I remember seeing that vid around when it came out and it just furthering my notion that we really really do live in a world where basically everything nowadays is designed shittily, or outright with intentional obedience, all to keep us buying shit that breaks down or wears out, instead of even having the option to save a bit more, learn how to maintain a well designed thing made with quality and save tons of money and resources in the long run.
Iirc that toaster was originally priced at what would be the equivalent of around $250 today. Things are designed cheaply today because that’s what people are willing to pay for. It’s not just the companies marketing cheaper shit but also the consumers buying it trying to save a few bucks or days of shipping instead of just getting something that lasts. Also, the Sunbeam T20 technical repair manual is detailed and freely available, because appliances at that time were meant to be able to be repaired if they did break. I used it when I bought mine to fix the spring mechanism that wasn’t coming up all the way. These days companies don’t even provide that information.
I remember seeing that vid around when it came out and it just furthering my notion that we really really do live in a world where basically everything nowadays is designed shittily, or outright with intentional obedience, all to keep us buying shit that breaks down or wears out, instead of even having the option to save a bit more, learn how to maintain a well designed thing made with quality and save tons of money and resources in the long run.
Iirc that toaster was originally priced at what would be the equivalent of around $250 today. Things are designed cheaply today because that’s what people are willing to pay for. It’s not just the companies marketing cheaper shit but also the consumers buying it trying to save a few bucks or days of shipping instead of just getting something that lasts. Also, the Sunbeam T20 technical repair manual is detailed and freely available, because appliances at that time were meant to be able to be repaired if they did break. I used it when I bought mine to fix the spring mechanism that wasn’t coming up all the way. These days companies don’t even provide that information.