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So My kids threw out a piece of primary test equipment.....

VERAULT said:
My rca tv was made in china. And im aware rca hasnt been an american company in forever. I thought thats common knowledge.
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I dunno, you'd be surprised/saddened how many people think they're "buying American" when they purchase these zombie brands.

The one that really made me laugh was when the Curtis Mathes name (who's whole deal was A: high quality/high prices and B: near the end how they positioned themselves as being the last fully US owned electronics company) started showing up on positively awful house-branded TVs at Kmart in the late 90's-early 2000's. Looks like for some crazy reason they're slapping the name on LED light bulbs these days...
 
Samir said:
Yes, today's kids can be dumber than an 8088 running at 400khz...:D And they are the future! OMG!
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Actually, I 'm sure this was predicted in the future in the movie Runaway with Tom Selleck and Gene Simmonds where robots running 8088 processors started going rogue on the farm and also in that movie they had acid injecting spider robots. Maybe the 8088 is capable of AI after all, you just have to under clock them to allow spaces between the thoughts.
 
Eudimorphodon said:
The one that really made me laugh was when the Curtis Mathes name (who's whole deal was A: high quality/high prices and B: near the end how they positioned themselves as being the last fully US owned electronics company) started showing up on positively awful house-branded TVs at Kmart in the late 90's-early 2000's. Looks like for some crazy reason they're slapping the name on LED light bulbs these days...
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You'll see Crosley electronics at Kmart too. But then we also have Packard Bell, which used to be a well-known brand long before the 1980s (then got swallowed up by Raytheon/Teledyne/NEC). I joke by asking folks about the PB250--yes it existed, but not from the outfit started by the Israeli tank driver and his buddies. I'd classify it as one of the earliest minicomputers.
 
Agent Orange said:
One can get a nice big screen TV these days for $300 or so.
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but again, Im not one of those people who likes to shop. Generally I find something I like and I like to keep in in perpetuity. Motorcycle from 1977, car is from 1989. Several pairs of Hand made Leather boots I wear daily going back 20 years that I keep getting re-soled. whirlpool Dryer from 1982, etc etc. I know Im a broken record.My wife and I love to travel, we love to eat at our favorite restaurants from time to time. I would much rather spend my money on those things and my hobby than "new flashy things". I have always been that way. I never wore name brand clothes or anything with labels since I was in High School; Im no ones billboard. And I live in a house with 3 other people. IF I was the only one who thought this way I would be voted out. But My Family is happy with our setup as long as I maintain it. So the idea of a new TV just bothers me,... I already have one and its great, why get a new one? $300? Well I can think of so many other things to spend that on, tires, new power tools, what have you.
 
Hugo Holden said:
Actually, I 'm sure this was predicted in the future in the movie Runaway with Tom Selleck and Gene Simmonds where robots running 8088 processors started going rogue on the farm and also in that movie they had acid injecting spider robots. Maybe the 8088 is capable of AI after all, you just have to under clock them to allow spaces between the thoughts.
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Great Movie... And he defeated the Band KISS and those robots with the testosterone extruded from his mustache.. didn't he...

Chuck(G) said:
You'll see Crosley electronics at Kmart too. But then we also have Packard Bell, which used to be a well-known brand long before the 1980s (then got swallowed up by Raytheon/Teledyne/NEC). I joke by asking folks about the PB250--yes it existed, but not from the outfit started by the Israeli tank driver and his buddies. I'd classify it as one of the earliest minicomputers.
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You still have a K-MART? That is funny, we our down to our last 1 (possibly 2, I swear I found another one last year) in the entire state.
 
Chuck(G) said:
You'll see Crosley electronics at Kmart too. But then we also have Packard Bell, which used to be a well-known brand long before the 1980s (then got swallowed up by Raytheon/Teledyne/NEC). I joke by asking folks about the PB250--yes it existed, but not from the outfit started by the Israeli tank driver and his buddies. I'd classify it as one of the earliest minicomputers.
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You know, Crosley used to be a fairly good name along with Norge, Admiral, Hotpoint, and Kelvinator.
 
VERAULT said:
but again, I'm not one of those people who likes to shop. Generally I find something I like and I like to keep in in perpetuity. Motorcycle from 1977, car is from 1989. Several pairs of Hand made Leather boots I wear daily going back 20 years that I keep getting re-soled. whirlpool Dryer from 1982, etc etc. I know Im a broken record.My wife and I love to travel, we love to eat at our favorite restaurants from time to time. I would much rather spend my money on those things and my hobby than "new flashy things". I have always been that way. I never wore name brand clothes or anything with labels since I was in High School; Im no ones billboard. And I live in a house with 3 other people. IF I was the only one who thought this way I would be voted out. But My Family is happy with our setup as long as I maintain it. So the idea of a new TV just bothers me,... I already have one and its great, why get a new one? $300? Well I can think of so many other things to spend that on, tires, new power tools, what have you.
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Haven't had a pair of resoled shoes since right after the war (the big one). I'm wondering, do you squeak a little when you walk? :razz: I was merely mentioning the cost of a decent TV and wasn't suggesting that you run out and buy one. I like new, up to date things around me, but I'm no spendthrift. I do have a custom pair of New Balance orange sneakers that have 'Grandpa Duck' embroidered on them from 2013 - made in the USA and I only paid $100 for them - wear them almost every day. Between them and my Jerusalem Joggers I may never need footwear anymore. I have 4 levels in my house and there is a TV on each with 2 in the bar. One is a 43" Sharp in the family room from 2007, a 2008 55" LG in the barroom along with a 2010 28" Vizio over the bar, a 2014 Vizio 31" in the bedroom, and a new 2021 43" HiSense in the sunroom. So, most of the TV's are fairly old and when one goes pop it will be replaced with a new one. As far as my cars go, my wife has 2019 Mazda CX9 which will be difficult to ever get her to turn loose of, and my 2007 Ranger beater with 225,000 miles on it. Then there's the 2013 Camaro which is my toy. So, I'd say I'm just about average.
 
VERAULT said:
You still have a K-MART? That is funny, we our down to our last 1 (possibly 2, I swear I found another one last year) in the entire state.
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The Kmart website's store locator doesn't own up to any locations still being open in Connecticut, but apparently figuring out how many locations there are still operating in some capacity is an inexact science. The same locator claims six are still operating in California, but Googling turns up news stories indicating that several of those have closed within the last couple months.

Going down that rathole got me checking how close the nearest remaining Sears is. Kind of surprised it's "only" sixty miles away...
 
Agent Orange said:
Haven't had a pair of resoled shoes since right after the war (the big one).
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I've resoled my favorite work boots at least twice (lost count). Vibram. Big can of Barge cement. Made-in-China boots today are largely junk, so there's a reason to keep the old ones around. Resoling is a little tricky, as I take a size 13 boot and Vibram sells only 12 and 14 soles in my style. Best tool to trim back a rubber sole is the "razor" bit for an oscillating saw--cuts them like butter.
 
Eudimorphodon said:
The Kmart website's store locator doesn't own up to any locations still being open in Connecticut, but apparently figuring out how many locations there are still operating in some capacity is an inexact science. The same locator claims six are still operating in California, but Googling turns up news stories indicating that several of those have closed within the last couple months.

Going down that rathole got me checking how close the nearest remaining Sears is. Kind of surprised it's "only" sixty miles away...
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It was Watertown, CT. And it seems it closed a few months ago..... https://www.ctpost.com/business/article/Report-Last-Kmart-in-Connecticut-to-close-this-14408685.php

Strange, Got my first job in a grocery store next door to K-Mart and I still remember them having a huge Gun/sporting goods section. Because the State has become so Anti-gun in the past several years...

But yeah.. Guess we lost our last K-Mart around the New Year.


Agent Orange said:
Haven't had a pair of resoled shoes since right after the war (the big one). I'm wondering, do you squeak a little when you walk? :razz:
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Squeak? No, but Leather soles vs Rubber soles make different Sounds. I pretty much dont do Leather on anything other than Dress Shoes as the traction is not great. I learned that when Wearing boots with leather soles on my motorcycle.
They do make a clippity Clop sound that I enjoy hearing on hard surfaces.

Last two pairs of boots I got were in Nashville in 2017. Good Cobblers/Shoe guys are hard to find.. And the few left may not be any good and charge too much.
Generally speaking only soles stiched on can be resoled. But as Chuck said even cheap-O rubber soles can be "sliced" off and a new sole applied.
I dont like sneakers, never did. I just think its a sloppy look. I only wear them to the beach or when I run. I almost never wear shorts so its not an issue.
 
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funny little story. I used to have a friend in Connecticut, Southington Mt. area. I had to buy some tools, small items, the logical choice was Sears. This was the mid 90s. As we were talking he say "I like Kmart tools". That sounded like the most outlandish statement imaginable. If it wasn't Craftsman, it was crappola, to me. That's how trendy I was back then. A consequence of growing up in Long Island. Now I don't think he meant the bulk of his tools were purchased at Kmart. I don't they had anything apart from possibly the smallest socket set, if that back then. He probably meant onesie combination wrenches on a card and such. But I didn't question why he liked them. If I had to guess, the bulk of what they sold at that point was Taiwanese. People are glad to get get Taiwanese goods these days. But most people turned their nose up back then.
 
Well, there's nothing "cheap" about Vibram boot soles--a set will deplete your wallet in excess of $30, even on eBay. A good contact cement (red and yellow can of Barge is the standard in the cobbler racket). A belt sander to rough things up and a bunch of clamps. My boots are somewhere around 10 years old and they're still fine--I bought them when the US maker went out of business. I also have two more new pairs stashed away just in case the dog decides to eat the ones I'm using. Oh, and neatsfoot oil.
 
Chuck(G) said:
Well, there's nothing "cheap" about Vibram boot soles--a set will deplete your wallet in excess of $30, even on eBay. A good contact cement (red and yellow can of Barge is the standard in the cobbler racket). A belt sander to rough things up and a bunch of clamps. My boots are somewhere around 10 years old and they're still fine--I bought them when the US maker went out of business. I also have two more new pairs stashed away just in case the dog decides to eat the ones I'm using. Oh, and neatsfoot oil.
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Neatsfoot oil was good for my Wilson fielders mitt when I was a kid.
 
Chuck(G) said:
Well, there's nothing "cheap" about Vibram boot soles--a set will deplete your wallet in excess of $30, even on eBay. A good contact cement (red and yellow can of Barge is the standard in the cobbler racket). A belt sander to rough things up and a bunch of clamps. My boots are somewhere around 10 years old and they're still fine--I bought them when the US maker went out of business. I also have two more new pairs stashed away just in case the dog decides to eat the ones I'm using. Oh, and neatsfoot oil.
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Neatsfoot oil? That anything like mink oil? My father used to smear mink oil all over his very 60's 70's era orange leathers.. (boots, sharp collard long coats, everything was orange leather.)

I know what you mean about the "extra pair" thats probably why I have at least 6 pairs. I fear the day when hand made boots will be a thing of the past and I am out of luck. My oldest pair may be just under 25 years old now. I dont wear them as much but they are still fine. Shoe-polish makes them look as if they are new. One pair has stitching that is coming out and two cobblers refused to restitch them. Like doctors, if its not something simple... you are out of luck...
 
I bought a Flute 77 back when they first came out (1978-80?) and understand your loss, I'd feel lost without it. I did purchase one of the Banggood Chinese meters a year or so ago just to have a backup. It's not the same quality feel, but it is a good meter and if that's all you can afford at the moment I can suggest that you think about buying one for now.
 
My backup is an Extech EX530 its not a cheap meter and its not an expensive meter (to some people) I think its a good example of a higher-middle of the road meter. I love it, but its not my Fluke.
 
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