Used to swear by my $80 hand mixer for everything until I tried my grandma's $15 thrift store KitchenAid from 1982

Now I'm wondering if older appliances were just built with more care or if I've been overthinking this whole 'newer is better' thing for years, anyone else notice a huge difference in how long stuff lasts now vs back then?

2 comments

2 Comments

schmidt.eva1mo ago

My uncle still uses a toaster from 1975 that his mom got as a wedding gift, thing looks like it survived a war but makes perfect toast every time. Meanwhile I've gone through three toasters in the last decade because the little lever breaks or the heating element just gives up. Really makes you wonder if they put actual metal parts in stuff back then instead of that cheap plastic that cracks if you look at it wrong.

samthompson1mo ago

RIGHT? My grandma has a blender from the 60s that weighs like 20 pounds and sounds like a lawnmower but will chop through ANYTHING. I bought a "premium" toaster from Target two years ago and the push-down lever already sticks halfway so you have to jam a butter knife in there to get it to stay down. @schmidt.eva your uncle's toaster probably has a solid metal chassis and actual copper wiring, meanwhile my "modern" one has a heating element that looks like it's made of tinfoil and prayer. They don't build stuff to last anymore because they WANT you to buy a new one every couple years. It's infuriating but what can you do.