to LTB after 25 years of loyalty because the bastard won't die?

[hedgehogsdontbite]

When I left home for university 25+ years ago my parents bought me a cheap Swan kettle. It's moved with me from student digs to student digs to first home, to a new country and many house moves in between. Every morning without fail it's there to provide me with my morning coffee and top ups throughout the day. But the fact is, the love has gone. It looks its age, like a well used 1980s appliance. I know I'm shallow to want a nice pretty one that matches my toaster. But the bastard won't die!

AIBU if I send it off with the next charity shop collection? Will I have to face the wrath of the God of Small Appliances and be punished by having to replace my toaster every six months until the end of time?

I still have the Clairol big shot my sister bought for me when I was 13. I don't know where the diffuser has gone but the dryer is still going strong. I think I may shed a tear when it finally gives up!

Definitely keep it, it's a legend

I have a hideous old microwave. Dh bought it long before we met, which makes it 12+ years old.
It's huge, it's ugly and it too will NOT die.
In our old house we had a street wide power surge when the neutral cable in the road became live. It caused exploding light bulbs, it killed my alarm clock, fish tank heater, DVD player, wall heater and at least three supposed "surge protected" extension leads. Our fridge freezer and dishwasher both died not long after, but were not covered by the same insurance. Bah!
I thought the microwave was dead.
The power company took it away and only bloody fixed it! Bastards. I wanted a new one! They replaced everything else.
It's still sat in my kitchen, its immense bulk taking up more worktop than it has a right to, glaring at me smugly every time I go in. It will probably out live me.

As soon as you get rid of it and buy a shiny new one it will break. They aren't built to last now.
Buy another one and keep the old one in a box in a cupboard, pass it onto your dc they'll love the retro vibe.

Keep it : you will regret your loss when new ones keep breaking.

Kettles don't last five minutes these days. Mine hold out for the duration of the warranty period and then die almost immediately afterwards. We've had six in the last nine years (though this may partly be due to DH's tea addiction and his tendency to switch the kettle on with no water in it).

my parents house was built in the sixties they still have their original boiler and they have been there 31 years and the big old water tank they dont make things to last anymore!

still got a bright orange seventies iron that ws going strong last time I needed to iron.

x2boys my parents boiler is the same. They keep getting told parts are no longer available but it's still going strong.

My mums oven went well for over 20 years then it decided to leak gas everywhere. And we always thought mums cooking would kill us off.

hoovers and washing machines too in the past ten years i have had a new hoover roughly every 12-18 months and four washing machines i think my parents had one hoover throughout my childhood and maybe two washing machines!

Must be something to do with those kettles!

I had one the same for uni in the late 80s and it went on for years. My parents were using it till it gave up a few years ago.

By contrast, I bought a gorgeous purple Morphy Richards one about a year ago and already it's not working. Gah.

If you are determined to get rid, see if your local refuge or homeless shelter need a kettle. I worked in a women's refuge until recently and we were always after kitchen bits.

In fact, I am so fed up with replacing bloody kettles every year, that I would probably pay good money for your immortal kettle, OP

I've got a potato masher that my grandma gave my dad to take to uni in 1965

My waffle iron and Toaster both date back to the 70's
My alarm clock was a pressy when I started Uni in the early 80's

Old stuff was better made : keep it as long as you can

Could you give it a facelift? Maybe with some fancy paint? Or stickers?! Ir have i spent too much time with the kids at the art table recently?

My mum still uses the ironing board she got as a wedding present in 1966. The marriage lasted 18 years and the board still going strong.

I have a really old microwave. Horrid looking but it's outlasted threee new fancy ones. Big, boxy and off white is sure to come back into fashion again soon.

my mum and dad inherited all my grandmas pots and pans when my grandma died my grandma has been dead about fifteen years and they must have been at least 40 yrs old when she died still going strong.

If it's still doing a decent job and you regularly clean out the limescale then hang onto it for all it's worth! I have an old Breville sandwich toasted that I nicked from XDH that he bought when he was a student. It must be at least 20 years old but still makes a good cheese toastie!

Could you give it a facelift? Maybe with some fancy paint?

I think Byrdie may have hit on something. You could do a lovely shabby shit makeover, a la Kirstie Allsop.

I have the same relationship with my hair dryer. The fucker has "blown" 3 times and come back to life a couple of hours afterwards (all 3 times were due to the vent being covered accidentally).

I want GHD. I have Babyliss circa 1995

I inherited a hand mixer from my great aunt who died just as I was going to uni. It is still going strong 18 years later and goodness knows how long she had it!

At a tangent here, but I have only just replaced the bath towels that dp brought to our relationship. They had his name tags sewn on from when he was at boarding school. In the 1960's...

My grandmother got an iron as a wedding present in 1949. It still works and has outlived her and my grandpa despite her ironing the hell out of everything for all those years (including pants and tea towels). Those things were bloody built to last.