[quacked]

I don't think there are any. If you got to the point where you somehow managed to source the labor, materials, and space to manufacture "dumb technology", you'd be sued into oblivion by competitors who wouldn't want you to eat into their profit margins.

I think the market is huge. Imagine a company that suddenly started selling all-metal consumer appliances with minimal functionality, controlled by old-fashioned switches, buttons, and knobs, designed to be repaired. They'd be insanely popular. Of course, that lack of subscription-model pricing and the high labor costs of worthwhile designers and manufacturers would also destroy the company, but my god, a boy can dream.

[covidthrow]

The key is to hunt for commercial-grade appliances. In some cases, they can be found and offer similar form factors to consumer devices, and in others you may be out of luck.

Commercial kitchen appliances, washers/dryers, and flat panel displays can be sourced to your expectations. Just prepare to spend 1.5-3x as much right out of the gate.

[fock]

the problem is that most of these are horrendously oversized for private use. So I would like to have a commercial agitator to create yeast dough; these aren't even that expensive for their small series and local production - compared to e.g. kitchen-aid stuff -, but I both don't have the space/floor to put down a 4sqft/1000 pound appliance and I certainly don't need a 5 gallon bowl for my dough... I'm sure you could create and sell a home-sized variant of these, but yeah, distribution won't be easy.

I have to admit though that I sometimes dream of setting up a company, which just goes through all these relatively low-tech, electromechanical things and cyclically produces these. Problem is: it's capital intensive, low-margin, low-growth and requires you to keep people around. At this point you've lost everyone nowadays even if it is sustainable (nothing goes to waste when making these repairable) and keeps skills alive (which both the US and EU are paying extreme prices for through the military acquisition procedures).

In this vein I also suspect that most people could easily afford to get their whole furniture sourced in a "raw wood" edition (to be painted/oiled) from local woodworking shops, as the price difference is virtually nonexistent (built a bed with the help of friendly non-CNC-shops: was 12h of work, which clocks in at maybe 900USD. Material was 300.). If I go to a non-ikea, but industrial/imported furniture-store, similar quality would have cost me ~4000USD. But of course, a healthy ecosystem of woodworkers and designers would not concentrate wealth.

[bombcar]

Note that commercial-grade appliances may have unexpected side-effects. I have a speed queen commercial coin-op washer and it's highly reliable and easy to work on, but you can't do anything but a full cycle on it.

[jkepler]

Won't t 3D-printing metal appliances be more and more widely feasible in coming years? And, at least here in the EU, right-to-repair [1] labeling gives consumers the ability to more efficiently vote with their wallets. Its also happening in the US [2]

[1] https://repair.eu/ [2] https://fr.ifixit.com/News/8748/right-to-repair

[scythe]

Liquid steel requires enormously high temperature and magnesium/aluminium require an argon atmosphere. Titanium requires both. So unless you're going to make everything out of zinc (assuming we don't run out of zinc!), this may not be the cheap fix you're hoping for -- and zinc isn't very strong.

[kube-system]

There are also many types of steel that have widely varying properties.

There are some (expensive) printers that print powdered metals (including steel) that is later sintered in an oven. They're certainly not large enough to make a car, and even if they were the properties of the material are likely not ideal, and the process would be prohibitively expensive.

[the__alchemist]

What do you think about the possibility of smaller/cheaper/easier 5-axis mills?

[mthomasmw]

Vitamix

[quacked]

Looks great. It reminds me of my microwave, which has two dials on it and is better than every other microwave I've ever owned.

[yurishimo]

Now go look up the Thermomix. Apparently pretty popular in AUS/NZ but very niche in the States and Europe(?).

Cool idea, but I can't imagine they have a long life if being used with any sort of regularity.

[andredz]

I've been using mine for many years. The only big problems I've had is that sometimes the scale doesn't work perfectly and I have to reset the weighting and that after so long the blades have been getting a little blunt; but they can be sharpened.

[brundolf]

They'd be insanely popular in circles like HN. I think you have a warped perspective of what the typical buyer is enticed by.

[rootusrootus]

> insanely popular in circles like HN

Heck, even then I expect it would just be popular with a very small, very loud niche within HN.

[circularfoyers]

By loud I assume you mean the top comments, which says to me this is popular with the many not the few of the HN crowd.

[rootusrootus]

I don't think I'm willing to go that far. What constitutes 'the HN crowd'? The folks who come here and read the stories, but do not read the comments? Or just the ones who read the comments? Or only the subset of those who read the comments who actually bother to vote. Or participate with their own commentary?

It's pretty easy for a small subset of individuals to appear as if they accurately represent the wider group.