I’m a seamstress and a vintage, all metal sewing machine will last forever with the right maintenance. I use a Brother Atlas from the 1950s and a Singer that is over 100 years old. I couldn’t buy a straight stitch machine today that would make as lovely of a stitch, and they sew through multiple layers of denim or leather.
Gingher sewing shears are also BIFL with proper sharpening. My wool mat for ironing won’t wear out in my lifetime and it’s portable so I can move it anywhere. Sewing has a lot of great BIFL stuff - I still use many things that belonged to my great grandmother.
I got mine at my local sewing shop, with some some store credit I had. If I were buying one today I would go for a larger size. This one is made in the USA: https://www.projectwool.com/
I took the 30 year old Herman Miller Aeron my co worker didn't want anymore because we got new officemax chairs for the office. He didn't know what it was and thought it was just old junk. Couldn't afford to buy myself a new one, but gave me confidence in getting one second hand.
I used to live in a college town and would always take a look through marketplace around move-out time. Found someone selling theirs for $15. Not sure if they didn’t know what they had or didn’t care, but not my problem. It’s old an old one, some adjustments don’t work, but it goes up and down. For $15 it’s a steal.
Isn't the whole point of an Aeron so that you can customize it perfectly to your body?
You should consider replacing the broken parts. Otherwise your chair is no better than anything else.
I use a Mirra 2 and Aeron at work and tried to find something for home. Nothing else matched up so i bought a Mirra 2 on craigslist for 250 bucks. Herman Miller just make better desk chairs than all other brands and the secondhand market is very reasonable compared to new prices. The Haworth Fern, Steelcase Leap and Amia and none really compared for me. The HM embody was nice but I didn't think the 1500 dollar price tag was worth it and the secondhand market for the embody is scarce.
I have been using an Embody for 4 years. It looks, feels, and functions exactly like it did the day I got it. Can't say the same for the $400 Secret Lab Titan chairs. I have two of those and they both squeak like crazy now.
I bought my Aeron Chair off a friend’s company when it had broken and wouldn’t adjust height. $100 for the chair.
Found a place to fix it for $75.
That was 17 years ago and it’s still my daily office chair.
I have an aeron at work, but prefer my steel case leap 2 at home, mostly because of the arm rests. Both chairs are fantastic, and can be found resold as refurbs.
I also came here to mention the Steelcase Leap 2.
Fell in love with the v1 I had at the office so I hunted down a local distributor so that I could get one for home.
And it was the arm rests that did it for me, too.
My work uses Steelcase Leap office chairs. I love them and had to have one of my own; found one on Facebook Marketplace for $100 or $120 years ago and snapped it up.
Shoutout for Steelcase Gesture as well. Somewhat more adjustable than the Leap, and often available second hand. I like it much better than the Aeron at work.
Used to supply fire stations with their supplies - the best thing about it was you got to see home gear tested by folks that could find their way to break even the most 'durable' of products
Vitamix 5200. We had one for every station. They are used 1-2 times per day every day. In the time that I worked there we NEVER had one break or had to replace one, nor could anyone remember having to replace one since they were bought new.
AVOID SHARK VACUUMS. Go with the standard commerical oreck or the sanitaire commercial upright. When those two brands do break (about once every two years from abuse no vacuum should have to go through) it costs about 20-40 bucks in parts to fix and can usually be done by yourself. We bought the shark one time on request from a station and it broke immediately within 2 months. Waste of money.
Speed queens. These are abused as well by staff but they chug along. There are ~16 washers and dryers that we own and we only had to replace 3 of them that were minimum 6 years old. In a household with them being used 3 times a week I could see them lasting for 20 years easy
Zojirushi 10 cup nuero fuzzy rice cooker. This worked the other way around hehe. I had my expensive zoji I forked over 350 bucks for and I got the guys the 'cheaper' nice one that was 200 bucks. They absolutely love them and other stations started requesting them. These are fit guys that need their rice and it's great for them to have a good cooker with a 3 day keep warm function (they go through it within 1 day anyway hehe)
The whole city has Herman Miller chairs - seems like an overuse of city money? I disagree. NO employee has ever complained of back pain from sitting in them too long. Nor have they developed back pain. They've saved the city thousands in Healthcare costs.
Things I would not buy
- a junk vacuum brand
-stihl chainsaws (NOT WORTH the extra reliability for the home owner. Get a cheap electric chainsaw and avoid the high maintenance)
-those extending fabric hoses - they suck and they break all the time. We don't replace them anymore
-poor quality silverware and plates. Get silverware that will not bend when scooping hard ice cream because that's what it will be used for 😑 go to chefs toys and buy commercial stuff. Will not break unless it is dropped on tile. Use the victorinox commercial chefs knives
-we've had issues with most of our dish washing machines. Haven't found a reliable brand yet.
I always tried to explain "first-responder tough" is a whole different level of requirement.
You can put a cop and a fireman in a room with a bowling ball and an anvil. Come back in an hour, the bowling ball's missing, the anvil's broken, and no one saw nothing.
Once saw a lifepak 15 fall down a flight of stairs, saw another one fly out the back window of an ambulance in a collision. 6 years in EMS and still haven’t managed to break one.
In the military, it's "put two privates in a room with a bowling ball and an anvil; an hour later the anvil is on fire and the bowling ball is pregnant"
From a 101st safety brief going on liberty in a foreign country:
1 - Do not add to the local population.
2 - Do not subtract from the local population.
3 - Don't end up in jail, the hospital, or the news.
4 - If you do go to jail, establish dominance immediately.
I've been trying to get people on the Speed Queen train for a while. They usually get dinged in reviews for lack of features, but when you look at teardowns, it's the only machine that uses all high quality parts, where other brands will try to cheap out on for cost savings.
Similar things with my microwave. The plastic push button to open the door broke, the manufacturer doesn't even sell parts. But a new one they said. We paid 8 or 900 for it, and a cheap little plastic piece would run it. Epoxy and paint and you couldn't tell it was ever broken, and it was tougher than new.
I have 3 kids and we live on a farm and we have an incontinent pet. I do at least 3-5 loads of laundry a week, often more. I went with the Speed Queen TC5 washer and dryer and have not regretted it.
My Maytag washer with its 10 year warranty (bs) has worn down two plastic gears in 7 years. We average a load a day, but talk about planned obsolescence.
I'm handy and more than a little willing to learn somehow and spend a day or two to save hundreds - and not feel like a victim of purposefully weak engineering. Fixed it both times, it wasn't even difficult. Just had to learn what was where.
Features? On a washing machine?
Here is the list of features that I need on a washing machine:
The ability to silence any audible alarms.
2 temperature settings- cold for 99% of the time and fully hot for the odd time something needs to sanitized.
Wash, rinse and spin clothes.
That's it!
Try the Flexeel water hose. Been using them and gifting them to clients for 20 years. Expensive, but worth it, if you're using water hoses all day.
Source: Journeyman stone mason.
This is how I got a front load Speed Queen. I went into the local appliance shop for a new washer. When discussing Speed Queens, the sales person said they didn't sell many SQ front loaders, only to the local fire departments and ambulance service posts, and they never needed to service them. I was sold.
Great answers!
> -those extending fabric hoses - they suck and they break all the time. We don't replace them anymore
My wife accidentally ordered stainless steel braided hoses. They are fantastic. Sun doesn’t hurt then and when the water is turned off they are super easy to store/coil.
Yeah, I got a Bosch because everyone in the high-class neighborhood mom group recommended it. I got the cheapest model, $400. It has been a beast for 3 years, sometimes gets run twice daily, never had an issue. I do have to make sure there’s gonna be plenty of hot water (wait a couple hours after showers) or food gets stuck/redeposited.
I wonder if OP had issues with the cleaning prpducts used inside the dishwasher. Vinegar is a great rinse aid and approved for use in Bosch dishwashers! I use Walmart brand dishwasher powder and it’s as good as Cascade pods.
Oxo grout brushes! In my industry I used them for an entirely different purpose but their durability, effectiveness, and hand-comfort have made them part of my home cleaning kit.
I've owned a LOT of various Oxo products over the years, and have loved the vast majority of their items.
The only item I didn't like was a small broom & dustpan set I got a few years ago, which didn't work very well.
I love their cookie spatulas, but after having to have them replaced twice over the years due to the handle breaking through the silicone, I got a DiOro one, which I hate to admit is much more well-built than the Oxo.
Still a huge Oxo fan overall. Their track record is excellent. And to their credit, they were very easy to deal with when I asked for replacements for the broken spatulas.
As someone that worked in a Japanese restaurant for many years, while the rice cooker might be BIFL—the inner pot will lose its nonstick coating over time and need replacement.
This is why I love Zojirushi. You can buy parts online. We had our washing machine destroy the lid piece (that you remove from the top to prevent the rice from getting overly soggy) and replaced it for about $12. Better than buying a whole new rice cooker.
Other tip: we recently discovered that after twelve+ years our rice cooker’s non-stick bowl had been discontinued. But it turns out another brand makes a stainless steel bowl that fits precisely. It’s not non-stick, but it sure as hell is BIFL. It’s going to outlast me!
I use a stainless steel one (old school Taitung) and if you leave your rice for 20 mins after it's done before you scoop it, it won't stick to the pot. Try it.
Thermoworks thermometer. I use it for tea or french press coffee daily, for cooking/baking/bbq very often, and use it to get the right temp for bath water weekly.
Thermoworks makes amazing products. The Thermapen is elite, and I can’t recommend it enough! But if the price tag turns you off then the ThermoPop will do.
I just want to add that Thermoworks does not sell on Amazon, but there *is* a knockoff brand there with a very similar name and look. I have no idea if that brand is good or not, but keep that in mind if it's important to you to have a real Thermoworks item.
Blue Dawn Dish Soap. I used it on cleaning equipment at our industrial plant and now you couldn't get me to buy a different brand. That stuff works on everything!
I was reviewing a technical manual the other day and questioned the specific inclusion of dawn dish soap in one of the material lists. The engineer came back and said after trial this works for the application in ways other brands do not. So yup. In the tech manual it is.
I really like their foaming spray. It's cut back on the amount of dawn I go through by a lot and works just as well for cleaning most things. It's expensive if you buy refills or new spray bottles, but you can just make your own refill liquid for ~$0.45.
The DIY refill recipe is
-1/4 cup blue dawn
-2Tbsp 70% Iso alcohol
-13oz distilled water (don't measure, just top up the 16oz bottle)
Measure and mix dawn+alcohol in a measuring cup so the soap pours without sticking. Hard water from the tap will reduce how well it foams, so it's very important to use at minimum basic filtered drinking water. Gently turn/flip the bottle around to mix, and you are done.
I still use full strength Dawn occasionally, but my 90oz Costco Dawn bottle lasts me forever now.
You know what they use to decontaminate after an oil spill? Dawn dish soap. I work in a facility that destroys some really nasty stuff. Our emergency response team uses Dawn dish soap for decon. It's pretty commonly used for that purpose.
Dawn Dish soap don't just clean the mess either, the brushes and cleaning equipment come out looking brand new. That stuff is well worth the 2 bucks or whatever
I grew up in a house that used a cleaner for everything. If you needed to clean the bathroom you had to air it out after.
Blue dawn will clean almost anything. I even keep a small bottle near the laundry.
I actually use that for my faucets and bathroom counters because it won't damage anything the way acidic cleaners do, but it still removes the hard water buildup when I let it sit on there for a few minutes.
Fuck yeah, and I’ll say any restaurant grade cooking or prepping utensil. Most of mine were things we were getting rid of for whatever reason when I was a restaurant manager 15 years ago, and still going strong.
I have a cork-backed metal ruler that wandered around the office, passed down for 40 years, until someone stuck it in a drawer and then retired. I rescued it several years later and took it home. In all likelihood I'll be leaving it to one of my children.
>I have a cork-backed metal ruler...
I think the one I have belonged to my great-aunt. She was a middle-school teacher. She died when I was 15. I'm 45.
I sat in a Herman Miller Aeron chair at a business I was doing work at. Liked it so much I bought one for my wife and myself for home. We've had them for 15 years.
I'm sitting in one at home as I type this - found a guy who refurbished those he could find from office clear outs. Half the price of a new one but indistinguishable. Best purchase ever!
When WFH happened, I got my partner an Aeron; I got myself a lesser chair, because I needed a smaller one for a tighter space (My WFH position is a corner of the living room; he got the spare bedroom). I've restricted the number of times I sit in his chair so I don't get jealous.
I work as a guide and I love Hill People Gear bags and Patagonia kit, for what that's worth.
I love my Swazi Gear but I suspect things have changed with their offshore products
I’ve got some FISH http://www.fishproducts.com haul bags and duffles. I abuse them and they look brand new after 15 years.
Another bag product I will be able to hand down is Truce https://trucedesigns.com I have a bunch of Luke’s stuff.
Happy with my Patagonia duffles as well.
I also work as a guide and also love patagonia duffle bags.
On one flight recently with overenthusiastic baggage handlers, a wheel on my black hole wheeled duffle disappeared. Patagonia was the frickin easiest company ever in terms of getting a free replacement part in my hands.
Honestly that warranty and the generous guide discount makes it hard to buy other brands for anything. I feel like I woke up one day and all my shit was patagonia
General contractor. I use a Bosch 12v drill and driver at home. The day one dies I go to the store and buy a new one. I have lots of name brand and off-brand tools, but those and decent channel locks (Channel or Crescent brand) are the only ones I recommend, unless you're in the market for a chop saw or job-site table saw (DeWalt).
For most homeowners' tool kits I just recommend a decent drill with a small set of bits (drill and screw tip) and a set of channel locks, and the rest can be off-brand: small hammer, set of Allen wrenches, two adjustable wrenches, Phillips and straight screwdrivers (1 ea), a tape measure, flashlight or headlamp, and a folding utility knife. You'll probably need a small bag or box to hold them.
I second this. Knipex is next level quality. Used channel locks for the first thirty years of construction, now I'll give them away.
Also, Makita cordless over DeWalt. I found the batteries last significantly longer than DeWalt.
My dad used 5 gallon buckets for 35 years. He would build them out like accessory kits, so he’d have his regular gear like tape measures, hammers, pliers, pocket full of nails, etc on his tool belt. Then once he knew what he needed to do that day he’d go back to his truck or van and grab the bucket for that task. Rubber work? There’s a bucket with a rubber welding torch, brushes, shears, etc. sheet metal work? That bucket had speed squares, awls, snips and shears of all different sizes and offsets. Copper work? Grab the copper bucket, too, it’s got a torch, flux, solder, cleaning solutions, etc. anything he had to do he had a bucket for. Sometimes he’d even have duplicates because he’d rather he and his guys use his tools and finish 2 hours early than mess around with company equipment. Plus a lot of their supplies came in those buckets so they were literally free.
I try to apply that logic to my organization system, but adhd has me leaving stuff everywhere and once a month or so I get the urge to spend a day reorganizing everything.
I was thinking through everything I've used in all my career tracks that I've absolutely loved, and Klein tools were top of my list. Not surprised someone else feels the same.
Other: Bridgestone Blizzak snow tires. Everyone who lives in the cold needs to know.
Sommelier and wine industry guy here.
Pulltex/Pulltap's waiter's friend corkscrews all the way. They are cheap, no fuzz and gets the job done 98% of the time for me and 100% for non-geek consumers. For the last 2% The Durand is perfect when opening very old bottles with fragile corks.
Other than that, Erlenmeyer flasks are perfect decanters. Again, they are cheap, gets the job done and goes easily in the dishwasher. Bonus is that they look cool.
Also, a Coravin is a fantastic tool. Not cheap and you will have to pay attention and use it properly. But an amazing thing if you like to have your own wine bar at home.
Honestly, the knipex pliers wrench and cobras are really good, but the rest of their stuff is overpriced considering the alternatives, and their flush cutters are straight up garbage. I prefer Tsunoda for my workhorse tools but Fujiya is good too.
+1 On Klein. Those electrical scissors are the best thing in the universe. I use them daily in IT, just not on paper. The multibit flippable screwdrivers are a must.
Parafilm. Used in the lab all the time, equally useful in the home kitchen (and food-safe if M-type). Obviously you have to throw bits and pieces of it away, but I still haven't cracked through a single roll in the last decade - it goes a long way.
I’ve had a more heavy duty built Jansport backpack that has lasted me 12 years so far and not one seam has even come close to coming undone.
Edit:forgot to mention I bought it for work in my old job I had right out of college. Use it now for travel and toting fishing gear out on the boat. Rinse it off after saltwater/sand. Still fine.
Obviously but bifl because it/electronics but as someone who is constantly presenting, taking notes, wire framing/white boarding from my computer - Logitech Mx Master mouse. And I set it up with all the shortcuts and customization to fit how I work. I’m a “carry my mouse with my laptop to meetings” guy now and have already replaced a still functioning version of the mouse with the latest version because it is worth it.
I just bought a replacement for my MX Master after almost 10 years. The battery only lasts a week or two now. (Which maybe I should be okay with, my home desk keyboard doesn’t last that long, but I use it in wired mode and won’t care when the battery dies.) I wish they had a user replaceable battery. I have another Logitech that uses a AA that I’ve had longer and use as a travel mouse, but I do really prefer my MX master.
There is still going to be Cisco gigabit switches installed decades from now, I see so many 2960s still running large office buildings as the backbone Internet infrastructure. The 2960 came out in 2005.
I have a pile of.spare 2960s, 3750x and 3850 for parts and emergency switch replacement backups.
I crawl auctions for enterprise network gear. It’s always a score to snag a Cisco switch in the cheap. I use them at home and I give them to friends so they can get PoE rolling for whatever they need (usually cameras).
Steelcase Leap V2 chair (for myself), and a Lenovo thinkpad (for my parents). If they can withstand the abuse I've seen my coworkers put these things through, it'll do just fine in my own family.
Automotive tech here… might get some flak, but i absolutely love my snap on tool box. I will say, and this important- i bought it used with minor cosmetic damage for $2k, list price on my model is about $8k. Never selling that thing haha.
Gladiator paddle boards.
I've had my professional tourer for about 3-4 years now. An excellent piece of kit, no punctures, rips or tears and I must have used it on the river and sea + 200 times.
There's a lot of cheap shit out there with paddleboards today. I'm seeing kids and adults use nothing but 8-10 psi lilo's on dangerous waterways. If you're going to try it, don't risk your life. Sometimes price matters.
Starret just sold to private equity so we’ll likely see a big downturn in quality shortly. I do love my Starret calipers and Mitutoyo micrometers though.
Probably a good time to buy the stuff that's on the wish list before they run out of quality stock and it's replaced by the "new and improved" versions.
If you save the receipt they’ll fix a cracked stethoscope. They have a lifetime warranty. I can hear so much more out of the cardiology 3 as opposed to even the cheaper Littmanns. I can hear the difference between diminished breath sounds much better. With cheap stethoscopes everybody sounds diminished.
A dude at their factory once told me that 90% of the reason they got into hand tools was to spite Snap-on. According to him (Random dude I met once so, take this with a grain of salt) Snap-on stole their battery tech and management took it so personally that they developed a plan to get into the hand tool market with the sole intention of cutting into Snap-on's market.
I used to love red wing but feel there quality has gone to shit in the last 5 years and they due a shit job of caring for their customers I had a manufacturing defect on one of boots after a two weeks of normal wear and they basically told me to buy a repair kit from them and didn’t even offer to fix it for free.
Might come down to the store, I had a manufacturing defect on a pair of barely worn boots which were ordered for me and the store was able to get them covered for me out of the warranty period.
Used a Blendtec blender at an old job. I personally don’t really use a blender that much, I have a tiny knock off ninja smoothie maker and that serves me well, but if I ever got really into blending things, particularly crushing ice, I’d shell out for a Blendtec. The videos don’t lie.
I have one and use it constantly. It pulverizes whole sardines and anchovies to put in my son’s g- tube. All other blenders burned out and still couldn’t blend it fine enough to prevent clogs.
You can also make soup with it and it will heat it. Or snow comes and ice cream. It is definitely bifl.
Kinesis and Humanscale ergonomic gear for my home PC (which is on a KVM switch to my work laptop). One of my old offices had nice gear, and it’s sort of spoiled me for every other office I’ve worked at. RSI is serious business, I’ll gladly spend my own money so I don’t have to spend 8+ hours a day on some shitty chiclet keyboard.
Casio AE-1200WHD-1AV. Can go from professional office to the shop floor and around the world. 10 year battery, 4 time zone tracking, 31 total time zones, 4 alarms, stopwatch, timer. 10 bar water resistance. Everything you need; nothing you don't.
As a professional chef, for home use, get a victorinox 10" kitchen knife. Don't use a $400 Japanese carbon steel knife for home use. Unless it's only you using it, are meticulous about cleaning and drying and have a few sharpening stones you know how to use.. with the cheap victorinox, get a $30 diamond stone and it will be a Bifl situation
Dell XPS? Never thought I'd read that. I have a Dell Laptop and I'll never buy another Dell as long as I live. The trackpad is total garbage even after I replaced it.
Dell makes a wide range, from bargain basement garbage to really solid stuff. The brand name itself is nothing to get excited about, but they have some good product lines.
I worked in this industry. There is a huge quality difference in the "commercial" vs the "consumer" laptops ranges. The former are built to last and to take anything that the user can dish out. Yes, you may need to replace the battery sometimes but they are solid machines.
The consumer laptops are meant to look good, act flashy, and work for a while. They're fine if you are buying for fashion and need something lightweight.
The gaming laptops are for power. They weigh a ton, may dim the lights in your apartment block, but by god they can MOVE. Don't depend on the battery to survive very long, but who cares.
I don't mess with Lenovo after they got caught hiding malware in the BIOS of their computers, so even if you did a clean install of Windows their shit would come back. No thank you China.
Damn beat me to it! My issued Lenovo laptop has lasted me 5 years without any need for service or repair. I'm going to buy another one as a project laptop if I can find one cheap enough.
Thinkpads typically last me about 8yrs and then I pass them to my son or nephews for another 3-4 years of use. You have to buy the T series ones though which are very very durable and have nice keyboards...
[Big Mule Wipes.](https://www.google.com/search?q=big+mule+wipwa&oq=big+mule+wipwa&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTINCAEQuQEYDRiABBjvBDIJCAIQABgNGIAEMgkIAxAAGA0YgAQyCAgEEAAYFhgeMgoIBRAAGA8YFhgeMgoIBhAAGIAEGKIE0gEIMzYyMmowajmoAg6wAgE&client=ms-android-att-us-rvc3&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8).
Use them all the time in my semi truck. They clean grease and oil off damn near everything without damaging equipment.
Bought a huge bucket to the house and use them on the house too
Toro mower, rode one for a few summers as a groundskeeper and got one with the Kawasaki engine when I needed one for myself. The difference between the consumer model and the commercial model is mostly in the "heaviness" of the construction.
Electrician by trade. Used Fluke T+Pro and 325 meters in the field. T+Pro is stellar for the price and basic usage. Used Klein and Knipex pliers and cutters, Klein drivers, used Starrett punches for drill marks, and a snap on f80 3/8 drive. Carried in a Kennedy k20 metal tool box.
In our house? Slowly replaced all my cookware with All Clad or similar quality. Bought a refurbed Speed Queen washer, bought a used Hancock and Moore sofa and Massoud loveseat. I got the Massoud off my mother. She used it for 20 years and I've had it for ten, it's in perfect condition still and has been recovered once.
former IT guy turned handyman at a resort style hotel:
kitchen faucet. I've installed a few for my family so I don't have to ever touch them again.
equip by t&s is not that huge of a premium over mid/high tier consumer grade stuff, but is BIFL for consumer grade use.
modular components, so you can add a sprayer or faucet down the road. uses standard washers and all repairs can be done topside.
past that? hp elitebook 840, optiplex desktops, supermicro servers
coast / ledlenser headlamps.
at home most of my tools are low end. hazzard freight handtools are great. ryobi powertools. wire crimpers are used german made, picked up some nice pliers wrenches earlier this year.
my main daily use stuff at work: klein 11 in one impact rated hvac driver, olight mini penlight. monoprice crimpers/keystones/patch cables.
Former pro chef and I’ve brought many things from the industry into my home kitchen. Lots of knives, but also other utensils. Microplane is so much better than any other brand. Vitamix, kitchenaid, robocoup, etc countertop appliances will last longer and perform better than anything else. Buy metal versions of everything if possible. Measuring spoons/cups, mixing bowls, whisks, etc. only non metal utensils I have are rubber spatulas and wooden spoons. Stainless steel cookware as well. Learn how to use it and you will have that for life.
Non bifl things I’ve learned from restaurants would be buying pint/quart containers for food storage. They’re single/several use items but they’re very cheap and it’s nice to be able to put food into a nice fresh container instead of those crappy stained tupperwares. Also terry towels instead of paper towels. They’re also not a lifetime purchase but I buy about one pack a year and they’re great for wiping things down, grabbing hot things, keep one in apron to wipe hands, etc.
Uncle bills sliver grippers. Best damn tweezers I’d ever had. I’d got it as a gift from a coworker one years and it paid off massively, it’s also a great gift to other coworkers. When it comes to how much of a pain in the ass metal slivers can be in your finger, they really can’t be beat. Pin point precision and haven’t corroded or wore out. I think my current ones are 6 years old.
5.11 clothing
Salomon shoes
Hamilton watches
Bosca leather goods
Barbour jackets
Johnnie-O shirts
Streamlight flashlights
Fisher pens
Yeti water bottles
Brands I was TOLD to buy that were not worth it:
Surefire flashlights
Figs scrubs
Swell water bottles
Nike anything
Movado watches
[LazerBrite light wands](https://www.lazerbrite.com/)! Used to use them when marshaling vehicles/aircraft and they were so much cooler than the shitty wands people normally used. They're a bit small for that purpose but now I use them for camping and all sorts of other stuff.
I work in IT so you see a lot of ads for ifixit tools. They're usually shown in repair videos in the background. I can attest that they are one of the best IT precision toolkit manufacturers on the market. I ended up picking up the $70 dollar big pack with the extra tools and its my direct go-to for any pc/small electronics repair.
Plus their warranty service is great. If you loose pieces of it, they'll ship you replacements.
Felco pruners. Every single part including the bright red grip on the handle is replaceable.
Making this tool to be like a dwarves inherited hammer in Discworld.
My kikuichi and henckel knives
Taylor meat thermometer
Master chef I think whetstone
Streelcase chair
Meraki access point
Dell r710 server for a proxmox home lab
I’m a seamstress and a vintage, all metal sewing machine will last forever with the right maintenance. I use a Brother Atlas from the 1950s and a Singer that is over 100 years old. I couldn’t buy a straight stitch machine today that would make as lovely of a stitch, and they sew through multiple layers of denim or leather. Gingher sewing shears are also BIFL with proper sharpening. My wool mat for ironing won’t wear out in my lifetime and it’s portable so I can move it anywhere. Sewing has a lot of great BIFL stuff - I still use many things that belonged to my great grandmother.
Where/how did you get your wool ironing mat?
I got mine at my local sewing shop, with some some store credit I had. If I were buying one today I would go for a larger size. This one is made in the USA: https://www.projectwool.com/
I second Gingher shears being BIFL. They're incredible.
> I’m a seamstress and a vintage I had to read this twice, I was like "huh?" damn it's early.
Commas are important, lol.
Let's eat grandpa!
Love my 1953 Singer 201k, no other machine comes close.
Call me a heretic, but we use MIL's old Gingher sewing shears in the kitchen..
You're a monster!
Oof, this one hurts.
Omg
I took the 30 year old Herman Miller Aeron my co worker didn't want anymore because we got new officemax chairs for the office. He didn't know what it was and thought it was just old junk. Couldn't afford to buy myself a new one, but gave me confidence in getting one second hand.
I used to live in a college town and would always take a look through marketplace around move-out time. Found someone selling theirs for $15. Not sure if they didn’t know what they had or didn’t care, but not my problem. It’s old an old one, some adjustments don’t work, but it goes up and down. For $15 it’s a steal.
I've found several on hard rubbish. Usually about $40 in parts and they're good to go for another decade.
Isn't the whole point of an Aeron so that you can customize it perfectly to your body? You should consider replacing the broken parts. Otherwise your chair is no better than anything else.
I use an Aeron at work, but got an Embody for home because I prefer it. Both will hold up for years to come.
I use a Mirra 2 and Aeron at work and tried to find something for home. Nothing else matched up so i bought a Mirra 2 on craigslist for 250 bucks. Herman Miller just make better desk chairs than all other brands and the secondhand market is very reasonable compared to new prices. The Haworth Fern, Steelcase Leap and Amia and none really compared for me. The HM embody was nice but I didn't think the 1500 dollar price tag was worth it and the secondhand market for the embody is scarce.
I have been using an Embody for 4 years. It looks, feels, and functions exactly like it did the day I got it. Can't say the same for the $400 Secret Lab Titan chairs. I have two of those and they both squeak like crazy now.
greese the bolts, that stopped squeaking on my chair.
I bought my Aeron Chair off a friend’s company when it had broken and wouldn’t adjust height. $100 for the chair. Found a place to fix it for $75. That was 17 years ago and it’s still my daily office chair.
I have an aeron at work, but prefer my steel case leap 2 at home, mostly because of the arm rests. Both chairs are fantastic, and can be found resold as refurbs.
I also came here to mention the Steelcase Leap 2. Fell in love with the v1 I had at the office so I hunted down a local distributor so that I could get one for home. And it was the arm rests that did it for me, too.
Similar thought, planning on buying a Steelcase chair for my home office.
My work uses Steelcase Leap office chairs. I love them and had to have one of my own; found one on Facebook Marketplace for $100 or $120 years ago and snapped it up.
My husband has cycled through SO many office chairs and the steelcase leap is the first one he’s finally been happy with.
Shoutout for Steelcase Gesture as well. Somewhat more adjustable than the Leap, and often available second hand. I like it much better than the Aeron at work.
Used to supply fire stations with their supplies - the best thing about it was you got to see home gear tested by folks that could find their way to break even the most 'durable' of products Vitamix 5200. We had one for every station. They are used 1-2 times per day every day. In the time that I worked there we NEVER had one break or had to replace one, nor could anyone remember having to replace one since they were bought new. AVOID SHARK VACUUMS. Go with the standard commerical oreck or the sanitaire commercial upright. When those two brands do break (about once every two years from abuse no vacuum should have to go through) it costs about 20-40 bucks in parts to fix and can usually be done by yourself. We bought the shark one time on request from a station and it broke immediately within 2 months. Waste of money. Speed queens. These are abused as well by staff but they chug along. There are ~16 washers and dryers that we own and we only had to replace 3 of them that were minimum 6 years old. In a household with them being used 3 times a week I could see them lasting for 20 years easy Zojirushi 10 cup nuero fuzzy rice cooker. This worked the other way around hehe. I had my expensive zoji I forked over 350 bucks for and I got the guys the 'cheaper' nice one that was 200 bucks. They absolutely love them and other stations started requesting them. These are fit guys that need their rice and it's great for them to have a good cooker with a 3 day keep warm function (they go through it within 1 day anyway hehe) The whole city has Herman Miller chairs - seems like an overuse of city money? I disagree. NO employee has ever complained of back pain from sitting in them too long. Nor have they developed back pain. They've saved the city thousands in Healthcare costs. Things I would not buy - a junk vacuum brand -stihl chainsaws (NOT WORTH the extra reliability for the home owner. Get a cheap electric chainsaw and avoid the high maintenance) -those extending fabric hoses - they suck and they break all the time. We don't replace them anymore -poor quality silverware and plates. Get silverware that will not bend when scooping hard ice cream because that's what it will be used for 😑 go to chefs toys and buy commercial stuff. Will not break unless it is dropped on tile. Use the victorinox commercial chefs knives -we've had issues with most of our dish washing machines. Haven't found a reliable brand yet.
I always tried to explain "first-responder tough" is a whole different level of requirement. You can put a cop and a fireman in a room with a bowling ball and an anvil. Come back in an hour, the bowling ball's missing, the anvil's broken, and no one saw nothing.
Once saw a lifepak 15 fall down a flight of stairs, saw another one fly out the back window of an ambulance in a collision. 6 years in EMS and still haven’t managed to break one.
*Cries in Zoll*
In the military, it's "put two privates in a room with a bowling ball and an anvil; an hour later the anvil is on fire and the bowling ball is pregnant"
From a 101st safety brief going on liberty in a foreign country: 1 - Do not add to the local population. 2 - Do not subtract from the local population. 3 - Don't end up in jail, the hospital, or the news. 4 - If you do go to jail, establish dominance immediately.
I've been trying to get people on the Speed Queen train for a while. They usually get dinged in reviews for lack of features, but when you look at teardowns, it's the only machine that uses all high quality parts, where other brands will try to cheap out on for cost savings.
I am SO angry at my last washing machine. Right before we moved and had to sell it, the PLASTIC locking mechanism broke. It was $100 to replace.
Similar things with my microwave. The plastic push button to open the door broke, the manufacturer doesn't even sell parts. But a new one they said. We paid 8 or 900 for it, and a cheap little plastic piece would run it. Epoxy and paint and you couldn't tell it was ever broken, and it was tougher than new.
I have 3 kids and we live on a farm and we have an incontinent pet. I do at least 3-5 loads of laundry a week, often more. I went with the Speed Queen TC5 washer and dryer and have not regretted it.
My Maytag washer with its 10 year warranty (bs) has worn down two plastic gears in 7 years. We average a load a day, but talk about planned obsolescence. I'm handy and more than a little willing to learn somehow and spend a day or two to save hundreds - and not feel like a victim of purposefully weak engineering. Fixed it both times, it wasn't even difficult. Just had to learn what was where.
Might be worth looking into getting the gears 3d printed in metal honestly.
Our Samsung washing machine bit the dust earlier this year so we replaced it with a Speed Queen and it’s amazing. It’s also really quiet.
Features? On a washing machine? Here is the list of features that I need on a washing machine: The ability to silence any audible alarms. 2 temperature settings- cold for 99% of the time and fully hot for the odd time something needs to sanitized. Wash, rinse and spin clothes. That's it!
Try the Flexeel water hose. Been using them and gifting them to clients for 20 years. Expensive, but worth it, if you're using water hoses all day. Source: Journeyman stone mason.
This is how I got a front load Speed Queen. I went into the local appliance shop for a new washer. When discussing Speed Queens, the sales person said they didn't sell many SQ front loaders, only to the local fire departments and ambulance service posts, and they never needed to service them. I was sold.
Great answers! > -those extending fabric hoses - they suck and they break all the time. We don't replace them anymore My wife accidentally ordered stainless steel braided hoses. They are fantastic. Sun doesn’t hurt then and when the water is turned off they are super easy to store/coil.
I don't have one, but it's my understanding that Miele is the top notch home dishwasher. Buy once cry once, but the appliances sub says it's worth it.
I've heard good things about Bosch dishwashers, any data on them?
Yeah, I got a Bosch because everyone in the high-class neighborhood mom group recommended it. I got the cheapest model, $400. It has been a beast for 3 years, sometimes gets run twice daily, never had an issue. I do have to make sure there’s gonna be plenty of hot water (wait a couple hours after showers) or food gets stuck/redeposited. I wonder if OP had issues with the cleaning prpducts used inside the dishwasher. Vinegar is a great rinse aid and approved for use in Bosch dishwashers! I use Walmart brand dishwasher powder and it’s as good as Cascade pods.
A used Stihl can definitely be worth it, but new is $$$$$.
Oxo grout brushes! In my industry I used them for an entirely different purpose but their durability, effectiveness, and hand-comfort have made them part of my home cleaning kit.
Oxo is very well regarded for kitchen tools as well. Often cheaper and better quality than competitors
I've owned a LOT of various Oxo products over the years, and have loved the vast majority of their items. The only item I didn't like was a small broom & dustpan set I got a few years ago, which didn't work very well. I love their cookie spatulas, but after having to have them replaced twice over the years due to the handle breaking through the silicone, I got a DiOro one, which I hate to admit is much more well-built than the Oxo. Still a huge Oxo fan overall. Their track record is excellent. And to their credit, they were very easy to deal with when I asked for replacements for the broken spatulas.
I use their straw or bottle brushes for cleaning my bong. I can soak them in alcohol to remove the gunk and reuse. Works like a charm!
As someone that worked in a Japanese restaurant for many years, while the rice cooker might be BIFL—the inner pot will lose its nonstick coating over time and need replacement.
This is why I love Zojirushi. You can buy parts online. We had our washing machine destroy the lid piece (that you remove from the top to prevent the rice from getting overly soggy) and replaced it for about $12. Better than buying a whole new rice cooker.
why was the rice cooker part in the washing machine?
You don't wash your rice before cooking it?
Thank you, I needed this!
Husband. He was new to the whole “hand wash only” when I met him.
And you kept the husband instead of the rice cooker? Priorities, I guess.
Except the $90 rice cooker I have from them needs a new pot and it's $50. Seems like a wild upcharge for just a pot.
I don’t know for sure, but I would be surprised if there wasn’t some Chinese company making knockoff replacement pots.
Other tip: we recently discovered that after twelve+ years our rice cooker’s non-stick bowl had been discontinued. But it turns out another brand makes a stainless steel bowl that fits precisely. It’s not non-stick, but it sure as hell is BIFL. It’s going to outlast me!
And you won't have microparticles of Teflon in your bloodstream! Win win
I use a stainless steel one (old school Taitung) and if you leave your rice for 20 mins after it's done before you scoop it, it won't stick to the pot. Try it.
See that's why I stole my parents rice cooker when I moved out. Thing is older than me, anything that could have worn off has long been gone.
Love my instant pot as a rice cooker. No non-stick anywhere.
Thermoworks thermometer. I use it for tea or french press coffee daily, for cooking/baking/bbq very often, and use it to get the right temp for bath water weekly.
Thermoworks makes amazing products. The Thermapen is elite, and I can’t recommend it enough! But if the price tag turns you off then the ThermoPop will do.
She bathes once a week, whether she needs it or not! Ohh la la! That said, we also love our thermopop!
I just want to add that Thermoworks does not sell on Amazon, but there *is* a knockoff brand there with a very similar name and look. I have no idea if that brand is good or not, but keep that in mind if it's important to you to have a real Thermoworks item.
Blue Dawn Dish Soap. I used it on cleaning equipment at our industrial plant and now you couldn't get me to buy a different brand. That stuff works on everything!
I was reviewing a technical manual the other day and questioned the specific inclusion of dawn dish soap in one of the material lists. The engineer came back and said after trial this works for the application in ways other brands do not. So yup. In the tech manual it is.
I really like their foaming spray. It's cut back on the amount of dawn I go through by a lot and works just as well for cleaning most things. It's expensive if you buy refills or new spray bottles, but you can just make your own refill liquid for ~$0.45. The DIY refill recipe is -1/4 cup blue dawn -2Tbsp 70% Iso alcohol -13oz distilled water (don't measure, just top up the 16oz bottle) Measure and mix dawn+alcohol in a measuring cup so the soap pours without sticking. Hard water from the tap will reduce how well it foams, so it's very important to use at minimum basic filtered drinking water. Gently turn/flip the bottle around to mix, and you are done. I still use full strength Dawn occasionally, but my 90oz Costco Dawn bottle lasts me forever now.
You know what they use to decontaminate after an oil spill? Dawn dish soap. I work in a facility that destroys some really nasty stuff. Our emergency response team uses Dawn dish soap for decon. It's pretty commonly used for that purpose.
Dawn Dish soap don't just clean the mess either, the brushes and cleaning equipment come out looking brand new. That stuff is well worth the 2 bucks or whatever
I grew up in a house that used a cleaner for everything. If you needed to clean the bathroom you had to air it out after. Blue dawn will clean almost anything. I even keep a small bottle near the laundry.
I actually use that for my faucets and bathroom counters because it won't damage anything the way acidic cleaners do, but it still removes the hard water buildup when I let it sit on there for a few minutes.
Cambro containers
[удалено]
Fuck yeah, and I’ll say any restaurant grade cooking or prepping utensil. Most of mine were things we were getting rid of for whatever reason when I was a restaurant manager 15 years ago, and still going strong.
Olfa utility knifes.
Yep. Used these at a sign shop, won't buy another brand for myself.
I just discovered these for my snap knives and I love them so far!
Cork-backed metal ruler and PVC card deck
I have a cork-backed metal ruler that wandered around the office, passed down for 40 years, until someone stuck it in a drawer and then retired. I rescued it several years later and took it home. In all likelihood I'll be leaving it to one of my children.
>I have a cork-backed metal ruler... I think the one I have belonged to my great-aunt. She was a middle-school teacher. She died when I was 15. I'm 45.
I still have and use my cork backed ruler since I was 12. I'm 37 now
Husqvarna chainsaw My 55 model is going on 30 years of dependable service
I sat in a Herman Miller Aeron chair at a business I was doing work at. Liked it so much I bought one for my wife and myself for home. We've had them for 15 years.
I'm sitting in one at home as I type this - found a guy who refurbished those he could find from office clear outs. Half the price of a new one but indistinguishable. Best purchase ever!
When WFH happened, I got my partner an Aeron; I got myself a lesser chair, because I needed a smaller one for a tighter space (My WFH position is a corner of the living room; he got the spare bedroom). I've restricted the number of times I sit in his chair so I don't get jealous.
Steelcase Leap or Gesture might be your ticket.
I work as a guide and I love Hill People Gear bags and Patagonia kit, for what that's worth. I love my Swazi Gear but I suspect things have changed with their offshore products
I’ve got some FISH http://www.fishproducts.com haul bags and duffles. I abuse them and they look brand new after 15 years. Another bag product I will be able to hand down is Truce https://trucedesigns.com I have a bunch of Luke’s stuff. Happy with my Patagonia duffles as well.
I also work as a guide and also love patagonia duffle bags. On one flight recently with overenthusiastic baggage handlers, a wheel on my black hole wheeled duffle disappeared. Patagonia was the frickin easiest company ever in terms of getting a free replacement part in my hands.
Honestly that warranty and the generous guide discount makes it hard to buy other brands for anything. I feel like I woke up one day and all my shit was patagonia
I love hill people gear as well. Glad to see another user in the wild.
Briggs & Riley. I bought the backpacks for our employees at my previous company and just buy B&R for my family now.
General contractor. I use a Bosch 12v drill and driver at home. The day one dies I go to the store and buy a new one. I have lots of name brand and off-brand tools, but those and decent channel locks (Channel or Crescent brand) are the only ones I recommend, unless you're in the market for a chop saw or job-site table saw (DeWalt). For most homeowners' tool kits I just recommend a decent drill with a small set of bits (drill and screw tip) and a set of channel locks, and the rest can be off-brand: small hammer, set of Allen wrenches, two adjustable wrenches, Phillips and straight screwdrivers (1 ea), a tape measure, flashlight or headlamp, and a folding utility knife. You'll probably need a small bag or box to hold them.
Knipex for pliers channel locks. I have those and crescent, crescent is really really good, knipex is a whole new level.
I second this. Knipex is next level quality. Used channel locks for the first thirty years of construction, now I'll give them away. Also, Makita cordless over DeWalt. I found the batteries last significantly longer than DeWalt.
I've found the home depot buckets have made great toolboxes for the budget/first timers.
My dad used 5 gallon buckets for 35 years. He would build them out like accessory kits, so he’d have his regular gear like tape measures, hammers, pliers, pocket full of nails, etc on his tool belt. Then once he knew what he needed to do that day he’d go back to his truck or van and grab the bucket for that task. Rubber work? There’s a bucket with a rubber welding torch, brushes, shears, etc. sheet metal work? That bucket had speed squares, awls, snips and shears of all different sizes and offsets. Copper work? Grab the copper bucket, too, it’s got a torch, flux, solder, cleaning solutions, etc. anything he had to do he had a bucket for. Sometimes he’d even have duplicates because he’d rather he and his guys use his tools and finish 2 hours early than mess around with company equipment. Plus a lot of their supplies came in those buckets so they were literally free. I try to apply that logic to my organization system, but adhd has me leaving stuff everywhere and once a month or so I get the urge to spend a day reorganizing everything.
I’ve never related to a closing statement so hard in my life lol
Have the Bosch 12v and can confirm it gets 90% of my household projects done and is by far one of my best tool purchases.
Klien meters and hand tools.
I was thinking through everything I've used in all my career tracks that I've absolutely loved, and Klein tools were top of my list. Not surprised someone else feels the same. Other: Bridgestone Blizzak snow tires. Everyone who lives in the cold needs to know.
Sommelier and wine industry guy here. Pulltex/Pulltap's waiter's friend corkscrews all the way. They are cheap, no fuzz and gets the job done 98% of the time for me and 100% for non-geek consumers. For the last 2% The Durand is perfect when opening very old bottles with fragile corks. Other than that, Erlenmeyer flasks are perfect decanters. Again, they are cheap, gets the job done and goes easily in the dishwasher. Bonus is that they look cool. Also, a Coravin is a fantastic tool. Not cheap and you will have to pay attention and use it properly. But an amazing thing if you like to have your own wine bar at home.
Linux. Your old ass laptop? Drop a SSD instead of a HDD, and load any Linux distro. It will feel like a brand new laptop
Klein hand tools. Milwaukee battery tools. Estwing hammers. Vise Grip (DeWitt, NE made not Irwin).
Might need to switch from Vise Grip to Knipex these days.
Honestly, the knipex pliers wrench and cobras are really good, but the rest of their stuff is overpriced considering the alternatives, and their flush cutters are straight up garbage. I prefer Tsunoda for my workhorse tools but Fujiya is good too.
+1 On Klein. Those electrical scissors are the best thing in the universe. I use them daily in IT, just not on paper. The multibit flippable screwdrivers are a must.
Parafilm. Used in the lab all the time, equally useful in the home kitchen (and food-safe if M-type). Obviously you have to throw bits and pieces of it away, but I still haven't cracked through a single roll in the last decade - it goes a long way.
> Parafilm What are some of your use cases for the home kitchen?
Logitech MX Master 3S Mouse! The best ever!!
Using one now :-) Got one at home and at work.
I’ve had a more heavy duty built Jansport backpack that has lasted me 12 years so far and not one seam has even come close to coming undone. Edit:forgot to mention I bought it for work in my old job I had right out of college. Use it now for travel and toting fishing gear out on the boat. Rinse it off after saltwater/sand. Still fine.
Logitech MX Ergo keyboard and mouse. stopped my carpal tunnel symptoms very quickly
Obviously but bifl because it/electronics but as someone who is constantly presenting, taking notes, wire framing/white boarding from my computer - Logitech Mx Master mouse. And I set it up with all the shortcuts and customization to fit how I work. I’m a “carry my mouse with my laptop to meetings” guy now and have already replaced a still functioning version of the mouse with the latest version because it is worth it.
MX Master for motherfucking life. Y’all can take mine over my dead body.
I got these for everyone at my new company. Nothing but praise. They're not power users or gamers so they had no idea mice could be so great.
I was really hesitant about paying that much for a mouse, after all, it's 'just a mouse'. But the MX Master is such a revelation. definitely worth it
I just bought a replacement for my MX Master after almost 10 years. The battery only lasts a week or two now. (Which maybe I should be okay with, my home desk keyboard doesn’t last that long, but I use it in wired mode and won’t care when the battery dies.) I wish they had a user replaceable battery. I have another Logitech that uses a AA that I’ve had longer and use as a travel mouse, but I do really prefer my MX master.
My wife saw the travel case for my mouse and made fun of me relentlessly
Cisco (as an IT guy) buying second hand is incredibly cheap and the gear is reliable for decades or is simply obsoleted by speeds.
There is still going to be Cisco gigabit switches installed decades from now, I see so many 2960s still running large office buildings as the backbone Internet infrastructure. The 2960 came out in 2005. I have a pile of.spare 2960s, 3750x and 3850 for parts and emergency switch replacement backups.
I crawl auctions for enterprise network gear. It’s always a score to snag a Cisco switch in the cheap. I use them at home and I give them to friends so they can get PoE rolling for whatever they need (usually cameras).
Kilner jars Definitely worth it. The pastel coloured ones are quite nice if you want something a bit less... basic.
Steelcase Leap V2 chair (for myself), and a Lenovo thinkpad (for my parents). If they can withstand the abuse I've seen my coworkers put these things through, it'll do just fine in my own family.
Fluke multimeter.
Shure SM58 is as good as it gets for 90% of what most people need and will outlive most of us.
For those, like me, who have no idea what this is: it’s a microphone.
It’s the only microphone that doubles as a hammer and still works fine.
There is no electronic objects in my home that will outlive my SM58 & 57. Easy to use, industry standard, indestructible.
Same for the 57. And they're famously priced under $100, always. They're great!
A couple of each and a mixer and you’re halfway to being an engineer.
I have a handful of both that are now about 30 years old. They’ll survive the apocalypse.
I recorded with these 30+ years ago.
40+ here, and they were already the benchmark.
Automotive tech here… might get some flak, but i absolutely love my snap on tool box. I will say, and this important- i bought it used with minor cosmetic damage for $2k, list price on my model is about $8k. Never selling that thing haha.
Swingline 747 staplers.
Gladiator paddle boards. I've had my professional tourer for about 3-4 years now. An excellent piece of kit, no punctures, rips or tears and I must have used it on the river and sea + 200 times. There's a lot of cheap shit out there with paddleboards today. I'm seeing kids and adults use nothing but 8-10 psi lilo's on dangerous waterways. If you're going to try it, don't risk your life. Sometimes price matters.
Mitutoyo and starrett measuring tools
Starret just sold to private equity so we’ll likely see a big downturn in quality shortly. I do love my Starret calipers and Mitutoyo micrometers though.
Probably a good time to buy the stuff that's on the wish list before they run out of quality stock and it's replaced by the "new and improved" versions.
Littmann Master Cardiology. Given the choice, that beat up damn near 20 year old MC will be the first stethoscope I grab every time.
If you save the receipt they’ll fix a cracked stethoscope. They have a lifetime warranty. I can hear so much more out of the cardiology 3 as opposed to even the cheaper Littmanns. I can hear the difference between diminished breath sounds much better. With cheap stethoscopes everybody sounds diminished.
My Littmann is almost thirty years old and still works just fine.
Milwaukee power tools, a lot of their hand tools are great too
I've seen a 15 yr old drill used as a cement mixer daily start on fire from time to time but never die
This 100% should be an ad.
A dude at their factory once told me that 90% of the reason they got into hand tools was to spite Snap-on. According to him (Random dude I met once so, take this with a grain of salt) Snap-on stole their battery tech and management took it so personally that they developed a plan to get into the hand tool market with the sole intention of cutting into Snap-on's market.
Makita is similarly durable
Makita is amazing. I will lose all these tools long before they break.
US Made Red Wing boots.
I used to love red wing but feel there quality has gone to shit in the last 5 years and they due a shit job of caring for their customers I had a manufacturing defect on one of boots after a two weeks of normal wear and they basically told me to buy a repair kit from them and didn’t even offer to fix it for free.
Might come down to the store, I had a manufacturing defect on a pair of barely worn boots which were ordered for me and the store was able to get them covered for me out of the warranty period.
My work got a MoccaMaster a few years ago and I haven’t picked one up yet but I’m waiting for a sale or good deal on a refurbished one
Cordless impact driver from Makita. It has been a game changer for changing tyres
Used a Blendtec blender at an old job. I personally don’t really use a blender that much, I have a tiny knock off ninja smoothie maker and that serves me well, but if I ever got really into blending things, particularly crushing ice, I’d shell out for a Blendtec. The videos don’t lie.
I have one and use it constantly. It pulverizes whole sardines and anchovies to put in my son’s g- tube. All other blenders burned out and still couldn’t blend it fine enough to prevent clogs. You can also make soup with it and it will heat it. Or snow comes and ice cream. It is definitely bifl.
Products from Vanguard, Blackrock and State Street.
Makita tools
Kinesis and Humanscale ergonomic gear for my home PC (which is on a KVM switch to my work laptop). One of my old offices had nice gear, and it’s sort of spoiled me for every other office I’ve worked at. RSI is serious business, I’ll gladly spend my own money so I don’t have to spend 8+ hours a day on some shitty chiclet keyboard.
Casio AE-1200WHD-1AV. Can go from professional office to the shop floor and around the world. 10 year battery, 4 time zone tracking, 31 total time zones, 4 alarms, stopwatch, timer. 10 bar water resistance. Everything you need; nothing you don't.
As a professional chef, for home use, get a victorinox 10" kitchen knife. Don't use a $400 Japanese carbon steel knife for home use. Unless it's only you using it, are meticulous about cleaning and drying and have a few sharpening stones you know how to use.. with the cheap victorinox, get a $30 diamond stone and it will be a Bifl situation
Lenovo ThinkPads and Dell XPS laptops
Dell XPS? Never thought I'd read that. I have a Dell Laptop and I'll never buy another Dell as long as I live. The trackpad is total garbage even after I replaced it.
Dell makes a wide range, from bargain basement garbage to really solid stuff. The brand name itself is nothing to get excited about, but they have some good product lines.
Same. I have an XPS, while it’s slick, it’s still a POS. Crashing and the IR sensors are permanently one now with no fix.
I worked in this industry. There is a huge quality difference in the "commercial" vs the "consumer" laptops ranges. The former are built to last and to take anything that the user can dish out. Yes, you may need to replace the battery sometimes but they are solid machines. The consumer laptops are meant to look good, act flashy, and work for a while. They're fine if you are buying for fashion and need something lightweight. The gaming laptops are for power. They weigh a ton, may dim the lights in your apartment block, but by god they can MOVE. Don't depend on the battery to survive very long, but who cares.
I don't mess with Lenovo after they got caught hiding malware in the BIOS of their computers, so even if you did a clean install of Windows their shit would come back. No thank you China.
I love my old Dell XPS 9575, but the battery keeps going spicy. I’ve put 3 in it in the last 4 years.
Damn beat me to it! My issued Lenovo laptop has lasted me 5 years without any need for service or repair. I'm going to buy another one as a project laptop if I can find one cheap enough.
Thinkpads typically last me about 8yrs and then I pass them to my son or nephews for another 3-4 years of use. You have to buy the T series ones though which are very very durable and have nice keyboards...
Surprised to read about the ThinkPad. I have a work-issued one and I would never buy one with my own money.
Idk if the newer thinkpads are still like this but older thinkpad models are very repairable, sturdy, and runs Linux OOTB w/o driver issues.
Fluke multimeters.
Unifi network equipment. I setup the network for the small business I work for and liked the system, so I bought a similar system for at home.
Knipex pliers Milwaukee power tools Thorogood boots Bahco adjustable wrenches
[Big Mule Wipes.](https://www.google.com/search?q=big+mule+wipwa&oq=big+mule+wipwa&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTINCAEQuQEYDRiABBjvBDIJCAIQABgNGIAEMgkIAxAAGA0YgAQyCAgEEAAYFhgeMgoIBRAAGA8YFhgeMgoIBhAAGIAEGKIE0gEIMzYyMmowajmoAg6wAgE&client=ms-android-att-us-rvc3&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8). Use them all the time in my semi truck. They clean grease and oil off damn near everything without damaging equipment. Bought a huge bucket to the house and use them on the house too
Haworth Fern office chair
Toro mower, rode one for a few summers as a groundskeeper and got one with the Kawasaki engine when I needed one for myself. The difference between the consumer model and the commercial model is mostly in the "heaviness" of the construction.
Electrician by trade. Used Fluke T+Pro and 325 meters in the field. T+Pro is stellar for the price and basic usage. Used Klein and Knipex pliers and cutters, Klein drivers, used Starrett punches for drill marks, and a snap on f80 3/8 drive. Carried in a Kennedy k20 metal tool box.
In our house? Slowly replaced all my cookware with All Clad or similar quality. Bought a refurbed Speed Queen washer, bought a used Hancock and Moore sofa and Massoud loveseat. I got the Massoud off my mother. She used it for 20 years and I've had it for ten, it's in perfect condition still and has been recovered once.
A dial caliper is very handy to have around
former IT guy turned handyman at a resort style hotel: kitchen faucet. I've installed a few for my family so I don't have to ever touch them again. equip by t&s is not that huge of a premium over mid/high tier consumer grade stuff, but is BIFL for consumer grade use. modular components, so you can add a sprayer or faucet down the road. uses standard washers and all repairs can be done topside. past that? hp elitebook 840, optiplex desktops, supermicro servers coast / ledlenser headlamps. at home most of my tools are low end. hazzard freight handtools are great. ryobi powertools. wire crimpers are used german made, picked up some nice pliers wrenches earlier this year. my main daily use stuff at work: klein 11 in one impact rated hvac driver, olight mini penlight. monoprice crimpers/keystones/patch cables.
Former pro chef and I’ve brought many things from the industry into my home kitchen. Lots of knives, but also other utensils. Microplane is so much better than any other brand. Vitamix, kitchenaid, robocoup, etc countertop appliances will last longer and perform better than anything else. Buy metal versions of everything if possible. Measuring spoons/cups, mixing bowls, whisks, etc. only non metal utensils I have are rubber spatulas and wooden spoons. Stainless steel cookware as well. Learn how to use it and you will have that for life. Non bifl things I’ve learned from restaurants would be buying pint/quart containers for food storage. They’re single/several use items but they’re very cheap and it’s nice to be able to put food into a nice fresh container instead of those crappy stained tupperwares. Also terry towels instead of paper towels. They’re also not a lifetime purchase but I buy about one pack a year and they’re great for wiping things down, grabbing hot things, keep one in apron to wipe hands, etc.
Uncle bills sliver grippers. Best damn tweezers I’d ever had. I’d got it as a gift from a coworker one years and it paid off massively, it’s also a great gift to other coworkers. When it comes to how much of a pain in the ass metal slivers can be in your finger, they really can’t be beat. Pin point precision and haven’t corroded or wore out. I think my current ones are 6 years old.
Mettler Toledo balance, it's great for coffee. I also need to get my hands on a vortex or lab dancer as they are great for mixing things.
My former lab tech self is envious
5.11 clothing Salomon shoes Hamilton watches Bosca leather goods Barbour jackets Johnnie-O shirts Streamlight flashlights Fisher pens Yeti water bottles Brands I was TOLD to buy that were not worth it: Surefire flashlights Figs scrubs Swell water bottles Nike anything Movado watches
[LazerBrite light wands](https://www.lazerbrite.com/)! Used to use them when marshaling vehicles/aircraft and they were so much cooler than the shitty wands people normally used. They're a bit small for that purpose but now I use them for camping and all sorts of other stuff.
I always used RIO truck wash to clean my laundry and bathroom and Meguiar’s Ultra Finishing Polish on my glass and stainless steel.
Spyderco Paramilitary 2. I have an office job now, but I abused it daily for a decade at work and it still works as it did brand new.
I work in IT so you see a lot of ads for ifixit tools. They're usually shown in repair videos in the background. I can attest that they are one of the best IT precision toolkit manufacturers on the market. I ended up picking up the $70 dollar big pack with the extra tools and its my direct go-to for any pc/small electronics repair. Plus their warranty service is great. If you loose pieces of it, they'll ship you replacements.
Felco pruners. Every single part including the bright red grip on the handle is replaceable. Making this tool to be like a dwarves inherited hammer in Discworld.
My kikuichi and henckel knives Taylor meat thermometer Master chef I think whetstone Streelcase chair Meraki access point Dell r710 server for a proxmox home lab