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What's inside the case then?

Started by Dave, November 27, 2017, 12:58:56 PM

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Dave

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!
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Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

Bluenose

Pretty fair bet, especially if they are of the same power rating.
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xSilverPhinx

Don't judge a microwave by its shell, they're all the same inside!  :headshake:
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


Velma

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.
Life is but a momentary glimpse of the wonder of the astonishing universe, and it is sad to see so many dreaming it away on spiritual fantasy.~Carl Sagan

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Sandy

  

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xSilverPhinx

I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


jumbojak

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.

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your flue clean."  - Ecurb Noselrub

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Dave

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.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

Tank

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.
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Dave

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.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

Icarus

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.

Dave

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.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74