Ohlins HD357...Worth it?
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Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 71
Likes: 12
From: Lubbock, Texas
l really enjoy my 2 adjustables I got from Howard and after a few hundred miles L am now wating for the snow to melt so I can get my bike into the work shop so I can install my FCK-101's as the front was bad after the enjoyment of the Ohlin rears!!
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2008
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From: Northern Illinois
I'm with ya!
HDF Community Team
Joined: Nov 2012
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From: USA
Black&Decker was selling their Dustbusters. They would pay engineers to find parts that would fail within 80% of the two year warranty figuring the average person would only use them so many hours within the warranty period. They would test the parts and if they lasted too long they would find others that would fail within the proper timeframe. I knew a person who did the testing in Shelton, CT at the time.
I suspect your friend didn't understand the actual objective. Making the product work for the warranty period, at as low a cost as possible. If a cheaper part could be found that did the job, it would be used.
For example, it wouldn't be a seeking of a battery that would fail at an 80% rate. It would be finding a cheaper battery that would not fail at more than an 80% failure rate for the duration of the warranty period.
Road Captain
Joined: Aug 2012
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From: Connecticut
Would you agree it's true B&D would engineer their products to last for 80% of the warranty period and that the life was calculated based on average use? An example would be if you had a product that had a two year warranty and during that time the average owner would use the product fifteen minutes a week the parts would be engineered to last 80% of the total time estimated. 26 hours vs. 20.8.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Northern California
Would you agree it's true B&D would engineer their products to last for 80% of the warranty period and that the life was calculated based on average use? An example would be if you had a product that had a two year warranty and during that time the average owner would use the product fifteen minutes a week the parts would be engineered to last 80% of the total time estimated. 26 hours vs. 20.8.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Nov 2012
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From: USA
To the first question, the answer is of course no. You never want a product to fail under warranty as the company eats the cost and makes no profit. In fact the company looses more than merely the profits lost as all costs of reimbursement are born by the company, not the end user. So no, no company designs products to fail under their warranty.
As to the second question, average life was based on average use. By no means was that the sole measurement of life or life expectancy. So the answer to the second question is a very qualified yes.
Knowing B&D, I'd expect any design engineer even mentioning the notion of making products designed to fail under the warranty period would be immediately terminated. At B&D, design engineers making products that failed at a 20% failure rate would be immediately terminated.
Road Captain
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 622
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From: Connecticut
FWIW, I worked for B&D for several years as a test lab engineer, hand in hand with the product development engineers. We never looked to increase failure rates.
For example, it wouldn't be a seeking of a battery that would fail at an 80% rate. It would be finding a cheaper battery that would not fail at more than an 80% failure rate for the duration of the warranty period.
For example, it wouldn't be a seeking of a battery that would fail at an 80% rate. It would be finding a cheaper battery that would not fail at more than an 80% failure rate for the duration of the warranty period.
I'm not going to argue. I apologize for going off the thread topic.
I will however stand by the statements made a B&D employee from 1994. A time when B&D purchased GE small appliance.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Nov 2012
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From: USA
That's wrong too.
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Road Captain
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 622
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From: Connecticut
FWIW, I worked for B&D for several years as a test lab engineer, hand in hand with the product development engineers. We never looked to increase failure rates.
For example, it wouldn't be a seeking of a battery that would fail at an 80% rate. It would be finding a cheaper battery that would not fail at more than an 80% failure rate for the duration of the warranty period.
For example, it wouldn't be a seeking of a battery that would fail at an 80% rate. It would be finding a cheaper battery that would not fail at more than an 80% failure rate for the duration of the warranty period.
Your words...