thenotsoesoteric
American Ninja
The EU just passed a "right to repair" law that stipulates companies have to make items repairable.My big issue with Harbor Freight is not being able to get parts for their stuff. I had their electric breaker hammer and it worked but when my crew broke the handle with the trigger there was virtually no way to get a replacement. Super annoying since otherwise it was fine. I actually wound up making a wood handle but obviously it didn't hold up long term lol. When I got sick of duck taping it back together I bought a Dewalt even though it was twice the money... wish I had just done that in the first place. Not only can I get replacement parts now from a local Dewalt and Milwaukee repair shop, it works twice as well so it's basically paying for itself at this point... I don't necessarily shop for the best, but I definitely try to make sure when I buy a tool it's repairable now. Even if it's cheaper I'm just sick of throwing things away because I can't repair them
Planned obsolescence was made popular in late 40s or 50s by companies like GE. They were upset refrigerators lasted 30+years so they started making parts breakable but not offer the parts for replacement. It took a while but the fad caught on and got to the point its at now.