# what's the oldest electronic item in your house that you still use? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 27, 2011, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152 "2011-01-27T04:38:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/41 "2011-01-27T18:01:16Z")
We have a GE wall clock that’s been in use since 1960. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/42 "2011-01-27T18:13:02Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > High five. I also have an original NES, but I don’t use it too often. Damn things get one speck of dust in them and cease working. I get tired of blowing into the cartridge every time I want to play. Does that even work? Why does everyone do it? It works, temporarily, by depositing a layer of moisture on the contacts that help make contact with the probably bent-out-of-shape contacts in the NES cartridge port. The design of the cartridge port requires the cartridge to push up against a row of flexible metal pins, which bend out of place over time (and bend excessively when used with non-licensed cartridges which tend to use thicker circuit boards, or when used with the Game Genie which engages the pins at an extreme angle); there are guides online on how to bend the pins back into position to allow the NES to work better (no more flashing on and off!), and replacement cartridge ports are fairly cheap online (Google “72 pin connector” to find them-- it’s pretty simple to open the NES and swap in a new connector if you don’t feel like bending 72 pins by hand with a teeny screwdriver). ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/43 "2011-01-27T18:13:20Z")
I have several still working selenium cell photo meters from the 40’s and 50’s A working Canon AE-1 from about 1975 (“So advanced, it’s simple” Even Stevie Wonder could get pics of a tennis pro using it.) A TI calculator from the 80’s ---
**Author:** ![UncleMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e0b2c6/32.png) [@UncleMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleMoose)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/44 "2011-01-27T18:14:21Z")
Amana RadarRange microwave from 84. Bought it when I worked for Raytheon (who owned Amana) so I got it at half price. IIRC, it was still about $350. Works fine, although I should probably check if the door gasket is still working ok. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/45 "2011-01-27T18:18:19Z")
Is a standard POTS telephone “electronic” enough for this thread? If so, I have one of the first ones made with a touchpad in place of the rotary dial, ca. 1958, although I don’t trust the digit generation enough to dial out. And I have a princess-style POTS phone that works perfectly from ca. 1962. Here’s one. I have my dad’s 1/4" Black & Decker electric drill made about 1945 that was used heavily in the 1960’s, but still works great after a factory overhaul in the 1980’s. And a neighbor has my mom’s 1942 metal-body Singer Sewing Machine, which I understand is a better unit to use for making drapes than modern, flimsy ones. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/46 "2011-01-27T18:27:11Z")
I have a 1965 Fender Mustang electric guitar and a 1966 Fender Bassman amp that I still use. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/47 "2011-01-27T18:33:22Z")
I have a [Friden (Singer) paper tape word processor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friden_Flexowriter) (a newer model of the one pictured here), but to be honest, I use it only occasionally, just to impress the kids in the neighborhood. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/48 "2011-01-27T18:41:34Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Question for those of you with tube-based electronics - how do you keep them in working order? Don’t tubes burn out and need to be replaced eventually? Yes. You can still buy tubes, though. We’ve got so many tube amps etc because my husband is a tube junkie. He built the amps. He must have over a thousand spare tubes in his workshop. He designs and sells circuit boards for tube amp do-it-yourselfers. He gave me my engagement ring in a Sovtek box. For our wedding cake toppers, I glued googly eyes on vacuum tubes (one curvy, one straight up and down). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/49 "2011-01-27T18:43:23Z")
My GE clock radio was purchased in 1988. I have a Texas Instruments TI-36X statistical calculator in my office, which I’ve used for most of my career. The copyright on the instruction card says 1992, which sounds about right for when I bought it. There’s an old yellow Bell / AT&T wall phone (looks like [this](http://www.newtechindustries.com/newtech/royale/images/traditional/2554%20ASphones-030519_edited.jpg), only bright yellow) on the wall in my basement. It came with the house (which we bought in 1996), but it was old then. I’d guess 1970s vintage. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/50 "2011-01-27T19:26:40Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Have a TV, refridgerator and deep freeze which were purchased with my first pay cheque in Jan 1983. Haven’t had repairs to any of them. > [@Cicero](#): > > Must have been one hell of a pay cheque to allow you to afford all those. 😃 Fer sure. What was your first job, **penultima thule**? P.S. Not electronic, but the oldest appliance we have is a Hitachi rice cooker, received as a wedding gift in 1983. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/51 "2011-01-27T19:30:29Z")
A 1946 Kitchenaid mixer. It needs new blades due to a dumb@$$ move by my Mom a few months ago, but otherwise still serving my family into the fourth generation. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/52 "2011-01-27T19:37:03Z")
It just occurred to me that the chiming electric clock on my mantel, according to a servicing label inside the case, must have been made close to 70 years ago. It was serviced by a jeweler in 1948. I presume it must have been in use for a while to require service. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/53 "2011-01-27T20:04:45Z")
I recently got my uncles Zenith radio restored. It was made in 1948. Works great. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/54 "2011-01-27T20:16:14Z")
I still have, and use, my Lady Norelco electric razor from around 1976, which would make it about 34 years old. Over the years, every now and then I would buy a new electric razor when new technology supposedly made them “better”. Threw all of them away. Not a single one has even been half as good as the old Lady Norelco. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/55 "2011-01-27T20:57:02Z")
My 1985 GE toaster oven. It’s a little rusty, and the handle wobbles, but it still toasts my bagel to just the right shade of golden brown. Underneath it sits a brand new toaster oven, still in the box, that I asked for and received as a holiday gift about 10 years ago. Someday, when my current toaster fails, I’ll open it up and try it out. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/56 "2011-01-27T21:19:11Z")
Probably my Panasonic Technics turntable. Most of the other audio components have been replaced, but that still functions perfectly. I even still have the Discwasher, with original fluid. It’s all from 1978. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/57 "2011-01-27T21:25:43Z")
Oh, I should add that I still have (and sometimes use) the component stereo system I bought in 1989, when I first started working and earning money. The receiver / amp and tape deck still function, though the turntable and original CD player have given up the ghost. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/58 "2011-01-27T21:31:08Z")
I’ve got an 1980s vintage boombox with tape cassette, b&w TV and AM/FM radio in my home office. The radio still works great! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/59 "2011-01-27T22:30:30Z")
Sitting next to my bed to this day is my brother’s old [Tensor lamp](http://www.etsy.com/listing/28872871/vintage-task-light-light-gray-desk-lamp). He got it new in 1965. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152/60 "2011-01-27T22:48:16Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Probably my Panasonic Technics turntable. Most of the other audio components have been replaced, but that still functions perfectly. > > I even still have the Discwasher, with original fluid. > > It’s all from 1978. Oooo. I have a Technics turntable, too. I should look to see if it predates my boombox. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-electronic-item-in-your-house-that-you-still-use/569152.md?page=4)