Good “Buy for Life” Brands
Good “Buy for Life” Brands
Some that come to mind are:
Benchmade - knives Darn Tough - socks Carhartt - good work gear Doc martens - footwear
What are some good reputable brands that you have had for 5 years + with little to no issues or with a lifetime warranty.
I’ve read some recent reviews on doc martens being total garbage now.
Can back this up as someone who used to wear them daily at a dealership job.
Don’t know if I’m getting old or they changed something but they’re just not as good/comfortable.
Can’t speak on if they wear down any faster however, didn’t get that far.
They definitely are not really good anymore: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOzFLT3S_I6UHHrezPiQ4VS_y3Pj09Zvd
You're probably better off wearing something like Red Wing's Iron Rangers, though there's multiple brands that are pretty good. Meermin comes to mind for Europeans. Solovair if you're really into the Dr Martens look.
/r/goodyearwelt used to be a good resource for shoe stuff, not really sure if there's something comparable on Lemmy yet.
My opinion is they were garbage in the 80s/90s too. I would wear the soles down like an eraser in a matter of months. Warranty or not, that's not bifl to me.
That's kind of the nature of the soles they use, but there's not really such thing as a sole that won't wear (and if there were, it probably wouldn't be comfortable to walk on). Instead high quality boots are made to have the sole be easily replaceable using constructions like Goodyear welt, stitchdown, and Blake.
I have that problem with all kinds of shoes and trainers, regardless of the price tag. I bought a pair of Adidas Men's Hoops 3.0 a few months back and to my surprise, the soles haven't worn down on them yet.
But I feel like it's only a matter of time until a hole starts developing in the soles, which means they're gonna be waterlogged in any kind of wet weather.
Yes, they got rid of the lifetime warranty and I personally haven’t worn them, but people tell me their old ones work well and have a similar opinion as yours.
They have a model that's still made in England
and comes with a lifetime warranty, everything else is trashEdit: they discontinued it, weak
Doc Martens are now Chinese made IIRC and don’t last.
Solovair is the the company that used to make Martens and you can still buy that style there. I hear they’re much better than Martens, but also occasionally a mixed review that they didn’t last very long.
I’ll offer a mixed review for carhartt…while they used to be strictly workwear, they’ve started putting up retail spaces in designer clothing areas. Prices have shot up. I had a belt from them that fell apart pretty quick with normal wear. Got a work shirt that’s doing pretty good though. IMO they’re headed down the same road as a lot of brands that get popular - price hikes with decreased quality.
I’ll offer a mixed review for carhartt…while they used to be strictly workwear, they’ve started putting up retail spaces in designer clothing areas.
Carhartt and Carhartt Work in Progress are two different brands, the former is the good workwear one, the later is the designer fashionable stuff. Stick to their non WIP stuff
Didn’t know that, thanks. Figured the retail shops went up so quality was on the way down.
I've actually gone to Dickies and they feel as great as Carheart used to be, but it's too soon to tell yet
Carhartt WIP is designer workwear, modern cuts and softer, higher quality materials that aren't designed to withstand harsh labor.
Carhartt standard is still classic workwear.
I've needed to use Carhartt standard recently and it's still good, relatively affordable and very durable workwear.
Good to hear the real stuff is still available and affordable. Thanks.
I just got some Carhartt "wool" socks for Christmas. They are pilling like crazy after 1-2 wears/washes. They're less than half wool, so that might be the issue.
I do WFH and I don't wear shoes in the house,, but that's literally why I wanted wool socks.
I asked my parents for wool socks for Christmas twenty years ago and they gave me a few pairs each of three or four different brands. The ones that have lasted the longest and include a lifetime warranty is Redhead from Bass Pro. I've only exchanged them once or twice. They're tall and thick with high pile wool. I've worn a pair almost every day for probably nine months out of the year, sometimes year-round, ever since I got them.
Slight correction: From my understanding, Solovair is the company that purchased the cobbling machinery/factory that DocMartens sold off when they fully off-shored. DocMartens then contracted with them for their limited release, price-inflated, Made in UK boots. As the designs are long out of patent, Solovair also manufactures their own. I see Docs at a 15% markup, just for the name.
Thank you, I didn’t realise there was a community already.
Lenovo ThinkPads
I bought an old model in 2013 and it lived in my backpack through 7 years of school and university. It was dropped hard enough to permanently bend the heatsink, the disk drive cover snapped off, and it regularly overheated from throwing it in my bag without turning it off. It ran windows, dozens of Linux distros (up to 3 at once) and now it's a hackintosh for when I need a Mac. I'm confident I could buy spare parts and repair it myself if anything important broke.
Yes, OLD Lenovo thinkpads.
Buy yourself a used T400-T430 (and models of that age) if you don’t have very big computing requirements, they are 10+ years old and they will last you another 10+.
If you buy a Lenovo from the last 7-8 years you will get an overpriced piece of junk.
Mine was a L440 so this tracks
I have to take exception to that because I bought a Lenovo ThinkPad in 2018, barely ever used it and now it won't even turn on.
They are going downhill and less user serviceable these days. Talking T series, the old workhorse. Older ones are still good.
I was extremely skeptical when IBM spun off that division but time has proved me wrong. The Lenovo rinkpads have been much better than I ever expected them to be.
I have a 2011 Dell latitude that's a similar story. It's a jellyfin server now
Doc martens are not so great quality now. The general consensus is that Solovair are the spiritual successor (in terms of quality) to what Dr Martens were. This video has more info: https://youtu.be/vkhCcvfVHRs?si=21bH9fSvkNgmjwm1
For laptops O would recommend framework laptops. The idea is that they have upgradable and repairable.modules. You can follow them on mastodon too: @[email protected] And we have a Lemmy community too: [email protected]
JanSport backpacks. My wife had the zipper wear out on the backpack she has had for ~20 years. She contacted the manufacturer. They don't make that particular bag anymore so they just sent her a comparable equivalent with almost no questions asked.
Yup they will just send you a new one. I've been using the same black jansport bag for > 5 years. As far as I can see the new ones they sent has the same quality as more than 5 years ago.
Osprey Packs - Back packs.
I love mine.
Second this
Miele (European) (dish) washing / dryers / fridges
The vacuum repair guy on Reddit also loved their vacuums.
Their vacuums are incredible, as are their ranges.
Source: Rich friend.
They also have some 3d printable parts on their official Thingiverse and Printables profiles
Wow that is awesome. When I need a washing machine I'll check them out!
We bought a bag less vacuum 4 years ago. The turbo brush for pet hair stats showing some wear but the whole thing works solid to this day. Even the flimsy feeling handle is still fine Edit: EU - Germany
In my experience, much better than Siemens/Bosch.
Unlike those, Miele doesn't seem to have entry-level-priced equipment that just sucks in term of quality.
Nothing wrong with both Siemens or Bosch (or Miele). But Miele's do break down too. My friend's recent Miele Twindos washingmachine's sensor died after only 2 years just outside guarantee, seems to be a fairly common problem with twindos machines. Expensive to repair too. 1400 Euro washing machine.
We have a Siemens iq500 dishwasher, an iq300 washing machine and dryer that run reliable for over 10 years. 3 appliances for about the same price as my friends Miele.
Also you get what you pay for and a lot of consumers can't afford 1400 euro for a washing machine anyway or pay for the expensive repairs. Comparing entry level with top tier hardware on brand suckability seems quite odd.
They cost a small fortune, but I think they still are as good as their decade old reputation.
Patagonia for apparel and Red Wing for footwear.
Yep, Patagonia have a repair it for life guarantee.
Was looking for this.
Always bought Patagonia, and they just repaired a 26-year-old ski vest for me, for free, as the inner lining was falling apart.
Red Wing's imported footware isn't at all durable. They do still have some models made in Minnesota that are supposed to live up to their reputation.
i kind of can't believe how long my Seasonic PSU is lasting. It's been on continuously for the last like, 12 years. unreal
Have you tried unplugging it with things powered on to make sure the battery is working? The batteries are supposed to be replaced every couple years, I found out when I started having power outages last winter and my (seasonic) PSU just turned off when the power flickered and PC was running. I bought a replacement battery off Amazon for cheap and it was easy to swap out.
For the Euros- if you need to replace any parts in your toilet, buy Geberit.
I frequently have to replace cheap flush mechanisms and filler valves, and I always replace with Geberit.
I have Geberit flush mechanisms that were installed in the 80s and if they start to leak, you pop them out and replace a washer. No tools required
Speed queen washers and dryers. LGs and Samsung's drop like flies in comparison. They are expensive but they are made in the United States and last donkeys years. I've heard of people moving out after 10 years, and taking their speed queen dryer with them.
Also, in general, hand made Japanese knives. Any knife will keep cutting if sharpened but most of "sharpness" is thinness of the blade. That's why we don't use meat cleavers for daily prep. Japanese knives are made to be thinned and polished, as the edge will become thicker with repeated sharpenings. Other knives will get thicker and thicker and become complete carrot crunchers. These can be thinned too but it's much more difficult with only sharpening stones.
Additionally the handles are easily replaceable by anyone, western style handles require destructive disassembly of the existing scales and rivets.
Japanese knives are great if that’s your preference but that excludes a lot of other BIFL knives worth considering.
Wusthof in particular should be on the list as well as Global. In general kitchen knives are more forgiving in the BIFL category because a lot of it is just properly caring for what you have.
I've had wusthof handles break on me and they are a pain to replace. You have to drill the rivets, remove the scales, glue new ones, drill new rivet holes, hammer new rivets and then shape them. With Japanese knives you tap the handle off and put in a whole new one.
Another issue with wusthof is that the bolsters on their chef knives are way too large. They weigh the know down and makes it annoying to sharpen. Over time it will develop a recurve and won't contact the cutting board. Your only option is to grind it down, which is a big endeavor because they're so damn big nowadays.
They're still great knives but because of those issues that Japanese knives don't have, they aren't the best BIFL option for me.
Speed queen washers and dryers.
This is the one to pay attention to. Speed Queen is what every laundromat uses, because they’re fucking rock solid and don’t need a lot of maintenance. They don’t have as many bells and whistles as a Samsung, but they’ll outlast two or three Samsungs and still be cleaning just as well as the day you bought it.
They also cost as much as 3 samsungs. I am all for buy-it-for-life, but when I can buy a nice Samsung with bells and whistles, have a better wash, lower energy use, and more flexible options on how the clothing is being washed- then why would I not buy the Samsung? My Samsung washer was 800 and the dryer was 600. A speed queen starts at 2400 each. I could buy 3 washers and then 4 dryers for that. Plus I save money on the energy cost with my Samsung eco settings.
I have a house filled with buy it for life where I can and where it makes sense. And when I bought the washer and dryers I looked into speedqueen. It didn't make sense. And before people start saying things like "good luck replacing them in 3 years" they are already 5 years old. My 1400$ is 5 years in and doing just fine.they could break today and need to both be replaced, and I am still ahead. I think speed queen is one of the few BIFL brands that I disagree with.
They outlast BEACAUSE they don't have that many bells and whistles.
Give me an old whirlpool from 15-20 years ago, those things where tanks before they started making them "Smart"
I’ll throw a weird one in here. If you want to do any smart home automation stuff, Lutron. Their stuff is famously bulletproof and generally “just works” and almost never needs troubleshooting.
It can be a little pricy for a light switch, but it will work with just about any platform you want to use. Also, all of their wireless switches work without internet.
But why do you want a WiFi enabled light switch?
Convenience, automation, remote control.
Flexibility. A hardwired switch is choosing your lighting configuration at build time, but when you have light bulbs that can all be controlled individually through software, then you want a switch that can interact with that software.
For instance, let's say you do something crazy and unprecedented like add a lamp to your room, with hardwired switches now you either have two switchs in two different spots to deal with every time you enter a room, or you need to call an electrician to wire up a switched plug. If your switch was instead a software switch you could just reprogram it to also control the lamp.
I have my lights set to turn on slightly before I am supposed to wake, turn off after I go to work, before I return from home, and after I go to bed. I've recently added mmwave sensors to turn them on and off based on my presence within a room. I can do all kinds of automations that I could do manually sure but if I don't need to and can minimize the amount of excess energy waste then why wouldn't I want a wirelessly controlled switch and or lights?
And yes most everyone can do this. Google Home Assistant and get lost in the rabbit hole.
It's one way of wirelessly communicating between devices of different types.
You can have a WiFi-enabled light switch that you can control with your phone without it connecting to the internet.
The door from my driveway opens into my office. The light switch in my office is in a really shitty place. When coming into my office at night, I have to navigate to the light switch in the dark to turn on the light.
Or, at least I did. Now when the door opens at night, the light in my office comes on at 10%.
Stuff like that is why.
Doc Martens are not a good buy for a while now. Standards of quality have dropped loads and my nephew has had two pairs fall apart from the DM store in the last 8 months. Red Wing, Thorogood, Solovair among others, but avoid Doc Martens when buying for life.
Yep, I'm on year 8 with my red wings; besides some gashes in the leather over the steel toe, still kicking and comfy.
USB-Cable - Anker
3 years ago I bought a double pack of usb-C to A cables on Amazon. Description mentioned a lifetime warranty so I took a screenshot for future. The only thing Anker wanted to know was the production number (which is on the packaging) and a proof of destruction of the old broken cable. Not a single usb cable survived longer than a year at our household despite Ankers.
Ugreen aswell. They chargers and powerbanks are sturdy, compact, and work great.
Someone is going around downvoting everyone who says something good about Anker without replying to any of the comments.
Poor etiquette, imo
Amazon Basics’ line of braided USB cables is comparable to Anker, btw. Lots of people estimate that they’re made on the same production line.
I bought a three pack of their lightning cables five or six years ago. Every single one of them sees daily use (at my work desk, in my car, next to my bed) and every single one is still working just fine. Hell, they outlasted the phone I bought them for.
They look good indeed. Can you also recommend their USB chargers? I am looking for a 3A USB charger with at least 2 ports.
For the last one I had one of the pins broke and got stuck in the outlet, it was a very funny experience.
I’ve had an Anker 2 port 3A charger for at least 5 years or so and don’t have any complaints about it. I’ve been an Anker fanboy for a while (albeit, I don’t buy a ton of electronics, but when I do need something Anker is my go-to), but I will say that doing some Googling recently it sounds like their quality might be going down. Just something to be aware of; I’ll probably keep buying from them unless I have a bad experience or keep hearing similar things. I’m just not aware of an alternative that’s as good as they have been.
I got one of their 100W chargers and it's awesome. Can charge my MacBook from work, but is smaller than the bundled Mac charger.
Can power my personal surface + phone + wife's phone.
It's great!
Anker is basically the only phone accessory brand I use. Now that iPhone moved to USB-C, Costco finally carries USB-C cables and they sell a really nice set of Anker cables, and Costco vouching for them tells me all I need to know.
Anker cables and USB splitters are the absolute best.
I'm an Android developer and have owned a huge amount of cables and use them an absurd amount for times. Unfortunately I didn't have a good experience with Anker cables. They seem to die on me as fast as other brands, usually what happens is phone connection ends up being hit or miss after a lot of use (eg. You have to wiggle it or the connection is lost if the cable is lightly disturbed).
From my personal experience UGreen is currently holding the record for longest lasting cables. So far they have outlasted all of my other cables to the point where almost all of the cables I have left are UGreen because all of the other cables have failed.
For hiking and camping gear: Savotta
If you're not from Finland you've probably never heard of them but I'm yet to buy one product from them I'm not satisfied with. They make gear for the Finnish defence forces aswell.
I really like Osprey. High quality and very functional. I used a kid carrier for both my kids and it was great. I also have a day pack from them that I love. My main backpack that I don't get to use much these days is a snow leopard II by North face from 1992 I think. That's a pretty good run.
Savotta is bombproof. I have their Jääkäri S,. M and L, as well as their Keikka 50L and 80L. Used the Keikka duffle bags as check in luggage for international travel, and they're still as good as new. They use stainless steel hardware on the Keikka duffles on the stress points. All their bags are made from 1000D Cordura with a rubberized liner, so they're quite water resistant.
Already mentioned in thread, Anker cables. It has very good threaded covers that are strong and hard to damage. Internal copper cables and the USB ends are also very well made so there is no chance for it to fray or crack.
Bought a pair pack over 6 years ago. Still haven't used the second cable because the first one is as good as new.
Also NGK spark plugs lol.
This is what everyone told me, so I bought a two pack of Anker branded cables. Both of them broke and wouldn't charge without being held at a weird angle within a month. I bought an Amazon basics cable after that and it has worked for years just fine.
I seem to be in the minority here, but I will never buy Anker again after this awful experience.
The main thing that kills cables is sitting a phone in portrait on one's chest and having it plugged in for charging. That creates a nice 90-degree or nearly 90-degree bend that just destroys the cable over time.
Anker has been hit-or-miss for me. It either craps out early, or lasts much longer than it has any right to. They're still my go-to for cables, because I usually lose or give many of them away before they have a chance to show their worth
I'm in the same boat. I've bought their cables at least 3 times at 3 different points in my life. All of their cables have failed within about a year. That being said I use them extremely heavily because I'm an Android app developer. I have many test devices and I'm constantly plugging in new devices and sometimes have up to 3 devices connected at the same time. I'm also not just charging the devices as I'm transferring data between the computer and device.
I've now got NGK plugs, leads and coils in my 21 year old car. They definitely don't need replacing often. Especially of you go iridium.
The Anker Powerline 3 Usb C cables are amazing. 100W rated, nearly impossible to tangle and I've had no issue with them being used continuously for either my phone or laptops, including surviving a lot of falls, being pinched, run over by a desk chair, etc. I have two and would buy more but I'm waiting for USB C to up the max wattage before I do. The colors are also a nice touch.
Miele, but I think they recently got bought out and enshittified. Their vacuums and dishwashers were built insanely well, sometimes you can still find old stock. They last decades.
Pacsafe backpacks too. Mine has lasted well over a decade. Fuck jansport and all those backpacks that fall apart.
My mom still uses a Miele vacuum that she got gifted by my grandma when my mom moved out. That was almost half a century ago. It's definitely worth it to check second hand marketplaces for old models
Tools are kind of a cheat, they’re pretty solid chunks of metal and even halfway decent tools will work a while with care. There are absolutely lemons out there made of junk metal that will shatter.
So a shout out to Harbor Freight. Buy their Icon brand or Doyle hand tools. They are often good enough for some serious mechanics, and absolutely good enough for the home wrench slinger with normal use. Yeah, there are a lot of upper tier tools like Gearwrench that will last forever, but HF stuff will get the job done for cheaper and last just as long.
The normal kitchen aid stand mixer. A no-brainer.
A nespresso-made nespresso. Not the cheap ones made by breville or whatever that are sold at Target. Our Nespresso has been seeing fairly regular use for almost 2 decades. Don’t expect it to literally be BIFL, but it’s doing great.
Strongbags. Designed for flight crew, but anyone can buy it. Super-durable gear for travel. Maybe not fashionable in the trendy sense, but it’s well made and as close to BIFL as you can get. Doesn’t have the trendy cache of Fjallraven and the like. Had one of their coolers for 15 years now.
An odd one: Bestek. Bought one of their car power adapters. 12v with 3 12v sockets and 4 USB out. Damn thing won’t quit. Charges all the family’s devices on road trips plus runs the dashcam.
Kent comb. Yeah, it’s just a comb. However, that cheap shit at the chain drug store (like Goody) cracks, loses teeth, and is just cheap. Unless you deliberately abuse the Kent comb it will last a lifetime.
Shoutout to Knipex aswell, especially the Cobra pliers. Costs an arm and a leg but you probably don't ever need to buy another pair.
The Knipex 5in cobras are a must buy.
I have 3.
Knipex smooth jaw plyers were sort of an accidental purchase, my last $50 I ever spent at Sears.
I won't use any others when given the chance. Easy to wipe clean, very strong action, and the handles have a bend so you kind of can't pinch your fingers when gripping something small. I love em.
Used to be a fan of Benchmade; kinda seems like they went cheap more recently.
For footware, I've had pretty good luck with Danners - they had an ABU compliant stitched sole boot that was super comfortable; one pair got me through 4 years of active duty, and remain my go-to pair of work boots. The ABU uniform was phased out since I separated, so if you're lucky you might be able to find a crazy good deal at at military surplus store; otherwise I'm sure they've got a newer OCP boot now.
I didn’t think about military surplus stores. There seems to be some items that people really enjoy, like the army poncho liners or old ammo canisters for containers.
I’ve been looking for a genuine army poncho liner but can only find knock offs online and cant find a reputable surplus store online if it exists
I was Air Force, so no idea if our rain gear was comparable to the Army poncho. Ours didn't strike me as anything special, but then again the one I was issued was several sizes too large, so I kinda hated that thing by default.
The best military surplus stores are going to be the ones near military bases - they have constant stream of new inventory coming in from folks who separate and want to make a quick buck pawning off their issued shit.
And while there are definitely a few gems among military inventory, don't make the mistake of thinking military = high quality or even high durability. To the contrary, most of it's the result of bidding wars for a government contract, resulting in the absolute cheapest shit available.
Idr the brand, but sticking with the boots example, the ones I was issued in basic training barely made it to the end of basic training. Those things were absolute trash.
Columbia (especially their winter gear). Never failed and kept me warm.
For pots and pans, buy Demeyere. The Demeyere Apollo pots and pans I bought 21 years ago still look just about as good as the day I unboxed them, and I am rough on my cookware. I have a little weathering along the edge of the heart conductive disk on the bottom of some pans, but that is it.
They sit dirty too long and get crusty. They go right into my dishwasher. They fall out of my lower cabinet onto my tile floor all the time. None of this phases them. I bought them over two decades ago because I had an employee discount at a cookware store and the company rep classified them as, "dishwasher recommended." As an avid home cook and occasional caterer, these pans, a Le Creuset Dutch oven, and my grandmothers' cast iron are my daily workhorses.
You are going to pay through the nose for Demeyere pans, but they will last long enough for your kids to cook with them after you are gone. You can get their least expensive line of regular pans, cry once, and be good for life.
You might see used Demeyere indoor smokers, asparagus steamers, egg poachers, and other similarly oddball pans in online market places. Ignore those. They were a cheap line made in a different factory at one point. They are not the same quality. All of the regular style Demeyere pans (skillets, sauce pans, woks, sauciers, etc.) are excellent, and I would not hesitate to buy them used.
Timberland boots also last. Docs have gone down in quality
I doubt it matters much, but I've had the same cloak from Cloak and Dagger for close to a decade now. The only issue was that the clasp detached, but it was an easy fix.
Agree Docs are not the same as they used to be
I recently bought some "cheap" underwear at Walmart. I really don't like Walmart and avoid going there but I decided that underwear lasting for a decade or longer is just too long. So I'm intentionally NOT doing BIFL with underwear, socks and other things. Because it just seems cleaner and healthier to replace that stuff more often.
With many things I do prefer better quality, BIFL-class products:
LEDs are a much better value even than CFLs bulbs and incandescent are actively eliminated in my house.
I have a Deere mower that seems like it will never die.
Corelle dishes seem to last forever, I have had many of mine for 30 years.
Victorinox knives (pocket and chef's).
KaBar and Morakniv knives.
Kohler plumbing fixtures.
Rotel or McIntosh audio equipment.
Vitamix mixer.
DeWalt, Makita, Craftsman, Milwaukee, Husky and Hitachi tools.
Deckmate or stainless steel screws for outdoor use.?? I haven't seen a CFL bulb for a decade, I thought they were banned because of the mercury content
Apparently not banned:
https://www.walmart.com/browse/home-improvement/cfl-bulbs/1072864_1067619_1228347_1228391
I'm willing to bet your Walmart underwear will be grimier in six months than regularly correctly laundered higher quality underwear far older.
Sub Zero Fridges, amazing. Toyota, just about any vehicle they make. Vulcan Commercial gas ranges/ovens. Original Penguin Button Up Shirts or Pendleton outer wear. Stihl chainsaws. Festool power tools.
I bought one of those chainsaws 30 years ago, and it Stihl works.
Sub Zero fridges are great, but keep the maintenance up on them.
I personally own a Wolf DF304 range and if you cook a LOT, they are well worth the money. Mine is 10 years old, is used VERY heavily and it is the best cooking stove I've ever cooked on.
I've got so many old Pendleton wool shirts. They're back from the '60s when my dad was a surfer. I didn't think I fit in him at the moment but I don't want to get rid of them
It's not at all in the vein of work wear, but I have had Klipsch speakers all of my life and have never had any issues with any of them. My dad has some enormous old school Klipsch speakers from the 60s that are almost as tall as I am and are still crisp, clear and deep. I am rocking Klipsch throughout my house as well. They're very expensive but I appreciate the clarity.
I've had their 2.1 computer speaker set for nearly 20 years at this point. The only issue I've ever had was crackling when adjusting volume, and that was caused by dust inside the knob. WD-40 to fix. Love them.
FYI, Deoxit works a lot better than WD-40 and is designed to not eat plastics like some of the petroleum distillates in WD-40 can.
Groove Life makes some fucking solid belts. And if you do actually manage to destroy it somehow, they have a lifetime warranty.
If you toke and like resin carts, Eleaf batteries are amazing. I was going through whatever I could find at smoke shops about once or twice a month before I got an Eleaf. I've had this thing for 2 or 3 years now... So long I can't even remember exactly. It lasts for days and charges in like 10 minutes if you have a quick charge capable charger. Plus it's compact and also has voltage settings.
I haven't used Eleaf, but I'm very happy with my Vuber. My first one was still going strong after 5+ years until I unfortunately lost it and had to buy a replacement.
I bought a shark vacuum 6 years ago that's still going strong.
It's easy to access everything to clean out any jams, it stopped itself from burning out its motor when a sock got jammed inside.
For shoes, take a look at Arcopedico. Portugese made and kind of hard to find in USA, but without a doubt the most comfortable. They weigh almost nothing, and they seem to be undamageable.
Wtf. I am embarrassed to say this... But I am Portuguese and I had never heard of this brand before.
Solovair are better than doc martens by a mile.
Apparently doc maartens sold out and are junk now.
Iron Lodge Cast Iron Skillets I have purchased a few and have yet to need a replacement.
They are great, so long as you know how to season them and clean them properly. My wife always has problems cooking on them because she doesn't let the skillet fully heat up well, but I never have had issues with them 😁
I knew if I scrolled far enough I’d see this one. Go look on YouTube for cast iron restoration videos. These damn things would survive anything I believe.
Looking around my immediate environment, I see very few things that aren't
A. already 30 years old made by companies that are essentially defunct and if the brand does even still exist it's transitioned to another parent company as a zombie brand that produces identical temporary garbage to the rest of the industry, like my Kenmore 80 series washer and dryer.
B. Modern shit with a single-digit year life expectancy, like any computer hardware I have, my cell phone, my printer, etc.
C. Isn't from a company that has completely pissed me off glares at my very, very last Dell products
D. I didn't make myself from scratch, like an increasing amount of my furniture.
The only item that falls in my eye line that I can say "buy it now and your grandchildren will actually want it" is my Revere stainless steel frying pan. It's not as ragnarok proof as cast iron but it also won't cave in my glass cooktop. I think my grandmother bought mine in the 80's, you can still buy them today.
I do want to mention my Kitchenaid mixer. The unit itself is well made, I've made at least one pizza a week with it for the past...six years? It's a quality power tool. I dislike the company and their product range. They have a tendency to discontinue attachments in favor of incompatible and worse ones. For example, I'm aware of three different meat grinder attachments, one metal one and two plastic ones only one of which the food mill attachment is compatible with, and they did their best to prevent people from learning that, because the difference between the plastic one you probably already have, that was possibly packed in with your mixer, and the one that's compatible with the food mill, is like, a few millimeters in diameter here and there. If I show you their marketing pictures (of white plastic on that White Marketing Void background) you couldn't tell them apart, and the model numbers are very similar. That has rubbed me the wrong way in a bad place.
For printers, I'd like to suggest picking up a brother laser scanner/copier/printer off Craigslist.
They can usually be had for ~$100 if you just get black and they'll last for a stupidly long time. Toner is expensive but you'll easily get 1500+ pages out of one cartridge and it never dries out.
If you want color, look around for an HP laserjet pro. They're usually commercial grade and while you'll probably pay a fair bit more, I see them on Craigslist regularly for ~$150-250 depending on the model. I have one in my office and I've gotten several thousand pages through it with zero problems.
I just get the toner refill and old cartridge exchange from whatever local print shop. My current area doesn't have one sadly but I still have 2 left as I normally do 5 at a time. For anyone looking for printers I recommend checking openprinting.org and grabbing one categorized under "perfectly" even if you don't use Linux. The driverless printers will work with phones and such too.
I believe my 1998 Kelty backpack, Leatherman PST II, 1990 Volvo 240 Wagon and Mohawk Royalex canoe will outlast us all.
I have been looking at a Leatherman for a while now. Are they still worth the money?
I use my original almost every day (actually, not quite the original; I lost my first one after 15 years in a 2013 car accident, and replaced it with the same 1998 model from an eBay sale. My wife has a newer Wave model and loves it. To be honest, though, I haven’t kept up with the latest versions, but I’ve never met anyone who regretted buying one.
At this point, I don't generally give trust to brands but products. Too many companies that used to be a name to trust have decided to monetize that trust (or get acquired by another company that doesn't see the value in maintaining that trust), but they might still have good quality products in their lineup along with the cheap ones.
Though I've also done well with the "just buy one to see how important it is to have quality in this particular thing". I just sold my old cordless drill after owning it for about a decade. It was weak but I didn't even really notice that until I wanted to drill a hole through a stone counter top. A bought another cheap corded drill for that, but have since also bought a quality cordless drill set that might even allow me to sell the corded drill.
And if you need quality, look for stuff marketed to professionals. People who use their drill every single day aren't going to be using the ones that can't hold a charge or break after 20 hours of usage. Booster Juice doesn't have shitty blenders where the connection between the motor and blade wears down with each use such that the motor spins but the blades do not before 3 digit uses, or even 4.
I think it's good to know the histories of companies that are reputable though, then you can get an idea of what you're getting when looking at thrift stores
Outdoor Research for hiking/outdoors wear. Great quality and they stand behind their lifetime warranty. My father in law had his winter gloves split open after owning them for 30 years and they replaced them.
I want to agree, and still do for some of their items, but personally have found a lot of their products have gone downhill in the last few years. Quality control is all over on the gloves nowadays, sent two pairs back with weird stitching and a single pencil point tapered finger on liners. I originally liked the vigor midlayer fleece stuff as a budget R1 but it's pilled and worn super fast and just isn't that warm anymore.
Their alpine merino base layer stuff is pretty awesome though, and found the ascent shell touring jacket nice and breathable for backcountry stuff. For the most part I'll just spend a bit extra and go for Patagonia moving forward, which of also consider a BIFL brand.
I know it's only one data point, but I was gifted a Zanussi fridge freezer by my best man as a wedding present in 2004. It is still going strong. I will never buy any other brand if and when the time comes.
This maybe a bit of a niche thing but I am using Sandisk Clip Sport mp3 player (although it has lossless FLAC support too) for something like 10+ years of nearly everyday use with no problem, which is crazy.
Also another weird thing is this cheap wireless mouse from A4Tech that lasts still for now like 8-6 years with no single issue. I maybe just rolled natural 20s on random cheap Chinese crap and got a perfect specimen or maybe it's actually good. I have no idea.
Lee Valley makes durable tools and various other stuff. These measuring cups and spoons are going to end up in my will.
Don’t think I saw this one yet, but Briggs & Riley luggage. Lifetime no-questions-asked repairs for all functional damage, even if intentionally inflicted.
They’re also just very good. The BIFLness is cool but I’d have gone with another if it weren’t also the best in general. Super practical design.
Request: Fridge brands?
My Samsung fridge broke down. I just got a Frigidaire from Costco and it arrived broken so I'm returning it.
Never buy samsung appliances.
I have known and seen so many people make that mistake, and the story always ends with them replacing it with another brands, the smart ones under warranty, the stubborn ones out of pocket.
Personally I'll never buy anything samsung again. That brand seems to be a shell of its former self.
It might be dead when I get home this afternoon, but I've been lucky with my Samsung fridge. I got it as a deeply discounted discounted floor model 9 years ago.
Hosted a party and someone had leaned up against the ice/water buttons and put it into store/demo mode so everything looked fine but the compressor was disabled. The button combo should have been impossible to trigger accidentally but they did. I had defrost problems after that until I took the back panel out and cleaned the drains. That was 6 years ago and it's been good.
I think all French door models are designed to die. Run far, far away from those.
My Samsung washer and dryer have been doing fine.
My only complaint is the drier doesn't have an option to run for long enough to dry a blanket out on low heat. So I have to do several manual runs.
For fridges, and appliances in general, you should look at reviews for specific models; don't go based on the brand.
We've been through half a dozen fridges at least in the last 10 years. They're all horrible now. The best one we've found Medea convertible. You can change it from upright freezer into a refrigerator if you want. We use it as a fridge, and got a chest freezer. I've tried every other brand i can get my hands on, and none of them last. It's horrible.
I cut a hole in the back panel of our Samsung fridge so I can blow hot air at the inevitable ice build-up between the back panel and back wall. Ideally I wouldn't have to do that, but it makes the clicking sound go away at least.
Joining in, any tips for a good electric kettle or thermopot?
I tried the cheap ones, and expensive ones, even in-the-middle ones. All of them suckers keep burning down in a year or two.
I've had my Breville Tea Maker for years now ... to the point the labels on some buttons are worn off ... one of my favourite purchases.
I have had good luck with the GE Monogram line
Do no buy GE. Super trash all of their appliances.
As for recommendations - LG seems to be ok so far.
If there's one brand I'm not buying again it's LG.
I know of two LG dishwashers (mine and my parents) that have... issues.
My fridge from them is okay but I'm fairly confident there have been a few times that freeze portion had gone significantly above its set temperature because some popsicles melted. I've also had issues with the ice maker design not actually knocking down the ice so I have to open up the door and bang on it to break it loose, at which point a few pieces of ice fly onto the floor.
My oven/electric range from them well ... so far so good on that one. I do wish there were actual knobs/buttons instead of the weird "touch" buttons but that just seems to be the trend these days.
We've replaced our Samsung washer, dryer and dishwasher with LG. Which has been pretty rock solid so far, our Samsung range finally died recently and all the LG ranges we looked at were absolute trash using the cheapest metal imaginable. We ordered a whirlpool this time, not sure how well it'll work out... Find out tomorrow I guess
Baggallini bags are virtually indestructible in my experience. I have a tote and a purse that I've used daily for 5 years, and they both look exactly like they did the day I bought them.
The stitches came undone on some areas of my Baggallini after a few years of daily use and international travel. The design of the bag was so good and thoughtful that I just couldn't bear to stick with the new purse I bought to replace it. I ended up repairing the old bag and going back to using it every day. I think it's their Modern Everywhere bag.
Shoulda called it Bagliacci.
Red Wing boots (only the classic ones). I've had my Iron Rangers for
6 yearsedit: 7 years now as my primary pair of non-athletic footwear. Occasional brush with a bit of conditioner and they look and feel amazing with no signs of slowing down. Will be replacing the sole when it eventually wears out but the original minilug is still going strong-Good year welt leather boots in general last a very long time. I have a pair of chippewa boots that have lasted me since 2016 and they're still good. Haven't needed to resole them, they're very comfortable. I've worn them maybe 20-30% of the time(I let them rest at least a day between wears). -Straight razors and DE razors last a very long time, and they can both be significantly cheaper than regular disposable razors and electric shavers. -PIAA silicone windshield wipers (I think many silicone based wipers in general) are as BIFL as can be for windshield wipers. I think I have the same pair on my car from 2016.
PIAA silicone windshield wipers (I think many silicone based wipers in general) are as BIFL as can be for windshield wipers. I think I have the same pair on my car from 2016.
I was very disappointed with PIAA wipers when I got a set.
Expensive, and while they did last slightly longer than the 1-1.5 years I usually expect from wipers, from day one, their performance was noticeably worse than all but the cheapest common brands. Basically they never, ever actually cleanly wiped away all the rain. Streaky and leaving trails of water from day one.
So yeah, they lasted longer, but it was at the level of half-worn-out blades anyway, so to me, it was basically a wash on price of one set of PIAA vs two sets of some other brand...and with the other brand, at least I'd get the two honeymoon phases where they were brand new and working fantastically.
I think you should try another pair and complain to PIAa. My wipers wipe water amazingly, even now. I can imagine some wear over time, but the fact that yours were not wiping well to begin with tells me it may have been a faulty instance (or their quality has dropped significantly recently). Regardless that's a shitty experience
Filco Majestouch keyboard. I've been programming on mine for over 5 years.
It probably won't outlast my IBM Model M, but it does feel lighter on the fingers.
It might actually outlast your Model M. The membranes on the Model M seems to be the thing that has died for me (after like 20+ years mind you). I frequently still use my Leopold from 2009 and its rock solid.
The internal board of my model M survived the dishwasher. In fact, it fixed it. They're tough.
I have an OG early 90s model with a birth certificate on the back.
Is that an IBM Model M, or a Lexmark Model M? Earlier Model Ms were entirely mechanical, later ones made by Lexmark used the buckling-spring-over-membrane design.
And in the case of a membrane Model M, I wonder if you can get a replacement from...whatever that company is that bought the molds and still makes them to this day.
Winter Jacket - Klim I bought my jacket with the intent of never having to purchase another one. After speaking with many friends and the sales people at my local motorcycle/snowmobile shop, the consensus was a snowmobile jacket would last.
I chose Klim and have had this jacket since 2016 with no tears or rips. I did have an issue with the zipper but they replaced the entire zipper for free within the last few months.
I will recommend Klim brand jackets for a forever jacket. They are expensive though.
Outdoor clothing in Europe - Mammut
For socks I was introduced to Feetures and stand by them 100%. I can't speak for life yet, but I've had them over a year and they still feel like new. I've also never had a sock that fit my foot properly until I got Feetures.
GoRuck backpacks. I bought mine a decade ago and it still has impeccable quality.
Unfortunately they've outsourced to Vietnam. I can attest I have several USA made go ruck packs ... and they do still sell a few like that. But they've mostly outsourced; YMMV.
I have good luck with Duluth products, I have shirts from 5 years ago that still look new.
I did too but then I adopted some bigger parrots
I think they were made on contract, but I got a pair of hiking/work boots almost 35 years ago and aside from the slightest rash on the toe-caps they look perfect. If I knew the brand I'd buy shoes and belts all day.
The Body Buffer by Manscaped. I don’t like any of their other stuff but my goodness that scrubber is legit. Easy to clean, doesn’t harbor bacteria, easy to grip, very durable, and it creates a nice lather
It's American Eagle for me. Their pants have lasted me for longer than any other brand that I've worn regularly. Also, I don't have to adjust them because they just fit.
American eagle jeans are under rated. Their stretch jeans have last me for years with the only issues being some wallet / cellphone lines, and an occasional hole in the pocket that needs patching.
Mission workshop bags. I love mine, it looks as good today as when I got it.
Bosch electric drill. I’m not a tradesman or a professional, but I’ve had mine for over 30 years, doing household and hobby work, drilled holes in brick, concrete, wood, metal, and it’s never let me down.
I have a samsonite laptop bag for 12 years. Used daily. Still looks new.
For espresso machines I would recommend Gaggia. I bought one that was at least third hand and from 2000. It still works great and if anything breaks all the parts can be bought online
Been about 10 years now and my GoRuck gear doesn't even look used despite being carried any time I take a trip, which is quite often. Multiple continents, planes, trains, hiking, backpacking, etc. I'd say GoRuck (at least the American made stuff) is BIFL. knocks on wood
Merrell,
Doc Martin, L. L. Bean, The North Face, Fjällräven for clothing and accessories.Bullhidebelts makes some really nice authentic leather belts that actually last because they aren't those synthetic belts with leather veneer like Gucci, Luis Vutton, or others push for stupid high prices.
Logitech makes some good quality pc peripherals that have exceptional battery life.
Invicta has also impressed me in recent years with their watches. I was gifted a clone of the Rolex Submariner and it's a very good copy without the high price of a Rolex. It's been so good that most Rolex owners I've met buy an Invicta watch as a daily driver.
Edit: Seeing the comments a bunch mentioned Doc Martin as junk now, so I checked and they did get bought by a Chinese company, so maybe not those any more.
I bought a Logitech Pebble M350 a year ago, and I have proceeded to basically buy exclusively Logitech peripherals ever since.
Been so happy with their products, as long as you avoid the cheap sub $20 stuff (I've always wondered why they don't put their cheaper items under a different name), you certainly get your money's worth.
Anyone have suggestions for sneakers? Seems weird that there aren't any with like zip on lowers or something
I personally like sketchers slip ons. Great for casual daily use, if light on style options.
Kiziks
A bit off the rails, since it’s not a particular brand. But anything leather (wallets, belts, pouches, etc). I’ve had my leather wallet for nearly 7 years, maybe more. I haven’t really taken care of it (though I should). It’s been through a lot, and it has held up so well. Leather also ages very well. Whether it’s scuffed or dented, it’ll still look good with added character. As long as you don’t lose it or cut it (and craftsmanship is good), you’ll probably have it for a very long time.
While this is definitely true, it's important to get quality leather goods in order to have them last. For instance, "genuine leather" is actually the worst grade of leather, and can flake and fall apart in a few years.
I just bought a Schott NYC bison hide jacket that I'm hoping lasts me for the rest of my life, and I bought a saddleback leather wallet (which comes with a 100 year warranty on it) around three years ago and it still looks great: https://saddlebackleather.com/
Quality leather jackets are a bit hard to find. Lambskin leather is light and easier to wear (and is what most people purchase), but (especially if it's a highly-processed lambskin) may only last a few years before starting to fall apart.
EDIT: For purses, there is a guy who was making the rounds in the national media due to going viral for cutting up luxury purses to see what the quality is of them (he goes by "Tanner Leatherstein") and he evaluates the quality of purses. I bought my wife a Dooney & Bourke purse at https://www.dooney.com/ that has lasted longer than a lot of the cheaper crap she's used and it still looks very good at 5 years old. "Tanner Leatherstein" says that Coach bags are generally pretty decent quality, and also runs his own shop here which I cannot personally attest to but may buy a gift from for my wife: https://www.pegai.com/
“genuine leather” is actually the worst grade of leather,
I really wish those shenanigans were illegal, where they use words that are normally positive adjectives to mean low tier garbage.
Or even just adjectives at all; like the USDA has multiple grades for beef, two of which are Choice and Select. Those are fucking synonyms you dusty dry twats!
The USPS is similarly convoluted. "First-Class mail." That's for the normal "it goes in the normal bag with the rest of the letters" service, but the phrase "First Class" usually means top tier service.
And we wonder why society is failing.
Benchmade are horrible. If you're looking for a good knife, go with strider or extrema ratio.
Gustbuster umbrella. Carbon fibre. Have it for 15 winters already.
Dyson vacuum cleaners. I've had mine for about 20 years, had to replace a part here and there, but it's just as strong as the day I got it. Probably the single best purchase I've ever made. A close second would be my Sonicare toothbrush.
Dyson is a marketing company that happens to make okay vacuums. Anyone who owns a Miele or SEBO vacuum would never go to a Dyson. Dyson vacuums never hold up to their high quality bagged competitors in almost any regard. Just my 2c. I used my family's Dyson before moving out and buying a canister SEBO and the difference is remarkable. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/what-we-learned-from-vacuum-enthusiasts/
Why'd you yuck my yum? :)
I've got a Kirby that was my grandmother's. The thing is solid metal and weighs a ton but I don't think it I'll ever die.
I "sold" Kirbies for a short time. Super-glamorous job (haha).
Surprisingly, yes to both of these. I was just commenting on how long my Dyson vacuum has lasted a couple days ago.
If only they weren't so fucking ugly
That's part of their charm! I've always thought mine looked pretty badass. 🙂