My old coffee grinder finally died after 12 years and the new one made me wonder about planned obsolescence

I had this beat up Braun grinder from like 2011 that I got at a garage sale for $5. It made the most inconsistent coffee but somehow kept running no matter what. Last week the motor finally gave out with a loud pop and some smoke. So I went out and bought a new $80 Burr grinder from a big brand at Target here in Denver. First off, the thing grinds way better and quieter. But it also has this little plastic piece that feels like it could break if you sneeze near it. It got me thinking about how maybe companies design things to fail faster now. I mean my old grinder was a tank but the new one has all these fragile parts. Has anyone else noticed that older stuff seems built tougher than what we get today?

2 comments

2 Comments

noah_black15d ago

Planned obsolescence is real and they've been doing it since the lightbulb cartel in the 1920s, so your feeling is right on. But that old Braun you had was actually built in an era when companies still thought people might keep things for a while. The new one's plastic parts are probably a production cost thing more than a conspiracy, but yeah that little piece will snap in like 2 years and you'll have to buy a whole new one. My buddy had his KitchenAid mixer for 30 years and it still works, but I went through two cheap stand mixers in 4 years before I gave up. The real trick is finding the sweet spot where companies still build stuff to last but don't charge you an arm and a leg for it.

leebrown15d ago

Take what noah_black said about that KitchenAid and run with it, because the real trick is finding that old gear before it breaks in the first place. I started hitting up estate sales in older neighborhoods around Denver and found a 90s era Cuisinart that weighs like 15 pounds and will probably outlive me. The difference is you can spot the heavy metal parts and simple switches on the older stuff compared to the lightweight plastic junk you get now.