When we played 2nd edition, I only think we used the random tables when we made a new character at higher levels. Otherwise the DM gave the monster and npcs the items he wanted us to get. So it was up to the DM to make sure that everybody got something they wanted, usually this meant that everybody got one big/powerfull item, and a lot of lesser items and a lot of those they could not use, or where only useful in very specific situaions.
All of this meant that you appreciated the items much more, but also that it wasn´t very "fair", that can be both a positive or a negative, depending on the viewpoint.