My bench is a graveyard for stuff I swore I'd fix, so taking things apart to reuse pieces is pretty smart. I tried to fix a toaster once and just made a bigger mess, so maybe I should start with viewfinders instead. It feels good to not just throw everything out, even if my projects mostly just add to the clutter.
Honestly, @cole362, not everything is built to break so quick. You can still find stuff that holds up if you look around. Maybe we just hear more about the things that don't last.