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

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Cleaning products.

You can pick up the concentrates they use in catering/hospitality industry off of amazon Diversey is one of the biggest suppliers in the west that do a whole range of them.


It's expensive upfront but it's really concentrated, this is 350 750ml spray bottles of disinfectant. This shit is pretty decent for pretty much everything too.

There are alternatives to bleaches and dish soaps too but some of them can be quite toxic if you fuck around with them so do your own research.

 

[Almighty Space Duck]

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

You put them on top of a pan of boiling water, each size has a recommended pan size on the details. It will say something like "8" scpn". I have a medium one on the way (£100) and don't think I'll get stung with import duty when it rocks up next week. - https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty

I just hope it turns up in one piece.

I'm sure you've already sussed it but each style/colourway has stock next to it, see if the one you want is in stock and use the contact page to put an enquiry in. I got a response back in a couple of hours. He'll send you a PDF with IBAN etc on it to use for bank transfer.

 

[TooManyKittens]

o piggyback on this: YOU CAN MACHINE WASH EVERYTHING.

Seriously, everything. I've machine washed leather jackets, sequined dresses, wool sweaters, down coats, etc. Don't buy the lies of Big Dry Cleaning.

For delicate items, turn them inside out, close all buttons or zippers, and put them in a lingerie bag like this. ONLY use cold water and the delicate cycle, remove immediately (v. important) and then air dry flat on a foldable dryer rack like this. Never use the dryer on stuff you care about.

Big old fat disagree here, but you're close.

Modern washers suck. The more water efficient they are the rougher they are on your clothes and at this point I would rather keep repairing an older pre sensor/smart/fucked up washer for money than touch a new one. But, this is relevant to the idea of machine washing things.

if its truly a delicate/fragile item - hand wash it. Yeah for real. Fuck woolite too btw its garbage. Euclan is expensive but good for a lot of fabrics if you need to hand wash them and you dont use a lot (and frankly most hand wash items aren't things that get washed a ton generally).

Wool - is not dry clean only at all. Heat, moisture, and agitation are what felts wool. Cold water, gentle soaking will do for just about any fabric and garment of wool.

Rayon - shrinks in the dryer but the washer is fine.

Silk - most silk can wash too. That said, some silk fabrics if they never hit water after being woven will change texture once they do and the threads resettle. Unfortunately I don't know the details of how to tell which will or won't the few silk items I own are pretty bog standard stuff that hand washes fine.

While I'm on about fabrics, old llbean wool jackets are glorious. They're another brand though that went cheap and no longer sells items worthwhile. Been true for at least 10 years. I have a full length wool jacket I got off ebay of theirs though that not living in the north is the only heavy coat ill ever need baring travel/camping interests and its dressy enough to go anywhere and simple enough to give no fucks and go anywhere. Its not a farm work jacket though like other brands in the thread.

Kitchen aid stand mixers are shit and I hate mine. They really do not deserve their reputation at all. A vintage model with better gears is fine.

I have a 1960s blender, a 1940s sewing machine, and frankly the era of all steel no fancy electronics shit is why they say they don't make em like they used to. Those things have outlived owners and the latter is pretty diy repairable if say the motor goes. They still make replacement parts for such things.

 

[Sexy Senior Citizen]

Those things have outlived owners and the latter is pretty diy repairable if say the motor goes. They still make replacement parts for such things.

Apropos of nothing, but I hate planned obsolescence.

 

[Myrtle the Turtle]

What's a good camera that isn't very expensive?

Mirrorless is the way to go now. Used to be it was only subpar digitals before you got into DSLRs but mirrorless technology has been a game-changer. Better quality, battery life, smaller camera body and less moving parts. I can vouch for Nikon, Sony and Cannon point and shoots. If you want to go full zoomer, buy one off Amazon only and your own SD card, use it, then return it after you've saved all your photos to your hard drive/cloud.

I will also recommend B&H, extremely Jewish, (they don't process order on Shaboos which is like every Saturday) but I trust them, they have good stuff and decent prices for secondhand equipment, professionals use them.

 

[Google.com]

Mirrorless is the way to go now. Used to be it was subpar digitals before you got into DSLRs but mirrorless technology has been a game-changer. Better quality, battery life and less moving parts. I can vouch for Nikon, Sony and Cannon. If you want to go full zoomer, buy one off Amazon only and your own SD card, use it, then return it after you've saved all your photos to your hard drive/cloud.

I will also recommend B&H, extremely Jewish, (they don't process order on Shaboos which is like every Saturday) but its the only place I would trust to get secondhand electronics every time. eBay is a minefield of scammers so be careful if you buy from them.

I use Ebay a lot and have had a pretty good experience with them so far. Only scammer I got refused to send the product and Ebay refunded me, another was damaged in shipping and I got refunded without having to send the item back. I was probably going to pick up the Lumix G7 that was linked earlier since I realize I've used an older model of it before. And there seems to be a couple good listings.

 

[Aiōn]

Here is my advice: Buy leather couches with removable couch cushions for easy cleaning, buy them new and condition them regularly. For any textiles like curtains and pillow covers, ensure that they are machine washable to avoid having to take them to the dry cleaners.

Decorative pieces like light fixtures and large mirrors can be expensive, you can get much nicer ones for less when you buy second hand from places like eBay. Ex-display and open box can be good for some things.

Buy cheap, buy twice. It is better to buy higher quality furniture than cheaply made. (I only ever buy things when they are on sale.) Shop around too because stores like Wayfair often rename a product using the same stock images, but with a considerable markup.

Make sure you that any mattress you get to spin it regularly and get a mattress protector to prolong it's lifespan. I've just bought a Beautyrest mattress and although it wasn’t cheap, the quality was worth paying the extra for. I see people have recommended linen bedding, bamboo is another option to consider. 300TC bamboo is equivalent to 1200TC cotton in terms of softness and is less prone to pilling, it’s also antimicrobial and hypoallergenic/ repels dust mites.

In terms of kitchen ‘must-haves’, it all depends on what you like to cook. I suggest you only buy things that you will use often and buy multipurpose appliances where possible to save on space. Copper pans are better than non stick and stainless steel for several reasons. You will likely need multiple sizes of bowl and plate, bone china is the most hard-wearing tableware. I've heard good things about Damascus steel kitchen knives.

Energy rating of your appliances is something to consider when making your decision, front loader washing machines cost more up front but are more efficient and cost less to run. Floor care advice would depend on what kind of flooring you have, a carpet cleaner might be a good investment if you have pets, a steam cleaner is great but cannot be used on untreated wood or laminate. Be aware that purely natural materials such as *woolen carpets can attract pests like carpet moths.

 

[AnOminous]

While I'm on about fabrics, old llbean wool jackets are glorious. They're another brand though that went cheap and no longer sells items worthwhile. Been true for at least 10 years. I have a full length wool jacket I got off ebay of theirs though that not living in the north is the only heavy coat ill ever need baring travel/camping interests and its dressy enough to go anywhere and simple enough to give no fucks and go anywhere. Its not a farm work jacket though like other brands in the thread.

Brooks Brothers clothes from before 2010 or so, but definitely before 2020 when they sold out and basically ceased to exist. I still have two Brooks Brothers suits I used to wear on a daily basis for years, swapping them out and dry cleaning them regularly, and that were in storage for several years, and that still look exactly like they looked when I got them almost two decades later.

Herman's Survivors, again, vintage, don't bother with the new garbage. I know an old man who has a pair of these his grandfather passed on to his dad and his dad to him. And by "new garbage" I mean post 1980. Again, this is another brand that basically doesn't exist any more because the crap they slapped this label on doesn't resemble the original in anything other than superficial appearance and falls the fuck apart in a couple years just like everything made today.

A major thing (and I have fallen for this myself) is to fall for a brand name that used to mean something when you were a kid and was then bought by chinks who manufacture absolute garbage under that name. Maytag is a perfect example of this. (To be fair Maytag is an almost reverse example of this since it was bought out by Whirlpool that also itself buys up shitty chink appliance companies.)

 

[Yeeted Teet]

This may vary by locality, but where I’m from Whirlpool, Hotpoint, Electrolux and Zanussi pay the highest rates of commission to salespeople so if you walk into the shop not knowing what you’re looking for those will probably be pushed on you ahead of appliances from other brands that may better suit your needs. Always do your own research before making a big purchase, and if you do need to ask for help, ask someone whose income isn’t dependent on what choice you make.

 

[bliblblblbbllb]

I like sketcher's slip-resistant work shoes. Some of them have really nice wide toe areas which I think is important/it's bad to fuck up your toes in skinny shoes. They're all about 100 bucks after tax and last me about a year of being on my feet all day at work. I have separate shoes for hiking/yardwork and if you work outdoors/construction/etc it's probably worth spending more.

Every time I googled for "good work shoes" I just got these crazy 200 dollar+ recommendations. So I'm here to say if you're just a fast food worker or something and your Vans or Walmart 30 dollar sneakers aren't cutting it, sketcher's work shoes are perfectly good for around 100 bucks.


Trusty shoe.

https://www.skechers.com/men/shoes/work-safety/

 

[BallsMcLongDong]

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.

Will plus 1000% for Honda. Especially old Honda. My ol' man and I would buy destroyed and rattfucked old honda bikes and fix them.
I have a 1979 Honda CM400T. I bought it from an old man who bought it new in 79 to drive with his son, but son disappeared, so he rolled it into a barn and there it sat till I bought it in the 2010s.
Put the work in to get it running, that fucking bike is the embodiment of "You cannot kill me in a way that matters."
I have wrecked it several times, and it has never quit running.
There was one time I was driving back from my now fiance's place after a date, about 2 hours highway driving away. About 150 miles away.

One of my carbs cracked a gasket and was flooding out, causing one cylinder to basically not function at all.
I pinched the overflow hose between my thigh and the tank and rode that motherfucker 150 miles back home doing 50 on basically half the engine. I spent a shitton more on gas than I usually did, but I made it home and she was no worse for wear.

 

[Iron Jaguar]

Guitars: any lawsuit era guitar made in the FujiGen factory will be superior to the USA contemporaries.

 

[Joshua Connor Tomar]

1. Costco or BJs membership.

2. Instant Pot. Everything else from the "Instant" brand is forgettable but the original Instant Pot (functionally a more approachable pressure cooker) is great.

My instant pot seal broke in a year was going to still use it for none food stuff

 

[SofondaCox]

Posting again here.
Heres an American made product that has a good proven warranty.
https://darntough.com/
Socks arent exciting but its one of the few things I can recommend from a buy it for life standpoint that I have personally used.

Bought these socks for my spouse based on your recommendation - they are fantastic socks but they are FAR too small, even in
the largest iteration, to accommodate the feet of a Sasquatch. If you are even a size 13 foot, these will be too tight for you, let alone
a 15. Other than size, they are perfect, comfortable, lovely socks. Perfect for humans, not appropriate for a Yeti.

 

[Pee Cola]

I have a 20+year old Honda with a K-series engine with 275k miles and it’s chugging along just fine.

Everyone gets a hard-on for the K-series because it's robust and can be riced up to the nines, but don't dismiss early L-series engines. They're solid but overlooked because their VTEC is set up for economy over performance. Many such cases of Honda Fits with > 200k miles on them.

That being said, the L-series reputation has been somewhat tarnished by the later Earth Dreams engines and their oil dilution issues.

 

[There She Glows]

I'm a Timberland truther. I have the basic bitch and safety boots. Both have lasted for years.

Came here to post this. I wear my waterproof timberlands almost daily except for the hottest parts of the summer. I rub them down monthly with mink oil and years later they still look like new.

 

[Flatline]

Does anyone own the Red Wing's Classic Moc boot? How do you like them?

 

[JoseRaulChupacabra]

Chan Chi Kee has great knives. A bit fiddly to sharpen due to softer steel, but they're built very ruggedly that I'm sure you can murder someone using the blunt side of the knife

 

[The I Scream Man]

Gonna nth the recs for Timberland, I'm on my second pair of Timberland Pro Pit Boss steel toes and they're fantastic for every day use, they go up to a size 16 EEE wide for my enormous yeti feet and the 6 inch steel toe box has saved my bitties on multiple occasions

The only complaint I have about them is that they don't do well on ice, which is a problem for me given that I live in the far north with my frost giant brethren, but I invested years ago in a really good pair of ice crampons (cleats) and that solved the issue perfectly.

 

[Google.com]

The Bits Kits LCG-3MVR Smart Strip Surge Protector

First off this isn't 'Smart' as in it needs a pointless app and is wifi enabled, it doesn't have any of that. You plug your computer or anything into the blue 'control outlet' and once it detects a certain amount of draw which you can adjust with a screw on the side, it will turn on the green colored outlets which you can plug your monitor and various stuff into. I've been using this thing for 10 years at this point and I have been a pretty big fan of it. Unfortunately it's gone up in price a lot and costs $40 now, they have cheaper models but I've only ever used the big one.

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