Nothing lasts anymore, y'know planned obsolescence and whatnot but like seriously where do I buy stuff that lasts, I'm talking everything from clothing to appliances, etc
Also clothing companies with lifetime warranties would be good
A lot of research is also put into figuring out what the minimal length of time a customer will tolerate for a product’s lifetime.
What an absolute waste
spending millions to find out i can make number line go up by producing productbad, without considering number line also go up when productgood :cap-think:
Yeah but ignoring the massive waste in garbage, pollution, energy use, time, etc. Why would a company want everyone to buy something every 6 years when if they made it cheaper people will now buy it every 2 years and be almost as happy?
In order to reform the current system, longevity needs to be rewarded and short lifetimes disincentivized. Or you know, just fully change the system of production.
all those waste disposal and energy industries are also profit opportunities, the money markets for pollution are only going up baby! :porky-happy:
Wasn't there like a lightglobe cartel for a while, where all the lightglobe manufactuters agreed to ensure none of their lightglobes would last longer thatn xyz hours, and would always burn out before that time, even though it would have been super-duper easy to make them last 10x as long, but then they'd make 10x less money because nobody is going to buy a lightglobe that costs 10x what the other ones costs, no matter how long its sposed to last. Its really funny you should bring them up actually because I was surfin YouTube the other day and came across an unboxing video for lightglobes that came up while I was watching cute animal videos for some reason, but its supposedly one from Dubai that they made a deal with GE that's really special and you can never get it anywhere else because it would disrupt their business model because of how long it lastts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klaJqofCsu4
honestly? goodwill. For household appliances, so many people get rid of old 1970s or 80s stuff that works perfectly fine but it just "looks" old. You'll have good success if you go to a goodwill in the suburbs if possible. I haven't bought something new in like 5 years now at least. I've got blenders, food processors, crockpots, waffle irons just you name it that are old, and well made.
basically less technology is better for most of these things. i don't need an LED display on my waffle iron, i don't need programable crockpots. Less shit to break
There is no ethical consumption under capitalism. If you're actively seeking out older and more durable tech instead of contributing to mindless consumption and subsequent waste, you're already doing better than most the population. Don't be bullied for being forced to do business with unethical places - that's just the unavoidable reality for far too many.
yeah i agree but the only thrift shop by me only does clothes sadly
for computers? go with UNIX based operating systems no matter your hardware, try to stick to FOSS or at least open source stuff, and you'll find that your computer from the late 90s still mostly handles modern shit. as far as hardware, lenovo makes some crazy durable shit, and buying anything close to a standard geek-culture meme microcontroller has its usefulness-arduino's and pi's stay good for a long ass time, and the pi is a solid single board computer.
as far as clothing: find a local tailor/seamstress. im not even joking. tell them what you want and why, and research durable fabrics. materials science really has come a long way in the past 70 years and cotton is nice, but we an do so much better nowadays. plus you'll be helping a local artisan be self sufficient and hone their craft, and you don't have to rely on somebody else to be your designer, and tailored shit really does look better.
remember seeing some reddit shit about mens pants that were made of next-gen armor material a while back, might be worth looking into if you wear that sort of thing.
there are a few high end sock brands that do this. I remember finding one of them from when my dad had me doing clothes shopping at REI, but i lose socks too often to recall the name.
as far as kitchen stuff: cast iron is the shit, and I've never heard of a broken vitamix. electric lasts longer, and is generally easier to repair, than gas. pyrex shit lasts. there's more but I don't know it.
I have kinda weird body proportions (average height, stupid broad shoulders, I'm pretty sure a bit below average torso length) and so I own exactly one T shirt that fits. And honestly fabric wise I like wool, which is kinda hard to find in things like t shirts. Nice and scratchy. This is something I should probably look into
definitely look into this. there are also some web companies that do tailored clothes, and they're not necessarily forever-clothes, but the labor is more skilled (so more leverage for treatment) and the quality is certainly better than fast fashion.
About how much would that cost, if you know? What would I be looking at for pants/T shirts/coats?
it really varies wildly, depending on what you're getting, the amount of detail, the fabrics used, the skill and disposition of the person, the amount of set up for it they are, etc. some fabrics are a bitch to work with, some are simple, how do you want the lining on your coat put together? do you want embroidered cuffs? a lace panel? that's more work...
but I'd put aside a couple hundred if you want something absolute top quality.
T shirts.... probably not all that much. you might not even get them to do the work without an order of "several"? i would be shocked if it was over fifty, including material, unless you're huge.
button downs and stuff are probably not gonna top 100. it really depends on the person. some might see it as an insult, others as something they can make a pattern for and knock out in five minutes every time you hand them a twenty.
Darn tough is that sock brand with a lifetime warranty. Theyre honestly incredible socks and it makes a big difference if you do lots of hiking.
You claim that the Soviet Union does not make obsolete products, and yet today the Soviet Union is itself obsolete
How curious
Do you have any guides on repair, especially clothing repair? I can fix most other stuff tbh. Also which boots are you talking about I'm gonna need a pair soon
To anyone reading this looking for new boots, in addition stay the fuck away from doc martens. They are not resoleable so after you break them in two years you’ll have to go buy another pair of €200 boots. I don’t care how nice they look.
uh... i have a doc martens ive worn for half a decade of active use at jobs where i was on my feet for twelve hours a day six days a week and the soles on them are still great.
so... wtf did you do to yours to burn them out that fast?
They were my daily boots for two years so 🤷♂️. I’ve been working on my feet often, but not that often, and not that hard. Just regular wear.
I even splurged on the “Made in England” :ukkk: ones. No idea, the sole split down the middle on both sides.
huh. sounds like it mustve been a production defect.
have you tried taking them to a cobbler? the soles are replaceable it just takes some skill to do it
Yeah I did, I went to the best one in town. He took one look at them and said they’re best off in the dumpster. I guess maybe you could melt the rubber back together? But if you took the sole off would it even come off the leather undamaged?
The made in England ones also used to have a warranty (idk if the other styles did too), which coincidentally ended one month before I bought mine. Big Shoe strikes again
so, replacing the soles on doc martens basically involves rebuilding the entire base of the shoe. which is a lot more labour intensive than most resoling. that guy probably just didnt feel it was worth his time to do.
I buy darntough socks, they're my clothing item that wears out the fastest and they have a lifetime warranty.
Definitely agree I was gonna say darn tough because they are the only one I really know that has a lifetime warranty
https://darntough.com/pages/our-unconditional-lifetime-guarantee
You basically just ship them back and they give you store credit for new socks. I've done it with about a dozen socks now, real easy.
I don't think it's that much, I got 2 pairs for like $24 a bit ago. Try to find them in a brick and mortar store.
Clothes Washers and Driers.
The less settings the better, the less bells and whistles the better for longevity. I've got a pretty basic clothes washer where the only thing that occasionally breaks is the agitator (tower thing in the middle of the wash drum with fins) and replacement part is something like 30$ US. Can't remember the brand, Maytag or Kenmore probably.
I've been able to repair the dryer when it breaks, usually its just the heating element and/or a thermal fuse that burns out. (Lots of animal beds and cleaning towels build up lint in the exhaust hose that I don't always remember to clean out when I should). Heating element is like 30$ US after shipping, fuse is like 5$~10$, and everything is pretty straight forward to find, check, and replace. Doesn't take more than an hour max once the parts are in my hand. Brand is a Kenmore with a manufacture date somewhere in the 1980's.
There's a few websites that seem to always be available that sell parts, almost all of the ones that I've tried to use have parts diagrams and parts lists that sync up with the inventory that they sell. Some even have basic How To videos for troubleshooting and installing parts.
i dunno, buy a Telecaster? it's be around for 70 years and people still like them.
i dont suppose you could destroy one no matter how hard you try.
nah, less moving parts on a tele, and you dont spend 14-21 on a tele with it's bridge completely slammed to the body because you didn't know how to set it up.
Hah the bridge thing is a problem with strats. I just lock mine down cause screw whammy bars. The strat don't dig into your ribs and elbow tho. It's a big deal if you gotta wear it for hours imo :P
true, although I've been more of a SG person, but mine always had a headstocks break in it's case when i think about other guitars.
Yeah the sg is a nice playing guitar, but much harder to keep in working condition than a strat. Glued neck, angled headlock, fretboard binding. I always thought they made the neck too long after the joint. Kinda wobbly and unstable feeling. But in a cool way?
i know what you mean, i like the way the SG feels thom, it feels like a more active playing position for me, very inviting for me to really go nuts.
My first guitar was a strat copy, it's reliable as a Toyota Corolla
You're not wrong a big thing for marginalized people in the states is buying guitars and guns. They tend to retain their value, and appreciate.
This is probably a struggle session level hot take, but guns are really some of the last consumer goods that are still made to be relatively easy to maintain, customize, and most importantly, repair.
And many of those "common sense gun law" people are trying turn it into a genius bar type of situation, where you purchase a lump of plastic and metal secured with proprietary screws and warranty void style stickers which carry fines if broken, and you must send it back to the company, or, if you're lucky, a licensed repair shop, in order to even replace a fucking spring.
How often will you use this thing? If it’s not very often, who cares?
This is an excellent tip with tools, except for safety equipment what I learned was to buy the cheapest one at harbor freight, and if it breaks buy an expensive one. If it didn't break you either got a good deal on something decent or you don't use it enough to warrant a good one. If it breaks, you probably need something a bit more quality
Yeah but if you search for something specific you will get some good input.
This turned into a stream of consciousness, and a lot of this applies more easily if you're male or dress masc, but to build on what others said about custom clothing...
With clothes it's better to buy natural fabrics - from a longevity point of view, to sustainability, to breathibility, you're going to get things that last longer if they're made of natural fibres instead of plastic shit. Easier to repair a hole in a wool jacket than in a nylon windbreaker, and that polyester suit looks bad anyways. Yes it's more expensive, but that often means the manufacturer is spending more time on the actual manufacture. Yes it can be a pain to maintain - leather footware needs more care than sneakers, you won't be able to throw things in the dryer - but it'll look and age better for it.
Obvious there's a place for technical fabrics - companies like Arcteryx make at least nominal overtures to sustainibility and long-term planning. Personally, all my tech shit is vintage ski stuff, hand-me-down fleece, or military surplus Gore-tex. Hiking or canoing outfitters can make awesome bags if you need something heavy duty, but the good stuff is made by old guys who are literally dying out, so you might have to hunt around (I'm thinking of like Cookes Custom Sewing).
A lot of companies that made conscientious, practical clothing and stood by their product in the past can't really be depended on these days. LL Bean stopped their lifetime guarantee. Filson was once sewn up by little old ladies in Seattle, now it's owned by Blackrock. Duluth sells $700 backpacks and donates the money to the Trump campaign. All those companies I would only buy second-hand examples from earlier eras. So you might have to do some digging to find the right thing made by the right person. For many of these guys, they started as workwear companies for blue collar workers, and I'd recommend finding contemporary examples - Tough Duck is a union-run Canadian brand that does Carhartt but better, for instance.
For anything more than the most casual footwear (boots, dress shoes) go for something a bit more expensive and goodyear welted, and find a good cobbler. It's better to spend $300 on a pair of shoes you can get resoled and looking like new than $150 on a pair of shoes that will need replacing every two years.
Jeans you get diminishing returns after $150, but living in the faded golden age of raw denim there's no excuse to buy a cheap pair that'll fall apart - find something in your price range that flatters you made by some hipster yammering on about selvedge lines and how many ounces the fabric weights, and don't wash it in the washing machine. In fact, wash everything you own in cold water and on the delicate setting, and don't use your dryer if you have the luxury of space to hang dry - your clothes will last longer and look better.
Long and the short of it: do your research, buy used if you can, don't buy big box sweatshop trash if you need to buy new, it's better to spend a bit more on something sturdier, learn to do your own repairs, cultivate an aura of radical DIY sustainibility, and most importantly be uncompromising about who you give your money to and what you put on your bod.
Jeans you get diminishing returns after $150
Is this a bit? Are people really out there spending $150 on jeans? The whole point of denim is that its hardy and cheap, a $30 pair should last years even as a daily wearer.
You're absolutely right, but the fact is the Levis that are being made in Turkey and India today aren't the same as the Levis from the 70s. Anything mass-produced is going to have corners cut, whether that's in quality of the fabric or what they use for the stitching, how much hardware they're putting in, which areas have they decided to reinforce or not, blah blah. Over the last 20 years there are a lot of smaller denim makers who are doing things that make a better quality garment, run by repro dorks who care about things like stitching tensions and rivet placements. Things like raw denim or selvedge ids are fashion pro forma now, but they started as signifiers of a considered production - "this fabric is a tighter weave, we've cut and sewn the pattern with care" - that generally means those jeans will look better and last longer. It also means that they can be more expensive. My point was more that you can easily get jeans from the Gap for $150, and it's not going to be the same as spending $150 for a pair from Naked and Famous
End of the day they're still just cloth tubes that cover your legs, and all jeans wear out eventually. Which is why the more important advice is to hand-wash them, and learn to repair/ patch them as much as possible over their lifetime
I know it's a hipster thing now, but vinyl records have a theoretical lifespan of hundreds of years if stored and played properly. Other music formats are either susceptible to losing quality much more quickly (CDs are notoriously fragile and cassettes warp) or if they're digital, the music itself is more and more the domain of large streaming services who can do as they please. Only downside is vinyl isn't as expressive as other formats, but at least they're durable.
Yeah but have you considered for the cost of subsidizing an American propaganda industry you could just buy two hard drives and store your music from the high seas there in perfect FLAC fidelity?
Yeah I have like 2 terabytes of music on a server. I keep the vinyl around just in case.
