Ask Slashdot: What Tech Products Were Built To Last?

itwbennett writes: "When you think about tech products these days, you probably think 'refresh cycle' more than 'built to last.' But there are plenty of tech products that put up with hard, daily use year after year. Here's a few to get you started: Logitech MX510 mouse, Brother black & white laser printer, Casio G-Shock watch, Alvin Draf-Tec Retrac mechanical pencil, Sony Dream Machine alarm clock. What's your longest-lasting, hardest-working device?"

LaserJet II and LaserJet 3

[sphealey]

HP LaserJet II and LaserJet 3 - worked reliably for 20 years and probably quite a few of them still in use.

sPh

Admittedly as noted above no high-tech product can yet match the longevity of a well-built plumbing system - some of them are over 2000 years old and still functioning as designed, while most major cities still depend on water and plumbing infrastructure build 1880-1920.

The clear winner overall is so obvious

[Tumbleweed]

IBM's Model M keyboard.

Re:MacBook Air 13 Inch

[rochrist]

I've got a Power Mac G4 from 2002 that's been running my professional recording studio for 12 years now without a hiccup.

Re:Anything built before 2001

[darkwing_bmf]

We always get a false impression of the reliability and quality of old stuff, because the stuff that sucked and broke got thrown out years ago, and the only things that we still encounter are the ones that were well made. It's true with old houses, old cars, old furniture, pretty much everything. I'm sure there's a law for this phenomenon with some pompous dude's name on it but it's a well established and discussed phenomenon.

I believe the term you are looking for is Survivorship bias [wikipedia.org].

Re:test gear that was made in USA in the 50s and 6

[mlts]

I would say that my old HP48SX calculator with a card for additional functions still works and is useful. Engineering calculations are engineering calculations, and the tactile feel of the buttons is a lot more accurate than trying to use an emulator on a smartphone.

Just the small engineering touches showed outstanding build quality. For example, the card had an edge connector, but there was a sliding metal flap that kept the connector on a card shielded until it was inserted into the calculator.

Re:Commodore Amiga 3000T

[WaywardGeek]

My HP-41CV calculator from 1981. My wife still uses her HP-12C. My HP calculator's cutting edge usefulness vastly outlasted any computer. It's finally been replaced by a calculator app on my Android phone that emulates it!