Maybe not ‘for life’ but I bought a pair of Caterpillar Colorado smart / casual boots more than 6 years ago. I wear them almost every day during the colder months. They show a little wear, but otherwise rock solid, dependable, comfortable. I don’t plan on replacing them for at least an other 3-4 years.
Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
61–70 of 205 posts
Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
#62Duralex Picardie tumbler drinking glasses. My grandparents gave me a bunch of theirs many years ago. They were durable enough to survive the Northridge earthquake and a whole lot of grandkids. I've seen them bounce off concrete and not break.
Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
#63Not 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…
Are you on constant immunosuppressants or why do you wear this all the time?
At-risk family members, long COVID uncertainty, and no real downside. Easy choice.
Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
#64A good soldering iron (~€70)
A nice sleeping bag (~€300)
We shall see about the rest. I recently bought a Stanley hot water bottle, I'll see how much I use it.
Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
#65Good 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.
By "good" I mean something I will like using every day, the price doesn't really matter. A tool that just feels bad to use is not a good tool, especially if it's something I'll use multiple times every day.
Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
#66A few things that I've owned for a long time:
- A Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen. I bought mine for $15 nearly a decade ago, and it is to this day my goto pen. It works as smooth as the first day, which is better than some much more expensive fountain pens. And it basically requires no maintenance, other than refilling it with ink.
- A uni KURU TOGA mechanical pencil, also bought a decade ago. I don't use pencil very often, so I might not be the best judge of its durability, but it's basically as good as new.
- My violin has been with me since I first switched to full size, which was a long time ago, and still sounding sweet and sonorous. Violins in general are made to last, and quite fixable should any damage occur. Strings and hair need to be replaced regularly, though.
- I have a wooden tablet holder that I made myself in high school. It's just a block of wood with a groove, though.
- Glassware, ceramic-ware, and metal-ware in the kitchen just seem to categorically not break down, even the really cheap ones. My mom's main kitchen knife has been with our family for about 50 years, and still receives daily usage. Just a brand-less traditional knife from local market, cheap, nothing fancy.
- I have got an InstaPot. It was already several years old when I got it, and I've used it for about 7 years since. Not sure about BIFL, but haven't seen any sign of breakage yet.
Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
#67Definitely Vim.
I “bought it” for around 0 usd 15 years ago and used it everyday since. It never got worse, no sign of depreciation whatsoever.
One day, while editing an obscenely large code, I thought I broke it forever but the thing just refused to stop working.
And, what’s more mindblowing, no move to subscription in sight.
Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
#68Here's a few BIFL grooming products I've had for years. Royal Golden Birdie nose trimmers. Feather SS straight razor. Feather AS D2 double edge razor.
> Feather AS D2 double edge razor ($200-$400) Why is this so expensive? My MAG-MR1-V3 was $16.15 and it seems pretty much identical.
It will be almost entirely the same. There is a point of diminishing returns after a certain price point. Higher prices are mostly for enthusiast buyers.
Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
#69Monitor arms. They free up a ton of desk space and are mechanically simple enough that they have a good chance of lasting a lifetime. That is assuming we still have to use monitors instead of projectors/AR/VR in 2050.
The first arm I bought maybe 10 years ago is still going strong and have survived 3 different monitor upgrades. Oil it a bit and it's as good as new.
Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?
#70- Doc Martens, though I'm not sure if they're still under $200. But my last pair kept going for twenty years of heavy duty traveling. I got another pair and don't expect to need a third one in this life.
- My IKEA rolltop backpack. No idea if they still sell em, but it's amazing. It was probably like $40 or less.
- My 1972 Stratojac suede cattleman's coat with fleece collar, which looks like something Jimmy Page would have worn to a Rolling Stone photoshoot. It's the warmest coat I've ever owned - it's too warm to wear unless it's under 40 degrees out. Weighs as much as a Fiat, but I've worn it in blizzard conditions and barely noticed the cold. Got it for $25 at a thrift store.
- Gerber Chameleon Remix knife. Carried one for decades before I moved to the UK and used it daily for anything from opening packages to using as a quick duty screwdriver to pulling it on some random thieves to discourage them in Kenya. I have no idea if they even still sell these either, but it was about $30.