@coolandnormal @argv_minus_one @screw_dog Volunteering at repair cafe (and also working in electronics) has really driven home how arbitrary this can be.

The general trend for things like appliances being "newer means shortest lived and least repairable" independent of all other factors (brand, retail price), but every now and again you run into outliers that are well made and repairable.

The kicker, from a consumer perspective this is not reliable information. "Product Y from Brand X was good last year" doesn't mean the brand hasn't since revised and "cost optimised" it, switched to a cheaper factory, squeezed their existing factory, experienced "quality fade", etc.