The repair versus replace question: when do you give up on a device?

[GlassyCandle]

Right to repair is getting more attention politically but the practical question of when to repair versus replace is one most of us navigate without a principled framework. Cost is part of it, environmental considerations are part of it, attachment to a specific device is sometimes part of it.

I have a device that has been repaired twice and is probably ready for a third repair that might cost more than a replacement but would extend its life by another couple of years. The rational and the emotional answers to this question are not the same.

[WWFGareth98]

Repair if the cost is under 50 percent of replacement and the result will be reliable for at least two years. That is my rule and I try to stick to it even when the emotional calculation pulls a different way.

[Chris81]

I have repaired my laptop three times now. The form factor and keyboard I know so well that finding a replacement I like as much seems harder than fixing what I have. Familiarity has value.

[QuantumFoam]

The environmental argument for repair is real and I am more convinced of it than I am by the financial argument. The extraction and manufacturing cost of a new device is substantial and rarely reflected in the purchase price.

[Josh93]

Right to repair legislation in the UK has helped. The availability of parts for some devices is significantly better than it was three years ago. Worth checking whether parts and guides exist before assuming repair is not viable.

[Dank15]

If it is a phone with a battery issue, replace the battery. I have seen people buy new phones because the battery was degraded when a 30 to 50 pound battery replacement would have given them another two years.

[Faded Owen]

The practical question that determines my decision: can I find a replacement I actually want at a price I want to pay right now. If the answer is no, I repair the existing one until the answer changes.

[CantComplain12]

I have a seven-year-old laptop that I keep repairing because the SSD and RAM upgrade I did five years ago means it is still faster than mid-range new options for what I actually do with it. Not always true but worth checking.

[ShawnMichaels99]

The attachment factor is real and I think you should give it weight. If you will miss a specific device in a way that is not just nostalgia but related to genuine functional familiarity, that has value.