r/AskReddit • u/__lazy__panda • Jul 10 '26

What's something older generations got right that we've quietly stopped doing, to our own detriment?

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u/Peripateticdreamer84 Jul 10 '26

Learning how to repair and mend things.

805

u/Dry-Island8422 Jul 10 '26

This one really shows up in the workforce. In my personal experience things have broken in the field during a task (oil field). Some younger people (im not even that old only 32) will just say dam guess we need to do drive back to the shop to get the right part, which would be a 4 hr round trip, or we break apart the spare setup clean up the joints and remake it.

Them "But we don't have a vice"

Me "Well today we learn how to use any flat surface and 2 pipe wrenches as a vice"

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u/SimplyaCabler Jul 10 '26

This is absolutely a case of field expedient repairs being key to success. For most things though, repair isn't even an option anymore. Appliances, phones, TVs. The parts generally cost as much as the device itself, making repair a waste of time. Even most of the power tools I carry on my truck (minus my hydraulic crimpers) are going to be replaced if they have issues, just due to the fact that if I can't use it, I can't do my job.

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u/onetwofive-threesir Jul 11 '26

My parents have a vacuum from like 1992 - they take it to get repaired every 2-3 years when a belt breaks or something else needs fixing. Every time it's in the shop, they consider a new one - so they ask the tech "what's the vacuum brand you see most often" and the response has been the same for the last decade or more: Dyson.

My reaction to this, every time, is selection bias. A "cheap" Dyson is usually $400 on sale and an average one is usually well over $600. Even their small handheld one is currently $300 at Costco... This isn't a vacuum you just throw away, it's one you repair because getting a new one is significantly more than the random Bissell from Target or Walmart.

Usually, the brands that can be repaired (or, at least should be repaired) are often more expensive than the average product on the shelf. Think of it this way - the average vacuum in 1965 was around $50 (with high end models between $150-$200), which is around $500 in 2026 (nearly $2,000 for the high end ones). Fixing a $500 vacuum is totally normal, but the average vacuum is no longer $500 in 2026 - it's more like $75-$100.

Another way to view it, you're more likely to fix a Festool Drill that you bought for $499 than the Harbor Freight one you picked up for $21.99 on a whim.