Generation difference

[steve from staten island]

My grinder stopped working, i diagnosed the problem went to the hardware store and bought a new plug and 6 feet of electric cord. Under ten dollars.
The next generation throws it into the garbage, just buys a new one.
My fathers generation goes under the work bench pulls out a box full of electric cords and plugs from old discarded appliances and fixes the grinder, cost? Nothing.
I was talking to a buddy about this today and its true, that generation a product of the depression wasted nothing and they knew how to save and make do.

 

[GetX'd]

That’s exactly what would have happened in my family too - makes you nostalgic for the olden times as they say.....

 

[MOPARENT]

Stuff back then was built to last and had value.....Take a walk thru your local dump someday, it's amazing to see what gets thrown out.

 

[Fran Blacker]

At local dump before curb side pickup 30yrs ago 20 foot cord on pool pump, one good yank and plugin end extension cord.

 

[Bladecutter]

I need to get my old Sioux 7" variable grinder/polisher running again. No metal bodied rotarys left.
The light machines chatter on surface too easily. My Sioux can lay FLAT on surface without chatter. Milwaukee still makes a decent machine, but the downward curve in handle effs up certain work angles.

 

[moparwacko]

Funny you bring this up. I was out in garage throwing junk with abandon. Until I came across my long lost stash of RR parts (switches, speedo clusters, all kind of electrical parts) from stripping 3 different 69 cars. I immediately went into hoarders remorse. I closed up for the day.
Ok, I did manage to toss some Neon stuff, but kept the starter- it's got to be worth something right?
Does anyone else have a gallon bucket of fuses, lamps and relays from junked cars?
I should never have to buy a fuse again.
Coffee cans full of clips, springs,etc. Nothing beats the real deal when you need a c-clip for a Thermoquad.
I may have a problem.

 

[Fran Blacker]

Funny you bring this up. I was out in garage throwing junk with abandon. Until I came across my long lost stash of RR parts (switches, speedo clusters, all kind of electrical parts) from stripping 3 different 69 cars. I immediately went into hoarders remorse. I closed up for the day.
Ok, I did manage to toss some Neon stuff, but kept the starter- it's got to be worth something right?
Does anyone else have a gallon bucket of fuses, lamps and relays from junked cars?
I should never have to buy a fuse again.
Coffee cans full of clips, springs,etc. Nothing beats the real deal when you need a c-clip for a Thermoquad.
I may have a problem.

Nah if you throw it out you'll need it. Threw out a 1" x14x16" piece of steel and 1/2" 12x 26" piece of copper, wife talked me into it. Dumb *** listened.

 

[WileE]

I got more nut, bolts, and screws than a hardware store.

 

[mopar 3 B]

I got more nut, bolts, and screws than a hardware store.

And I still go out and buy new ones when needed. Make no sense to sort for hours for a 50 cent item.

 

[mopar 3 B]

My grinder stopped working, i diagnosed the problem went to the hardware store and bought a new plug and 6 feet of electric cord. Under ten dollars.
The next generation throws it into the garbage, just buys a new one.
My fathers generation goes under the work bench pulls out a box full of electric cords and plugs from old discarded appliances and fixes the grinder, cost? Nothing.
I was talking to a buddy about this today and its true, that generation a product of the depression wasted nothing and they knew how to save and make do.

Nothing changed here Steve. I have a whole collection of used sump pump cords just waiting to be useful again. 90% of my good power tools are over 30 years old.

 

[oldbee]

My grinder stopped working, i diagnosed the problem went to the hardware store and bought a new plug and 6 feet of electric cord. Under ten dollars.
The next generation throws it into the garbage, just buys a new one.
My fathers generation goes under the work bench pulls out a box full of electric cords and plugs from old discarded appliances and fixes the grinder, cost? Nothing.
I was talking to a buddy about this today and its true, that generation a product of the depression wasted nothing and they knew how to save and make do.

LOL, I probably got 5-6 old cords stashed&awaiting. Every year the “other-half” cuts thru something & out one comes.

 

[PP1RT]

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[oldbee]

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View attachment 562878

“Honey we need to clean up the garage&shed a little.” BS “ go back in the house thats yours”.

 

[biomedtechguy]

The "Wal-Mart mentality" When it breaks, buy a new one...
The low price of cheaply made and cheaply sold items.
My audio gear is a range of ages, from 30 years old to a couple of years old. Mainly from being in the business and not being able to afford the best most uniquely outstanding stuff when it was new, I fell back on those benchmark items once I could afford them.
They don't make a lot of stuff as well as they used to.

 

[oldbee]

The "Wal-Mart mentality" When it breaks, buy a new one...
The low price of cheaply made and cheaply sold items.
My audio gear is a range of ages, from 30 years old to a couple of years old. Mainly from being in the business and not being able to afford the best most uniquely outstanding stuff when it was new, I fell back on those benchmark items once I could afford them.
They don't make a lot of stuff as well as they used to.

I think the keyword here is cheaply-made!

 

[mopar 3 B]

If sales see the need to sell an extended warranty just maybe its junk. But that would include just about anything and everything today.
The next federal trade agreement needs to have a life time warranty clause on all imports. Let the Chinese chew on that one for awhile.

 

[Fran Blacker]

Buying extended warranty is no bargain. Bought a new stove sales woman trying to sell me extended warranty for $130, stove was $500. If you drop something and break the smooth top it will cost $800 to fix. I say I'll just buy a new stove, queue the poke in ribs from the wife for being a smart ***.

 

[oldbee]

Garage radio that was my cousin’s. Probably as old as my Bee. Cassette player needs at least a new drive belt, haven’t got in to that yet. Extended warranty in the 60’s(?) they hadn’t thought of that yet!

 

[steve from staten island]

My father was a NYC Sanitation man. Back then they took stuff out of the garbage and had spots on the truck to stash it till they got back to the garage. Before yard sales were popular, people threw a lot of usable things out. I know this as fact as my parents house was loaded with ****, some good **** and some plain **** LOL. My dad had a van and in the van from top to bottom was always loaded up with stuff. He always collected discarded aluminum pots and pans and when he had enough to the scrap or junkies as we called it, they went. Same with brass and copper. He had a little cup on his cluttered desk filled with wedding bans. He explained that when he came across a wedding album throw out he knew often there was a wedding ban lurking somewhere and the eagle eye he was he found it. Did i mention dirty magazines my brother and i found in his stash?
After he died my brother who bought my parents home had to ripe off the roof of the carport. Under the tar roofing was plywood and it was rotten so it had to go. What my brother found was the plywood was in fact old signs that had been painted on the plywood and the old man got them after they were no longer needed. The old man used that wood. Pop didn't know it but he was going green and reducing his carbon foot print while Al Gore was still in diapers......
That box of cords i mentioned, well he had one with lamp parts, plugs and the like. He had screws of every kind
When my brother bought the house it took him months to clean the place up. It wasn't dirty as my mother was a clean freak but the old man had his storage and he never wasted anything. When i walked out of that hardware store after spending ten bucks i swear i heard him laughing at me.

 

[oldbee]

Love your dad and never even met him!!!