What are some products at home that suck/drive you crazy/could be way better?

[HeXen]

Lightbulbs. They don't need to be threaded, they could just have a much simpler clip in mechanism (trying to think of an equivalent to describe, but like where the bulb has a pin sticking out and the socket as a groove for the pin the slip in, then you twist to slide the pin over so it can't come out)

You could keep the threads in there for compatibility

so an earthquake hits and now i have to fear one more thing falling on me
: p

 

[mmntech]

Any appliance with ultra bright LED status lights. My cable box has them, my cordless phone does, so does my network router. They light the whole room at night. Just seems unnecessary to have them that bright.

Tank water heaters are another one. I find modern ones tend to fail after between 4-6 years. My parents have had four of them since they moved in 26 years ago. They all start leaking. They don't run hard water through it either. Thankfully they rent it so they just ship and install a new one whenever the old one goes.

 

[nageov3t]

Any appliance with ultra bright LED status lights. My cable box has them, my cordless phone does, so does my network router. They light the whole room at night. Just seems unnecessary to have them that bright. .

this, definitely. just an "led on/off" switch would be nice.

my bedroom is right off of my living room. I find it hard to sleep with the door open because of all the leds from my tv, dvr, video game console, router, and modem (router/modem are the worst at this... because not only are they bright blue, they're constantly blinking)

 

[Dr. Zaus]

I hate lights. Can we have a light for a closet that automatically turns itself off if I forget I left it on? something simple, like a drop-in that goes n before the light-bulb: no electrician needed.

Any appliance with ultra bright LED status lights. My cable box has them, my cordless phone does, so does my network router. They light the whole room at night. Just seems unnecessary to have them that bright.

Tank water heaters are another one. I find modern ones tend to fail after between 4-6 years. My parents have had four of them since they moved in 26 years ago. They all start leaking. They don't run hard water through it either. Thankfully they rent it so they just ship and install a new one whenever the old one goes.

You need to replace the anode every 4 ish years.

 

[nanette1985]

I could use an easily-opened cereal box bag thingy that has the actual cereal in it. I usually end up ripping the thing and spilling the cereal. Annoying.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Another thing I just thought of: Drills

Who in the world thought it was a good idea to make the end of a drill bit rounded? When you are drilling through concrete it slowly lossens then the bit will just turn inside the chuck. Why can't they make it flat or something so it cannot turn inside the chuck? Suck a simple concept.

I know industrial drills use a hex shape, but why can't standard "home" 1/2 or 3/4 chucks use that too?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I hate lights. Can we have a light for a closet that automatically turns itself off if I forget I left it on? something simple, like a drop-in that goes n before the light-bulb: no electrician needed.

All my closets have spring switches that turn the light on when you open the door and off when you close it.

 

[Citizen X]

why is it that we can put a man on the moon, but every can of shaving cream I've ever used "leaks" from the top?

As if there was really a man on the moon

 

[shortylickens]

Hi,
Plain carbon steel is mostly iron. Iron and oxygen get along really well. Water helps this process along very effectively. Iron oxide is not iron.
Yes, stainless steel is more expensive. Yes, 400-series stainless costs a bit more. (Or for some applications, maybe check out aluminum.) Even a low-grade 300-series will at least offer some corrosion resistance - and then your marketing people can have a collective orgasm when they're told that they get to put STAINLESS STEEL on the packaging.
But using the wrong material for the job means that you're making a product that's broken before it's even finished.
And if you're going to paint steel to keep it from rusting, anywhere that that coating is damaged, such as by tightening a fastener to it, can become a focal point for corrosion.

 

[shortylickens]

 

[Jeff7]

Hi,
Plain carbon steel is mostly iron. Iron and oxygen get along really well. Water helps this process along very effectively. Iron oxide is not iron.
Yes, stainless steel is more expensive. Yes, 400-series stainless costs a bit more. (Or for some applications, maybe check out aluminum.) Even a low-grade 300-series will at least offer some corrosion resistance - and then your marketing people can have a collective orgasm when they're told that they get to put STAINLESS STEEL on the packaging.
But using the wrong material for the job means that you're making a product that's broken before it's even finished.
And if you're going to paint steel to keep it from rusting, anywhere that that coating is damaged, such as by tightening a fastener to it, can become a focal point for corrosion.

Protip for manufacturers: Plain carbon steel is mostly iron. Iron and oxygen get along really well. Water helps this process along very effectively. Iron oxide is not iron.
Yes, stainless steel is more expensive. Yes, 400-series stainless costs a bit more. (Or for some applications, maybe check out aluminum.) Even a low-grade 300-series will at least offer some corrosion resistance - and then your marketing people can have a collective orgasm when they're told that they get to put STAINLESS STEEL on the packaging.

But using the wrong material for the job means that you're making a product that's broken before it's even finished.


And if you're going to paint steel to keep it from rusting, anywhere that that coating is damaged, such as by tightening a fastener to it, can become a focal point for corrosion.

Oh, right, that's where I've seen that before: In this thread.


Drive-by copy/paste spammer?

 

[NutBucket]

Every blender I've ever owned comes with that stupid plastic screw-on bottom that always, always ends up cracked, causing leaks.

No matter how heavy-duty the pitcher, how heavy-duty the base, the screw-on bottom (that holds the blades) is always ever-shitting plastic! Gahh!

Quit buying cheap blenders.

Also, the Oster blender my parents bought in the early 80's still works great and the screw on bottom still works fine with no leaks. User error maybe?

 

[tynopik]

What specifically about the toaster?

you need to be able to lift the tray ALL the way up

some models are part-way there where you can lift it up higher than the 'default' rest position, but sometimes for small pieces of bread, that's still not good enough.




in general all appliances and electronics need a wifi interface with standardized definitions that connect to a home server so you can control/monitor/log everything from a tablet or even remotely with your phone.

 

[darkewaffle]

Most chairs really fucking suck.

 

[gorcorps]

Oh, right, that's where I've seen that before: In this thread.


Drive-by copy/paste spammer?

Huh... maybe trying to boost post count for something?

 

[ElFenix]

Oh, right, that's where I've seen that before: In this thread.


Drive-by copy/paste spammer?

i think he just didn't know how the quote function worked. :hmm:



as for blenders, waring professional doesn't have a removable bottom. though the sealing rings can also wear out on those. it's rebuildable, though.

 

[Rubycon]

Most chairs really fucking suck.

Depending on your mood that actually may not be a bad thing.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I think water heaters should be way better. They should not start leaking after 7-10 years. They should be built to last for 100 years.

Also, I think refrigerators should be over-engineered rather than build to last only 10 years or so.

Essentially, I think appliances in general are built to be cheap/disposable rather than to last, and I think that's irresponsible.

 

[sixone]

Toilet paper. They've changed my brand, and started pushing their stupid "freshy fresh" on TV, claiming that you not only need toilet paper, but also wet wipes.

Fuckers.

 

[BillGates]

Another thing I just thought of: Drills

Who in the world thought it was a good idea to make the end of a drill bit rounded? When you are drilling through concrete it slowly lossens then the bit will just turn inside the chuck. Why can't they make it flat or something so it cannot turn inside the chuck? Suck a simple concept.

I know industrial drills use a hex shape, but why can't standard "home" 1/2 or 3/4 chucks use that too?

My DeWalt and Milwaukee drill bits have flat surfaces that the chuck holds onto. Maybe the problem is that you're in Canadia.