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Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 9:02 am
by markharr
Remember when companies used to advertise how dependable their products were? They ran entire ad campaigns on it. That when you purchase one of their appliances, you were making an investment that would last your lifetime? I remember as a teenager using my mom's washer and dryer that she purchased in the 60s. As well as using my dad's power tools from the 60s and 50s. They still worked as good as the day they bought it. Gone are those days. You never see the Maytag man anymore. You are lucky if you get five years out of the cheap Chinese garbage that they produce now. My stepdad purchased the old shop equipment from a local high school in the 80s. The high school wanted newer and safer shop equipment to replace the stuff that they had that was built in the 20s. Huge mistake on their part. My stepdad still uses that hardware and it runs like the day it was made. That high school has probably had to replace everything every decade since then.
It's better for the environment for you to have to purchase newer more efficient models, they say.
How is it better for the environment to have to manufacture new hardware for every family every five years not to mention the environmental cost of shipping it from china, all because it is slightly more efficient? There is no way that the miniscule advances in efficiency offset the environmental cost of making more garbage and shipping it here. This on top of the fact that landfills are filling up with cheap plastic Chinese garbage.
I'm on this rant because I am tired of being in the middle of a project and having to run to the hardware store and purchase a new power tool because my last one that I purchased five years ago burnt out.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 9:17 am
by Fred
markharr wrote: ↑November 27th, 2021, 9:02 am
Remember when companies used to advertise how dependable their products were? They ran entire ad campaigns on it. That when you purchase one of their appliances, you were making an investment that would last your lifetime? I remember as a teenager using my mom's washer and dryer that she purchased in the 60s. As well as using my dad's power tools from the 60s and 50s. They still worked as good as the day they bought it. Gone are those days. You never see the Maytag man anymore. You are lucky if you get five years out of the cheap Chinese garbage that they produce now. My stepdad purchased the old shop equipment from a local high school in the 80s. The high school wanted newer and safer shop equipment to replace the stuff that they had that was built in the 20s. Huge mistake on their part. My stepdad still uses that hardware and it runs like the day it was made. That high school has probably had to replace everything every decade since then.
It's better for the environment for you to have to purchase newer more efficient models, they say.
How is it better for the environment to have to manufacture new hardware for every family every five years not to mention the environmental cost of shipping it from china, all because it is slightly more efficient? There is no way that the miniscule advances in efficiency offset the environmental cost of making more garbage and shipping it here. This on top of the fact that landfills are filling up with cheap plastic Chinese garbage.
I'm on this rant because I am tired of being in the middle of a project and having to run to the hardware store and purchase a new power tool because my last one that I purchased five years ago burnt out.
Not only does all of their crap fail, there is no one to fix it. You have to throw it away. Even expensive stuff. Disposable. Just get another one. Even a shop that does fix things can not fix Chinese crap. Can't get parts. Just get a new one.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 9:31 am
by Robin Hood
It was much better when all the crap came from Japan.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 9:32 am
by Teancum
This video explains it all very well:
Planned obsolescence,
The Light Bulb Conspiracy (2010) with hard coded English subtitles.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 10:46 am
by buffalo_girl
Robin Hood wrote: ↑November 27th, 2021, 9:31 am
It was much better when all the crap came from Japan.
Many of their cars have weathered the test of time. Our Kubota tractor is over 30-years old & bought used. It has had one overhaul, a few hose replacements and one tire replaced. Our neighbors spend over $100,000 minimum for a John Deere and can’t do their own repairs - everything is run on components which only a dealer can replace. Farmers are learning how to hack but they shouldn’t have to.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 10:57 am
by Chip
How many cordless screwdrivers/drills had to be thrown away because the battery packs failed? I don't even buy them, but I've somehow had six setups pass through my hands.
By the way, there is an excellent long-term storage option for excess stuff that, unlike the pay-by-the-month facilities, has a low one-time fee. It's called "the dump". Best solution out there.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 11:00 am
by Subcomandante
Chinese car vs German bike
About the only thing China makes that is decent are the cell phones. They are excellent providers of raw materials but by far the worst manufacturers.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 11:18 am
by Original_Intent
I am asking for and trying to give what I am coming to term "heirloom gifts".
I'd rather have one small gift that will be worth passing on and that I will enjoy for the rest of my life than many gifts that I will at best enjoy for a week or a month and never look at again.
It seems as our gadgets have become more advanced, there is more chance of some bit of electronics having a problem that renders it useless, and the replacement part and.or repair is so expensive that it is "cheaper" to just buy another one.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 11:29 am
by keeprunning
Made me think of my visit to Barnes and Noble yesterday. Anyone been in an actual book store lately? SO many crap books. It all just looked like junk reading. It's like everyone and their dog think they need to write a book now, about anything.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 11:33 am
by nightlight
I think the government should keep their hands off the market and I'm not big on taxes
BUT......
If you move production overseas to get richer, I think we should tax you until it becomes non-profitable
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 12:32 pm
by Robin Hood
buffalo_girl wrote: ↑November 27th, 2021, 10:46 am
Robin Hood wrote: ↑November 27th, 2021, 9:31 am
It was much better when all the crap came from Japan.
Many of their cars have weathered the test of time. Our Kubota tractor is over 30-years old & bought used. It has had one overhaul, a few hose replacements and one tire replaced. Our neighbors spend over $100,000 minimum for a John Deere and can’t do their own repairs - everything is run on components which only a dealer can replace. Farmers are learning how to hack but they shouldn’t have to.
Totally agree.
But when we first started getting Datsun's (Nissan's) in the early '70's they were absolute rot boxes.
Now we have BBC's Top Gear advising that if you need to get a used car for £1,500 or less... anything Japanese.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 1:00 pm
by markharr
The other thing is computers and phones. It came out a few years ago that Apple intentionally restricts the resource usage on older phones. Their official reasoning is that it makes the battery life longer but they could just make the battery easily replaceable by the end user. We really shouldn't have to buy new phones and computers as often as we do. Especially for people who do not do gaming.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 1:50 pm
by buffalo_girl
A favorite uncle born in 1922 ranted about ‘planned obsolescence’ when I was a kid in the 1950’s. His rants on most things have proven accurate.
Over the past couple of decades of thrift store shopping, I see fewer & fewer items worth bringing home. Gone are the days of quality hand tools, kitchen tools, carpets or furniture.
I stash my ‘antique’ tools away from careless males about the place. They have become too accustomed to running into town to replace their junk tools & I don’t want mine lost.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 2:46 pm
by 1775peasant
sadly, it's not just "foreign" products anymore.......most of the mass produced stuff that's made in the USA today is sub-par & way overpriced!
i know all things are relative, but just normal new farm equipment today is double what it was just 10 years ago.......and parts have more than tripled in the same span of time
a few years ago i bought a very simple part for my combine, it's just a short piece auger that has 2 "u joints" and 1 sliding shaft so as the auger is rotated into position, it is able to adjust it's length & angle allowing the auger to operate in all positions.......
that piece is made in Grand Island, Ne,,,,,,,,it cost over $700.....it's no easy task to remove & replace this piece.......i was rebuilding the complete unloading auger system on the combine, so this was needed to make the rebuild complete....
i put it in, got it all fastened back up.......and the auger when brought into the lower position was binding and would stop turning which caused the belt that drove the auger to slip & burn......i had to take it all back apart, and upon closer inspection......that new $700 part when made was braced & welded incorrectly. so, i had to cut the brace out, rearrange it's placement & re-weld the brace in.......
it's kinda like voting for Republicans, u think they will do the right things cause they say they will while campaigning,,,,,,but very soon u watch those dreams swirl the toilet bowl as the Republicans vote to spend more money, remove more freedoms, call evil good...etc along side the Communists.......whereas one is knowingly buying junk when it is made in China.......
same kinda crap sandwich, just different flavors
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 3:12 pm
by Niemand
Robin Hood wrote: ↑November 27th, 2021, 9:31 am
It was much better when all the crap came from Japan.
Japanese made products were much better. I think the Japanese had a pride in their work whereas there is a general sloppiness in Chinese society thanks to corruption and Communism.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 3:15 pm
by Subcomandante
keeprunning wrote: ↑November 27th, 2021, 11:29 am
Made me think of my visit to Barnes and Noble yesterday. Anyone been in an actual book store lately? SO many crap books. It all just looked like junk reading. It's like everyone and their dog think they need to write a book now, about anything.
Nah. I have Kindle for that...and one can find a lot of amazing books online and for a cheaper deal than at B&N
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 3:18 pm
by keeprunning
Subcomandante wrote: ↑November 27th, 2021, 3:15 pm
keeprunning wrote: ↑November 27th, 2021, 11:29 am
Made me think of my visit to Barnes and Noble yesterday. Anyone been in an actual book store lately? SO many crap books. It all just looked like junk reading. It's like everyone and their dog think they need to write a book now, about anything.
Nah. I have Kindle for that...and one can find a lot of amazing books online and for a cheaper deal than at B&N
Yeah, so if you go into an actual book store you will be shocked at what is there now. So disturbing.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 3:18 pm
by Niemand
keeprunning wrote: ↑November 27th, 2021, 11:29 am
Made me think of my visit to Barnes and Noble yesterday. Anyone been in an actual book store lately? SO many crap books. It all just looked like junk reading. It's like everyone and their dog think they need to write a book now, about anything.
I love science fiction and am always trying to extol its virtues. But I was in a local shop, and the science fiction section was just embarassing. All trashy tie ins and formulaic crap. The best stuff was the old pre-1980s classics on the shelf there.
The last part is largely right although indy publishing has brought us some books the major publishers would never touch. I know someone who has a book published by a well known company. Apart from putting on cocktail parties and dragging him around book signings, they did very little to sell the book. He had to do most of it himself. Some of what they did in terms of marketing was laughable.
This is what happens when you have a publishing industry where young employees break down in tears on Zoom or quit their jobs because Jordan Peterson or J.K. Rowling has had another book published by their company. I'm not making it up.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 3:23 pm
by Subcomandante
keeprunning wrote: ↑November 27th, 2021, 3:18 pm
Subcomandante wrote: ↑November 27th, 2021, 3:15 pm
keeprunning wrote: ↑November 27th, 2021, 11:29 am
Made me think of my visit to Barnes and Noble yesterday. Anyone been in an actual book store lately? SO many crap books. It all just looked like junk reading. It's like everyone and their dog think they need to write a book now, about anything.
Nah. I have Kindle for that...and one can find a lot of amazing books online and for a cheaper deal than at B&N
Yeah, so if you go into an actual book store you will be shocked at what is there now. So disturbing.
Where I live, the bookstore is called Gandhi. There are a lot of great deals to be had there.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 3:40 pm
by Robin Hood
Niemand wrote: ↑November 27th, 2021, 3:12 pm
Robin Hood wrote: ↑November 27th, 2021, 9:31 am
It was much better when all the crap came from Japan.
Japanese made products were much better. I think the Japanese had a pride in their work whereas there is a general sloppiness in Chinese society thanks to corruption and Communism.
They weren't better to start with, especially the cars.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 27th, 2021, 9:11 pm
by bbrown
The 70’s and 80’s Japanese cars had really good mechanicals. Engines, transmissions, axles etc. they would go twice what the American and euro cars would. At the time American cars were designed to last 100k miles. They would literally fall apart when it turned 101k. But the metal the Japanese manufacturers used for frames and body panels were super weak to rust. They would just crumble away which is why they’re so rare in non desert areas. It wasn’t till the mid 90’s that they started to fix that. By the early 2000’s they put more nickel and chromium in the steel and they would hold together for 300-400k or more now.
Unfortunately manufacturing standards have fallen across the board. In the automotive world (I fix cars for a living) chinese parts have taken over industry wide, but there is a 25-30% fail rate out of the box on new parts. Especially electrical/electronic.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 28th, 2021, 3:11 am
by Niemand
Robin Hood wrote: ↑November 27th, 2021, 3:40 pm
Niemand wrote: ↑November 27th, 2021, 3:12 pm
Robin Hood wrote: ↑November 27th, 2021, 9:31 am
It was much better when all the crap came from Japan.
Japanese made products were much better. I think the Japanese had a pride in their work whereas there is a general sloppiness in Chinese society thanks to corruption and Communism.
They weren't better to start with, especially the cars.
Maybe not at the beginning, but when I was growing up in the eighties, Japanese stuff was pretty respectable. I have Japanese Walkmans and stereos from thirty or so years ago which still work. Japanese bikes and cars too, although my father wouldn't touch them due to the war.
British cars except for the luxury end - Rollers, Range Rovers etc - were a bit embarrassing by then.
It's worth remembering that Japan, unlike China, has proper copyright/patent laws, and also methods to sue manufacturers.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 28th, 2021, 3:27 am
by Refraction75
Can I just throw in my dislike of cheap office chairs. Bought some expensive chairs with memory foam and PU leather....the fake leather peels off and you are left with a crappy looking executive office chair. Just goes straight to the dump.... Now decisions have to be made ...what else can I buy that will last two years?
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 28th, 2021, 3:29 am
by Niemand
Refraction75 wrote: ↑November 28th, 2021, 3:27 am
Can I just throw in my dislike of cheap office chairs. Bought some expensive chairs with memory foam and PU leather....the fake leather peels off and you are left with a crappy looking executive office chair. Just goes straight to the dump.... Now decisions have to be made ...what else can I buy that will last two years?
Don't forget the casters falling off the bottom of them, or sticking.
Re: Rant: Tired of chinese garbage
Posted: November 28th, 2021, 3:46 am
by Refraction75
Niemand wrote: ↑November 28th, 2021, 3:29 am
Refraction75 wrote: ↑November 28th, 2021, 3:27 am
Can I just throw in my dislike of cheap office chairs. Bought some expensive chairs with memory foam and PU leather....the fake leather peels off and you are left with a crappy looking executive office chair. Just goes straight to the dump.... Now decisions have to be made ...what else can I buy that will last two years?
Don't forget the casters falling off the bottom of them, or sticking.
Yeah the thing is if you spend over $500 for an office chair it needs to last more than two years. Had the casters break on it as well. I totally forgot about that till you mentioned it.
