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

[DotDem]

For anyone who has curls and don't want to/are tired of sleeping with a bonnet. Just buy silk pillow cases.

I'm a Timberland truther. I have the basic bitch and safety boots. Both have lasted for years.
Classic Adidas shoes like sambas are pretty good, I used to buy Asics but I think zoomers found all the comfy shoe brands. They are expensive as fuck now.

I've had Victorinox blades for about a decade. Usually hone them every so often and have just payed someone to sharpen them twice. Like everyone else in the thread I stand by them.

A big ass steel water bottle is amazing. Waking up with my water still being ice cold is so nice.

A soldering station like a Hakko FX-888D or a Weller is also a good purchase. I use a Hakko as a hobbyist and to repair shit for my family somewhat often.

Some super cheap but good headphones are the KSC75s. Audiofags have swore by this as an entry pick for like 15 years. Personally, I bought some cheap Headband to replace the ear clips, replaced the pads and used that soldering station from earlier to rewire them. The pair I use have lasted me years.

 

[CryptoHermit]

These look cool. Do they go in the oven or what?

You just place this over a pot of boiling water. Don't put in an oven or over a stove or the clay will break apart. The steam will travel up the central spout of the pot to cook.

 

[Susanna]

For anyone who has curls and don't want to/are tired of sleeping with a bonnet. Just buy silk pillow cases.

I’m a big fan of my husband’s long-sleeved t-shirts. The sleeves are great for tying it up.

 

[The Auditor]

Iron Hart Jeans are very good, made by a Japanse biker obsessed with perfection, hidden rivets and built in redundancies to make sure they can never rip, 3 times thicker than regular denim but feels like a soft pair of sweatpants on body..

 

[AnOminous]

Does anyone have recommendations for a new bed frame? Yes, it's embarrassing but we've broken two wayfair beds.

That must be a big dog.

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.

If you EVER buy furniture, clothes, or God forbid a mattress secondhand, put it under an airproof tarp outside so it's entirely covered, and heat the inside to 120 degrees or more and they say 90 minutes, but I'd just do it at 130 for all day. Why not?

If it's clothes, have an airproof bag that can go in a dryer and just spin that shit a few hours.

It's the only way to be sure.

And if you've had physical contact with it, also do this to whatever clothes you were wearing at the time after bagging them before going in. And never leave clothes in a dresser drawer in an AirBNB or hotel or any sort of shared spaces at all.

If you're really paranoid do this even if you buy new. Several upscale clothiers in New York and Brooklyn especially have had outbreaks of these vile demonic little shits.

It cost me thousands to get rid of an infestation and several treatments, and I NEVER EVEN SAW ONE. That's how light an infestation it was. Unless you've experienced it, you have no idea what horrors these are. I'd rather have a leech on me. Anyway, do check one of the numerous bed bug maps before picking a hotel. And be paranoid.

"But how'd you know it was bed bugs if you never even saw one?" Because they have a very distinctive bite pattern.

With this extremely light infestation, I would only ever see three or four of these individual bites, and not as a nightly but more a monthly occurrence. However, I watched YouTube videos and if you let this shit get out of hand you will be absolutely covered in them and your life will be a horror show. Just knowing what they were was incredibly disturbing.

They only attack when you're sleeping because they can literally detect the carbon dioxide levels in your breath and know it's time to come out.

I'll simp for Ikea. I freely admit 95% of the store is made of consumable goyslop, but they have some gems.
They are the only big company that still produces true and honest wooden furniture, and because of their economy of scale, they can produce it cheaper than if you went out and paid for the raw lumber. It is made out of new growth pine, so it is very soft and easy to dent and scratch, but it's furniture, not a riflestock or baseball bat. If you're ar/au-tistic, you can stain and paint it to your preferred color and it will look much nicer than the plastic veneer furniture that costs multiple times as much.
lol @ this thread turning into another caliber sperg fest, anything made since the advent of smokeless powder will outlive your grandchildren as long as it isn't khyber pass-tier.

If you're in a situation where you're moving around a lot, you can pretty much just abandon IKEA stuff or, better, if it's in good condition, barter it to the landlord for if they're trying to withhold the security deposit based on real or questionable claims of damage. Then just buy new shit wherever you go.

That said I've also had a couple of even their cheap plastic things that were so convenient they've lasted forever and that I take on every move, mostly containers, because I can fill them with other stuff too.

 

[A Sentient Cloud]

That said I've also had a couple of even their cheap plastic things that were so convenient they've lasted forever and that I take on every move, mostly containers, because I can fill them with other stuff too.

IKEA gets a bad rap because so many people get the absolute cheapest shit they offer when they're just starting out and then move on to other things once they have money. People forget that IKEA has higher quality sets that range from good to completely indestructible. I've had the Odger dining chairs and the Evedal pendant lamp in my dining room for years and they're awesome, people don't believe me when I tell them they're IKEA. Their textiles are also very good even at the lower end of the price scale.

 

[Yeeted Teet]

Japanese cars have been mentioned a couple of times, a caveat to that is that they usually don't come from the factory with anti theft devices like immobilisers, so depending on your local "culture" they can be a target for thieves.

 

[Jotch]

Japanese cars have been mentioned a couple of times, a caveat to that is that they usually don't come from the factory with anti theft devices like immobilisers, so depending on your local "culture" they can be a target for thieves.

It feels dirty to ever suggest Japanese anything. Since historically it was either cheaply manufatured garbage or anime.
They really cleaned up their act. I have seen a Honda live to be 20 with 250k miles without major failures. (Owner followed maintainance schedule exactly, granted).

Good for them, and for us.

 

[AnOminous]

IKEA gets a bad rap because so many people get the absolute cheapest shit they offer when they're just starting out and then move on to other things once they have money.

Tbh I've usually done that because my reasoning has been "I'm only going to be living here a couple years anyway" and not gone for the higher end stuff. Even their cheap stuff isn't horrible, though. It's about as good as you can get for their prices.

 

[A Sentient Cloud]

Tbh I've usually done that because my reasoning has been "I'm only going to be living here a couple years anyway" and not gone for the higher end stuff. Even their cheap stuff isn't horrible, though. It's about as good as you can get for their prices.

That’s what I mean, IKEA has a reputation as a “disposable shit for transient postgrads and huge fundie families” store. It certainly does sell that stuff, but it sells much nicer stuff as well.

 

[JustSomeDong]

It feels dirty to ever suggest Japanese anything. Since historically it was either cheaply manufatured garbage or anime.
They really cleaned up their act. I have seen a Honda live to be 20 with 250k miles without major failures. (Owner followed maintainance schedule exactly, granted).

Good for them, and for us.

I love my little '11 scion, possibly more than my '99 ranger. J-code VINs ftw. I sure don't feel dirty. Grandpa bought it for me, and he was in the war. If he was fine buyin jap after killin jap, I'm okay driving jap.

 

[Google.com]

If your buying a laptop I highly recommend any of the toughbook laptops used on ebay. I bought a CF19 from an electronics recycling place as a joke for like 30$ and was pretty surprised by it's performance. When my actual laptop broke down I decided to get a CF-33 on ebay and it's a really great laptop. I fucking despise laptops and I love this thing.

It's not going to be a gaming laptop but I had 16 hour battery life with the two standard batteries then I got an upgrade kit for the extended batteries and I now get over 24 hours. Laptop also has an LTE slot for a sim card, and it works great in tablet mode. A lot of internal parts are also made to be easily swappable like the SSD, GPS, LTE, and other upgrade slots. You can get a CF33 for like $300 on ebay for the lowest specs. I've been using mine for about two years, probably going to use it till it dies then hopefully the newer model CF33s are on ebay by then.

Also, I had an issue with the drivers that I couldn't find on their website. Despite it being a second hand unit Panasonics support number instantly put me in contact with a human being who actually was qualified and immediately knew the issue and sent me over the exact file I needed. Issue was resolved within ten minutes of me calling. The refurbished vendor installed the wrong drivers for the LTE and my phone company was unable to setup the cellular as a result.

TLDR

Pros:

• If you drop it it's more likely to break the floor then itself.
• Amazing battery life and you can hotswap batteries without turning it off
• Cellular
• Some parts are upgradable or repairable without needing soldering or special tools.
• Tablet mode works great and is comfortable to hold.
• Panasonic support phone number is great.
• Lots of companies sell spare parts
• Lots of repair tutorials on youtube
• Good amount of ports when keyboard is attached. I also have a desktop docking station which has a really good amount but took months to find.
• Dual replaceable batteries

Cons:

• Specs are kind of mid. Only expect to use this for work or watching videos, maybe some old games.
• Since this isn't really made for consumers factory new units are insanely overpriced but older models are cheap on ebay.
• While it looks fatter in the pictures, it is a lot thicker and heavier then the average laptop but not overly so.
• Covers on the keyboard ports can be annoying at times.
• A bit back heavy when in keyboard mode, you have to pull out the handle on the keyboard to help it stay balanced.

Ports

• HDMI
• Ethernet
• 1 USB 3.0
• Micro SD card slot
• 15.6V charging port

With Keyboard

• A second 15.6V charging port(No idea what happens if you use both these at once, imagining bad things)
• Another ethernet
• Fat SD card slot
• 3 USB 3.0
• VGA port(lol)
• Another HDMI
• Serial port

 

[Google.com]

What's a good camera that isn't very expensive? Going on a trip that I want to take lots of pictures on but my phone has a crappy camera. It is a pretty long trip and I am taking pictures for others attending too. Been having trouble finding one that isn't insanely overpriced or some bullshit chinese knockoff.

 

[Al from Dadeville]

It feels dirty to ever suggest Japanese anything. Since historically it was either cheaply manufatured garbage or anime.
They really cleaned up their act. I have seen a Honda live to be 20 with 250k miles without major failures. (Owner followed maintainance schedule exactly, granted).

Good for them, and for us.

You mostly have to follow reasonable maintenance with Honda - they require their own formulation for several fluids, but you can abuse the absolute shit out of a 90s Toyota. Motor oil is just a suggestion. Anything Japanese is never 10% as obnoxious as anything German, as far as engineering/maintenance is concerned.

I have a 20+year old Honda with a K-series engine with 275k miles and it’s chugging along just fine. Both Hondas I have owned have been perfectly easy to change the oil at home, I can get to the oil drain and filter without having to use a jack or ramps.

 

[JustSomeDong]

You mostly have to follow reasonable maintenance with Honda - they require their own formulation for several fluids, but you can abuse the absolute shit out of a 90s Toyota. Motor oil is just a suggestion. Anything Japanese is never 10% as obnoxious as anything German, as far as engineering/maintenance is concerned.

I have a 20+year old Honda with a K-series engine with 275k miles and it’s chugging along just fine. Both Hondas I have owned have been perfectly easy to change the oil at home, I can get to the oil drain and filter without having to use a jack or ramps.

My second car was an '89 CRX and I miss it more than some dead relatives. Had 264k miles when it was time to move on. It was like driving a gokart every day. Great mileage, but being that small, it could be a bitch to work on yourself. Fucking cv joints.

 

[Carnivorous Plant]

I do field work that can get very rough and my Patagonia clothing takes it all like a charm. Over the course of a decade I've busted two things and they repaired both of them for the cost of shipping ($10?).

 

[DavidS877]

What's a good camera that isn't very expensive? Going on a trip that I want to take lots of pictures on but my phone has a crappy camera. It is a pretty long trip and I am taking pictures for others attending too. Been having trouble finding one that isn't insanely overpriced or some bullshit chinese knockoff.

Really depends on what you're doing. Any of the mirrorless stuff from the big names are probably fine. (Sony, Canon, Nikon, etc)
For non interchangable I'd once again stick to the big names.

They're REALLY REALLY Jewish but B&H Photo is probably the best place to buy in the US.
For example(never used, no idea) https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...c_dmc_g7kk_lumix_dmc_g7_mirrorless_micro.html
If you want Point and shoot(can't change the lenses) you can get cheaper.

 

[Herr Flick]

They're REALLY REALLY Jewish but B&H Photo is probably the best place to buy in the US.

Boy you weren’t kidding!

 

[Google.com]

Really depends on what you're doing. Any of the mirrorless stuff from the big names are probably fine. (Sony, Canon, Nikon, etc)
For non interchangable I'd once again stick to the big names.

They're REALLY REALLY Jewish but B&H Photo is probably the best place to buy in the US.
For example(never used, no idea) https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...c_dmc_g7kk_lumix_dmc_g7_mirrorless_micro.html
If you want Point and shoot(can't change the lenses) you can get cheaper.

Ok, thanks I'll stick to those,

 

[DavidS877]

Ok, thanks I'll stick to those,

I just skimmed through the point and shoot listings. There are models from "Kodak" and "Minolta" but those aren't the names of the past, those are just knockoffs these days.

Also, get a couple good memory cards. If you're traveling with a laptop then copy the contents off every day.