I had two microwaves, cheap ones. Two different brands, bought from different sources, with different cosmetics. After one blew up (and I took the magnets out of it) I compared the insides with the other. Identical.
Looking for a replacement i looked at the cheap to mid range, from Tesco through Russell Hobbs and Breville to Panasonic - £35 - £55 - and all but the Breville had the same metalwork inside and on the back as my current one. More shiny bits on the outside at the top end, but with the clockwork timer and power controls in the same places, identical ventillation hole patterns, light, microwave panel, observation window, volume and external dimensions.
Chances are the same components inside as well if the bumps on the backs are any guide. All made in the same Cinese factory I would bet!
Pretty fair bet, especially if they are of the same power rating.
Don't judge a microwave by its shell, they're all the same inside! :headshake:
It is entirely possible.
Many years ago I had a great-uncle tell me about working in a canning factory. IIRC, it canned vegetables. All the cans went through the same processes, got filled with the same veggies, etc...until it was time for the label. If a can went down one belt, it got a brand name label. It it went down the other, it got a store brand label.
It would be easy to do the same thing with kitchen appliances - things such as a different handle on the door, different colors of numbers on the keypad, but the same inner components, and you've got two "different" microwaves you can sell at different price points.
Why were you baking magnets?
Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on November 28, 2017, 01:58:55 AM
Why were you baking magnets?
(insert bad attraction joke here).
:P
My understanding is that manufacturers in Asia grade the units they produce and then bring in buyers to bid on lots of similar machines. So, they bring out a representative sample of their best machines and resellers or retailers bid on what's available and the winner gets their label put on, manuals and warranty information printed, etc. A seller who wants a lower price can wait for lesser lots to come up for sale and then place their bids.
Of course, some sellers will contract a factory to build at a certain price point and then pick and choose what sort of quality they want for each component as well as the overall assembly. A recognizable brand might choose this route for parts availability or to bring a comparable product to a wide market. Bargain brands won't bother with this and count on low prices to move their product.
Even the "good" widget won't be much different from the cheap ones. Quality might be more consistent and the components might be just a bit better but they will be very, very similar unless you're talking about flagship products.
I remember buying an abrasive chop saw off the Cummins truck over fifteen years ago that lasted for one cut. The brushes disintegrated and the holders destroyed the armature. The machine was toast and the truck was long gone. A guy down the road bought one the same day. He replaced the brushes once but otherwise the machine still works. It's loud and smells like an electrical fire but it still turns on and cuts steel.
In this case, JJ, I think you are paying the extra £20 merely for the name and having shiny black and silver on the outside rarher than boring white. Maybe an extra level of testing or quality control at best.
There is a store in town that sells "seconds", brand new but not 100% cosmetically perfect. But only top brands and only about 10% discount.
I know that three small cars, a Renault, Pergot and Citron all come off the same production line co-funded by the three different makers. They have different bodywork and internal styling but all the running gear and floor pan is identical.
Quote from: Tank on November 29, 2017, 08:56:28 PM
I know that three small cars, a Renault, Pergot and Citron all come off the same production line co-funded by the three different makers. They have different bodywork and internal styling but all the running gear and floor pan is identical.
Add Toyota to that list for the Aygo and its French relatives.
Hearing aids too. That is a huge business here in the land of geriatrics. I can see adverts for hearing aids priced at less than $200 ranging up to the criminal hearing aid specialists who price their items at $3600. They do that with a straight face and assure us that we shall surely perish from this earth if we do not buy their absurdly priced instruments....... I want to know how come a cell phone can do everything from relaying phone calls to baking biscuits and they cost only a fraction of what the Hearing aid costs. Cells are smarter than hearing aids and so is my ten dollar hand held calculator.
You young whippersnappers will not be in the market for a hearing device for a while, but you will want such a device sooner...... or to be sure, later.
Icarus, some price differences can come from quantity savings, but yeah, not the top end!
My digital, tunable, adjusted for me alone, hearing aid is great. It was free issue but if I loose it and want another I have to pay for it - £70. OK, that does not cover the hour it took to test and sdjust.
But then, our NHS is not profit driven.