50 People Share Extremely Resilient Items

Some of them have been in their families for centuries.

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• September 9, 2021

These days, everything is built to break. Although the manufacturers have a much fancier phrase for it (planned obsolescence), it is what it is -products are built to last for a short while.

They are designed to be challenging to repair, making purchasing a new product the only sensible thing. But things were different many years ago.

So when your grandparents tell you that things were built to last back in the old days, they are absolutely right. A popular subreddit called BuyItForLife is the best proof.

With more than 872K members, it is a meeting place for people who own or love antique marvels of engineering and craftsmanship. Some of the items shared in the community are more than a century old and working perfectly.

We have selected 50 of the best posts, and we know they will make you look at your one-year-old-but-obsolete TV with a bit of hatred in your eyes.

1. "Oak Chest. Storing Family Shit Since 1682. Lock Still Working"

2. "My Pocket Compass Is Engraved “Eng. Dept. U.s.a. 1918”. Wish I Had Paid More Attention Who Had Owned These Things When My Parents Passed Them On To Me. It’s Too Late To Ask Them Now. But The Compass Still Points To Magnetic North After 99 Years!"

3. "This Used To Wake Me Up For School In The 5th Grade. I'm 39 Now"

4. "Just Been Gifted My Parents' Le Creuset Saucepan Set. They Got It As A Wedding Gift 40 Years Ago. Has Had Everyday Use Since"

5. "My Old Car Toy [sachs] Survived 7 Kids And Still Rolling After 35 Years..."

6. "Oxford Bookbag From 1880 Or So. My Grandpa Got It Used When He Started High School In 1951. It Has Since Been Used And Enjoyed By My Mom, Uncle, Aunt And Myself And Is Still Durable"

7. "Waffle Iron From The 1920s Still Working Flawlessly"

8. "This 117+-Year-Old Coffee Grinder From Peugeot (Yes, The Car Maker)"

9. "Our Singer Sewing Machine, 100 Years Old And Works Perfectly"

10. "My 1974 Sansui 881, She's 43 Years Old This Month"

11. "Vintage Farmhouse (Cast Iron) Sink Is Around 100 Years Old And Still Looks Great - Just Got Refinished Last Week!"

12. "My Jewish Great-Grandparents Used This Travelling Case When They Moved From Izmir, Ottoman Empire To Argentina In 1910. Still Functional"

13. "My Inlaws’ Pyrex Bowls That My Wife Grew Up With. Wedding Present From 1970. The Only Thing She Asked For When Her Parents Asked Her What She Wanted From Their Estate. One Used To Be Pink. Used Daily"

14. "LEGO, My LEGO Being Played With Again 40 Years Later..."

15. "USSR-Made Stopwatch; Still In Daily Use At My Physiology Lab"

16. "My Grandfather's Grandfather's Pocket Watch, Which Made It Through Ww1, And Still Works!"

17. "My Girlfriend's 1950s Frigidaire Stove (Which Is Replacing A Far Newer And Much Harder To Fix Stove)"

18. "My WW2-Era Tabletop GE Fan"

19. "Me In My Snoopy Sweater In 1981, My Son In The Same Sweater In 2017, And My Daughter In The Same Sweater In 2020"

20. "1976 Scrabble Board With Raised Grid-Lines And Rotating Base. Still Has All The Pieces!"

21. "My 97-Year-Old Waterman 52"

22. "Stanley Thermos Used Every Day From 1970 To 2018"

23. "My Grandpa's Razor I Inherited, Used To Shave With Him (W/Out Razor In) When Little. 25ish Yrs Later I'm Here, Cleaned It Up And Threw New Razor In. 1940's Gold Plated De"

24. "Grandmother Still Has Her WWII Frigidaire Refrigerator, Still Works Without A Hitch!"

25. "My Mom Surprised My Son And Brought One Of My Favorite Toys From My Childhood. It's Probably About 25 Years Old And He's Already Been Using It Daily - Just As I Did. Thanks Mom"

26. "Kids Played The Most With This 25-Year-Old Toy Despite All The Gifts They Got"

27."Found This Kitchenaid Mixer From The 1970s For $35. New Grease And Paint And It's As Good As New"

28. "30 Years Ago, I Received This As A Gift From My Grandparents. Today, I Get To Pass It On To My Son"

29. "World's Oldest Pairs Of Levi's Jeans Found In A Goldmine 136 Years Later"

30. "Still Sporting My Dad's Coleman Classic Tent From '70s. No Leaks, And Doesn't Require A Rain Fly. All Original Poles In Tact After 44 Years"

31. "My Super Nintendo Still Going Strong 27 Years Later"

32. "My Sheaffer Reminder Ballpoint Pen. This Has Been In My Pocket Every Weekday For The Last 15 Years. It Used To Belong To My Grandfather. I Know He Used It Because The Brass Was Already Starting To Wear Through When I Got It. They Still Make The Refills For It"

33. "When My Grandfather Passed Away, I Inherited His Auto Crawler. Still Using It To Change My Oil After 80 Years. (X-Post)"

34. "My 1969 Raleigh Sports Bicycle, Still Widely Available Used, Will Last Forever With Minimal Care. I Ride Mine Regularly And Have Owned It For Over Ten Years"

35. "Sure, You May Lose A Finger, But My Emerson Table Fan Has Been Going Strong For Over 70 Years"

36. "For Christmas, My Grandpa Gave Me The Sheepskin Coat He Wore In His 20s. He Is 70 Now! Still In Mint Condition :)"

37. "Original Game Boy Still Works Like A Charm"

38. "Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair And Ottoman. Passed Down From My Late Grandfather. Circa 1960s"

39. "Here Is My 1958 Rolleiflex Camera That Was Passed Down To Me. It Still Works Perfectly And Takes Beautiful Images"

40. "Buy It For Several Lives, My Great Grandfather's Desk From 1922"

41. "My "New" 60-Year-Old Swiss Army Salt And Pepper Backpack"

42. "My In-Laws Were Brilliant: Le Creuset, Purchased 1977"

43. "Going On Twenty Years. (Sorel)"

44. "Picked Up This Basset Bedroom Set From The Original Owners. Around 60 Years Old. Ready For Another Lifetime Of Use"

45. "My Mom And Dad Got Matching North Face Down Jackets After Their Wedding 35 Years Ago. Still Being Worn Today. Now That My Dad Won’t Be Wearing His Anymore, It’s Up To Me To Make Sure It Continues To Get Used"

46. "I Thought You Guys Might Like My 1920s-1930s Magic Chef Stove With 6 Burners, 2 Ovens, And A Bread Warmer"

47. "This Duffle Bag That Came With The Nintendo 64 My Parents Got Me For Christmas ‘95. A Little Dinged Up But Very Intact. Still One Of My Main Travel Bags"

48. "A Camera My Grandpa Bought For 100 Dollars In 1953, Today It Would Have Cost Almost 2000 Dollars"

49. "About 80 Years Old. Hand-Me-Down Cast Iron Skillet, Used Daily"

50. "My Car Turned 30 Today And Rolled Over 247,000 Miles. KBB Says It’s Worth No More Than $1,318 ($250 On A Trade-In). Guess I May As Well Keep It"

Damjan