this post was submitted on 05 Sep 2023
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[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have a microwave built in 1983. During a lightning storm a few years ago the little buzzer thing crapped out and now it's so quiet you can only hear it go off if you're standing right next to it and there's no other noises in the room.

Imma gonna cry when that thing finally bites the big one.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (3 children)

What a little tank, still working after 40 years!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ya I'm super impressed with it. I bought it second hand in 1992, and the only thing I've ever done is replace the light once when it burned out in 1998 or so.

Meanwhile my ex mother-in-law goes through a microwave every couple years.

[–] uis 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Meanwhile my ex mother-in-law goes through a microwave every couple years.

Why? What breaks there? Microwaves are forever products generally.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They don't always die in the same fashion, one smoked out, one just simply quit responding, one the screen died etc.

Doesn't help that she buys the cheaper ones though either, but I've seen several other people who've had theirs die as well even though they'd paid more than hers while mine has been gong strong for years through over 10 moves, 2 kids, and countless lightning storms.

[–] uis 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

They don't always die in the same fashion, one smoked out, one just simply quit responding, one the screen died etc.

First is cat in the bag, others seem to be perfectly working with dead control logic - repairable. Magnetrons(radio-emitting food-heating job-doing thing) are very reliable. My direct relatives have 3 microwaves in different locations: two bought between 1990-2005 and one bought between 2009-2013. All are working, one of them had mica plate replaced a few times.

If you sure you will never leave microwave on and not afraid of it looking kolhozno(I think closet thing is redneck engieneered), then you can replace control logic with switch and relay.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Buy it for life people (or at least the subreddit) have two types of reactions. Either "That thing hasn't been made in x years nobody can buy this anymore but thanks for rubbing it in" or "You've only had that for x years how do you know it's truly bifl?"

But still I love the idea of overengineered, well built stuff. The things that go from new to old and out of style and full circle back to based

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

It shouldn't surprise me there's a sub for that here too. I guess maybe I should take a pic of the old nuker and stick it up there, but then I'd have to clean it first... (I've been lazy the last little while.)

Edit: ah nevermind, "not for antiques that have survived the ages and can no longer be acquired." This thing is an old Panasonic "The Genius" microwave that probably hasn't been sold in 30+ years now. They still sell a "Genius" line of microwave, but they've changed a fair bit.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Damn, I wasn't aware of that rule, maybe worth it for another community 😅

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Retrogear probably. Makes sense to exclude stuff like that from buyforlife since there a good chance it’s survivorship bias to have lasted this long.

There does seem to be a steady quality drop in consumer goods. Yes they are more affordable, but also seem to have shorter and shorter warranties and lifespans that more than makes up for it. (See our 4 year dishwasher, 5 year LG fridge, the plethora of 5-7year water heaters (they used to be 20 year replacement items)). It’s really frustrating.

[–] Matriks404 19 points 1 year ago (3 children)

My fucking microwave gives a sound after like every minute after food is microwaved, but not taken out. JUST SHUT UP AND LET ME FINISH UP STUFF

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

That's evil. It's not like it's getting more cooked by sitting there.

You know, regular ovens should really do that instead.

[–] chiliedogg 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ours is like every 15 seconds, and it beeps 3 times every time.

[–] naticus 5 points 1 year ago

I need to know this brand and never ever buy it.

[–] DontTreadOnBigfoot 4 points 1 year ago

Frigidaire?

Mine does this, and ALSO continues beeping for a few seconds after you open the door if you're not fast enough to stop it before it starts.

[–] decenthuman 16 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Recently found out that you could turn the sound volume to zero on mine. Actually life changing to the point that I'm commenting that you should check yours as well.

[–] Agent641 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Microwaves are so baffling in their design.

Its like every manufacturer conspired to create the loudest door mechanism, the most agressive beeping tone, the least haptic input panel, the hardest to clean interior, and when discussing a standard for how to do low power or defrost cycles, decided that the only standard was that everyone had to do it slightly differently.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I'm particularly fond of the design choice to activate childlock if you press the cancel button twice, which results in every public microwave at my uni getting locked accidentally on a regular basis. Handy for me cause I know how to unlock them so theres always some free ones

[–] FordBeeblebrox 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Holding the number 2 for a few seconds typically does the trick, some newer ones have screens with menu settings, some cheap ones like mine don’t have that feature at all so you take it apart and remove the speaker or live with the signal fires being lit at 3 am

[–] SendMePhotos 4 points 1 year ago

Did that a few months ago. It's a whole new world.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

my friend in high school had a parrot that would mimic the microwave beeps all day. They had muted the microwave years ago, but he still remembered and still did it every day

[–] hark 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Won't it beep if you press the stop button? I suppose that's better than the multiple beeps of the finished signal. Even better, first thing I do with a new microwave is figure out how to turn off the sound. Obnoxiously loud beeps and obnoxiously bright LEDs are such common annoyances in appliances. I wish they'd design away from those or at least always provide options to reduce/remove them.

[–] UsernameIsTooLon 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] hark -3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Opening the door may trigger a fail-safe which shortens the lifespan of the microwave.

[–] UsernameIsTooLon 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

My parent's microwave of 10 years begs to differ

[–] hark 1 points 1 year ago

Hence the "may".

[–] AsimovsRobot 7 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Opening the door before the timer hits 00:00 actually shortens the lifespan of your appliance. Watched a video on it by a repairman.

[–] Cold_Brew_Enema 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Because the device's purpose is to hit 0, and every time you deprive it of that it slowly pushes it towards the edge where it eventually fries itself?

[–] RGB3x3 4 points 1 year ago

Wouldn't you if you were being stopped right before the point of orgasm for years?

[–] Agent641 5 points 1 year ago

Letting it beep while Im staring at it shortens my lifespan

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

That's why you hit cancel first.

[–] EvilEyedPanda 5 points 1 year ago

Google the make and model of the microwave and how to silence, most have a key combo to mute all the sound