Everything old is new again.

[lucille]

I recently bought one of those old black metal Singer sewing machines. My current machine was one of those fairly cheap ones from a big box store. The mechanism in it was very sloppy and a couple of the plastic pieces broke soon after buying it.

I used my mom's old Singer when I was a kid. It sewed very well, you could get a perfect seam and it would sew through thick fabric without hesitating. I recently found it at a thrift store for $39. I also found that all the manuals and parts are still readily available. Since these were simple machines, built like tanks and had all metal parts I should be able to keep the machine running forever.

This is similar to my old toaster. It too is well built and has simple mechanics. It also outlasted a modern toaster by decades.

Not only are these old items fairly cheap if you happen upon them in the right places they are more durable. I think the next one I will be looking for an old iron. Some of the ancient Sunbeam irons would get extremely hot. The combination of high heat and the weight makes them work far better on things like shirts. You just have to make sure you don't scorch. My expensive newer Rowenta iron works great on things that require low heat like knits but does a so so job on cotton shirts.

What old items do you hang onto because they just keep on working?

[kim-mm]

I have this ancient calculator that I've had for years already. It just won't break down. It's amazing.

[RickLee]

These articles have been in my life a long time:

- A 1920's electric fan. Heavy metal, motor quietly hums all night.

- A 1930's brass lamp. Uses a politically incorrect incandescent bulb.

- A 1940's black bakelite rotary telephone by Northern Electric (before they became Nortel) The bells still work. The company doesn't.

- A 1950's tube radio. I get a warmth from the speakers that are hard to reproduce with solid state.

- A 1960's Swiss made watch. This Swiss reputation for quality is unequaled.

These are used almost daily and amaze me for their longevity, compared to today's Planned Obsolescence Objects. (nevermindtheacronym)

And I feel the OP was not spam!

[TexasNative]

Does my car count? It's a 1998 Honda Accord with over 190,000 miles on it. It still looks good to me, it's comfortable, reliable and the leather interior still looks great!

[lucille]

Originally Posted by RickLee

These are used almost daily and amaze me for their longevity, compared to today's Planned Obsolescence Objects. (nevermindtheacronym)

And I feel the OP was not spam!

There was a spam post right after mine selling something. It has since been removed. I think that was what Fast was referring to.

I have found more and more than an old item has been the more desirable item when making a purchase. I have a newer sewing machine and I hate it. The needle jams trying to go through anything heavy. It wanders so sewing a straight seam is difficult. I read in a book about shirtmaking that the older Singer machines are better for trying to do the precision sewing needed for a dress shirt. The same book suggested an older and heavier iron. I bought two older Singer sewing machines at thrift stores. Both were less than $50. One is 1920's era and the other early 50's. The 1920's one sews like a dream and I didn't have to do a thing to it. The 50's one I need to retime it and had to put a new belt on it. How to do this is actually fairly easy work and the repair manuals are online. I can still get parts for these also.

I would not trade them for one of those new $3000 sewing machines.

[rickygips]

I really like old things because I find them durable like our refrigerator which has been in the family for a decade already. However, I just find new things nowadays to be easily damaged. Do you have the same observation?

[gt0163c]

Originally Posted by rickygips

I really like old things because I find them durable like our refrigerator which has been in the family for a decade already. However, I just find new things nowadays to be easily damaged. Do you have the same observation?

The old refrigerator is possibly costing you a good bit in energy costs. Newer refrigerators (and many appliances) are currently better engineered and run more efficiently, using less electricity and, possibly, providing for a lower life-cycle cost for the refrigerator.

Personally, I find that some older items are more durable but not all. Also there are some items which perform functions or have features not available in previous generations of similar items. One thing I'm thinking about is iPods. Before the iPod there was no such thing as a hard drive or flash memory based portable MP3 player. There were CD players, cassette players and, ultimately, transitor radios which performed similar functions, but with differing results. Similarly, film cameras vs digital cameras.

[ValL]

What about those wonderful Maytag washing machines? My family kept ours for 30 years. You don't get that quality anymore.