Why is everything sold in this country crap! (Rant)

...saw blades and drill bits are all One Trippers!

I buy vintage drill bit sets at Pawn Shops, so that I can get Made in 'Merica from back when it meant Quality.

I would do this if I knew what I was looking at. I don't know a bad tool until it breaks on my fourth use, which is often two years after I bought it.

I think there is a market for the do this one job now cheap stuff, but it does suck that it's hard to distinguish the good from the cheap.
 
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Idler pulley/arm for a clothes dryer.

Pulley is plastic wears quickly. Removed the disintegrated plastic piece-o-shite pulley and replaced it with a steel pulley from TSC.

Stuff like that just pisses me off. To save a nickle, a company will discard its good name.
 
Stuff like that just pisses me off. To save a nickle, a company will discard its good name.

It's ridiculous..... The was some new tooling made for a product which made a better part..... it was a better, lower maintenance, longer lasting product...… and money was invested into new tooling!!! A group of managers are always forcing you to find ways to cut cost...… and sometimes this is how you justify your job! At any rate a cost analysis was done and it was decided to go back to the old worn out tooling because it was about 4 cents cheaper per unit (meanwhile the new tooling that you spent money on is collecting dust.....). This part goes into an assembly that sells for about $200 ……. 4 cent's isn't really a big deal.... but it looks good on paper when 4 cents over several thousand units per year is factored in. About 3 years later that old tooling was making some junk parts that were still being sold...we got some complaints. It hurt their reputation for a little bit and the new tooling was put back into use and everyone is trying to figure out what bonehead made that decision.

Some piss poor run companies will do stuff like that to save a nickel...…..
 
I had a plastic heater hose elbow leak on my Lesabre a few years ago. Likely the original part. I've had the same part fail before on another car I owned.

Went to Autozone, found out they had a metal replacement for about $15. OEM manufacture part (plastic) was available for about $5. I bought the metal one, 'cause it wasn't gonna weaken and break like the plastic one.

Couple years later I needed to replace the water pump and I just didn't have time to screw around with it myself, so I took it in to the shop to have it done.

A couple years later, I noticed a radiator hose was looking like it needed replacing. So I bought all the hoses I needed to just replace everything on the theory that if one original hose needed replacing, might as well do them all and reset the clock on everything.

In the process, I noticed the metal elbow had been replaced by a plastic elbow back when I had my water pump replaced.

*sigh*
 
In the process, I noticed the metal elbow had been replaced by a plastic elbow back when I had my water pump replaced

At least you know they did some work...
I once took my car to a local chain garage for the $20 "oil, filter, and tire rotation" coupon special
I knew the dings in my rims. They didn't rotate.
I normally change my own oil, so I know my filter - I checked and they didn't replace it.
Obviously, all honest mistakes - everybody thought somebody else had done each step.. innocent.
They GUARANTEED they changed the oil though. And I GUARANTEED that I was on my way back and they had better clear a bay because I was going to stand in their shop and watch them while they rotated my tires, drained my pan, and actually replaced the filter. I did some raising hell and accused-more-than-questioned the manager on his abilities and morals.

Since then, I've never again taken my car to a shop for anything while wearing clean khakis and a dress shirt. I learned my lesson.
 
At least you know they did some work...
I once took my car to a local chain garage for the $20 "oil, filter, and tire rotation" coupon special
I knew the dings in my rims. They didn't rotate.
I normally change my own oil, so I know my filter - I checked and they didn't replace it.
Obviously, all honest mistakes - everybody thought somebody else had done each step.. innocent.
They GUARANTEED they changed the oil though. And I GUARANTEED that I was on my way back and they had better clear a bay because I was going to stand in their shop and watch them while they rotated my tires, drained my pan, and actually replaced the filter. I did some raising hell and accused-more-than-questioned the manager on his abilities and morals.

Since then, I've never again taken my car to a shop for anything while wearing clean khakis and a dress shirt. I learned my lesson.

About 20 years ago, I took my pickup truck to Sears to have a set of tires put on. I did a walk around, and everything looked good. A few weeks later I noticed one of my lug nuts were missing. I looked close, and saw that the stud had been broken, and there was just enough of it sticking out that a tech could get about a half-turn of the lug nut on it. Either they broke it taking the lug nut off, and then stuck it on so that I wouldn't notice it, or over-tightened it with an impact and it popped off a few days later.

Never went to Sears for automotive work again.
 
I remember one day, in my youth, I was trying to get a wheel off Dad's car...a wheel bearing job, if I remember correctly.

I could NOT crack the lug nuts loose. I wasn't a big kid, but I knew how to lock my arms and throw my body weight into it.

I ended up stacking some blocks next to the wheel to set the end of the crossover wrench on it and jumping on it trying to crack them loose.

Bent the wrench.

Went to Dad about it, showed him the wrench...and he was p*ssed at the shop that did his tires.

Drove straight there, chewed them out for overtorquing them with an impact wrench, made them take every log nut off and reinstall them using a wrench.
 
It seems that most things are designed for short-term use and throw away, but there are at least SOME out there who make quality stuff. Example: while I can't speak to their pocket knives, my Kershaw (Shun line) kitchen knives are pretty durable. I expect them to outlast me significantly.

I've been doing a lot of home remodeling and I've found the blades that came with my Sawzall have lasted through quite a bit. 2-3 years so far and only one broken.

Then there's the stuff (probably the bulk) that lasts maybe one or two uses. The trick seems to be figuring out which is which.
 
Yeah I guess my ignorance is showing. I blame the bean counters before the designers/enginerds.

Engineers vs technicians is whole nother story.


Stop being hard on Yosef!! Remember Will Rogers said..Evabody in tha world is ignert, just bout differnt thangs.


Billy is right. No need to be hard on yerself round here. That's what the rest of us are for. ;)
 
This is why I buy tools for my trucks that are made in Japan or Europe. NOT branded in these companies but made in these places. Two hours for trips back to get a new replacement cost more than the tool itself.

Friday I bought 4 breakers of which 3 would not screw down to tighten on the wire. The trip back for exchange was double the cost of the breakers in loss of income but the electrical panel had to have that style breaker. I had breakers at home that were 15 years old but new that didn’t have any issue.

Remember the commercials for Trane comfort systems? “Can’t stop a Trane.” Company bought by Ingersoll Rand and down hill they went. Metal blower housing is now plastic. Shell and doors- plastic. Junk mechanical parts. Motors and compressors out of Mexico plants. It’s all about reducing cost for gaining market share and stockholder dividends.

I worked on a 1985 heat pump Friday as well. First repair in 35 years. No parts available anymore but a weld later he is in business and $6000 still in the bank. He took me out to eat prime rib that night for saving him from having to buy a new system.
 
Stuff like that just pisses me off. To save a nickle, a company will discard its good name.

That's what happens when some pencil d*ck up at corporate makes 180k a year to juggle spreadsheets while all the people that actually understand how manufacturing works know it's a bad idea.
 
Yeah I guess my ignorance is showing. I blame the bean counters before the designers/enginerds.

Engineers vs technicians is whole nother story.

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Cold1, it most certainly is Planned Obsolescence. Your explanation is the background and justification.

Planned Obsolescence makes the stakeholders more money than Over Built.

The other part is that people are not willing to pay for quality. Most people if offered the choice between buying a basically featured $2000 refrigerator for their home that will last 15 years or one with a lot of bells and whistles for $800 that will only last 5 or 6 these days people will pick the cheaper one. Price point drives a of people and companies buying decisions.
 
The first lab I worked in was in 1965. The owner and 3 of us and the Wife were the complete staff. Every year the owner had his wife call every major lab in the state for their prices. When all were in the highest fee was then Increased by 10%. He said he was the Best and his prices must reflect that. We were always backed up with product to make..always.

The opposite of that 50 years later is that we had a Tech that supplied the most beautiful cast partial frameworks to us I had ever seen. He was a one man lab in N.C. We were his largest account by far. He made frameworks that looked like jewelry. Our current paper shufflers stopped us from getting this man's product for $15 difference in price. Today that wonderful tech is driving a long distance truck. Out of business. All that knowledge lost.

If you have ever seen a Randall Knife Catalog there is a quote from Bo Randall.....There is no product that can't be made cheaper with inferior quality.
 
The other part is that people are not willing to pay for quality. Most people if offered the choice between buying a basically featured $2000 refrigerator for their home that will last 15 years or one with a lot of bells and whistles for $800 that will only last 5 or 6 these days people will pick the cheaper one. Price point drives a of people and companies buying decisions.
There is a psychological (maybe “pathological” is a better word :) ) aspect to this too, I think. Folks seem to think that, well, it’s made more cheaply, but it LOOKS and SMELLS and FEELS great (since it’s new), and MINE can’t POSSIBLY fail that soon... They ignore common knowledge and common sense so as not to admit, either to themselves or to anyone else, that they are making/have made a poor decision. Or else they just like to gamble on bad odds. :D. They probably buy lottery tickets too...
 
The other part is that people are not willing to pay for quality. Most people if offered the choice between buying a basically featured $2000 refrigerator for their home that will last 15 years or one with a lot of bells and whistles for $800 that will only last 5 or 6 these days people will pick the cheaper one. Price point drives a of people and companies buying decisions.

Stupid slow network double-posting. Guess I “bought” a crappy one :D
 
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Bathroom toilet flappers that drop down to seal the release of water is a prime example of today’s junk. They are made of a material that doesn’t last especially those sold by big box stores. They last about one fourth the time due to the cheaper rubber material. I found a source from someone on here that has worked like the old material.

Capacitors for heat pumps would last decades in old systems and weighed twice what one today does. There is not a one found not made in China now. Contactors as well. It took me ten years to find a decent contactor but it too is made in China but to the specs of a supplier. The cost- 3 times those sold else where but well worth not ruining my reputation with customers. I had a package of 3 amp car fuses that every one was bad when I went to replace one fuse. They couldn’t take riding around in the van.

Heat pumps are a joke. Take an old one out and they will break your back. The new replacement is much bigger because the surface area allows better efficiency. The weight is way less than the smaller old unit coming out. Sheetmetal screws round the heads off when you put them in because the heads are not as tall to save money.

Anything coming out of big blue and big orange stores is made lower quality parts to increase profit margins. Doesn’t matter what well known name is on the purchase. When a large buyer forces the supplier to reduce the price the result is the vendor finds ways cheapen the product. Corporate greed is alive and thriving.
 
Well thanks to this thread I am sure my 10+ year old coffee marker died today. Trying to find a suitable replacement without paying too much. Talk about a bunch of crap. Even ones up to $100 are total junk. :mad:Crappy lightweight carafes that don't hold any heat. Cheap burners that burn the coffee in order to keep it hot. Crappy plastic tubing and poor pumping systems. None seem to have a warranty beyond 1 year.
 
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