I was thinking the other day about the longevity of consumer products. What do I have in my house today that has lasted longer than I or the consumer market expected? I gathered a handful of items, took photos, and wrote up this post.
Vacuum Cleaner (31 years)
This was a purchase made in my ‘bachelor’ days. I did not do any research on what would be the best vacuum for my lifestyle. I had just received a Sears debit card so I bought a cheap one at a mall in St. Louis. A Hoover Spirit 3.1HP with no retractable cord.
Today, we have a more sophisticated and powerful vacuum to clean the house. But when we need something simple that we can bang around without worrying about breaking it, we pull this vacuum off the shelf in the garage. It is great for vacuuming cars. It still has all its accessories and takes generic waste bags.
Stereo (28 years)
My first major purchase after I moved from Detroit to St. Louis was a stereo. I went to Circuit City and bought a Kenwood system that consisted of a receiver, amplifier, cassette tape deck/dubber, phonograph player, CD player, and stereo speakers. I no longer have cassette tapes or records and all my CDs have been digitized so I can play them on an mp3 player. I almost never listen to the radio. The amplifier and stereo speakers are currently integrated with our DVD player, digital TV, and Amazon FireStick. As much as it would be nice to implement surround sound or even Dolby 5.1, we are happy with our old-fashioned stereo.
One thing I acquired from my parent’s estate were a pair of Pioneer console speakers. They belonged to my father who bought them at discount through the U. S. Air Force and had them shipped to the U.S. from overseas. I had them hooked up for years in parallel with the Emerson speakers, but they produced weak sound. The Emerson amplifier just didn’t have the wattage to drive four speakers in a stereo configuration.
Earlier this year I got a hold of a GPX woofer/amplifier for $20. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but I hooked it up to the Emerson amplifier output and … YES … I now had enough power to drive the Pioneer speakers on their own circuit! So even though it is still just stereo output, I can fill more areas of environment and better reach the far reaches of the room.
Air Cleaner (25 years)
We bought this to help keep the dust and dander out of the air when we had two cats living with us. My allergies are easily triggered. This was one of a handful of ways used to allow both me and the cats to co-exist in the same space. (The passed away from old age many years ago). It currently runs continuously in the master bedroom at the foot of the bed. It has developed a vibration if the top works itself loose, but you just have to tighten it back up. Obviously the filter has to be changed a couple of times a year.
Laser Printer (21 years)
While everyone sells color ink-jet printers these days, we’ve been able to hold on to this black-and-white HP LaserJet 6L toner cartridge printer. It had a slot to upgrade the memory, which we did that right away. We originally used a parallel printer cable to connect it to a computer. When that cable technology went away on the PC, we were able to add a USB dongle and continue to use it. It doesn’t have a network card, so one of the PCs on our home network ‘owns’ it and then shares it with the rest of the workstations on the network.
Once or twice we had it serviced because of issues with feeding paper or strange squeaking noises. Refurbished loner cartridges are still available, but it is a matter of time before that technology is obsolete and ink cartridges will rank supreme.
Lawn Tractor (20 years)
For years Elaine and I lived in apartments and condos. There was no need for me to do landscaping or mow a lawn. When we bought a house on a couple of acres of land in Eureka, Missouri in the summer of 1999, that changed. We bought a heavy duty Sears Craftsman lawn tractor with a three-blade deck. Besides mowing, it could be used to haul landscaping material around.
Just like with our cars, we make sure do do regular maintenance. Once a year I change the oil and filters. I think it is on its fifth battery. The current one might last the rest of this year, if I am lucky. We used to have three sets of three blades and rotate them as one set got worn out. We only have two sets now because the third got ground down by sharpening so much there was no more cutting edge left to it.
The belts have been changed a couple of times. It is usually never preventative maintenance. When they break, we have to have the mower picked up by a repair shop and returned a couple weeks later. The mower deck is beat up and I can not get it leveled as good as I used to.
Over time, I’ve had to put duct tape over rips in the seat. The steering gear is worn out, so there is a lot of play in the wheel. At the end of every year, I tell myself, “Let’s see if it will make it one more year …”
Tennis Shoes (20 Years)
This is the only clothing item listed. I hate shopping for shoes. I don’t have feet that fit the standard sizes. When I find a pair that fits, I try to make them last. This pair is a bit wider than other shoes I wear. They definitely do not support my ankles. But they clean up easy, do not give me blisters, and have taken a beating without falling apart.
Mp3 Player (10 years)
I consider any consumer electronic device that lasts for over 10 years must be good quality. The advantage here is that on the Apple iPod, there are few moving parts. The MP3 audio file format seems like it is going to last awhile. The quality is good enough for me because I mostly listen to audio podcasts of the spoken word. I can still download podcasts from the iTunes application and sync them with the Nano.
This model has long been discontinued and there is no longer software upgrade support. It has many features that I don’t use: video and audio recording, radio, timers, games, and contact lists. The battery is slowing losing its ability to keep a charge. But it hardly ever runs out of juice during a walk or exercising before I can get it charged up again.
I had a scare a few days ago when it appeared to have died. I spent three hours researching a new brand on Amazon and was about to order ti, when I did some more troubleshooting on the iPod and got it working. The click wheel is a bit finicky when trying to back out of menus. I have found a third-party attachment that has a clip I use to mount on my shirt collar or waistband.