1999 Toyota Tacoma. A dinky two-door job. Still running. It's old enough to buy itself a drink. Has a shell on the back. I'm the kind of guy who runs the car until it runs no more or isn't cost affordable. Get regular oil changes, general maintenance, nothing spectacular. A life utility vehicle. Little rusty around the edges, and definitely a car for an old dude who doesn't have to impress the chicks. As a matter of fact, it tends to attract older guys, like me, who walk up and say "that is such a cool truck."
Kindle Paperwhite Technically was gifted to me, but I got it at least 7 years ago and it still holds up amazingly. I have to charge it a little more often, once every 2 months instead of like 2 times a year, but prob the only electronic I have that I have yet to replace.
Oh and my Ti-84+ that Ive had since hs and still works amazingly
Logitech Z-5500 Digital 5.1 Speaker System. Bought it on sale for about $250 back in 2005, I've used it for hours almost every day since then and still absolutely love it. The only issue I've ever had is the back-light of the control module breaking but it's just a minor annoyance, just need to shine a light on it at nighttime to see the screen.
1997 Ford Fiesta 1.2.
Still being driven by my offspring.
I didn’t actually buy it, but I have a kitchen aid mixer that was a wedding gift to my parents, 6 or 8 years before I was born. I’m 36.
I also have some of my grandfather’s power tools that work fine despite being 40+ years old (tho I’m terrified every time I use them - the cords attach to the mechanicals with screws, and there are no failsafes - I don’t use them enough to spend hundreds on new ones)
All the stuff I “bought for life” myself has failed to live up to the hype. They really don’t make shit the way the used to.
Cast iron skillets
Metal roof
Composite deck
That may be it, I will probably outlive my other possessions.
Runners-up:
We are still using a Dyson vacuum that my uncle gave me, used, when he got a new one, at least 15 years ago. Longer I think, and don't know how long he used it before that. And just replaced my KitchenAid mixer with a bigger one and gave my old one to one of my kids, that was 25 years old and is still going strong.
Stanley 1.4L Thermos.
Built like a tank, holds heat as well today as the first time I used it years ago.
Also, the Herman Miller Aeron chair. Bought one used for $250 a few years ago and use it every day and there has been no wear. That said, replacement parts are very easy to find online if something ever breaks.
AKG Q701 headphones. I have to resolder them every year or two, but they're infinitely repairable. I've tried many headphones over the years but nothing comes close to the quality.
DasKeyboard 4 Pro keyboard. I've typed on it so hard for so long that the key caps have started crumbling. Replaced all of the key caps for a few bucks and it's good as new.
PlanetBox lunchbox. It's like a metal lunch tray with a lid. Fully metal, nearly indestructible, rust proof.
A carabineer clip I got at Walmart in '06 for $1. I've used it every day for 17 years and all of the paint has rubbed off. It just won't die.
My great/granddad/uncle's woodworking tools and hammer. For my 17th birthday he just gave me a ton of them and I couldn't have been happier, they're made of really nice brass and spruce I think and they work wonders. Mfer says it's not worth much and proceeded to give me a tungsten carbide (world's sharpest alloy) plane that I maintain to this day. Also Beaver craft tools from Ukraine hold up pretty well and funnily enough come with a plaster because they're goofy goobers.
My bike, a steel frame Genesis Croix de fer.
It's going well, I moved to another country where biking is not really possible so now my sister has been using it regularly and keeps it in good condition until I come back.
I used it for a few days last time I visited my family and it still has good as new.
Also a carbon steel pan and a second hand cast iron pot. No one was interested with the pan but my mom started using the pot after I left and now she's using it several times a week along with another one that belongs to my grand mother.
I also got a second hand "Baby Bjorn" bouncer, I don't know the original owner since it's been bought and sold several times already and I'm planning and selling it once my kid will be to old for it.
For me this is the ultimate test for "buy it for life" items. If it can move from people to people and everyone is extremely happy to use it since it's higher quality than non bifl items.
Hand planes, Japanese chisels (Nomi) and some other woodworking tools, mostly japanese. If you maintain them properly, they should hold up very very long.
Wahl hair trimmer. No nonsense hair trimmer. Made in the US. Corded so don't have to worry about batteries failing. Been using it every couple of weeks for probably close to 15 years and only recently replaced it with another Wahl trimmer. Got my money's worth out of the first one many times over and would highly recommend it. I expect the new one to last a similar amount of time.
ITT a bunch of simple things like cast iron skillets. It’s a chunk of iron. You have to try to break stuff like that. What do you have that people wouldn’t necessarily expect to have good durability?
My DS 214 NAS. Been going strong for a nearly a decade.
My Anker multiport charger. Also going strong for a long time.
Early Dyson vacuum cleaner. That thing’s seen some abuse, but it keeps on going.
Toro riding mower. Had to replace a few small parts along the way, but it’s still going for over a decade.
Bunn coffee maker from 1970s.
Grandfather had it... great uncle had it... dad had it.. I had it.. now Dad has it again.
Easy. Leatherman Wave. Spent 80 bucks on it at least 10 years ago. I've used it to build furniture, repair glasses and electronics, breakdown boxes, open bottles, light duty wood processing/work on campsites and fix crappy cars. It all still works like new. You can have 1 tool in your car, and it can do about 90% of what a box full of tools can do.
Bought a 9 dollar cast iron from Walmart for a camping trip and I love it. I'm hoping it outlives me and it should with proper care. It's already been 4 years
Senator Menendez - we'll have to wait just a little to see how well the investment turns out
An American made walker mower. I don’t expect me or my son will ever need to buy another mower again.
Stanley hammer 30ish years ago - still going strong. (Actually I have numerous tools I’ve had for 30+ years)
Probably not for life but damn long for a tv - a Sony xbr lcd flatscreen 1080p 46” that’s 15+ years old and still going strong with daily use.
A pair of bogs boots, they seem indestructible.
A McDermott pool cue - about 35 years old
Cast iron pans
Orvis fly rod
I have a Columbia winter coat that’s 15 years old and used all the time. I actually hate how long it’s lasted, I want a new one but can’t justify it.
My house - it’s a good house that will certainly outlast me.
I think everything else will fail before I kick the bucket. There’s a few things that’ll last for a while - but not for life.
Leatherman wave 10+ years EDC repaired once. Replaced a 20 year old Leatherman classic which I now keep in work apron. Wave has a blade lock and is superior.
Leather wallet with limited space. Forces me to not carry too much. Also a quality built wallet that had lasted very well for the last 5 years... Admittedly I have been bad at maintaining the leather though.
Bought a belt and wallet from hanksbelts.com and they have aged very well! They come with a 100 year warranty so I'm sure if anything does happen I'll be covered, though I doubt they ever get destroyed in my lifetime.
Everything I own, except the burial plot. I bought that for death.
Japanese made Makita half inch router my dad bought in 1976
Lodge cast iron pans Wolverine boots Steelcase office chair (caveat, had go buy new arm pads after 8 years) Boos block cutting board has been holding up damn near daily chopping
Not something I bought a long time ago but I want to share the idea, I have now got myself One Single Ballpen. I was moving and saw that I'd got way too many ballpens that were not even used and that I would not use at all that were just offered or I don't even know how I got them. So I bought myself a metal ballpen with some recharges, and well in one year i've not even finished the first recharge, and i've basically only written with this pen and signed with this pen
Plex Lifetime Pass back in 2015. Worth every penny.
Before the haters start, Jellyfin wasn't around back then and yes, I've tried Jellyfin but it's not as featured rich as Plex for what I use it for. So, no, I'm not switching.
Stax SR-007A headphones (Sorry Stax mafia, I meant Ear Speakers 😰).
I used to buy headphones and IEMs like crazy and I was never satisfied. There was always something nagging me, I could never find a pair of headphones that sounded "perfect" with all types of music so I'd have a selection of headphones that I'd use for specific genres. Now I only have this one pair and a second pair I kept for guests to use on my guest gaming rig.
Thankfully good audio gear doesn't really lose much value so I didn't end up losing all that much money over the years of buying headphones but it's nice to not have to think about it anymore and just enjoy the music. Headphone addicts will understand lol.
Bought my 1st watch in '85, simple analog/digital display commodore and it still works.
A Baratza Virtuoso coffee grinder.
It's solidly built, works great, all parts are replaceable and if you need parts or advice all you need to do is mail Baratza.
I've owned it for 15 years now and it still works just as well as the day I bought it.
Edit: I also bought an expensive 1zpresso hand mill (a K ultra?) from someone who had buyer's remorse. Sometimes I don't want to make tons of noise grinding coffee in the middle of the night and it's nice to have a quiet way to grind for a cup. It's built as solidly as the electric grinder so I'm pretty sure I'll have it for life as well. Both were great BIFL purchases.
Sage (Breville) Barista Express. Been around for 8 years. Solenoid valve has been needed to be changed twice but it’s a job I’m confident in doing now and the parts are quite cheap (£25).
I bought it broke and fixed it up. Still makes a quality cup better than anyone else’s at home machine. Mainly because other’s often opt for less complicated but more expensive Nespresso pods (which make weak cereal-heavy flavoured outputs - check the James Hoffman video on that); or cheaper Delonghi’s, which I used to own before upgrading.
However I find Delonghi machines have a particular taste which I think comes from the Easy Serving Espresso system they implement in their machines, which puts a rubber gasket in the basket which a) is used to compensate for the weaker pressure of those machines by creating pressure in the basket rather than from the resistence from the coffee (thus affecting taste from the method of extraction), and b) affects the taste from the rubber itself (as well as its collecting of old coffee grounds).
So for anyone looking for a good quality espresso machine, I’d recommend picking up one of these second hand.
Some of my BIFL:
I seem to lose Swiss Army Knives before they wear out or break. On my 3rd or 4th one now and trying to hang on to it.
I still have my Atari 2600 from when I was a kid. And many more cartridges than I had before. The CRT I played it on still works too.
Various tools like vice grips, hammers, corded drills, table saw, and circular saw.
Bare and enameled cast iron pots and pans.
Several tents. The oldest one is a Coleman Oasis canvas tent I used growing up. HUGE tent - 12' at the peak and about 12'x12'.
I don't plan to keep it for life, but I have a wallet from the Buffalo Billfold Company. Bison and very durable. I think mine is the hipster.
My Stanley thermos is as good as the day I bought it
My N64 Got it in 99 and it still works
Boots. Here in the Southern US, boots are very common daily footwear, even for business casual attire. I have two pairs of Lucchesse ropers, one black and one brown. A "roper" has a low, straight heel like a dress shoe rather than a tall angled heel like a more traditional "cowboy" boot. I've probably got 10 years on both pairs and no telling how many times the heels and soles have been replaced. Still look like they just came out of the box. They are also very comfortable if you spend all day on your feet unlike most dress shoes. Lucchesse's are expensive but most high quality footwear is.
A KitchenAid mixer.
An old one.
Technically, we bought two - from goodwill. We cannibalized them for parts, cleaned and lubed all the machinery and reassembled one functioning Frankenmixer. It's been running with no problems for over fifteen years now - and the parts were from the seventies to begin with!
My Pet Monster. Got it in 86, passed it down to my daughter and it's still holding up like new almost 40 years later.
My Honda VFR800X Crossrunner motorcycle. Going on 5 years used everyday. Hopefully will last decades. A Staub pan A Aldi leather belt I bought 10+ years ago
Dining room furniture. It lasted well, but the design is so dated now!
A Riccar vacuum. It's only been about five years but so far so good.
I have a pair of Keen hiking boots (you know the ones...you've seen them I promise) that I've had for literally ten years. I'm sure they'd have more wear on them if I did serious hiking more often, but they are glued to my feet every rainy season and are still going strong to the point that I see no signs of failure anywhere. I oil and condition the leather once per year before the wet season.
Also, raw denim jeans. They take longer to break in but I've had a pair that's been with me six or seven years now through 30 lb swings. I've had them tailored twice, and they are still one of my nicest looking most comfortable pairs of jeans.
Actually 3. I threw mine and hers in.
an electric guitar and a zippo lighter
Redbacks. Bought them on the recommendation of pretty much every boot-related post on Reddit. But I got the basic, untreated ones, didn't clean and oil them regularly, and they lasted one season.
They have been super comfortable, so I think next time I have budget for boots, I'll get the heavy duty steel toe Redbacks.
You're absolutely right. I was self-employed from '87 - '16. Gig work before they called it that. No regular commute!
Shark Navigator Vacuum with a self-cleaning brush. I bought it on Sunday and it's working great so far
/s
My guns
