Sometimes I will use something and realize I’ve owned it forever. It’s a nice change in our throwaway reality. I think my personal record is a bicycle multi-tool I got for one of my first bikes, ~25 years ago. Still have it, still use it. When it comes to electronic devices I have a Panasonic mini Hi-Fi from ~2005. Never felt like changing it.

What’s your record?

  • PlutoniumAcid@lemmy.world
    40·
    1 year ago

    Easy: I have used my Norwegian teapot every day for as long as I can remember - easily 50 years, plus some 15+ years where my dad used it before me, plus another unknown number of years before him, because he picked it up doing his rounds as a garbage man in his student years (1960s). That thing is ancient, and still going strong. Never gonna let it go.

    That teapot must be tied with the Danish dinner tableware inherited from my grandparents. That stuff has also been in use literally daily since the 1950s.

    Talk about built to last, and buy it for life. Amazing.

      • PlutoniumAcid@lemmy.worldEnglish
        12·
        1 year ago

        Here it is: https://i.imgur.com/oSyNbne.png (organic banana for scale)

        Disappointing, yes? Well, not sure what you expected an indestructible thing to look like. This thing must be from the 1940s or so.

        The pot itself is made of some non-magnetic metal, and it was probably all black when it was new, but years of gas stove-top use before I was even born must have burned away the color near the base – I have always known it to have this gradient. It holds 1,5L of steaming hot black tea (preferably Lady Grey or Darjeeling) and has an absolutely drip-free spout. It has a stein-like hinged lid with a glass insert that used to be removable until my dad epoxied it on, untold ages ago. The handle is made of bakelite so it never gets hot, not even when used on a gas stove-top.

        The handle is marked with the logo “HØYANG” which sounds Norwegian. If anyone can tell me any details aout that, I would be extremely interested.

        (The mug is another contender for this post, by the way. I’ve had it from the late 80’s.)

  • Shdwdrgn@mander.xyzEnglish
    27·
    1 year ago

    I bought my mechanical keyboard in 1997. It has the original large round plug on it and through the years I’ve had to buy adapters to go to a ps/2 port and now to usb, but the keyboard itself still works pretty well. Definitely time for a good cleaning though, I’ve been having a lot of stuck or missed keys lately. Since I write code this keyboard has seen a LOT of daily use over the years.

    • gjoel@lemmy.ml
      4·
      1 year ago

      An Enermax keyboard has been my daily driver as a programmer for my career that started in 2007. It still works just fine and I still have no reason to change to something else. Lots of reasons not to, since I like the classic keyboard layout and the flat laptop keys.

      • Shdwdrgn@mander.xyzEnglish
        3·
        1 year ago

        Trying to type anything on the chiclet style keyboards reminds me of the days of learning to code on a ZX81. You just can’t type quickly on those without the proper feedback. If my current keyboard ever dies, I don’t know what I’ll do.

      • Shdwdrgn@mander.xyzEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        Honestly I can’t believe how lucky I’ve been. I have been writing code for over 40 years now and the only time I had trouble with carpal tunnel was at my first job stuffing circuit boards. If that ever changed I’d be in real trouble because there’s not much else I can do which doesn’t involve working at the computer.

        • grabyourmotherskeys@lemmy.world
          1·
          1 year ago

          The switch to something like a Microsoft natural fixed me very quickly! That’s all I use to this day but a day doesn’t go by without me thinking fondly of my heavy, noisy, IBM PS/2 keyboards. :)

    • Professorozone@lemmy.world
      1·
      1 year ago

      OMG same here. Just posted it. But mine isn’t mechanical. Has the round connector to the wireless box, that I adapt too. LOL.

  • sunbeam60@lemmy.one
    22·
    1 year ago

    Bought some walking boots in 1991 that I only got rid off last year (they finally broke). Except Antarctica they’ve been on every continent. Felt quite sad saying goodbye.

  • ℕ𝕖𝕞𝕠@midwest.social
    21·
    1 year ago

    We got three sets of bedsheets when we got married thirteen years ago, still using all of them.

    Before we were married, my spouse got me a tea set; only two teacups left but I do use them daily.

    But the winner is the engraved, personalized cereal spoon I got when I was five by saving cereal box tops and sending them in.

  • Granixo@feddit.cl
    171·
    1 year ago

    Wired Headphones 🔌🎧

    Basically can’t live without them 🎵❤️

  • ∟⊔⊤∦∣≶@lemmy.nz
    14·
    1 year ago

    I have plenty of things that are really old, but the longest in daily use would probably be a Galileo thermometer my dad gave me in my early teens. It looks like this, but the colours have long since faded:

  • YourFavouriteNPC@feddit.de
    13·
    1 year ago

    I’m pretty sure some of my T-shirts could win this if we don’t take this whole “daily” I aspect too seriously. There are a few from my teenage years that are still in good shape and still fit, which I’ve had for literally more than half my life by now.

    That “daily”-aspect makes it really hard though, since there are days when I don’t even need my house keys. Lighbulbs die after some time, so they ain’t it either. And would wardrobes count as “items”? I tried thinking about this question so hard for way longer than I probably should’ve now, and got to no unanimous conclusion so far. But in the end, it doesn’t even matter, so I’ll just go with: probably my glasses

    • thesmokingman@programming.dev
      1·
      1 year ago

      I struggled with the same thing. I’ve got some ties from my dad from haberdasheries that hadn’t existed for a couple of decades before I was born. They are in regular rotation but that means they get worn once every few months like all my other ties.

  • BilboBargains@lemmy.world
    10·
    1 year ago

    I have a Stanley Record no.5 plane given to me by my dad about thirty years ago. He inherited it from a relative when he was around the same age. It could be a hundred years old at this point. I’ve got a pre-war Wadkin bandsaw, must be close to a century.

    I still have my first ever mountain bike from the early 90s, can’t kill that thing either. It is a high quality machine but looks incredibly shabby now. Perfect for shopping, nobody wants to steal it.

    • ExLisper@linux.communityOPEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      I just changed my mountain bike because I was running out of easy trails around me and needed something a bit better. Funny thing is I still use the shoes I bought with the old bike. They are about to fall apart but for now they outlived my bike.

      • BilboBargains@lemmy.world
        2·
        1 year ago

        A well maintained bike has incredible durability. I don’t use this one off road any more because I bought a suspended machine fifteen years ago but I can’t bear to part with my old friend. With a little imagination they can be modified for a new purpose. It’s a fun way for kids to learn basic skills.

  • NightAuthor@lemmy.worldEnglish
    10·
    1 year ago

    I grew up decently poor, always getting cheap shit.

    But now that I’ve got an education and a good paying job, I’m starting to collect nice things that are nice to have and use.

    The one I’ve had the longest w actual daily use would have to be my stealcase chair. I did the frugal thing and bought it used, but it’s been a couple of years and it shows no signs of giving up any time soon.

  • 8ace40@programming.dev
    10·
    1 year ago

    Sennheiser headphones that I bought for about $20 about 10 years ago. The cable is indestructible. I once had to resolder it to the speakers because it my cat pulled it out, but the cable itself has endured all kinds of abuse without breaking. And the sound is fantastic.

    • Elizabeth @lemm.ee
      4·
      1 year ago

      I picked up a pair of Sennheisers from a thrift store a couple years back. They sound amazing and the cord is replaceable! I love them.

    • 1993_toyota_camry@beehaw.org
      3·
      1 year ago

      They weren’t cheap but I got my sennheiser Hd650s around 2004 and still use them daily.

      I’ve replaced the ear pads and cord once each, otherwise they’re original.

  • davefischer@beehaw.orgEnglish
    9·
    1 year ago

    In 1990 I was running a very tiny Unix clone at home (Coherent on a 286 PC w/ 1 meg ram) and… I don’t remember if I couldn’t get a standard reader to compile on that or what the problem was, but anyways - I wrote an email/usenet reader for my own use.

    33 years later, I’m still using it to read my email every day.

    Also, I think I’ve had my pasta strainer since the 90s.

      • davefischer@beehaw.orgEnglish
        5·
        1 year ago

        An email of all html is an unwanted email 99% of the time. Occasionally, I save it, and open in lynx. (When a web site emails a security code.)

        Attachments are more of a hassle, because I frequently need those. Save to a temp file, “munpack file”, examine extracted files.

  • HorseChandelier@lemmy.world
    9·
    1 year ago

    Not sure it counts but I have an oak dining table my grandfather bought back in 1910 or there abouts… So 113 years-ish. Still used every day.

    • gens@programming.dev
      2·
      1 year ago

      Got a picture ? I was wondering what kind of furniture would be timeless, as most consider old fancy furniture as tacky.

      If it’s plain, i can imagine it without a pic :)