Today's product rec: Polder's kitchen scales. I have one that's used daily (frequently multiple times a day), 15 years old, and finally dying. I figure 15 years is a good run for a piece of inexpensive electronic kit in a messy environment, so its replacement is on the way.
@wordshaper Why is it that the time period we expect any products to last is getting shorter and shorter? I used to have these scales which I got from my Gma’s house until I dropped them during a move and had to buy new ones in 2009. They were over 40 years old at this point and still perfectly functional.
Please don't take this as a criticism of your recommendation, it's really just something I have been wondering for a while. https://www.deutsches-kunststoff-museum.de/sammlung/virtuelles-museum/k-2014-00026/
@coatilex The scale I'm replacing is electronic and cheap? The shorter lifespan's not in any way surprising, and frankly a 15 year life for a gadget that probably cost me $20 (with the corresponding manufacturing tradeoffs) with 1 gram resolution is just fine -- I have no complaints.
Had I spent more I suspect the scale would've lasted longer, which is fine. Other kitchen gadgetry, including my stand mixer and coffee grinder, I expect to be able to hand down to my kids and possibly grandkids, but I spent considerably more on those. Just... spending $100 on a scale that lasts multiple decades doesn't bring more value to me than spending $30 every 15 years.
@wordshaper I absolutely get that. But many old and sturdy things weren't super expensive either and I feel like we have been duped a little bit into simply accepting that this is not the case for current products as a default. This Polder scale is already at least a mid-range product, you can get cheap digital scales for 5-6 € where I live. But for many products any extra money we spend isn't actually used to increase product quality/ longevity
@coatilex In this case the extra money does, indeed, get me some extra longevity. Polder's one of the brands that makes good stuff that lasts ages -- those €5 scales aren't going to last on average 15 years. (Frankly I suspect the scale I just replaced only died because of years of sloppy abuse with sticky liquids)
Yeah, sure, the old mechanical scales would last longer but those are really inaccurate. This is about the sturdiest electronic scale I'm going to get for a reasonable price.
Honestly, of all the semi-consumable things in my kitchen, a scale lasting 15 years is really far down on the list of things worth grumbling about construction and longevity.
Add comment