My Cuisinart food processor is 35 years old, older than most Facebook users. It’s still in excellent shape, works like a champ. Or, at least it did. A couple of months ago the main food chopper blade broke. It wasn’t the steel blade itself but the the plastic “hub” that fits over the shaft of the processor motor and enables it to spin that broke.
I dragged my feet on dealing with the problem, as I frequently do. Much to my delight I found that replacement blades, even for very old models, were available and reasonably priced.
Imagine my surprise when I used the new blade for the first time at how much better a job it did. After years of use the old blade had obviously become dull and with a new, sharp blade my food processor was operating better than it had in years.
And people wonder why Cuisinart went bankrupt in 1989 (the brand was acquired by another company). They should have been actively marketing replacement blades. Replace your blade every five years! Every year! The ads practically write themselves.
That’s a missed marketing opportunity.
Maybe they went broke not because of failing to advertise replacement blades, but because a serious food prep person such as yourself can buy one and expect to use it for life. Clearly they needed to plan obsolescence in their design process.
Side note: One of the Might and Magic computer games (popular back in the day) had a monster known as a Cuisinart. They were easily the nastiest monster in (I believe) the Might & Magic III game. The treasure they guarded was fantastic if you knew how to survive them.
Mine lasted about 20 years. Replaced with a larger KitchenAid. Those blades are difficult to sharpen. I have a diamond sharpened I use to touch mine up, but think will need to replace soon.
Steve