DWLPL I can't agree more with your comments about old technology items. About four years ago I bought a brand new conventional photocopier for about £300 which I thought was a steal although I was familiar with the model and aware that it had been in production for many years. The following year the manufacturer brought out a new model - same innards but restyled case for £700, so I grinned. The following year the manufacturers withdrew their maintenance contract as they could not guarantee spares supply. A month ago my machine packed up - simple repair, but the approximate cost of spares (if they were still available) and the one off call out fee for an engineer was more than the cost of a brand new Epson three in one printer. This does colour photocopies as well if I want and my wife also now has a scanner attached to her computer.
How times change: I nearly wept when dumping my four year old photocopier at the tip!
P.P.