When appliances were built to last!

[Gavin John Hyde]

Have been at a house today to do a quote to install an alarm system as an old lady is moving in with her daughter and will in due course be selling the house to another relative. so want it secure when empty.
She moved into this house in 1974 when she and her husband came over from India. They bought a cooker in 1974 from Argos and the thing still works.. so I googled it and she paid the princely some £59.95. I found a old catalogue from back then with the model in.
https://issuu.com/retromash/docs/argos-no02-1974 page 88-89 item 2
I cant think of any modern cooker that will last over 40 years! they are built to be replaced and disposed of nowadays. The lady said she likes her cooker, it works, never had an issue with it and why replace it? she has brought up 4 children cooking all the time on this thing and it still works and looked quite clean and tidy as she is very house proud.
looking at these old argos books has made me nostalgic though, its funny how a lot of the things i had as a kid have come back around.... its funny looking at some of the old tools from back then...

 

[LeeH]

Dam it! It’s time for bed and now I have to read a pesky 1974 Argos catalogue!

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Dam it! It’s time for bed and now I have to read a pesky 1974 Argos catalogue!

it will make you feel childlike again looking at what you once wanted for xmas

 

[LeeH]

I was born in 78 cheeky!

Check out the tool ---- from p168.

 

[telectrix]

my dad bought a LEC fridge in 1958 . was still working perfectly when scrapped due to kitchen refit in 1990. so was his Hotpoint Empress washing machine with electric mangle. also bought in 1958.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

I was born in 78 cheeky!

Check out the tool ---- from p168.

I reckon @Pete999 probably still has all his orange and white black and decker drills from back then.. thats his generation... mind you £14 for one of them drills back then, i bet if still working they would hold there own against some of the modern ones.

 

[The Ghost]

Yeh we have a Flatley drier I bought it for five pounds. It has been with us forever, passed its PAT a few months ago. Works perfectly. They came out in the early '60s I guess?

 

[telectrix]

he is a bit wet, isn't he.

 

[Andy-1960]

Absolutely right, I had the misfortune to buy a Hotpoint Gas cooker about 2 years ago.. have had an engineers out to it 8 times so far.
Even the engineers tell me they are rubbish cookers!
Don’t think it will even make 5 years before being scrapped

 

[freddo]

Oldest cooker I repaired was from the early 50s apparently still on its original elements. I only had to reassemble one of the over hob bulb holders that had come unscrewed. Customer was in her 90s and it was a wedding present. Incredibly heavy, too heavy for me to move.

 

[Andy-1960]

But I did repair my mums 45 year old Kenwood Chef last year and the thing was designed to be repaired.. built like a battleship. I had to replace the sacrificial gear in the gearbox, thing came apart without issue, sourced new gear from e-bay reassembled and once agin it is churning out cakes like a goodun.
What’s more is that nothing showed signs of any mechanical wear!

 

[KEV 1 N]

I was born in 78 cheeky!

Check out the tool ---- from p168.

.....and it’s quality brands! Not like Argos sell today.

 

[KEV 1 N]

I reckon @Pete999 probably still has all his orange and white black and decker drills from back then.. thats his generation... mind you £14 for one of them drills back then, i bet if still working they would hold there own against some of the modern ones.

My grandad had a blue black and decker hammer drill which I’m guessing is from the 80s.....I inherited it nearly 20 years ago and its still going strong!

 

[Strima]

My grandad had a blue black and decker hammer drill which I’m guessing is from the 80s.....I inherited it nearly 20 years ago and its still going strong!

My inherited one died a couple of years ago, they don’t like running cable strippers...

 

[Squid]

I had a cock for years that I bought as a kid via Green Shield stamps and I believe Argos.