Products that last longer.
An independent research organisation. We help consumers, businesses and municipalities buy and decide by what actually lasts.
Looking for a specific secondhand unit?Try the Secondhand Finder
Why does this matter?
Three problems the consumer market still cannot name transparently.
Planned obsolescence
= a hidden economic tax
Manufacturers design products to stop working sooner than they need to. It is a hidden economic tax we all pay — and almost nobody measures it.
A market with no trustworthy quality signal
Comparison sites are paid for ranking
Product comparison sites are paid for ranking. Influencers for reviews. Certificates can be bought. Independent, methodologically sound data on product lifespan is practically nonexistent.
Consumers pay twice
For one problem, twice over
A cheap product that breaks after two years is not cheap. We just never counted the real cost. Durability Institute maps, measures and publishes that gap.
What we do
Research, tools and partnerships in one organisation.
| # | Brand | Avg. score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple Laptops — brand average | 91.9 |
| 2 | Miele Washing machines — brand average | 75.2 |
| 3 | Bosch Dishwashers — brand average | 72.9 |
| 4 | Samsung Smartphones — brand average | 72.4 |
| 5 | LG TVs — brand average | 66.8 |
Aggregated brand averages · derived from independent tests · citation right
Analytical quality overviews
Brand comparisons, category trends and derived metrics based on independent consumer tests. Market prices and customer ratings from e-shops are shown separately.
Analytical overviews cover 12 categories of consumer electronics and home appliances. We show aggregated statistics and derived metrics — we are not a substitute for a testing organisation's subscription.
Source data cited under § 31 of the Copyright Act. Visit the relevant organisation for complete individual product tests.
Looking for the best secondhand deal?
Secondhand Deal Finder searches Bazoš, Sbazar and Vinted in real time. It ranks listings by Best Deal Score — our own algorithm that weighs price, listing age, product condition and seller history.
Part of the Institute's research infrastructure — Finder data feeds our analysis of secondhand prices and secondary-market behaviour.
Open FinderiPhone 13 128GB · Good condition
8,900 CZK
iPhone 13 256GB · Excellent condition
10,200 CZK
iPhone 13 128GB · Used
7,500 CZK
Illustrative example — real data in the app
Why work with us
Six reasons trustworthiness is not a marketing slogan here — it is a condition of our existence.
We are not a comparison site.
Our ratings cannot be bought. A product ranks best because it is best — not because someone paid for it.
We have a methodology, not impressions.
Every rating has a documented process. The methodology is public. Anyone can challenge it — and we respond.
We address an economic problem.
Planned obsolescence is lost consumer money, needless pressure on landfills and a market failure. We say so out loud.
We work across the full life cycle.
New purchase, repair, secondhand, recycling. The Institute follows a product from its first purchase to its end of life.
A partner gets infrastructure.
Data, methodology, research outputs and access to a European network — not just a logo on a website. Real collaboration.
We are first, not last.
We are entering a market that is still being formed. New EU legislation is changing the rules. We are looking for partners ready for that future.
Built on academic research and a European network
Durability Institute is not an unsupported startup. We are a research organisation connected to Silesian University in Opava and to the Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe research network focused on repairability, ecodesign and the circular economy.
Silesian University in Opava — OPF Karviná
The founder's research base and academic credibility
Erasmus+ & Horizon Europe
Over 200 relevant research projects identified — the basis for a future international grant consortium
Silesian University in Opava
Academic partner · Karviná
Erasmus+
Grant programme
Horizon Europe
CORDIS research network
EU legislation 2024
Right to Repair · ESPR
Latest from our research
Insights, analyses and current topics
A tenth of France's reliability score measures nothing
We rebuilt the French durability index from the complete register — 2,764 models instead of the 274 we had in July — and separated every sub-criterion. The warranty and quality-process criterion carries a nominal 10% of the reliability score and explains −0.1% of its variance. Delete it entirely and the ranking barely moves.
Read more →What the Secondhand Appliance Market Reveals — and What It Doesn't
We analysed 15,221 secondhand appliance listings from seven marketplaces in three countries. The most-resold brand in Czechia is not Bosch or Samsung — it is Mora. Appliances lose half their value within three years, and expensive brands lose a larger share. And the one thing we wanted most from this data, it refused to give us.
Read more →Do Testing Agencies Agree on What Quality Is? A Digest of Our Research
We compared 16,978 test results from four European consumer testing organisations. Four of our studies: how strongly agencies agree (ρ = 0.84–0.92), whether higher prices mean higher quality, why the market rewards brands more than tested performance — and when the crowd agrees with the experts. With links to the full texts.
Read more →Working on anything where product quality and lifespan matter?
We are open to research partnerships, pilot projects with municipalities, grant consortia and media enquiries. We respond within 3 working days.
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