So, Kamakiri, did you original question ever get answered?
I would submit that reliability of consumer electronics has to be considered in relative terms. Can tube sets be made to work reliably? Yes, as long as one considers that these devices were relatively expensive, and unreliable compared with modern sets. I heard stories that 2-3 years was a common lifespan of early color sets (1950's and 1960's). That from a former professional repairer! it was not uncommon for a color set to go less than a year between repairs. When the frequency of repairs got to 1-2 months, or CRT replacement was necessary, many customers considered that unacceptable.
Of course, customers and repair professionals were all over the map in terms of acceptability of repair cost, and recommendations for set replacement.
Solid state electronics brought some improvement, but not to the degree that was promised. I heard and saw early SS adverts and science articles that suggested that SS sets would NEVER fail. Yeah, right! It appears that improvemnts in design, manufacturing techniques, and materials science produced the remainder of the gains, until low cost became the prime objective, bringing us to the time of the 2 year flat panel, where we are today. if that's the basis for comparison for reliability, then yes tube sets can compete...
