# Surprisingly Durable Products
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [March 12, 2003, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761 "2003-03-12T05:55:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/1 "2003-03-12T05:55:32Z")
Most things these days are just not built to last. But sometimes you run across something that has defied conventional wisdom and has survived longer than you ever thought it would. A couple examples:
With a **Sports Illustrated** subscription, my SO got a “free” semi-cheesy looking SI watch. He started wearing it when his regular (and much more expensive) watch bit the dust. Nearly 3 years later, that SI watch is still ticking! I never would have thought that thing would last more than 3-6 mos. He’s even replaced the battery in it once and it’s done just fine.
In addition, I have been using the same hairbrush since I was a freshman in college. It was an off-brand, I probly paid less than $3.00 for it at the time and I have never found any other style or type of brush I like better. That was nearly 20 years ago!!! (of course, I clean it regularly–it doesn’t have 20 yrs of crud on it or anything…)
What items have stood the test of time that you never expected to last ?
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### Author:  [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/2 "2003-03-12T06:08:12Z")
My HP 15C calculator is chugging right along, 20 years old. Think I’ve replaced its batteries two or three times. It’s dented and scratched and looks like hell, but works fine.
The $25 portable CD player (that price included a car power adapter and cassette player thingie) has continued to amaze me for the past 18 months, despite being made by someone named “Combined Luck” Any time I play a CD that I paid regular price for, I’m reminded that the CD is worth more than the player.
Stuff from Ikea. Two bucks for a pair of kitchen shears? Can’t go wrong there, especially when they’re sharp and strong. Dishwasher-safe, no less.
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### Author:  [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/3 "2003-03-12T08:09:45Z")
I’ve got a digital electric alarm clock (one with the digits on the rims of three spinning wheels) that has been keeping perfect time for 25 to 30 years now! I’ve repaired some cracks in the plastic housing a couple of times and oiled it maybe twice. It’s the most faithful thing I’ve ever owned.
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### Author:  [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/4 "2003-03-12T08:43:00Z")
My Mac IIsi (b. 1991) was going pretty strong in 2000. Outdated, but it got the job done. System 7.5, ADB, printer, and modem ports all limited online access, but I couldn’t afford it anyway.
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### Author:  [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/5 "2003-03-12T08:46:16Z")
I’ve abused the hell out of my Palm m100.
It just keeps on ticking.
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### Author:  [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/6 "2003-03-12T09:10:27Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by gotpasswords \*
> **My HP 15C calculator is chugging right along, 20 years old. Think I’ve replaced its batteries two or three times. It’s dented and scratched and looks like hell, but works fine.**
I got you beat, I think. I have a Casio FX100 calculator that my father bought circa 1984, and gave to me when I went to high school in 1985. I still use it to this day, and it has a pair of AA-batteries in it of the Dutch brand “Witte Kat” (“White Cat”). Now, recently I was reading a newspaper article about Dutch companies that are no longer with us. Turns out “Witte Kat” went bankrupt in 1986! :eek:
I’ve used the same razor handle (Gillette Sensor) since 1992 or so. The connectors are getting a bit loose, though. Might have to shell out for one of those razor & three blades packs again. 🙂
My Seiko Chronograph that I got in 1992 is scratched a lot, but it keeps on ticking just fine. Replaced the batteries about 4 times, and the band about 6 times. I no longer wear it daily, but I did for a full decade.
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### Author:  [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/7 "2003-03-12T12:49:56Z")
Here’s a story about a [light bulb that’s been used regularly for 65 years](http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/page.cfm?objectid=12718077&method=full&siteid=50143)
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### Author:  [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/8 "2003-03-12T13:03:17Z")
I’ve got an LCD battery-operated alarm clock that’s been working for 13 years, and I HAVEN’T EVEN HAD TO CHANGE THE BATTERY YET!
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### Author:  [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/9 "2003-03-12T13:11:18Z")
I’ve got two small microwave-safe plates that are probably more than a decade old. When they first started making microwave frozen entrees, they put them on these very durable plastic plates. They were supposed to be disposable, but they quickly became the plate of choice in our household because they were small and easy and fast and so what if it broke? We used to have about a dozen of them, now we have just two, still in regular use.
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### Author:  [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/10 "2003-03-12T13:43:48Z")
I have Nikon 35MM camera that my dad handed down to me. It’s semi automatic - you just tap a button and it gives you the read outs, then you adjust as necessary.
It has the original battery (like a watch battery). My dad got the camera around 1981.
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### Author:  [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/11 "2003-03-12T13:46:07Z")
I’ve got a little Casio fx-78 10-digit scientific calculator that I purchased my senior year in high school, way back in 1984. Not only is it still working, but it’s still on its original battery. Now granted, it _is_ a lithium battery, but still…
Of course, I’m sure it helps that ever since graduating college I probably only turn the thing on once every year or so.
😉
Barry
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### Author:  [@Winnie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winnie)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/12 "2003-03-12T14:24:49Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Evil Captor \*
> \*\*I’ve got two small microwave-safe plates that are probably more than a decade old. When they first started making microwave frozen entrees, they put them on these very durable plastic plates. They were supposed to be disposable, but they quickly became the plate of choice in our household because they were small and easy and fast and so what if it broke? We used to have about a dozen of them, now we have just two, still in regular use. \*\*
My folks have these! I’ll bet anything they’re about the same age as yours, too. They came from one particular brand of frozen dinners that always provided these small round, kind of beige-colored plastic plates – not like the disposable cheapie ones of today, but GOOD solid plastic plates! Some of ours developed little heat bubbles in the plastic over the years, but they’ve stayed in decent shape.
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### Author:  [@Daftbugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daftbugger)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/13 "2003-03-12T14:33:31Z")
I once dropped my Walkman (circa 1991) in the bath. After it dried out, it worked just fine. It finally died about 3 years later after about 10 years of constant use.
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### Author:  [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/14 "2003-03-12T14:50:23Z")
Ah!! I have an Aiwa walkman that I bought in 1987. It still works, but the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired. Then again, it could just as well be the tapes: haven’t bought any new ones since what, 1993 or so? Admittedly, I haven’t used the Aiwa in 3 years or so, for all I know it’s broken already.
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### Author:  [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/15 "2003-03-12T15:09:30Z")
I needed a watch almost 6 years ago; I picked up a cheap-o $10 digital watch.
Wouldn’t you know it? Almost 6 years later, it still keeps perfect time, and I’ve _never_ changed the battery! Best ten bucks I’ve spent on a watch.
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### Author:  [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/16 "2003-03-12T15:29:40Z")
Last month, my $5 watch that I bought at Wal-Mart in December 1995 quit working–over sever years of _reliable_ time-keeping! Yep. It kept excellent time.
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### Author:  [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/17 "2003-03-12T17:13:26Z")
HA!! I’ve got ya all beat! I’ve got a 33 year old, perfectly good, never replaced it’s battery human body. Slightly, obscured left thigh, do to it’s getting in a motorcycle accident with it was about 15 years old.
Aside from it’s mate which has been with it for 7 years it’s the smartest most handsome machine I’ve ever seen.
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### Author:  [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/18 "2003-03-12T17:23:44Z")
I think my old man has everyone beat. Whenever he’s doing yard work, he pulls out his circa 1963 [Westinghouse transistor radio](http://www.geocities.com/~galaxym31/trans/US/1azWestHorizShtpkt.html) and listens to it. Still works like a charm! It’s still in the original leather case as well.
I can’t think of too many other 40 year old items in common use around the house anymore.
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### Author:  [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/19 "2003-03-12T17:58:57Z")
My razor goes back to the 1880s.
That’s right, it’s more than 120 years old.
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### Author:  [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2003, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprisingly-durable-products/160761/20 "2003-03-12T18:44:30Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by bump \*
> \*\*I think my old man has everyone beat. Whenever he’s doing yard work, he pulls out his circa 1963 [Westinghouse transistor radio](http://www.geocities.com/~galaxym31/trans/US/1azWestHorizShtpkt.html) and listens to it. Still works like a charm! It’s still in the original leather case as well.
>
> I can’t think of too many other 40 year old items in common use around the house anymore. \*\*
Oooh!! How could I forget?
I have a Graetz tube radio. Never really investigated its age, until now. [Check it out.](http://www.kidbiz.com/item127.htm)
Early sixties at least, so 40 years old. Works excellent! Mine isn’t in the shape the one on the link is in, but apparently, it’s worth a couple of hundred bucks. I love that thing, I play it at night sometimes. Takes at least three minutes to warm up, but it has a very warm sound.
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