Buy second-hand for lasting quality

[contadina]

I love the photo of Winnifred and her much loved cooker http://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/f ... hite-goods I feel pretty much the same way about my beautiful 1961 Necchi Julia Supernova, which I bought a few years back from a scrapyard for €30 and is an utter dream to use. Seriously, after a good clean, oil and re-wiring she just purrs and there is no sewing job too big nor small.

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So what dream machines do you all still own and would be loathe to replace with a modern equivalent?

[ina]

Not exactly machine, just a gadget: my nut mill. Was already old and well used when I was a kid, at least 50 years ago - still use it regularly, if not as often as I used to. (Whenever anybody says - but you can buy ground hazelnuts and almonds - they have never eaten or used freshly ground nuts - what a difference!)

I also have an ancient sewing machine, but I haven't used it for many years, so don't know whether it will still work when I finally get round to sewing again....

[contadina]

A good nut mill is a treasure. Can it grind them finely enough for nut butters? I struggle to get them fine enough in my old magimix.

[ina]

A good nut mill is a treasure. Can it grind them finely enough for nut butters?

No. it's not fine enough for that - I use them mainly for cakes etc.

[Green Aura]

I've got a Kitchenaid food mixer that I bought on Ebay. The previous owners had only had it for eighteen months - it still had 3 1/2 years on its warranty (they sent the original purchase receipt with it for that reason). They sold it for £50 because it was blue and they were changing the colour scheme in the kitchen! (They were nearly £250+ at the time).

We've since bought (new unfortunately) various attachments and we use it regularly for mincing meat, making sausages and various other things - although rarely as a food mixer which I invariably do by hand before I've thought to use it

We've had it for nearly fifteen years and, although we haven't had to yet, we can get replacement parts for it if needed.

Our oven is also secondhand (and strangely also blue, by happy coincidence not design) it's a Fisher and Paykel double oven - £50 from, well you guessed it. Some of the enamel inside the top oven is chipped so they replaced it! I covered it up with a drip tray and you'd never know it was there.

I don't understand this "everything new" mentality - replacing perfectly good things on a whim. Or maybe I just don't like decorating so don't need to change things. (Oh and I almost certainly couldn't afford them new).

[contadina]

I have a niece who regularly changes everything as she wants a new colour scheme - I just can't fathom that mentality. It makes more sense to me to buy something second hand that will last rather than a fashion gadget set that might all just last long enough before you get bored of it.

[ina]

Those people obviously have more money than is good for them... And there's me debating whether I can afford to buy a new grater for carrots and cheese etc - only a manual one, of course.

[Flo]

I gained a new Kenwood food mixer (the basic one) when someone cleaned out their garden shed - mine had worn out from use so it was a good find and better quality than the one I had. The local family took the large juicer as they had worn out one some time back and never replaced it. They say this one is better quality than the one they had.

[contadina]

A friend picked up an old Kenwood mixer at a boot sale (still going strong 10 years after he acquired it) and I lust after it every time I see it.

[Flo]

Perhaps I should start looking round the car boot fairs when the season starts here again. With a list in hand of things that the home needs.