My first brand new TV was a 1968 12" Motorola B/W portable, the model with the handle moulded on the side of the TV. This TV was tube type, but the dealer also had a similar 12" Motorola solid state model for $10 more. For a 16 year old kid, $10 was a big amount of money back then, and I agonized a lot trying to decide if the reliability and high tech of solid state was worth the extra $10. I ended up buying the cheaper tube model ($89). It wasn't a bad decision as that tube TV lasted 17 years with daily use and never had to be serviced. It was still working when I gave it away, so who knows how long it lasted? At least my my case, tube technology proved pretty reliable.
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