They just dont make good stuff anymore....

[visual800]

Back in 1987 or 88 I went to what we called a Sams Wholesale Center and bought a Sanborn Black Max air compressor. As of today I still am using that damn compressor the ONLY thing Ive done is buy a new capacitor for the electric motor. 3HP possibly 12 gallon tank portable

While spraying yesterday I heard air seeping out of the cylinder housing when I went back into shed. It appears the gasket had enough. Found a website that sells gaskets and bought a kit. 32 years old you just cant beat that. I cannot fathom the amount of paint and hours this thing has on it. I honestly do not know what keeps it running

 

[rjssigns]

I have the exact same one closing in on 30 years. Only maintenance has been a pressure switch and oil changes.

 

[unclebun]

Those were the days when stores owned by Sam Walton advertised Made in the USA.

 

[TimToad]

We're talking about products that were designed and manufactured before the concept of planned obsolence became the standard, not the exception.

 

[Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?]

Being an audiophile with a preference for vintage hi-fi equipment, I currently own a Marantz 5000 cassette deck from around 1978, a Marantz 2230 receiver from around 1973, and an Akai A4010 SL reel to reel deck from around 1967. All components work flawlessly, sound incredible, and typically hi-fi components from that era only require occasional light maintenance to keep them working that way. Hi-fi equipment of today simply isn't built anywhere near that well unless you're willing to dish out tens of thousands of dollars or more and I'm still not convinced that the build quality is anywhere near as good.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Being an audiophile with a preference for vintage hi-fi equipment, I currently own a Marantz 5000 cassette deck from around 1978, a Marantz 2230 receiver from around 1973, and an Akai A4010 SL reel to reel deck from around 1967.

One of my hobbies is OTR and there are several sound engineers in that group that said the same thing. Also complained about the state of PC audio as well, especially when Vista added an emulation layer between hardware/software to the kernel for sound. Despite buying the high end equipment for PCs, sound still isn't quite the same due to latency of the new systems.

 

[equippaint]

Greed killed quality. Seems that things started changing when big box retailers dictated a price point to build to rather than the manufacturers dictating the sale price.

 

[TimToad]

Being an audiophile with a preference for vintage hi-fi equipment, I currently own a Marantz 5000 cassette deck from around 1978, a Marantz 2230 receiver from around 1973, and an Akai A4010 SL reel to reel deck from around 1967. All components work flawlessly, sound incredible, and typically hi-fi components from that era only require occasional light maintenance to keep them working that way. Hi-fi equipment of today simply isn't built anywhere near that well unless you're willing to dish out tens of thousands of dollars or more and I'm still not convinced that the build quality is anywhere near as good.

Just make sure you keep your Fitzer valves clean and you have a lot of sterile gauze and 3 in 1 oil around.

I remember moving out right at 18 in 1980 and spending about $750 on a nice Yamaha receiver, TEAC tape deck and some killer JBL speakers. I can't remember what brand turntable it came with, but we had this insane cat named Esmerelda who did a number on the grills of the JBL's and then she found another home.

 

[TimToad]

Greed killed quality. Seems that things started changing when big box retailers dictated a price point to build to rather than the manufacturers dictating the sale price.

I'm still waiting for all those savings that buying into globalism was supposed to reap for consumers.

 

[Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?]

Just make sure you keep your Fitzer valves clean and you have a lot of sterile gauze and 3 in 1 oil around.

The only valves I'm familiar with...

 

[GAC05]

"They just don't make good stuff anymore"
That's what I keep telling my wife about me but I'm not sure she buys it.

 

[equippaint]

"They just don't make good stuff anymore"
That's what I keep telling my wife about me but I'm not sure she buys it.

Haha true. At first I thought this thread was gonna be about employees. Not gonna lie, I was a bit disappointed.

 

[Johnny Best]

Being an audiophile with a preference for vintage hi-fi equipment, I currently own a Marantz 5000 cassette deck from around 1978, a Marantz 2230 receiver from around 1973, and an Akai A4010 SL reel to reel deck from around 1967. All components work flawlessly, sound incredible, and typically hi-fi components from that era only require occasional light maintenance to keep them working that way. Hi-fi equipment of today simply isn't built anywhere near that well unless you're willing to dish out tens of thousands of dollars or more and I'm still not convinced that the build quality is anywhere near as good.

My brother who was a helicopter pilot in Viet Nam bought a Akai reel to reel and it was about 1967, those were before 8 track tapes. Also have a Aiwa cassette player still used today. I am really stoked about the sound coming out of the earbuds on my IPhoneXR. I still like to play vinyl records on a turntable with nice speakers.
When I was a kid in the 50s all Chinese toys and such were garbage and cheap. At least they, China, have improved where the stuff looks better, especially the toys which seem to hold up pretty well.

 

[James Burke]

I'm a tool and die maker turned stone engraver. I'm running a 50 year-old Quincy compressor that once gave life to my dad's auto body shop when I was a wee lad. The pump has never been touched and it's had a couple of motors over the years, but beyond that, it's been a faithful workhorse every time I turn it on.

I'm instantly drawn to high quality stuff, And whenever I build something, I can guarantee you that my great grand kids will be fighting over it decades from now.

In a world of high-tech manufacturing, we are more than capable of building quality, but as already noted, planned obsolescence has been the enemy of the consumer.

When I was a kid, there were fix-it shops in my neighborhood for just about everything imaginable: TV / radios, shoes, typewriters, small appliances, etc. Now, we just throw it away and buy new.


JB

 

[James Burke]

When I was a kid in the 50s all Chinese toys and such were garbage and cheap. At least they, China, have improved where the stuff looks better, especially the toys which seem to hold up pretty well.

A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to do some repair work on some Chinese-built plastic injection molds and I was absolutely blown away by what I saw.

They're light years ahead of us in in many ways....while we continue to disembowel damn near every skilled-trades program in our schools today.

JB

 

[pinkiss]

you dont need to look far how things are going to crap, look at electric appliances today, most cant survive 5 years. Worst would be auto industry days are gone when you could pop blown light out and put in new one or do work on motors, nowadays your lucky if you dont get cut your hands in 10 places trying to change a bulb, never mind on most cars you need to remove half the front to get to most parts.

 

[TimToad]

The only valves I'm familiar with...

 

[TimToad]

you dont need to look far how things are going to crap, look at electric appliances today, most cant survive 5 years. Worst would be auto industry days are gone when you could pop blown light out and put in new one or do work on motors, nowadays your lucky if you dont get cut your hands in 10 places trying to change a bulb, never mind on most cars you need to remove half the front to get to most parts.

I don't know, I think it depends on the model and quality level in the product line. We buy the best quality model we can afford and look for less bells and whistles and more in the power train, durability, etc..

I just looked around the house after seeing your comment and while none of our major appliances are "top of the line" grade, they are all over 5 years old and have performed way above expectations. Hell, we have a standup pro series KitchenAid mixer that is over 20 years old and survived daily use in our B&B for 8 years.

There are certainly drop offs in quality on most mass produced products, but I'll take my 50" SuperHD 4k Samsung Smart TV for under $500 over most anything in its price range.

 

[Johnny Best]

Bought this Penn International V Series reel back in the 80s, if I remember right it was around $600,

new. Given me great service over the years. Caught a lot of fish with it. Just rebuilt it with new bearings and put new 50lb mono line on. It was made in the USA. Gave it to my son.

 

[equippaint]

hindsight is 20/20. Cars today, and many other things, are leaps and bounds better than 10-20-30 years ago. The country of origin doesnt make much of a difference now either.
Were asleep at the wheel and just keep on comforting ourselves by saying chinese stuff is crap which is far from the truth. I often wonder if the chinese have engaged in a campaign of propaganda to keep Americans from waking up. White haus is right. They are light years ahead at this point and totally capable of making quality products. We get cheap crap that looks nice cuz thats all we want. We say we want quality but our checkbooks say otherwise.