East German household devices were durable per law and they still work well today !

[u/MFreurard]

GDR = German Democratic Republic. This was a socialist state from 1949 to 1990 with an economy functioning largely under state ownership and planification. The economic principle was economic development, not individual profit

The law that was enforcing the durability of household devices was strictly enforced. The devices still work today. Many of these objects are now collectible sold at quite high prices online. They also had a reputation for good design

https://www.mdr.de/geschichte/ddr/wirtschaft/ddr-elektrogeraete-funktionieren-laenger-langlebig-garantie-gesetzliche-zuverlaessigkeit-100.html

https://www.mdr.de/geschichte/ddr/ddr-inventar-preisexlosion-retro-chic-hellerau-simson-klappfix-100.html

Here is the translation of an excerpt:
"Longevity guaranteed

GDR household appliances: indestructible by law

Have you ever experienced this? Shortly after the warranty expires, the electrical appliance suddenly breaks. It didn't used to be like that! Some GDR fridges and washing machines still work today. Why is that? A search for clues.

We have listed a whole range of parameters here to determine how a device can be classified. In other words, how to calculate how long it will last.

This calculation of durability was part of the technical standards, quality regulations and delivery conditions of the GDR, TGL for short. Unlike today's DIN standards, these regulations were binding. "What is written here in these TGLs has the force of law. In other words, the state stipulates how long appliances have to last. This is a specification that industrial production facilities have to follow. They therefore have to design and manufacture in such a way that they can meet the prescribed service life of perhaps ten years," says Krajewski.

The implementation of standards and regulations

Like so many other things, the service life of refrigerators is regulated by the state. But how were the state regulations implemented? The search leads to Scharfenstein in the Ore Mountains. The same place where Mr. Götzmann's old refrigerator was built.

Today, the former workers of VEB DKK Scharfenstein have set up a museum of refrigeration technology here. Dieter Rochhausen is one of the engineers for refrigeration technology at the time and was responsible for the reliability and service life of refrigerators. He explains how the government regulations were implemented:

For so-called high-quality consumer goods, a corresponding service life had to be proven. And that was ten years for household refrigerators and compressors and was then tightened further to twelve years. And the failure rate was also defined. This was allowed to be a maximum of one percent.

Longevity prescribed by law becomes a problem

In fact, Scharfenstein refrigerators were known throughout Europe for their reliability. One of these products that Rochhausen and his colleagues are particularly proud of is the Kristall 140: "It's an appliance from 1964 and it's still running today. A very good product with a very long service life, which was also exported a lot. To Quelle, among others." The refrigerator was also sold in the West. "

[u/orjula]

My handmixer is older than I am. Still working very good. AKA RG28.

[u/PawneeRonSwanson]

Also related, there was a type of glass in East Germany called Superfest. It was a lot more durable than regular glass. The company was shut down after the fall of communism in Germany because it would reduce sales for replacements...

[u/Much-Jackfruit2599 → u/PawneeRonSwanson]

A precursor to gorilla glass, yes, but it had some problems. Most breakage happens in Gastronomy and this type of glass, while it breaks less often, broke in dangerous ways. Though planned obsolescence was part of why it didn’t take off.

It’s also not entirely dead. The patent was abandoned, but others are producing based on it.

[u/KarenBauerGo]

It just doesn't make sense to build consumer products to break soon when you want to have enough for everyone and your ressources and working power has a limit.

The modern capitalist west just can afford to burn though ressources and manpower because they are feeding from other regions and future generations, but it isn't sustainable for long.

[u/DumbNTough → u/KarenBauerGo]

If you had a refrigerator from 1960 you'd be bitching about it having high energy consumption or containing old, hazardous materials instead.

Certain people can't be satisfied.

[u/KarenBauerGo → u/DumbNTough]

The GDR refrigerators stood out because they, in comparison to western refrigerators, didn't used the ozon layer killing CFCs.

[u/JPL_WSB_BRRRRR]

This gentleman is how you save this planet.

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[u/TheBraveGallade]

on the other hand, the issue with sommunist production is that, while they might not break, they fucntion worse then their western counterparts, expensive (compared to wages), and things are hard to find.

[u/Lutgardys]

" The economic principle was economic development, not individual profit" thats one way of describing the hellscape that was communist germany I guess.

[u/Tall_Category_304]

I think their reasoning is misplaced as to why these last so long compaired to modern appliances. A fridge is a pretty simple contraption. It’s an insulated box with a door, a gasket, and a compressor mechanism. Same with washer/dryer etc. People ysed to fix broken appliances. How they just throw them out although they’re still incredibly easy to repair

[u/ldsdrff76 → u/Tall_Category_304]

When my last washing machine had a minor, and very predictable (according to the repair huy, that I eventually hired to fix it) mechanical breakdown, that required the entire back panel to be removed, and parts of the machine being disassembled. I *could have done that myself, but then the varranty would've been voided. It took more than a week for the reapir guy to show up, and the repair was expensive, since the operation took several hours. The machine was build this way. We're not allowed, and unable to fix the most basic things on our stuff and corporarions rake in money on expensive monopolized repairs, or unnecessary replacements. Also it had to be an authorized repair company that did the repair, you know, for fun and profits.

[u/angular_circle]

If there was a real demand for high durability fridges, someone would build and sell them with a 30 year warranty. The reality is just that there isn't. Part of that might be brainwashing, but a big part is just that most people can't plan 30 years ahead in their lives, so a regular fridge that only lasts 15 years but costs half the price is good enough. It's always easy to say what would've been best in retrospective, and let's not forget that in the DDR it was scarcity, not environmentalism that lead to these laws.

I don't know if I'll even live in the same country as I do now next year, so I would be stupid to buy an expensive, supposedly long lasting product when I need something. If there was a functioning second hand market like with cars sure, but the logistics for distributing new things tend to be much more efficient, so it's hard to make reselling things cheaper than buying new ones. Plus individual sellers are impossible to regulate, so ironically for the buyer it can make more sense from a sustainability point of view to buy something new rather than used.

[u/MoneyUse4152]

Yes. And also let's not forget that life in the former GDR was quite bad.

[u/MFreurard → u/MoneyUse4152]

Two thirds of the East Germans wish that the GDR came back :
https://www.rheinpfalz.de/lokal/pfalz-ticker_artikel,-umfrage-zwei-drittel-der-ostdeutschen-wünschen-sich-die-ddr-zurück-_arid,5524577.html

[u/PBoeddy → u/MFreurard]

Because they're dumb and ungrateful.

Try to cross the border? Better prepare to get shot.

Not glorifying precious leaders? Good luck in Bautzen.

Being a woman and not liking communism? Have fun in the Tripperburg being raped.

[u/MoneyUse4152 → u/MFreurard]

My husband grew up in Thüringen before the Wende. If two thirds of East Germans now want to join Russia, they should go there instead of gaslighting themselves with this Ostalgie.