When did you first notice a change in quality?

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

I’ve been fiddling with a mid to late 1960’s mk12 stationary engine before starting to check over its predecessor the Mk10 made in the 40’s-50’s. It was really eye opening seeing how much better made the earlier Mk10 version is to the “upgraded” (their words) MK12.

The Mk10 has everything improved from the tank cap (much more solid and a 1/4 turn style with spring pawls, compared to the stamped thin steel cap).

The oil filler cap is beautifully shaped with almost butterfly like wings and is heavy duty (cast?) where as the Mk12 is plastic.

The linkage on the Mk10 is curved / oblong, tapering / beautifully shaped, where on the Mk12 it’s flatthin, stamped bar stock.

The name plates on the mufflers for the mk10’s are stamped brass rather than just plain metal.

Even where the HT lead goes into the points cover, there is a decorated almost floral pattern insert where on the Mk12 it’s just a rubber boot.

There is “made in England” proudly stamped on just about every part on the Mk10 too.

Is this transition in keeping with your experience? Was the late 50’s where machines were becoming more accessible and made to a lesser quality?

Did you ever hear of your parents talk about changing of times with product quality / reliability? Or was it actually preferred to be able to get easier access to things that were no doubt cheaper?

Any other angles on the topic would be much appreciated.

 

[U&A]

Just about everything today is made to save/make “ them” more money and cost us more.

They created a throwaway world.

Even automotive. Cars today are made to last past warranty..... after that they don’t care.


Sent while firmly grasping my Redline lubed Ram [emoji231]

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

I have just seen the fuel tank petcock is even fully serviceable. The brass plunger has a key way where a tiny brass retaining screw sits. The end of the plunger has cork which I presume is replaced by unthreading the end of the plunger, inserting a new cork and then screwing it back on. This is in fine shape however - even after nearly 80 years. Unless it was changed - I don’t know how long they last..

 

[holeycow]

without engineered obsolescence the economy will fail. Backwards thinking at the highest level.

I wish I could give you my old Clinton 3.5hp stationary engine Tom, you'd have fun with that. But alas you are too far away, and upside down and stuff.

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

without engineered obsolescence the economy will fail. Backwards thinking at the highest level.

I wish I could give you my old Clinton 3.5hp stationary engine Tom, you'd have fun with that. But alas you are too far away, and upside down and stuff.

Thanks mate, I really would!

 

[holeycow]

My kids just think I am whining when I mention the current dismal quality of most products.

my pet peeve is major appliances. They are ****.

 

[sean donato]

It's the way of the world. Sadly long gone are the tanks of yesteryear. Heck if you get a vehicle to last 10 years and it's not rotted out your doing decent, 20 years it's pretty much shot, save for the few really well taken care of. Small engines have been going to the pot for years now, and there doesnt seem to be a major difference between home owner grade and pro grade. When it's junk toss it and get a new one. I remember one of the small engine companies used to have this motto, we don't sell long blocks because you have an engine that can be rebuilt. (I think it was honda) now you can hardly get parts for the older models (from factory) oversized pistons are nearly a thing of the past and rebuild kits are non existence. Heck kohler on their new diesels sell complete heads, no oversize anything. They blame emission standards, but largely it's easier to pull a head off or get another engine then drop a new piston or redo valves. Gone the way of the dodo bird.... sad really.

 

[trains]

Back in the 70s and 80s, car manufacturing quality was pretty poor, as too castings of ally parts like inlet manifolds, thermostat housings, and some heads.
Now the castings are very much improved, engines last much longer as a general rule, engineering and metallurgy has improved dramatically.
So some things have gone downhill, in particular quality of tools, but other things have become much better.

Sadly, people began to accept cheap chinga sheit rather than properly made stuff, and the local manufacture industry could not compete against places that paid workers a pittance, and had no oh&s, or regulations to deal with and were heavily subsidised by the powers that be inc cheap/ free postage, and thus we sold out our manufacturing to commies with a poor business ethic and thus we now only have the lowest common denominator rubbish available in the shops, because nobody wants to pay for quality stuff anymore.

 

[Oregon85]

Nearly everything is made disposable now. Refrigerators, washing machines, and dryers made in the early 1980s still work today. Now a major appliance has a 10 year shelf life. Don’t get me started on HE dishwashers you need to run 3 times to get dishes clean.

basically if you don’t buy commercial quality and prograde expect it to be disposable.

avoid military grade, if you served in the military, it’s not impressive.

 

[U&A]

You want a high quality washer and dryer

Get a mechanical operated “Speed Queen”

They are commercial. And expensive. But there is no boards in it to go bad. Old school quality. And you clothes are washed in 15 minutes


Sent while firmly grasping my Redline lubed Ram [emoji231]

 

[KASH]

When free trade was implemented that was when the greatest amount of cost cutting cheaping happened.I had a LG washer 110 minutes to wash a load if you put in clean clothes your laundry came out clean if you put in dirty clothes your laundry came out dirty.I used the washer for a week then threw a blanket over it and bought a used 90s Kenmore twenty minutes wash is done.
Up untill the late eighties there were many heavy duty lawn and garden tractors then MTD and AYP bought up all the companies and and dropped many names and cheapened them all up to junk.
Back in the 60s and 70s the majority of people had good middle class life long jobs in manufacturing etc with pensions those jobs are gone.
A lawn tractor cost a very substancial amount back then and was designed to last now there dirt cheap and throw away plus the kids of today have no mechanical skills or tools and are brain washed into the misconception that if some thing makes the warranty period that is great.
Thing of this you make a really good long lasting lawn mower called the Great Mower Walmart comes to you and says we want to distribute and sell your mowers for 199.00 dollars you reply it costs me 325.00 to build one they say figure out how to do it we will be buying a million mowers a year from you and we dont want you selling mowers to anyone else.This is how the good companies products turn to junk.
The people who are supposed to be blue collar middle class now are working two and three jobs to stay alive and can not afford to pay what and old lawn tractor would cost. Today it would be about ten to twelve thousand dollars.
So Joe Suburbanite goes to Lowes and buys the John Deere low line junk mower with the beer can holder and pretends hes a big shot farmer and happily mows his la<wn for a couple of years until the junk is wore out and the cycle goes on.
Kash

 

[Piotr Pakula]

Quality change, one is more beneficial, the other less, but it is compulsory, otherwise the company has to close or sell to a more prosperous one.

 

[Huskybill]

I grew up in the mid 50’s at 6yo washing greasy car parts for my dad. He taught me how to rebuild everything. I eventually went to trade school and took my education further. Don’t buy rebuilt stuff cheaper to rebuild. The starter died on my Chevy truck, I had to go to different auto stores to get new brushes for my starter, I turned the armature in my lathe. For $1.50 I fixed the starter a rebuilt not knowing if it’s good or not was $45.00.

I pickup older IH cub cadets clean the carb, clean the point add some tlc and mow with them. One cadet needed a engine. I paid $200 for this cadet, $125 for a used 12 hp engine, I mowed 11 years with it, I took a parts cadet pulled the 12 hp engine put it in a 10 hp cadet and I’m mowing now with it. I picked up another 10 hp cadet and it’s been in a shed since new sitting with bad gas, I changed the headgasket and the honing stone marks are still in the cylinder. Other than a stuck valve she runs like new, my point is we’ve become a throw away society.
It’s $3 k to $5 k for a riding mower, I have seven cadets and tons of parts.

The older stuff is reliable my neighbors new John Deere mower won’t idle even. It’s the carb. Every year it’s the same problem.

 

[Huskybill]

You want a high quality washer and dryer

Get a mechanical operated “Speed Queen”

They are commercial. And expensive. But there is no boards in it to go bad. Old school quality. And you clothes are washed in 15 minutes


Sent while firmly grasping my Redline lubed Ram [emoji231]

Laundry mats use them, I have a new one.

 

[StihlSolo]

Laundry mats use them, I have a new one.

Can't beat better quality of old appliances. We have 30 years old SpeedQueen clothes washer and dryer. At least you can work on them. Only thing to go bad on the dryer was the ignitor. New ones are some sort of matrix material, fragile when new and they anneal when heated up. I replaced the motor while I was at it, commutator was ok on old one so saving that as a spare.

For Stihl chainsaws, I like the older metal chassis ones. Again, you can work on them and they just keep working.

 

[Huskybill]

We purchased two front loaders a washer and dryer the bolts on the washer drum tore out. It’s a few years old, we own speed queen now.

My husky ‘70’s 2100 and 266 ran my firewood business for decades. Never a problem. They always ran.

Owned Chevys since I was 14 yo, at 70 yo I own cars from japan. My last Chevy was a 88 suburban nothing but trouble.

 

[foeke]

The only thing that I regularly see that is build to last, are the computers that are leased. Simple Dell HP or Lenovo Workmachines or the servers. And certain powertools. Like the Fein brand Hilto or blue bosch appliances. Quality components, nice engineering etc.
If only those engineers would focus on kitchen appliances for a while.
None would be left with "not dishwasher proof" or crazy loud brushed motors in white goods costing hundreds of dollars.

 

[ironman_gq]

It's always been the case to make things cheaper. Henry Ford used to send tech's to the junkyards to analyze the vehicles there and figure out what failed and what didn't. The parts that didn't fail were able to be cheapened up more until they started to fail with the rest of the vehicle.

 

[Oregon85]

You want a high quality washer and dryer

Get a mechanical operated “Speed Queen”

They are commercial. And expensive. But there is no boards in it to go bad. Old school quality. And you clothes are washed in 15 minutes


Sent while firmly grasping my Redline lubed Ram [emoji231]

That’s the exact brand I recommend too! They’re only about double the cost of the modern junk… well worth it!

 

[dando127]

Its too bad some of our "eco-friends" can't figure out that building things to last is more environmentally friendly than buying throw away junk.

The new stuff is still repairable, but they don't make it easy!!! I changed a $5 relay in my oven by removing a circuit board and changing out the relay. If that didn't work it was going to the dump. I am still using that oven 3 years later. I saved myself $500 and stopped it from going to landfill. I think that makes me an environmentalist!!!!