WORTH EVERY CENT
Couple still uses 100-y.o. gizmo
If it ain’t broke, don’t replace it. An elderly couple has used the same century-old appliance to drill, vacuum, mince meat, process food, peel vegetables and grind coffee since their wedding day in 1976 — and it has yet to give out.
Mary and Ivor Waite, from West Midlands, England, swear by their 98-year-old Piccolo, a piece of German-made machinery manufactured between 1925 and 1930 for use in cramped housing, which they received as a present from Ivor’s aunt.
“It had been in storage for god knows how long in my auntie’s cottage before she gave it to us in 1976,” Ivor, 73, told South West News Service.
The couple, who won an award in 2013 for the oldest working appliance in Midlands’ Black Country, use the centenarian technology as a mincer or a vacuum to clean the car, occasionally polishing the floor with it as well.
But wait, there’s more!
“It’s pretty amazing that you can use it as a mincer, liquidizer, a food mixer, a juicer, a slicer and even polish the floors with it,” he said. “It’s a one-of-a-kind and we wouldn’t be without it.”
Modern-day appliances pale in comparison to the Piccolo, which Ivor likened to “the household equivalent of a Swiss Army knife.”
“With modern vacuums, they’re virtually unrepairable nowadays,” Ivor explained, calling Dysons “a pain to repair. It lasted because it’s German engineering. It’s well-built and heavy.”
Aside from a few attachments for juicing and that have been lost along the way, the Piccolo has never “broken down,” save for replacing the plug one time. “I’ve lost a few spare parts but I’m quite handy so I’ve managed to keep the Piccolo going all these years,” he said, adding that their two kids “fight over” who will receive the gadget when they pass.
But the English couple vows to hang on to the multipurpose machiner for “as long as we can.” Ivor noted: “The only thing that might burn out is the motor, but I have three of them.”