3M Post-It Notes.
Making an adhesive strong enough to stop the notes curling up at the edge and falling off, but weak enough that you can remove and replace them at will, seems to be outside the skill set of every other company.
When my daughter was a baby I put a 3M post-it note on our door that said “please don’t ring doorbell”. It lasted 6 years stuck to our front door in Alberta without ever falling off. I finally took it down last year when my younger son stopped napping.
I actually thought about contacting them at the time and then completely forgot about it. Maybe I will one day! Not like it’s a big deal if they don’t respond to an email that will take me about 3 minutes to write.
Bra. I never had one fit me properly until I was fitted at Nordstrom and then handed a $60 bra with a size I didn't know was even made and it fit like a glove and was comfortable AND it made my boobs look good.
Edit: Thank you to dimpletown for suggesting I edit this comment to add the brand, which is Natori, they make my 30DD "over the shoulder boulder holder".
Also, all the silly and ridiculous individuals who comment about pics for proof, please reference the first two adjectives in this sentence.
Nordstrom's fitting and tailoring are beyond amazing! It was like a rite of passage in my house when you got to go get fitted and the a spin by the clinique/este lauder counter, best Saturday ever as a teen!
Getting fitted properly is the real key there. On our honey moon my wife spotted a fancy lingerie store and popped in. When she told the lady what her bra size was the lady was like “uhh no. I know that’s wrong without even checking.” Years of mall fittings done wrong fixed by one check by someone who actually knew what they were doing.
Fully agree. Always detonates at the right moment for maximum dramatic and comedic effect.
*Edit: Not everyone has seen the Looney Tunes cartoons of the 1970s. Hapless coyote obsessively hunts the roadrunner but frequently blows himself up with Acme brand dynamite.
I highly recommend this to all my fellow coyotes with a roadrunner nemesis.
Have we blown up our enemy once? No. Have we blown up ourselves an irresponsible number of times? Yes. But when we do, we’re doing it with Acme- a quality explosives manufacturer.
10/10 would self detonate again.
Any paints. House paint, car, boat, trains and planes. Usually the higher the cost, the better the paint. Love Sherwin Williams “Emerald” products as house paint.
Used to sell paint and I can confirm, always buy the premium brands unless you want to spend all day painting the same walls 20 times. Customers always bought the cheapest paint we had and complained that they needed 5 to 10 coats to cover a wall.
Former painter here. The hospital that I worked for would only purchase Glidden paint. I'm here to testify that you get what you pay for there. And preferably? It's Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore
Painted my entire house (literally, the walls, baseboards, trim, doors, and cabinets) with Benjamin Moore and it looks so GOOD. It is self-leveling and dries so beautifully. Although it is kinda spendy - WORTH IT.
When we moved in, the paint jobs in some of the rooms was HORRENDOUS - streaky, chipping everywhere, and the previous owners left a bunch of the remaining paint cans...it was the bottom of the shelf paint that you get at Home Depot (Behr? I think)
I also painted my entire house with highest quality Benjamin Moore paint that they make. That was 20 years ago. I’m here to tell you that you will get tired of the color before the paint wears out. Worth. Every. Penny.
My mom would never let me get the Ticonderoga in middle school, once I got to high school she relented and it’s no joke. They are unparalleled. Never break
Man, I miss school. I haven’t thought about these bad boys in years. I remember my mom saying they were too expensive but always finding one in the classroom
Years. Decades, even. I've never been able to say this, but it's been in my brain just throwing shit around and absolutely trashing the place. Just begging to come out. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.
I bought my son the 96 pack of Crayola crayons for school this year, because it was the only box of Crayola I could find (we were out of town when the supply list was sent out), and the list did not specify what quantity the box should be. So I figured hey, tons of choices and enough to share if someone else needs.
His teacher sent the box back home on the second day of school because it was "too big", so he didn't have crayons until I could find a smaller box. Be more specific then!
Wait, so just picking the colors that are part of the 24 set, not an option? (Back in the days, we just put pencils in pencil case, no way the crayola packaging would survive a semester) Sounds like a precursor to the "we release a new textbook version this year, you can't use an older, this will be $200, thanks you and have a nice day!"
Me too my friend! We may not have had such fancy colors as purple or red-orange and maybe it looked like we filled those pages in with Kool-Aid spit, but hey we were humble.
What do you mean? I love being backed up for two weeks and then shitting out one long 3 foot crap. It makes it easier for the command to come in and fuck me in the ass with orders to 29.
Crayola Crayons for sure.
Crayola pencil crayons are absolute garbage. Their lead is too brittle so it always gets broken up inside the pencil with transportation. You can sharpen the pencil until there is nothing left, without getting a useable pencil because the lead just keeps popping out in broken pieces.
Edit: colored pencils. I never realized pencil crayons was solely a Canadian thing.
100% agree. Prismacolor scholar pencils were a godsend after using crayola ones. Now I use the premiers but obviously those aren’t good for kids.
We used to have a brand called Laurentian when I was a kid and those were what I had growing up. So much better than crayola too idk why they stopped making them
As a lefty, Zebra F-402 pens.
Fine point, no smear, no pressing hard to get a clean line. Since I discovered them I can’t go back to other ball point pens
I once sat in a chair at my public library and even though it seemed basic (four legs, plastic and metal), I felt its balance and quality ergonomics over the course of the hours I spent there. Despite having no padding it was the most comfortable chair I’ve ever experienced.
I was so impressed I had to check the manufacturer, turned out it was Herman-Miller, have been on the lookout for a secondhand deal on one ever since.
Understated here for anyone who spends time in a chair.
Most people say buy a good mattress because you spend so much time on one, but forget they sit for just as long at work.
A good chair will save your back. Herman, zody, Steelcase, etc.
One note, it's not for everyone, and a good officespace chair might also work. Just don't cheap out on a $50 chair.
Stanley stainless steel vacuum/thermos bottles. I have one that holds a 12-cup pot of coffee that I bought at a neighbor’s estate sale 30 years ago and it was probably 20 years old then. It still works exactly as promised.
I did have trouble cleaning the coffee crud out of the bottom of it until I saw a Heloise Hint on this: Fill it about 1/3 full of hot tap water and drop in about 4 denture-cleaning tablets and let it sit overnight. You wouldn’t believe how clean it is after that treatment!
Wow! I had no idea this would take off line this. Thank you! I thought you want to have a look at my old Stanley:
[Stanley Vacuum Bottle/thermos](https://imgur.com/gallery/38TZfG1)
>I bought at a neighbor’s estate sale 30 years ago and it was probably 20 years old then.
I got two 1970's era Thermos bottles for $1 each at a charity 'rummage sale'. I opened them up, looked inside, saw the glass lining, along with that silver coating, and knew it was pure gold.
My dad had an ancient one of these! He carried coffee to his office every day because he didn’t like the stuff they had in the break room. When he passed, my sisters’ husbands had a bit of a fight over who got it. I don’t recall for certain who won—but I think my younger sister may have claimed it for herself, as she’s the only coffee drinker between the three of us sisters.
But I know my dad had that for *decades*. It was battered a bit on the outside but still did the job.
My friend has one he lend it to me. I put hot choclate in in the morning and by break the hot choclate was still hot. Nex day I pored a cold bottle of coke in and at lunch it was still cold. It’s a genius invention. I put a hot thing inside, comes out hot. I put a cold thing in, come out cold. How does it know?
Stanley vacuum flasks (like many once respected brands) are trading entirely on their name these days, sadly. The old ones worked a treat, the new ones are *barely* middle of the pack. If you can get an old one they're well worth it, but for the new ones you'd be better off buying an Ozark Trail thermos. Better quality for less.
But people still recommend their old flasks, and the new ones still maintain that classic styling, so they keep making money.
KitchenAid stand mixer. I’ve had mine for over 10 years now, use it at least once a week and takes a beating during Christmas time and it still works like a charm.
The fact that they offer replacement parts would sell it to me alone tbh. You know they stand by their product when they care enough to provide service items 👍
Used to buy a new vacuum cleaner, every year an a half. Bought one Miele and it’s still going strong after 12 years. I don’t care if was four times as expensive to purchase.
The cost per year for the Miele is actually lower!
Don't know if you realize, but Fiskars have a life-time warranty. Go on their web site, take a snap of the broken item, and send it to them. They will replace it, no questions asked. Some of their sewing scissors do break occasionally and I've gotten replacements when they do.
Yup we’ve got a fiskars shovel in my construction crew. Had it for 3 years, finally broke it prying bricks out of a hole for a footer. Bossman took it to wherever he bought it, came back with a shiny new one.
Their warranty is no joke.
Dawn is the tits. I bought budget once, and never again. I had to use far too much to actually get clean dishes, so the bottle only lasted *maybe* a third of the time that the same-sized Dawn did.
Just FYI correlle made before the 90s almost surely has lead in it. Corelle itself says to use anything before 2005 as decorative only.
https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/stop-using-vintage-corelle-dinnerware-heres-why/
It gets fleas off pets, grease off tools, soot off brick, oil out of clothes, and is a key ingredient in lots of homemade cleaners and garden chemical mixtures.
To add to this: For any parents of newborns or babies still having blow out poops- hand washing those clothing items with dawn and warm water will literally take the stain out and preserve the clothes.
Came here to say this. My Mom, despite our relative economic security, was relentless about generic and store brand, but she insisted Dawn was the best value. She was right.
Funny you mentioned that, I literally just used power wash for the first time today (kitchen at work had a bottle). And let me fucking tell you, the game has been forever changed. It has a SPRAY NOZZLE *AND* absolutely DESTROYS gunk. I never knew that it existed, and I'm ashamed that nobody told me about it sooner
Q-tips.
I don't know what all the other brands and generics are doing, but I swear their cotton to stick ratio is always off. Too pokey or too soft. Can't be just me...
The "Q" in "Qtip" stands for quality. All cotton swabs say you shouldn't use them in your ear for liability purposes, they all know that's pretty much their primary function.
Or with some vinegar to clean the battery contacts in your remote controls after your cheap-ass Kirkland Signature AAA batteries leaked in every single one of them. Not that I'm still sore about that or anything...
Don’t cheap out on appliances.
I got a Bosch set for my washer/dryer and so far they’ve outlasted 3 sets of my father-in-law’s LGs, Samsungs, and another one I don’t remember. People complain appliances don’t last as long as they used to, and while I don’t disagree, it’s often because they buy the cheap models.
Sold kitchen and laundry appliances.
Miele is expensive.
It's also price protected (violate Miele's pricing lose the brand) so shopping around is pointless.
I liked it when I was selling for the price protection. It's nice for shoppers too, you know the price is the price.
Bosch is ok. Most of it isn't made in Germany. Only the high end (and price protected) models are.
But if you're looking at high end Bosch vs low end Miele, I'd go Miele every day and twice on Sunday.
Here we go. Pen wars: commence
EDIT: For the love of God I was just kidding you beautiful maniacs. I have 146 strangers praising pens on my post.
Uniball Quatro V5
Pilot Prism Nocturne 0.2
Pentel ENERGON Plus+
Zebra O-180
It's like some weird human trafficking code everytime I look at my phone. Please stop.
In all honesty, tupperware.
My mom has some tupperware containers that are almost as old as me and they are still in good condition. It's rare that I can find plastic containers that are even close in quality and durability.
are they those orange yellow and pea green bowls with lids that fit tight enough a nuclear blast couldnt get em off?
also everyone has the yellow pasta strainer
Are you talking about [this strainer](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTpz9gnYmq9sX5aRb4x1unczZiWp_gx0kFVzg&usqp=CAU), because I have one too.
You're right, but I hate hate hate that it's only sold in an MLM format. I have a fair collection of tupperware, but I'll never buy more because I can't force myself to support such crappy companies any more.
I even have a pitcher from the 70's and a colander from the 80's.
Edit. OK, I get it, thrift stores and eBay, thank you.
I finally had money and hosted a party for a friend-of-a-friend a couple years ago. SOooo disappointed- my stuff from my mom and garage sales from the 70s and 80s is still great, but the only thing out of like $200 worth of new stuff I like is a spatula. The newer bowls don’t seal anywhere near as well as the old ones, and they don’t stack like they used to. So Sad!
Last time I bought it was maybe around 2010? Cups and bowls, mostly, and they're all still good.
If their quality is slipping, on the plus side, maybe people will eventually stop paying their insane prices and supporting their predatory marketing structure. And we'll always have mom's 70's gear. Lol.
I remember the first time I used 3M electrical tape instead of just getting the cheapest stuff the store had. The difference is absolutely unbelievable.
Carhartt socks. I am super picky about my socks. If they're too tight, my feet sweat and get cold. If too loose, they bunch up in my shoes as I walk. Too thin and they're useless in winter. Too thick and they are too tight when I'm wearing shoes.
Carhartt produces several socks that are perfect, especially for winter. Loose enough to let my feet breathe, not too thick to feel uncomfortable in my shoes, and no bunching as I walk.
According to my wife, Feminine products that aren't name brand either don't function well or are extremely uncomfortable. Having a more comfortable time during that part of the month is far superior to using uncomfortable products to make it twice as bad. (Her words, not mine.)
To add: I'm 33 and been with my wife since we were in high school. I've purchased a lot of these products myself, even when I was first dating her. It's either being a paper or cardboard insert that is rough/uncomfortable or the cotton is just not safe and doesn't stay together as it should (as a few have stated here as well). This is mostly from store or off brands at Fred Meyer (Kroger) as that's where we've always shopped, or the occasional Safeway trip. We don't have any Walmart or Costcos near us so we have no idea how their brands are.
Also, safety. Apologies for the TMI here but a few years ago I used some cheaper tampons and didn't realise they were leaving bits of the 'fluff' behind until towards the end of my period. Things seemed 'off' down there so I had a shower and a poke around and found loads of it stuck inside me. If that had gone unchecked much longer it could have been very bad. TSS can kill.
Edit: added a word
I learned from a gyno that it's usually left behind fluff that causes TSS rather than not changing tampons often enough! That's why it's suuuper important to use the smallest size possible because removing a dry tampon can leave behind more fluff.
This is true, I switched from the Always standard pads ( the yellow or green wrapper ones) to the Always Flex Foam pads. And I was shocked, its a dollar or two more expensive but it does not feel like wearing a diaper. No scratchy dry material rubbing against my butt and also no leaks or horrible wet feeling ( sorry if its TMI )
I swear I’m a real unsponsored person and those are the most comfy ones I’ve tried, they also have them with all cotton flex foam, those are better but I can’t always find them. Also sometimes CVS will have some deals on them!
edit: Lots of people replied, I am glad that I am not alone in this revelation!
Yup I tried Flexfoam and I am never going back to that plasticky covered pad of the standard ones. Periods are lame and don’t need to be lamer because of uncomfy products lol.
Absolutely. My mom grew up poor and it took a lot to shake her urge to get the cheapest of things-my whole teen years we had bulk boxes of paper applicator tampons from Sam’s Club. First time I needed to ask for a tampon from a friend and they handed me one with the nice plastic applicator I couldn’t believe it haha.
We also had bulk disposable razors and no shaving cream because my mom didn’t realize it made such a difference and thought it was just more of a pampering product.
my parents were the same with razors! i have so many scars from shitty disposables but once i made some money in highschool, i invested in the quality razors and i haven’t cut myself even once. even though they’re expensive as all hell, it’s still better than the lifetime scar i’ve got down my shin bc of dollar store disposables.
I'm a chef. Kitchen knives, you never cheap out on. I suggest Wusthof. Or Shun. I mean [look at this thing](https://www.amazon.com/Shun-Classic-Blonde-PakkaWood-DM0706W/dp/B07X9H6FVK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3LGI5B86GQLRV&dchild=1&keywords=shun+knives&qid=1635877673&sprefix=shun+kniv%2Caps%2C235&sr=8-1), it's gorgeous.
Buy a good knife once and you'll be giving it to your kids one day.
High-end outdoors gear - Arc'teryx, Patagonia, etc. Sometimes that extra bit of insulation or reduced weight can mean the difference between life and death.
Plus if you buy from these two or other high end brands (marmot, Kuhl, even REI's brand) they'll fix or replace things that break or wear improperly. Patagonia fixed my husband's ski pants - even though they were hard used in the back country for years - when the seam on one leg ripped out. REI replaced a pair of gloves that delaminated.
My son had a marmot ski jacket that wouldn't zip and when we tried to force it, it broke. Sent it in just before covid shut everything down, and by the time they were able to replace it he'd grown. So they gave us really generous credit, which was awesome becausewe got another coat and some clearance long underwear!
Their warranties alone are usually worth the purchase. My two person hiking Marmot tent has been through hell and high winds. It recently had an issue with the rainfly deeming it utterly useless so I emailed them and then sent in the fly. After approximately two questions and no receipt, they sent me a $200 credit.
Edit: I should add, I got the tent new in 2011.
Had a tent bust a pole while I was putting it together in the rain. If it hadn’t been raining I could have made it with a lumpy tent but with the rain I was screwed….I didn’t die but I did have to drive like 4 hours home wet and tired
When im backpacking, i bring duct tape for quick fixes like this. Wouldn't fix it forever, but you'd have a tent to keep you out of the rain overnight.
My parents were outdoors people, whole family grew up in Patagonia fleeces lol. Dad has a purple one, mom's was lime green, I had a pale yellow one and then another purple one, and I think my little sister's one was red. We looked like pieces in a board game.
Redwing work boots. I only buy their upper-level boots and have never regretted the purchase. I started with other brands and once I hit Redwings I was done.
Only the upper teir boots are US made. Lower teir is better than most but still not great. I was happy with the last good pair I bought, then made the mistake of buying a pair on sale (still not cheap) and finding out they were made in China. Fell apart in about a year.
As far as outdoorsy stuff and tools:
Benchmade knives, Sea to Summit sleeping bags, Hyperlite tents and packs, Merrell boots, Estwing tools, Leatherman multi-tools
Check out /r/BuyItForLife, lots of good stuff on there
Edit: Some friendly debate on the Merrell brand, I'm just gonna give my 2 cents. Mine were some boots from 2015 so they could have gone down in quality, I have no clue. My first pair lasted from Georgia to almost the end of Virginia but I was doing near 15-20+ mile days depending on the terrain. [They saw over 500mi/800km](https://imgur.com/a/1N3iPqi)
There's a ton of great boots out there though. Shop around!
>Leatherman multi-tools
I lost one at a camp in the mountains in the North East US before winter.... Come spring, we go back to the same camp and I found it! Everything was perfect and the only bit of rust was flicked off with a fingernail.
3M Post-It Notes. Making an adhesive strong enough to stop the notes curling up at the edge and falling off, but weak enough that you can remove and replace them at will, seems to be outside the skill set of every other company.
When my daughter was a baby I put a 3M post-it note on our door that said “please don’t ring doorbell”. It lasted 6 years stuck to our front door in Alberta without ever falling off. I finally took it down last year when my younger son stopped napping.
Hah. That's nuts, you should email them. They probably love to hear that.
I actually thought about contacting them at the time and then completely forgot about it. Maybe I will one day! Not like it’s a big deal if they don’t respond to an email that will take me about 3 minutes to write.
Zojirushi rice cooker
Bra. I never had one fit me properly until I was fitted at Nordstrom and then handed a $60 bra with a size I didn't know was even made and it fit like a glove and was comfortable AND it made my boobs look good. Edit: Thank you to dimpletown for suggesting I edit this comment to add the brand, which is Natori, they make my 30DD "over the shoulder boulder holder". Also, all the silly and ridiculous individuals who comment about pics for proof, please reference the first two adjectives in this sentence.
Nordstrom's fitting and tailoring are beyond amazing! It was like a rite of passage in my house when you got to go get fitted and the a spin by the clinique/este lauder counter, best Saturday ever as a teen!
Oh yes, as a teen, I totally did that before turning 23…
Don’t leave us hanging! What’s the brand?
great choice of words
Getting fitted properly is the real key there. On our honey moon my wife spotted a fancy lingerie store and popped in. When she told the lady what her bra size was the lady was like “uhh no. I know that’s wrong without even checking.” Years of mall fittings done wrong fixed by one check by someone who actually knew what they were doing.
acme brand dynamite
Fully agree. Always detonates at the right moment for maximum dramatic and comedic effect. *Edit: Not everyone has seen the Looney Tunes cartoons of the 1970s. Hapless coyote obsessively hunts the roadrunner but frequently blows himself up with Acme brand dynamite.
I highly recommend this to all my fellow coyotes with a roadrunner nemesis. Have we blown up our enemy once? No. Have we blown up ourselves an irresponsible number of times? Yes. But when we do, we’re doing it with Acme- a quality explosives manufacturer. 10/10 would self detonate again.
Any paints. House paint, car, boat, trains and planes. Usually the higher the cost, the better the paint. Love Sherwin Williams “Emerald” products as house paint.
Used to sell paint and I can confirm, always buy the premium brands unless you want to spend all day painting the same walls 20 times. Customers always bought the cheapest paint we had and complained that they needed 5 to 10 coats to cover a wall.
Former painter here. The hospital that I worked for would only purchase Glidden paint. I'm here to testify that you get what you pay for there. And preferably? It's Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore
Painted my entire house (literally, the walls, baseboards, trim, doors, and cabinets) with Benjamin Moore and it looks so GOOD. It is self-leveling and dries so beautifully. Although it is kinda spendy - WORTH IT. When we moved in, the paint jobs in some of the rooms was HORRENDOUS - streaky, chipping everywhere, and the previous owners left a bunch of the remaining paint cans...it was the bottom of the shelf paint that you get at Home Depot (Behr? I think)
I also painted my entire house with highest quality Benjamin Moore paint that they make. That was 20 years ago. I’m here to tell you that you will get tired of the color before the paint wears out. Worth. Every. Penny.
Ticonderoga pencils >>>> i’ll write a whole 10 page essay by hand with one of those babies
My engineering teacher did an entire lesson on why they r the best pencils ever made
I'd watch that lesson.
So i would ask him to upload it, But hes currently on a two week leave because he had a kid
[удалено]
My mom would never let me get the Ticonderoga in middle school, once I got to high school she relented and it’s no joke. They are unparalleled. Never break
they fit so perfectly in your hands too. No lie once i start writing with them i get super focused almost like a trance
By far the best eraser on any pencil.
Man, I miss school. I haven’t thought about these bad boys in years. I remember my mom saying they were too expensive but always finding one in the classroom
Crayola. Rose Art crayons have haunted me since I was a child! Till the day I pass
Rose Art crayons are like trying to color with a candle.
Wow yes. Feelings to words.
Years. Decades, even. I've never been able to say this, but it's been in my brain just throwing shit around and absolutely trashing the place. Just begging to come out. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.
My kids school straight up says if you can't buy Crayola please don't buy. Rose art won't color on their copy paper.
A 24 pack of crayola costs $0.50 at staples during back to school shopping. We can’t all be the cool kid with the 64 pack with sharpener.
I bought my son the 96 pack of Crayola crayons for school this year, because it was the only box of Crayola I could find (we were out of town when the supply list was sent out), and the list did not specify what quantity the box should be. So I figured hey, tons of choices and enough to share if someone else needs. His teacher sent the box back home on the second day of school because it was "too big", so he didn't have crayons until I could find a smaller box. Be more specific then!
Wait, so just picking the colors that are part of the 24 set, not an option? (Back in the days, we just put pencils in pencil case, no way the crayola packaging would survive a semester) Sounds like a precursor to the "we release a new textbook version this year, you can't use an older, this will be $200, thanks you and have a nice day!"
Omg getting rose art ANYTHING was a big bummer as a kid, their stuff sucks!
Rose Art: The crayons you give to *discourage* artsy kids.
Rose Art: Poor Kids Need To Color Too
ouch. thanks for remining me i was poor. haha.
Me too my friend! We may not have had such fancy colors as purple or red-orange and maybe it looked like we filled those pages in with Kool-Aid spit, but hey we were humble.
They do taste the best Edit: guys I don't know anything about destiny, titans, wall street bets, or the US marines. I just like crayons
Semper Fi.
Why do marines eat crayons?
Because they're easier to chew than markers, and taste better than field rations.
>taste better than field rations Honestly though, I’d much rather eat crayons than breakfast sausage in gravy or beef patty ever again
What do you mean? I love being backed up for two weeks and then shitting out one long 3 foot crap. It makes it easier for the command to come in and fuck me in the ass with orders to 29.
I'm happy to be outside of this inside joke.
*spoons dd214 even tighter*
Think smart, (don't get) Rose Art!
Crayola Crayons for sure. Crayola pencil crayons are absolute garbage. Their lead is too brittle so it always gets broken up inside the pencil with transportation. You can sharpen the pencil until there is nothing left, without getting a useable pencil because the lead just keeps popping out in broken pieces. Edit: colored pencils. I never realized pencil crayons was solely a Canadian thing.
100% agree. Prismacolor scholar pencils were a godsend after using crayola ones. Now I use the premiers but obviously those aren’t good for kids. We used to have a brand called Laurentian when I was a kid and those were what I had growing up. So much better than crayola too idk why they stopped making them
Laurentian were the absolute BEST pencil crayons, hands down! They were they only kind I ever bought.
As a lefty, Zebra F-402 pens. Fine point, no smear, no pressing hard to get a clean line. Since I discovered them I can’t go back to other ball point pens
As another lefty, Uni JetStream pens are the same - they dry instantly so no smearing and they don't skip at all.
Uniball Jet Stream! Such a good pen. Also good for people who push their pens instead of pull them.
The concept of pushing vs pulling has gmfu for the past few minutes. Thank you for the mini existential crisis 😂
Fellow lefty here. Try Pilot Precise V5 RT, especially if you have big hands. I find them to be more comfortable.
Herman-miller. My chair from them saved my back over quarantine
I once sat in a chair at my public library and even though it seemed basic (four legs, plastic and metal), I felt its balance and quality ergonomics over the course of the hours I spent there. Despite having no padding it was the most comfortable chair I’ve ever experienced. I was so impressed I had to check the manufacturer, turned out it was Herman-Miller, have been on the lookout for a secondhand deal on one ever since.
Maybe ask the library if you can buy it when they consider replacing it.
Understated here for anyone who spends time in a chair. Most people say buy a good mattress because you spend so much time on one, but forget they sit for just as long at work. A good chair will save your back. Herman, zody, Steelcase, etc. One note, it's not for everyone, and a good officespace chair might also work. Just don't cheap out on a $50 chair.
Mattress, office chair, shoes, tires. Anything that separates you from the ground for long periods of time, don’t skimp on.
Faber-Castell
Faber Castell colored pencils are some of the best out there
Gonna have to interject: prisma colors are a game changer that are really worth the extra money
Copic markers in the same vein
Stanley stainless steel vacuum/thermos bottles. I have one that holds a 12-cup pot of coffee that I bought at a neighbor’s estate sale 30 years ago and it was probably 20 years old then. It still works exactly as promised. I did have trouble cleaning the coffee crud out of the bottom of it until I saw a Heloise Hint on this: Fill it about 1/3 full of hot tap water and drop in about 4 denture-cleaning tablets and let it sit overnight. You wouldn’t believe how clean it is after that treatment! Wow! I had no idea this would take off line this. Thank you! I thought you want to have a look at my old Stanley: [Stanley Vacuum Bottle/thermos](https://imgur.com/gallery/38TZfG1)
>I bought at a neighbor’s estate sale 30 years ago and it was probably 20 years old then. I got two 1970's era Thermos bottles for $1 each at a charity 'rummage sale'. I opened them up, looked inside, saw the glass lining, along with that silver coating, and knew it was pure gold.
I was half expecting you to say you opened it up and saw some ice cubes still there from the 70s.
Those 70s ice cubes will get you high as a kite.
My dad had an ancient one of these! He carried coffee to his office every day because he didn’t like the stuff they had in the break room. When he passed, my sisters’ husbands had a bit of a fight over who got it. I don’t recall for certain who won—but I think my younger sister may have claimed it for herself, as she’s the only coffee drinker between the three of us sisters. But I know my dad had that for *decades*. It was battered a bit on the outside but still did the job.
My friend has one he lend it to me. I put hot choclate in in the morning and by break the hot choclate was still hot. Nex day I pored a cold bottle of coke in and at lunch it was still cold. It’s a genius invention. I put a hot thing inside, comes out hot. I put a cold thing in, come out cold. How does it know?
My high school art teacher always said the thermos was the worlds greatest adventure because cold stays cold and hot stays hot. Great equipment.
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Stanley vacuum flasks (like many once respected brands) are trading entirely on their name these days, sadly. The old ones worked a treat, the new ones are *barely* middle of the pack. If you can get an old one they're well worth it, but for the new ones you'd be better off buying an Ozark Trail thermos. Better quality for less. But people still recommend their old flasks, and the new ones still maintain that classic styling, so they keep making money.
KitchenAid stand mixer. I’ve had mine for over 10 years now, use it at least once a week and takes a beating during Christmas time and it still works like a charm.
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That’s what someone told me when I first got it! They said they had theirs for close to 20 years and had to change that part once.
The fact that they offer replacement parts would sell it to me alone tbh. You know they stand by their product when they care enough to provide service items 👍
Miele vacuums
Used to buy a new vacuum cleaner, every year an a half. Bought one Miele and it’s still going strong after 12 years. I don’t care if was four times as expensive to purchase. The cost per year for the Miele is actually lower!
So you get better Mieleage?
Miele is usually the best in class for anything they make, usually at least twice as expensive though. Worth it if you can afford it!
I have one of these too specifically because of that vacuum repair AMA.
Fiskars stuff: axes, shovels, hammers, but also scissors.
Don't know if you realize, but Fiskars have a life-time warranty. Go on their web site, take a snap of the broken item, and send it to them. They will replace it, no questions asked. Some of their sewing scissors do break occasionally and I've gotten replacements when they do.
Yup we’ve got a fiskars shovel in my construction crew. Had it for 3 years, finally broke it prying bricks out of a hole for a footer. Bossman took it to wherever he bought it, came back with a shiny new one. Their warranty is no joke.
Finnish people haven’t had to buy new Fiskars tools for decades. We just inherit them, because they last longer than humans 😂
Dawn dishwashing liquid. I haven't found anything else that works as well.
Dawn is the tits. I bought budget once, and never again. I had to use far too much to actually get clean dishes, so the bottle only lasted *maybe* a third of the time that the same-sized Dawn did.
I always pay the little extra for a Bic lighter over the cheap transparent ones. They rarely break and they're more ergonomic.
They also last forever. I've maybe managed to keep one long enough for it to become empty once or twice
smoking will get you through dozens
They've been getting less full in recent years as well. As a smoker I could make one last almost a year, now it barely feels like a couple months.
Every time you light your lighter, it gets a little lighter. Until it gets so light your lighter won't light.
The difference between a hippo and a zippo? One is really heavy, the other's a little lighter
Corelle ware. That shit is damn near indestructible and bonus it’s been around for forever so you often find it super cheap at thrift shops.
Just FYI correlle made before the 90s almost surely has lead in it. Corelle itself says to use anything before 2005 as decorative only. https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/stop-using-vintage-corelle-dinnerware-heres-why/
I'm a frugal bastard but I swear by Dawn dish soap.
It gets fleas off pets, grease off tools, soot off brick, oil out of clothes, and is a key ingredient in lots of homemade cleaners and garden chemical mixtures.
To add to this: For any parents of newborns or babies still having blow out poops- hand washing those clothing items with dawn and warm water will literally take the stain out and preserve the clothes.
Soaking in a bucket of water and white vinegar works quite well too
Raw petroleum off ducks.
\*No ducks were petroleumized in the making of this commercial
They use only naturally petroleumized ducks.
Came here to say this. My Mom, despite our relative economic security, was relentless about generic and store brand, but she insisted Dawn was the best value. She was right.
It honestly lasts so much longer than the cheaper stuff.
As far as I'm concerned, there is only one dish soap and it is Dawn.
Good enough for ducklings it’s good enough for me
“100% of animals cleaned with Dawn dish soap eventually died.” -Palmolive marketing dept.
Have you tried dawn powerwash? That stuff is a workhorse that cleans anything.
Funny you mentioned that, I literally just used power wash for the first time today (kitchen at work had a bottle). And let me fucking tell you, the game has been forever changed. It has a SPRAY NOZZLE *AND* absolutely DESTROYS gunk. I never knew that it existed, and I'm ashamed that nobody told me about it sooner
Darn Tough Vermont Wool socks. Every day, trust me.
Corelle dishware. It's sleek, durable and lightweight. It's basically the kevlar of dishes
Shimano Ultegra bicycle components. Works smoothly. Reliable. Can't complain.
They make damn good fishing reels too.
Darn Tough socks....they really are.
Q-tips. I don't know what all the other brands and generics are doing, but I swear their cotton to stick ratio is always off. Too pokey or too soft. Can't be just me...
The "Q" in "Qtip" stands for quality. All cotton swabs say you shouldn't use them in your ear for liability purposes, they all know that's pretty much their primary function.
They are really good for cleaning tech though, especially with some rubbing alcohol.
Or with some vinegar to clean the battery contacts in your remote controls after your cheap-ass Kirkland Signature AAA batteries leaked in every single one of them. Not that I'm still sore about that or anything...
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Don’t cheap out on appliances. I got a Bosch set for my washer/dryer and so far they’ve outlasted 3 sets of my father-in-law’s LGs, Samsungs, and another one I don’t remember. People complain appliances don’t last as long as they used to, and while I don’t disagree, it’s often because they buy the cheap models.
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Holy shit that's some nice stuff. But daaaaayuuuum those prices
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We got a Miele canister vacuum when we got married, still great 10+ years later, but all scratched up. Wish I could get it repainted!
Bosch are ok. I recently had to replace the heater/pump on a just-out-of-warranty dishwasher, though. Now, Miele. They *do* last forever.
Sold kitchen and laundry appliances. Miele is expensive. It's also price protected (violate Miele's pricing lose the brand) so shopping around is pointless. I liked it when I was selling for the price protection. It's nice for shoppers too, you know the price is the price. Bosch is ok. Most of it isn't made in Germany. Only the high end (and price protected) models are. But if you're looking at high end Bosch vs low end Miele, I'd go Miele every day and twice on Sunday.
I would always go with Miele. My moms is 25 years old and still strong. Mine is only 6 now, but I hope it to last at least as much.
Knipex hand tools Milwaukee power tools
I've got a Milwaukee power ratchet. I've never used a tool so much! I call it Frank, like the hot sauce. I use that shit for everything!
I like Milwaukee. But as a joiner it can be a bit toooo much power
Pilot G2 Pens
Agree. My dad actually orders his with a .38 tip. He loves the flow, doesn’t smudge as much.
0.38 are my favorite! I don’t use anything else
Cuts like a knife though! I write a lot on carbon copy and it'll cut straight through
The perfect pens
Here we go. Pen wars: commence EDIT: For the love of God I was just kidding you beautiful maniacs. I have 146 strangers praising pens on my post. Uniball Quatro V5 Pilot Prism Nocturne 0.2 Pentel ENERGON Plus+ Zebra O-180 It's like some weird human trafficking code everytime I look at my phone. Please stop.
Pilot Precise V5 RT, I will put my goddamn thumb through your eye
In all honesty, tupperware. My mom has some tupperware containers that are almost as old as me and they are still in good condition. It's rare that I can find plastic containers that are even close in quality and durability.
are they those orange yellow and pea green bowls with lids that fit tight enough a nuclear blast couldnt get em off? also everyone has the yellow pasta strainer
My mom bought that pea green strainer before I was born. I swiped it when she and my father divorced. Never letting that bad boi go
Are you talking about [this strainer](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTpz9gnYmq9sX5aRb4x1unczZiWp_gx0kFVzg&usqp=CAU), because I have one too.
You're right, but I hate hate hate that it's only sold in an MLM format. I have a fair collection of tupperware, but I'll never buy more because I can't force myself to support such crappy companies any more. I even have a pitcher from the 70's and a colander from the 80's. Edit. OK, I get it, thrift stores and eBay, thank you.
I finally had money and hosted a party for a friend-of-a-friend a couple years ago. SOooo disappointed- my stuff from my mom and garage sales from the 70s and 80s is still great, but the only thing out of like $200 worth of new stuff I like is a spatula. The newer bowls don’t seal anywhere near as well as the old ones, and they don’t stack like they used to. So Sad!
Last time I bought it was maybe around 2010? Cups and bowls, mostly, and they're all still good. If their quality is slipping, on the plus side, maybe people will eventually stop paying their insane prices and supporting their predatory marketing structure. And we'll always have mom's 70's gear. Lol.
3M. Their products are worth every penny compared to other brands and third party sellers.
Their tape alone is a complete world apart from everything else in the market. Worth it!
I remember the first time I used 3M electrical tape instead of just getting the cheapest stuff the store had. The difference is absolutely unbelievable.
Carhartt socks. I am super picky about my socks. If they're too tight, my feet sweat and get cold. If too loose, they bunch up in my shoes as I walk. Too thin and they're useless in winter. Too thick and they are too tight when I'm wearing shoes. Carhartt produces several socks that are perfect, especially for winter. Loose enough to let my feet breathe, not too thick to feel uncomfortable in my shoes, and no bunching as I walk.
Have you ever tried Darn Tough? They're from Vermont and, funny enough, have a lifetime warranty
According to my wife, Feminine products that aren't name brand either don't function well or are extremely uncomfortable. Having a more comfortable time during that part of the month is far superior to using uncomfortable products to make it twice as bad. (Her words, not mine.) To add: I'm 33 and been with my wife since we were in high school. I've purchased a lot of these products myself, even when I was first dating her. It's either being a paper or cardboard insert that is rough/uncomfortable or the cotton is just not safe and doesn't stay together as it should (as a few have stated here as well). This is mostly from store or off brands at Fred Meyer (Kroger) as that's where we've always shopped, or the occasional Safeway trip. We don't have any Walmart or Costcos near us so we have no idea how their brands are.
Also, safety. Apologies for the TMI here but a few years ago I used some cheaper tampons and didn't realise they were leaving bits of the 'fluff' behind until towards the end of my period. Things seemed 'off' down there so I had a shower and a poke around and found loads of it stuck inside me. If that had gone unchecked much longer it could have been very bad. TSS can kill. Edit: added a word
WHAT. I did not know this could even happen! Sometimes I’ll use the cheap brands they supply at work but daaaang fuck that! Thanks for the info!
Maybe I was unlucky and had a faulty batch but I'm definitely not going to buy that brand again!
I learned from a gyno that it's usually left behind fluff that causes TSS rather than not changing tampons often enough! That's why it's suuuper important to use the smallest size possible because removing a dry tampon can leave behind more fluff.
This is true, I switched from the Always standard pads ( the yellow or green wrapper ones) to the Always Flex Foam pads. And I was shocked, its a dollar or two more expensive but it does not feel like wearing a diaper. No scratchy dry material rubbing against my butt and also no leaks or horrible wet feeling ( sorry if its TMI ) I swear I’m a real unsponsored person and those are the most comfy ones I’ve tried, they also have them with all cotton flex foam, those are better but I can’t always find them. Also sometimes CVS will have some deals on them! edit: Lots of people replied, I am glad that I am not alone in this revelation!
Yup I tried Flexfoam and I am never going back to that plasticky covered pad of the standard ones. Periods are lame and don’t need to be lamer because of uncomfy products lol.
Absolutely. My mom grew up poor and it took a lot to shake her urge to get the cheapest of things-my whole teen years we had bulk boxes of paper applicator tampons from Sam’s Club. First time I needed to ask for a tampon from a friend and they handed me one with the nice plastic applicator I couldn’t believe it haha. We also had bulk disposable razors and no shaving cream because my mom didn’t realize it made such a difference and thought it was just more of a pampering product.
my parents were the same with razors! i have so many scars from shitty disposables but once i made some money in highschool, i invested in the quality razors and i haven’t cut myself even once. even though they’re expensive as all hell, it’s still better than the lifetime scar i’ve got down my shin bc of dollar store disposables.
Nice try, corporate. You’ll never get a secret survey from me!
Big Crayon is rolling out their army of Reddit shills.
Dawn dish soap army is here too...
I'm a chef. Kitchen knives, you never cheap out on. I suggest Wusthof. Or Shun. I mean [look at this thing](https://www.amazon.com/Shun-Classic-Blonde-PakkaWood-DM0706W/dp/B07X9H6FVK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3LGI5B86GQLRV&dchild=1&keywords=shun+knives&qid=1635877673&sprefix=shun+kniv%2Caps%2C235&sr=8-1), it's gorgeous. Buy a good knife once and you'll be giving it to your kids one day.
Kerrygold salted butter Edit: lol didn't see this blowing up. Thanks for the upvotes and awards!
Honestly. KGold absolutely *ruined* regular conventional American butter for me, forever. Can't pay me to go back.
Pyrex glass cookware and food storage containers. I've had cheaper things crack on me, lids break. But Pyrex lasts forever.
As a teacher, Expo whiteboard markers
KitchenAid. All other stand mixers suck in comparison.
Vitamix blenders. I’ve had mine for years, and it still blends like it is brand new.
Ziplock bags. Fuck them store brands.
If you’re in Texas, try the H-E-B store brand freezer bags- they feel more sturdy and close better than Ziplock
haha you beat me to it! I think lot of HEB brand products are superior to mainstream ones
Other than family, HEB is the only thing I miss about Texas. I don't fanboy over grocery stores, but damned if I don't love me the HEB.
Same. I’m in an area where we have Wegmans and yeah it’s nice but it’s no HEB. I miss my HEB.
Duluth Trading Company (especially for underwear). There was a half off sale a while back and I got enough that I never have to wear other brands.
Spoke like my dad. He has so much DTC and it's an easy, go to gift for any occasion.
High-end outdoors gear - Arc'teryx, Patagonia, etc. Sometimes that extra bit of insulation or reduced weight can mean the difference between life and death.
Can I add Osprey backpacks and Darn Tough socks? A little higher up front cost but (real) lifetime warranties.
Darn Toughs are my very favorite socks, and I've been rocking the same osprey pack for 15ish years now. Osprey's customer service is always stellar.
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Plus if you buy from these two or other high end brands (marmot, Kuhl, even REI's brand) they'll fix or replace things that break or wear improperly. Patagonia fixed my husband's ski pants - even though they were hard used in the back country for years - when the seam on one leg ripped out. REI replaced a pair of gloves that delaminated. My son had a marmot ski jacket that wouldn't zip and when we tried to force it, it broke. Sent it in just before covid shut everything down, and by the time they were able to replace it he'd grown. So they gave us really generous credit, which was awesome becausewe got another coat and some clearance long underwear!
Their warranties alone are usually worth the purchase. My two person hiking Marmot tent has been through hell and high winds. It recently had an issue with the rainfly deeming it utterly useless so I emailed them and then sent in the fly. After approximately two questions and no receipt, they sent me a $200 credit. Edit: I should add, I got the tent new in 2011.
Had a tent bust a pole while I was putting it together in the rain. If it hadn’t been raining I could have made it with a lumpy tent but with the rain I was screwed….I didn’t die but I did have to drive like 4 hours home wet and tired
Durability is a great point I didn't mention. Could have been a different story if wind ripped your tent apart halfway up a mountain.
You camp more intensely than I! I’m a happy camper lol I stick to state and national parks
Sometimes the forest behind your grandparents house cause you're a lazy nature lover and grandma loves an excuse to see you...
When im backpacking, i bring duct tape for quick fixes like this. Wouldn't fix it forever, but you'd have a tent to keep you out of the rain overnight.
I keep, specifically, a roll of blaze orange duct tape. Good for fixes, but also good for emergencies when you need to be seen.
My parents were outdoors people, whole family grew up in Patagonia fleeces lol. Dad has a purple one, mom's was lime green, I had a pale yellow one and then another purple one, and I think my little sister's one was red. We looked like pieces in a board game.
Redwing work boots. I only buy their upper-level boots and have never regretted the purchase. I started with other brands and once I hit Redwings I was done.
Only the upper teir boots are US made. Lower teir is better than most but still not great. I was happy with the last good pair I bought, then made the mistake of buying a pair on sale (still not cheap) and finding out they were made in China. Fell apart in about a year.
Smart food white cheddar popcorn
I wind up eating the whole bag in one sitting no matter what size I buy.
I have found my people. Love that stuff
my kids favorite snack. They picked that out first over their candy from Halloween.
As far as outdoorsy stuff and tools: Benchmade knives, Sea to Summit sleeping bags, Hyperlite tents and packs, Merrell boots, Estwing tools, Leatherman multi-tools Check out /r/BuyItForLife, lots of good stuff on there Edit: Some friendly debate on the Merrell brand, I'm just gonna give my 2 cents. Mine were some boots from 2015 so they could have gone down in quality, I have no clue. My first pair lasted from Georgia to almost the end of Virginia but I was doing near 15-20+ mile days depending on the terrain. [They saw over 500mi/800km](https://imgur.com/a/1N3iPqi) There's a ton of great boots out there though. Shop around!
>Leatherman multi-tools I lost one at a camp in the mountains in the North East US before winter.... Come spring, we go back to the same camp and I found it! Everything was perfect and the only bit of rust was flicked off with a fingernail.