Very interesting. I fully expect the Breville machines will last longer than perhaps 4 years and the gap of longevity between Italian and Chinese machines is maybe not as great as we would imagine. Like anything, it can last longer if used carefully and owners are aware of potential break points - there are some fundamental exceptions though. Not wanting to hijack the thread......but the Made In China issue is a powder keg that is not fully realized by the Australian public at large. Sure, they think about it for a few seconds, but wait until we start having some people being killed by sub-standard quality goods. More concerning is the limited lifespan of many common items these days made in China that are no longer able to be purchased or made in Australia. As a manufacturer, I see it every day - something breaking or failing unexpectedly and my neighbor in the factory next door experiences it so often it's becoming a horror story. Yesterday, one of my bag sealers broke with a half-inch metal rod and 5/6 inch pin shearing under light pressure. Upon inspection, the metal was utter crap and pin was welded with a poor attempt that was dangerous. You can't buy Australian made bag sealers and perhaps the better ones are now made in Taiwan. Last week I bought yet another trolley as they only last a couple of months. The wheels had nuts and bolts that fell off the first time we used the trolley and the load went all over a busy road leaving the trolley (and myself) stranded near the gutter with a red face. Of course, you don't expect the Chinese to tighten the nuts - they were not even finger tight. Alas, the spring washers and half the nuts went rolling into the drain grate. On my way home I called into the supplier and looked at the other trolleys in stock - yep, all cactus and a problem waiting to happen. I suppose it was going to take another 2 mins to tighten the bolts on the assembly line - thus more costly. A friend is a welding expert and recently spent the last couple of weeks fixing a batch of imported products that have been sold in Australia and that will ultimately end up in people being injured or killed. These products are not safe and will fail - thing is there are already hundreds out there unmodified in unsuspecting buyer's possession. Seems this line of business keeps him very gainfully employed as dodgy importers arrange for a few proper "mock-ups" to be passed as meeting standards compliance and then totally bypass the "local compliance mods" once the approval is granted so they can preserve margins. The stories he tells me about the stuff he can't and will not fix is just scary. This is not to say everything coming out from countries with cheap manufacturing costs is dangerous or not built to last, it certainly feeds the general consumer's desire for "constantly lowered prices".
