After news that a couple from Gloucestershire are still using an Electrolux fridge from the 1930s, we asked readers about their experiences. From a 50-year-old TV to a 75-year-old vacuum cleaner, here are the old faithfuls
I have a 1974 Janex Batman and Robin wind-up talking alarm clock. Amazingly, it still works even though it’s more than 50 years old. It plays audio of Batman and Robin having a discussion on why should really get up and out of bed. I love it. Every time I see it, I smile. Jason Connolly, 57, district nurse, Macandrew Bay, New Zealand
I have a Hotpoint toaster that could be more than 100 years old and still toasts bread and bagels perfectly. It’s the same model my grandparents had. I recovered mine from a house that was being demolished. After cleaning it with baking soda and vinegar, it looks pretty good for its age. Heather Sebastian, retired teacher, Vancouver, Canada
When my husband and I moved in together 46 years ago, we bought a secondhand Electrolux vacuum cleaner. It’s been going strong ever since. It has never broken. We take it into the repair shop occasionally for a little TLC and they tell us to never get rid of it because we’ll never find anything better. Jane McCall, 67, retired, Vancouver, Canada
I inherited my grandmother’s Kenwood Chefette food mixer. I think she got it in about 1975. The plastic bowl gave up about 20 years ago, but the mixer is still going strong. Even my daughter uses it when she visits, so it has served four generations. Alick, 62, environmental health officer, Berkshire, UK
My parents bought a summer cottage in 1975 that came with an old fridge. It’s a Norge Customatic, made in Detroit, with an original inspection tag from 1956. I have it now and it worked like an absolute champ until it needed new wiring a couple of years back. Sure, I could have just found another more modern fridge but I always loved this one with its turquoise and gold sparkle interior. I found a business in nearby Quebec that specialises in antique kitchen appliances and they serviced it. It should be good for another 70 years. Anne Hartman, 50, repairer and builder of musical instruments, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
During my first year at university in London, when I went home for Christmas, my mum had replaced her old Tefal Thick’n’Thin toaster with a new one. The old one hadn’t been binned and was still working, so I took it back to university. It came with me on my adventures in student and young professional house shares, and eventually found a permanent home when I managed to buy my own place. Last year, we had a nasty scare when my wife phoned to say that the main electricity fuse was tripping when she turned on the toaster. I feared the worst but got home to find that a big lump of burnt toast was jammed inside and causing a short circuit. Disaster averted, and the old boy lived to fight another day! Still making perfect toast after the 27 years I’ve had it. Barry Lillis, 49, product designer, London, UK
I have a Digitron digital clock, which is about 50 years old. I bought it when I was 14 and it still sits by my bedside. I grew up in Surrey and I got it using my pocket money from being a golf caddie on Sundays, for which I got £1.10 per round. I think it cost £15, which was a lot of money for me then. Richard, Hong Kong
My home stereo was bought, secondhand, in 1998. A large part of my life is built around music and the stereo gets used daily. Besides a cleaning of the power amplifier, it has never failed. I added a Technics turntable a few years ago. There is no technology of any sort built to last like this. It sounds far better than any phone. David Dalle, 53, IT worker, Ottawa, Canada
Our television is a 1985 Hitachi colour TV console. It has outlasted every household appliance we have owned. We have turned down multiple offers from younger people, who weren’t even born when we bought it, and think it’s just the coolest retro piece of electronic gear they’ve seen. Richard Rosing, 71, writer and musician, Nashville, US
In 1985, we rebuilt our kitchen and bought a Samsung Classic microwave after seeing a review in Consumer Reports magazine. During the renovation, we used the microwave to cook in the garage. Since then it’s been in use almost every day. I wish all of our investments had been so successful. Lin Cochran, retired, Huntsville, Alabama, US
Before I became a journalist, I attended Australia’s Royal Military College, Duntroon, in Canberra, to embark on a four-year degree to become an army officer. It was very hot there during the summer. In 1979, my parents bought me a Sanyo rotating fan. I still have it and it works perfectly and has never needed repair. It has been with me since my late teens to now, my late 60s. It has become part of the family in a way – it’s always there through the ups and downs. I just hope it never breaks. Ted Hume, 65, journalist, Tasmania, Australia
I have a Kenwood food processor that my mother bought in the mid-1980s. She gave it to me when she bought a newer model. It emigrated with me to New Zealand in 2000. I use it weekly to make coleslaw, hummus, pastry and mayonnaise, and to blitz soups. It shows some signs of age but everything works fine. Ian Watson, 66, retired professor, Auckland, New Zealand
I have a 1973 Sony Trinitron 13in colour TV. I mostly use it for playing VHS tapes but I can also connect it to satellite TV using a device. It’s a real talking point when friends come to visit. The picture is great for its age. Richard, 54, audiovisual technician, The Hague, the Netherlands
Our Vitantonio waffle-maker was a wedding gift and is 31 years old. It is still going strong. It’s sturdy enough to toast cinnamon rolls that come in a tube and shape them into waffles. A funeral will be held on its demise. Laina, 60, navy veteran, northern Virginia, US
