Kelton, you sure like showing off that fabulous D50 that you beat me to...
)
I still have all the Christmas decorations that we had from the 60's also - would be nice to get time to put them out again some day. I even have the old tree in the original box.
YES, I definitely have the joy and satisfaction in using these old relics that beat most new crap in terms of longevity and performance.
My Kirby Omega (that was already ~20 years old when I bought it) is one of the originators of this feeling. It was such a good design that Kirby finds it hard to radically change. I still drive my Mom's 78 Ford that she bought new - runs great and easy to work on if needed. It was the true originator of my obsession with vintage things...
Speaking of old cars I have a '72 and '86 Olds as well, both will drive anywhere anytime. .
When I had moved back in 95, I had bought a bunch of new stuff. Most of it had gradually been replaced with vintage stuff as it had broke or just did not work well.
My small kitchen appliances were all replaced with 60-s era chromies. I have a vintage fan or two in every room, dating from 1920 to 1980. I have a wooden radio (with full rich sound) in every room as well. A whole-house transmitter allows me to play what I want to hear on them. A 1982 GE clock radio (with full sound) replaced my crappy 1997 Timex POS. I have three console stereos, all working nicely. I was listening to 60-s Christmas LPs this past weekend. I have 4 Kirby vacuums from 1945 to 2000, all work great - I rotate them as I change the bags. I need to rotate my toasters as well - I have 5 now... My dad's old 1966 Craftsman edger still has the original sparkplug, believe it or not... I can go on and on about my old stuff. My lady friend enjoys and collects classy vintage clothing from 70s to 90s. Some are even older with union names on the tags. Many then were made in the USA! In fact she has many things from the 70s-80s with perfect elastic still. I have stuff that is 5-10 years old with dried out elastic. I still wear some stuff from the 80s that the elastic is still good also. WHERE HAS THE QUALITY GONE?? Down the tubes for quick profit. I appreciate quality things that I can use nearly forever, but that is bad for company sales...
Now some of those new things I had bought when i moved (20 years old now) I had found to just been so good that I have held on to them. And I plan to always keep them. My Kenmore direct drive laundry pair is one of them. It uses water and washes really well. It is gentle for my lady's selicate stuff as well. My Lawn Boy 2-cycle Gold Series lawn mower is another keeper. I have some Canon digital cameras from 2007 or so that work great and make great pictures. Also it is big enough to hold and use with my fat fingers. They have viewfinders as well as printed manuals - beat that...
In conclusion, I prefer to shop at thrift stores, despite making a good salary. It is just too hard to buy anything new now-days... Pay a lot for an inferior item that will break or rot soon after the warranty expires. I can go on forever about loving vintage stuff. Pleasures to own, fun to use and easy to repair if needed.
"Yeah, when the vintage machine performs better, lasts longer and is designed to be repaired, unlike modern plasticrap vacs, there is a special feeling to using them and keeping them running"
Amen to that! And it often does not take much to keep them running, esp a Kirby!
"Before you know it, your home looks like a museum. "
My home is much this way already! My next house will be a true step-back in time...
