To which I add the differences between the average tube-based Euro radio made between say.... 1950 and 1980, and the average American tube radio of the same era.

Euro radio:

a) Never use one part when four-or-more would do.
b) Let's make the controls very, very fussy, with lots of moving parts.
c) Let's make the chassis an integral part of the cabinet (case) including wires, springs, tuning mechanisms and speakers.
d) Let's make services as simple as changing a dial lamp the work of several hours.
e) And after all that, let's make just about every radio look the same, but make very sure that there are no interchangeable parts but-for the tubes - and not all of those.

American Radio:
a) Five (5) tubes, exceptionally, sometimes six (6).
b) If we can make one part do five things, go for it!
c) Who needs a power-transformer?
d) Let's let the industrial designers go nuts. Colors? Sure. Shapes? Whatever can be molded.
e) Let's all make all our radios from a palette of perhaps two dozen interchangeable parts in all, including tubes.

And so it goes. Our oldest microwave, now 12 years old, is a GE countertop that sits on our third floor and is used by a couple of seminary students we are sponsoring. Every day. They keep it sort-of-clean such that I have to power-wash it maybe twice a year. I remember paying $50 for it as a direct-purchase from GE as part of their bulk-buyer program.

Our newest is an over-stove Frigidaire at the summer house, at about 6 years, used during the summers only, and then only lightly. Does the trick and as a vent-hood and stove light is not at all bad. More features than we would normally get, but we purchased it as a 'remainder' from a general contractor at the end of a large project. NIB, but it had sat on the site for two years. No issues, and at $75, a bargain.

The middle one is, at 8 years, the most feature-laden, a Panasonic countertop model that knows the difference between one and three Idaho potatoes when asked to bake them, and between 'regular', 'diet' and 'jumbo' popcorn packages, without being told. At 1,200 watts, it will cook. The point is not that it has these features, but that having the features is a way of accident avoidance. Sure, I know how many minutes each type of popcorn should take, but by hitting a single button, the chances of mis-entry are reduced. And so forth.

A poor workman blames his tools, but a good one picks the right tool for the job and relies upon it.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA