Found this article on quality from an outlier.

In spite of the fact that the price of a washing machine in the 1950's or 60's would cost about $3000 in today's dollars, not all machines lasted for decades back then. While there are those lightly used gems that worked without a repair for 20 years or more (like my Nana's 1955 Frigidaire Unimatic,) I recall as a kid washers often breaking down and many replaced after 8 to 10 years. I saw almost every brand replaced within 10 years of age -- Kenmore, GE, Frigidaire, Speed Queen, Maytag, Westinghouse, Norge -- you name it.

I will admit that today's machines have a cheaper feel to them. The steel cabinets are thinner. But most of us are programmed not to spend $3000 or more on a washer. I am also of the opinion that people took better care of things in days past.

I know of a set of Frigidaire front loaders that are 14 years old and still going, having been passed from us to my son and daughter-in-law, and from them to my son's mother-in-law. During those 14 years the washer was repaired once -- to replace the door lock. So there are some machines that still last beyond their expected lifetime despite heavy use.

I did kneel on the dryer once and dented the cabinet (too much pie and cake I guess, Ha!) I could stand and dance on top of my 55 Frigidaire Filtrator dryer without a problem. It's like a tank.


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Post# 1075987 6/6/2020 at 08:51 (1,420 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)
Checkrate/Likes 2 Good article focusing on Maytag and appliance quality. Glad we all made it to Newton in 2005 !! CLICK HERE TO GO TO Jetcone's LINK

Post# 1076067 , Reply# 1 6/6/2020 at 16:08 (1,419 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)
Checkrate/Likes 2 *Interesting Article But* It is full of generalizations and whining about how bad things are today and how good everything used to be. There is still a strong demand for appliance service in spite of appliances being much more reliable and most are still very repairable, some are not. Yes most gas ovens have igniter that wear out after 3-6 years of heavy use, you can either change it yourself for about $25 for the part if you go on the internet to see how, or better yet buy the American built WP-MT gas ranges that use a spark to light the oven and broiler and you will never have to replace an igniter in the life of the range. The writer should keep her day job, LOL John L.

Post# 1076094 , Reply# 2 6/6/2020 at 20:08 (1,419 days old) by appnut (TX)
Checkrate/Likes 1 John, the last time I looked at MT & WP gas ranges, the manual specifically states not to attempt to light the burners when the power is out. (one reason having a gas range, at least you can do surface cooking). GE ranges do allow that.

Post# 1076168 , Reply# 3 6/7/2020 at 08:49 (1,419 days old) by kenwashesmonday (Carlstadt, NJ)
Checkrate/Likes 2 *The article is not all wrong.* The article was written 2 years ago, around the time that even Whirlpool clothes dryers started to go to hell. The newest major appliance we have is our 15 year old flimsy Whirlpool gas range, and it pales in comparison to our 47 year old Maytag washer, our 20 year old Maytag dishwasher, our 69 year old GE refrigerator, and our 25 year old Whirlpool refrigerator. I'm glad I left the appliance repair business 40 years ago. I don't care to make a living fixing junk.

Post# 1076169 , Reply# 4 6/7/2020 at 09:08 (1,419 days old) by imperial70 (MA USA)
Checkrate/Likes 1 That article should be marked as racist by today's standards. We outsource lots of stuff including software development. If anything the quality is great. The cost of living is less in eastern Europe, India and China therefore the developers get paid less. But the quality is great. I suspect the same for appliances. With manufacturing you don't blame the people you blame the design. If crap is deisgned, crap will be built. I could go on and on.

Post# 1076183 , Reply# 5 6/7/2020 at 11:11 (1,418 days old) by kenwashesmonday (Carlstadt, NJ)
Checkrate/Likes I don't really blame manufacturers or designers for the short-lived appliances we have today, it's really the fault of today's consumer buying by price. It you include inflation, major appliances are much less expensive than they were 50 years ago, but when you bought a major appliance back then, you expected it to last decades, as many of them did.

Post# 1076189 , Reply# 6 6/7/2020 at 11:53 (1,418 days old) by Golittlesport (California)
Checkrate/Likes 2 In spite of the fact that the price of a washing machine in the 1950's or 60's would cost about $3000 in today's dollars, not all machines lasted for decades back then. While there are those lightly used gems that worked without a repair for 20 years or more (like my Nana's 1955 Frigidaire Unimatic,) I recall as a kid washers often breaking down and many replaced after 8 to 10 years. I saw almost every brand replaced within 10 years of age -- Kenmore, GE, Frigidaire, Speed Queen, Maytag, Westinghouse, Norge -- you name it. I will admit that today's machines have a cheaper feel to them. The steel cabinets are thinner. But most of us are programmed not to spend $3000 or more on a washer. I am also of the opinion that people took better care of things in days past. I know of a set of Frigidaire front loaders that are 14 years old and still going, having been passed from us to my son and daughter-in-law, and from them to my son's mother-in-law. During those 14 years the washer was repaired once -- to replace the door lock. So there are some machines that still last beyond their expected lifetime despite heavy use. I did kneel on the dryer once and dented the cabinet (too much pie and cake I guess, Ha!) I could stand and dance on top of my 55 Frigidaire Filtrator dryer without a problem. It's like a tank.

Post# 1076202 , Reply# 7 6/7/2020 at 13:36 (1,418 days old) by DADoES (TX,�U.S. of A.)
Checkrate/Likes � I've often seen it argued that a 14yo machine still running with minimal or no repairs has no relevance to longevity of a machine bought new today.

Post# 1076314 , Reply# 8 6/8/2020 at 09:14 (1,418 days old) by Golittlesport (California)
Checkrate/Likes Hi Glenn. I'm so old that in the grand scheme of things a 14 year old machine seems relatively modern. LOL