Some that come to mind are:
Benchmade - knives Darn Tough - socks Carhartt - good work gear Doc martens - footwear
What are some good reputable brands that you have had for 5 years + with little to no issues or with a lifetime warranty.
Red Wing boots (only the classic ones). I’ve had my Iron Rangers for
6 yearsedit: 7 years now as my primary pair of non-athletic footwear. Occasional brush with a bit of conditioner and they look and feel amazing with no signs of slowing down. Will be replacing the sole when it eventually wears out but the original minilug is still going strongMiele, but I think they recently got bought out and enshittified. Their vacuums and dishwashers were built insanely well, sometimes you can still find old stock. They last decades.
Pacsafe backpacks too. Mine has lasted well over a decade. Fuck jansport and all those backpacks that fall apart.
My mom still uses a Miele vacuum that she got gifted by my grandma when my mom moved out. That was almost half a century ago. It’s definitely worth it to check second hand marketplaces for old models
For espresso machines I would recommend Gaggia. I bought one that was at least third hand and from 2000. It still works great and if anything breaks all the parts can be bought online
This maybe a bit of a niche thing but I am using Sandisk Clip Sport mp3 player (although it has lossless FLAC support too) for something like 10+ years of nearly everyday use with no problem, which is crazy.
Also another weird thing is this cheap wireless mouse from A4Tech that lasts still for now like 8-6 years with no single issue. I maybe just rolled natural 20s on random cheap Chinese crap and got a perfect specimen or maybe it’s actually good. I have no idea.
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Baggallini bags are virtually indestructible in my experience. I have a tote and a purse that I’ve used daily for 5 years, and they both look exactly like they did the day I bought them.
The stitches came undone on some areas of my Baggallini after a few years of daily use and international travel. The design of the bag was so good and thoughtful that I just couldn’t bear to stick with the new purse I bought to replace it. I ended up repairing the old bag and going back to using it every day. I think it’s their Modern Everywhere bag.
Shoulda called it Bagliacci.
Timberland boots also last. Docs have gone down in quality
I doubt it matters much, but I’ve had the same cloak from Cloak and Dagger for close to a decade now. The only issue was that the clasp detached, but it was an easy fix.
Agree Docs are not the same as they used to be
I recently bought some “cheap” underwear at Walmart. I really don’t like Walmart and avoid going there but I decided that underwear lasting for a decade or longer is just too long. So I’m intentionally NOT doing BIFL with underwear, socks and other things. Because it just seems cleaner and healthier to replace that stuff more often.
With many things I do prefer better quality, BIFL-class products:
LEDs are a much better value even than CFLs bulbs and incandescent are actively eliminated in my house.
I have a Deere mower that seems like it will never die.
Corelle dishes seem to last forever, I have had many of mine for 30 years.
Victorinox knives (pocket and chef’s).
KaBar and Morakniv knives.
Kohler plumbing fixtures.
Rotel or McIntosh audio equipment.
Vitamix mixer.
DeWalt, Makita, Craftsman, Milwaukee, Husky and Hitachi tools.
Deckmate or stainless steel screws for outdoor use.?? I haven’t seen a CFL bulb for a decade, I thought they were banned because of the mercury content
Also. CFL = Can’t Fucking Last
CFLs and LEDs have the same problem. They dont like being turned on and off a lot. Especially in locations where it can happen dozens of times a day (like, say, a bathroom).
If you just leave them on, they last a long goddamn time.
edit To be clear, nothing likes being frequently turned on and off, not even incandescents, but incandescents can handle it a million times better than LEDs and CFLs.
If you are having problems with those burning out, pay attention to how often you are turning them on/off, cause i bet its a lot, and if you stop the bulbs would last a year or more of constant on.
I know this was true with CFL, but I can’t find a single source that says the same about LED
Arent most LEDs PWM? As in they turn off and on several times a second?
Apparently not banned:
https://www.walmart.com/browse/home-improvement/cfl-bulbs/1072864_1067619_1228347_1228391
Ah of course, the US a decade behind everyone else 😂
We still have clowns preaching about the evil of ending incandescent bulbs. Liberal commies ruining everything or something like that. 16% of our population has disproportionate political power and keeps us from behaving rationally.
I’m willing to bet your Walmart underwear will be grimier in six months than regularly correctly laundered higher quality underwear far older.
Outdoor Research for hiking/outdoors wear. Great quality and they stand behind their lifetime warranty. My father in law had his winter gloves split open after owning them for 30 years and they replaced them.
I want to agree, and still do for some of their items, but personally have found a lot of their products have gone downhill in the last few years. Quality control is all over on the gloves nowadays, sent two pairs back with weird stitching and a single pencil point tapered finger on liners. I originally liked the vigor midlayer fleece stuff as a budget R1 but it’s pilled and worn super fast and just isn’t that warm anymore.
Their alpine merino base layer stuff is pretty awesome though, and found the ascent shell touring jacket nice and breathable for backcountry stuff. For the most part I’ll just spend a bit extra and go for Patagonia moving forward, which of also consider a BIFL brand.
Iron Lodge Cast Iron Skillets I have purchased a few and have yet to need a replacement.
They are great, so long as you know how to season them and clean them properly. My wife always has problems cooking on them because she doesn’t let the skillet fully heat up well, but I never have had issues with them 😁
I knew if I scrolled far enough I’d see this one. Go look on YouTube for cast iron restoration videos. These damn things would survive anything I believe.
Merrell,
Doc Martin, L. L. Bean, The North Face, Fjällräven for clothing and accessories.Bullhidebelts makes some really nice authentic leather belts that actually last because they aren’t those synthetic belts with leather veneer like Gucci, Luis Vutton, or others push for stupid high prices.
Logitech makes some good quality pc peripherals that have exceptional battery life.
Invicta has also impressed me in recent years with their watches. I was gifted a clone of the Rolex Submariner and it’s a very good copy without the high price of a Rolex. It’s been so good that most Rolex owners I’ve met buy an Invicta watch as a daily driver.
Edit: Seeing the comments a bunch mentioned Doc Martin as junk now, so I checked and they did get bought by a Chinese company, so maybe not those any more.
I bought a Logitech Pebble M350 a year ago, and I have proceeded to basically buy exclusively Logitech peripherals ever since.
Been so happy with their products, as long as you avoid the cheap sub $20 stuff (I’ve always wondered why they don’t put their cheaper items under a different name), you certainly get your money’s worth.
I got the MXMaster and the laser died on it
Oh jeez, I haven’t had any terrible luck like that yet, was it still under warranty, or were you shit out of luck?
Been about 10 years now and my GoRuck gear doesn’t even look used despite being carried any time I take a trip, which is quite often. Multiple continents, planes, trains, hiking, backpacking, etc. I’d say GoRuck (at least the American made stuff) is BIFL. knocks on wood
Winter Jacket - Klim I bought my jacket with the intent of never having to purchase another one. After speaking with many friends and the sales people at my local motorcycle/snowmobile shop, the consensus was a snowmobile jacket would last.
I chose Klim and have had this jacket since 2016 with no tears or rips. I did have an issue with the zipper but they replaced the entire zipper for free within the last few months.
I will recommend Klim brand jackets for a forever jacket. They are expensive though.
I believe my 1998 Kelty backpack, Leatherman PST II, 1990 Volvo 240 Wagon and Mohawk Royalex canoe will outlast us all.
I have been looking at a Leatherman for a while now. Are they still worth the money?
I use my original almost every day (actually, not quite the original; I lost my first one after 15 years in a 2013 car accident, and replaced it with the same 1998 model from an eBay sale. My wife has a newer Wave model and loves it. To be honest, though, I haven’t kept up with the latest versions, but I’ve never met anyone who regretted buying one.
You just pushed me over the fence and made me order the Charge+ TTi. Thanks?
Nice. Unless something’s changed recently, you shouldn’t be disappointed. Enjoy!
JanSport backpacks. My wife had the zipper wear out on the backpack she has had for ~20 years. She contacted the manufacturer. They don’t make that particular bag anymore so they just sent her a comparable equivalent with almost no questions asked.
Yup they will just send you a new one. I’ve been using the same black jansport bag for > 5 years. As far as I can see the new ones they sent has the same quality as more than 5 years ago.
It’s not at all in the vein of work wear, but I have had Klipsch speakers all of my life and have never had any issues with any of them. My dad has some enormous old school Klipsch speakers from the 60s that are almost as tall as I am and are still crisp, clear and deep. I am rocking Klipsch throughout my house as well. They’re very expensive but I appreciate the clarity.
I’ve had their 2.1 computer speaker set for nearly 20 years at this point. The only issue I’ve ever had was crackling when adjusting volume, and that was caused by dust inside the knob. WD-40 to fix. Love them.
FYI, Deoxit works a lot better than WD-40 and is designed to not eat plastics like some of the petroleum distillates in WD-40 can.