What have you got, that's lasted you for years and years. ??

[Archev]

We'd been getting through washing machines about once every 5 years for some unknown reason up until we moved into the present house 10 years ago. Within about 18 months it started making some unearthly noises and I thought oh no, here we go again. I offered to take it out and see if it was anything I can fix, to wit my better half replied no ( ??). Anyway, she obviously knows better as it's still making unearthly noises during the cycle and still washing effectively.
Note : we were work colleagues and started dating after I went round and fixed her betamax recorder. No idea how. Took it apart, put it back together and it started working. She obviously saw the value in this and we've been together 35 years ??.
Fixed a combi boiler once that broke down on xmas eve. Same principal ( but potentially rather dangerous - water/electric/gas). No real idea what I'm doing, see it as a kind of technical faith healing ?? - and we're both still here ?

Notice no-one's mentioned the 50 year old lightbulb....yet ?.
I mean I know they tried to convince us all to go low energy ( how crap were they, cost a fortune and last 10 mins!!) but there are some canny folk on here and why would you throw a good light bulb away ? ??

I see ?

 

[Archev]

My wife and I started making our own bread with a machine we bought in 1998. It made beautiful loaves until around 2010 when it began producing stunted little misshapen bricks which couldn’t be eaten.
We were advised to try a new paddle and instantly it began giving us beautiful loaves again.
It’s still making fine breads and cakes now?
I just have to cut thicker slices now to use it up quicker ?

 

[DBedford]

My Dads wooden handled screw driver, and woodworker mallet (repaired by him more than once), both over 70 years old to my knowledge. Love them, bring back such good memories of my late Dad.

 

[Grandadgeorgec]

Ive got a 20 year old broom that's had 5 new handles and 4 new heads, Rodney ?

 

[m4rmite]

I've got a50+ year old dish washer, but for god sake don't let her find out I called her that.

 

[Archev]

I've got a50+ year old dish washer, but for god sake don't let her find out I called her that.

That model’s to be cherished- runs best on flowers and nice meals out

 

[T1 Terry]

I have a dressing table and wardrobe modular thing, every joint is perfectly hand dovetailed, had my cousin's name written inside the hanging clothes section dated 1904, my grand parents shipped it out from England when he was head hunted to work as the chief engineer in the Lithgow Small arms works .... one of the few things I still have after all the fires.

And of course, my '74 VW Kombi, still goes, around 1million kms on it now, was the daily driver right up until a few yrs ago when I thought it had done in yet another starter motor .... turned out to be the 40 yr old battery lead :lol: Needs new front wheel brgs now, who would have thought driving it through flood water that came inside the front floor through the hand brake lever hole .... even while maintaining the bow wave in front

T1 Terry

 

[Susanna]

Just last week I tried the cool box I got in Lidl some time in the 1990s, which has a small refrigeration unit that runs off a car cigarette lighter socket. Still working. Had it on almost constantly on my recent road trip.

I have one of those also! Invaluable for picnics, and storing (some of) the contents of my freezer while the latter is being defrosted.

 

[Rolfe]

I've been using it while defrosting the freezer, but only as a passive cool box. I had formed the impression its powered refrigeration wasn't working, but I thought I'd try it again in case I had been mistaken, and right enough, it worked. Either I hadn't pushed the plug far enough into the socket, or I'd tried it when the (ICE) car wasn't running.

I was chatting to someone at Durness camp site who said she had one, and from what she was saying it was more modern and more efficient than mine. I guess I'll just use the one I have until it gives up. It's only 48 watts. Assuming a 15-hour wait at a camp site, that's only 0.72 kwh spent on keeping the food cool. About 1.5% of the battery. Not really an issue in context.

 

[Archev]

I have one of those also! Invaluable for picnics, and storing (some of) the contents of my freezer while the latter is being defrosted.

My son has a few of those in his garage in San Diego. My wife and I used to fly in to Seattle, Denver or Chicago and drive the rest. So we’d hire a car one way and buy one of those coolers to keep our drinks and chocolate etc for the week long trips. So son’s garage has a few of them plus sheets bought as curtains and buckets trowels etc in case we needed to camp in the car on our trips (buckets etc because some of our stops were in cougar, bear and rattlesnake etc country)

oh what fun we had

 

[5teep]

I have one as well, use it when I go over to one of the Islands for work and keep my lunches and snacks in it. Was invaluable during Covid when restaurants/cafe's etc. were all closed.

 

[Eclectic]

I still have my toolbox and hand tools from when I was a motor trade apprentice in 1966.

My hammer was a cheap ball pein I got from an army surplus shop ( we had to buy our own tools) and in my first year, one of the fitters borrowed it and the (cheap) handle broke! He replaced it with a really nice hickory handle, and it's still going strong!

 

[siteguru]

So it's Trigger's hammer?

 

[Wil Tryharder]

and buckets trowels etc in case we needed to camp in the car on our trips (buckets etc because some of our stops were in cougar, bear and rattlesnake etc country)

I going to regret this….. so you bang the bucket with the trowel to scare away the Bears? ?

 

[m4rmite]

I going to regret this….. so you bang the bucket with the trowel to scare away the Bears? ?

I thought it was to make sand castles

 

[johnb80]

Bosch washing machine, bought when my first son was born, 35 years later still going strong, not touched in any way. We have retired it now and sent it to the tip replacing it with a new Ebac (Made in Britain) machine.

 

[Deleted member 18108]

A garden spade that has lasted 60 years (not in the same manner as Trigger's broom). It belonged to my Granduncle and still has the original ash handle. One lug is missing off the left-hand side. I also have my father's old wooden and brass spirit level. The cloudy glass makes it hard to read, but I'd never part with it.

 

[5teep]

A garden spade that has lasted 60 years (not in the same manner as Trigger's broom). It belonged to my Granduncle and still has the original ash handle. One lug is missing off the left-hand side. I also have my father's old wooden and brass spirit level. The cloudy glass makes it hard to read, but I'd never part with it.

If you wet the glass and it clears then it's likely micro scratches and you can do something about fixing it.

 

[Deleted member 18108]

Thanks, I'll try that. It has to be at least 80 years old.

 

[mystreet]

Just remembered, I still have my number 1,2 and 3 screwdrivers and 81's from 1979 when I started my apprenticeship.