What vintage items do you have in everyday use?

[Joe_Lorenz]

My wife relies on her trusted Maytag A105 (about 1965) and Constructa CV720 (1986) washing machines. No fuzzy no logic but electro-mechnical timers.

My late father-in-law's Weiler MD 260 (mid 1950s) lathe is still running strong. It is not as nice as a Myford (that I never got to acquire) but rock solid.

My youngest oscilloscopes are Tek 7603 and Hameg 103 whilst I prefer to use the Tek 545B.

In our dining room there are an Ingelen (Austria) valved radio and a 1969 Rock Ola 464 Concerto juke box that are regularly fired up. A 1960 Philips Philetta is the daily in the kitchen.

[Sideband]

Leak Delta 70, Leak valve troughline stereo tuner (best sounding tuner I've ever had), Marantz direct drive turntable, Philips CD207 CD player, and a pair of Philips bass reflex floor-standing 4-way speakers that I restored about 15 years ago (new rubber suspensions). In the bedroom I regularly use a Hacker VHF Herald or a Stella ST160 valve radio. Less frequently used is a Philips 11TG190A TV and a Perdio Portarama TV when I'm in the workshop (along with a Pye 11U and a Ferguson 454 portable).

[Laurence Smith]

I alternate between an HMV 1117 and Bush DAC10 for R4 LW in the morning and listen to a Grundig 3028 or Bush VHF90A in the garage/workshop at the moment.

[19Seventy7]

Radio is most commonly my 1969 Grundig RF430GB, usually tuned into GHR, and sometimes Magic, if GHR is noisy. I also often use my 1954 Bush AC34 which is tuned to a small MW transmitter.

Television is my main interest, so I have more variety of sets to use. At the moment the sets that see the most use from me are my 1969 BRC 1400 Baird, 1972 BRC 1500 Marconiphone and if I feel like treating myself, colour viewing is done on either my 1977 Hitachi CTP-213 or 1978 Beovision 3802, but this often changes.

Audio is done via my 1971 Decca Compact 3 for all manner of records, and also compact cassette (via a ~1973 Sanyo RD4260) or 8-track (via a ~1973 Oscar something-or-other) which are both plugged into the rear of the Decca via a DIN splitter. The Decca also provides radio for the living room. I listen to my small handful of reel to reel tapes on a mid-late 60s Ferguson 3218, and have a 1969 Bush RP50 in my bedroom.

I occasionally use portable audio devices too, I didn’t vote for this as it’s no longer everyday, but I’d take a ~1986 Sanyo MPG9 out with me, and it served me very well at my last job, so thought it was worth a mention at least.

My VCR is a (now) unbranded 1978 Ferguson 3V22/Baird 8922, which is used both for recording off air programming and playing them back, as well as prerecorded films and shows. I also have a 1978 Sanyo VTC9300 for Betamax, but VHS is my favoured format and thus daily driver. This is usually played back on my aforementioned Hitachi and Beovision.

I use a late 70s Moulinex Aspirator N°1 handheld vacuum cleaner, which is very handy when it comes to cleaning up the shells of birdseed that have been spat through the bars of the cage! Along with this I also use my nans ~1976 Leifheit carpet sweeper. Heavy duty vacuuming is done with a 90s/00s Argos vacuum, which hardly feels vintage in comparison!

No washing machine or iron, but we do have a late 70s/early 80s Thorn Bendix De Luxe tumble dryer, which doubles up as cable storage when not in proper use!

We also use a 1976 Pifco toaster, which some of you may remember as being the topic of an asbestos related thread here. My dad saw no problem with using it as it doesn’t get disturbed often, so it stayed..

Extra heat is provided by a 1976 Ekco electric heater, which for something as small as it is chucks some heat out so only needs to be run for 5-10 minutes to do its job.

My main clock is a 1973 Binatone flip clock, which also doubles up as a radio from to time. I also frequently use the clock on the front of my VCR, which is in the same room.

If it counts, our Pyrex kitchen scales are also from the 70s, in a very fetching colour scheme of brown and orange, might I add! I also have a pair of mechanical egg beaters from the 70s too. I do also use a mix of 60s and 70s GPO 746s and TRIM phones plugged into a bluetooth gateway so I can make and receive phone calls through my mobile instead of a dedicated landline.

If I have the choice between new and old, I will pick the old every single time! It may not always be as convenient or as efficient, but I get far more pleasure out of the older stuff than I would new. If something new breaks down, I just see it as an excuse to replace it with something older and worth repairing if/when that breaks down. So far it has all served me well, not always without their flaws and faults but that’s all part of the fun!

One home brewed device I have and still use, is a digital clock (TTL). It is now vintage, since I made it in 1972. I had not used it for a while, as a couple of the 7-seg displays had given up BUT - imagine my surprise when searching for something entirely different in a box of stuff I once got from a club junk sale, I found six displays of the right type and brand new! My clock is once again displaying the time to the nearest second.

[agardiner]

In today's disposable world, it is heartening to read the various posts here and see how older technology is still in everyday service for so many.

There are one or two members here who seem to almost have time capsule homes!

[sexton_mallard]

At the moment, TV is a KB RV10 via Freeview and Aurora (HDMI adaptor broke, new one ordered otherwise stream YouTube to it). Radio is (via pantry tx and normal broadcast) a (Dundrum) Pye P45, McMichael 481AC, Bush BS 35 in the dining room with bluetooth to gram socket. Ekco U354 for FM & with a Bluetooth to FM car adaptor, and right this second a Roberts 707. 80's Hi-fi separates in kitchen, home office and shed. Auritone 16D8 clock radio in the bedroom. All of these get swapped with other sets from time to time.

[Maarten]

A 1985 Marynen branded Zanussi washing machine, bought new by my parents. Replaced the heating element and the pump one time each, the program clock twice over the years. It does have a bit of rust, but nothing serious.

Also a Nilfisk upright aluminium vacuum that must be 40-50 years old by now, I think a GS70.

[PaulE27]

Originally Posted by agardiner

In today's disposable world, it is heartening to read the various posts here and see how older technology is still in everyday service for so many.

There are one or two members here who seem to almost have time capsule homes!

Surely this is because many older consumer-durables were just that!

[Rich Woods]

Too many to list really. A wireless in most rooms, modified Leak Stereo 20 & pre amp, Thorens TD150, Quad ESL’s, GEC BT302, etc, etc. “Out of my cold, dead fingers” as Charlton Heston once said….

[Joe_Lorenz]

We generally tend to prefer vintage items. The washing machine has drawn my special interest as to how long could I be able to fix upcoming problems?

The story dates back to 1985 when my wife and myself - just married - decided to invest in "our first brand new washing machine", that Constructa CV 760. It has survived tough times by now: Two boys, twice relocated, frequent duties as erecting buildings, cutting firewood, restoring cars and riding horses generates much laundry! Over the years the usual repairs have been necessary: Shock absorbers worn out, door seal cracked, MP capacitor exploded, motor bearings and brushes worn out, drum bearings and seals worn out, drive belt broken. No serious problem nor expensive parts needed, so I fixed it all. Someday we found out the bottom plate had developed rust holes and the shock mounts had come loose, but then the machine was over 30 years old already. As my youngest son was eager to gain some welding practice then we built a new bottom plate, making dismantling necessary. Just having some Volkswagen "Atlantic metallic blue" spray paint at hand and everything being apart it was easy to do a paint job at that time. Quite nice!

We have got a Maytag A105, too, as mentioned, but this one is so huge that it is used fewer times only. In 2012 we had the idea it would be good to have a "modern" washing machine, too, as both old-timers could break down beyond repair any day. So a computer controlled AEG Lavamat machine moved in. Guess what has happened in the meanwhile? That AEG has developed faulty control boards twice, once replaced and now headed to the skip!

And the experiment "Constructa 1986" is still running!

[Paul_RK]

In our previous homes we at first used a succession of vintage washing machines from auctions and junk shops - a Bendix LT, a couple of Hotpoint Empresses, an early Servis Supertwin and a Rolls Rapide among them - but with no garage space here they were distributed among a group of collectors shortly before our last move, and I couldn't tick the vintage washing machine box as our present workhorse is a Miele new in 2004 which has yet to need any attention. If and when it fails, we do have this Acme Ace waiting to take over until it's either working again or replaced... a part of me rather likes the idea of trying to wash clothes in this one, but not week in, week out... and the tumble drier to its left, an early Burco Tumblair, is decidedly vintage, but we've not often used it lately.

Paul

[Panrock]

My lounge is c.1949, with a Dynatron Ether Conqueror in one corner, a Baird Townsman (with Bush TV24 insides) in the other, and a giant Defiant MSH938 also on view.

Steve

[jjl]

I have my 1957 Murphy A272C and 1969 Hacker RP38 Hunter VHF radios in regular use. When things go wrong, I break out the 1991 Fluke 77.

John

[electronicskip]

I use my Laserdisc player quite a bit, it's always under my TV wired in so I guess that also comes under (other).

[agardiner]

Originally Posted by Joe_Lorenz

We generally tend to prefer vintage items. The washing machine has drawn my special interest as to how long could I be able to fix upcoming problems?

The story dates back to 1985 when my wife and myself - just married - decided to invest in "our first brand new washing machine", that Constructa CV 760. It has survived tough times by now: Two boys, twice relocated, frequent duties as erecting buildings, cutting firewood, restoring cars and riding horses generates much laundry! Over the years the usual repairs have been necessary: Shock absorbers worn out, door seal cracked, MP capacitor exploded, motor bearings and brushes worn out, drum bearings and seals worn out, drive belt broken. No serious problem nor expensive parts needed, so I fixed it all. Someday we found out the bottom plate had developed rust holes and the shock mounts had come loose, but then the machine was over 30 years old already. As my youngest son was eager to gain some welding practice then we built a new bottom plate, making dismantling necessary. Just having some Volkswagen "Atlantic metallic blue" spray paint at hand and everything being apart it was easy to do a paint job at that time. Quite nice!

Absolutely fantastic. Reminds me of that wonderful quote in Only Fools and Horses where Trigger looks after his old broom; '...this old broom has had had 17 new heads and 14 new handles in it's time....'

[bigfathairyvika]

My go to multimeter is a Micronta Bench digital which I purchased new in the 1980s I think.
It's been the most reliable bit of kit I've even owned.
I have repaired it a few times, the faults being entirely of my own doing, usually over current from leaving the probes connected to the 10 AMP sockets.
What is really surprising is that even with forgetting to turn it off sometimes, it is only on its third set of batteries. The last being fitted only four years ago.

Pretty good for a 40+ year old thing.

[gingpeakin]

I use an HP45 calculator from 1974. It sits on my bench and runs on a 5V USB from my desktop PC.

[TonyDuell]

The HP45 (and also the 35 and 55) can be run from the HP charger unit even without a good battery in the calculator. The official supply voltage is 4.2V, 5V should be OK,but...

I assume you know about the stopwatch mode of the HP45.

[gingpeakin]

I know. Sadly I also have a very dead HP25 that had no battery in it. It's programme memory was defunct before this happened. The stopwatch is a bit of fun. I really like the bubble LED displays as they are so much easier to read than LCDs.