TIL older Otis elevators actually ride better than new ones

I worked on a 1990 Otis in Denver last week and the ride was smooth as glass. Then I went to a 2021 ThyssenKrupp in the same building and it shook like crazy on every floor. The old hydraulic valves just work better than these new digital controllers in my opinion. Has anyone else noticed older elevators giving a better ride than the new stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

ray_hernandez8d ago

Man, you hit it right on the head. Those old Otis systems were built with better materials and simpler hydraulics that just don't go out of whack like these new electronic ones do.

martin.felix8d ago

Last week I rode a 1969 Otis in an old hospital in St. Louis and it was dead quiet the whole way up. Then I got in a brand new KONE at a mall and it sounded like metal grinding on metal every time it stopped. The old stuff was just overbuilt with heavy duty parts that last forever. These new elevators feel like they're made from cheap plastic and software that bugs out constantly.

the_nina8d ago

Jumped out of my chair when I read about that 1969 Otis still running dead quiet. That's unbelievable. I rode a 1974 Otis in an old office building downtown last month and it felt like it was floating, no creaks, no jerks. Then I took a brand new Schindler at the mall and it literally bounced at every floor like a pogo stick. How do they mess up something that simple after 50 years of building elevators? It's like they forgot how to make a smooth ride.