I pulled the plug on my twenty year old microwave oven today for the last time.
That little microwave survived six moves and never complained a bit.
She was a real trooper up until the last week or so when she started making noises not usually associated with a microwave oven. I requested a diagnosis in GQ and got the bad news–she wasn’t necessarily extremely dangerous but she surely wasn’t going to get any better, either. What with the prices of new ones ridiculously low and offering better performance in a smaller package, it just didn’t make any sense to continue with old bessie.
I tend to hang on to things way too long, beyond the point where they are no longer an asset and have become a liability. It’s always sad to say goodbye to these inanimate objects.
Is is sad, especially when they’ve served us so faithfully. Har! A pun! (Sorta.)
postcards, you have my Kenmore beat by at least a few months. The label says manufactured March 1985. I roasted a turkey in it once – turned out great.
Well, AuntiePam, I never thought to look for a manufacturing date; turns out mine was made in September 1987. So you get the title.
I thought mine was from my ex-wife’s first apartment, which she got in '84. Turns out it was from her second place. Still, 24 years (and still going strong) is pretty good, but then, it’s only got three moving parts (the turntable, the door, and the door-release button).
Well, the responsible thing to do is to get her to a [del]farm[/del] recycling center where they will lovingly disassemble her so her parts and materials will go to appliance heaven.
I had a Litton from 1987-2010. Solid and dependable microwave.
The computer inside started freezing up and the keypad died. unplugging it for a few minutes helped for awhile. It got to the point it froze up every time it was used. I finally had to get a new one.
I’ve heard the new ones don’t last ten years. Even five years is pushing it for the cheap stuff they sell today.
I’ve been hearing that a lot lately. Bessie cost more than $100 in 1991 dollars and her equivalent “replacement” cost $54 yesterday. I’m hoping but not expecting this one to be a long-term asset.
I guess it just doesn’t make sense to make an appliance today that lasts a long time. It’s really hard to differentiate your product in a mature market–everyone’s buying and selling on the “low, low” price.
We moved to Fort Worth in 1988, and we’d had our microwave for several years before that. It doesn’t have a turntable, and it doesn’t have settings for things like popcorn, but it’s still working.
It would be nice to have a turntable. But I’m not going to get a new microwave until this one dies or starts dying.
I didn’t read your GQ thread, but if the noises sounded like sparks, it may only need a new mica shild for the magic beam that cooks the food.
I’ve had my sharp since 1993 and I’ve replaced the shield twice. You can tell when it needs to be changed by the black spot in the middle of the shield.
Most repair places won’t tell you about it, because a large sheet of mica is cheap, but hard to find.
I remember when I was a kid, my parents had a microwave that used those old flip-down style numbers, from before digital clocks were around. It had mechanical dials, not buttons, to set the cook time. It was a beast, and I’ll never forget it. We got rid of it not because it broke, but because my parents wanted all the appliances in the kitchen to match. I think we gave it away, and it may still be cooking meals to this day for all I know. they sure don’t make 'em like they used to!
I love my 1976 Carousel microwave. Although it did require one repair, about 15 years ago. The interior light burned out - damn thing cost $25 for get fixed.
I just sold my old trusty panasonic sensor-cooking, inverter microwave on craigslist today. The guy came over and wanted to see that it worked. He reached for the controls to start it running. I was like, “uh, you need to put something in it”. He said “oh, really?”. So I put a glass of water in it and he asked “it’s OK to put glass in it?”.
I fear my baby will not be well treated in its new home, but it can’t stay holed up in the garage forever, and I’ve got a bright and shiny over-the-range one in this house. Sigh.
I have a 1988? Litton that’s still chugging along. Periodically it has similar spells to aceplace57’s - the keypad refuses to work, or the door has to be shut in just the right way for the start button to work, or it just shuts off even though there’s time left.
I’m not really sentimental about this microwave, though I do form attachments to some appliances. It’s just that I know that this particular microwave will work without giving me any problems. If I buy a new one, I might get flames coming out of it. This one is boring, but reliable. Sometimes boring is good.
