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Falling behind....

saxonaxe

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I thought I'd better get a new battery for my gizmo camera as I'm off for a wander on Monday. No problem, there's a palatial camera dealership not far away. Excuse for a ride in the sunshine too...........
" Battery for a Panasonic TZ 5 please"
" A what sir?"...(young bloke behind counter)
" Panasonic TZ5 camera"
" TZ5...How old is it Sir?"
" Not that old, 2008, I think"
" We won't have a battery for that Sir, it's obsolete"
"Eh! It's a Panasonic, surely they still make them?"
...Looking embarrassed.." They do Sir, a Panasonic TZ 100, there were a series of TZ's...years ago Sir...now they are TZ 100's, we don't stock those obsolete batteries I'm afraid"

Found one on Amazon £9+pennies ( when they were not obsolete they were £49.99p)
I must try to keep up...:rofl: :rofl:
 
In built obsolescence is crazy isn't it? Something works perfectly well but manufacturing has to keep us all looking for the next Gizmo. It's a bit like the lightbulb, you can make them to last years but where's the profit in that eh.
 
There really needs to be a better balance between economic growth or squandering resources. I went to the tip the other day to get rid of some scrap that was more rust then metal. When I got there I was shocked and horrified to see a container sized skip of small household appliances and a further large skip of large white goods...all of which looked newer then anything I own.:sad:
Have they never heard of repairing things?
 
Some stuff, it’s now more expensive to repair. As an example the bearings in our washing machine failed; they are now part of the drum and even the repair man said it would be cheaper for us to buy a new one than him repair the old, it had lasted ten years and four house moves so worked out st £20 a year.

38
 
That's understandable 38th, I'm more upset about the stuff that is barely out of guarantee before some minor part fails. I like to buy parts and repair things myself whenever possible. I get stuff either direct from the manufacturer by being nice to a few people on the phone or from sparesdirect for older appliances.
Last time I went to the tip I bought a chest freezer to use as a store for beekeeping frames, when I got it home I found that the damn thing works perfectly...I paid just £2 for it!

I suppose it's just that I hate to see things wasted and discarded. Since I'm in danger of sounding a bit like LW I shall now shut up and go and do some work. :thumbsup:
 
I agree, I had repaired my machine once before the bearings went and dont like waste however it is the nature of the modern world.

Ironically it is partially the push for energy efficiency A+ ratings which stops spares being available for older appliances which is a little barmy!!

38
 
Have you seen how one bed maker is putting "replace mattress in 8 years time?" It's because they now make slim foldable mattresses, that only last a few years. With a proper sprung mattress (real springs of metal) like a proper strung sofa, they will last decades. Trust me never buy a mattress for your own bed that comes folded in a box. Makers don't want things to last long, people like us that love the wilderness, and nature need to invest in things that last and keeps out footprint small.
 
My mattress is wool and springs, no foam or chemicals, there are craftsmen who can dismantle them and recondition/recover them without wasting materials. It's the old way.
 
I think, in the long term they will stop the others. But currently it looks as if they want to go the way till the end.

Even if you look at outdoor equipment. It's nearly completely made from plastic now a days. Without any reason. The old stuff worked very well too.
 
There really needs to be a better balance between economic growth or squandering resources. I went to the tip the other day to get rid of some scrap that was more rust then metal. When I got there I was shocked and horrified to see a container sized skip of small household appliances and a further large skip of large white goods...all of which looked newer then anything I own.:sad:
Have they never heard of repairing things?
My father used to work for the council first on the bins and then latterly as a furnace controller at the incineration plant come tip. There were skips for people to dump whatever. Not a day went by without him bringing something home . Mowers , hoovers and bikes were very common and often just needed a new fuse. We had practically anything you could name frrom there frrom full unopened bottles of spirits , to antiques , tools , even frozen food when the freezers failed at the local coop. Nowadays the tip is still there but it has cctv and the council will prosecute anyone taking stuff out of the skip .I followed in his footsteps and have always looked to see what others throw away. For instance not long ago I found a Henry Hoover in a skip. Made a row when I turned it on but that was just beccause the pipe was blocked with a piece of carpet. I have also worked on bank refurrbs where the level of waste could make one depressed if that way inclined. It was all about speed , nothing was removed carefully , just ripped out and in the skip as quick as possible.
 
My father used to work for the council first on the bins and then latterly as a furnace controller at the incineration plant come tip. There were skips for people to dump whatever. Not a day went by without him bringing something home . Mowers , hoovers and bikes were very common and often just needed a new fuse. We had practically anything you could name frrom there frrom full unopened bottles of spirits , to antiques , tools , even frozen food when the freezers failed at the local coop. Nowadays the tip is still there but it has cctv and the council will prosecute anyone taking stuff out of the skip .I followed in his footsteps and have always looked to see what others throw away. For instance not long ago I found a Henry Hoover in a skip. Made a row when I turned it on but that was just beccause the pipe was blocked with a piece of carpet. I have also worked on bank refurrbs where the level of waste could make one depressed if that way inclined. It was all about speed , nothing was removed carefully , just ripped out and in the skip as quick as possible.





My father also....didn’t work for the council however he use to bring things home regularly and fix them re-use them..... I have seen a few things when taking stuff to the dump and asked if I could take them.....not something they do apparently? It’s a shame as there is an abundance of stuff that can be used......
 
Our tip will let you remove any items as long as they're not chemical waste. I've had timber, glass, electrical goods and hand tools...all there for the asking.
 
Looks like there may be new EU legislation (enthusiastically accepted by the UK government) to force manufacturers to make their products more easily repairable.
Yay!
 
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