Found a $5 blender at Goodwill in Denver - almost burned my apartment down

Picked up this vintage Osterizer blender from the 70s for five bucks at Goodwill on Colfax. Got it home, plugged it in to make a smoothie, and smoke started pouring out the bottom after 10 seconds. Unplugged it fast, took it apart, and found a melted wire that was grounding out against the casing. Tossed it in the trash and stuck to my $20 Hamilton Beach from walmart. Has anyone else had a thrift store appliance try to off itself?

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carter.thea1d ago

Did you check if the prongs on the plug were loose before you plugged it in? I've had a few thrift store finds where the cord itself was fine but the plug had that green crusty corrosion inside, which is basically a free fire starter. Another thing I do now is plug anything old into a power strip with a surge protector the first time I test it, gives me a split second to yank the cord if I see smoke. Also, rule of thumb from a buddy who fixes old toasters - if the cord feels stiff or sticky, just cut it off and replace it before you even plug it in. Sucks you lost the blender but honestly five bucks is cheap for a lesson learned.