British English has many phrases that praise a product for lasting.
Built to last: Made to keep working for many years.
Built like a tank: Heavy, solid and very hard to damage.
Buy cheap, buy twice: A cheap product will soon have to be replaced.
It’ll see me out: It will last longer than I will.
They don’t make them like they used to: Older products were better made than new ones.
British English has many phrases for keeping old things in use.
A stitch in time saves nine: A small repair made early prevents a bigger one later.
Patch it up: Repair something so that it can go on being used.
Darn: Mend a hole in a sock or a sweater by weaving thread across it.
Good as new: Repaired so well that it works like a new one.
There’s life in the old dog yet: It is old, but it is still useful.
British English has many phrases that warn against change for its own sake.
Tried and tested: Proven by long use, and therefore trusted.
Old faithful: A thing that has always worked and can be relied on.
Leave well alone: Do not try to improve something that is already satisfactory.
Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater: Do not lose what is good while getting rid of what is bad.
Stick with what you know: Keep to the familiar choice instead of trying something new.
British English has many phrases that judge a product by its use.
No frills: Without extra features. It has only what is needed.
Does the job: It works as it should, and that is enough.
Bells and whistles: Extra features that add little. The phrase is usually used with doubt.
Flash: Showy and expensive-looking. It is not a compliment.
All fur coat and no knickers: Impressive on the outside, with nothing behind it. The phrase is common in the north of England.
British English has many fond words for a product with flaws.
It has character: It is odd or imperfect in a way that people like.
Temperamental: Of a machine, working well on some days and not on others.
Foibles: Small odd habits or weaknesses, usually forgiven.
There’s a knack to it: It works, but only for someone who knows its trick.
The old girl: A fond name for an old car, boat or machine.
The AGA is a range cooker invented in 1922 by Gustaf Dalén. It was first sold in the United Kingdom in 1929, and since 1957 most production has been in the UK. Its maker says the cooker “was designed to last for decades.”
In 2009, a competition to find the oldest working AGA was won by a cooker installed in 1932. The company also sells reconditioned AGAs. Its buying guide notes that one “may already be over 30 years old.”
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods sold to consumers must be of satisfactory quality. Section 9 lists the aspects of quality that apply “in appropriate cases.” They are fitness for the usual purposes, appearance and finish, freedom from minor defects, safety, and durability.
A hexagonal pillar box stands at Barnes Cross, near Holwell in Dorset. It was made by John N. Butt & Co of Gloucester between 1853 and 1856. It is described as the oldest pillar box still in everyday use in Britain, and it is a listed structure.
HMS Victory was launched on 7 May 1765 and served as Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar. She now stands in dry dock in Portsmouth.
She is still a commissioned ship of the Royal Navy and the oldest naval vessel still in commission in the world. Since October 2012, she has been the flagship of the First Sea Lord.
The Routemaster bus entered service in London in February 1956. The last regular Routemaster service ran on route 159 on 9 December 2005, almost 50 years later. Some Routemasters ran on heritage routes in central London until 2019.
The buses were built to be rebuilt. About every five years, each one went to London Transport’s Aldenham Works, where it was completely stripped down and rebuilt.