Does Anything you Buy in Thailand Actually Last?

[Odysseus123]

2 hours ago, Jonah Tenner said:

I have learned not to tell any Thai anything about my motives and attitudes - they usually misunderstand and they tell everything to everybody.

I just say I want that, or I will do this...

Spot on!

[sniggie]

I don't buy quality for any basic household utensils. Cutlery, glasses, plates, kitchen knives, cooking pans etc. Anything looking that it might be good quality soon makes the one way trip to MiL's house.  I occasionally send my wife across on a foray to recover some items. Even fans have made the journey.

[wgdanson]

2 hours ago, giddyup said:

I bought a Black & Decker weed whacker that's lasted about 5 years so far. It was only about 600 baht as well.

Only used it twice though.   LOL

[wgdanson]

31 minutes ago, sniggie said:

I don't buy quality for any basic household utensils. Cutlery, glasses, plates, kitchen knives, cooking pans etc. Anything looking that it might be good quality soon makes the one way trip to MiL's house.  I occasionally send my wife across on a foray to recover some items. Even fans have made the journey.

Were those fans of your wife, MIL or of yourself. Did you sign autographs for them?    LOL

[wgdanson]

1 hour ago, Fore Man said:

and are practically worthless from the day you remove the packaging.

Because that's when the warranty expires!

[spidermike007]

2 hours ago, Isaanbiker said:

These damn stupid Samsung engineers. Our intelligent TV is as dumb as shi_. Takes a long time to load anything to be online, so i connected a PC to it.

 

   If you want to play a movie from a memory stick, it's really difficult to get that thing in. I hear your pain!!!!

I don't feel any more of the Samsung TV pain. I got rid of all of my Samsung TV's long ago. Each broke down, could not be fixed, and got shown the door.

[marcusarelus]

Basically I believe on Thai Visa if your GF/wife leaves you or you run out of money everything in Thailand is bad.  All my stuff is great no problems.  Ask me again if my GF leaves me or the USD crashes.  

[moe666]

A nonsense post by the OP, since what most people buy are produced by Japanese companies the item you buy will last on average 10 years are more as long as you take care of them. Just another Thai bashing post, do these people ever get tired of their nonsense

[rumak]

6 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Got Hatari here is now 11 yrs and still going strong, used daily..????

 

Samsung Fridge 8 yrs

Samsung washing machine 9 yrs

Cant think of anything off hand that didnt last a reasonable amount of time.

I also swear by Hatari.   Have 4 with never a problem.  One I use all the time and it is also about 10 years old.  And same with 4  Samsung fridges.     BUT,  Samsung A/C one year and kaput and they said could not get parts.   Stick with my LG  aircons which many here don't like but mine have lasted longggg time and easy to get parts the few times i needed.

Honda dream .   Last forever if taken care of

Other dreams :  well,  slightly worn down over time and hard to find replacements

[gunderhill]

No, I always  buy two for when, not  if  it  breaks!

[NoshowJones]

4 hours ago, HiSoLowSoNoSo said:

So how much was she?

You can buy a lady out the bar permanently for about 20.000Bt.

Not saying Isaanbiker did though. ????

[lagarto]

depends where you buy and the brand and the product knowledge of what you are buying.  I never have any problems buying anything in Thailand. I am been living in Thailand for 28 years, today is even easier to get what you need for the price you want; more options and places than before. I still have the plastic blender I bought at Robinson Bangrak 25 years ago.

[zyphodb]

My number one gripe is door handles, doesn't seem to matter what price you pay for one, within 2 years the innards shear off and you have to smash it out with a hammer and screwdriver and buy another. I was a builder back in the UK and I can't remember ever having a problem with a door lock/handle, here they don't seem to last 5 minutes however much you pay for them...

[zyphodb]

4 hours ago, mfd101 said:

Yes, I've wasted around AUD2000 on 4 sets of spectacles over the last 3 years. FIL & MIL - broken, uncomfortable, don't wear. B/F - doesn't wear. 10-year-old child with major sight difficulties - glasses bought after careful testing by opthalmologist at private hospital - broken/doesn't wear.

 

Rule of the House: No more glasses for anyone, no matter the need, other than me.

What I worked out with glasses was, work out what your prescription is, and then buy the 100 Bht or less pairs from markets, malls etc. they last anything from 2 weeks to six months or more depending on luck, but when they break, just buy another. Or, thinking a bit, buy 2 at at a time so you always have one spare. you end up paying less than 500 Bht a year on average which is ok...

[robertson468]

8 hours ago, jumbo said:

pay cheap, you get cheap

And cheap is always expensive.

[chrissables]

5 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

The only thing I can think of that failed prematurely was a 4” grinder from Big C ( Big C !!, what was I thinking ).
It lasted 2 weeks so went back and they would only exchange for the same, a few weeks later..... in the bin !!

But for the price I paid that could happen anywhere.

I had a grinder break, not Big C, but a chain anyway the girl was lecturing me on how to use them and it was my fault it broke. I told her i had been using them longer than she's been alive and know how to use them, even the other staff could not stop laughing. ????

[marcusarelus]

Engineer from 3bb told me I could not get 1000Mbps because I needed Cat6 cable.  I motioned him over to look at my 5 Lan connections.  I said read- he said, Oh all Cat 6.  Pulled up a couple of speed tests 2000Mbps.  But not all the time.  Fix please.  They are sending another team tomorrow.  That will make 12 techs have tried.  

[thailand49]

Most of my major appliance are still working.  When I got here I purchased Whirlpool washer and dryers they lasted still running but can't get parts so whenever I'm in the States I get spare parts. 

Today, whenever I purchased appliances I get the detail on the warranties I keep all the paperwork and stick with brands that are popular and have repair locations.

From my experience in China factories you get products that are being shipped to U.S. given the extra go around since there is better enforcement then I've seen products going elsewhere like Thailand without quality checks just place the energy sticker on and place in boxes. The Chinese I think is the worse.

When it comes to tools I don't buy any of the brand names simple because of what I said above I just buy local best baht for the price and if it goes after the warranty I get another this goes for hammers, screw drivers, majority of my door knobs, facets, locks are purchased in the States and brought back.

No quality control in Thailand and that includes clothes you pay for what you get looks good but after one wash it is a rag!

[Ctkong]

7 hours ago, giddyup said:

I bought a Black & Decker weed whacker that's lasted about 5 years so far. It was only about 600 baht as well.

I bought a B&D electric drill which last me 7 years and still working well. Can’t fault B&D products here in Thailand though. Bosch , Makita, Hitachi all make good electrical tools. 

[Ctkong]

2 hours ago, zyphodb said:

My number one gripe is door handles, doesn't seem to matter what price you pay for one, within 2 years the innards shear off and you have to smash it out with a hammer and screwdriver and buy another. I was a builder back in the UK and I can't remember ever having a problem with a door lock/handle, here they don't seem to last 5 minutes however much you pay for them...

In Thailand brand name locks or door handles like Yale, Häfele are made in Thailand, Taiwan or China because of the lower consumer prices. Those in Europe were made in EU or US . Priced higher though. Same brand but different country of origin serving different markets. In western countries, labour cost is high so parts cost relative to total cost is lower than Thailand. 

[Ctkong]

6 hours ago, Fore Man said:

I have definitely not seen your terse response borne out in my own experience...16 years in LOS to date. Many household items, electrical light enclosures and hand tools are made out of either pot metal or thin, cast aluminum, both of which oxidize and turn to dust on an accelerated basis due to heat, humidity and solar radiation. We bought supposedly top of the line outdoor lights for our lawns and within two years they had all failed...breaking at various juncture points...because the crap metal they used in casting and/or extruding them was poorly designed or just made of shoddy material.  Rainfall and sun combined to cause rapid deteriorating and oxidation. 

 

Many tools and lighting units are imported from China and are practically worthless from the day you remove the packaging. As mentioned by a previous poster, the real trick is finding quality items here in the first place.  I’ve had better luck with certain European and American designed products that are made in Thailand under license.  Korean and Japanese-branded appliances seem to wear well, but you have to pay for this quality.  Unlike another poster, we’ve seen zero issues with Samsung TVs, but prefer Sony even though they cost more. 

 

Caveat Emptor indeed. 

Outdoor lamp fittings if made in Germany or Italy ( cheaper than German make) last quite well. Mine already 7 years and still works ok. China made or Taiwan made however don’t last as well. So are Asean made. 

[sunnyboy2018]

Silk shirts 16 YO. Bolts of hand woven Thai silk 30 YO. Electrical goods same as UK.

[Ctkong]

7 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I completely disagree. I had a PCX that was made here. Had it for five years, it was a trouble free workhorse. Now, my in-laws have it, and it continues to run perfectly. Solid as hell. Same with a Haier refrigerator I bought 13 years ago. A monster side by side. Made here. Still works fine. I have a Samsung 18,000 btu inverter AC I bought at least 11 years ago. It runs perfectly. Regularly maintained. But, never an issue, and it is used most of the year. I have fans I have had for years. Perfect. Had a Toyota Vios for seven years. 150,000 km. Ran great when we sold it. It was made here. 

 

The only electronics I have had consistent problems with, have been Samsung TV's. And since Samsung stops making parts for all of it's TV's after 36 months, when they do stop working, they are next to impossible to repair. I have thrown two flat screens away, that were state of the art, when they came out, and lasted only 4 years. I will never buy another Samsung TV, here or anywhere. Sony TV's, on the other hand seems to last forever, and the company makes parts for 10 years. I do not consider that the fault of Thai manufacturing. I blame the brand. I love Samsung refrigerators, air conditioners, and other appliances. Just would not buy another TV. 

 

The reality is, that most products made here, especially the ones made by Japanese companies, are made in factories where they have foreign, expert managers, and as long as the quality control is good, the products are excellent. The trick is to buy good quality. 

Tv sales people told me ( not in Thailand) but in Malaysia that Samsung TVs look great but not as lasting as japan brand. Maybe the reason is because of the unstable power supply in Thailand? TV electronics are sensitive to fluctuating power supply. In Myanmar every electronic electrical appliance has a voltage regulator attached. Seems even the japan makes do not last without the voltage regulator. The most lasting TV made? TCL China. Robust but picture quality is another matter. 

[Ctkong]

7 hours ago, Pilotman said:

Maybe I should have listed what has prompted this post.

 

two broken taps - both bought new from Home Pro 8 months ago.

Two plastic pipes with leaks, fitted 12 months ago

swimming pool pump - lasted 6 months and developed a bad leak, had to be replaced.

washing machine bought from home Pro, broken after 2 years. 

three garden brooms that just snapped

two hedge clippers that rusted and blunted after two uses.

motor mower, 6 months and cracked engine case

rusting door knobs, One door handle sheared off after 2 months use

3 extension cords that stopped working

2 dash cams

central locking on the car ( 2 years old)

 

I hesitate to mention kitchen utensils, that bend like bananas at the slightest pressure and break repeatedly. 

 

I believe those items are made in Thailand with Thai local brand and engineering to boot. Not foreign companies located in Thailand. 

I have an engineering background so I understand thailand’s engineering prowess which is either a direct copy or slight modification of imported products or entirely homegrown design by local engineers. Material quality differs from imported parts too.  

[SunsetT]

10 hours ago, mfd101 said:

they don't know how to look after anything

....Thats an understatement.....And they dont teach their kids to take care of anything either.

 

EXAMPLE: My missus keeps losing her mbike key so I asked why she doesnt keep it on a bunch with all her other keys. She says that after her keys once fell out of the ignition while riding, a mbike mechanic told her that it was the weight of the bunch that made them fall out and to only  ever use the mbike key in future! Despite my showing her that the keys cannot fall out once the ignition is on with her newer mbike and mine, she still believes the b u l l s h i t t i n g mechanic. I know the reason they fell out of her old mbike and another used by the family. It was that they often left the keys in the ignition when parked at home and the kids used to sit on the bikes and play turning the ignition on and off on and off forever! And they also force it in and out while the ignition is on. I have seen them doing it. Also her son when small, liked to stand in front of the TV similarly repeatedly pushing the on/off button. He managed to break 2 TVs like that because when I wasnt around no-one would tell him to stop!

Edited August 2, 2019 by SunsetT

[marcusarelus]

25 minutes ago, Ctkong said:

I believe those items are made in Thailand with Thai local brand and engineering to boot. Not foreign companies located in Thailand. 

I have an engineering background so I understand thailand’s engineering prowess which is either a direct copy or slight modification of imported products or entirely homegrown design by local engineers. Material quality differs from imported parts too.  

My engineer wife builds oil refineries so I might have some Thai engineering experience also.  

 

She read your post and says you are not correct.  Of course I've only been here since the Vietnam war what do I know.  

 

If you were right the Eastern Seaboard would have blown up 10 years ago.

Edited August 2, 2019 by marcusarelus

[marcusarelus]

9 minutes ago, Ctkong said:

I believe those items are made in Thailand with Thai local brand and engineering to boot. Not foreign companies located in Thailand. 

I have an engineering background so I understand thailand’s engineering prowess which is either a direct copy or slight modification of imported products or entirely homegrown design by local engineers. Material quality differs from imported parts too.  

I use Lucaris stemware made in Thailand and never found anything as good in any country for the same price.

[SunsetT]

3 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

My engineer wife builds oil refineries so I might have some Thai engineering experience also.  

 

She read your post and says you are not correct.  Of course I've only been here since the Vietnam war what do I know.  

I like the samsung microwave I bought in Thailand. The black mesh they put on the window looks good but you cant see a thing through it rendering the internal light useless....555!

[marcusarelus]

11 minutes ago, SunsetT said:

I like the samsung microwave I bought in Thailand. The black mesh they put on the window looks good but you cant see a thing through it rendering the internal light useless....555!

I bought a Toshiba oven with the same problem.  I bought a flashlight and hang it next to the oven.   

[ujayujay]

Dont buy cheap no name crap. Its up to you.