I brought my lock in the early 90s. One of the keys wore out from being in my pocket all the time but the lock works about as well as it did the day I brought it. They are not delicate instruments they are designed after all to prevent someone taking what they are locked to. I wouldn't be surprised if it was still working fine after 50 years.

If you keep it reasonably dry and give it a bit of lubrication there is no reason a lock couldn't be a once in a lifetime purchase for many cyclists.

Most of the locks I see are reasonably old. Most people couldn't care less about lock technology and don't want to think about their bike getting stolen.

I doubt many such people will make themselves known here because these threads just quickly descend into a pissing contest. Always the same few people trying to shout louder than everybody else because their view is the correct one. I think most of them like to hear the sound of their own voice more than they have any expertise with locks, after all how many saw the bic pen issue coming?