Magnavox DTV boxes, don't seem to be old set friendly. :sigh:

I wonder why? Just because of strong signals?

the most durable set probobly a late 50s zenith b/w

my favorate set though is a tie between the kuba komet, and rca victor coffee table set.
now ive owned a coffee table and a late 50s zenith, but not a kuba komet

Most durable set
 

OK, nobody laugh...

A Sampo (Not Sanyo) 19" color set purchased from a now defunct Seattle area discount warehouse (Jafco) in 1980. The jungle IC went out in it after about a year. I broke all the rules and re-soldered the new IC back into the set instead of "socketizing" it.

I paid $200 for the set new, and $12 for the IC. That set saw minimum 10 hour per day use until 2002, and still worked except the CRT was getting tired and badly out of focus. My father used the set exclusively during that time. He liked to turn the set on first thing in the AM, then get coffee and a shower. He leave it on if he went anywhere, except for turning it off while at work.

I hope I did not post this already. If I did, I declare "senior moment", and sincerely apologize.

Looking back, probably the most durable set, both in terms of build quality and longevity, was a Zenith. Don't remember the model or chassis number, but it was an early-60s VHF-only, metal cabinet table model 19 inch. Power tranny with 3DG4 rectifier, 90 degree CRT with BIG NECK (as opposed to the more common 110 degree, small neck). Used it for 5 years and gave it to a widow lady who used it with a UHF converter for many more years till she passed away. The set never needed service or had the back off.

AFAIK, that model was the only Zenith that used that CRT.
Are you sure that it used the 3DG4? All the Zeniths I saw with that CRT used the rare 5BC3, novar based 5U4 equivalent.
I've been wrong before, maybe once. :D

Hi All;
The only set that I have known for that long, was the second Set my parents had.. It was on almost daily by me.. It was a B&W, I think Magnovox, somewhere between late 50's and Early 60's.. It had Stereo, But I am not sure when that came out.. I was a TV in the middle.. Speakers on each side, with Phono on upper Left hand side.. With AM/FM radio and Tuner on the Upper Right hand side.. I remember it have a TV Repairman come out, but most likely for a Bad Tube.. Its Demise, came when I Thought it would be an easy job to comvert it to color.. So, I took the B&W set out and tried to put in a color chassis, I had scrounged up somewhere.. Needless to say it went to the basement and our living room had a big empty wall..
THANK YOU Marty

Yeah. Unless i'm losin' my marbles (which is entirely possible):bat:
The reason it sticks in memory is that it was the first 3DG4 I'd ever encountered. Maybe another oldtimer could chime in as to whether yea or nay.

:D

Philco Diamond D
 

So far, my most durable has been this '57 Philco Diamond D set that I recapped back in 05 a few weeks before Hurricane Rita. So far, other than removing the safety glass to clean off the CRT, I have done no further repairs to the set. It's been used very regularly since 05... sometimes running 12+ hours a day.

The Philco is the set on the bottom. the top set is a '59 Motorola.

The set just struck me as being an odd model. The higher priced models used the 110 degree CRT and the 3DG3.
IIRC, that set is the only model that used a 19", 90 degree CRT. Zenith could do anything they wanted, as they owned their own CRT plant. :yes:

Hah. Never realized it was such a one-off model before. It was sure heavy, built like a tank, and acted as if it could run forever with zero service.

Hi All;
Isn't that what made Zenith and gave them a Great Trademark.. At least during the 50's and earlier.. I can't say about their later stuff.. When you had a Zenith, even Considering that it would last forever.. If you wanted a second set or a friend wanted a referral.. Zenith owners were glad to do so.. They liked their tanks, except at moving time..
THANK YOU Marty

I would have to say the most durable set I've had is the 15" Zenith b/w portable that my grandma bought new about 1974 or '75. She used it for the rest of her life and I've had it since she passed away in '86. It's worked flawlessly nearly 40 years and has never had the back off.

I was never too fond of the Zenith sets built before 1958.
Most people didn't like those big clunky tuners, even though they were built well.
I think Zenith realized, when they made the 1956-57, donut chassis, that they weren't service friendly. In 1958, they started the Service-Saver design and the rest is history. :yes:

my 59 zeniths been working great since i got it unrestored exept the horizontal problem but i already have that part