Throw away all owner's manuals

[Tailgate]

Anyone toss or recycle paper instruction manuals for electronics, appliances, tools etc.

Seems like everything is available online from any device and there is no longer a need to file away manuals that are rarely, if ever, used.

If an online manual is not helpful with most repair issues, there's always YouTube University....

 

[athena53]

I stash them in drawer when I get them but many of them have the same thing printed in multiple languages so there's not much info there. I go first to the Internet where I can do a search on my actual question/issue.

 

[street]

We still save them but that is true.

 

[jazz4cash]

Haven't found the online resource to be reliable. I just file them away.

 

[Jack_Pine]

We file them away and use you tube as well. Make best use of all resources....................

 

[W2R]

I keep them, but I think that is just to satisfy that hoarding instinct that we all seem to have. I still have manuals for purchases that have long since worn out and bit the dust.

When I need to look at a manual, I tend to search for it on Google rather than to look through that stack of manuals.

 

[Meadbh]

I'm not about to throw away my car's manual. When I need it, I'm in the car, not at a computer, and I may be out of wireless range.

 

[braumeister]

I keep the paper manuals, but can rarely find them when needed so I also download a pdf copy for quick reference. Nine times out of ten it's the pdf that gets used. Nice feature is I can quickly do a "Find" for the words I'm interested in which is generally far faster than leafing through the pages of a paper manual.

 

[euro]

Anyone toss or recycle paper instruction manuals for electronics, appliances, tools etc.

Seems like everything is available online from any device and there is no longer a need to file away manuals that are rarely, if ever, used.

If an online manual is not helpful with most repair issues, there's always YouTube University....

Yes, that's what I have been doing for quite a while. Turns out that I never did have the one I actually needed anyway for some reason, so all it did was generate an empty a kitchen drawer for me. Haven't missed it once so far

 

[euro]

I'm not about to throw away my car's manual. When I need it, I'm in the car, not at a computer, and I may be out of wireless range.

Yes, car manual is an exception.

 

[COcheesehead]

If you ever plan to resell the item (eBay) original boxes, manuals, etc will fetch a higher price.

 

[harley]

I stash them in drawer when I get them but many of them have the same thing printed in multiple languages so there's not much info there. I go first to the Internet where I can do a search on my actual question/issue.

I'm still holding them, but I do go to Google rather than look for the paper. And whenever possible, I tear/cut the other languages out to save space and annoyance. Can't do it on the ones that do Step 1 in 6 or 8 languages, then Step 2, etc.

 

[folivier]

But with smartphones you can have your car manual and others with you.

 

[ERD50]

Usually both. I try to remember to download a manual when I first get the product, so I have it available, and don't have to hunt for it right when I need it. But usually no reason to actually toss the paper version, as some said - keep it with the product (in the car definitely).

Having it in pdf form sure is handy. Sometimes I print just a few key pages that I would reference, and maybe mark them up electronically with any 'decrypting' notes.

 

[Big_Hitter]

Anyone toss or recycle paper instruction manuals for electronics, appliances, tools etc.

Seems like everything is available online from any device and there is no longer a need to file away manuals that are rarely, if ever, used.

If an online manual is not helpful with most repair issues, there's always YouTube University....

let me know when you find one for my 74 ford f100

 

[Keim]

let me know when you find one for my 74 ford f100

Check here:
Site Index - The Old Car Manual Project

 

[timo2]

As I declutter, I'm finding all sorts of instruction manuals for equipment and devices I no longer own.

 

[aja8888]

I only keep the pages that are in English.

I have a folder full of tool manuals going back to 1976 when I bought a large air compressor. I still can order parts for that compressor and have done that over the years. What's important to me is having the component part numbers.

 

[jazz4cash]

Am I the only one that goes to YouTube and ends up watching multiple videos of stuff that is not related to what I went there to find? After the first few videos YT meanders off topic.

 

[harley]

Am I the only one that goes to YouTube and ends up watching multiple videos of stuff that is not related to what I went there to find? After the first few videos YT meanders off topic.

You sure that's YT meandering off topic and not j4c?

 

[brucethebroker]

If you ever plan to resell the item (eBay) original boxes, manuals, etc will fetch a higher price.

Actually, vintage electronics manuals and popular collector car (Corvette, muscle cars, 60's Caddys, etc) owner manuals sell quite well on ebay without the car or stereo itself.

 

[grasshopper]

Old school, I still staple the receipt to the warranty page of my OM. But toss it when it is out of warranty.

 

[Ronstar]

I keep the hardcopy manuals. Big box of tool related manuals in my workshop and a box of home related stuff in the house. I also have several (cameras, computer stuff) manuals saved in my external drive to complement online research.

 

[exnavynuke]

The car manual is probably the only one I have.

 

[easysurfer]

Many of those manuals I can't read as the small print causes eyestrain.

Some I do keep. Those are the ones like instruction on how to operate a programmable remote control. Otherwise, the remote control is useless to me as I'd forget what all those darn buttons do .