I believe some of this comes down to the product category being redefined over time.
Kitchen appliances are really prone to this because the major processes actually needed in the kitchen - heat, cool, cut, stir - are all variations on a theme, and some of the processes have been usurped by "service" versions where the ingredient is pre-processed, e.g. instead of grinding coffee, buying pre-ground or instant.
Where pre-processing works well, it becomes the norm, and then what follows is that the traditional product gets cost-cut into oblivion, until, decades later, some kind of artisanal movement springs up and there's interest in quality options again. Coffee really did follow this pattern, the original instant coffees set the norm for most of the 20th century, even though everyone can tell that they're nothing like freshly ground coffee.
With the biggest, most-frequently needed stuff - stove, refrigerator, knives, pans - you can find good options in any year, especially if you search for the "do exactly one thing well" options in the category, like chest freezers. Once you get into a more specific category the pressure is off, though, and companies are more likely to sell you a disposable "experience".
Kitchen appliances are really prone to this because the major processes actually needed in the kitchen - heat, cool, cut, stir - are all variations on a theme, and some of the processes have been usurped by "service" versions where the ingredient is pre-processed, e.g. instead of grinding coffee, buying pre-ground or instant.
Where pre-processing works well, it becomes the norm, and then what follows is that the traditional product gets cost-cut into oblivion, until, decades later, some kind of artisanal movement springs up and there's interest in quality options again. Coffee really did follow this pattern, the original instant coffees set the norm for most of the 20th century, even though everyone can tell that they're nothing like freshly ground coffee.
With the biggest, most-frequently needed stuff - stove, refrigerator, knives, pans - you can find good options in any year, especially if you search for the "do exactly one thing well" options in the category, like chest freezers. Once you get into a more specific category the pressure is off, though, and companies are more likely to sell you a disposable "experience".