You must log in or register to comment.
‘for life’ is a pretty tall order for shoes, but with available refurbishing, I have had two (identical) pair of Mephisto cap-toe shoes for… About 22 years?
Both have been sent back, rebuilt and returned more than once.
Also, about as comfortable as running shoes. If you are stuck in a suits-required career field, do yourself a favor.
Didn’t know you could get Mephisto in the US! Very French company, their shoes are absolute tanks
They’re starting to push nicer women’s shoes here, but they’re still a bit “old-person-y”
Thanks for the recco, I’ve been looking to get a better pair of boots for awhile.
Also, I feel like this is a good example of
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boots_theory
Spend $400 on a reputable pair of shoes from this company, keep them for 20 years, refurbishing for $155 occasionally.
Or buy a cheap pair of shoes for 40 bucks every 6 months for 20 years
I always see this shit and laugh. It’s sound logic, sure, but not applicable to most people living paycheck to paycheck in America. Which bills should I skip for multiple months in order to have excess money to buy $400 footwear that I HOPE stands up to the test? I usually get a year or two from my shoes and spend about 50 on them on average, and that sucks, but say least I can then also still get groceries and my bills paid. I think a lot of you guys who post these comments think you’re extremely clever and no one else understands long term investments, but it’s way more often the case that you guys have better lots in life and can afford to dump a wad of cash on stuff like this and not break the bank.
I think this is meant to highlight how expensive it is to be poor, not to serve as financial advice for purchases.
I completely agree with you that it’s unhelpful as financial advice but I think the idea behind it is to point out that because poverty forces people to buy substandard products or not products in bulk, it ends up more expensive in the long run
Removed by mod
I have a whole set of older Craftsman handtools that were made in the US and they are excellent. I have some other Dewalt tools that were made in Taiwan which are less so, but still much better than tools made in China.
Those old craftsman tools were fucking legit. And if they ever did break, you could just go get another one at Sears. Craftsman was a god damn national treasure. Crap now tho.
My friend had one that he got from his Grandpa. The thing must have been 60 years old. We broke it by… um… misusing it. We walked into Sears and said “hey, this ratchet broke, and”, the dude cut us off, snatched it out of our hand, grabbed a new one off the wall, handed it to us, and said “have a great day!”. Craftsman was such a badass company before it was bought out by VCs. They kinda rode the reputation into the ground after moving manufacturing to China and got everything they were going to get out of it, so they’re slowly moving manufacturing back to the USA. The new USA stuff is good too, for middle of the line tools.
Didn’t know they brought some back to the US. Is SEARS even still a thing? I got a set from an ace hardware maybe 5-10 years ago n broke the ratchet, but I assumed there was nowhere to exchange it. There are no Sears stores near me.
Sears is no more, but Lowes will honor the warranty.
Good to know. Is the exchange as easy as back in the Sears days?
Idk, since I haven’t tried. My guess is that it’s not as easy as it used to be. Let us know how it goes if you do it!
I agree I’m not a stickler for made in the USA so much as not made in china when possible
I saw a quasi-infomercial on youtube that cast Shopsmith as just that (esp against planned/forced obsolescence). IIRC, they are the only in-usa manufacurer of bench-grade power tools, or something. If only i had a bunch of extra cash and garage space! :)
I associate Shopsmith with that awkward transforming “It’s a lathe! It’s a drill press! It’s a table saw!” thing that can only be described as “cockamamie.”
Lodge cast iron cookware. my pan is 20+ years old and literally better than new.
Lodge is pretty good, but the best cast iron is the old stuff. Most of mine has come from thrift shops.
Yes. I had a pan for almost 20 years and it was never great. In desperation I sanded it smooth.
Turns out that was the problem. New pans aren’t sanded as part of their manufacturing.
I fucked up the seasoning on a newer lodge and just sanded it down with 80 then 120 sandpaper then seasoned from scratch. It is now as smooth as any older pan I’ve found.
I sanded mine down to 600. It’s pretty good now.
I’ve seen some available that are polished smooth from the factory, but I think they’re made in China. Quality seems good though.
Colt 1911 Government Model. Accept no substitute.
I cannot imagine wearing this thing out, no matter what. TWO WORLD WARS!
I joke, but BIFL and “made in the USA”? That one fits the bill to a T.
Dynavap dry herb vaporizer
I used my MFLB for over a decade and it still works but now weed gives me horrid anxiety D:
Same here, I’ve recently been experimenting with 2.5mg edibles. Still a decent amount of anxiety but somewhat tolerable. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to enjoy weed again
I always wanted an MFLB. Those were dope. I haven’t thought about the MFLB in a decade, thank you
They’re trusty little devices! I had one break and they replaced it for free, then I bought a fancy one because I liked them so much.
I’ve had some 5mg drinks and OCCASIONALLY I have an awesome time. The last time I drank one I bought a huge bundle of games off’a itch.io and started Cow Life Sim RPG… played for like six hours. I cannot begin to deceive how much I love that game.
Kirby vacuums. They’re pricy because they basically do door to door selling and there’s a huge markup. For example the starting price the guy quoted was 2k, I declined a few times and he went down to 1k. I later got one from my parents who bought one but didn’t like how heavy it was.
They are monsters. It’s basically a small shop vac with a ton of attachments, including a carpet shampoo scrubby thing. Replacement parts are easy to find 3rd party and I’ve never really had to repair it except replacing a belt and removing hair from the brush. Pretty sure they have lifetime warranties too.
Those things are beasts! We were way too poor to have one of those when I was a kid, but my friend’s parents had one, and it could suck the chrome off a bumper.
Redwing boots
some redwing boots
I was so disappointed in them when I learned that they’re outsourcing some of their manufacturing now.
Mine are over 10 years old and still look great. I wear them everyday and walk several miles a day in them.
I’ve got some pretty good wooden kitchen utensils still going strong. My cast iron skillet is pretty solid as well. I can’t tell you if they were e in this country though. Probably not.
Removed by mod
Removed by mod
in the u.s.?
I’ve always wondered what the limits are for headstones, since you’re supposed to own the land. Can you erect a giant veiny phallus and just make your eternal neighbors jealous?
Yes
So, the Washington Monument?
Like this?
Removed by mod
Socks from Darn Tough Vermont are about as long lasting as it gets for socks. They are pricey but I’ve bought a pair or two a year starting in 2018 and I have yet to have a hole in any of them, and they’ve been worn a lot and have seen some things.
I’m tempted to buy a pair every time REI has a sale. Merino wool is amazing.
They come with a lifetime guarantee. Who gives a lifetime guarantee on socks?! The packaging says “still made in Vermont”, so they definitely understand the value of that. My oldest pair is 9 years old and they’re just as good as they were on day one. They’re seriously great socks. They’re good for everything, but they’re amazing if you’re a hiker or a backpacker. They make a big difference in your foot comfort.
Yeah I have a few already – the thing is, do I want more?
Yes!
