General > General Technical Chat
Digi-Key has changed and it is not very good
james_s:
--- Quote from: rsjsouza on January 13, 2021, 12:04:57 am ---Nothing. Change for the sake of change. The same happens in lots of places. It is infuriating at times.
--- End quote ---
There is a type of person out there who gets frequently bored, you will hear them praise changes like this because "it looks fresh", as if it's a head of lettuce that starts to wilt after being out for a while. It makes me seethe to hear that because I absolutely loathe change, especially when it is done just for the sake of change without any tangible benefit in exchange for the discomfort it causes. I am very firmly in the camp of preferring the tried & true, something that has gone through the incremental improvements and reached the point where it can be considered perfected and done, then leave it alone and quit screwing with it because it can only go downhill from there. I really like the rare physical products you find that have managed to dodge all the regulatory nonsense and been made exactly the same way for decades with parts still available. For example I recently overhauled the 1960s kitchen sink faucet at our cabin and could buy all the parts to do so off the shelf at the local hardware store. The needs of a faucet have not changed significantly since the 1960s so there is no need for the design to have changed.
Bud:
Having being through a lot of orgchanges at different companies throughout my employment, I garantee - this is happening because they hired another Chief of [Watevever] Executive Officer, who came from a sugar drink type of company and brought with him (her being typically worse) a New Vision of Customer Service Strategy. Garanteed, this crap comes from above, so no common sense should be expected.
SilverSolder:
--- Quote from: james_s on January 16, 2021, 07:44:17 pm ---[...] The needs of a faucet have not changed significantly since the 1960s so there is no need for the design to have changed.
--- End quote ---
Sadly, someone thought there was a need for them to be made of cheaper materials... non standard of course.
rsjsouza:
--- Quote from: james_s on January 16, 2021, 07:44:17 pm ---I am very firmly in the camp of preferring the tried & true, something that has gone through the incremental improvements and reached the point where it can be considered perfected and done, then leave it alone and quit screwing with it because it can only go downhill from there.[/b]
--- End quote ---
One example that I love: Craigslist.
--- Quote from: james_s on January 16, 2021, 07:44:17 pm ---I really like the rare physical products you find that have managed to dodge all the regulatory nonsense and been made exactly the same way for decades with parts still available.
--- End quote ---
This is truly heaven. I have a few examples as well, one being a solder sucker sold in Brasil by a company named AFR - I have bought replacement parts for my model that I bought in the 1990s. Here in the US another example is the Edsyn Soldapult. Hakko, Weller and others used to have replacement parts for quite a number of years after discontinuing their models as well.
Despite not having the same long term commitment, after I moved to US I was quite surprised to see how great is the after market parts availability for appliances.
james_s:
--- Quote from: rsjsouza on January 16, 2021, 08:36:34 pm ---Despite not having the same long term commitment, after I moved to US I was quite surprised to see how great is the after market parts availability for appliances.
--- End quote ---
Historically that has been true. A few years ago I bought a new gear for the ice maker in the 1971 refrigerator in our cabin. Clothes dryers at least as recently as about 10 years ago are virtually indistinguishable inside from those made in the 1960s and most of the parts are still available. That has been true of the classic top load washers that are common in the US which were all one of 2 or 3 mechanical designs with different cosmetic parts. I think that is starting to change though, even major appliances are getting more complex, more cheaply made and less repairable. I've managed to keep my original Maytag Neptune washer and dryer going for probably 14 years since I got it and it was a broken down freebie when I got it. I suspect eventually the drum spider will break and that will be the end of the road unless I want an excuse to get a TIG welder and do some fabrication.
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