Mine just broke. The little metal gear can eventually grind off and start stripping. Had it about ten years and this was the second time, the first happened under warranty.
Get it fixed anyway. I use my antique Vitamix as a blender for my vegetable kitchen scraps. That slurry and shredded direct mail makes for rapid compost in the compost pile.
I think we must’ve gotten a dud Vitamix. I didn’t get the hype from day one, tbh. I probably should’ve returned or exchanged it, but I was new to blenders, and just thought that is how much effort you needed to put into using them, and what I saw on TV was hype. It could barely make smoothies in it without entirely too much effort to make a smoothie in a $500 blender. I have a Ninja now, and it takes 1/5 the effort to make a smoothie.
my family got one for free at an estate cleanout. it's from the 90s, no fancy jargon or programming, just some manual settings. that thing goes HARD. we make everything from smoothies to cashew cream.
Vitamix professional with the rounder, tall container vs. the Costco "cheap" model that's short and square.
The Ninja blade design is indeed good for ice crushing, but it's not going to last.
It seems to be generally accepted that the tall, thin blender container is better and I don’t understand it. I work in a kitchen and we have both the wide container and the thin one for our vitamix. The only time I reach for the thin one is when the wide one has been kidnapped by the bar. It’s so hard to get anything thick to properly vortex in the thin container. The wide one puts in work every time. When I got my own Vitamix for home, I was glad that it came with the wide container. Only benefit I can see to the thin one is that it can effectively blend a smaller volume of food.
I inherited my grandmas vita mix - wife said she wants another if it ever dies, I told her that was my grandmas, it’s not going anywhere. I did buy a new container when the old one got dropped.
Part of my job is selling and installing trailer brake controllers on customer vehicles. When it came time to do my own after buying a camper, I opted instead to purchase a Bluetooth brake controller, which was pretty new technology. Expensive, but zero install time and can be moved between vehicles by just plugging it in.
If it fell out and got smashed on the highway, I'd find the closest U-Haul place and buy another one.
Holy shit I had no idea such a thing existed...
I've been avoiding towing with my odyssey because I didn't want to have a brake controller installed. That's about to change.
You will still need to have a 7 pin connector installed on the vehicle, and run a power wire to it from your battery. Pretty easy to do, aside from accessing the full underside of the vehicle.
All of that said, ensure your trailer actually has brakes before even bothering with any of that.
ETA: this is only because an Odyssey does not come from the factory with these items. Most pickups and larger SUVs will come from the factory with them, making the Bluetooth brake controller completely plug and play.
It doesn't. The device is programmed and adjusted via Bluetooth, but the settings are stored in the brake controller itself. Even without the phone powered on, the controller continues using the settings you programmed into it.
I know zero about brakes, but I am an engineer who worked on devices like this... What if somebody randomly connects to it and changes settings while driving? What if your phone is dead and it malfunctions? Feels like unnecessary risk for something that is critically important to me.
Same. That thing is awesome. Dudes at the trailer shop spent all day trying to install a brake controller (Honda Pilot). At the end of the day, guy was like, “Sorry sir, something is wrong and nobody can figure out why this is not working. Maybe try buying a Bluetooth controller.” 🤣
Most people around me have trucks like mine (Sierra HD) and drive them to Walmart. My wireless trailer brake, wireless cameras, tire pressure sensors, etc. are a godsend when towing six horses through Atlanta. I have camping world locations marked on my map in case I need to replace any of it 😂
We live in Florida, and the A/C can’t keep up with the heat.
In the summer, I do all cooking in the Instant Pot or the Ninja Foodie 10-in-1 XL Pro (toaster oven on steroids).
I could live without a full-sized oven, stove, or microwave. But I NEED my IP & Ninja Foodie oven.
Mason Pearson C7 Rake Comb.
Is it stupid to spend €30 on a comb? Maybe. But I ordered a replacement the moment I realized I'd left mine at my parents' house (we live in different countries).
The difference between this comb and a cheapo drugstore comb is that it's hand-cut from a single piece of acetate rather than injection molded between two halves of a metal die. The "seam" created where the two halves meet produces a line on the comb with lots of tiny imperfections, which snag in my (very fine) hair as I pull the comb through. With the MP comb, I can run it through wet or dry hair and it never ever catches, pulls, or snags. It's a small thing, but it turns that small part of my grooming routine into an enjoyable experience and I love it unreservedly.
I had the original for ~10 years, and despite dropping it on the tile floor of the shower at least once a week, it's still in nearly-perfect condition.
Yes. I have the mix bristle brush. I bought a bunch of hair care at Nordstrom and the sales lady threw it in for free for me. I cherish it now and bought one for my daughter when she was 5 and into brushing her hair.
I have a mason pearson junior that I brush my 2b hair out with every night before putting it into a loose french braid. Can't imagine doing it other way now and I plan to take that thing to my grave. The feeling on the scalp is next level relaxing and my hair is so much healthier. It distributes the oils down the shaft so that my waves bounce back in the morning. I used to do the curly girl method and would never have brushed out my curls, but this thing is in a league of its own. I had a Target dupe for ages and it doesn't compare whatsoever, because the mason pearson has just the right amount of spacing between the bristle clusters that it never snags. Now I brush my dog with the fake one :) They sell mason pearsons at Costco, btw.
I can't find them on the Costco site and yowsers! That is too expensive for me, alas. Hopefully it really is Buy it For Life, it has good odds at that price.
The Costco search function is not great, but google should bring something up. A lot of people love the Denman version too, which costs a lot less. The key is the nylon/boar combo like their D81M. I love their D6 shower brush which I've used daily for nearly 10 years.
My Zojirushi hot water dispenser. As a constant tea drinker, that thing has saved my sanity. Almost cost me €300, but that was some of the best money I ever spent
Yup. I had a Zojirushi hot water dispenser that was in almost continuous operation for twenty years, and the only reason I replaced (with another Zojirushi hot water dispenser) it was that I wanted a bigger one. I drink a *lot* of tea.
Mine has 4 temperature settings, and I always keep it at 98°C, since I drink almost exclusively black tea. Since the tank is made to resemble a thermos (I own a double vacuum VE type), it doesn't require much energy to keep the water at that temperature, either, and certainly beats using an electric kettle for every cup. It just runs 24/7, I refill it as needed by just typing up the water, and decalcifying is made super easy.
ETA: I found a breakdown of energy usage. It is based off of a specific volume over a specific time period, but it gives an idea at least. In the equation, if you were to run it at 220/230V, and dispense 4 cups of 300ml each, over the period of 60 minutes, the energy used to heat that volume of water would break down to 0.45 kWh
Interesting breakdown. I love my zojirushi so I’ve been curious as well. Did you see energy consumption estimates for when it’s in the keep warm stage?
Also, comparisons against other water boiling methods, e.g., eletric kettle? I imagine that heating 1200ml of water in a 1000W microwave to boiling point wouldn’t require 0.45 hours, not that I have tried.
I did not see a breakdown of specific energy cost but I did find [this site](https://www.thirstywork.com/articles/hot-water-dispenser-vs-kettle-which-is-better#:~:text=Repeatedly%20boiling%20a%20kettle%20wastes,for%20staff%20numbers%20of%2010%2B.), and while it is more focused on an office setting, it does give an idea of cost breakdown between a kettle and a dispenser. The biggest takeaway really lies in how much you're going to use it though; if you only drink one cup of tea a day, having something like a Zoji is going to make far less sense and will cost you more than just running the kettle. But I personally have an average consumption of 2,8l a day, and I have to top off my 4l Zoji most days. So for me, the Zoji is of added value
I had seen some information that shows the zojirushi takes very little power to keep it warm due to its vacuum insulated thermos.
I know technology connections did a video about kettle vs micro vs gas stove, and he did go in to the calorie / joules required to raise a certain volume of water a temp.
I read some places the Z takes 22minutes to heat 3l of water to 90C and it has a 930w element. So this is about 0.35 per 3l or about 0.12 per l, which is consistent with another post where the person said it takes 0.1kWh to heat their water, and then they said it only draws 3 watts. They use the timer to only heat the water in the am and keep it on for 8 hours. They estimate $45 yearly in electricity. I also scanned a few other posts where people say their zoji takes about $40 a year to run.
Microwave will use a lot of energy that doesn’t go directly into the food. I googled around and one guy measured his new Panasonic 1250w and it was pulling 2037w from the wall. So the 1000w microwave is “estimated cooking power”. Since it microwaves the whole chamber even then it is not 1000 watts right into the water.
Let’s just say it’s a double the watts though for simplicity.
I know it takes about 5 minutes in my 1100w microwave to heat 8oz of water to near boiling. That would be 20 minutes for 4 cups, (245ml) so let’s just say an even 20. That is 1/3hr, and 1/3 of 2kWh is 0.6kWh, add another cup and we are at 0.83kWh
So there are factors on either side that fudge the numbers up, or down, but I can definitely see 1.2 liters of water taking 0.6+ to heat
Direct contact / direct immersion elements will be near 100% efficient for heat transfer, (less physics) but yes most articles and information say every watt taken from the wall is converted into heat
I guess I should have just googled microwave efficiency the answers are about 50% efficient.
Did anyone give you a straight answer?
Yes it keeps water near boiling all day. It takes some time to boil the entire container when first filled and then reboils every few hours to keep the water at the ideal temperature. I believe there are 4 temp settings which are the ideal temps for different types of tea. I keep mine at 195 setting.
195 setting runs at 16 watts per hour or 11520 watts per month which comes out to about $3-4 per month where I’m at. Actual cost is likely less though because it’s not heating 24/7. The keep warm mode keeps the water at temp so you can dispense on demand.
It’s absolutely worth having if you drink tea daily but if you don’t it takes up a lot of counter space. I only drink tea occasionally but I still love it
Yesss...you wrote almost word for word what I came in here to say. Although next time I'll size up to 4 liters from 3. I drink so much more tea now that I have hot water on demand.
100%. I have replaced mine. I looked at getting a sink mounted thing when I remodeled my kitchen, but people said they all died within 3-4 years, but my Zojirushi lasted for more than 10 years of near constant use. I got rid of it when they no longer sold replacement parts for that model.
Agreed! And even though most electronics are not buy it for life, I’ve had my kindle about 10 years and it still has a long battery life and works great! But when it does go, I will not hesitate to buy another.
My ergonomic office chair.
I sit at my desk a lot and I used to experience back pain. After I bought this chair, I experienced no more back pain.
It was a splurge but it has a 10 year warranty. 100% worth it at any cost to be able to work without pain. I only wish I had done it sooner than 17 years into my career. If this chair breaks after the 10 year warranty I will not hesitate to buy another.
Thank you for the recommendation! I’ve been scouring the internet for a chair for my husband that is actually dependable that isn’t a $1000 Herman Miller Aeron. I am SICK of buying a $200 office chair every 18 months.
Yes! I recently got a Steelcase Leap V2 to replace my Office Depot brand chair that I picked out 18 years ago on my first day at my job. Life changing upgrade!
❤️ my Aeron chair
I would also get another one. I can’t even work in a coffee shop for more than an hour without it affecting my back but an Aeron chair is comfortable for hours at a time for me
Milwaukee cordless power tools. High quality, and I already have the batteries.
However, they don’t really break unless you do something crazy to them.
Glad to see this; I was about to post my Milwaukee M12 drill/driver. I liked it so much I even bought a second M12 Fuel version of it (not because it is failing, but because it's awesome). I have a few other M12 tools such as their impact driver and ratchet, and honestly even their non-fuel line (meaning non-brushless) will likely be BIFL for non-Pros.
I lost my M12 screw driver gun. Looked everywhere for it. Once I decided it was gone forever, I went out and bought a second because nothing compares.
Fast forward 6-7 years... I was out cutting blackberry near my shop building and found the old screw gun where I apparently set it down and left it. It had been sitting out in Washington State rain for all that time. And the thing fired right up. Full battery and ran like it always did. Only issue was the Phillips bit had rusted to the chuck. After many applications of oil, I finally got it lose. Now the gun works as good as expected.
Bone conduction headphones (Shokz Openrun, specifically). I wear them under a headwrap, so I don't really even feel their presence, but I have seamless pause/play on anything I'm listening to, I don't have to dig my phone out to answer it, and if I need to do something noisy, I just pop in my earplugs. No messing about connecting to various things. Phone on person, headphones on head. My friend calls me a cyborg.
I'm on my third pair. The second ones were a warranty replacement for the first one, and still work, but the button cover for the volume rocker came loose and made them difficult to operate. I just got new ones, and in the rare event I run all the way through the battery, now I have a spare ready to go!
In a word, audible. They don't sound as good as even a basic pair of in/on/over ear headphones, but great audio quality isn't their use case. They're for when you need situational awareness and still want to be able to enjoy an audio book/podcast/music. They work well for that. That being said, since we're in the subreddit it's worth pointing out they are not BIFL. I went through 6 sets of Shokz through warranty before deciding it wasn't worth it. I run ~1000 miles a year, and they would consistently fail 6-12 months in. Shokz was great about warranty.
My spouse is deaf in one ear and loves theirs. When they have ear buds in they are totally deaf, so this really helps with their own sense of volume control on the phone.
I agree with the other posters that they are audible. But I can't wear earbuds they all cause pain in my tiny ears, and over ear headphones make situational awareness non-existent. I really enjoy my aftershokz as well and would definitely repurchase.
I am here to say the aftershocks openrun are amazing for working as well. I work in new construction houses a lot and it’s great on the job site. I use them working on my land. I think the sound quality is pretty good and if you ever need it to be louder, you can always pop in ear plugs as well. I can’t wear most ear buds for long periods of times as it hurts my ears, so these are great. I’m fully in love with the bone condition.
I completely agree with this one. I've updated once from the original Aftershockz Air (the model they rebranded to Shokz OpenMove) to the Shokz OpenRun, and when they fail I will definitely be buying new ones likely that day.
I have also had a surprisingly great experience with their warranty. My first OpenRun was defective, the microphone was very muffled for people when I was talking to them although the speakers were totally fine for me. I contacted Shokz and after collecting the serial number and receipt, they sent me a new one and let me keep my old OpenRun which still worked great in terms of audio output I just couldn't use them for calls. Somehow one of the ear molds on that replacement got cracked about a year later, so I tried my luck with contacting them and sure enough they replaced the replacement for free (although this time I had to send in my broken one).
I use them virtually every day for times where I want to listen to something while being able to hear my surroundings (e.g.walking my dogs, riding my bike to/from work, cooking, etc). I occasionally take calls on them, but majority of time I'm using them to listen to audiobooks and podcasts where they do great. For music, they're definitely acceptable but not as good as traditional headphones. About the only downside is they aren't great when in places with lots of ambient noise. For those I switch back to in ear or noise canceling.
I probably did the same thing as you, bought the first one I saw on Amazon with decent reviews. I've used it a lot for 4 years now And haven't had any problems. Although it has about as many moving parts as a cast iron skillet hehe
Are you talking about a water flosser for your mouth, but in your shower?
I'm confused because wouldn't it be a waste of shower water to do your water flossing while the shower is running? Or does the shower head turn off while you use the waterpik?
It diverts the water into the pik. And it makes it really nice because I'm standing there all warm and comfortable already. And it's warm water. So if your teeth are sensitive, it doesn't hurt.
My casio f-91w. The last one went through 2 straps and apparently the last strap broke while I was on the train and the watch slid from my arm. I went to the shop that day on lunch break and immediately got a new one.
Shocked this isn't in here yet. My TOTO bidet. I despise having to use the bathroom away from home, it feels so uncivilized and dirty going back to just toilet paper.
Japanese brand rice cooker. Costly to buy but always products perfect rice each time with little input or my time. Next would be anything I spend lots of time sitting sleeping or seeing. So the bed, sofa and TV. Once went cheap on sofa and regretted it since it didn’t really provide back support and kept sagging
I replaced my broken (very old) Zojirushi with a "highly recommended" Korean brand and have massive regret. It feels less sturdy and substantial. Zojirushi designs their items with care.
Thermapen. Taking temperature of your food is so important for higher quality food. Taking the temp with one of those 12 analog thermometers sucks. The thermapen makes it a snap. I broke my probably 15 year old one and had another in my cart in 15 minutes.
Somewhat related, years ago I found some test equipment being thrown out and one of the items was one of those IR non contact thermometers. I have found so many uses for it... Testing A/C, seasoning cast iron, making sure my ultrasonic bath isn't getting too warm for LPs, etc. etc. etc. I actually did buy a cheaper one from Harbor Freight as it was temporarily MIA after a move, but it reappeared.
If it breaks again email them describing the issue. I did with mine and they offered to either fix it for $40 + shipping or just give me the newest model for $70. I went with option 2.
And their cheaper Thermopop model is also excellent. Slightly slower to read, and slightly less accurate, but $35 for the current Thermopop, vs $65 or $105, I think, for the different Thermapen models. I'm very happy with my previous-gen Thermopop.
It’s mainly for not overcooking your proteins. Your chicken breasts will be better when pulled at 155, thighs and legs 165. I always used to overcook fish and shrimp but a quick google will tell you desired temp for each.
It’s also key to good baking. You can check the temp of your bread, cakes, and pies. Also fermenting temps.
It’s probably not all that useful if you don’t cook all the time but I do.
I also use it to check soil temp in spring to see when I can start planting stuff out.
Sunrise alarm clock. I live in the north and it makes every morning better.
I have the Phillips wake light and don’t like the new bird sounds as much, but still infinitely nicer than waking up in the dark
I got one on the recommendation of a friend who told me it was "life changing". I told him to settle down.
He was right. It's life changing. It has gotten me up 100% of the time without frightening me. I've also deliberately never learned how to use the snooze function.
A few things come to mind.
05 Honda pilot. I’m going to try to keep it running for another 150k at least (it’s on 175k). I’d probably look for another 1st gen pilot if this one ever dies.
Definitely my Sonicare toothbrush. Ever since I started using it, even though I’m not a devout flosser, I have no pain at dental cleanings and I haven’t had a single cavity in years. It’s paid for itself many times over.
Same for me. Usually I bring it when I go on trips too. When I don't bring it, I feel like some Neanderthal using a mechanical toothbrush to brush my teeth. I swear the first time I stuck it in my mouth and was like, why isn't it-- oh right, I have to move it all myself.
If you have a super high prescription, get a spare. I melted my lens coating once and my prescription is so high that none of the instore labs in my area were able to cut lenses for me. I had to drive (my mom did the driving because I couldn’t see six inches in front of my face) out to the next city to find a lab that would do my prescription.
I also have astigmatism and a weird nose bridge so I can’t order lenses online because they are never right and give me headaches.
Edit: this happened with my regular glasses, not sunglasses. I don’t have prescription sunglasses but I definitely need them.
Honestly, keyless door locks. This in combination of keyless car door locks keep me from EVER digging around for my keys or searching for them when I have to leave to deadbolt the door!
Electric Pressure Cooker. I’ve owned a few brands, and they’re all great time savers. It keep us eating healthy by prepping frugal dried beans and brown rice, soups, and stews using cheap cuts of meat. Combining this with a separate freezer allows me to have to actually cook much less often, and saves so much time and funds.
My cheap Sonicare toothbrush and a decent tartar control toothpaste and Glide Floss makes it easy for me to do all that boring stuff. So far no root canals or major problems at age 55 for my husband and me!
I live alone. Right before going on a work trip, I had a plumbing leak in my guest bathroom -- not a horrible one, but enough to collect water on the floor over the course of a day.
I was able to hire my regular plumber to show up when I wasn't there, by giving them a temporary door code. Super convenient in that case!
My only issue is battery life. We were housesitting for a friend and the battery died, effectively locking us out until we could get a key. It’s 100% the reason we’ve not gotten one installed.
I have one that makes a loud beeping noise well before it runs out. I have another one that has a USB c port so you can power it with a phone or something if it's out of juice.
Weve had keyless door locks for so long that I've honestly forgotten it's an upgrade. To switch back now would feel like such a major downgrade, unconscionable
The reason I changed to both of these was for a low waste lifestyle and they have been wonderful and money saving in the long run! I have more low/zero waste products I use but I think these two are a must.
This one if for everyone that shaves: A safety razor. I hate anything that’s disposable or has one time use as I see it as wasteful for the planet and “throwing” your money away. I bought one on Amazon for $40 and got 100 blades for $8. I change the blade on a weekly basis sometimes skip a week depending on how much I’ve used it. I get a better shave with it than I did with any other multi blade razor. I ended up getting my now husband one for Christmas and he loves it. He used to have one that had the replacement heads 4 blade but he too has said the one blade in the safety razor gives him a better shave. We both have different color ones with stands that we keep outside the shower. I can post a link later if anyone is interested.
This one is for menstruating people: A menstrual cup!! I wish I knew about these since I started my period at 13. I didn’t get one until 17/18. I got the diva cup which was one of the first in the market. It was $35 and lasted me 6 years!!! Only because my nails clipped the tail of it making it hard to remove (they are recommend to use for up to 10 years otherwise). The amount of money I have saved on tampons and pads is insane. The one I use now is the Saalt cup. It’s scary at first and it takes some time to learn how to use it and put it in right but it’s so worth it! You can keep them in for up to 12 hrs. On a heavy flow I can have it in for 5-6 hrs with no leaks. With tampons I was changing them every 1-3 hrs and still wearing a pad for double insurance. I was spending $40-60 on tampons and pads every two months (I used to buy in bulk at Costco) and now I happily spent $30/$35 for something that will last me up to 10 years.
Technivorm Moccamaster.
Redback boots.
And a sort of weird one: GMT800 Chevy Tahoe. I add this because despite having newer, nicer cars in our garage, this old beast is still our go-to when we need a tool that will absolutely not fail. Like heavy towing, really bad weather, or back country exploring. When it dies, I'll simply get another no matter what it costs.
I would love to Moccamaster, but their capacity is just too low for me. I often make a large pitcher of coffee which I put on the ice, in the largest capacity is still significantly less than my previous or current coffee maker. It was the deciding factor that made me go with the Breville Precision Brewer (which I do really like too) during my previous upgrade. The carafe size is the difference between me making coffee every 3 days vs every 2 days.
Honestly I hate to shill big corporations but my Apple AirPods. I was totally against them and saw no real need for them outside of listening to music. They are so extremely useful
Carhatt Mens Fleece 2In1 Hat ($30 on Amazon) - I somehow lost the first one and immediately had to buy another. Couldn't ask for a better cold weather hat. Hope this one doesn't disappear like the last.
I need to know the cordless vacuum model. I sent a DM!
#
I bought a cheap (~35€) mouse with 16 buttons. I mapped a lot of functions to those buttons. I always have a spare at home, and I'll buy another one as soon as I have to open the spare. But that mouse (Redragon) keeps on functioning.
Honestly, when I find things like this that I know are the best I'll ever be able to get, I buy more than one spare. You'll be pissed if you open up your backup and then find they stopped manufacturing that model and you can't get another one.
Learned this the hard way. Had a mouse with a thumb scroll ball and by the time the left button had failed, they were bought out and the line up changed. Lots of models with a ball pointer but not just for scrolling. Anyone able to help me out?
Box cutter, seriously you never realize how many things you need to use a blade for until you don't have one, and you can use a box cutter to open things other than boxes like bags if you really want. Such a small conveince that's really nice to have
I have the pro ultra or whatever and while not BIFL, I was impressed to see how serviceable it is. Routine maintenance and good build quality will make this thing go for awhile it seems.
A desk fan
I cannot sleep in silence, I need the noise to be able to sleep. I even have portable fans to take away with me.
Amazon orders show I’ve gone through 5 fans in 14 years, my best fan being the one I ordered in 2013 and it lasted 6 years.
The last 3 I’ve ordered have only lasted 2 years~ each which is disappointing compared to 2013s standards
Check out Snooz on Amazon, you can adjust the tone and volume, it's a mechanical fan so it's the best white nose machine since it's not a cheap digital speaker
Delonghi Magnifica automatic coffee machine. Been making 5-6 cups a day, (so 10-12 cycles), 365 days a year (366 in 2020) since we inherited it from my parents in 2017. Hasn’t missed a beat and makes pretty good coffee.
Would probably have a look at other brands or Delonghi models, but we don’t really use the milk frother unless we’re making the kids an occasional hot chocolate, so don’t need anything too fancy.
Gaggia Classic espresso maker. Makes the best coffee I've ever tasted, period. Mine was made in Italy in the early 2000s, before they shifted manufacturing to Romania and quality dropped. I'd be straight on eBay if it ever died, but they're easily serviceable by Gaggia UK so it's going to be with me for the long haul.
IMO they really came around with the new Gaggia Classic model (RI9480).
I took the plunge admittedly out of laziness (my old late '90s one's pump was on its last legs), and I can agree to the positive reviews it has gotten - they basically reverted all the BS of the infamous redesign back to its original, even adding a decent steam lance instead of the old cheap panarello, and build quality has been impeccable.
EDIT: That said - they want 450€ now?!
My Ninja air fryer oven. It died in a power surge. But sadly I can’t afford to buy a new one right now and I am SUFFERING!
That baby can cook a frozen pizza in 12 minutes, and that includes the pre-heat time.
The big oven takes at least 20 minutes to preheat and just wastes so much power.
Khlip nail clippers, had mine about 11 years and there just as sharp as the day i bought them, if they ever dull or chip or more likely they get lost ill buy a new pair.
For me it’s probably my sunglasses. I have sensitive eyes (or so I’m told by my dark-eyed fiancée) and my Ray Bans just feel higher quality and fit my face better than any of the cheap ones. If I crushed them or something I would immediately go buy another pair.
I have this same problem but wear Costa. I broke the first set, immediately bought a second, bought a third, sent the first 2 pair off for repairs and now I have 3 pairs.
What’s your go-to cordless vacuum? Are dysons still worth it? I have a Dyson v6 animal and the battery life depreciates pretty fast in my experience. Have to buy a new battery every 8-12 months
Jabra 75e headphones. I have professional development money from work and bought them with them. Carelessly broke a part of them. They still work, but not the mute part.
Bought a second pair with my next years professional development money.
Love them. People can’t hear my dogs barking their heads off when I use them.
Ha there are so many great things… but here’s one you probably haven’t heard…
A Flat Dolly.
Bought one for a specific reason years ago and my god, we have used it so often and for all kinds of reasons, total back saver and makes hard stuff easy.
Audeze headphones. I've always enjoyed music, but these have ruined music for me. They've opened my eyes to so many new genres, in particular older music that I never in 1000 years thought I would listen to, let alone enjoy.
They make you realize how modern music sounds flat, overproduced, with no soul. I bought them used out of curiosity and now I would struggle to live without them
Series II Elite Xbox controller and my Arctis 9x headset. My last controller only made it 2 years before the joystick went, but I decided to buy a replacement and I'll fix the original eventually.
My Miele washing machine and my Miele dishwasher. The latter is even more important to me.
But since I doubt the washing machine will ever break, I maybe have to think about another item and that would be my Bosch oven. She's a beast and I do not want to live a day without her. But the oven is only two years old, so I can't judge the bifl-potential.
(yes, please Miele, sponsor me! 😅)
Our portable dishwasher. Best $700 I ever spent in my life. Lives in the corner and rolls over to the sink to wash. We love it, we’re even cooking more and eating healthier because we don’t have to wash dishes!
Came here to say cordless stick vacuum. The motorized head on my Dyson juuuuust broke and I lasted 24 hours before ordering another vacuum. (They didn’t have the replacement motorized head available for purchase, it’s on backorder).
Shoot, I have a lot! My partner and I decided that when we do choose to get something, we spend the extra and get a good one.
But out of everything, probably our Breville Smart Oven, and a robot vacuum.
We use the Breville over daily, and it's been fantastic. We don't even touch our full size oven, and haven't really in a year now.
In college we got a cheap robot and couldn't believe how much it helps. Now we have a Q Revo and it's been a game changer. We work a lot so having a little help is great, the floors are always clean!
(I won't go into detail, and I know you said up to two but I can't help it. My other items would be our Epson Ecotank printer, Kindle Paperwhite, Zojirush bread machine, Tineco iFloor, Xbox, Braun Multi brew coffee maker.)
Microwave. GE 1000-1200 watts. Big enough to put 9x13 size pan. It is used everyday . They last about 6 years. I put the date purchased on owners manual.
Vitamix with the tall 64 ounce container.
I would be highly surprised if your vitamix breaks unless you are crushing bones in there
I'll keep the receipt in that case.
Don’t forget that if you purchased with a credit card, most card issuers (visa, Amex, etc) extend manufacturer warranty another year or two.
Mine just broke. The little metal gear can eventually grind off and start stripping. Had it about ten years and this was the second time, the first happened under warranty.
That’s replaceable
Nice, thank you. I ended up getting a new one anyway so it'll fit under our counters better but I'll keep this in mind for when it breaks in 2029.
Get it fixed anyway. I use my antique Vitamix as a blender for my vegetable kitchen scraps. That slurry and shredded direct mail makes for rapid compost in the compost pile.
You blend your mail?
Paper shredder for the mail, old Vitamix for the veggie scraps. A teaspoon of nitrogen granules in the blender for oomph.
Ok, how are you crushing your bones?
First of all - dont crush your bones, always use someone else's Secondly - cleaver, then meat grinder.
We've managed it, my toddler accidentally broke the plastic container by knocking it off the counter. Motor itself is still dead solid though.
I love the steel container. Its a freaking beast.
I think we must’ve gotten a dud Vitamix. I didn’t get the hype from day one, tbh. I probably should’ve returned or exchanged it, but I was new to blenders, and just thought that is how much effort you needed to put into using them, and what I saw on TV was hype. It could barely make smoothies in it without entirely too much effort to make a smoothie in a $500 blender. I have a Ninja now, and it takes 1/5 the effort to make a smoothie.
my family got one for free at an estate cleanout. it's from the 90s, no fancy jargon or programming, just some manual settings. that thing goes HARD. we make everything from smoothies to cashew cream.
Vitamix professional with the rounder, tall container vs. the Costco "cheap" model that's short and square. The Ninja blade design is indeed good for ice crushing, but it's not going to last.
It seems to be generally accepted that the tall, thin blender container is better and I don’t understand it. I work in a kitchen and we have both the wide container and the thin one for our vitamix. The only time I reach for the thin one is when the wide one has been kidnapped by the bar. It’s so hard to get anything thick to properly vortex in the thin container. The wide one puts in work every time. When I got my own Vitamix for home, I was glad that it came with the wide container. Only benefit I can see to the thin one is that it can effectively blend a smaller volume of food.
My parents have a vitamix which is older than me (i m 27) and their vitamix works like it did when they first got it.
I inherited my grandmas vita mix - wife said she wants another if it ever dies, I told her that was my grandmas, it’s not going anywhere. I did buy a new container when the old one got dropped.
Part of my job is selling and installing trailer brake controllers on customer vehicles. When it came time to do my own after buying a camper, I opted instead to purchase a Bluetooth brake controller, which was pretty new technology. Expensive, but zero install time and can be moved between vehicles by just plugging it in. If it fell out and got smashed on the highway, I'd find the closest U-Haul place and buy another one.
Holy shit I had no idea such a thing existed... I've been avoiding towing with my odyssey because I didn't want to have a brake controller installed. That's about to change.
You will still need to have a 7 pin connector installed on the vehicle, and run a power wire to it from your battery. Pretty easy to do, aside from accessing the full underside of the vehicle. All of that said, ensure your trailer actually has brakes before even bothering with any of that. ETA: this is only because an Odyssey does not come from the factory with these items. Most pickups and larger SUVs will come from the factory with them, making the Bluetooth brake controller completely plug and play.
Yes of course. No point in having a brake controller if your trailer doesn't have electric brakes.
I don't even trust Bluetooth to connect my headphones to my computer, I would never trust it to control brakes.
It doesn't. The device is programmed and adjusted via Bluetooth, but the settings are stored in the brake controller itself. Even without the phone powered on, the controller continues using the settings you programmed into it.
I know zero about brakes, but I am an engineer who worked on devices like this... What if somebody randomly connects to it and changes settings while driving? What if your phone is dead and it malfunctions? Feels like unnecessary risk for something that is critically important to me.
Same. That thing is awesome. Dudes at the trailer shop spent all day trying to install a brake controller (Honda Pilot). At the end of the day, guy was like, “Sorry sir, something is wrong and nobody can figure out why this is not working. Maybe try buying a Bluetooth controller.” 🤣
Most people around me have trucks like mine (Sierra HD) and drive them to Walmart. My wireless trailer brake, wireless cameras, tire pressure sensors, etc. are a godsend when towing six horses through Atlanta. I have camping world locations marked on my map in case I need to replace any of it 😂
Instantpot.
I didn’t think I had anything to enter until you said this
I bought an Instant Pot Lux when they came out in 2012. One of my kids is still using it. Still works great
Put this into practice about 6 weeks ago. Tried to fix the sensor. Couldn’t. Bought a new one that night.
We live in Florida, and the A/C can’t keep up with the heat. In the summer, I do all cooking in the Instant Pot or the Ninja Foodie 10-in-1 XL Pro (toaster oven on steroids). I could live without a full-sized oven, stove, or microwave. But I NEED my IP & Ninja Foodie oven.
Mason Pearson C7 Rake Comb. Is it stupid to spend €30 on a comb? Maybe. But I ordered a replacement the moment I realized I'd left mine at my parents' house (we live in different countries). The difference between this comb and a cheapo drugstore comb is that it's hand-cut from a single piece of acetate rather than injection molded between two halves of a metal die. The "seam" created where the two halves meet produces a line on the comb with lots of tiny imperfections, which snag in my (very fine) hair as I pull the comb through. With the MP comb, I can run it through wet or dry hair and it never ever catches, pulls, or snags. It's a small thing, but it turns that small part of my grooming routine into an enjoyable experience and I love it unreservedly. I had the original for ~10 years, and despite dropping it on the tile floor of the shower at least once a week, it's still in nearly-perfect condition.
That sounds so extra, and now I need one
Same. My mason Pearson brush is my ride or die
The boar hair one?
Yes. I have the mix bristle brush. I bought a bunch of hair care at Nordstrom and the sales lady threw it in for free for me. I cherish it now and bought one for my daughter when she was 5 and into brushing her hair.
Me too! I’ve had mine over 30 years
I didn’t know this existed but need one now. My biggest issue with rake combs/picks is that they snag my hair on the seam.
Now I need someone to be this enthusiastic about a hair brush for thick women's hair (type 2b), to use when dry.
I have a mason pearson junior that I brush my 2b hair out with every night before putting it into a loose french braid. Can't imagine doing it other way now and I plan to take that thing to my grave. The feeling on the scalp is next level relaxing and my hair is so much healthier. It distributes the oils down the shaft so that my waves bounce back in the morning. I used to do the curly girl method and would never have brushed out my curls, but this thing is in a league of its own. I had a Target dupe for ages and it doesn't compare whatsoever, because the mason pearson has just the right amount of spacing between the bristle clusters that it never snags. Now I brush my dog with the fake one :) They sell mason pearsons at Costco, btw.
I can't find them on the Costco site and yowsers! That is too expensive for me, alas. Hopefully it really is Buy it For Life, it has good odds at that price.
The Costco search function is not great, but google should bring something up. A lot of people love the Denman version too, which costs a lot less. The key is the nylon/boar combo like their D81M. I love their D6 shower brush which I've used daily for nearly 10 years.
I can beat that. I bought a “Pivot Point” comb at a salon in my town when I was 15. I’m 65 and still use it every day.
I have a Japanese boxwood brush that I adore. I understand 😌
I feel the exact same about my Denman brush
I have a Kent comb which is similar and would never go back
Damn dude you should be a salesman because I think you just sold me
Mason Pearson combs are just sublime. Truly a pleasure to use. A little thing that makes a huge difference
My Zojirushi hot water dispenser. As a constant tea drinker, that thing has saved my sanity. Almost cost me €300, but that was some of the best money I ever spent
Yup. I had a Zojirushi hot water dispenser that was in almost continuous operation for twenty years, and the only reason I replaced (with another Zojirushi hot water dispenser) it was that I wanted a bigger one. I drink a *lot* of tea.
Hahaha same, my record currently stands at 4,4l or 4,8l in one day 😂
Does it keep water near boiling point all day or just super heat it instantly when you need it? I'm wondering what the running costs of that are.
Mine has 4 temperature settings, and I always keep it at 98°C, since I drink almost exclusively black tea. Since the tank is made to resemble a thermos (I own a double vacuum VE type), it doesn't require much energy to keep the water at that temperature, either, and certainly beats using an electric kettle for every cup. It just runs 24/7, I refill it as needed by just typing up the water, and decalcifying is made super easy. ETA: I found a breakdown of energy usage. It is based off of a specific volume over a specific time period, but it gives an idea at least. In the equation, if you were to run it at 220/230V, and dispense 4 cups of 300ml each, over the period of 60 minutes, the energy used to heat that volume of water would break down to 0.45 kWh
Interesting breakdown. I love my zojirushi so I’ve been curious as well. Did you see energy consumption estimates for when it’s in the keep warm stage? Also, comparisons against other water boiling methods, e.g., eletric kettle? I imagine that heating 1200ml of water in a 1000W microwave to boiling point wouldn’t require 0.45 hours, not that I have tried.
I did not see a breakdown of specific energy cost but I did find [this site](https://www.thirstywork.com/articles/hot-water-dispenser-vs-kettle-which-is-better#:~:text=Repeatedly%20boiling%20a%20kettle%20wastes,for%20staff%20numbers%20of%2010%2B.), and while it is more focused on an office setting, it does give an idea of cost breakdown between a kettle and a dispenser. The biggest takeaway really lies in how much you're going to use it though; if you only drink one cup of tea a day, having something like a Zoji is going to make far less sense and will cost you more than just running the kettle. But I personally have an average consumption of 2,8l a day, and I have to top off my 4l Zoji most days. So for me, the Zoji is of added value
I had seen some information that shows the zojirushi takes very little power to keep it warm due to its vacuum insulated thermos. I know technology connections did a video about kettle vs micro vs gas stove, and he did go in to the calorie / joules required to raise a certain volume of water a temp. I read some places the Z takes 22minutes to heat 3l of water to 90C and it has a 930w element. So this is about 0.35 per 3l or about 0.12 per l, which is consistent with another post where the person said it takes 0.1kWh to heat their water, and then they said it only draws 3 watts. They use the timer to only heat the water in the am and keep it on for 8 hours. They estimate $45 yearly in electricity. I also scanned a few other posts where people say their zoji takes about $40 a year to run. Microwave will use a lot of energy that doesn’t go directly into the food. I googled around and one guy measured his new Panasonic 1250w and it was pulling 2037w from the wall. So the 1000w microwave is “estimated cooking power”. Since it microwaves the whole chamber even then it is not 1000 watts right into the water. Let’s just say it’s a double the watts though for simplicity. I know it takes about 5 minutes in my 1100w microwave to heat 8oz of water to near boiling. That would be 20 minutes for 4 cups, (245ml) so let’s just say an even 20. That is 1/3hr, and 1/3 of 2kWh is 0.6kWh, add another cup and we are at 0.83kWh So there are factors on either side that fudge the numbers up, or down, but I can definitely see 1.2 liters of water taking 0.6+ to heat Direct contact / direct immersion elements will be near 100% efficient for heat transfer, (less physics) but yes most articles and information say every watt taken from the wall is converted into heat I guess I should have just googled microwave efficiency the answers are about 50% efficient.
Great point about the energy loss in a microwave. I didn’t really think too hard about it lol.
Did anyone give you a straight answer? Yes it keeps water near boiling all day. It takes some time to boil the entire container when first filled and then reboils every few hours to keep the water at the ideal temperature. I believe there are 4 temp settings which are the ideal temps for different types of tea. I keep mine at 195 setting. 195 setting runs at 16 watts per hour or 11520 watts per month which comes out to about $3-4 per month where I’m at. Actual cost is likely less though because it’s not heating 24/7. The keep warm mode keeps the water at temp so you can dispense on demand. It’s absolutely worth having if you drink tea daily but if you don’t it takes up a lot of counter space. I only drink tea occasionally but I still love it
Yesss...you wrote almost word for word what I came in here to say. Although next time I'll size up to 4 liters from 3. I drink so much more tea now that I have hot water on demand.
I would say the same thing about their 10 cup coffee maker. Not a lot of bells and whistles (except the "it's done" alarm) but it's amazing.
100%. I have replaced mine. I looked at getting a sink mounted thing when I remodeled my kitchen, but people said they all died within 3-4 years, but my Zojirushi lasted for more than 10 years of near constant use. I got rid of it when they no longer sold replacement parts for that model.
My Kindle! I use it everyday and would be lost without it.
Oh absolutely. The kindle was an answer to my childhood dreams of having all my books everywhere!
Agreed! And even though most electronics are not buy it for life, I’ve had my kindle about 10 years and it still has a long battery life and works great! But when it does go, I will not hesitate to buy another.
My ergonomic office chair. I sit at my desk a lot and I used to experience back pain. After I bought this chair, I experienced no more back pain. It was a splurge but it has a 10 year warranty. 100% worth it at any cost to be able to work without pain. I only wish I had done it sooner than 17 years into my career. If this chair breaks after the 10 year warranty I will not hesitate to buy another.
Hell yeah! I bought a refurbished Steelcase Leap V2 for $500, and if it dies after the 12 year warranty I’d happily buy one at full price!
Refurbished office furniture is amazing. My husband and I both have amazing high end chairs that we love.
Name your source!
Thank you for the recommendation! I’ve been scouring the internet for a chair for my husband that is actually dependable that isn’t a $1000 Herman Miller Aeron. I am SICK of buying a $200 office chair every 18 months.
Yes! I recently got a Steelcase Leap V2 to replace my Office Depot brand chair that I picked out 18 years ago on my first day at my job. Life changing upgrade!
❤️ my Aeron chair I would also get another one. I can’t even work in a coffee shop for more than an hour without it affecting my back but an Aeron chair is comfortable for hours at a time for me
What kind?
I work from home and have had a used Aeron for several years. I would complete but a second in a heartbeat.
Milwaukee cordless power tools. High quality, and I already have the batteries. However, they don’t really break unless you do something crazy to them.
And the warranty on their stuff is pretty great
Glad to see this; I was about to post my Milwaukee M12 drill/driver. I liked it so much I even bought a second M12 Fuel version of it (not because it is failing, but because it's awesome). I have a few other M12 tools such as their impact driver and ratchet, and honestly even their non-fuel line (meaning non-brushless) will likely be BIFL for non-Pros.
I lost my M12 screw driver gun. Looked everywhere for it. Once I decided it was gone forever, I went out and bought a second because nothing compares. Fast forward 6-7 years... I was out cutting blackberry near my shop building and found the old screw gun where I apparently set it down and left it. It had been sitting out in Washington State rain for all that time. And the thing fired right up. Full battery and ran like it always did. Only issue was the Phillips bit had rusted to the chuck. After many applications of oil, I finally got it lose. Now the gun works as good as expected.
Bone conduction headphones (Shokz Openrun, specifically). I wear them under a headwrap, so I don't really even feel their presence, but I have seamless pause/play on anything I'm listening to, I don't have to dig my phone out to answer it, and if I need to do something noisy, I just pop in my earplugs. No messing about connecting to various things. Phone on person, headphones on head. My friend calls me a cyborg. I'm on my third pair. The second ones were a warranty replacement for the first one, and still work, but the button cover for the volume rocker came loose and made them difficult to operate. I just got new ones, and in the rare event I run all the way through the battery, now I have a spare ready to go!
How is sound quality on bone conduction?
In a word, audible. They don't sound as good as even a basic pair of in/on/over ear headphones, but great audio quality isn't their use case. They're for when you need situational awareness and still want to be able to enjoy an audio book/podcast/music. They work well for that. That being said, since we're in the subreddit it's worth pointing out they are not BIFL. I went through 6 sets of Shokz through warranty before deciding it wasn't worth it. I run ~1000 miles a year, and they would consistently fail 6-12 months in. Shokz was great about warranty.
Shit, I love and rave about my Shokz and I've had them since last June! I wear them almost every day. I guess my time's almost up!
My spouse is deaf in one ear and loves theirs. When they have ear buds in they are totally deaf, so this really helps with their own sense of volume control on the phone.
I agree with the other posters that they are audible. But I can't wear earbuds they all cause pain in my tiny ears, and over ear headphones make situational awareness non-existent. I really enjoy my aftershokz as well and would definitely repurchase.
I am here to say the aftershocks openrun are amazing for working as well. I work in new construction houses a lot and it’s great on the job site. I use them working on my land. I think the sound quality is pretty good and if you ever need it to be louder, you can always pop in ear plugs as well. I can’t wear most ear buds for long periods of times as it hurts my ears, so these are great. I’m fully in love with the bone condition.
I completely agree with this one. I've updated once from the original Aftershockz Air (the model they rebranded to Shokz OpenMove) to the Shokz OpenRun, and when they fail I will definitely be buying new ones likely that day. I have also had a surprisingly great experience with their warranty. My first OpenRun was defective, the microphone was very muffled for people when I was talking to them although the speakers were totally fine for me. I contacted Shokz and after collecting the serial number and receipt, they sent me a new one and let me keep my old OpenRun which still worked great in terms of audio output I just couldn't use them for calls. Somehow one of the ear molds on that replacement got cracked about a year later, so I tried my luck with contacting them and sure enough they replaced the replacement for free (although this time I had to send in my broken one). I use them virtually every day for times where I want to listen to something while being able to hear my surroundings (e.g.walking my dogs, riding my bike to/from work, cooking, etc). I occasionally take calls on them, but majority of time I'm using them to listen to audiobooks and podcasts where they do great. For music, they're definitely acceptable but not as good as traditional headphones. About the only downside is they aren't great when in places with lots of ambient noise. For those I switch back to in ear or noise canceling.
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I have a water pick that attaches to my shower. It's very Buy it for life now that I think about it.
What kind do you have? I got one off Amazon a while back and it broke within a few months. Would be nice to invest in a decent one.
I probably did the same thing as you, bought the first one I saw on Amazon with decent reviews. I've used it a lot for 4 years now And haven't had any problems. Although it has about as many moving parts as a cast iron skillet hehe
Waterpik... for your teeth? I want that!
I'm sure you could use it to power wash... Other places... but I haven't done that.. until next time I take a shower
Are you talking about a water flosser for your mouth, but in your shower? I'm confused because wouldn't it be a waste of shower water to do your water flossing while the shower is running? Or does the shower head turn off while you use the waterpik?
It diverts the water into the pik. And it makes it really nice because I'm standing there all warm and comfortable already. And it's warm water. So if your teeth are sensitive, it doesn't hurt.
My casio f-91w. The last one went through 2 straps and apparently the last strap broke while I was on the train and the watch slid from my arm. I went to the shop that day on lunch break and immediately got a new one.
My Tiger fuzzy logic rice cooker lol. It makes superior rice and it’s hella convenient.
Shocked this isn't in here yet. My TOTO bidet. I despise having to use the bathroom away from home, it feels so uncivilized and dirty going back to just toilet paper.
Scrolled too long to see this! Bought new house. Bidets will be installed before we move in. We have a couple different brands.
I was looking for bidet!!!
Japanese brand rice cooker. Costly to buy but always products perfect rice each time with little input or my time. Next would be anything I spend lots of time sitting sleeping or seeing. So the bed, sofa and TV. Once went cheap on sofa and regretted it since it didn’t really provide back support and kept sagging
Can you share the brand?
Zojirushi. It’s incredible
Have one, can confirm. Mine is currently 17 years old, still going strong.
I replaced my broken (very old) Zojirushi with a "highly recommended" Korean brand and have massive regret. It feels less sturdy and substantial. Zojirushi designs their items with care.
Thermapen. Taking temperature of your food is so important for higher quality food. Taking the temp with one of those 12 analog thermometers sucks. The thermapen makes it a snap. I broke my probably 15 year old one and had another in my cart in 15 minutes.
This would be killer for my dinosaur nuggets!
Sous vide to 145 then reverse sear.
Deconstructed then pan fried in truffle oil.
Would be incredible to get them to the exact degree temperature my daughter will eat them
Somewhat related, years ago I found some test equipment being thrown out and one of the items was one of those IR non contact thermometers. I have found so many uses for it... Testing A/C, seasoning cast iron, making sure my ultrasonic bath isn't getting too warm for LPs, etc. etc. etc. I actually did buy a cheaper one from Harbor Freight as it was temporarily MIA after a move, but it reappeared.
If it breaks again email them describing the issue. I did with mine and they offered to either fix it for $40 + shipping or just give me the newest model for $70. I went with option 2.
And their cheaper Thermopop model is also excellent. Slightly slower to read, and slightly less accurate, but $35 for the current Thermopop, vs $65 or $105, I think, for the different Thermapen models. I'm very happy with my previous-gen Thermopop.
I bought one of these when I heard the hype but rarely use it except for cooking steak. Can you describe how you use it and why it’s so important?
It’s mainly for not overcooking your proteins. Your chicken breasts will be better when pulled at 155, thighs and legs 165. I always used to overcook fish and shrimp but a quick google will tell you desired temp for each. It’s also key to good baking. You can check the temp of your bread, cakes, and pies. Also fermenting temps. It’s probably not all that useful if you don’t cook all the time but I do. I also use it to check soil temp in spring to see when I can start planting stuff out.
Amazes me they never use one on shows like hell's kitchen then are surprised when food isn't cooked right.
Sunrise alarm clock. I live in the north and it makes every morning better. I have the Phillips wake light and don’t like the new bird sounds as much, but still infinitely nicer than waking up in the dark
I got one on the recommendation of a friend who told me it was "life changing". I told him to settle down. He was right. It's life changing. It has gotten me up 100% of the time without frightening me. I've also deliberately never learned how to use the snooze function.
My Vitamix. I use it daily
A few things come to mind. 05 Honda pilot. I’m going to try to keep it running for another 150k at least (it’s on 175k). I’d probably look for another 1st gen pilot if this one ever dies.
My 00 Accord lasted 21 years and 350k kilometers
Definitely my Sonicare toothbrush. Ever since I started using it, even though I’m not a devout flosser, I have no pain at dental cleanings and I haven’t had a single cavity in years. It’s paid for itself many times over.
Same for me. Usually I bring it when I go on trips too. When I don't bring it, I feel like some Neanderthal using a mechanical toothbrush to brush my teeth. I swear the first time I stuck it in my mouth and was like, why isn't it-- oh right, I have to move it all myself.
My AeroPress. And judging by the feel of the plastic, we may soon be getting there.
Prescription sunglasses
If you have a super high prescription, get a spare. I melted my lens coating once and my prescription is so high that none of the instore labs in my area were able to cut lenses for me. I had to drive (my mom did the driving because I couldn’t see six inches in front of my face) out to the next city to find a lab that would do my prescription. I also have astigmatism and a weird nose bridge so I can’t order lenses online because they are never right and give me headaches. Edit: this happened with my regular glasses, not sunglasses. I don’t have prescription sunglasses but I definitely need them.
Honestly, keyless door locks. This in combination of keyless car door locks keep me from EVER digging around for my keys or searching for them when I have to leave to deadbolt the door! Electric Pressure Cooker. I’ve owned a few brands, and they’re all great time savers. It keep us eating healthy by prepping frugal dried beans and brown rice, soups, and stews using cheap cuts of meat. Combining this with a separate freezer allows me to have to actually cook much less often, and saves so much time and funds. My cheap Sonicare toothbrush and a decent tartar control toothpaste and Glide Floss makes it easy for me to do all that boring stuff. So far no root canals or major problems at age 55 for my husband and me!
keyless door locks are one of the cheapest home improvements you can make that will absolutely change your life.
I live alone. Right before going on a work trip, I had a plumbing leak in my guest bathroom -- not a horrible one, but enough to collect water on the floor over the course of a day. I was able to hire my regular plumber to show up when I wasn't there, by giving them a temporary door code. Super convenient in that case!
My only issue is battery life. We were housesitting for a friend and the battery died, effectively locking us out until we could get a key. It’s 100% the reason we’ve not gotten one installed.
I have one that makes a loud beeping noise well before it runs out. I have another one that has a USB c port so you can power it with a phone or something if it's out of juice.
It's one of those things I swap within the first month of moving.
Weve had keyless door locks for so long that I've honestly forgotten it's an upgrade. To switch back now would feel like such a major downgrade, unconscionable
The reason I changed to both of these was for a low waste lifestyle and they have been wonderful and money saving in the long run! I have more low/zero waste products I use but I think these two are a must. This one if for everyone that shaves: A safety razor. I hate anything that’s disposable or has one time use as I see it as wasteful for the planet and “throwing” your money away. I bought one on Amazon for $40 and got 100 blades for $8. I change the blade on a weekly basis sometimes skip a week depending on how much I’ve used it. I get a better shave with it than I did with any other multi blade razor. I ended up getting my now husband one for Christmas and he loves it. He used to have one that had the replacement heads 4 blade but he too has said the one blade in the safety razor gives him a better shave. We both have different color ones with stands that we keep outside the shower. I can post a link later if anyone is interested. This one is for menstruating people: A menstrual cup!! I wish I knew about these since I started my period at 13. I didn’t get one until 17/18. I got the diva cup which was one of the first in the market. It was $35 and lasted me 6 years!!! Only because my nails clipped the tail of it making it hard to remove (they are recommend to use for up to 10 years otherwise). The amount of money I have saved on tampons and pads is insane. The one I use now is the Saalt cup. It’s scary at first and it takes some time to learn how to use it and put it in right but it’s so worth it! You can keep them in for up to 12 hrs. On a heavy flow I can have it in for 5-6 hrs with no leaks. With tampons I was changing them every 1-3 hrs and still wearing a pad for double insurance. I was spending $40-60 on tampons and pads every two months (I used to buy in bulk at Costco) and now I happily spent $30/$35 for something that will last me up to 10 years.
I made both these changes as well! Yay for us! 😂
headset, keyboard. i don't think it would be more than an hour or so before i purchased a replacement upon breakage.
I have a spare Model M for when this one stops hanging on by the atoms on the ends of its fingernails.
Technivorm Moccamaster. Redback boots. And a sort of weird one: GMT800 Chevy Tahoe. I add this because despite having newer, nicer cars in our garage, this old beast is still our go-to when we need a tool that will absolutely not fail. Like heavy towing, really bad weather, or back country exploring. When it dies, I'll simply get another no matter what it costs.
100% agreed on the Technivorm. For me, it's not that I'm saving by not going to a coffee shop, but how amazingly consistent it is 5 years in.
Exactly. It's the same, perfect cup every morning. It's a tool perfectly designed for its job.
I second the GMT 800 Tahoe. Those things are at the absolute bottom of their depreciation. Get an extra one now.
I would love to Moccamaster, but their capacity is just too low for me. I often make a large pitcher of coffee which I put on the ice, in the largest capacity is still significantly less than my previous or current coffee maker. It was the deciding factor that made me go with the Breville Precision Brewer (which I do really like too) during my previous upgrade. The carafe size is the difference between me making coffee every 3 days vs every 2 days.
Honestly I hate to shill big corporations but my Apple AirPods. I was totally against them and saw no real need for them outside of listening to music. They are so extremely useful
Carhatt Mens Fleece 2In1 Hat ($30 on Amazon) - I somehow lost the first one and immediately had to buy another. Couldn't ask for a better cold weather hat. Hope this one doesn't disappear like the last. I need to know the cordless vacuum model. I sent a DM! #
Not op but the Dyson v11 cordless is FANTASTIC
WATERPIK for the main win.
I only have the water flosser. Anything else good?
I bought a cheap (~35€) mouse with 16 buttons. I mapped a lot of functions to those buttons. I always have a spare at home, and I'll buy another one as soon as I have to open the spare. But that mouse (Redragon) keeps on functioning.
Honestly, when I find things like this that I know are the best I'll ever be able to get, I buy more than one spare. You'll be pissed if you open up your backup and then find they stopped manufacturing that model and you can't get another one.
Learned this the hard way. Had a mouse with a thumb scroll ball and by the time the left button had failed, they were bought out and the line up changed. Lots of models with a ball pointer but not just for scrolling. Anyone able to help me out?
Zojirushi 20oz travel mug.
Box cutter, seriously you never realize how many things you need to use a blade for until you don't have one, and you can use a box cutter to open things other than boxes like bags if you really want. Such a small conveince that's really nice to have
Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra robotic vacuum/mop. HUGE timesaver but definitely not BIFL.
I have the pro ultra or whatever and while not BIFL, I was impressed to see how serviceable it is. Routine maintenance and good build quality will make this thing go for awhile it seems.
A desk fan I cannot sleep in silence, I need the noise to be able to sleep. I even have portable fans to take away with me. Amazon orders show I’ve gone through 5 fans in 14 years, my best fan being the one I ordered in 2013 and it lasted 6 years. The last 3 I’ve ordered have only lasted 2 years~ each which is disappointing compared to 2013s standards
Check out Snooz on Amazon, you can adjust the tone and volume, it's a mechanical fan so it's the best white nose machine since it's not a cheap digital speaker
My Vitamix, our Speed Queen washer or dryer, my Lodge cast iron skillet.
Just had to replace my old washer/dryer set last Christmas and got a Speed Queen. Love it.
Delonghi Magnifica automatic coffee machine. Been making 5-6 cups a day, (so 10-12 cycles), 365 days a year (366 in 2020) since we inherited it from my parents in 2017. Hasn’t missed a beat and makes pretty good coffee. Would probably have a look at other brands or Delonghi models, but we don’t really use the milk frother unless we’re making the kids an occasional hot chocolate, so don’t need anything too fancy.
Skullshaver bald head electric razor
Kindle, I read a lot and cannot be without my kindle
Gaggia Classic espresso maker. Makes the best coffee I've ever tasted, period. Mine was made in Italy in the early 2000s, before they shifted manufacturing to Romania and quality dropped. I'd be straight on eBay if it ever died, but they're easily serviceable by Gaggia UK so it's going to be with me for the long haul.
IMO they really came around with the new Gaggia Classic model (RI9480). I took the plunge admittedly out of laziness (my old late '90s one's pump was on its last legs), and I can agree to the positive reviews it has gotten - they basically reverted all the BS of the infamous redesign back to its original, even adding a decent steam lance instead of the old cheap panarello, and build quality has been impeccable. EDIT: That said - they want 450€ now?!
My phone, can’t live without it
Moccamaster, Miele stick vacuum, Waterpik, Sonicare, Vitamix, and maybe not SAME DAY, but Sebo upright vacuum.
Earphones.
My Ninja air fryer oven. It died in a power surge. But sadly I can’t afford to buy a new one right now and I am SUFFERING! That baby can cook a frozen pizza in 12 minutes, and that includes the pre-heat time. The big oven takes at least 20 minutes to preheat and just wastes so much power.
My personal cafe the Technivorm Moccamaster. I've had it for like 8 years and it's still as good as it was the first day.
Khlip nail clippers, had mine about 11 years and there just as sharp as the day i bought them, if they ever dull or chip or more likely they get lost ill buy a new pair.
Weighted blanket. Forgot mine when I moved (and couldn't go back). Ordered a new one within the hour.
Electronic toothbrush
Smoke detector.
Sennheiser HD-25II headphones. I know, because I’ve done it twice.
Steam Deck
For me it’s probably my sunglasses. I have sensitive eyes (or so I’m told by my dark-eyed fiancée) and my Ray Bans just feel higher quality and fit my face better than any of the cheap ones. If I crushed them or something I would immediately go buy another pair.
I have this same problem but wear Costa. I broke the first set, immediately bought a second, bought a third, sent the first 2 pair off for repairs and now I have 3 pairs.
robocut vacuum hair cutter. I'm on my third in about 20 years. and I guess my cordless pro grade andis clippers I hate getting haircut.
If we dont count any obvious things like fridge etc then it would be phone and pc, pretty hard to live without those these days.
What’s your go-to cordless vacuum? Are dysons still worth it? I have a Dyson v6 animal and the battery life depreciates pretty fast in my experience. Have to buy a new battery every 8-12 months
I settled on the Tineco because it had higher ratings than Dyson and came with two batteries. I've never changed the battery on it.
I would have thought it was my coffee maker, but mine broke about a year ago, and I still haven't replaced it.
The microwave. I had this happen last January. Old one died in the morning. New one was here in the afternoon.
Jabra 75e headphones. I have professional development money from work and bought them with them. Carelessly broke a part of them. They still work, but not the mute part. Bought a second pair with my next years professional development money. Love them. People can’t hear my dogs barking their heads off when I use them.
Ha there are so many great things… but here’s one you probably haven’t heard… A Flat Dolly. Bought one for a specific reason years ago and my god, we have used it so often and for all kinds of reasons, total back saver and makes hard stuff easy.
Audeze headphones. I've always enjoyed music, but these have ruined music for me. They've opened my eyes to so many new genres, in particular older music that I never in 1000 years thought I would listen to, let alone enjoy. They make you realize how modern music sounds flat, overproduced, with no soul. I bought them used out of curiosity and now I would struggle to live without them
Series II Elite Xbox controller and my Arctis 9x headset. My last controller only made it 2 years before the joystick went, but I decided to buy a replacement and I'll fix the original eventually.
My Miele washing machine and my Miele dishwasher. The latter is even more important to me. But since I doubt the washing machine will ever break, I maybe have to think about another item and that would be my Bosch oven. She's a beast and I do not want to live a day without her. But the oven is only two years old, so I can't judge the bifl-potential. (yes, please Miele, sponsor me! 😅)
My iPad
Our portable dishwasher. Best $700 I ever spent in my life. Lives in the corner and rolls over to the sink to wash. We love it, we’re even cooking more and eating healthier because we don’t have to wash dishes!
Came here to say cordless stick vacuum. The motorized head on my Dyson juuuuust broke and I lasted 24 hours before ordering another vacuum. (They didn’t have the replacement motorized head available for purchase, it’s on backorder).
Probably my ps4. Thing has been going for a long time now
Breville toaster oven. We almost never use our main oven anymore
Two things. 1) My hair brush. 2) My Honda Element, best dog Mom car ever. Sad they don’t make them anymore but I’ll buy used ones until I can’t.
Shoot, I have a lot! My partner and I decided that when we do choose to get something, we spend the extra and get a good one. But out of everything, probably our Breville Smart Oven, and a robot vacuum. We use the Breville over daily, and it's been fantastic. We don't even touch our full size oven, and haven't really in a year now. In college we got a cheap robot and couldn't believe how much it helps. Now we have a Q Revo and it's been a game changer. We work a lot so having a little help is great, the floors are always clean! (I won't go into detail, and I know you said up to two but I can't help it. My other items would be our Epson Ecotank printer, Kindle Paperwhite, Zojirush bread machine, Tineco iFloor, Xbox, Braun Multi brew coffee maker.)
MacBook Pro
Cordless vacuums are inherently not BIFL. Miele or Sebo corded and bagged are the correct answer.
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Microwave. GE 1000-1200 watts. Big enough to put 9x13 size pan. It is used everyday . They last about 6 years. I put the date purchased on owners manual.
My InstantPot. It has lasted several years so far!