When appliances were built to last!

[Gavin John Hyde]

Have been at a house today to do a quote to install an alarm system as an old lady is moving in with her daughter and will in due course be selling the house to another relative. so want it secure when empty.
She moved into this house in 1974 when she and her husband came over from India. They bought a cooker in 1974 from Argos and the thing still works.. so I googled it and she paid the princely some £59.95. I found a old catalogue from back then with the model in.
https://issuu.com/retromash/docs/argos-no02-1974 page 88-89 item 2
I cant think of any modern cooker that will last over 40 years! they are built to be replaced and disposed of nowadays. The lady said she likes her cooker, it works, never had an issue with it and why replace it? she has brought up 4 children cooking all the time on this thing and it still works and looked quite clean and tidy as she is very house proud.
looking at these old argos books has made me nostalgic though, its funny how a lot of the things i had as a kid have come back around.... its funny looking at some of the old tools from back then...

 

[LeeH]

Dam it! It’s time for bed and now I have to read a pesky 1974 Argos catalogue!

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Dam it! It’s time for bed and now I have to read a pesky 1974 Argos catalogue!

it will make you feel childlike again looking at what you once wanted for xmas

 

[LeeH]

I was born in 78 cheeky!

Check out the tool ---- from p168.

 

[telectrix]

my dad bought a LEC fridge in 1958 . was still working perfectly when scrapped due to kitchen refit in 1990. so was his Hotpoint Empress washing machine with electric mangle. also bought in 1958.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

I was born in 78 cheeky!

Check out the tool ---- from p168.

I reckon @Pete999 probably still has all his orange and white black and decker drills from back then.. thats his generation... mind you £14 for one of them drills back then, i bet if still working they would hold there own against some of the modern ones.

 

[The Ghost]

Yeh we have a Flatley drier I bought it for five pounds. It has been with us forever, passed its PAT a few months ago. Works perfectly. They came out in the early '60s I guess?

 

[telectrix]

he is a bit wet, isn't he.

 

[Andy-1960]

Absolutely right, I had the misfortune to buy a Hotpoint Gas cooker about 2 years ago.. have had an engineers out to it 8 times so far.
Even the engineers tell me they are rubbish cookers!
Don’t think it will even make 5 years before being scrapped

 

[freddo]

Oldest cooker I repaired was from the early 50s apparently still on its original elements. I only had to reassemble one of the over hob bulb holders that had come unscrewed. Customer was in her 90s and it was a wedding present. Incredibly heavy, too heavy for me to move.

 

[Andy-1960]

But I did repair my mums 45 year old Kenwood Chef last year and the thing was designed to be repaired.. built like a battleship. I had to replace the sacrificial gear in the gearbox, thing came apart without issue, sourced new gear from e-bay reassembled and once agin it is churning out cakes like a goodun.
What’s more is that nothing showed signs of any mechanical wear!

 

[KEV 1 N]

I was born in 78 cheeky!

Check out the tool ---- from p168.

.....and it’s quality brands! Not like Argos sell today.

 

[KEV 1 N]

I reckon @Pete999 probably still has all his orange and white black and decker drills from back then.. thats his generation... mind you £14 for one of them drills back then, i bet if still working they would hold there own against some of the modern ones.

My grandad had a blue black and decker hammer drill which I’m guessing is from the 80s.....I inherited it nearly 20 years ago and its still going strong!

 

[Strima]

My grandad had a blue black and decker hammer drill which I’m guessing is from the 80s.....I inherited it nearly 20 years ago and its still going strong!

My inherited one died a couple of years ago, they don’t like running cable strippers...

 

[Squid]

I had a cock for years that I bought as a kid via Green Shield stamps and I believe Argos.

 

[Strima]

I had a cock for years that I bought as a kid via Green Shield stamps and I believe Argos.

The mind boggles...

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

I had a cock for years that I bought as a kid via Green Shield stamps and I believe Argos.

Where do you begin?
This day and age of trans people im sure there are a lot of people who would like to buy a cock from the argos book.
But i worry for you @SWD as if its from argos id ask your gp to refer you to a specialist as its likely to stop working when you least need it to break and leave you a bit dissapointed with what you got not matching the description.

 

[Squid]

Sausage fingers on a Friday night and a few beers so calm down guys as you yokels get so overly excited for no reason at all ;o))))

 

[Toneyz]

I was born in 78 cheeky!

Check out the tool ---- from p168.

I hope it hasn't got a young Pete999 posing with it!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[M-Ty]

Did the Kenwood Chef have any RIFA golden-yellow epoxy-cased suppression capacitors in it? They are notorious for failing stinkily after a few decades!

 

[Pete999]

my dad bought a LEC fridge in 1958 . was still working perfectly when scrapped due to kitchen refit in 1990. so was his Hotpoint Empress washing machine with electric mangle. also bought in 1958.

Wasn't she in Neighbors Miss Mangle I mean?

 

[LeeH]

I hope it hasn't got a young Pete999 posing with it!!!!!!!!!!!

Think it was, posing with nothing but a leather tool belt and retro drill.

 

[Andy-1960]

Did the Kenwood Chef have any RIFA golden-yellow epoxy-cased suppression capacitors in it? They are notorious for failing stinkily after a few decades!

I’ve just replaced them (this week!) in the one we have at home, you’re quite right, twenty years old and bang!

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Ca

I hope it hasn't got a young Pete999 posing with it!!!!!!!!!!!

Not sure but check out the retro fred perry tracksuits in the sports section... The haircuts though!!! A few pages before the boat with outboard motor!!

 

[Midwest]

Isn't it funny; you could compare it with a 2018 Argos catalogue, and apart from the missing mobile phones & ipads, it would be selling the same ----.

I had to buy loads of those silver foil rear screen heaters (last 5 mins), and my brother had ones of those fibre glass aerials on his car; you could take pedestrians eyes out going round corners.

 

[pirate]

When my folks moved into the house I was brought up in, in 1956, they bought a Frigidaire fridge, the curvy topped American style with 3 inch thick walls...when they retired they sold the house and left the fridge there...I see the guy who bought the house occasionally and yep...it's doing service still as a beer fridge in his workshop!
Also, I still have my dad's electric drill, a Bridges model, and it too is still going strong. I bought this B&D drill in 1984, and use it lots...ok, I have recent cordless stuff, but for hard graft this one is my go-to.

 

[LeeH]

^^^What’s that T shaped tool with the funny end for?

 

[pirate]

Really?
It's a chuck key...none of your key-less nonsense in those days!

 

[LeeH]

It's a chuck key...none of your key-less nonsense in those days

 

[polo1]

Wow, nostalgia city! Couldn't resist having a look through that....ah, the memories.

 

[chris murphy]

Have been at a house today to do a quote to install an alarm system as an old lady is moving in with her daughter and will in due course be selling the house to another relative. so want it secure when empty.
She moved into this house in 1974 when she and her husband came over from India. They bought a cooker in 1974 from Argos and the thing still works.. so I googled it and she paid the princely some £59.95. I found a old catalogue from back then with the model in.
https://issuu.com/retromash/docs/argos-no02-1974 page 88-89 item 2
I cant think of any modern cooker that will last over 40 years! they are built to be replaced and disposed of nowadays. The lady said she likes her cooker, it works, never had an issue with it and why replace it? she has brought up 4 children cooking all the time on this thing and it still works and looked quite clean and tidy as she is very house proud.
looking at these old argos books has made me nostalgic though, its funny how a lot of the things i had as a kid have come back around.... its funny looking at some of the old tools from back then...

Hello Gavin John Hyde,

Thanks very much for the Link to the 1970`s Argos Catalogues - it is interesting to see the prices from those years.

In the 1974 Catalogue I saw an 18" Colour TV - Recommended retail price £205.24 - Argos price: £164.15.

From our memories my Wife who was a Secretary / PA to a Company Director at that time was earning approx: £4000.00 per year after deductions then and she would have been considered `really well paid` for an office worker - probably more than twice as much as an office Clerk`s wage.

So guessing that an average office workers wage was something like £35.00 per week that TV was about 4.75 weeks wages for someone earning that wage.

And I think that my guess is probably an over estimate - a Clerk was probably only on something like £25.00 per week in 1974 ?

Trying to compare `spending power` between the 1974 price and a similar multiple now - If we guess that an office Clerk today would be earning £250.00 per week after deductions [?] - that would mean that TV would cost £1187.50 !

Today that £164.00 probably buys you a 32" TV - or an 18" TV for about £90.00 ?

Regards,

Chris

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Today that £164.00 probably buys you a 32" TV - or an 18" TV for about £90.00 ?

As you have said trying to factor in time, inflation and modern tech against the old prices is much harder, you pay for brands and dont expect things to last these days- although a lot of tech is all the same underneath the branded case. where as then you bought something knowing it was a luxury and wanted it to last many years.

 

[chris murphy]

As you have said trying to factor in time, inflation and modern tech against the old prices is much harder, you pay for brands and dont expect things to last these days- although a lot of tech is all the same underneath the branded case. where as then you bought something knowing it was a luxury and wanted it to last many years.

Hello again Gavin,

Remembering when Colour TV`s were first readily available to everyone [1967 / 1968 ] they were seen as so expensive that almost every Family that I knew rented theirs - and from memory at quite a high monthly charge for the late 1960`s - possibly £8.00 - 10.00 per Month ?

My Father was a `High Earner` for a working class man in the Construction / Civil Engineering Industries so we were definitely not short of money - but he still would not buy his first Colour TV.

I have a vague recollection of a figure of £350.00 being spoken about as the price of a 24" Colour TV at that time.

If the office Clerk in my previous example had been earning £30.00 per week it would have cost approximately 11.66 weeks wages.

Using my guess of £250.00 per week earnings Today again that was like spending £2915.00 !

I know that these single price comparisons are not accurate - but `spending power` / price comparison does have a significance in trying to compare the `Cost of Living` between different decades.

I must try and find out what would be a more accurate comparison - apart from Food Shopping etc. as I would not be able to find out enough 1970`s Food prices to do a comparison to now.

Regards,

Chris

 

[chris murphy]

Hello again Gavin,

Remembering when Colour TV`s were first readily available to everyone [1967 / 1968 ] they were seen as so expensive that almost every Family that I knew rented theirs - and from memory at quite a high monthly charge for the late 1960`s - possibly £8.00 - 10.00 per Month ?

My Father was a `High Earner` for a working class man in the Construction / Civil Engineering Industries so we were definitely not short of money - but he still would not buy his first Colour TV.

I have a vague recollection of a figure of £350.00 being spoken about as the price of a 24" Colour TV at that time.

If the office Clerk in my previous example had been earning £30.00 per week it would have cost approximately 11.66 weeks wages.

Using my guess of £250.00 per week earnings Today again that was like spending £2915.00 !

I know that these single price comparisons are not accurate - but `spending power` / price comparison does have a significance in trying to compare the `Cost of Living` between different decades.

I must try and find out what would be a more accurate comparison - apart from Food Shopping etc. as I would not be able to find out enough 1970`s Food prices to do a comparison to now.

Regards,

Chris

Hello again,

I have just been reading an article about the introduction of Colour Television / Televisions just over 50 years ago - and the price quoted for a 23" Colour TV in 1968 was between £250 - £300 which was stated to be `between £4000 - £4800 in todays money` ! !

No wonder most people were renting their Colour TV`s !

Just in case anyone is interested - here is the article from the Mail online:

Fifty years since BBC broadcast the first colour programme | Daily Mail Online - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4628290/Fifty-years-BBC-broadcast-colour-programme.html

When I wrote previously about Colour TV`s becoming `readily available` in 1967 / 1968 - I have just read in that article that when the first `modern` Colour broadcast was done [not 1940`s or 1950`s] `there were only 1500 Colour TV`s in the UK`.

That cannot be correct as I am sure that my Family and other people I knew had them prior to that - receiving Black and White broadcasts but ready for the Colour programs to be broadcast ?

I remember a TV Engineer having to come to our Home after the Colour TV Broadcasts began to adjust the Colour / Contrast etc.

Do any of our older Members [like Me] remember whether that was the case in their Homes ?

Sorry if my posts have gone `Off Topic`.

Regards,

Chris

 

[Dave OCD]

The first time I ever saw a colour TV would have been the early 70s, I would have been 6 or 7 at the time,remember being amazed by all the different coloured shirts in Star Trek and Mrs Slocombes hair changing colour most weeks in Are You Being Served.

 

[sparkdog]

About 1967 the colour tellys became available, I was working as a telly engineer back then. I remember a lot of the public thought their black & white tellys just needed some adjustment to get colour and were none too pleased to discover that was not the case.

 

[sparkdog]

Very interesting to see all the old stuff in the Argos catalogue.

 

[StephenRowley]

Well for £670 quid in today's money I'd expect it too last a while.

 

[chris murphy]

Well for £670 quid in today's money I'd expect it too last a while.

Hello StephanRowley,

What is it that costs £670.00 in today`s money ?

If You are writing about the cost of the first Colour TV`s I mentioned in my previous message that according to the Mail online article that I quoted and gave the Link to £250.00 - £300.00 in about 1967 / 1968 would be equivalent to £4000.00 - £4800.00 in todays money value.

That seems a lot to me - I had previously guessed about £2900.00 - trying to compare an office Clerks wages from 1968 [guessed from memory] to todays average wage.

If You meant the 18" Colour TV at Argos for about £164.00 - I guessed that to be about £1180.00 at todays money - again comparing an office Clerks wages then and now,

I would be pleased to read your thoughts / calculation.

Regards,

Chris

 

[Devonchris]

I remember colour becoming available in 1967. Not that we had one, just that anybody who did had it facing the window so people going by could see it.

 

[freddo]

Posh, it was the early 90s before we had colour.

I'm making up for it though as I have a 1970s valve/transistor hybrid colour TV. Gets really hot and is incredibly unreliable, it needs repair again.

 

[telectrix]

Posh, it was the early 90s before we had colour.

I'm making up for it though as I have a 1970s valve/transistor hybrid colour TV. Gets really hot and is incredibly unreliable, it needs repair again.

what make is that? i remember Decca and Korting being hybrid.

 

[freddo]

Philips K70, its bloody heavy too.

 

[Ian Mills]

Hi The problem is accountant now run these companys and not engineers so it is about how cheap we can make it and not about how good we can make it meaning much goes to the tip before it should

 

[telectrix]

Philips K70, its bloody heavy too.

would love to see a pic of the chassis on that.

 

[freddo]

I'll take some photos later, it is not easy to work on this TV, you swing the chassis open for servicing and several wires fall off the PCB leaving no indication where they came from! When it worked it worked well. It went bang last time I was repairing it and I made it worse I must take another look.

 

[Andy78]

My parents have a microwave that is over 30 years old now and still rocking. Don't think I have had one last more than 4 years.

 

[xmetal]

In the late seventies / early eighties, my parents had a colour telly with the blue gun not working. I remember the green and orange pictures. It was worse than watching on a black and white telly!

 

[freddo]

Philips K 70. This one is fitted with the replacement plastic back, the original back covers were made of fibreboard and would sag from the heat from the CDA panel and then catch fire as it got close to the valves. The current fault is on the CDA panel. These panels are not reliable as it gets very hot and the PCB burns away, it has 2 cracked resistors on it at the moment. I have most of a spare chassis but it is missing the CDA panel. I do have the service manual which is helpful, I did set the convergence correctly when it was working, took over 2 hours as all the controls are interdependent.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Hi The problem is accountant now run these companys and not engineers so it is about how cheap we can make it and not about how good we can make it meaning much goes to the tip before it should

Apparently thats one of the reasons james dyson refused a takeover attempt by one of the big branded american companies as he said men in suits would knock out cheap junk with the dyson brand to keep shareholders happy and not build decent quality stuff that people value, it would be about numbers not engineering. He has hinted when he dies his kids will get part of the company, the staff a chunk and the rest will be in a charitable trust meaning nobody can ruin the company too easily.