I'm also a fan of steel, rather than plastic. I've also always associated plastic with being cheap, and that might be o.k. for some products, but if it's something I need to last a long time, or save my life, I don't want plastic (or fiberglass, either.)
The mention of VHS tapes reminds me of the days when we had a Betamax player. We would be renting tapes from the neighbor, an informal tape rental business in their living room. It was good business while the Betamax tapes lasted... and then the VHS came along and spoiled the game. But later on my father bought a VHS player and we were able to sell our Betamax player at a cheap price. The scheme was the same for the rental of tapes. And when the digital life came into fore, what do you know? The laser disc did not last long in the early 1990s because it was so expensive. The advent of the CD changed the landscape with the music CD and later on the video. It became more convenient with the DVD. And before the Blu-Ray came to life, digital piracy has become so popular that pirated DVD can be bought in the sidewalk.
I agree with you about the VHS! We had to throw out all our VHS tapes that my Mom enjoyed making. There is just no resale for old used VHS tapes. But life marches on.