Thread: Anyone else think sometimes old>new?

I love all kinds of old stuff.
Be it utility items or else. They last and have style.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

What I find amusing about this topic is that in the '60s and certainly in the '70s the word was that the stuff made in the '20s and the '30s was way better. The stuff made in the '60s was 'plastic' and inferior. So seeing anyone characterizing stuff made thirty of forty years ago as better is funny. Twenty years from now it will be the same story.

BTW, in the early part of the twentieth century into the 1950s when wages were comparatively low and craftsman didn't have to jump through their arse to make guitars, guns , pocket knives and yes razors the products were made with more skill and attention to detail. With higher wages productivity had to increase and with it less attention to nuances of style. IMO....

I find this amusing too (I kind of realised it as I asked) but I also find it sad. It means are standards are dropping in favour of quantity not quality. I do believe technology is advancing, but in a 2 steps forward 1 step back kinda way. I think its when we hit the one step back we pine for the good old days. Like plastics WERE inferior, but since then we've perfected them. Unfortunately I think we're in the one step back right now. Lots of new tech, but we're usin' it wrong/ineffeciently.

We are a throw away consumer driven society now. People would rather throw out 10 pieces of junk, then buy one quality item.

Plus everything is made in china now.......QC is not a big priority there

Originally Posted by khaos

I find this amusing too (I kind of realised it as I asked) but I also find it sad. It means are standards are dropping in favour of quantity not quality. I do believe technology is advancing, but in a 2 steps forward 1 step back kinda way. I think its when we hit the one step back we pine for the good old days. Like plastics WERE inferior, but since then we've perfected them. Unfortunately I think we're in the one step back right now. Lots of new tech, but we're usin' it wrong/ineffeciently.

The old adage- Buying cheap costs more.
Too few people realise that. I mean, clearly straights (and other things) are still around after DECADES of use.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

probably in the 1950s and 60s the standard of living was the highest this country has ever had. Remember in those days one wage earner supported a family and it was rare for a married woman to work unless she really wanted to because she didn't have to. What happened to those days eh?

Agreed on the standard of living. After the 40s and the 2nd World war women knew they could do a lot of things that were traditionally male. The men came back from war and occupation duty, the women were booted and men took their place in industry and commerce, then the time came when the average family wanted a little more, wether it was a washing machine, tv, vacation or funds for the kids college, women started to move back into the workforce until it was necessary for them to stay in the workforce to maintain the standard of living. Just more grist for the mill.

As a tool collector and user I generally prefer old over new. The exceptions would be socks, undergarments and some electronics. It is often a practical choice. There is no way I could afford to replace my 91 G30 box van or 93 C3500 diesel with new and they serve my needs nicely. Even if I had an extra 70K-80K I'd rather spend it on something old.

Agreed!

When you HAVE to take your car to a dealer for some problem because you don't have the darn computer to hook it up to (darn you technology!) something is wrong.

I don't know a WHOLE lot about cars, but I do try to do as much of the work as I can (oil, brakes, spark plugs, etc) and even try to learn more when I get the chance, but the electronics they put in them these days ruin it.

Good example: My grandfather has an '83 Mercedes 280 SL, and when he has to take it in for something (rarely) they have a hard time, not because they don't have or can't get the parts, but because no one there knows HOW to fix it! All they know is how to hook up the computer, and change out the part it tells them to.

Sad...technology is here to HELP us, not to do the work FOR us. People have become so morbidly lazy, it's not even funny. The new American Dream is getting paid for doing nothing it seems

Sorry, didn't mean to rant LOL

I fix cars in my spare time both old and new, and both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Example, you can rebuild a carburator in about 1hr 1/2 if your good at it, you can't rebuild fuel injection, you just have to replace it. New things tend to be made to be disposable.

Example I can hook up my hand held device to my car's Eprom and within minutes know a lot about how the car works, and what could be wrong from the sensors, however this thing cost me 250 bucks...ugh

Cell phones, you can reach anyone, anytime, anywhere( relatively)

Before cell phones, wife didn't call you whenever you left the nest for a minute, you could actually enjoy solitude in the woods or the beach by yourself ( ya you could shut your cellphone off but then you just get the messages afterwards)

Computers make life and connectivity much easier and well online porn, come on guys this is killer we all know it otherwise it would be abillion dollar a year industry

Before computers you could actually pick up and go ask someone in person, go to your local hardware store instead of ordering from Woodworking at home on your laptop ( ofcourse you can still go to the hardware store, but they may not have what you need that day) Yea, and you could be all creepy and rent porn from the local shop, with the other creepy doods.

I'd like to have a world, sans cell phones imho, and sans computers too, but then I wouldn't know any of you, and I would probably would be shaving my face with a DE right now.

Cheers
D