[ForestCritter]

If you shop by researching brand rather than price, you will find there are still good companies out there. Lots of cheap stuff is junk, some expensive stuff is junk. Even within brands there are differences. My fancy four wide slot cuisinart toaster has survived 20 years, lots of use many moves and getting slightly squished in an overstuffed trunk and is still going strong. Cuisinart coffee makers, however, lose their marbles at any power flickering, never mind outages. We can bemoan the onslaught of junk that we keep buying and therefore helping it grow, or just maybe we could put our money into companies that still make good stuff through some consumer research instead of believing the advertised 'best deal'.

[bruce343434]

Great idea, but how can you tell in advance if something will last 20 years, especially when its not uncommon that products change while keeping their name and looks?