re: Despite most being garbage there is one modern appliance that does seem to last very long

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Microwaves...they seem to last forever. I wonder why they seem to have escaped the dreaded modern appliance plague of short life spans?

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We have had bad luck with microwaves over the last 10 years or so. I have replaced 3 combination microwave / vent hoods in 3 different houses in 10 years, one of them (current one) twice. Have also had to replace the one in our RV 4 times in 10 years but that's from low voltage common with RVs.

This has more than been offset by a fantastic run with laundry machines and refrigerator/freezers. We have been married 32 years and lived together 5 years prior to that. We have owned 3 washers and driers in 37 years and the only reason we bought a new pair 4 years ago was my wife wanted front loading machines on pedastals because its what she wanted. The old Roper we were using is still working fine in the garage and we paid less than $600 for the pair about 25 years ago. Its been through a workout and works like a champ.

I don't know that we have ever had a refrigerator go out. I have 2 that are probably pushing 30 years old in the garage and they work as good today as they always have....even the ice makers still work. One of them is damn near impossible to open which makes it aggravating to send young children to get another beer but it keeps the beer cold and thats what matters. These are indoor refrigerators which are operating in a garage and have for about 15 years...I expect them to fail anyday and have for 15 years.

Appliances are far more reliable in my experience than they used to be. I made a pretty good side hustle out of hauling off old washers and driers when I was a young man and repairing them....and I was one of thousands of people doing it around Atlanta. There are still people doing it but its mostly legit businesses with store fronts because its harder to get old units needing a timer or some $10 part.

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or what we used to call a convection oven.

Did you know my oven also doubles as an air fryer??

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Convection oven is also an option, top and bottom.

But on air fryer the airflow up top is much much more...spirited. Near as I can tell the fans up top just run at twice the speed on air fryer vs regular convection.

Steam functions and proof are really the only ones I use consistently. The wife uses the rest.


Eta: and insists on braking out the 50lb ninja monstrousity to do french fries.

Microwaves last much longer if used correctly. Do not open the door while the unit is running. Always turn it off before opening the door, unless the timer has already stopped the unit. Opening the door while the unit is running is a sure way of eventually breaking the door switches.

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Nobody in the history of the world ever walked into a kitchen and said WOW I LOVE YOUR MICROWAVE

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I’ve never known a man to come over to another man’s place and the way the kitchen looks be a topic of discussion.

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I’ve never known a man to come over to another man’s place and the way the kitchen looks be a topic of discussion.

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JEC119

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Alabama

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The way it looks? Not really. The form and function of the appliances, most definitely.

The average south Louisiana man has the equipment to feed 3-500 people at a moments notice.

Do we need these things? Not usually. But when we do... We're prepared.

We’ve got some Amanas that have been going strong since early 80s. Things weigh a ton!

We had an Amana Radar Range for close to 40 years. It was a workhorse.

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I can see some households having the same ones they bought in the mid seventies into the 90s. In Sherwood my aunt had one that was installed in the wall like an oven.

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Grandma still uses her Amana Radarange from sometime in the late 1970’s!

I agree and when they do go out is often a $5 micro switch or a $20 diode. Rarely is it a magnetron.
90% of the time a tech says itsx the magnetron is because that's too expensive to fix and they just want their service fee and go. Usually because they don't feel like dropping the mucrowave from the built in.
I do often reject microwave repairs. Only appliance that can kill you when unplugged. If you don't discharge the capacitor first.