Needed to replace an old single GPO today. Searching through my parts cupboard in the garage I found a 30 year old HPM double GPO, new in packet, with a Coles price sticker saying $4.48. I had forgotten that Coles sold GPOs back then.

What a sturdy well-made piece of gear it is. A stark contrast with the flimsy Chinese stuff you get these days. And it came with 6 spare plastic screw covers in addition the two clipped onto the rear of the unit.

I remember the electrical.sections of Coles and Woolworths back then. Everything from every conceivable battery, light globe, light switch, GPO and even the switched lampholders. Remember the old Big Jim torch batteries - they were there. So were the silver coloured bike lamp batteries with the two prongs on them.

Big Jim torch batteries

Wagner still sells those. Varta brand.

I'm not a fan of Varta batteries these days.
I used to buy packets of AA and AAA Alkaline from Bunnings until I found they leak in less than a year if left in a remote control.
As far as GPO's etc, I find Clipsal to be far better quality than HPM at the moment but then your HPM was from another era when quality and standards mattered.

Interesting comment on Varta. I haven't used them but note that they are seemingly popping up everywhere lately. I have banned Duracell after having to repair the battery compartments of a number of devices courtesy of their leaks.

your HPM was from another era when quality and standards mattered.

Yep, manufactured in their ancient premises in Surry Hills.

Clipsal would have to be better than the Deta stuff flogged by Bunnings.

Both HPM and Clipsal have a lot of imitators now because the patents have long expired on their standard pattern accessories. They made a good effort to dodge each other's patents back in the day, including their 'allways' switch mechanisms which were wired one way for HPM and the opposite for Clipsal.

Both have brought a limited amount of product lines back into local production but I don't think they are doing it themselves, instead most likely having it done for them. There is also a lot of industrial gear that is still made here, such as pipe, duct and associated fittings. HPM doesn't make that stuff but Clipsal and AussieDuct do.

Once upon a time Duracell was good: Now they are on my banned list. The Mexican ones did not seem to have some of the problems: But!

Like GTC has noted too many leak.

One of the electricians I had here was not wrapped in Bunnings Delta. Most of my Plug tops etc. I get from Middy's & I bought two LED floodlights there cheaper than Bunnings. Did not go back to Bunnings to get a "better deal" : I was not choosing on price.

Marc

banned Duracell

Ray-o-Vac of Madison Wisconsin promised not to leak, I think they are still available.
The company founded by Burgess, inventor of the Microswitch which remains unchanged right up until today, just like that longest surviving component still found in modern cars, the Schrader-valve!

Duracell eek!! They’ve been very leaky for a few years now, sadly pushed by the supermarket giants & energiser which I’ve swapped to can only be found at Bunnings in my area! Quite strange.
Just bought HPM Dual 2.4A USB powerpoint...made in China, could only find it at Bunnings oddly.
Nicely doesn’t generate any detectable mains noise if you plug a valve radio into it, does however generate RFI when the output ramps up which can be detected with a transistor radio placed close by to the USB module...expected, mostly disappears at about 30cms. It’s module is nicely is on a flying lead enabling it to be pushed down the wall away from mains cables.
It replaces a Jackson dual USB PowerPoint which had significantly worse RFI, while charging I couldn’t use the nearby valve radio
Need to create a good bad database somewhere of low RFI devices we can use inc leds etc, might be sadly small I suspect!!

I note that Bunnings here has a variety of brands. However, unsurprisingly Duracell vanished from the Woolworths supermarket.

The general way sales operate especially with the big guys is along the lines of customer complaints & returns. They pay those Indians running around the place to sell sell sell. A product that ties up those people is lost opportunity; If a product continues to feature in time wasting, by being returned en masse. It will be taken off of the shelves.

I remember back to when Union Carbide and Mallory made Eveready and Duracell batteries here. It must be a pain for retailers these days with the sheer number of warranty claims for badly-made products they cop. Then again - it's their own fault. They keep dictating price and the price has to be met by manufacturers one way or another and for the last 40 years it has usually meant the closure of a factory and a loss of jobs.

I remember the old guarantee written on every Eveready battery that was made here too - where it stated that Union Carbide would repair or replace any item damaged by one of its batteries. I am not sure if that counted leaving the batteries in an item after they have run out and subsequently leaked.

Probably not. There was no legislation requiring truth in guarantees or in advertising in those days, you didn't even need any fine print to squirm out of your obligations.

They "might" have offered something, but there was no law to enforce it.

" but there was no law to enforce it."
And maybe no-one to enforce the law if there was one.

Ducked out to the local Coles tonight to pick up some AA batteries. The entire battery section was around 75% stocked with Duracell, with Energizer pushed into a corner. Duracell promotional signage all over the thing. I didn't even bother looking at their prices as I have banned Duracell permanently.

Yes I saw the same thing and had a chuckle...