Looks like this must be a case of YMMV. I've been in F on many 738s, S80s and the odd 763 (also J on 762 and 777s), mostly through ORD, but also DFW and JFK; and have only once been disappointed with the hard product - a non-working tray table on a S80 out of DFW. Some of the S80 F product is old, but maintenance is pretty decent. I was on an old config 757 to Costa Rica from DFW - old, but in good shape and well maintained. Certainly nowhere near the depths that the OP described for UA.

Now that I think about it, my only two flights in UA J (both SFO-ORD) - one on a new 744 and one on the old resurrected 744 - the latter was definitely ratty, but the int'l config 744 was pretty damn nice (of course the soft product was predictable, with rotten service topping the list)

Of course, I would never compare AA's domestic F to say, 9W domestic Premiere, or CX J/F (which are pretty much my only non-us premium cabin data points) - but then I don't know I'd make that comparison with any US-based airline.

Ok, so maybe my standards are too low for domestic F