Just a BPC
 

Thomson era RCA's couldn't have been that bad. Well.. except for the CTC-175 series. This is the first new set I ever bought. A 25" No Frills RCA. CTC-185, manufactured in February 2000. As a matter of fact, it must have just rolled off the line, since I got it at the end of February 2000.
This was my main TV. Since I was a cheapo, I got the model without RCA inputs, so I upgraded a few years later, and gave this one away. This set has seen HEAVY use. The person I gave it to, just gave it back today. Altho my camera takes horrid screen shots, the picture tube is still strong after almost 16 years, and it's never needed a repair. Not bad for a "Circuit City special"
I have no use for it anymore, but the hoarder in me wouldn't let me toss a working set.

Sets like this may be making a comeback for non-collectors, what with the newest stuff breaking down so often. I noticed that fewer late-model CRT sets have been appearing in the free listings, and postings that have been updated to indicate the TVs have been taken. Most recently I saw a 2nd-gen Zenith System 3 console that was advertised as working go quickly, hopefully for use as-is.

This is why I always keep a couple around. Wouldn't go out of my way to pick one up or buy one but there's no reason not to have a spare. Tvs today are junk.

I bought a CTC-185 G.E. bare bones set for $8.99 for a project but did not wind up using it. It has such a nice picture (even though it's a high hour set) that I couldn't bring myself to toss or EOL it. I'm going to use it in my workshop when I get in the new house.

https://youtu.be/M6eZaBAwhfk