I stumbled on a thread over in Foo, about choice of razors. I took a brief moment to explain that my friends & co workers would want to throttle me if I tried to explain the virtues of a mug & brush over canned creams. They have been tolerant about my belief that lugged steel has been passed over for easier and cheaper to build designs.
The question is: what other examples of retro-grouching do you have in your life? Mine are: bikes, shaving equipment, & food processors.

Woodworking tools / measuring equipment.

Film, manual focus SLR (Pentax)

+Argus TLR's, can still set up a B&W Darkroom.

I like Rotary phones, have a few.

Fishing gear/firearms

I still consider my '96 Cherokee "Modern" even though the design dates to '84 and the 4.0 started it's design life as a tractor engine.

my "food processor" is a knife, a *carbon steel* knife

synthetic fabrics, especially lycra and spandex

Wood baseball bats, french press coffee maker, B&W tv in my office, corded telephone, 2 channel home stereo with turntable

Turntable as main source for audio 'software', analog tuner and yes 2 channel.
I also have a distinct predilection for tubed amplifiers.
Since I'm bearded I use a true shave cream from a tube, not any canned aerosol foam.
And I believe all cars should be manual transmission.

Marty

Food processors are akin to electric razors.

I'm sure I'm retro about some stuff (like books),
and I know I can be a bit of a grouch at times (if I believe what some say when they annoy me ),
but I just like what I like,
and I like what I'm comfortable with.

As pertains to motorized vehicles, I don't do fuel injection. I prefer ignition points. Of course, I also prefer non-motorized vehicles.

I prefer a hammer to a nail gun, a reel mower to a gas-powered one. I don't eat fast food, almost never take the elevator and refuse to use an iPod. My drum set dates to the mid-'70s, and I consider it "too new."

Wow, what a great question! One of the best ever posted here, IMO.
I am a lifelong history buff with a deep fascination with craftsmanship of all kinds. I am also a head person with minimal skills along this line. I can't indulge the interest much beyond bicycles, for reasons of both space and finances. But as a person with a couple of music degrees, I do have a few vintage instruments, and also inherited my father's collection of handblown glass. The glassware isn't really grouchy, since it's mostly just on display, but I do try to play the instruments. The vintage saxophone and clarinet folks are as nuts as the vintage bike folks.

I find that my cheapness and eye for simplicity infects pretty much all aspects of my life. j

I also prefer driving 2 lane highways to the Interstate.

Aside from avoiding shopping on Sunday and having a garden, bicycles are pretty much it. Perhaps I need to work on my Ludditeidity.

Automobiles. I drive a 74 Vw beetle. Cheep to drive & no a/c. What more do i need?

Cameras! 2x3and 4x5 Speed Graphic press cameras, Contax II/III and Kodak Retina 35mm.
Hunting rifles. Blue steel, wood stocks, Mauser actions.
Handguns. Pre-war Smith revolvers and Colt automatics.
And I'm also a mug and brush user, with a Gillette 'President' razor to boot!
Top

Automobiles, furniture, film equipment, 3-piece suits, home construction, home appliances.

-Kurt

Slide rules (engineer from the early 70's in college) are my collection item, I have 18 of them and can use them still. Vintage drafting equipment which I still use a lot. Vintage bicycles here and I use a shaving mug, soap and brush for shaving.

Bill

I've had a beard for the last 30 years, I live in a house that's 157 years old, and my research area (I'm an academic) is mostly on late-19th and early-20th century teaching of English.

Neal

i never, ever use the internet

+100

A *real* retro-grouch has a full beard.

fun question!

Cookware, Tools, Flashlights, CLOTHING, vinyl records, the house i live in, gardening tools, magnets & knicknacks of all kinds...i frequent thrift stores & flea markets/garage sales for most anything i can incorporate into my daily life. If i don't have to get it "modern" i don't

the most modern thing i own is a 2001 Jeep Cherokee, the last model produced & I always wanted one as a kid, so considering it's no longer in production, I bought the last model year & consider it a "modern classic"

hear hear! The only time I've shaved this year was for my abe licoln halloween costume & that was just the one time, it's grown back now

I say. 'Tis quite an honour to associate with a gentleman of such high standing.

Almost forgot but re-reading the posts reminded me: my classic turntable and vinyl records. I share this one with my daughter.

Bill

Cameras that use film vs memory cards.