THINGS I WILL NEVER BUY AGAIN.

Battery-operated appliances, notably vacuum cleaners.  In the past five years I have had to toss out two Dirt Devil portable vacuums, Three Shark full-size vacuum cleaners, one portable Black and Decker portable vacuum cleaner. The problem with them all was that they did a wonderful job for three, maybe four, house cleanings. Then they expired. It was only idiotic optimism that fooled me into buying a second or third, all of which did the same thing: perform beautifully, then drop dead. I could have sent for new batteries, which often cost more than the machine, but what could I expect from them? Not much. So since then I have only bought vacuums with electrical cords and have not had to replace them. Sadly, the best vacuum cleaner I ever had ceased production years ago (the bastards). It was the Regina Electrik Broom. It was powerful, portable, and had an easy-to-empty cup. Best of all it lasted me for 8 years, basically sixteen times longer than recent purchases. So other than flashlights and emergency radios, as soon as I see the words battery-operated, I totally lose
interest.