All You Need to Know About Durability

The idea of ​​durability refers to the condition of lasting or durable: that is, it can last a long time. Durability, therefore, is linked to duration (permanence, subsistence).

For example: “The durability of tires has been increasing thanks to technological advances”, “Oak furniture is characterized by its durability”, “The owner of the company warned me that the durability of the proposal is limited, so I have to make a decision as soon as possible. ”

Durability is often a valued quality in most products, especially those that are priced high. If a person plans to spend a lot of money to buy a good, he usually hopes that the good will last for many years. Suppose someone is considering buying a mattress. Among other questions, he will surely study the durability of the product: how many years should it be kept in good condition under normal use. According to abbreviationfinder, QRD stands for Quality, Reliability, Durability.

There are objects that, instead of durability, offer comfort or low price. That is the case of disposable or disposable products. Plastic cutlery, to cite one case, have a very low durability: in theory, they should be used only once and discarded. Metal cutlery, on the other hand, lasts for many years. To compete against metal forks, knives and spoons, therefore, plastic cutlery is cheaper and does not even need to be washed as it is used and thrown away. Something similar occurs with disposable razors, which have different features than longer-lasting devices.

This concept is one of those that have been curiously affected by changes in commercial culture in recent times, which point to consumerism. While durability was initially one of the most important factors of a product, one of those that could determine the decision of a potential buyer to acquire it or look for a better one, current markets intentionally seek to generate in consumers the need to replace its products with a frequency that until a few decades ago would have seemed unacceptable.

Of course, this does not mean that today’s products are manufactured ignoring their quality and durability, but rather that the robustness that once characterized their ancestors is no longer sought after. Automobiles are among the mass consumer products that first “suffered”, so to speak, this phenomenon: when they changed from extremely heavy and resistant machines to prioritize lightness and slim designs, many feared for their safety in the event of collisions., since the material of the bodywork and the bumpers was not as rigid as that used up to now.

Already in the 21st century, with the arrival of smartphones and the business model that characterizes them, we are entering an era in which a one-year-old product is considered “old”. This leads technophiles, and those who fear being criticized for being out of date, to fork out large sums every year to get the latest version, no matter how different it is from the previous one. A current high-end mobile phone is not exactly a fragile and poorly finished device, but it surely does not have a resistance to falls and accidents comparable to that of the good phones of the 80s and 90s.

Durability, therefore, must be understood in context. In the past, there were probably no limits: a good product had to last ” forever “. Today, it is enough for him to resist for a year, until the departure of his inevitable successor.