[avocollector]

I love the internet/you tube repair videos whenever I have something new or outside my experience. Recently I fixed a computer monitor by replacing the bulging caps in the power supply and if it had not been for the video, would probably have damaged it irrepairably getting it apart. As for repairing/recycling it's a pity the mens sheds movement cannot be used for this - often they have the requisite skills and experience and one wonders if a small levy on new goods to support this activity might not be a bad idea. Another alternative would be to require the makers to supply spares to them at cost.
Must admit I don't count the cost of repairs - recently I fixed a 1940's Weston multimeter after about 2 hours probing and measuring - a new cheap digital meter would have been far more sensible - but not half as much fun.