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The Pitfalls of Buying Household Appliances is Based on “Pretty Looks"
If you have to pay for it - be aware that in product marketing, the biggest
gun is: “Eye appeal - is buy appeal”. In a con artist’s world: “BS baffles
brains”. In the psychology of Intentional Distraction, there is “cognitive
distraction”. In simple terms, this is the showing of ‘the shiny thing’.
If you have doubts about whether high-quality appliances are worth the
money, you have to think deeply about why some things cost more than others.
I hope that this article will help you avoid the huge, gaping pit that
is represented by the lure of ‘the shiny thing’.
Do not be distracted by the marketing term: “Luxury appliances”. They
are not a luxury.
While “Standard” appliances lack some aesthetics in their overall design,
and “Budget” appliances can get the job done, much of this “comes down
to economies of scale”. Which is marketing jargon for: “we discovered a
secret way to get money out you – and now we are building a pipeline into
your bank account”.
Budget appliances utilise cheaper internal components, which have a short
life-cycle – but the outer shell is composed of the same material as the
luxury item. Just thinner – hence less material costs less. So you can
get the appeal-factor without spending the money. A false economy.
You buy junk. It fails in a year. You buy more junk.
OR - you buy something excellent. Pay good money - and it lasts 20 years.
THAT is what saving money and time is.
Standard appliances are designed for basic function, and helps the DESIGNER
to get the design job done, and the fabricator to create the cheapest moulding
process– without having to bother the about ergonomics and aesthetics of
the final item.
It just has to look pretty enough to sell.
Which brings me to -
Your Compact LifeStyle Guide
Introduction to Compact Living
Guide to Small Apartment Living
Choose Appliances That Fit
Best 'Must-Have' Appliances
Enjoying a Compact Lifestyle
Benefits of Buying Top-Grade
If You Have to Pay For It
Energy-Efficient Appliances
Energy Saving vs Time Saving
Ten Things to Consider
11 Storage Solutions
Advantages of a Small Apartment
Benefits of Ironed Clothes
Induction vs. Electric Hot-Plate
Other Things to Read
How much longer can quality appliances last? Higher-end appliances have
a higher price tag because the materials used in the components and sub-assemblies,
makes them sturdier and therefore more resistant to breakage.
They can be counted on to last longer.
While the best kitchen appliances can be claimed to be built with “expert
craftsmanship”, the claim disregards the fact that an expert craftsman
only works with the best, and therefore the most expensive, materials.
High-quality components in any home appliances contribute to lower maintenance.
So any “luxury” home appliance, is a worthwhile investment.
Compared to budget kitchen appliances, luxury kitchen appliances are sold
with
with extended warranties.
The optics of a beautifully designed kitchen appliance elevates its appeal.
The primary traits of ergonomically designed kitchen appliances are versatility
and their bespoke design, which is intrinsic to each Brand.
The luxury item costs more, because more effort and care goes into the
design time, with more testing of ergonomics, and aesthetics trials with
focus groups and more engineering time applied to the tooling of the manufacturing
equipment.
HOWEVER – in the secret of “economies of scale”, that I mentioned earlier–
all of this is relatively cheap. If we made millions of these “luxury items”,
they would eventually cost the same as the “budget items”.
But then there would be no way to GET MORE MONEY out of you. So as manufacturers,
we have to make “junk”, so that we can justify over-pricing, and over-charging
for the “perception-of-luxury” that we want to sell you – and make you
happy to pay for.
We prefer to call it: "a fair return on our investment". But what the
hell?
It WAS your money to spend as you wished. And now it is OUR money. And
you have your wish.
We just wont talk about programmed obsolescence.
What used to be a highlight of luxury kitchen appliances, is now an expected
standard of any household appliance: their ability to save energy.
So expect this to already be a function of whatever luxury kitchen appliance
you might be buying. Most luxury appliances come with an energy efficiency
rating.
This is an efficient way for you to save money on energy requirements,
and to support an environment-friendly way of living.
(If it is not energy-efficient - do not buy it.)
What is "smart integration"? A buzz phrase of marketing jargon. Most people
do not know what "integration" might mean. No amount of “smart” anything,
will overcome the ability of the “operator” to ignore, by-pass, defeat,
immobilze, incapacitate, render inoperable or otherwise damage the device
or machine they are attempting to operate.
That said, a significant benefit that high-quality appliances have over
standard devices is the integration of smart features into their operational
capabilities. Effectively (or hopefully) By-passing Stupid.
Most standard models and budget appliances come with the most basic smart
functionalities and features, fully incorporated.
High-quality appliances have smart features with more programming, more
densely 'packed' into more intricate circuitry - making them more costly.
More fragile and more irrepairable when they fail.
You gets what you pays for. High-end appliances, however, "benefit from
the integration of smart features that assist you almost intuitively, in
your cooking experience". So says the product description. I did not make
this up.
"Enjoy adjusting and monitoring their operation remotely via the mobile
app".
Not to mention - that cooking is an Art. And if you are not there. . .
there will be tragedy and defeat.
Here is a function to admire: For people who cannot even get it right
while they are present in the kitchen, they can now to get it wrong.
Remotely, with a mobile app which can always be blamed later - when the
meal finally turns out badly. Splendid!
How much does it cost!?
"Enjoy adjusting and monitoring their operation remotely via the mobile
app".
IF YOU REMEMBER to do so. I don't know that remote cooking should be a
'thing', when I think of all the things that can go wrong where electricity,
heat and stuff that could burn, all meet. I think of words like: 'equipment
failure', 'unattended' and 'not insured for'.
Smart features may take the guesswork out of your cooking – but they cannot
overcome wilful disregard, or criminal negligence. Yet. Or remove "Stupid"
from the guesswork.
As it says on SpaceX's autonomous drone rocket recovery barge:
"Just Read the Instructions".
I am a graphic designer and industrial product designer who has worked
40 years in the Advertising & Marketing Industry.
This article was originally written for my website
“A Guide to Compact
Living”and my foray into affiliate marketing.
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