MLBFan24

So my Sharp Carousel microwave died this week. I was quite impressed by its lifespan - from 2002 (college dorm life) to Oct 2021.

That got me thinking - what’s the oldest item you have that you still use on a regular basis?

A car, a TV, a kitchen appliance? I guess a “house” would be a common answer, but can you think of anything else?

And as the old saying goes, they don’t make things like they use to. So I hope my new Sharp microwave lasts just as long as the old one.

Josh-da-man

Commodore 128

NES

Still have some old tools in my toolbox that still get use, some that even belonged to my grandfather (he was a mechanic).

Do things like books and records count? I still have a lot of old books and LPs that I've had since I was teenager that I still listen to/thumb through.

milo bloom

I also have books from my childhood/teen years that I still use from time to time.

I also have some CDs that I have kept for decades.

Most other stuff has been upgraded over the years. Even our cast iron skillet is only a few years old.

MLBFan24

Yes, it will be interesting to hear some stories about furniture, heirlooms, or in your case tools, that have been passed down generations.

Books and LPs definitely count. In this day and age where everyone wants the newest and coolest gadgets and there is so much consumption waste, it’s good to know people cherish/value old items that are still useful or bring them joy.

sportsfan64

I have a clock radio that I bought in 1987 that I still use. The refrigerator that came with my house 30 years ago is still going.

Bacon

Um my bladder

MR Round

My cars from 1956 so I guess it would be that, but of the things I bought new that I still use it would be my gameboy color, I got it in 1997 when I was 8 and i still use it alot

Vibiana

I wear my mother's engagement diamond on my right hand. It is 75 years old.

Michael Corvin

Posted this in another thread (not sure which), but the oldest in use item is probably my Return of the Jedi trash can(not my pic, mine's in worse shape):



Unless you count LEGO bricks. I saved all mine so they're mixed in with all the LEGO I've been buying my kids. Those would have the edge on the trash can by a few years.

GoldenJCJ

Tools is a good one. I still have a number of hand tools that belonged to my dad. Those are at least 30 years old. I also still use a tool box that belonged to both my dad and my grandpa. It’s at least 50 or 60 years old.

Paff

My Sharp microwave is from the mid 90s and still going strong.

I use a Technics turntable and Harman Kardon receiver, both made in 1976

tasha99

I have some mid century modern/Danish nesting teak tables from the 60s (not folding, but kind of tv-tray like). We used them as tv dinner tables when I was a kid. Now I usually use the biggest one as a little computer table.

Cardsfan111

I've got a trash can from 1985 - it's a St. Louis Cardinals National League champion can. As long my house is never destroyed by some kind of natural disaster, I suspect my answer will be the same when this thread is bumped in the future.

cultshock

If that's the case, I still have a crapload of books, LPs, CDs, etc. that I've owned since a teen or even younger, that I still look at/listen to sometimes.

But as far as "oldest", we have some antique furniture in our house (secretaries, dressers, chests) that have been in my family since the 1970's that my parents gave to me when they moved into a smaller place (so we are talking furniture that has been in my life for over 45 years and were built in the 1800's, that's pretty old )

jfoobar

My wife's vagina.

I do have some hand tools that were older than dirt when my Dad gave them to me and they are still hanging in there. My favorite hammer is probably almost as old as me.

rexinnih

I have an alarm clock I bought when I was in Japan in the mid-90's. Battery operated and still ticking.

Josh-da-man

I have an old Sharp Calculator from about 1980 or so that I still have...



(Not my photo; I had to google like crazy to find it.)

It's so old in runs on AAA batteries. It actually still works (at least the last time I checked about five years ago), which is surprising because all of my newer calculators always quit working after a year or two... the TI Scientific calculators I used in high school, and that big Casio graphing calculator I had for my senior year of high school. It quit working suddenly while I was in college.

Dunno if this counts for the thread since I don't actually use it, but I'm amused that it still works despite being over four decades old.

I was given this as a Christmas gift back when calculators were still pretty rare, and my grade school teachers hate that I had one.

Bronkster

Does underwear count?

I have a paper cutter that I got from my grandfather - probably 45 years ago, if I had to guess. It was old when I got it. I think he used it for photography stuff back in the '30s. I use it daily!

I also have a few antique furniture things - heirlooms? ... I just realized that the piano I have - from my grandmother's side of the family - may be 100 years old now. I should figure out how to check that!

Sonic

TomOpus

OP said "use on a regular basis"

movieguru

I have a metal Steelcase tankard desk that was manufactured in October 1976 according to the sticker underneath. bought it at the thrift store for $49. I had originally purchased it for the garage, but every Sauder, Ikea, and other put together desks are never made well and tend to fall apart after a few years use. I realized how sturdy this thing was and loved the industrial type decor, so I decided to clean it off and bring it in the office in my house. I've had it in hear for nearly fifteen years. This desk will probably outlast me.

andicus

I have an old Micronta (Radio Shack) battery tester that I still use. My grandmother gave it to me when I was about 10, so it's probably about 46 years old.

It looks like this:

Draven

I’ve got my grandfather’s router bit set that I still use and a bunch of wood files too.

I still have the center channel, mains and rear speakers I got for my first 5.1 system 20 years ago. MTX for the center and rears and NHT for the mains. Those things will not die and still sound great.

kd5

I started collecting vinyl LPs in about 1974 and I still listen to them occasionally so.....47 years?

rw2516

1950s popcorn popper. Still works. We used it growing up. I grabbed it when I moved out in 1976. Very primitive tech. Just a spring coil connected to power cord. The amazing thing is the lid is glass, like pyrex, and has survived 65 years without getting broken.

Several old restaurant/drive-in/beer logoed glasses and mugs from 60s 70s use regularly.

Original Lost in Space lunchbox from '65. Second grade. No thermos. Too beat up to be worth anything. Keep misc. doodads in it out in garage.

Freezer from 1990 in garage.

Never use it but still have a bible given to me in sunday school in 1964. At some point as a kid I placed a hot mold from Mattel Creepy Crawlers on the cover and put a burn scar on the cover.

Big Pioneer floor speakers from 1980s. 15" woofers.

Lots of Christmas and Halloween decorations from 60s and 70s. A lot of antique Christmas tree bulbs from 1950s. Paint is starting to flake on them.

1934 RCA upright console radio. No longer works but used as decoration. I've had it since 1974.

Old Style and Hamm's beer bar lights in kitchen. 1960s. Still work.

1999 Ford Explorer. Bought it new for cash. $27,500. Still have the cancelled check. Only had 4 miles on odometer when I got it. Never been driven. Had just been delivered to dealer. Seats and steering wheel still covered in plastic from factory. Only has 74,000 miles on it. Still has original exhaust. Plugs. Showing it's age but mechanically perfect. Did every scheduled maintenance. Kept every service paperwork. Have complete record.