BIFL: Buy it for Life (the Good Stuff General) - or, Anti-Consumerist Consumerism

[Sneeds]

For trucks if you want something that’s kinda modern but doesn’t have touch screens everywhere. And has a decently powerful and reliable engine. I suggest a gmt800 GMC Sierra /Chevrolet Silverado 1500 99 - 07 classic.

These motors don’t have cylinder deactivation are pretty reliable. They came in multiple engines. 4.8,5.3, and 6.0. And if you want a diesel. I suggest an 06/07 lbz GMC/Chevy 2500. Or a 7.3 Powerstroke f250


Also try to buy one from a rust free state (North/Southwest, south). Because if you buy one from the rust belt chances are the frame might be swiss cheese (aka fucked) And if you plan on moving to the rust belt with a rust free truck. I suggest you fluid film it every year to keep a truck from rusting.

 

[SHIGGSHOGG]

Barely used Nike Pegasus 35s can be had for about $30, and I've got a pair that has lasted me 6 years so far. One has a hole the toe from and axe, but besides that and being stained they'll probably last for another 3 years. I buy a few pairs every year for when they're eventually hard to get

5.11 A/T Mids are terrible, they're hard to get your foot into no matter how much you loosen the laces, and the inside heel area wears out really fast and will cause blisters. You feel invincible in the things, but they're not at all good for running and are really just heavy sneakers.
Any rubber boot style winter boot has a short life expectancy if you ever crouch down or walk in deep snow or difficult conditions, or any situation where you move your ankle to the point where the boot bends. This will cause a crease that will turn into a crack and then a hole, totally wrecking them for any situation where they could get wet. Just get $50 chinese ones instead, same boot but you're not wasting another fucking $150 and giving it to the american reselling company.

 

[NoReturn]

Zojirushi is one of the companies that I am a fervent believer of. I grew up on their rice cookers and hot water makers and one of my first adult purchases was a Zojirushi rice cooker over a decade ago. I use that thing multiple times a week and it has held up splendidly.

Adding an endorsement for Zojirushi and also +1ing the water boiler idea. Once you have a Zojirushi water boiler you'll never want a kettle again.

Wait what?

I can never trust used shit.

So I see a lot of people saying to 'buy secondhand furniture'--However I wouldn't since I've known THREE PEOPLE that got royally fucked buying used furniture recently.

One got a dresser that looked perfectly fine -- EXCEPT THERE WERE ROACHES HITCHHIKING IN IT.
One friend bought an upholstered chair that had fleas (surprise!).
Worst of all though was a college buddy of mine who bought a couch that had FUCKIN BEDBUGS hidden in it. That shit just about ruined her life for a solid year.

So it's a hard pass from me.

Buy it if you want -- but inspect the ever loving fuck out of it before you bring it into your house.

I don't know about your area, but there are a lot of consignment stores (not necessarily thrift stores, but specifically consignment stores) that will reupholster furniture for you. So you're basically getting a "new" couch but the "bones" are old.
It's not going to be as cheap as IKEA, but it's going to be cheaper than new-new.
Also, if you're going to buy new-new, Amish furniture is usually good.

 

[Otterly]

Once you have a Zojirushi water boiler you'll never want a kettle again.

tea based pedantry: A kettle needs to be filled with freshly drawn water, then boiled and poured over the leaves. If you reboil water, or keep it boiling for a long time the oxygen content apparently drops and the tea tastes weird. This may not happen with fancy herbal teas, but with British tea, you need freshly drawn water to be boiled.
Here endeth the tea pedantry

 

[Chongqing]

Barely used Nike Pegasus 35s can be had for about $30

Where?

Null should get a cast iron skilled made by Lodge. High quality, made in USA.

By the way, Null, almost all the medical workers who are on their feet all day wear Hocka shoes.

They're waterproof and seem to not break down like other tennis shoes.

 

[NoReturn]

tea based pedantry: A kettle needs to be filled with freshly drawn water, then boiled and poured over the leaves. If you reboil water, or keep it boiling for a long time the oxygen content apparently drops and the tea tastes weird. This may not happen with fancy herbal teas, but with British tea, you need freshly drawn water to be boiled.
Here endeth the tea pedantry

It brings it up to boiling then keeps it warm. Still as bad?

 

[SHIGGSHOGG]

Where?

eBay

 

[Otterly]

It brings it up to boiling then keeps it warm. Still as bad?

Yeah, sorry. Still deoxygenates it.

 

[CryptoHermit]

I use a French ceramic food steamer made in the fashion of Chinese pottery steamers. I don't like common steamers since the holes in the bottom loses you any juices and a lot of actual nutrition is lost from that. This steamer however has a solid bottom except for the steam catchment spout in the middle. This is great since no spices or seasoning is lost, saves you needing to waste parchment paper or tinfoil, easy to clean, needing no oil or fat and makes you able to make soups with it too. These are made to order with a limited stock since it's 1 French boomer potter and his staff in his personal workshop making these. They're a bit expensive upfront but really worth it in my opinion.
https://le-steamer.com/

​

 

[Lichen Bark]

Hand tools

• Klein Tools
• Knipex

I used to think Klein Tools were amazing made in America top quality, but they really aren't. They have a lot of Klein branded Chinese made junk. Knipex on the other hand are fantastic. Josh before you buy any Klein hand tool make sure you check to see if Knipex makes it. The Germans know their pliers. Comparable prices, but the tool fit and finish, and the tight tolerances make you go "damn that's nice." Knipex is in a category above Klein, in my opinion.

Two recommendations:

Knipex Cobra Pump Pliers (87 22 250)

Knipex makes a thing they call the "Pliers Wrench", basically its like an adjustable crescent wrench but ten times better. Great for when you have to twist a hose connection, or something you don't want to damage. The Cobra pliers will grab anything, but the jaws can damage the fastener a little bit, so that's where the pliers wrench comes in.

10" Pliers Wrench (86 03 250)

Spoiler: Knipex pliers wrench video (may cause viewer arousal)

These pliers wrench are also really good at crushing stuff, grabbing and folding metal over. Keep in mind they make these tool in varying sizes and lengths, the ones I suggested are more standard size. They make bigger and smaller versions of everything.

Estwing hammers will last you forever, and you can smash most materials with them with no worries, a 14oz Stiletto hammer with a wood handle (wood handle absorbs the most vibrations) if you're going to be doing a lot of hammering nails.
Freud saw blades are very nice.

That Reduxx woman is going to get misty when you whip out your pliers wrench to fix her leaky faucet.

 

[SHIGGSHOGG]

Before buying anything, see if Project Farm has a video of the subject. In a test of wire cutters, a $15 pair did better than the $60 Knipex, and super cheap chainsaw oil is better than the most expensive Stihl or Husqvarna one

 

[LikeAStone 2.0]

Buy a ranch to raise llamas for their fur.

Call it the Tenacious KiwiCorn Ranch.

A “Kranch”, if you will

 

[Shitting_Dick_Nipples]

For shoes check out Jim Green from South Africa. They make boots for African Wildlife Defense Force. They are pretty inexpensive compared to the American shoe and boot makers mentioned here already but they are welted as well. Definitely made for the being out in the bush, but they are super comfortable and don't jam your toes together like other shoes.

Combine with some good wool socks and your feet will thank you.

 

[The Man With No Name]

3 Guns to own:

Beretta 92FS - huge aftermarket. Proven track record. Not a Glock so Glock guys will disagree. Not striker fired. Classic Double Action/Single Action. You can also very easily disassemble there and put them back together. The US armed forces still circulates their beat to shit Berettas and they remain functional after decades of misuse. You can find these for around $350 but sometimes more.

Mid-range AR 15. Choose your brand. I like Aero Precision. Don't spend more than $800 on a rifle. PSA poverty ponies do fine too. Around $500 for a PSA.

Shotgun - Mossberg 500 or 510. I don't think most people need or use shotguns for home defense but they are good for animal handling of you live in the middle of nowhere. Mossberg is cheap and reliable as all hell. You can get these for less than $300

Get a gun cleaning kit. Get a solvent. Do not shoot steel at the range, shoot brass. Learn to reload if you get ballsy.

 

[Dozernaut]

If you want to get a Shotgun Get a Benelli M2, these are probably one of the best Autoloading Shotguns out there.

If you can't afford The Benelli there is a company called Girsan out of Turkey that makes a very good M2 clone for about 400 USD, the finish and material quality isn't the best but it won't destroy itself under normal use like a $300 Palmetto state AR.

 

[ubunr9kpkk69c4ex]

A 90s steel frame mountain bike will last forever.

Put some panniers on the back and you can use your bike for most errands.

A discreet electric conversion might be okay buy don’t buy an electric bike or it will get stolen.

 

[GamerGateSurvivor]

Cars - Go with what the Mexicans and Muslims are buying. That means Chevys (if you can fix them) and Toyotas (last forever even if you're driving them through sand dunes and shit.

Appliances - I've heard that quality control went to shit after the lockdowns hit. So I'd avoid anything brand new. Just get something basic and you should be okay.

Guns - The Smith and Wesson M&P pistols are great. I personally like the trigger pull better than a Glock. For home defense, I'd go with a Mossberg pump action 12 gauge. You'll scare off most intruders the moment they hear you rack the action.

Tools - If you want versatility, go with Ryobi. I swear that company's run by guys who spend all day wondering what they can power with their battery packs. The downside is their tool bits are shit. But if you want to reach a little higher up on the shelf, go with Dewalt.

Optional homesteading stuff - If you're looking to stay out of the city or if your neighbors are cool, get some chickens. Rhode Island Reds and Brown Leghorns are excellent egg layers. You just have to protect them from hawks and shit. If you're going to do some fishing, I once heard that fish guts make excellent fertilizer for home grown vegetables.

 

[Sammich]

Older Chevy Silverados and S10s (also their GMC counterparts, the Sierra and the Sonoma) are much like the Tundras: if you can find a rust-free example it will outlive you, but unless you're moving to a state that doesn't use road salt they are few and far between. The 350 small block (common in the Silverado/Sierra) is a proven old engine with tons of available parts if/when things start to go wrong. Same applies to the 4.3 Vortec in the smaller trucks, it's essentially a 350 with two cylinders removed.
Fords seem to have lest rust/rot issues than older Chevys and GMCs. Avoid the 5.4L 3-valve Triton that was common in F-150s though. The 302 is a very popular engine much like the Chevy 350 with the same benefits, albeit with less displacement. The 4-cylinder Rangers are known for being very efficient and reliable for small trucks, and their V6 options are known for being much more thirsty but not much more powerful.

Been a car/truck guy for going on 30 years, I can 100 percent vouch for this. You aren't gonna go wrong with this. I will add, Toyota/honda/lexus are rock solid cars you won't go wrong. Buicks are fairly solid as well depending on your taste.

 

[Vect]

A forum with thousands of autists and he asks us to create a shopping list for his own country.

Landmines? Do they sell landmines at gun stores now? Could lighten up the sidepath. Bagels? Can anybody recommend him some nice American bagels? Maybe a cactus or a small zebra plant just...plopped on the coffee table.

 

[bliblblblbbllb]

I am here to recommend Carhartt coats and work jackets. I was a "new coat every year" guy until I finally got a Carhartt coat.

It has very optimized pockets: two pockets for your hands, two zipper pockets on the breast, and then on the inside, there's another zipper pocket, and a pocket with just a little velcro tab which is big/deep enough for me to put an entire fucking water bottle into and just have it inside my coat.

It's not 100% waterproof so it's breathable unlike those plasticy puff coats, but rain really does just run off the fabric. It's just really good quality. Anything that says "Rugged Flex" or "Thinsulate" and is made of "duck" fabric. My favorite thing about my exact coat is that it has a double cuff: inside the big cuff, there's a rib knit cuff. This makes it so much warmer because I can hide my hands from the wind, and snow doesn't get up my sleeves.

https://www.carhartt.com/c/men-coats-jackets
I think mine cost 140 new, but that's really not that much considering it's lasted me years, shows no sign of wear, and I predict will last at least another 5-10 years.

Out of all the clothing logos, Carhartt is the only one I actually associate with quality.



For dinnerware like plates and bowls, and other houseware, I have had good luck with the site Joss and Main. It reminds me of a good department store in the early 2000s and isn't full of crap like Amazon is. They have really good sales sometimes. Alternatively, you can buy used sets of dinnerware that were used at restaurants like Olive Garden or steakhousee. Plates meant to be run through industrial dishwashers at higher-end sit-down restaurants are hardy as fuck and really worth it.

I also like the store ROSS: Dress for Less. It is known for being a budget place, and compared to a place like TJMaxx, it actually has good deals usually. The men's clothing selection isn't the best, but they always have pretty good housewares, small kitchen things, stuff like lamps and rugs and side tables. I got my cutting boards and some pots and pans from there with no issues.