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5spd4wd t1_iv6iw8p wrote

I don't know if any very modern appliances could have BIFL applied to them. I'd strongly advise you to stay away from any that have elctronic touchpad control*, except for microwaves. The circuit boards run nearly $200 to replace. Look on your local Facebook Marketplace for used. People "upgrade" and put perfectly good working items up for sale.

*I say this from having worked in the semiconductor industry my whole career, with hands-n experience making the circuitry that goes into those boards.

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BoilerButtSlut t1_iv6sqbr wrote

No there are plenty of appliances that can last 20+ years, they just cost a lot more so they aren't popular with consumers.

The electronics thing is the same: there's nothing special with making electronics last for decades: it just costs more. Most consumer appliances are a race to the bottom so that's one of the first things where quality can be cut without it being immediately obvious.

If you are buying commercial or a high-end brand, having electronics controls should not be an issue.

Even Speedqueen is abandoning their mechanical controls, but they are designing it correctly. The electronic controls actually have a longer warranty than their mechanical ones.

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5spd4wd t1_iv6uwgy wrote

How long is a SpeedQueen warranty?

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BoilerButtSlut t1_iv6wco3 wrote

It says 5 years for electronics control, 3 years for mechanical.

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5spd4wd t1_iv6xy9g wrote

Wow, that's not very long at all. My previous washing machine, a Kenmore that I bought in 2000, lasted almost 15 years before needing anything. And that was just an easily swappable timer.

The matching dryer lasted about the same amount of time before needing a heating element.

5 years and 3 years would scare me.

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BoilerButtSlut t1_iv70jpn wrote

You're confusing lifetime with warranty.

No appliance has ever had more than a 5 year warranty as far as I know. Most stuff at a big-box store is just 1 year. Even my "built like a panzer tank" Miele came with 3 years despite it being built to last 20, though I could pay to extend it to 5 years but I didn't see a point.

Warranty just covers things breaking from early failure or something not being put together at the factory correctly. It's not meant to cover the whole lifetime of the appliance.

Even the stuff you mentioned that lasted 15+ years didn't have more than a 3-5 year warranty, guaranteed. You can check yourself.

Like, Toyotas have a 100k mile warranty. Would you expect it to only last 100k miles?

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IterationFourteen t1_ivdbfnj wrote

3 year warrantee on a commercial appliance means they expect it to hold up for 3 years of 6-10 hours a day of use.

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Ok-Nose-5889 OP t1_ivcbfwn wrote

Thanks.

What you wrote makes perfect sense and that's the reason I was looking for a basic no nonsense devices. I don't need or use any special features or programs in any of my appliances anyway. For me these are all just more things that can break down after a while.

BTW I had to replace some electrical command boards in my mom's fridge, oven, acs and other devices. Often the cost was almost as high as getting a whole new appliance. The only reason I chose to repair instead was all the secondary costs such as shipping, installation, disposal of the old unit etc.

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