It goes without saying that capitalism sucks and corporations suck. I don’t have loyalty to any “brand”. But I do care about me and my comrades being able to afford to live.
There’s that phrase that “it’s expensive to be poor”, which I think is very true. When you’re poor, you can only afford the cheapest commodities. These inevitably break, so you have to spend more money on a replacement.
I’m trying to break out of this cycle myself as much as possible. Instead of buying the cheapest replacement, I’m trying to save up my money to buy a replacement that will last. Unfortunately, researching this is hard. There’s so much astroturfing and “sponsored content”. So I figured I’d ask my fellow hexbears, what products do you know of are made in a way that they will last and actually cost less than buying replacements? There’s a few suggestions I can offer:
I used to work in a pretty solid outdoor gear store, and I was really impressed with the Deuter backpacks. They were always really durable and cheaper than Osprey. I have one I bought in 2007 and I still use it regularly today.
I own a Casio G-Shock watch. The “squares” are usually relatively affordable. The bands and batteries can be swapped out. I’m pretty tough on mine and it still looks mint. I do expect I’ll be wearing mine for a very long time. Or if you don’t want to spend money the F-91W is like $10 and still works well even though it’s not ruggedized. Worn by Bin Laden, too.
Something in the ideal category of durable and cheap are Sungait sunglasses. They’re like $15-$20 each and have UV400 protection. Mine have lasted a while and have handled a lot of being thrown around
As a parent, we have some Hape toys our kids beat up and they stay together well. My wife bought some Primary dot com clothes thinking they would last but they don’t seem any better than the super cheap clothes at Walmart or Target we normally buy.
I work in roofing on and off. I’ll just say get a metal roof if you can afford it. They come in lots of colors. They’re easy to install solar on. They last a lot longer than shingles and add value to your home. Some people think they’re ugly, but I think they can look pretty good.
A few years ago we got some quotes for our roof from a few different outfits, the average was something like 6-10k for shingles and then it jumped to like 20k minimum for any kind of metal roof. I was all about getting a metal roof before I saw how much more the quotes were. I’m still hoping we can swing it when the time comes though, I really want to listen to rain on a metal roof again.
The price has been all over the place lately too. Keep checking in once your roof gets toward the end of its life.
I love it when a company makes a decent product for a reasonable price, gets bought out by PE and then puts out dogshit for the same (or more) price.
Many such cases.
Surprised nobody has yet mentioned /r/buyitforlife aka “BIFL”. If you have specific needs it is a good search.
In general its hard because if someone has something they bought 20 years ago, its difficult to know if the same model of the same brand produced today will perform as well.
I think looking at the length of the warranty is a good metric. Not just if it breaks but if it requires service. Are parts available? Look up online people attempting to replace or upgrade diy.
And you can learn to inspect items to see how likely it is to hold up. For textiles: Always prefer a YKK zipper to an unbranded one. Look at the stitching. To start with, on things you already own, compare how an item which you feel is good quality is made to a bad quality. Turn a good and bad pair of trousers inside out and put them side by side.
I have a bag with a failing zipper. Its arguably my fault for putting too much stress on it. However the zipper is badly placed due to strange design. I tried to reinforce the zipper with some extra stitches, but now I see the zipper has barely anything to attach to and I’m just sewing into some thin nylon. Also the zipper tape is weaker, thinner than you’d expect on a backpack and there is nothing really to grab onto at that side. To salvage this bag would require substantial reconstruction and this isn’t the only flaw. It was not extremely expensive but I could have bought something for 1/3 the price that wouldn’t need this much help. I will just have to be extremely gentle with it.
I have had a Breville toaster oven for 11 years and have used it far more than any regular oven in any of the places I’ve rented. It has not needed any maintenance at all. Someone told me 4 years ago it was probably going to break soon and it is still working fine. Best $250 I’ve ever spent.
Here’s some shit I’ve bought that lasts:
Cars: 1990s to early 2000s Hondas are forever cars. Basic maintenance, and you can expect to get over 300k miles on the engine. 500k are not an uncommon occurrence. Parts are cheap and abundant. Tangent: some electric cars have easy battery swaps, like the Nissan Leaf. Buy a Leaf for 1k, and a battery for 4k and have a super efficient car that can charge off a wall outlet.
Clothes: Levi’s jeans are not as good as they once were but still better than any other jeans. Dickies work clothes last forever and even look ok as they fade. Shoes are mostly disposable today but I’ve had the same pair of Adidas Superstars for 3 years and while worn, still are functional.
Cooking: Vitamix mixers are a lifetime buy. A trip to the thrift store and buy anything cast iron; plenty of YT vids will show you how to restore. A ceramic kamado smoker/grill will also last forever with only needing simple hardware replaced occasionally.
Miscellaneous: Costco accepts returns on anything that isn’t a computer, game console, or TV, regardless when purchased. I don’t use this as an excuse to treat major purchases as disposable, but it is an invaluable form of insurance against shit that quite honestly shouldn’t break (related: fuck you, Dyson - unreliable, yuppie tech bullshit).
Osprey has a lifetime warranty on its products.
But I still think we buy too many things because we are brainwashed into being consumers. Since realizing this I’ve started paying attention and realizes I had plenty of good working things, but I was taught that I should be wanting something more or buying something more would help me in some way. I still probably buy way too much shit and it’s an ongoing thing, but I truly think as comrades it’s probably best for us to start teaching each other how to make what we have better or reusable bc when that consumer faucet gets turned off it we will be required to work with what we have.
Same with Jansport, but their backpacks have a very distinct look, which people might not be into
Instapot filed for bankruptcy because their products last so long people didn’t buy new models.
They went bankrupt because of private equity IIRC, though I’ve had one for the last 8 or so years and it’s been solid.
On the housewares angle I’ve got a zojirushi rice cooker that’s been going for like 15+ years with all the original parts.
If you like weed and dry herb vapes, I recommend the mighty plus by Storz and Bickel. Have had it for about 4 years and it’s still going strong.
I’ll throw out the volcano too. They’re pricy new, especially the newer digital one, but I got mine used and it’s gotta be almost 10 years old now still going strong
I like the mighty, but not a fan of how the screen dims over time. At least, that’s the case for the one my husband bought (in 2018-19 I think).
Heads up: The batteries will eventually die on you, but if you have basic soldering skills and some patience, they’re not too hard to replace.
Huh, the screen hasn’t dimmed yet for me. Let’s hope it lasts
Duluth Trading brand underwear, specifically the standard Buck Naked ones
I have pairs that I bought almost 10 years ago and they’re still comfortable and holding up real good
They are kind of a mixed bag. I really like their flannels and socks, but the one pair of pants I got weren’t great. Putting stretchy materials in “denim” is a recipe for pants that will wear out quickly.
From the company that brought you tin pants… tin underwear. Imagine
Have a pair of pants from them I found thrifting that are great except for the button. It’s supposed to slot into a ridge that’s cut into the button to fasten, but it always pops loose which is really annoying and takes time securing after you use the bathroom. They’re great pants other than that, idk if that button is just kinda a lemon situation or what but watch out for that if you’re looking at a pair of pants from them
Darn Tough socks, but I can’t spend almost 20 for a pair of socks anymore.
I’ve had the same Honda Accord for 10 years, just regular oil changes and it’s going strong, should be just about to roll over 100,000 miles this year.
Redback Boots out of Australia make some really durable steel toe slip ons, I’ve had this pair for 6 years no issues.
For coffee I’ve been using the same Aeropress with the Fellow Prismo attachment (to use it as a french press) and a basic Harrio burr grinder. My wife likes drip coffee and it’s outlasted 2 of her drip machines.
darn tough socks rule. lifetime replacement! i’ve sent back multiple socks after years of wearing them.
also, in the same vein, an REI membership could be useful. I’ve seen people wear stuff for an entire year, then return them at the end of that year and get a refund
I’ve seen people wear stuff for an entire year, then return them at the end of that year and get a refund
(Bob Dylan voice)
We’ve gotta take it back
Those are both good points! I didn’t spend much at REI last year, some new hiking shoes and I think a jacket, but my REI return thingy was enough for another pair of socks!
My mothers drip machine from the 90s still going strong, but my family has gone through multiple newer drip machines. Its one of the places that newer products suck.
I have a box of darn tough socks ready to be sent back for replacement.
Not only is the warranty great, they’re great socks. I used to use up socks quickly because I have messed up hips. Darn tough easily last me 10x as long as the smart wool socks I was buying before.
I like wolverine for work boots. They lasted just as long as my coworkers red wings and cost way less, and personally I found them to be way more comfortable out of the box.
I really liked the Hankook S10 Nobel tires I put on my last car. Great price/performance ratio.
As far as clothing goes get a needle and thread kit and learn to patch up your own clothes. I’ve given up on quality clothing, I’ve yet to find a brand of pants or shirts I can’t put a hole in. So I just buy all my clothes second hand and repair as needed.
Older Toyota’s/Lexus’ are fairly bullet proof and will run for as long as their maintained. My grandma’s camry she bought new decades back that is now being driven by a cousin has over 300k on the clock and still fires up like the day it was bought.
Corporate/commercial laptops. Find an old Levono Think Pad or Dell Lattitude, they are absolute work horses. My last job had an e-waste program and I’d dig as many of these old laptops out of there as possible because they usually only needed either a new hard drive or ram module.
Probably goes without saying, but as well as laptops, you should look into buying other consumer electronics used. You can get a slightly older flagship or mid range smartphone, which might be more expensive than the new cheapo phones, but has a higher chance of actually being usable. I’ve also heard good things about Chinese brands like Oppo from other Hexbear users.
xiaomi is also solid atm. i don’t bang it around too much, but the hardware has been working perfectly for several years at this point. ill see how far it goes.
I got my think pad from a state university surplus shop. Those are great for finding good stuff.
Have you ever tried Redbacks? I love them but I’m not a daily manual laborer so I can’t stand by them. Pretty sure my plumber friend where’s them daily.
I haven’t but I’d trust most tradesmen for good footwear advice
As far as clothing goes: I buy a lot from Uniqlo. I mostly do t-shirts, socks, underwear, chinos, real basic stuff you don’t need to pay too much attention to.
Also, while we’re on the topic: I will take any given opportunity to glaze DE safety razors in great detail. closer shave, better for skin and the environment and even saves your money in the long run.
I also came here to post Uniqlo. I have a bunch of their basic tshirts in various colors and they’re certified troopers.
How do you get a closer shave with DE safety razors? I bought one, but it just doesnt work well… With the venus razor i lather up, shave an area with the grain and then while its still wet against the grain, and move on to the next area. With the safety razor i have to relather before going against the grain, and tbh the shave is not as close. I end up shaving again and again and again. The venus cartridges i can press deep into my skin with no problem, the DE safety razor i have to tread much more lightly. To get the same closeness of shave i find myself shaving 5+ times against the grain, and even then the hairs are still poking out a bit. I try holding it at different angles, i try moving it in different ways, but it still leaves hairs and visible shadow… Is this just a skill issue?
I’m a safety razor user:
Here’s what works for me. Shave at least two times. First pass, only use downward strokes. Pass two, upward. If time permits I’ll shave up to four times with all the cardinal directions.
Closest shave I’ve ever had.
In the electronics space Macbooks tend to be pretty durable. The downsides are anything recent which is worth buying (M1-4 chips) has soldered on storage, ram, etc so they’re not really user upgradeable and there’s also the issue of needing an adapter for anything USB-A. I wouldn’t buy new for value unless it’s on clearance as an old model. But after at most a battery replacement they tend to be pretty solid machines even used as long as they weren’t badly mistreated. Older Thinkpads (not E-series, mainly T and P) also tend to be pretty durable and you can buy them cheap used on ebay and are a lot more serviceable than Macbooks. Screens are not as great though, not the clearest or sharpest things but usable if you’re not doing graphics work or using it as a high end, high quality media player. Macbooks win on the nice screen front hands down.
My F-91W is 15 years old, still on the original battery. I did have to replace the watch band about ten years in. The watch band was the cost of the watch 😭
I’ve gone through so many of these watches through either losing them or breaking the straps while playing with them etc.
Never had any problem with the watch watch on any of them, they really are bulletproof.
Yeah, I think replacing the band should be mandatory for anyone who buys one.
a moccamaster will outlast several mr. coffees while looking cooler, being easier to clean and brewing a better cuppa
Sure but if you’re spending that much on a coffee machine you’re probably a hobbyist and should consider manual pourover for even better coffee and a vastly lower price. Chemex, V60, Clever.
true but i’m too lazy for manual labor
It’s weird how expensive they are in the US, I bought mine for about 150 euros.
Got one for prime day. Aeropress is also the no fuss v60, highly recommend that and a good grinder.
