Is it just me, or don't manufactured goods last as long as they used to?

Being a regular walker, I go through a pair of $100 trainers in about 8 months. About 20 years ago, I reckon their life would have been at least a year. In fact, I remember a pair of Diadoras of mine lasting nearly two.

At home, we have an old stainless steel fork (still with US stamped in the handle) which my uncle picked up in a rubbish dump outside a US army base in Germany just after the war. It's still the best fork in the drawer. You don't get that sort of longevity any more.

What's going on? Can't the Chinese manufacturers pick up their game?

After WW2 the stuff out of Japan was pretty substandard. It broke sometimes not long after you bought it.
The Amercians sent over a quality control guy and he taught them how to be even better than the Amercians (sorry cant remember the guys name...did see a doco on it though).
China needs a quality control man.
At the present time she's like a plague of locusts driven by the fantasy of expansion- to- conquer- all, to mass produce everything but nothing really of quality.
The Bible speaks of a frenzy towards the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Good point Robp.When we buy 5 cheap products now but one would have lasted much longer in the past,it is indeed false economy and a waste of energy,resources and our own money.
Solution.Educate the consumer.I think things are about to change with consumer goods getting a whole lot more expensive,we'll look more for things that will last.

RobP,
you've hit on one of my favourite subjects. on one hand the hype is on climate control yet on the hand it is manufacturing that needs controlling in order to reduce emission. I'm getting so sick of every time I get a new accessory for computer or video camera etc. yet another charger & lead is supplied. Why on earth can't we force manufacturers to standardise chargers & leads ? why not standardise car wheels & parts in general. There's way too much variety of the same type of equipment. All you greenies out there & climate change fanatics I'm offering you a new platform. go on, get cracking.

The same goes for DVD players.

I thought I was going the right way by sticking to major brands.

My Sony died on me so I switched to Panasonic. Now it's dying. In the spare room I have an 'el-cheapo' Diamond DVD player that looks as if it will outlast both the others.

What makes it worse is that it's impossible to find an upmarket player with 5.1 connections so there goes my surround sound unless I also replace the HiFi.

Designed that way? I think so.

Good points all.

And then there's Microsoft, the behemoth that got big by always having deficiencies in its software that would be fixed "in the next upgrade", which of course the consumer also has to pay for. The buggers have got you on the drip feed.

In the meantime, Microsoft monstered or bought out its competitors so that it cornered the market and didn't have to worry so much about product quality.

People want cheap goods, not long lasting ones. There's no point getting a DVD player that will last 30 years if it will be obsolete in 10. If you want something that will last a long time, pay the extra money for it.

Freediver,
yes, unfortunately development doesn't stop, that's pretty normal. what is a pain is the fact that so much unecessary stuff is produced when it could be standardised such like voltage etc. Look at batteries, they still sell throw-away alkalines despite the fact that rechargeables are getting better & cheaper by the day. With all the technology available nowadays manufacturers should really be pressured into reducing multiple mass production. Anyone know how to kick off such a campaign ?

I could accept obselete in 10 years, but not three or four.

Thanks a lot Sony and Panasonic, the cheap one outlasted both yours.

So paying extra does not guarantee that the item will last longer.