[jdonaldson]

I suppose it depends on the definition of art and craftsmanship. Sometimes people tolerate lower reliability, and sometimes that’s ok for “art”. E.g. Harley Davidsons are not reliable, but that’s almost by design at some point. My German car mechanic was almost a social scene... owners were in and out so much we got familiar with each other and would go grab a beer while we waited for certain work to be finished. Point is, you don’t even mind that much if you really love the product. Italians and Germans just hit different with their industrial design. I fall in and out of love with each of them for different things... cars... espresso machines ... bikes. I don’t think the world would be a better place with only highly reliable products.