After a couple from Gloucestershire made headlines for continuing to use an Electrolux refrigerator from the 1930s, we asked readers to share stories of their own long serving appliances. They responded with tales of toasters that predate the First World War, vacuums purchased in the 1950s and televisions that have survived decades of daily use.
Heather Sebastian, a retired teacher in Vancouver, Canada, has a Hotpoint toaster that could be more than 100 years old. It still toasts bread and bagels perfectly, she says. The same model was owned by her grandparents. Sebastian rescued this one from a house that was being demolished. After cleaning it with baking soda and vinegar, it looks good for its age.
Anne Hartman, 50, a repairer and builder of musical instruments from Toronto, ended up with a 1956 Norge Customatic refrigerator after her parents bought a summer cottage in 1975. The fridge, made in Detroit, still has its original inspection tag. It worked without complaint until a couple of years ago, when it needed new wiring. Rather than replacing it, Hartman found a business in Quebec that specialises in antique kitchen appliances, and they serviced it. With its turquoise and gold sparkle interior, she loves it too much to swap for a modern model and expects it to last another 70 years.
Alick, 62, an environmental health officer in Berkshire, UK, inherited his grandmother’s Kenwood Chefette food mixer, which she bought in about 1975. The plastic bowl gave up 20 years ago, but the mixer itself is still going strong. His daughter uses it when she visits, meaning it has served four generations.
Gill, from Kent, UK, has her mother’s Philips electric egg whisk. She remembers her mother using it in the 1960s. It is a bit noisy, she says, but it still works perfectly.
Barry Lillis, 49, a product designer in London, took his mother’s old Tefal Thick’n’Thin toaster back to university after she replaced it at Christmas. The old one was still working, so he carried it through student accommodation and house shares until he bought his own place. Last year, his wife phoned to say the main electricity fuse was tripping whenever she turned on the toaster. He feared the worst, but found that a large lump of burnt toast was jammed inside, causing a short circuit. Disaster averted, the toaster continues to make perfect toast after 27 years.
Ian Watson, 66, a retired professor in Auckland, New Zealand, uses a Kenwood food processor his mother bought in the mid 1980s. She gave it to him when she upgraded, and it emigrated with him to New Zealand in 2000. He uses it weekly to make coleslaw, hummus, pastry and mayonnaise, and to blitz soups. It shows some signs of age, but everything works fine.
Tom Bentley, 71, from Watsonville, California, has a Sunkist Juicit juicer born sometime in the 60s or 70s. With a large lemon and lime tree in his backyard, the Juicit handles the abundant fruit with ease. He often makes lemonade or limeade, and says it is a pleasure to drink the sweetly tart juice.
Laina, 60, a navy veteran in northern Virginia, US, has a Vitantonio waffle maker that arrived as a wedding gift 31 years ago. It is still going strong, and is sturdy enough to toast cinnamon rolls that come in a tube and shape them into waffles. When it finally dies, she says a funeral will be held.
Sheilah, from Toronto, Canada, owns a Hoover upright vacuum cleaner bought in 1951. She has replaced the plug and the on/off switch a couple of times, and the motor gets cleaned at the same time. She inherited it from her mother and says it is much more powerful than the vacuums her friends own. She expects it to outlive her.
Jane McCall, 67, a retired Vancouver resident, and her husband bought a secondhand Electrolux vacuum cleaner when they moved in together 46 years ago. It has never broken and continues to work well. They occasionally take it to a repair shop for some TLC, where they are told never to get rid of it because they will never find anything better.
Eric Mintz, a retired man in Metuchen, New Jersey, has a Maytag washing machine and a Whirlpool tumble dryer bought in 1987 when they moved into their house. They have seen daily use, cleaning everything including reusable cloth nappies. Mintz says modern appliances can’t come close.
Lin Cochran, retired from Huntsville, Alabama, bought a Samsung Classic microwave in 1985 after reading a review in Consumer Reports. The kitchen was being rebuilt at the time, so the microwave was used in the garage during the renovation. Since then it has been used almost every day. Cochran wishes all her investments had been so successful.
Jason Connolly, 57, a district nurse in Macandrew Bay, New Zealand, has a 1974 Janex Batman and Robin wind up talking alarm clock. It still works, playing audio of Batman and Robin discussing why he should get out of bed. He loves it and smiles every time he sees it.
Richard, from Hong Kong, has a Digitron digital clock about 50 years old. He bought it when he was 14, having saved up pocket money earned as a golf caddie on Sundays, receiving £1.10 per round. The clock cost £15, which he considered a lot of money at the time. He grew up in Surrey, and the clock still sits by his bedside.
Ted Hume, 65, a journalist in Tasmania, Australia, attended the Royal Military College at Duntroon in Canberra before his journalism career, with a four year degree to become an army officer. Summers there were very hot, and in 1979 his parents bought him a Sanyo rotating fan. He still has it, and it works perfectly with no repairs needed. From his late teens to his late 60s, the fan has become part of the family. He hopes it never breaks.
David Dalle, 53, an IT worker in Ottawa, Canada, bought his home stereo secondhand in 1998. Since music is a large part of his life, the stereo is used daily. Apart from cleaning the power amplifier, it has never failed. He added a Technics turntable a few years ago. No technology is built to last like this, he says, and it sounds better than any phone.
Richard Rosing, 71, a writer and musician in Nashville, US, has a 1985 Hitachi colour TV console that has outlasted every other household appliance they have owned. Younger people, who weren’t even born when he bought it, have offered to buy it, but he has turned them down. They think it is the coolest retro piece of electronic gear they have seen.
Richard, 54, an audiovisual technician in The Hague, Netherlands, has a 1973 Sony Trinitron 13 inch colour TV. He uses it mostly for VHS tapes, but can also connect it to satellite TV using a device. It is a talking point when friends visit, and the picture is great for its age.
These appliances have become more than just machines; they are companions with stories to tell, outlasting their warranties and earning a permanent place in their owners’ hearts. As one reader remarked, they simply don’t make them like they used to.