Hear, hear Captn Scotty. It's a shame that everyone's first instinct is to throw away and replace something the instant there is any wear or trouble with it at all. That said, it's also tough to justify spending $20 for a replacement part when you can buy a new unit for $25, as I recently found when trying to repair my coffee maker. But I agree, there is value in knowing how to repair things versus throwing it away and buying another.
So speaking of fixing up something vs. tossing it out... and the cost differential...here is a repair job that I'm very proud of.... First two are before... next two are after... When I sold the boat, I got $3,500 more for it than what I paid... I figure I made about $0.5/hour..... whooo hooo... hard to justify unless you are having fun doing it.