Replacing like for like

[Keepingitgeneral]

Lighthearted thread, but genuine question. I was at my friends house earlier, and while standing in the kitchen it suddenly dawned on me that she'd had the same kettle for the better part of the last ten years. It's nothing distinctive, I just happen to remember it.

That's when she told me that it's at least the third one of its kind, and that she only ever replaces things she likes with the same again. She trotted off half dozen things she's replaced like-for-like, including bath taps and toilet seats, and said as regards the kettle she even had another identical one in the cupboard in reserve - brand new & unboxed, as it was a clubcard special she'd seen in Tesco.

All these years I simply thought hers was a family that never broke anything! It got me thinking though, do others replace like-for-like? Honestly, I welcome the chance to have a change.

I replaced my coffee machine with the same machine. But the rest I m ok with change. Unless I'm really in love with the thing. May she is sentimental or has a scheme she really loves or doesn't like change.

She said she likes change when change is needed. I know she has strong opinions on how things look, in terms of their shape, and what they feel like to pick up & handle. I don't know if that comes under the umbrella of sensory issues, but I have noticed before she is very vocal about how things feel, things that I've never once considered. I only started to notice when we got into a minicab one evening as she exclaimed "I don't like the handle on that door!". 😂

I haven’t done that, but your post does make me realise that our kettle, bath taps and toilet seat are all over 10 years old and all fine. If something broke sooner than that then I’m not sure I’d want to re-buy the same product. But admittedly I’m not craving changes in that time - feels like yesterday since we bought everything 😂

I don't, but we tend to keep stuff for a long time anyway, so it's refreshing to replace with something different when the time comes.

For example, our kettle is twenty-one years old (same one, not a replacement!). It's an Alessi Michael Graves that cost £165 when I bought it new. I'd actually like a different style now so - as we're mid kitchen renovation - it's an excuse for a new one. Same with our fridge freezer which was a graded Smeg, purchased in 1998. It lasted through four house moves and we finally replaced it when we moved to our current house last year.

The only item I can recall replacing like for like - albeit a different colour - was a dualit toaster.

😂

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly some people get through stuff compared to others. I have a family member who goes through one vacuum cleaner after the next, despite living in a house that's only one dirty cup away from being part of a Channel 5 documentary.

For what a kettle costs, I'd be delighted to get two years from it. Someone else I know has things for years and years, but in the last fifteen years has worn out four dishwashers of various brands. It's irons with me. My car, on the other hand, I will be keeping until it falls to pieces. It was cheap when I got it and it's been very cheap keeping it on the road so far.

I would happily replace like for like if I was happy with the item. My vacuum cleaner is 14 years old and still great. If it broke I'd buy the same again. Even items like a kettle id do the same. I find making decisions tiring so this avoids the endless browsing.

No, but I try and find the most durable thing in the first place. I had a Braun hairdryer for 25 years, only giving up on that when actual flames came out the back.

I agree about vacuum cleaners - both with regards to @Keepingitgeneral's comment concerning their friend and @MrAlyakhin saying if they were happy with their current vacuum, they'd replace with the same -

We spent years getting through vacuum cleaners at a rate of knots, trying everything from a Vax to a Sebo, with none lasting more than a year or two. Then friends recommended a Henry and we invested in one (ours is actually Hetty 🩷) back in 2008. It's still going strong and we'd definitely get the same again if/when it finally dies.