I purchased this scanner in the late 70's, and plugged it in after 10 years of storage. It still scans perfectly, looks brand new, never lost its beautiful look, and could pass for something purchased yesterday. Although I did not use it constantly, it has at least 2000 hours of use. Only issue is that the internal battery will not stay charged and everytime it is unplugged from the wall outlet, it has to be re-programmed, as the settingsare lost each time. if it stays plugged in, it is fine. all in all, not bad for an electronic device thats over 35 years old. one of the better and more dependable radio shack items. i remember i paid $299 for it, which was a bit pricey considering it was 1976.