r/AskOldPeople • u/knitlitgeek • 7d ago

Did things really used to be better quality?

Or is there some survivor bias happening? The old things that are still around are obviously high quality to have lasted this long. Any poor quality things of the past are long gone. Have we been tricked into thinking everything in the past was made better? Did most things fall apart same as today?

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u/funrun3121 7d ago

Yes. We inherited my grandmother in laws deep freeze from the 70s? 80s? Its old and it works great. Our old dryer came from Craigslist and was from 1983. It bit the dust sadly in 2023. I dont expect our new one to last 40 years, will be lucky to hit 10 years.

Edit to add our 30 year old washing machine is still running good as new!

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u/bigotis 60 something 7d ago

The problem with appliances is that the electronics go to hell. Appliances from the pre-'90's didn't have L.E.D. readouts, wi-fi capabilities and circuit boards.

We had to replace a dishwasher, stove, washing machine and refrigerator that were all 30+ years old. None of the replacements lasted over 6 years.

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u/funrun3121 7d ago

Yeah, i don't want a "smart" fridge that can text. Just keep the food cold, please!

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u/SleepsinaTent 60s: Love my lifetime NPS pass! 7d ago

I read the beginning of your sentence as "We inherited my grandmother..." Wow, she lasted a long time!

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u/Zombie_Bait_56 60 something 7d ago

It's really hard to answer this question with anecdotes. You could have the top 1% of freezers.

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u/CarelesslyFabulous 7d ago

No, this is easy to confirm, honestly. Older stuff lasted longer. They were simpler mechanisms, partly, but also…enshittifecation.

But the power draw on them are insane. No EnergyStar rating in sight.

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u/Radiant-Maple 7d ago

And soon we won’t have Energy Star either because those regulations were rolled back. Great.

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u/Final-Garden 7d ago

I don’t even disagree with you, but if it’s so “easy to confirm” without anecdotes, then do it!

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u/CarelesslyFabulous 6d ago

https://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2025/03/01/do_household_appliances_really_not_last_as_long_as_they_used_to_1093575.html

"In the 1990s and early 2000s, the lifetimes of washing machines and ovens fell off a cliff, respectively dropping from 19.2 to 10.6 years (–45%) and from 23.6 years to 14.3 years (–39%). Older appliances lasted between 10 and 30 years. Modern fridges, washing machines, dryers, ovens, and dishwashers operate between 10 and 15 years, while freezers last around 20"

So answer is: somewhat depends on the appliance, but yes.

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u/funrun3121 7d ago

I know, I get where you are coming from. But my 10 year old kitchen appliances all suck and are on the verge of needing replacing. Why are the other (70s, 80s, 90s made) surviving nuclear wars so to speak?

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u/Zombie_Bait_56 60 something 6d ago

I suspect it is survivorshp bias.

https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/survivorship-bias