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Older is Better

June 6th, 2012

I’ve been wanting to get Mr Chiots a White Mountain hand crank ice cream machine for quite a while. I looked at the new ones, but after reading some of the reviews, I decided a vintage one would be better quality. For the past couple months I’ve been looking for a used one for sale that was in great shape. Last week I finally found on over on Yesterday & Tomorrow store on Etsy.


It’s a 6 quart beauty in almost mint condition and I scored it for only $110! It came beautifully packaged a vintage pillowcases with lovely crocheted lace (and they sent it’s pair). Needless to say, Mr Chiots is really excited to make sure it works.


I love it when I can find something vintage instead of buying new, generally I find that it’s much better quality than a new one. Every now and then I get impatient and buy something new and usually I’m disappointed with the quality. I’m very thankful for places like Etsy that make it much easier to find great vintage items.

What’s something you’ve purchased new that you wish you had been able to find an older version of?

14 Comments to “Older is Better”
  1. KimH on June 6, 2012 at 5:26 am

    Thats gorgeous! Looks like the one we used when we were kids at my grandma house..

    I cant think of anything off the top of my head at the moment, but you can hear me say fairly often, “I wish they made them like they used to”.

    Enjoy that ice cream maker… Its also a great memory maker! :)

    Reply to KimH's comment

  2. kristin @ going country on June 6, 2012 at 5:58 am

    This sounds sort of trivial, but a spatula. We used to have this ancient metal spatula (it was probably my husband’s great-grandmother’s–a lot of our good kitchen stuff was) that I LOVED because it had a wooden handle (wood always feels better to my hand when it comes to tools) and an extremely thin and flexible head to it that make it easier to get under food. A few years ago, the metal finally cracked across and I sadly had to retire it. I look for something similar every time I go to an estate sale or whatever, but I have yet to find a replacement.

    Reply to kristin @ going country's comment

    • Susy on June 6, 2012 at 7:17 am

      I know exactly what you mean because I’m the same way about spatulas. I have one that I love and use all the time and a few others that are just disappointing when they make out of the drawer.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  3. Terry on June 6, 2012 at 7:48 am

    My Mom and Stepdad have an ice cream machine that he hooks up to an old hit and miss engine. It is really cool and makes the ice cream in about 15 to 20 min. Old stuff is almost always very well made.

    Reply to Terry's comment

  4. daisy on June 6, 2012 at 8:15 am

    I look forward to exploring Etsy for vintage items. Didn’t know you could do that.
    I try to buy old stuff whenever I can find it. Especially old glass bowls and jars.
    Enjoy your ice cream!

    Reply to daisy's comment

  5. Rhonda on June 6, 2012 at 9:04 am

    I hate my toaster. I had an old, hand-me-down toaster that was so old, it had a braided fabric cord cover (any of you remember cords like that? :-) ) Anyway it finally died and went to appliance heaven about 6 years ago and I replaced it with a big, fancy model and it doesn’t work anywhere near as good as that older one I had.

    I will take “old” over new any day (except with it comes to my Macs) I like things that have a back story. I like to be able to hold them and think about how many other people had used them and where they came from. I get a lot of stuff from the vintage section of Etsy like my pyrex bowls and Fire King stuff (I’m a sucker for that) but other stuff is hand-me-down. My favorite is my cherry dresser that’s been in my family since 1830. I absolutely love it even the little gnawed mouse holes in the back of it. :-)

    Reply to Rhonda's comment

    • Susy on June 6, 2012 at 9:12 am

      I’m with you on the Macs, though I’d take an old Mac over and old PC any day! Love old Pyrex!!!!

      As far as toasters – you’d be amazed at how great toast is made in a cast iron skillet!

      Reply to Susy's comment

      • Rhonda on June 6, 2012 at 9:28 am

        Really? Toast in a skillet? On top of the stove or under the broiler? I’ve slowly been replacing my pans with cast iron, so I’ve got one to try it out!

        to Rhonda's comment

      • Susy on June 6, 2012 at 7:27 pm

        On top of the stove, for the first few times just watch the toast then decide how long it takes to get to your preferred “toastiness”. I usually put the pan on medium.

        to Susy's comment

  6. Judym on June 6, 2012 at 10:43 am

    Love the old stuff. I prefer older furniture over the new stuff. I’m slowly replacing dressers and chest of drawers in the bedrooms. They hold up so much better and the new stuff usually is too expensive. Currenty working on an old dresser now. Looked for years at the ice cream makers but as you said they’re not made like the older ones. We too will try etsy. Sounds like a good source – really love the vintage pillow cases.

    Reply to Judym's comment

  7. Maybelline on June 6, 2012 at 12:52 pm

    Water guns and sprinklers that screw on to my hose end. The new ones are junk. I only have a couple of old accessories that work from grandparents. I would love to know a source for old water guns and sprinklers.

    Reply to Maybelline's comment

  8. Liz J on June 6, 2012 at 5:44 pm

    What a great item and the seller certainly has a lot of style wrapping it up in a wonderful pillow case ~ wow! I absolutely love shopping on Etsy and have gotten some wonderful items, from vintage Revere Ware to cast iron. I’m looking forward to future blogs on ice cream made with your new acquisition. Have fun.

    Reply to Liz J's comment

  9. Terri on June 6, 2012 at 10:06 pm

    My husband has a collection (20+) of various types of hand crank ice cream makers. The only requirement is that they all must be functional, and we must make a batch in each one. We have one that has a glass canister to hold the ice cream and one that makes two kinds at once. Hand crank is the only way to go. As for something new that I wish was old, I don’t know. I tend to pick up older items at yard sales and flea markets with the idea that they must be usable for their intended purpose. Enjoy your “new” old ice cream maker!
    Terri

    Reply to Terri's comment

    • Susy on June 7, 2012 at 8:22 am

      I’d love to find one with a glass container – that’s so interesting. What a a great thing to collect!

      Reply to Susy's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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