Oldies but goodies

Robustness and longevity are qualities one doesn't really associate with modern appliances. We either expect them to become obsolescent in short order, or to simply give up the ghost. Five years was all one dealer would give most appliances these days.

Does it matter? Yes. Dispatching appliances to the dump every few years is not being kind to the environment. Yes, when you consider appliances are vital to modern living and cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars of your hard-earned savings. Buy a product that lasts and it will save you money, even if you sometimes pay more to begin with.

At Home asked readers to describe their oldest working appliance. Readers listed more than 30 appliances, ranging from freezers and refrigerators, to heaters, televisions, microwave ovens, washing machines, record players and vacuum cleaners. (We regret space prevents us showing all of them.)

While clearly none of these "mod cons" represents the latest cutting-edge technology, they were definitely built to last. Some were made locally. At the time, many of them weren't cheap, but you paid for quality.

People like products that last. Think of the appliances you grew up with - often they are seen as faithful servants and companions.

"We have at least two appliances that qualify for endurance," writes Pete Neal, of Southshore. "One is a Fisher and Paykel washing machine bought in 1974 and still going strong . . . looks almost like new. The other is a Morphy Richards smoothing iron given as a wedding present in 1962. This iron has been in constant use since then, not only ironing clothes but in the construction of model aircraft and the raising of bruises in furniture restoration. We have never owned any other iron. When you look at it you can see and feel that it means business."

Bev Pratt loves her 45-year-old toaster. "We are still using our stainless steel Ultimate electric toaster, which was a wedding present in March 1965. Stainless steel is now right back in fashion for kitchen appliances."

Looks don't always matter. "I have a 43-year-old clothes dryer," writes Lola Bathgate, of Dallington. "It was bought in Edgecumbe, Bay of Plenty, in 1967. It is very basic, hot or warm settings and an air fluff (which I have not really used). It's a Fisher and Paykel make and has never broken down, in fact has been in constant use all through this damp winter. It's looking its age after coping with the needs of four children. Who cares - it works."

Sarah Clarkson, of Bexley, feels the same way about her heater. "I have a Belling electric heater given to me for my 21st birthday in 1968. It is a two-bar heater plus convector, and it still works perfectly. It gives out a lot of heat and we quite frequently use it; the only drawback is that it is bronze/brown coloured, large and pretty ugly, although when it was in its youth we didn't think so."

Some appliances were greeted with excitement. "I have a microwave that I have had since microwaves first arrived in New Zealand," writes Nina Acland. "It was such a revolutionary cooking method at that time that you got free lessons with the purchase. It is a National Panasonic Genius and it has been in constant daily use for nearly 25 years. I am so used to it that I couldn't bear to part with it. I have only ever had to change the light bulb a couple of times, and the glass turntable plate once . . .

"I also got my Fisher and Paykel Gentle Annie washing machine new in 1986 but sadly it only lasted 22 years before I had to replace it with my current F&P model, so I hope it will last as long."

Some older washing machines are going fine. Lynne's Fisher and Paykel Washrite 400 is 37 years old and "still going happily".

Margaret McPherson, of Bishopdale, has a Standard Washrite Washing machine. She even has a receipt, from Stan Brehaut Ltd, Timaru, in January 1963 - 47 years ago. "I still have the account - [PndStlg]59-10-0."

Annette Benfield is still using her 1984 Frigidaire clothes dryer. "When it breaks down we will replace it but it keeps going. I wonder how many thousands of garments, sheets and towels have been through it in the 26 years we have owned it."

Refrigerators and freezers perform well. New ones are more energy-efficient - but if your old one is doing well, why change?

"I have a Westinghouse upright freezer model that we bought when we came back to New Zealand to live 35 years ago," writes Gaynor Morris. "It has gone solidly that whole time and has never had a thing done to it or seen a repairman."

Lorrane Sutherland, of Hoon Hay, has a chest freezer, bought in 1970, which is still in use. "The seal is not all it should be, and I tell myself a more modern one would be more efficient but . . ."

Jill and Vincent Gough, of Kaiapoi, still use their deep freeze, bought after they married in 1969. They also have a Kelvinator refrigerator and dishwasher, both about 30 years old.

Tui Cox, of Hoon Hay, estimates her deep freeze to be at least 55 years old. "It's only ever been off for four days, during the Wahine storm [in 1968]."

Glenda and Mike Goatley's toasted-sandwich maker will be 21 in November. "My son uses it regularly each week to make his lunches," Glenda writes. "It's missing some paint but works fine. We also have a clothes dryer we have had for 21 years and it was the in-laws' before that. We think they may have had it five years or so. I don't use it often but it's still in perfect working order."

Lorraine Baxter, of Dobson, has owned a Kenwood Chef for 36 years. "It belonged to my mother and I believe it to be at least 50 years old. I still use it."

Old radios and record players keep on entertaining. One wonders if the same will be said of iPods and the like in 50 years time.

Alan Stevenson says his Standard 3-band all-wave transistor radio was bought about 1960 in Aden and is in daily use.

John Hay's Portable Record Player is nearly 60 years old. "I bought it when I was in my teens; I'm now 73 years old. Just played some 78s on it," John writes. "It's a Philips Disc Jockey Major, the first one you could take the top off with the speaker inside and listen to records in another room."

Andrew Gin's National 2-band 10-transistor radio from the early 60s still works, but is no longer used.

Televisions are typically replaced every 10 years, a few may last into their mid teens.

Andrew Gin's 22" NEC TV was bought in 1983. "It belongs to my parents and is older than I am," Andrew says. "It has always been used daily (mainly for the news and Coro at dinner time) and in that time my parents had purchased a newer TV in the mid- 90s but that one died, while this one kept going.

"Since then, my parents have purchased a 40 inch HD TV, which sits in the lounge, but this old TV sits in the dining area where my parents spend most of their time. My parents are wondering what to do with it when the analogue transmissions end, since it's not exactly Freeview-ready.

"My dad just dug out the receipt for this - it was purchased on 27/4/83 for $995 plus $70 for a four-year guarantee."

The Goughs use their National Quintrex Colour TV from the early 80s.

D J Cunneen, of Hillmorton, has a 1981 Philips 22 inch colour television. Although retired two years ago, "it's still in good working order and has an excellent picture".

The Cunneens also have a 39-year-old Whiteway F&P clothes dryer. "It has seen our family of five through the years, plus it was used for drying towels for a hair salon for five years at the same time and we are still using it."

Some of the oldest appliances are true veterans. "I have an old space heater which I only stopped using because I purchased a heat pump," Jo Coulter says. "It is approximately 65 years old."

I Bennington, of Kaikoura, has a model S55 Tellus vacuum cleaner bought in February 1952.

Janice Tricklebank, of Kaiapoi, says her heater is a family heirloom. "It's a Conray room heater, number 28083, painted cream, made in New Zealand by Shacklock. This heater was my grandmother's and I remember it in 1955 when she bought it . . .

"The heater has been used every winter since then with only a coat of paint put on to freshen it up. The chrome is looking a bit dull after 55 years but it keeps our small unit cosy."

Betty Harris, of Spreydon, says her son reckons her whole house could qualify for oldest appliance collection. Her Morphy Richards Astral refrigerator is 40 to 50 years old. She's got a Century Valve radio, "early 1900s" (probably the 20s). Her La Gloria black-and-white television is about 50 years old. "It belonged to my mother. A Tesco maintenance man used to come round to service it but it never needed fixing."

Not all oldies could be called goodies. Karen O'Carroll, of Hawarden, says her Three Cycle Fisher & Paykel dishwasher might be classed as a relic. She bought it from the Farmers Co-op in Hawarden in July 1978 for $373.13 "This price had been discounted by 15 per cent as I was a staff member at the time," Karen says. "During the first 10-12 years it required two new motors. It didn't have a filter in it like the new dishwashers today, so the odd piece of chipped glass from our milk bottles or small pieces of bone from lamb chops broke seals and wrecked both motors. New motors were installed by a local electrician.

"This dishwasher has been fine ever since and we've always used it every day but it has always been so noisy when in use (the new dishwashers are almost soundproof) so to escape the din, we would turn it on each night just before going to bed."

Trudy Longson, of Yaldhurst, says her Aristocrat upright freezer is about 41 to 42 years old. "We have moved 25 times in 42 years, and it has travelled to Auckland and back as well. We have never had a tradesman to fix it. It just won't give up."

Trudy's father-in-law has a valve radio from 1940. He is 92 and still talks on his ham radio every day. "He tells me there are lots of old valve radios around. He can fix anything and everything, he even built their first TV set about 47 years ago."

- © Fairfax NZ News