Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?

news.ycombinator.com

161–170 of 205 posts

Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?

#161

- a jacket made of pure leather, custom-made, from a local artisanal, spent ~$120 (quite expensive for India), wearing it for 8 years, and it keeps getting better , zero sign of wear and tear - several fountain pens, especially Pilot Metropolitan F, Lamy Safari M; also the Platinum Preppy is really great, did not expect much from such a cheap pen; contemplated buying better fountain pens now and then, but these are s…

> spent ~$120 (quite expensive for India)

Mind sharing where you got that from? I am traveling to India next month and would love to buy one for myself.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?

#162
post #106

High end loudspeakers for music/home theatre. Turns out, speaker tech evolves pretty slowly. I bought a pretty high end set 15 years ago and it’s still miles ahead of most of what’s currently on the market. I don’t expect to change them for another 30 years. The brand I bought is Monitor Audio. https://www.monitoraudio.com/

+1 to that. I picked up a pair of Castle Howard S2s (lovely floor-standing speakers from the 90s) for a few hundred on eBay ten years ago. They're my forever speakers unless I add at least another comma to my net worth.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?

#163

- a jacket made of pure leather, custom-made, from a local artisanal, spent ~$120 (quite expensive for India), wearing it for 8 years, and it keeps getting better , zero sign of wear and tear - several fountain pens, especially Pilot Metropolitan F, Lamy Safari M; also the Platinum Preppy is really great, did not expect much from such a cheap pen; contemplated buying better fountain pens now and then, but these are s…

> spent ~$120 (quite expensive for India) Mind sharing where you got that from? I am traveling to India next month and would love to buy one for myself.

Take a look at Napa Dori’s leather products as well - outstanding quality and a lovely Indian brand

https://www.nappadori.com/

Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?

#164
post #91

Darn Tough socks. They are well-knit wool socks that last for years. Eventually, when a pair is worn out, you can replace it free of charge with the company. Wigwam, smart wool, and other brands of socks may at one time have been durable but now the heel wears out after a single season of wear. Horrible quality!

I like how they send coupon codes instead of a cloned pair now so you can pick a new design or thickness if you’d like. I hope they they never end this program.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?

#166
Nothing under $200 sadly:

* danner boots. Get stitchdown construction models that can be recrafted.

* James brand knives. Incredible build quality for an American brand

* Garmin handheld GPS units. Don’t know how they can make a device that powers on without issue 10 years after purchasing (woo, AA battery support), but they can’t do UI to save their lives!

* grovemade metal/leather wallets. They don’t make these any more. I have a brass wallet that cards slide into and out of. The leather will probably fall off one day and I’ll glue more on.

* hardwood furniture. You don’t need to get branded ones; Home Goods has nice options. Look for items made in india, especially with Acadia wood, which usually has a pretty gain and holds up well over time - protip, this is where west elm and crate and barrel source a lot of things from too! No MDF for me!

* best made metal toolboxes. RIP, best made co, but the toolboxes I got from them will last forever.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?

#167

Nothing under $200 sadly: * danner boots. Get stitchdown construction models that can be recrafted. * James brand knives. Incredible build quality for an American brand * Garmin handheld GPS units. Don’t know how they can make a device that powers on without issue 10 years after purchasing (woo, AA battery support), but they can’t do UI to save their lives! * grovemade metal/leather wallets. They don’t make these any…

2nd on Garmin. They can’ta make ui to save their lives, but their stuff lasts at least a decade.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?

#168
post #57

Just looking down at my desk for things I've had 30-odd years and still using: Pentel Kerry mechanical pencil ( https://www.pentel.com/products/sharp-kerry-mechanical-penci... ) Concord nail clippers ( https://www.amazon.com/Concord-Black-Executive-Nail-Clipper/... ) Leatherman Micra (mine is made in USA) ( https://www.leatherman.com/micra-20.html )

Have you replaced the mechanical pencil over the years or is that still your original one?

Original, old version with "Pentel 5" on the cap. It's had heavy use but shows no sign of it except tiny marks on the finish. I did buy a second one recently to have a different color. (Midlife crisis, I guess.) The new one is just very slightly not as nicely constructed.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of your “buy it for life” purchases?

#169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By that you mean in public indoor spaces. "Don't you want to kill your family members?" No, not really. Just my personal choice. A comfortable mask isn't some great burden to me. The whole line of questioning feels strange, like someone incredulously saying "Do you plan on wearing pants for the rest of your life??"

A mask cannot be more comfortable than no-mask unless you're in some very cold environment. Suggesting that a mask in 2022 has anywhere near the utility of pants is off by orders of magnitude.

>A mask cannot be more comfortable than no-mask

As you may note, that's not what I said.

> Suggesting that a mask in 2022 has anywhere near the utility of pants

Didn't say that either.

It's simply strange to me that people get so worked up over it, just like it would be strange if people got super worked up over wearing pants.

In my experience, absent of the 'hot/stuffy mask face' it's no big deal. YMMV

Post reply on HN