I bought a plastic water pitcher from a Japanese market. Pretty cheap, maybe $15. It's a bit taller and narrower than most American ones. Has an open/close switch, and can stand up vertically in a fridge door or be laid on its side on a center shelf. No leaks. Very handy.
Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
21–30 of 205 posts
Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
#22A good knife sharpener.
Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
#23Not really "for life" (in that sense anyway), but I missed the first thread so I'll put it here, with apologies. After a lot of research, for Christmas 2020 I got a few "Airpro" masks[1] ($40-50). In short, it's a wearable HEPA filter that pumps filtered air into any standard N95 or KN95 mask. In theory this gives better filtration (both from higher efficiency and positive pressure), but mainly I love it because it e…
when do you wear this?
Indoor public spaces, and sometimes outside during bad air. With ~zero hedonic disincentive, it's easy to wear whenever I feel the need.
I get about one inquiry a month, usually at the store. People seem to like it, especially when I mention the comfort.
Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
#24Bushpro treeplanting shovel. If you use it for treeplanting you'll get five long seasons. Everything else, it'll outlast your grand kids. Great for gardening.
Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
#25Asolo hiking boots. I had a pair for more than 10 years now. They appear very fatigued from the outside, but don’t show any structural issues. I don’t think I own any other clothing item that gets at least semi-regular usage that lasted this long.
I had some I bought about 10 years ago, but did not use for 8 years. The sole completely de-laminated and fell off on a hike. Turns out not wearing them can lead to that
Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
#26A good knife sharpener.
A good knife to go with it. :)
Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
#27Good silverware. I'm probably going to use that fork/knife/spoon until the day I fucking die, so I might as well make sure it's damn good.
This is the biggest and most succesfull marketing trick from the last few generations. The truth is that any metal cutlery will outlive you, regardless of the price. And metal cutlery is also very cheap to produce, a full set should cost less than $20, and will last a lifetime.
Yes but cutlery that actually feels good in the hand, has proper sizing (fork length, spoon capacity) and also proper weight balancing is much harder to find. Personally I really like Oneida, I found a set with spoons that IMO have the perfect balance and capacity.
Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
#28Maybe my Mitutoyo caliper. Unless I step on it or it breaks I don't see a reason to replace it, and it should be able to last a lifetime. Some of the other simple woodworking tools like my marking gauge or steel rule come to mind as well, as they are pretty durable and I don't expect ever replacing them unless they break.
Also, my cast iron skillet. It seems to get better as it ages, so it has a good chance to outlast most other kitchenware I purchased.
Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
#29Custom made leather boots. Expensive at around 900 Euros for the pair, but I've had them for 8 years now and they look new. You have to get the sole redone from time to time once it wears down, but the rest of the shoe will last you a good 30-40 years with adequate care.
Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
#30I got ~30 years out of a cheap socket set, but the ratchet in the driver finally died. Now I have my father-in-law's expensive socket set, which uses a u-joint instead of a ratchet, so I expect it shall outlive me.