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Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
11/13/09
the only time i'd say forget about fixing it is if you physically break the LCD of a TV. the replacements aren't much cheaper than a new set is and those things aren't really made to be user serviceable - even less so than an ipod.
ALSO if you want your pocketable gadgets to last longer, open em up and throw some conformal coating on the PCBs, and treat all the connectors with dielectric grease. screwing up a gadget by getting it wet can often be fixed by simply drying it out, but corrosion adds up. #repairorreplace
11/13/09
We just replaced our washer and dryer that we bought in 1987 and both still worked fine (in fact, someone else took them and they're still going strong). We bought new ones to save space in the laundry room so we could put in the dishwasher we never had up till now. #repairorreplace
11/13/09
11/13/09
This place was built in 1930 and there is absolutely no space to put a dishwasher in the kitchen. The laundry room is right next to the kitchen and the dishwasher just rolls up to the sink when we want to use it. #repairorreplace
11/13/09
11/13/09
11/13/09
Geez. I've had pet fish with longer lifespans than some of our gadgets. #repairorreplace
11/13/09
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11/13/09
How about this - if the repair cost is greater than or equal to 1/3 of the replacement cost, get a new one. I have some $80 headphones that I love, but if it cost me more than $25 ($26.67) to fix them, I'd think seriously about just getting a new pair - and they're less than a month old. #repairorreplace
11/13/09
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05/21/09
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05/07/09
Looking at the review, they're pretty much saying that you can get a very comparable non Apple for a much cheaper price in most categories. But for overall quality Apple holds the riband.
05/07/09
50% of the 13's were from the same manufacturer?
Did they even scale the price differences?
They aren't tech writers, and this just proves it.
(Apple fanboys put down the torches, when I get home from work it's straight onto my 15" MBP for me!)
05/07/09
Their ratings look in line with what they always do. However, the Apple gear all makes the "recommended list". However none of them are listed as being a "Best Buy" when it comes to Money vs Performance. Only the 17" Dell Studio earned this moniker. No other laptops in any other category earned a "Best Buy" rating.
I'm guessing they walked into Best Buy and bought whatever 13" laptops they (Best Buy) had in stock that very day, and that was their review criteria.
05/07/09
Now, call it anecdotal evidence, but I kept track of what brands were returned more often, serviced more often, and which display units flaked out the most often.
What I found was that CR still rated RCA as a reliable brand when I saw a very large number of them coming back with green picture (Lost red color gun) and screens that were bowing in the middle/displaying green scan lines (Power supply issues), and broken remotes (Cheap battery contacts that bent out of shape constantly.) This also went for GE gear (RCA's Cheapass Line)
It was bad, really bad. Because I didn't want to sell the customer products that I had seen go bad repeatedly while on the display shelves. Or that I saw come back for repairs often. Yet dammit, people had to have that RCA because they'd always bought RCA and had nothing but good luck. CR even backed their opinion up, so it must be true!
CR can give you a good idea of things to pay attention to, what devices are good at what, and what the brand's past (3+ years ago) reliability rating was.
For the record: Sony's would develop power supply whines. Samsung were a 50/50 shot at being bulletproof, or utter crap. It depended on the model, and what day of the week it was manufactured. But for the money was always a good value. Magnavox was ok, Sharp was ok. Sanyo was iffy. But damn, those RCA's were shit.
Anyway, I give them merit, but do not use their recommendations 100%. But it will influence my decision some. I have yet for them to steer me wrong when buying a vacuum cleaner or exercise equipment.
05/07/09
Thats why I absolutely refuse to use them when it comes to cars, because it seems like the bulk of their rating is based on previous models with absolutely no consideration done on line or even design changes.
Thus why they rate Japanese vehicles so highly when their quality has been declining rapidly over the last 10 years, or that they rate all US or European models lower, when its entirely dependent on plant they are manufactured at.
05/07/09
05/07/09
05/07/09
It's all in what you're looking for. The aluminum is far more durable than the plastic in my experience. If you're clumsy like me, it makes a difference. My MBP has a dent instead of a crack.
05/07/09
Still proud of Apple though, don't get me wrong. Just saying. Their products and support are definitely great.
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05/07/09
However, most consumers don't need AVForum quality. They wouldn't know AVForum quality if it hit them in the face like a crash in NASCAR. The sheer number of misadjusted TVs out there scares me. The ones where people have pink skin.
CR is good for giving you a guide of what to look for. When I was building my house I wouldn't have thought to look for a washing machine that was quieter. It was one of the best $75 upgrades I ever paid for. Same with the stove. I found out that mostly a stove is a stove when it comes to ceramic cooking surfaces. No need to upgrade.
I found out that for $100 more I could get the same model of Amana fridge in an Energy Star model. And that it would take 3 years to make up the savings in electricity bills.
They also point out that buying a Prius won't save you money overall. That gas would have to hit $5 per gallon for you to make up the difference in price over some 5 years.
They're also quite happy to point out to you that Dyson vacuums are shite.