brakes on them.
(Yeah, I know.... but 3 models isn't much of a selection.)
 
I sometimes miss the IBM Selectric I once had.

Arnold Gingrich, the founder and longtime editor of Esquire magazine, was an avid trout fisherman. He wrote in one of his books that if you find any piece of gear for fishing that you really like, buy several of them, because if it is any good you can be sure it will soon be discontinued.
 
Last edited:
troutpool said:
I sometimes miss the IBM Selectric I once had.

Arnold Gingrich, the founder and longtime editor of Esquire magazine, was an avid trout fisherman. He write in one of his books that if you find any piece of gear for fishing that you really like, buy several of them, because if it is any good you can be sure it will soon be discontinued.
Click to expand...
Yes, I've started to do that with tools, when possible. By the time you need another, it is made somewhere else, at half the quality and 120% the price ... 😠
 
troutpool said:
Arnold Gingrich [...] wrote in one of his books that if you find any piece of gear for fishing that you really like, buy several of them, because if it is any good you can be sure it will soon be discontinued.
Click to expand...
That doesn't even only go for fishing gear - in our consumerism, throw-away society, that goes for EVERYTHING these days. New models of everything (...especially "smart"phones), just products made to break no more than 2 months after the warranty expires. If I find anything I really like, I will buy 2-3 of them while I can.

Actually, before my rant goes too hard - how about washing machines with physical buttons? All of them - and I do mean Every. Single. Available. Model - has a touch screen now! Who thought it was a good idea to put additional electronics into something that by nature produces moisture!? And every manufacturer does it now. I wonder why I find tons of complaints about a broken control panel... And give it 7 years, and you can't even get a new panel, because that model is End Of Life.

And there are no more Norwegian lettering on the control panel. Yes, I do read both Swedish and English just fine, so call it the principle of the thing, but why even change the language in the first place.

We had to replace our kitchen oven some years back because the rubber around the door got damaged and was leaking a lot of heat. And we were told by the manufacturer there were no spare parts available for our model, because it was too old - yes, it was some 15 years old, but everything still worked. And the oven size (60x60 cm) has been standard for as long as I can remember, so why even change the design of the rubber around the freakin' door!? Unless it's only to force people to buy a new product, obviously.

And don't get me started on cars. VW group has so many brands now, there is no reason not to have interchangeable parts.

All this is why I am still on my old Nokia 3720 - it works, it does what I want from it, and...oh yeah, did I mention it still works? Yes, it does, so why replace it. I will replace it when I can no longer use it, and that goes for just about everything I own - I will replace something when I need (which is just about never) or want something better (flashlights excepted, of course), and it gives me joy not to support greedy manufacturers unless I have to.
 
PaladinNO said:
That doesn't even only go for fishing gear - in our consumerism, throw-away society, that goes for EVERYTHING these days. New models of everything (...especially "smart"phones), just products made to break no more than 2 months after the warranty expires. If I find anything I really like, I will buy 2-3 of them while I can.

Actually, before my rant goes too hard - how about washing machines with physical buttons? All of them - and I do mean Every. Single. Available. Model - has a touch screen now! Who thought it was a good idea to put additional electronics into something that by nature produces moisture!? And every manufacturer does it now. I wonder why I find tons of complaints about a broken control panel... And give it 7 years, and you can't even get a new panel, because that model is End Of Life.

And there are no more Norwegian lettering on the control panel. Yes, I do read both Swedish and English just fine, so call it the principle of the thing, but why even change the language in the first place.

We had to replace our kitchen oven some years back because the rubber around the door got damaged and was leaking a lot of heat. And we were told by the manufacturer there were no spare parts available for our model, because it was too old - yes, it was some 15 years old, but everything still worked. And the oven size (60x60 cm) has been standard for as long as I can remember, so why even change the design of the rubber around the freakin' door!? Unless it's only to force people to buy a new product, obviously.

And don't get me started on cars. VW group has so many brands now, there is no reason not to have interchangeable parts.

All this is why I am still on my old Nokia 3720 - it works, it does what I want from it, and...oh yeah, did I mention it still works? Yes, it does, so why replace it. I will replace it when I can no longer use it, and that goes for just about everything I own - I will replace something when I need (which is just about never) or want something better (flashlights excepted, of course), and it gives me joy not to support greedy manufacturers unless I have to.
Click to expand...
The warranty culture vs. the guarantee culture...
 
I miss the old fashion / pre - iso 9000 swiss cheese. It was much lighter and had small holes in it. Apparently the Europeans did an analysis because they also recognized it. It turns out that they started filtering the milk so well that it removed the little bits of straw that were decaying during the cheese making process - giving it that special texture.
 
troutpool said:
I sometimes miss the IBM Selectric I once had.

Arnold Gingrich, the founder and longtime editor of Esquire magazine, was an avid trout fisherman. He wrote in one of his books that if you find any piece of gear for fishing that you really like, buy several of them, because if it is any good you can be sure it will soon be discontinued.
Click to expand...
Applies to flashlights and knives too.
Or, the company will come out with a New & Improved version.... and it'll be crap!
 
I long miss the days of a simple washing machine.

-put clothes in.
-add detergent.
-select water level.
-select mode of agitation.
-start and wait.

It was basically a full up with water, agitate to clean, drain and spin off excess water.

NOW, you have all this bullsh*t where it weighs the clothes to determine water level or cycles or whatever it does. The clothes are never as clean, the cycles take forever and the cost for all the "features" that many of us don't want is ridiculous.

I have a similar feeling about the new style refrigerators. Sorry, but I don't need a monitor screen on my refrigerator, I don't need an app to tell me what's in or what's not in my refrigerator. I could go on and on, but I won't.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top