An elderly couple loves cleaning up their house with the help of a 98-year-old multi-purpose German appliance, which has never broken down and performs at least eight different functions.
Mary and Ivor Waite have been using their trusty Piccolo since they married in 1976. The plastic and metal gadget is a vacuum cleaner but can transform into a food processor, meat mincer, coffee grinder, polisher, vegetable peeler, drill, and even a compressed air paint sprayer.
Piccolos were produced in 1925 and were popular for families living in cramped houses in Germany and Eastern Europe due to their compact size and versatility. The Waites still use their all-in-one tool today to keep their home in Halesowen, West Midlands, England, spick and span.
Mr. Waite, a 73-year-old retired engineering inspector, says modern household appliances don’t come close to the Piccolo’s reliability.
He said: “We were given it in 1976 from my auntie as a wedding present—it’s the household equivalent of a Swiss Army knife. Her husband was a businessman who imported these things in the ‘50s from Germany. Because he had no service department, he couldn’t sell them. She was giving them away.
“I’ve lost a few spare parts, but I’m quite handy so I’ve managed to keep the Piccolo going all these years. There was a juicer and a carrot slicer attachment, but I don’t know where they have all gone.
“It’s pretty amazing that you can use it as a mincer, liquidizer, a food mixer, a juicer, a slicer, and even polish the floors with it. It’s a one-of-a-kind, and we wouldn’t be without it.”
Mr. Waite added: “You can also turn it into a vacuum cleaner. There’s a tool kit, there’s a circular saw and a drill with a grinder.
“We mainly used it as a mincer. We use it as a vacuum cleaner in the car because it’s small, and, once in a while, we use it to polish and clean the floors.
“It had been in storage for God knows how long in my auntie’s cottage before she gave it to us in 1976.”
German-made Piccolos are constructed with a strong metal casing and can be made into a variety of items. They were manufactured between 1925 and 1930 and were imported to Britain by traders.
The couple won an award in 2013 for the oldest working appliance in the Black Country after they entered their trusty device into the contest.
Mr. Waite said: “With modern vacuums, they’re virtually unrepairable nowadays. It lasted because it’s German engineering. It’s well-built and heavy.
“The motor [weighs] 3 kilograms or 4 kilograms [6.6 pounds or 8.8 pounds] at least. You can’t mess with it really. It’s solid, all metal. ... The only thing that happened is I had to put a new plug on it. I had to put a 13-ampere English plug on it. I don’t think it’s ever broken down.
“We’ll keep hold of this and use it as long as we can. We’ve got two children who will fight over it when we go. I haven’t left it. The only thing that might burn out is the motor, but I have three of them.”
