What are the "AK-47" of items? (cheap, durable, just works)
What are the "AK-47" of items? (cheap, durable, just works)
This is not a conversation about guns. This is a conversation about items that have withstood abuse that are near unbreakable.
Some items I have heard referenced as AK47 of:
Gerber MP600: It's a multi tool
Old Thinkpad Laptops
Mag lights
Toyota Hilux
Aeropress coffee maker.
Its like 20$, works really well, very simple design with few things to break.
Bodum French Press
Dynavap DHV
Buffalo Bicycles
Vitamix Blender
That metal toaster we got for a wedding present. It was apparently someone's parents wedding present from the 60's. We had it for several years until a friend jammed a bagel in it and melted the cord. I replaced the cord and we used it for another several years before losing it in a move.
I like to believe someone found it and it is still toasting to this day.
There is a Sub-Lem for that: https://slrpnk.net/c/buyitforlife
Akai 4000ds Reel to Reel tape player. So many are still working, built like a tank. They're super cheap on the used market.
MSI motherboards. I've seen one fail out of 1000+.
The EV 635A. Built. To. Last.
http://recordinghacks.com/reviews/tapeop/electro-voice-635a/
I swear to god - on a dare I used one as a hammer and it lost 0 range on the SA.
Toughest mic and best DR of it's 1965 class. Still a viable non-phantom , mono drum or ambient mic.
True believer!
Pre GM SAABs. I've personally gotten 2 of my 5 to over 1,000,000 miles on the original engine and transmission. Both manual transmission. A couple hundred of them have made it to 2,000,000 world wide. The lowest milage I killed a SAAB at was 789,000 miles. I hydroplaned into a semi on I-75, and the car still technically ran, but I gave it to my parents as a parts car. Just read the owners manual, and be absolutely religious about basic maintenance.
Oh, and the turbos don't like low octane fuel. It gums them up.
A discontinued product from AKG called the K-330. The sound, even though nothing to get excited about, was decent, but the durability of these, in my opinion is legendary. When I was a teenager, I was not careful with them at all, and would often forget them in my sweatpants pockets before throwing them into the washing machine, and that happened hundreds of times and it's not an exaggeration. The cable was mostly tangle free, while everyone else had to untangle their earbuds (something that most modern earbud cables can't seem to do as well). These went through abuse more than any other device I've ever owned, and they kept working no matter what. Audio quality wise, they are overpriced in my opinion (I think the MSRP was $100, but because not many bought them, I got them on sale as a teen), but the durability is Nokia level in my opinion.
Game Boys are usually regarded as durable as hell. There's even one that withstood bombing during the Gulf War (1991)
The Logitech x3d Xtreme or whatever the hell it's called. it's a $34 flight stick, best one you can get for cheap, and after having and abusing it for years it only had any issues after a rottweiler puppy chewed the cable. Would recommend.
Japanese-made sewing machines from the 1950s. Most are all-metal and overbuilt, and will work like new with a few drops of oil, maybe a fresh belt. In the US they were imported and had local brand's names put on them; what you're really looking for is the "Made in Japan" on the back or bottom. Granny sewing machines also qualify, but most of the Japanese ones have zigzag
I've been interested in this subject for a while and have a few recommendations.
Stanley Thermos. It could get hit by a fucking train and would still outlive you. Don't recommend putting cofee/milk products etc in them though because it will make the gasket smell. Excellent water container though.
Double edged straight razor. The handle piece is virtually indestructible. I bought a package of like 500 blades for like 30 dollars and haven't had to buy new ones for actual years. Fun fact as well, once you learn to use one it's better for sensitive skin because you're only dragging one razor across your skin per stroke instead of 5 or 7 or whatever the fuck the "better" ones have. Can confirm the "more blades = better" shit is just pure predatory marketing.
Buck knife. Multi tools are cool but if you tend to use the knife often, invest in a higher quality knife and stones to sharpen it. Sharpening stones (not the crap ceramic stuff they try to sell) will last a lifetime and will also keep all your kitchen knives beautiful for years. While you're up to it, get a piece of raw leather, like the back of of an old belt, and use it as a strop to polish off the blade when you're done sharpening, it really does make the cut smoother.
People say Mag light, but I'd personally recommend Olight as well for flashlights. The Olight Baton 4 is a ~600 lumen adjustable brightness flashlight with strobe which will blind you if you aren't careful and its smaller than a pill bottle and comes with a reversible clip and inset magnet in case you need to stick it somewhere to keep the light steady.
A graphite metal "magic" pencil. Instead of using normal graphite, these metal bodied pencils have end pieces you screw in as a tip, are erasable, and one nib takes forever to run out, something like 5 pencils. They dont draw as dark as a regular pencil due to the hardness but for general usage they are handy.
Mighty plugs ear plugs. Want to know what it's like to be deaf? Buy these. They aren't too costly, completely seal the ear, and I only have to get a new package once every few years. They're so effective I had to purchase an alarm clock built for deaf people which shakes my mattress instead of making a sound because I couldn't hear any normal alarm clock after I started using these. This combination is unbeatable if you have awful neighbors or live on a busy street with night traffic.
Any self winding watch. Stop fucking around with button cell batteries and evolve. If it's cheap, that's probably better, if it gets scratched you don't have to care. Seiko is a good brand in my experience.
If you're into camping get a decent mid sized carving hatchet. I have a mid sized Hultafors swedish steel one. People like splitting axes because they do what they're advertised to do, but theyre huge, heavy, and you cant carve or skin with them. A lighter smaller carving axe will do the same job splitting a log if you baton it with a medium sized stick. If you need something bigger to cut down a tree, go for a curved folding saw to bring with the hatchet. The Silky Saw Big Boy is great for that. Also buy a wool blanket. That shit will keep you warm in -35 C if you use it correctly. Also tents are neat but cumbersome, instead invest in a tarp and learn to make a lean to/other tarp configurations in combination with a ground sheet. If you expect you'll be facing inclement or extremely wet weather, get an oilskin tarp (or make one yourself its literally just a cotton sheet which you have ran through a few dryer cycles as hot as possible, and then soaked through in a 50/50 mix of boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits and hung outside until completely dry. Don't put an open flame near it at any point in that process).
I probably have a bunch more, but can't think of them off the top of my head.
Welly tin.
They're those cute tins filled with themed bandaids you can get at Walmart. Normally they're brightly colored and targeted to small kids. Not only are they pretty good fabric bandaids but the tin is really reliable as a homemade med pack for camping. Small, light, brightly colored, and stupidly durable. Had mine in my bag for about 5 years now and it hadn't even dented.
(Off-Topic) Does anybody have “anti-planned obsolescence” communities?
Maybe where good products are discussed or recommended? Similar to r/buyitforlofe but without the shilling of socks
Edit:
Definently only old thinkpads. I had two new ones break on me so now I'm not buying them anymore. One had mouse pad just go numb, the other one had the left control key stop working. I don't even travel with the laptops. :)
My stationary keyboard has worked for like ten years, and so has my mouse....
KitchenAid mixers before they got cheap
I inherited a 6" Wilton vise from my dad. He's still alive but I convinced him to pass it on to me early because I had a couple projects it would be super helpful on. And maybe a little bit to beat my siblings to the punch.
Zippo lighters.
My dad also has a Lincoln Electric welder that will last to pass onto another generation or two. He still uses it though and again, I probably have a sibling or two who would also appreciate having it.
Starrett tools. All of them. I've put them through Hell and back.
Replied to wrong comment
Stainless steel or cast iron in general. Let go of your nonsticks.
1990s or 2000s era Volvo station wagon or sedan
I owned a 96 Volvo 960 for about 15 years before engine gave out with fixable problems ... I didn't have the money to get it fixed, sold it and from what I heard, the new owner is still driving the thing. (one potential buyer that wanted it was a young guy that wanted it for a demolition derby as he claimed that Volvos were great for this kind of use because they are indestructible in a crash. He said the engine is so well placed and protected that it would take several hits from other vehicles before being compromised)
Later bought a 2004 station wagon and other than a few minor problems (electrical issues that aren't critical to driving the car) and a bit of rust spots, it's still my daily driver. I met a young guy a few years ago that had a 1992 Volvo Station wagon with a million kms on it (the thing was covered in rust and looked like hell but it was still driveable)
Casio G-Shock GWM-5610 -- the current model number of the original 1981 G-Shock digital watch. Resistant to dust, shock, water, and up to 20 bar pressure. Self-charges via solar power. Self-synchronizes to GMT by passively receiving continent-spanning radio time signals. Little bastards cost less than a hundred dollars and are effectively bombproof.
I would say that most Ryobi One+ tools fall into this category. Cheap and I've never had one fail where I wasn't using it far beyond it's design parameters. Others are more comfortable to use for extended periods, but they are also usually more expensive. That said, there are apparently a few stinkers in their mix, a dust buster style vacuum comes to mind, but I've not run into many.
Mag lights
these thingymabobs are cool because they're strong. however, their main drawback comes from the fact that they're usually pretty weak as lightsources because being a flashlight was secondary for them. but, with a little LED chip upgrade they can gain a second wind as lights, nothing as fancy and eye-burning as some of the gizmo gadgets the flashlight guys on reddit have, but overall competent for an aluminum pipe
Knit wool sweaters. You can get them for cheap at thrift stores, they are the brick shithouses of clothing. Warm as hell even when wet, safe around camp fires, and you look fly
Baofeng AR-5RM Handheld Radio. Costs under 30$ and is extremely useful and versatile. Can pick up just about any frequency youd need, VHF, UHF, AM, FM, GMRS, etc. and while not waterproof its built very tough. Could probably use it to beat somebody to death then pick it back up and have a conversation on it.
Red Wing Iron Rangers
Viking Fishing Kayaks. Made in New Zealand and absolutely bulletproof.
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