Is a Modern, Computer-Less Refrigerator Worth Owning? FFTR1835 Review & 2yr Teardown
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- In this video, I test and tear down something that I never have before. My own refrigerator!
After 2 years of running problem-free, viewers requested a review on this cheap refrigerator, so having owned it, I was mostly happy to do the review, but cleaning it? That wasn't fun.
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Someone needs to build a pickup truck based on this design philosophy. Reliable, simple, affordable.
Toyota have just done so. Asian market only though
I have no plans to sell my 15 year old bare-bones Tacoma.
Edison Trucks, at least for specialized heavy semi trucks while being repair friendly based off of off the shelf parts for easy parts sourcing and repair.
Toyota sells one but only available in Asia.
Toyota sells one but only available in Asia.
I retired from the tech industry as a process programmer. I spent my whole career developing software and applying it appropriately. I often deferred complicated computer/programming jobs to other departments for a simpler, easier to operate and maintain solution. Newer, younger managers think digital/touch pads/remote/sensor/displays/etc. means better. It's mostly driven by marketing to the naive public. Newer appliances with computers use very little processing to operate the appliance. Mostly it's to operate all the "bells and whistles" that have little to no bearing on the function of the appliance. I have a refrigerator with no PCB's. Doesn't require them. It's not an appropriate application of technology. All my stuff stays nice and cold without them. Thanks for what you do. Yep.
Also, manufacturing has come so far that it’s often cheaper to use touchscreens than to use buttons. Same reason why cars have touchscreens these days even though buttons make more sense
I assume you also keep a gun near your printer and ready to blow it apart whenever it makes funny noises.
@jintsuubest9331 Funny you say that. I keep a club next to the printer so I can break it down for recycling when it prints phantom lines across a page.
@@dentalnovember I'm glad you replied. I had no idea what jintsuubest was commenting about. I never said I was anti-tech nor have I destroyed any tech that didn't operate correctly. I said a cpu in a fridge doesn't make it work better and it is an inappropriate application of technology. Thx.
Personally i think PCB in fridges TO control the compressor and stuff should be made illegal. That way if it break the normal function of the fridge will still work but not the fancy crap.
No CPU? How can the fridge reorder milk and eggs? We will starve to death!
The worst part is that you cannot even play retro video games with this thing. That's the main function of a fridge, right?
@@nova_supreme8390 I know right? How can I do my office work at home if my fridge doesn't even have a screen?
@@heroslippy6666 How do I know, what is inside, if there is no screen? Desperately double-tap the damn thing. Nothing! Alexa, what is in my fridge? No answer.
I sell those Samsung Smart hub fridges. They're cool, but that tablet is nearly $900 customer cost.
I don't know how about you do some stockchecking what is in the fridge and then go the market and buy what you are short on, come back home and restock the fridge with said bought items.
I have had one like yours for 15 years and only replaced a defrost timer. A repair I did myself. My brother bought one of those expensive, electronic side by side fridges. It failed after five years and the cost of having it repaired was more than it was worth. I win.
I find all the computers components are just one more thing to break and usually costly to fix. Thanks for the video. 👍
Had a Hungarian washing machine from the 80s which for the time and place, had a somewhat advanced heating control unit. It was fully electronic, however, even back then, you could walk into a store and buy all components for it and change it out. Those components are still widely available today and not just NOS, brand-new manufactured. So if I wanted, I could recreate the entire control unit of that washing machine from scratch, by comparatively simple tools (etching the PCB would be the biggest hurdle but even that is achievable at home). With a modern CPU system that's quite impossible.
Good point you mention about energy efficiency- if you are saving 10% per year on electricity, that can be negated real quick by an expensive repair
I continue to watch Ben because the level of detail in the summary is always excellent. I especially like the DYI explanation.
*Ben, thank you ever so much for featuring the sibling to our LFTR1814 garage 'fridge, which is a rock. Build date 06-2011, "L" prefix and wire shelves tells you it's a Lowe's-only model. Bought for about $400. Has same controls package as yours however is R22 not R600a. Door shelves permanently attached with 3M low temperature-tolerant epoxy. Has endured every temperature extreme, brownouts and blackouts with grace and aplomb. 13 years and only required annual condenser and fan cleaning. Love 'ya!*
You can also just hot glue the shelves in place, at their ends, if you don't want to mess with epoxy. If the front lip is too flexible, it may let items escape or may crack, eventually, but you can also (before you fix the rails in place) turn the rails over and fill in the lip with hot glue, caulk, epoxy, even a thin dowel, whatever you like, and it will greatly reinforce them.
I love the simple, cheap, reliable aspect of this. I also love our Bosch 800 that cost more than 5 times as much, which I got partly as a result of this channel, particularly how quiet it is and the hope that it will last a long time, but if anything were to happen to it I'd strongly consider going back to something like this Frigidaire. I hope refrigerators like this continue to be available for a long time.
My techs love fixing Bosch stuff. $$$$
Thank God for you, Ben, that is all I have to say.... ❤
Thanks for validating my purchase of the refrigerator that I just had delivered today. I bought the 13.9 cubic feet version of this refrigerator. It looks just the same except for size. I wished I had seen this video before I had bought the 10.1 cu. ft. Vissani that I had to return. The Vissani would get no colder than fluctuating between 45-48 degrees at its coldest setting. I took it back, and bought the Frigidaire at a different store. The Frigidaire fluctuates between 35 and 37 degrees in the recommended middle setting. I agree with you about the ice maker being just another thing that can go bad. My wife hates the stale ice cubes and prefers to just make a few or more at a time as needed using ice cube trays. The simpler, the better. There are separate temperature controllers for the two compartments.
How is the noise?
@@JohnLeite-cv7kg We keep this refrigerator in the laundry room. We generally keep the door to that room open but don't really notice any sounds. Even standing right next to it, it isn't loud. I can hear it from there if I listen for it. It's quieter than the tiny (1.7 cu ft) 35+ yr old, still working, Hotpoint that we just unplugged. According to my decibel app on my phone with the doors closed the room sound level goes from 32 db to 39 db when the refrigerator starts running. In fact, with doors closed, I can hear the dishwasher and television in other rooms over the sound of the refrigerator.
I have a 2005 version of this and it's still going, no issues at all. I thought about getting a new one but I've heard such horror stories about new refrigerators so I'm going to keep it as long as I can. It's stainless steel and I polished it up last year and replaced the bulbs with led and it looks fantastic!
Thanks to your suggestion I own this. Simple, big, well made and it's the best appliance buy I think I've ever made. Going on one year now with no issues whatsoever. THANK YOU!
Thank you very much, great refrigerator for my garage. I have Kenmore built by Whirlpool with ice maker in my garage here in Lafayette Louisiana. Had it my basement in my townhouse in Gaithersburg Maryland. Got it on a holiday sale with shop your way rewards for $460 it's a 20 cubic foot refrigerator freezer top mount.
Went to USL back in the day. Miss the food there for sure!
The worst thing that's happened to simple devices is 'electronics'. Electronics (which I know fairly well) have no place in appliances. Please explain why a processor is needed to make a toaster operate. Or anything else so simple. Never confuse fancy with progress!
"Smart" appliances for stupid people.
Explain to me why you run a 4500 watt heater element with a pcb mounted relay? It ends up burning the traces going to the contacts. Then the damn thing is obsolete.
Obsolescence
Why do they make toilets🚽 with WIFI?
I own the same thing (idea not model/brand) brand new from 2017 and still works great, never had a problem...
I have one from 2001 and I had to replace the evaporator fan and the cold control over the years. That’s it! Cheap and easy. I never want another type of fridge that has any computer controls.
I also have a cheap Frigidaire fridge. It's 11 years old and still working fine without any repairs.
Love this, thanks for sharing. Good thing there is a fridge that doesn't have an icemaker and is very reliable.
my mom has a 30+ year old refrigerator and its never had a single problem. still works like its brand new to this day
we have one of this style slightly different door and a different mold for the controls but it has been our only fridge for over 20 years. in that whole time the defrost drain (the bane of all fridges) iced over once we unplugged it overnight and now 9 years later it hasnt happened again, whereas our newer one has to be defrosted every year or it stars pouring water everywhere
28 year old freezer top still kickin’ strong. They don’t build them like they used to.
I've owned side by side, three door, four door, bottom freezer over the years. By far the best one, is the top freezer with
basic controls. I even think it's just as efficient as any of the other configurations.....
These are simple and reliable, and an ambitious do-it-yourselfer can repair almost everything on it. The only thing I don’t like is the refrigerator on the bottom; as a taller-than-average male I don’t like having to stoop to see what’s in the compartment I use most often.
Ha, I’m sure the fridge I bought in 2010 at my old house which is now our rental and running strong is a predecessor to this one, and I have the same one in my current house in the bar that was installed by previous owner in 2012. Both running strong!
After our great appliance death of 2020- 2021. We had to replace all the appliances in our home. I found Bens you tube channel. I have been fallowing his advice. I have this style of refrigerator. My only complaint is the freezer door pops open when opening the fridge. It's a crack size opening, so it looks closed. I have done all I can think of to keep it closed. I don't put anything in the door of the freezer. I just check it every time I open the door.
How is the noise?
@@JohnLeite-cv7kg The fridge is quiet.
@@joellewatkins5528We purchased one and it’s noisy. The repairman said it was normal. I love the fridge, just wish it was quieter
@@johnleite391That is sad. The only time mine makes a noise is when I get an ice build up on the fan. That happens when the freezer door is left ajar.
Yes. I have a plain white GE fridge from 1998. Still works perfectly fine
This looks similar to the Frigidaire model that I have had for over 20 years with zero problems. It's not fancy but it works.
Those door shelves break and pop out pretty easily compared to high end fridges, but they are fine if everyone in the house actually understands and commits to not squeezing things into tight spaces and flexing the cheap plastic. Whether or not you can trust your own family members with that is up to you lol.
Otherwise, I am making this fridge a part of my dream kitchen.
Not sure how I ended up here but I have almost the same fridge. I think mine is a bit smaller. Glad to know I made a good choice.
The problem with PCBs isn't just the manufacturer not making them. The components on the PCBs frequently also stop being made, especially relays. I tried to repair my 20 year old LG microwave convection oven, one of the two relays failed, and the relays were no longer made. I'd have to make a converter PCB to use the modern relay as a replacement as the pinouts were different and the spacing was smaller.
i was excited to see the information on this refrig. when i went to home depot website and read reviews it didnt do well. there is no safe haven in buying an applicance . its a disgrace they cant build stuff that lasts
They can build them to last longer, but it would make them more expensive.And the issue is that everyone wants good stuff without paying good stuff money
My analog refrigerator and stove are 50 years old and still working fine. No electronics.
I repaired analog refrigerators for thirty years but gave up on the electronic ones, especially LG and Samsung.
As I throw out my 3rd (new computerized) refrigerator in 7 years, my father is still using a Kenmore he bought in 1991.
When I read the title my first though was that having a fridge smarter than me was bad idea it has most of my food and no reason to like me.
This is very similar to the refrigerator I have, no frills no computers, running 15 years and I expect it to go 15 more.
Re: reliability of the electrics, electronics, and tubing - Being easily repairable is a good thing for any sort of technical device. Buuuut for each and every fridge that I or my family have ever owned, this was never an issue. We always replaced an older fridge with a newer model not because some of the technical components got busted but either because it was so old that getting a new device was energetically better or because something like the plastic shelves physically broke off and a replacement part worth 5€ or so was only sold for like 70% of what an entire new fridge costs.
What are your opinions on "garage ready" refrigerators? They are supposedly designed to run in hotter and colder environments in a garage and are pretty dirt simple.
Own a 32 year own fridge that still works nicely.
have you heard about certain thermostat companies restricting how low you can set it in areas?
the more computers in something the more points of failure.
You broke my brain with "computer-less fridge"
I would pay extra for a non smart tv. Recently bought a laundry machine and paid about 500 bucks more for the version that didn't have wifi or smart features.
I might actually have that model - my house's fridge spot is just too small for most modern fridge and the lowes sales guy convinced us to just get that (or some variation, it looks like that and a small chest freezer - working ok though it is so much harder to find things in a fridge like that. I've put in a lot of bins as faux drawers
Great review, and tear down re-cap! The front controller looks like many basic fridges... so now I know what it looks like inside. I would be interested to get your insights on what makes a good garage fridge. I see many fridges, freezers (chest, standup) as "garage ready"... whatever that means. I do know garages have much wider temp changes (high/low) due to less insulation & the garage door opening/closing all the time. does it really make a difference if it's "garage ready" vs indoor fridges? It's not out in the elements, and it's pretty basic.
Garage ready basically just means it's designed to operate in a larger temperature range usually 0 to 110f. Typically they have better than normal insulation and door seals, non garage ready freezers can also have issues with their temperature controls malfunctioning in very cold rooms.
In NIS we don’t insulate, let alone AC or heat, the garage
So it’s just like being out in the shed
600a 2-methylpropane (isobutane) CH(CH 3) 2CH 3 A3
This is my basement fridge, where I keep my cold emergency food and beer.
My biggest problem is the jackas that placed the counter 23" away from a 30.5" deep frig. It's a nightmare to find a refrigerator to even fit into the space with proper circulation spacing, let alone open the refrigerator to access.
Do you mean that the fridge sticks out 7 1/2" from the front of the counter? Depending on what's behind the wall, you could make a "bump-out" and make it recess even with the counter. (I saw this done on "Home Time," for a fridge which backed up to a garage wall. It was cheaper to make the bump-out , than buy a counter-depth fridge, or so they said at the time).
@@elultimo102 No, there is an "island" counter that extends from the south wall, across the "built in" oven, fridge, and extends to a few inches in front of the counter stove top on a west wall. Even a 1950s fridge, the house was built in '67, would not fit correctly and there was no changing the door swing at that time. So it was beyond stupid. Now I don't know if some "carpenter" didn't know how to read blue prints or some architect didn't know what he was doing. I've heard ludicrous stories of both. A mere 10"[east] would have made all the difference which there is plenty of room without intruding into the dinning portion of the kitchen.
No idea why this pop in my feed.
I’m a little concerned that this video sucked me in.
But great work dude.
I would never even consider buying a fridge with a computer in it.
Looks like a 2012 Kenmore I got for free from someone who upgraded. I told them while I was picking it up I hope you didn't get an LG.... which they did.
Everyone i know that spent 3 grand on a super fancy cool fridge with all the doodads hate it and it breaks down constantly. My peice of junk fridge that came with the house I bought and is at LEAST 10 years old still works fantastic! Not a single bell or whistle. I've cleaned the condenser coils in the back a couple of times, thats about it.
Idk how I ended up watching a refrigerator review, but I did.
Who can argue with simpler is better?
No one!
This video is why my partner and I recently bought the least-advanced fridge we could find - it even has _wire shelves_ because metal doesn't shatter like glass does if my dyspraxic ass drops something heavy from too high. 😅
I have this with an ice maker. It's fine for 1 person.
I hate this kind of fridge/freezer. Often setting the fridge section to be a good temperature means the freezer section is either way too cold or too warm. The freezer also often has a huge swing in temperature, like +/-5 degrees or more.
This combination makes it pretty bad for making ice cream.
I have a GE frig similar to this though maybe a little smaller. No ice maker no water dispenser. It works fine but I’m 71 years old so might be better if freezer was on bottom. Is there a negative to this. Also my fridge is pretty noisy.
The only fancy thing i want is an ice maker ice cube trays while cheap and basically fail proof just don't work for me with how much ice i tend to use they require too much attention to make sure i have ice when i want it
Appliance companies are doing everything possible to make us forget that nearly all appliances have worked just fine for many decades without any computing power. They just want to add complexity and planned obsolescence so we spend more on repairs and feel obligated to constantly replace and update our appliances every 2-3 years instead of just buying a refrigerator and sticking with it for 3 decades.
Yes there is the argument of efficiency. But that sort of goes out the window when people are replacing the entire appliance far, far more often than they normally would.
@bensappliancesandjunk I’m buying a new home and also will buy (a part from the house) a new refrigerator, stove, washer and dryer. What brands do you recommend to last and withstand constant power outages (here in Puerto Rico we have at least two every month).
Get a generator that switches on auto when power goes down
Get lots of fuel too!
@@YeshuaKingMessiahyep I’m getting a 10kwh generator too
How does the LFTR2045VF compare? I know Lowe's only but supposed to be the same FFTR2045VS but with a different exterior (EasyClean stainless).
FFTR2035 I know FFTR is top freezer and the next 2 digits us size 18 or 20 cu ft.
But how different is FFTR1814 and FFTR1835? Or the FFTR2021 and FFTR2035?
I just bought one of these last week to replace a 20 year old whirlpool that quit.
I just found that my floor isn't level, and the new fridge doesn't appear to have a means of leveling it.
Any suggestions?
I had an LG fridge and it was a joke. 2 failed compressors!! The fridge constantly leaked water internally too and it destroyed the display panel which also was replaced, and then it was damaged but usable again. The fridge also had an electric heating element that had to run constantly around the door seals to reduce how fast they got moldy. They would anyways. Such a stupid design. Meanwhile we have a freezer that is older than me and has NEVER needed maintenance and has no mold on seals
I'd consider buying a new computerized, internet connected refrigerator, but my laptop doesn't keep milk cold. so I'm going to stick with status quo.
Is there a similar bottom freezer fridge?
Electro-mechanical controls do not allow your refrigerator to have GPS, a microphone, and camera. Just like vehicles, appliances are now watching and listening under the guise of being “smart”.
aw yeah Jimmy Dean breakfast bowl
You can save a lot of money by not saving slightly less energy.
timely
Simple, cheap and reliable. No computers or motherboards to needlessly complicate operation and repairs, and be more expensive.
If you don't mind breaking your back and stooping over every time you open the door.
If they made a freezer bottom model, I would be interested.
Until all the FREON leaks out
@@jps101574 Just buy one and turn it upside down.
@@WhittyPics the only fridge I’ve ever seen lose its Freon was thousands of dollars and fresh out of warranty. It was a side by side upper with the bottom drawer freezer.
How can people be expected to use a fridge without having a built in TV, WI-FI, icemaker, or a camera?
What would you use it for...just to keep things cold?
To me, having a fridge with a CPU sound the same as having a Bluetooth toothbrush. The more I learn about technology the more I want things that just work mechanically.
also do you really need a microwave with bluetooth and app control from your phone?
@@acmhfmggru Mine's more old school than that. It runs on manpower. So easy, even a caveman can do it.
I like that analogy, having a toothbrush with mechanical parts is already unnecessarily complicated on it's own, also, It's a bit of a planned obsolescence at play but for health and safety reasons, or just for the sake of being clean, you're suppose to throw it away and replace it once in a while. So having any other thing in your toothbrush is really just waste.
A reflection of our modern society.
Now they have toilets with WIFI🙄
We can _not_ keep this style of fridge in stock, even used and refurbished. When we set one out on the floor it's usually sold within 2 hours.
I do sales n repair. I sold a guy a 40 yr old Frigidaire a few years ago for his garage. His new Samsung has been repaired twice under the 1 year warranty. That old Frigidaire has saved his food twice. We also sell 20+ year old, rebuilt fully, Maytag for $1500 all day with a 1 year warranty. Rarely have to honor the 1 year warranty.
@@benjismith593 Where are you, I want to be a customer.
This is how they should be designed. Hate how companies overdesign stuff just to create more SKUs and more unreliable products.
More features mean more profit, simple as that. Put in a feature like an electronic LED control panel on the front door that costs $150 and you can jack up the price $500, versus the $50 worth of parts on that cold/defrost unit shown in this video that are easy to get at the local appliance parts store or on the web.
The electrical engineers are forced to comply with “on high” to design systems like this under an NDA. Design engineers are at the brunt of NDAs. No speaking out, also why would you when you’re making money?
@@crosslink1493 Electronic LED control panel costs more like $15 in volume order.
and making them Smart gives them the ability to collect your data that they can Sell for even MORE profit.
They figured out awhile ago that making reliable products builds brand loyalty but then those customers only buy appliances every two or three decades. By using flashing lights, pretty sounds, and cheesy gimmicks (a la casinos) they can create the same draw as brand loyalty but they get to sell you disposable garbage that you'll replace every five years.
When my "new to you" fridge died, the landlord got me one of these. Im happy to see you cover it. I'll use this to my advantage.
Beauty. I love the simplicity. The real scam is that a $15 PCB costs hundreds of dollars.
I just put a new board in my Fujitsu heat pump. The board was about $500. There was a microcontroller, a few connector, and a few dozen passives. That board should have been $30 tops.
Learn to replace components. A new control board for my oven was $300. The relays that burned out their contacts and needed replaced? $3 a piece. Fixed it in about an hour including disassembly of the oven, panel removal, and desoldering old and resoldering new relays on and then reassembling.
@@OtherDalfite Learn what's actually on those boards. It's all surface mount chips with TSOP microcontrollers and flash memory. Fujitsu is not going to provide the firmware so you can repair these yourself.
@@joels7605 it's not always the memory chips that go bad. Beyond the microcontroller and memory stuff, none of it will ever know if you replace the components actually doing the heavy lifting.
I bet what went wrong in yours was your passive components. That's where they cheap out. The solid state microcontrollers and memory chips are usually extremely reliable
I see both points. A relay is easy to diagnose and repair. Connectors can be managed. The H-bridges driving motors, well, even if you knew how to isolate faults and check parts like IGBTs and HEXFETs you'd need a schematic of the board. The mfr won't support that level of troubleshooting so sorry bub, no schematics available. We'll gladly take your money. Nobody of consequence is on our backs about it so...
Glad to see the old style simple refrigerator is still available. I have a Whirlpool we purchased in 1985 and it is still running. I have had to replace the fan in the freezer and defrost timer in 39 years. My brother purchased a Samsung side by side and the defrost went bad and it cost him $6oo to fix after only three years.
Samsung sucks. Never buy their appliances if you can avoid it.
I apologize for leaving a comment after just starting the video but oh my god i would pay extra money and be so much more excited to get any appliance, a tv, a car, anything with no smart anything. Holy. I can't believe how much i hate the needless computerization of things that DO NOT need it. Id love to see more reviews of products like this
Amen. I am so tired of arguing with my car about when and where I am allowed to unlock which doors.
I worked in Public Housing for 34 years and this was basically what we had in the property’s. Easy to troubleshoot and repair, the biggest improvement of the years was the built in door handles because that was the number I problem.
I have one that looks like this, the door handle to the freezer snapped after ten years.
Would like to know about a computerless, no ice maker fridge with a bottom freezer. I have enjoyed many of your videos and your helpfulness.
This
I work in tech, have smart devices all over my home, but I'll be damned if I own a fridge any more advanced than something like this. Heard nothing but problems from family and friends who purchases modern/smart fridges over the years.
I've heard similar things. Someone commented to me that they noticed the "tech-y" people had a tendency to actively prefer simpler and less technological solutions, like using a basic wristwatch instead of only using their smartphone to tell the time.
I think it's a consequence of already carrying enough of a "technological interaction" balance in their lives and making a simple cost-benefit calculation in their heads.
@Thalanox Sometimes, it's also just a cost or impact balance. I have smart plugs controlling most of my lights and that gives me day to day convenience while also being relatively cheap to replace or fix if there is a problem. An advanced fridge with lots of electronics ultimately does the exact same thing as this simple refridgerator with no added convenience, but repairs are shockingly costly.
To put it another way, smart plugs add convenience daily with minor inconvenience and cost occasionally. A smart refridgerator adds nothing to my daily life, adds inconvenience regularly when using its smart features, and costs far more up front and in the long run. A whole home smart lighting system is a net benefit. A smart fridge is a net detriment.
I literally just bought this exact fridge this week, love to see it.
Hope you enjoy it!
Bought an FFTR1814 from Lowes in 2018 for around $300.
Recently seemed like it was not quite as cool. Then I cleaned the coils and we're back to normal chill.
Around 2016, I gave a 1990's side by side whirlpool to my parents. It's still running in their garage with no problems and has outlived 2 fancy french door models since then.
My fridge is a 1968 Frigidair with the freezer on the bottom and fridge on top. It's Pepto Bismol pink and I grew up using that fridge at my aunt's and thinking it was just the neatest thing ever. I was fortunate enough to be able to take it home before it was sold. It works like brand new, with some maintenance and parts replacement, of course. I'm going to keep using it until I no longer can keep it running
Same(not the year though, my stuff is from the 80s). All my appliances are my grandparents that my parents then owned and I now own. Work just as good as they did 40 years ago.
My best friend has a 1960s microwave though.
For those of you who want to do your part to help the environment, this is what you want. An appliance that will last a long time and can be repaired. More environmentally friendly than a computerized toaster that has to be replaced every year.
I use a mid 1950s Sunbeam Radiant Control toaster.
- put the bread in the slots and it automatically descends;
- once color is set, toast comes out to the same color every time (and different color breads come out to the same doneness).
The YT channel "Technology Connections" has a video about them ( _This Toaster Is Better Than Yours_ ).
I believe someone recently won a design award making a toaster that uses a camera a other electronics to achieve similar results. Unfortunately, the Sunbeam Radiant Control toaster is mechanical and uses a bi-metallic strip for control.
IIRC, Sunbeam patented the design in 1940 or 1941 and manufactured the design until the 1980s so the science _might_ still work.
@@RobertJarecki I always wanted one of those toasters. They are just so damn cool
@@Xachremos I found mine at a thrift store for $10. That thrift store often prices things really cheap:
Deseret Industries
Auburn Blvd
Sacramento California
There are way too many new fancy appliances in junk yards and landfills. I bought a Samsung front load washer, 2 years latter, it required a repair that was almost as much as the washer itself.
@smorris281 In 2007, I bought a Kenmore washer and dryer. In 2022, it stopped working for the first time. I'd paid $500 for the set. The repair was estimated at $800.
I am sure my new $600 Amana will last much longer. It has so many more cycles and options and all the fancy electronics are in the humid area above the wash tub. And the washer has to be cleaned monthly with *_Affresh_* .
I don't know how I survived all those years with a washer with electromechanical controls.
Edit: spelling
The reason I don't replace my parent's fridge that's older than me is because I know if I get them a new modern one, i'll replace it every 7 months...
How can people be expected to use a fridge without having a built in TV, WI-FI, icemaker, or a camera?
What would you use it for...just to keep things cold?
I have essentially that same fridge that I bought 18+ years ago as a garage fridge. It has been dead solid reliable. The only issue is, as you point out, the in-door shelves are weak and the glass shelves are also problematic. As the plastic parts age, they get brittle and they are just too expensive to replace in an 18+ year old fridge. I'm going to look at installing wire closet shelves as replacements for the glass shelves.
Take care and God Bless.
Excellent workaround!
Find someone with a 3D printer.
Same reason why some people decided to buy non inverter fridge here. No PCB, no problem. Should last strong, because brownouts/voltage issue can happen randomly.
We used to consider fridge as buy-and-forget thing. The only interaction is opening and closing door, don't need any touchscreens, bluetooth, etc. I guess, most manufacturers are very angry, that there are most models that can work for a decades and customers have no motivation to buy new ones.
No WIFI, bluetooth, cameras or tvs. Not even sure what this thing is.
I want to be able to see what is in my fridge in the US from Hong Kong, anything less is un-American.
😂🤣
I am still rockin a FPCI-18TC frigidaire from the early 80s. It has been bounced around between relatives as a garage or second refer. It has outlasted many other bigger and nicer ones that replaced it over the years. I've given it to others when I got a bigger or nicer one as a second refer, only to get it back years later when the other one quit.
Why does a refrigerator need a computer?
So "they" can spy on you. And shut off your power.
Still running a 1988 Hotpoint that's as simple as this one 😎
I have a refrigerator that came with my house when I bought it in 199, and as near as I cantell, it was built in 1984 or 1985. I had to replace the heating element six years ago when the coils iced up, and the ice maker sprung a leak about 11 years ago, so I disconnected the water line and uss a small counter top ice maker to keep the basket full. The dispenser works fine. Illwprkbably jinx it, but the unit is about forty (40) years old and still works great, i.e., it cools and freezes without all the BS computerized crap which is what my computer handles.
You got a fridge that's 2000 years old? Damn!
I have the countertop ice maker n u have to stay on it - dumping each basket into a bin in freezer.
OR
The ice just melts and has to run again. So when I go to get it, there’s little to none.
The more Bella whistles, the more problems less Bella whistles, the less problems.Great video
Is that a reference to some movie? I'm pretty sure the saying is supposed to be "bells and whistles", i.e. extra unnecessary features irrelevant to the basic functionality of the device, used to justify a higher price.
Who's Bella? 😂
My first choice will always be a fridge without a computer, I haven't watched the video yet😄
Can you get a washing machine with a simple timer? (I really wish I could find a new car without the computer for the same reason).
Enjoyed the video and the recommedation. Always go with kiss.
Also the bigger the fridge the more food is bought to fill it. The unspoken natural law to fill a void!😢 we lived most of our life when children were home buying used fridges and repairing them as we learned along the way...same with the cheap basic kenmore/whirlpool washers/driers. Its sucks being poor but one learns how to fix stuff, pinch a penny or go without. Have to say without a wife who thinks the same would be utter turmoil for the low wage earner...thanx the wife for being a problem solver ; thrifty/frugal,wise, no spend thrift or a whiney baby. Thanx!😊 have to say finally purchased a bottom freezer maytag in the early 2000s from lowes. Still chugging along. Shows some fair wear & tear inside but nothing some white marine epoxy or super glue can't fix.
Reminds me of a god awful experience with Samsung that we have been dealing with for the last 25 days. The ice maker was repaired under warranty. Ever since, the water dispenser will only dispense ice. Water and ice dispenser paddles both dispense ice. First they tried to blame me. Then I complained to Samsung corporate, and they said they would take care of it. They replace the circuit board three times, the ice dispenser actuator once, the ice and water dispenser buttons and front display panel twice, and finally, the left hand door as a whole assembly. Issue still persists. I told them it seems like a programming or circuit board issue. No one agreed. Now they tell me I might be right because there have been so many revisions to this circuit board, lol. They are at a loss and we haven't been able to use the filtered water capability of this refrigerator for over 3 weeks. In all honesty, I wish I never scheduled the warranty ice maker repair, and I wish I bought a $75 tabletop ice maker instead. I'd rather the filtered water dispenser work as it is plumbed to the tap water, as a standalone ice dispenser is a lot more compact than having to purchase a water dispenser with the humongous jugs of water.
Omg, how did humanity survive this long without computerized appliances?!? Would never buy any that could solely operate by this type of technology. Keep an eye out for refrigerators and other kitchen apparatus with some form of artificial intelligence (AI) to make it an even better product. smh
I have a 1988 Frigidaire Elite model TCE175LW-1 from 1988 in my home right now that looks a lot like the old fridge in the video except it is white. It is well maintained, cleaned regularly inside and in by the compressor and I will only replace it if it dies.
My only wish is I would like to replace the rubber seal but can’t find anything compatible. Anyone have any suggestions on how to restore some elasticity to the original seal?