Definitely my brother is about all of the appliances you mentioned and more and that also includes electric clocks as well.
He has quite a collection from brands like Rival, Toastmaster, GE and others.
Along with appliances with 70s colors like harvest gold and copper tone to the 80s with the off white and wood grain designs.
He enjoys tinkering with them in his shop and repairs them whenever he can get the parts. To my surprise there are a lot of people out there who make a hobby out of small appliances and if you know the right people they can help you find replacement parts good quality OEM parts.

Sort of. I used to love watching the turntables inside microwaves spin around. I also used to love operating coffee makers.

We have a kitchen full of older appliances, both large and small. They have a lot more character than the newer stuff, and also tend to be built better. Our kitchen clock and toaster were both wedding presents, given to my great aunt and uncle in the early '50s. They have been in the same spots since then, and have seen nearly constant use for 70+ years. Both show no signs of slowing down, although I did oil the clock motor a few years back.

It's the larger appliances that are even more fun. Major appliances from the 70s and 80s are basically indestructible and are built like tanks. For example nothing can compete with a Kenmore washer or dryer of this vintage. I had a Kenmore dishwasher go for 22 years before it finally quit and that was nightly use and in those 22 years it never once needed repairs but my brother and a retired appliance repairman got it running again. I love the powerful motors on old appliances nowadays they just spit water onto the clothes or dishes. Or the click and hum when the fridge compressor kicks on. As for electric clocks who knows how long the motors in those last especially if they are GE.

Boy do I love washers and dryers. My grandparents had a pair of Maytags from the '80s. The washer lasted for nearly 40 years before biting the dust. The matching dryer is still working. My grandpa replaced the washer with a Speed Queen; if you haven't heard of the Speed Queen brand, they build washers and dryers that are supposed to resemble the build quality of anything made over 20 years ago. That washer is built like a tank. However, they're extremely expensive. He paid $1,500 for it. They're worth every penny, though. My all-time favorite washer is the Kenmore 80 Series from the late '90s. Built like a tank and very easy to use.

It's the larger appliances that are even more fun. Major appliances from the 70s and 80s are basically indestructible and are built like tanks. For example nothing can compete with a Kenmore washer or dryer of this vintage. I had a Kenmore dishwasher go for 22 years before it finally quit and that was nightly use and in those 22 years it never once needed repairs but my brother and a retired appliance repairman got it running again. I love the powerful motors on old appliances nowadays they just spit water onto the clothes or dishes. Or the click and hum when the fridge compressor kicks on. As for electric clocks who knows how long the motors in those last especially if they are GE.

Agreed there. Our Kenmore fridge turns 45 this year and shows no signs of slowing down. The newest appliance in our kitchen is a 1993 KitchenAid dishwasher, made the year before Hobart spun the division off. Washer and dryer are a set of Kenmores from 1985 and they actually get the clothes clean. None of the appliances have electronics to fail, everything is simple to work on, and parts are cheap and abundant. Whenever something breaks I've gotten it going again in an afternoon, although I've had to be patient while waiting for the replacement part. Probably the hardest thing to fix was one of the roller shades in a bathroom window - the spring snapped, and finding a replacement rod was nearly impossible. I eventually lucked out and found a good one at an estate sale, but for the better part of a year the shade was stuck 3/4 of the way down...

Definitely my brother is about all of the appliances you mentioned and more and that also includes electric clocks as well.
He has quite a collection from brands like Rival, Toastmaster, GE and others.
Along with appliances with 70s colors like harvest gold and copper tone to the 80s with the off white and wood grain designs.
He enjoys tinkering with them in his shop and repairs them whenever he can get the parts. To my surprise there are a lot of people out there who make a hobby out of small appliances and if you know the right people they can help you find replacement parts good quality OEM parts.

NICE!!  I've always liked the Toastmaster brand myself.  Speaking of woodgrain, I actually used to have a woodgrain Sunbeam Mixmaster hand mixer, which I gave away not too long ago as it just wasn't powerful enough.  It only had a 160W motor, which wasn't worth much when trying to mix cookie dough or other thick batters.  But yeah, the woodgrain design is one of my favorites!

Agreed there. Our Kenmore fridge turns 45 this year and shows no signs of slowing down. The newest appliance in our kitchen is a 1993 KitchenAid dishwasher, made the year before Hobart spun the division off. Washer and dryer are a set of Kenmores from 1985 and they actually get the clothes clean. None of the appliances have electronics to fail, everything is simple to work on, and parts are cheap and abundant. Whenever something breaks I've gotten it going again in an afternoon, although I've had to be patient while waiting for the replacement part. Probably the hardest thing to fix was one of the roller shades in a bathroom window - the spring snapped, and finding a replacement rod was nearly impossible. I eventually lucked out and found a good one at an estate sale, but for the better part of a year the shade was stuck 3/4 of the way down...

VERY impressive your fridge has lasted so long.  We also have a Kenmore, but ours is from 1996 when my parents first moved into the house.  Still going strong, although it cycles on more than it used to.  We also vacuum the underside-mounted coils frequently to keep it from running hotter than necessary.

We had a Kenmore refrigerator in our old house- it was original to the construction of the house in 1976. The ice machine / water dispenser stopped working around 2006, and was never replaced, so I guess that was always a bit of an annoyance

When we moved, we took it with us and used it as our "spare" fridge in the garage.

Unfortunately, at around 46 year mark (2022), it started cycling on and off constantly and the freezer stopped holding temperature (especially in the summer months- the freeze-thaw cycles were brutal). We wound up getting rid of it through our utilities "appliance buyback" program. I believe we got a $150 rebate on it, even in its nearly-dead state.

We also have a 2006 LG front load washer / dryer combo. We swapped them out last year for a "deluxe tower" LG unit that was mispriced at Lowes (there was a sale going on, and someone f'd up big time- we got a $3K appliance for just under $900). My entire household agrees that a) it doesn't wash as effectively, and b) that we should get around to reinstalling our old units (they currently sit in the garage, unused, but they do work). The washer needs a new fill valve, as the one it has is VERY loud / close to failing. Otherwise, they're both mint.

Apart from that, we have a 2016 Miele Futura Dimension dishwasher that has given us ZERO problems and a 2005 GE Two-Door convection oven. Zero problems whatsoever and a very intuitive menu, but its control panel (plastic) is starting to look worse for wear. I've had to tape a few buttons back on as the plastic is cracking / becoming brittle which is leading to some of tje buttons breaking off with use. Our newest kitchen appliance is our fridge, which is an LG from 2020, which replaced a HORRIBLE Samsung fridge from 2011. No issues with it yet either, cross my fingers it stays that way.

It's the larger appliances that are even more fun. Major appliances from the 70s and 80s are basically indestructible and are built like tanks. For example nothing can compete with a Kenmore washer or dryer of this vintage. I had a Kenmore dishwasher go for 22 years before it finally quit and that was nightly use and in those 22 years it never once needed repairs but my brother and a retired appliance repairman got it running again. I love the powerful motors on old appliances nowadays they just spit water onto the clothes or dishes. Or the click and hum when the fridge compressor kicks on. As for electric clocks who knows how long the motors in those last especially if they are GE.

I very much agree!!!!!!!Although I am not interested in kitchen appliances per se, I still think old 70s and 80s appliances have character, and I love the look. It's way better than anything made with an austere modern look. Old stuff for the win!

VERY impressive your fridge has lasted so long.  We also have a Kenmore, but ours is from 1996 when my parents first moved into the house.  Still going strong, although it cycles on more than it used to.  We also vacuum the underside-mounted coils frequently to keep it from running hotter than necessary.

That's one of the key things that nobody does - vacuum the coils! It has a huge impact on both energy consumption and the lifespan of the refrigerator. I make a point of doing it every few months, and usually by then they're covered with dirt.

Another thing to check is the door gasket. If there are any leaks, it will make the compressor cycle more often due to the cold air escaping. I'm betting it's something simple like that - your parents' fridge was made before appliances become garbage, and probably has a lot of life left in it.