Yesterday morning when I went to boil the kettle to make my first cup of tea of the day, nothing happened. I'd poured in fresh water and flicked the switch, which is usually enough to spur the element into action, but no hydrodynamic activity ensued. Because no obvious power cut was in effect I deduced that my kettle had died. "That was quick," I thought.
You may remember that my previous boiler of water, affectionately known as Translucent Kettle, was laid to rest in February last year.
My replacement Kenwood kettle proved far less resilient. Within a few weeks the locking mechanism repeatedly failed to engage which meant closing the lid started to get difficult. I would have taken the kettle back to the shop but lockdown had just kicked in so I made do by pouring fresh water in through the spout. Within a few months the light that told you the kettle was operational, located within the switch, stopped illuminating. This was disappointing but the kettle continued to do its work. Then on Thursday evening, a few minutes after facilitating its last Earl Grey, I heard two unusual popping noises in the kitchen. I thought nothing of it at the time but those must have been the death throes of a kettle that would never boil again.
I went out yesterday morning to buy a new kettle and I hope it lasts longer than my last one. That didn't quite reach eighteen months, which is miserable, whereas my previous kettle was much more sturdily built and had managed 15 years.
So I got to wondering how long some of my other household appliances and gadgets had lasted.
Washing machine: 7 years so far (previous machine lasted 14 years, but really ought to have been replaced after 10) Microwave: 2½ years so far (previous microwave also lasted 2½ years) Oven: 2 years (enforced replacement after gas supply to flat deemed unsafe) Fridge: 18 months (previous fridge was 20 years old and getting past it)
TV: 8 years (previous un-smart TV lasted 12 years) Laptop: almost 6 years old (previous laptop lasted 5 years, and has since corrupted) Landline phone: 3 years (previous version lasted 18 years) Smartphone: 7 months old (but previous phone lasted 5 years 4 months, which is going some) Headphones: 1 week (the last set only lasted 3 months)
Electric razor: 5 years (...and starting to look dodgy, previous shaver lasted 5 years) Bathroom scales: 5 years (previous scales lasted 14 years) Electric iron: 6 years (hasn't seen much use recently, previous iron only lasted 3 years) Digital watch: 30 years (I've got through lots of batteries but I still wear the same watch every day)
...so, not too bad, although some appliances do appear to suffer from built-in obsolescence. Headphones are the worst offenders in my experience but thankfully they're also relatively cheap. The major appliance I always seem to end up replacing most often is the microwave, and that's a lot more annoying. If we're all going to live more sustainably, then durability and longevity need to come ahead of company profits.
I also have a few gadgets that no longer work properly but I haven't replaced.
Printer/scanner: 21 years old (but virtually obsolete) Camera: 7 years (but battery woefully unreliable)
Also I have a lot of radios/hi-fis scattered around the flat.
Radio/CD/cassette: 3 years (all still works) Radio/CD/cassette: 11 years (cassette no longer works) Radio/CD/cassette: 16 years (all still works) Radio/TV/cassette: 38 years (LED clock still works) DAB radio: 8 years (only plays 4 stations) DAB radio: 19 years (still proper reliable)
Here's hoping my new kettle lasts longer than I suspect it's going to.
