Do Household Appliances Really Not Last as Long as They Used To?

[TBoneTX 46,372]

A few months ago, a repairman told me to keep my 2011-era Frigidaire refrigerator for as long as it runs, and, if I replace it, to keep it in the garage.  He said that, for one, Samsung appliances are pure garbage.  I'd like to hear people's experiences and whether you agree with the article below.

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Do Household Appliances Really Not Last as Long as They Used To?

 

Everybody knows that household appliances don't last as long as they used to.  But is this conventional wisdom really true?  Or is it just one of those alluring fables we like to tell ourselves about the good ol' days?

Internet searches provide copious anecdotes.  News outlets generally interview repair technicians, who tell a convincing and consistent story.  Appliances built in the 1970s generally lasted thirty to fifty years, they say.  Today, domestic mainstays like washing machines, ovens, fridges, and dryers get replaced about every decade.  Technicians blame an industry push towards computerization, an increase in the number of individual components, and the use of flimsier materials like plastic and aluminum rather than steel.  The results of these trends are appliances that break more often and are harder and more costly to repair.

But where is the hard data to back these tales?  It's surprisingly hard to come by.

Researchers Kamila Krych and Johan Berg Pettersen in the Department of Energy and Process Engineering at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology sought to fill the gap.  [...]

https://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2025/03/01/do_household_appliances_really_not_last_as_long_as_they_used_to_1093575.html

[Ban Hammer 13,710]

sounds about right.  my washer, dryer, and refrigerator are from 2002.  i've heard many horror stories with smart appliances costing so much to repair that it's cheaper to just buy a new one, and the repairs come way too soon to make them worthwhile.

[Ontarkie 14,596]

Samsung is the worse. During an interview they outright said they do not have to follow American laws because the sell more outside the US than inside.

 

I was slowly over the year poison by my 2008 SS refrigerator. I had no idea the fridge was not staying at the proper temperature. We bought another SS because we were told the previous fridge was an economy line and the biggest fridge we could fine was another SS. Still all sorts of stomach issues continued and not knowing why I went through all sorts of tests and procedures. Then the wire to the flex drawer on my SS was cut from a bad design. I googled how to fix it because my fridge was just 4 yrs old and a month past the warranty. That is when I found a FB group for SS and learned to put in a digital thermostat in it. Turned out to be the route of all my stomach issues. My fridge never stayed at safe temps, it would climb as high as 53F in the middle of the night. not a single person would be awake keeping a door open or anything. 

 

From this group I found LG and SS to be the worse of the worse. Most ppl have no idea that the temperature on the door does not mean that is the temperature inside the fridge. Most ppl also do not put in a digital thermostat that tracks the temperatures, they might get one of those fridge ones with the needle but that only tells you the temp at that moment when you open the door. 

 

The other part is that not only do other brands have issues it is all about the customer service you have to deal with. GE or Kitchen Aid, Whirlpool, Bosch and such will make things right. LG and SS will blame everyone and your Uncle for the issues. They have the most sales, because they are cheap and ppl will comment on them after a month or two of buying it. Of course everything is fine at that point, and if you're lucky your good until a yr or two later. That is why they score good with CR. Which by the way is a useless site as they don't actually research anything and will not help you if you report fires started by some of those appliances. 

 

Anyway, with my doctor's help and my Govee thermostat I got a full refund from fighting SS. I now own a Whirlpool and it keeps the fridge at safe temperatures 100% of the time. 

[TBoneTX 46,372]

My repairman said that Bosch, Whirlpool, and GE were the least bad, in that order.

[Dashinka 24,954]

13 hours ago, Ontarkie said:

Samsung is the worse. During an interview they outright said they do not have to follow American laws because the sell more outside the US than inside.

 

I was slowly over the year poison by my 2008 SS refrigerator. I had no idea the fridge was not staying at the proper temperature. We bought another SS because we were told the previous fridge was an economy line and the biggest fridge we could fine was another SS. Still all sorts of stomach issues continued and not knowing why I went through all sorts of tests and procedures. Then the wire to the flex drawer on my SS was cut from a bad design. I googled how to fix it because my fridge was just 4 yrs old and a month past the warranty. That is when I found a FB group for SS and learned to put in a digital thermostat in it. Turned out to be the route of all my stomach issues. My fridge never stayed at safe temps, it would climb as high as 53F in the middle of the night. not a single person would be awake keeping a door open or anything. 

 

From this group I found LG and SS to be the worse of the worse. Most ppl have no idea that the temperature on the door does not mean that is the temperature inside the fridge. Most ppl also do not put in a digital thermostat that tracks the temperatures, they might get one of those fridge ones with the needle but that only tells you the temp at that moment when you open the door. 

 

The other part is that not only do other brands have issues it is all about the customer service you have to deal with. GE or Kitchen Aid, Whirlpool, Bosch and such will make things right. LG and SS will blame everyone and your Uncle for the issues. They have the most sales, because they are cheap and ppl will comment on them after a month or two of buying it. Of course everything is fine at that point, and if you're lucky your good until a yr or two later. That is why they score good with CR. Which by the way is a useless site as they don't actually research anything and will not help you if you report fires started by some of those appliances. 

 

Anyway, with my doctor's help and my Govee thermostat I got a full refund from fighting SS. I now own a Whirlpool and it keeps the fridge at safe temperatures 100% of the time. 

Completely agree about SS, not yet sure about LG as we currently have an LG TV and it has been fine for the past three years unlike the SS, I had before that.  This being said, my wife and I just bought a new fridge, and we steered clear of SS, LG and Hisense (even though this brand, from China, was quite cheap).  We bought a Whirlpool, and so far are quite happy with it except for a drip from the water dispenser that lasts 5-10 minutes after use.  We have a new solenoid valve coming, so we shall see how that goes.

 

As to newer appliances lasting as long at old one, we are currently in that situation.  The fridge replaced by the one mentioned above was nearly 20 years old, and is still working fine (we gave it to my niece and nephew), we just wanted a new one.  We also recently replaced our dishwasher that was over.30 years old (due to a main seal leak) with a Whirlpool, so time will tell.