Anyone else think sometimes old>new?

**khaos** · 09-29-2009, 06:26 PM

I know it doesn't always apply (computers, phones, etc) but anyone else with me that some old things are better than new things?

Not just straight razors, but for instance-
-Our WW1ish Mauser .22 center-fired bolt action shoots a lot better than any newer .22 I've plinked with (though I haven't tried customs or ultra high end guns).
-Old cars might not drive better or get as many MPG, but they are at least on par if not better in some cases when it comes to style and fun factor ('69 Charger vs. '09 Prius...)
-Amplifiers (tube vs. trans would be the big one)

I dunno. Guess it might just be that in the old days the value of quality was higher and usefulness sold more product than marketing.

**ChrisL** · 09-29-2009, 06:42 PM

In the colder months which normally last 3/4 of the year in northern Minnesota I wear a lot of wool clothing. Pendleton and Filson wool shirts, a heavy wool coat, wool hat, heavy wool blankets at night, etc. Under the wool I wear silk long underwear. Even with the new synthetic fibers such as Thinsulate, etc, some of which I own, the warmth with wool is so comfortable.

That's old technology!

Not to change the subject, but do you eat at Moosewood in Ithaca. Is that a good restaurant?

Chris L

**khaos** · 09-29-2009, 06:52 PM

PM'd Chris

**natepaint** · 09-29-2009, 07:24 PM

A friend of ours gave us a toaster, from the 60's she had stashed away, one day after I was complaining to her about how our 3 month old toaster sucks at toasting. I couldn't believe it, the toaster from the 60's worked so much better then our brand new one ever did.
She also gave us her old 60's percolator, again this turned out to be another fine piece of equipment for the kitchen.

**Slartibartfast** · 09-29-2009, 07:31 PM

simplicity...

I was so sad when the iron i got from my Great Grandmother died... Thing got really hot, produced lots of steam and was nice and heavy.

**v76** · 09-29-2009, 08:19 PM

Definitely. I'm big into guitar amps and nothing can compare to a class A tube amp cranked. Even for hifi amps, they produce harmonics that can't be recreated with solid state technology. Digital is starting to get there but will still need a tube power amp section to really feel meaty.

Regarding guns and cars.. meh.

I guess I'd rather have a 2010 bmw m6 rather than a 69 charger.
I love the old school styling but the technology and safety wasn't all that good for anybody. I don't think I know anybody that loved the trannies on these!

YouTube - 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air Vs. 2009 Chevrolet Malibu IIHS Offset

**DPflaumer** · 09-29-2009, 08:23 PM

I agree. I'm from Northern Indiana and nothing beats a warm fire and a wool blanket in the middle of winter, so much better than cranking the heat. And we all know about the superiority of shaving the old fashioned way

**JimmyHAD** · 09-29-2009, 09:42 PM

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....

**thebigspendur** · 09-29-2009, 10:32 PM

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....

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?

**ronnie brown** · 09-29-2009, 11:48 PM

i like those old box wood heaters i have all the wood i can burn so i keep warm in the winter.

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