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Buy It For Life: 40 Durable Products That Deliver No Matter How Old They Are (New Pics)
We used to be people of repair and resourcefulness, taking pride in our ability to tinker with the longevity of our things. But nowadays? Not so much. We may try to recycle, but as soon as something breaks we're looking for a replacement. Luckily, our ingenuity can match our laziness.
The subreddit r/BuyItForLife has 973k members and it's dedicated to practical quality products that were made to last. Like a phone from 2006. Or a sewing machine from the early 20th century!
The person who founded this online community, u/Petrarch1603, got the inspiration for it from r/ShutUpandTakeMyMoney. "I noticed that sometimes [it featured] useful products that I was interested in buying. Unfortunately, I also noticed a lot of gimmicks and cheaply made products too," they explained.
Now, r/BuyItForLife is twice the size of its predecessor. I guess people really appreciate pristine craftsmanship!
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Bought It In '88 With Money My Grandmother Left Me. My Mother Was Upset That I Spent My Inheritance On Something As Ephemeral As A Bicycle. I've Ridden Thousands Of Miles On It, Including A Double Century In 2000. Now It's My Townie Bike, For Shopping, Commuting, And Errands
Buy It For Multiple Lives! 1916 Singer 66, My Main Sewing Machine
Our loyal readers might remember our first piece on r/BuyItForLife. However, people have made plenty of cool posts on the subreddit since then so we felt like a follow-up was necessary too.
Plus, this time we reached out to the people running the sub and one of the moderators was kind enough to have a little chat with us. "The most popular items I see based on what's posted are: Stanley Thermos, Darn Tough Socks, Kitchen Aid mixers, Red Wing boots, and pots and pans, particularly cast iron," they told Bored Panda.
Rolleicord 6x6 Film Camera From The 60's Still Going Strong And Some Examples Of The Pictures It Makes
Colman Snow-Lite Low Boy Cooler From The 60s. Gifted To Me From My Grandparents Who Picked It Up From A Thrift Store Nearly 20 Years Ago. Still Holds Ice For Nearly A Week!
We also asked the moderator what they think allows some of these items to persevere for as long as they do. "I'm not an expert by any means but I think there are a few factors," they said.
"Most products are built to be as cheap as possible .... and poorly assembled (maybe partly due to planned obsolescence but mostly just due to the fact that people in general like spending less). The products that you see lasting longer are often made of higher quality material and care when built. But they're also priced accordingly."
My Great Uncle's Watch That Lived Through Combat In Ww2. Wound It Up And It Still Works Perfectly
Oregano - Mom Got A Piece Of An Oregano Plant From Her Aunt When I Was A Kid. She Transplanted Some To One House, Then Another And Another, Then To My Place, And Again When I Moved. We Have Never Purchased Oregano In My Entire Life. It Even Pops Up In The Lawn, Makes Grass Cutting Smell Nice
Was Told To Post My Grandparents Desk Here (228 Years Old)
But choosing longer-lasting products can be tricky. The price doesn't always tell the full story. A few years ago, The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) published an interesting study, carried out by the University of Southern Brittany, the Sircome agency, and the University of Southern Bohemia.
Its main goal was to see whether displaying a product's lifespan would influence a consumer's decision to purchase. In other words, would we choose the same products if we had this information?
Graphgear 500 Mechanical Pencil. The One On Top I’ve Used For 20 Years, The Other Is Brand New
My Girlfriend Uses This Sewing Machine To Make Masks. Her Great-Grandmother Bought It New Back In 1925. It Still Works Perfectly
Lunch Box From ‘89. Thermos From ‘97. New Old Stock. I’m So Excited
Here’s The Before And After Finished Product On My $5 Allen Edmond’s. These Bifl Shoes Were Destined For The Dumpster But I Was Able To Bring Them Back To Life. The Dye Color Is Uneven Between The Left And Right, But I’m Just Gonna Let It Bug Me For A While Until I Get Around To Fixing It
The experiment involved 2,917 participants from 5 European countries (Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Spain and the Netherlands).
"We designed a fake shopping website, which consumers could use just as if it were Amazon or ASOS," the researchers wrote. The participants, however, did not know the site was fake. "Once they had checked out their shopping basket, participants were directed to a questionnaire which gauged various socio-economic and psycho-social indicators."
My Grandmothers Wedgewood Oven. At Least 70 Yrs Old
Bifg (Buy It For Generations): My Viking Husqvarna 21a, From Early 1960's. Belonged To My Grandma. My Son Is The 4th Generation To Use This Machine... Spending Quality Father-Son Time Teaching Him How To Sew Useful And Beautiful Things That Will Also Last A Long Time
These Russian Valenki Felted Wool Boots, Made Entirely Out Of Hardened Wool That Served Me So Well Here In Texas In Ver The Past Couple Days. No Soles, No Form, Basically Like Wearing Snow Proof 2 Inch Thick Hard Wool Socks. Had Them For 5 Years, No Sign Of Wear
Yeah valenki are great, but they don't do well right around freezing because they do suck up slush. The Germans sure wished they had valenki in WWII. Their stupid alternative looked like giant Herman Munster boots. There are some great pics of the Soviet soldiers trying them on and laughing at how horrible they were ERpmmBrWoA...c5f84e.jpg 
Finally, All The Thrifting Has Paid Off
The results showed that if shoppers had information on product lifespan, they would choose to buy longer-lasting items: on average, a product's sales increased by 56% if its lifetime was longer than that of its competitors.
Of the products tested, purchases of suitcases (+128%) and printers (+70%) were influenced the most by this change.
I Bought This Palette Knife Over 30 Years Ago And Have Created Countless Paintings With It
Staplers?? Huh. Here’s My Tried, Trusted, And Tantalizing Cadet Model 302. Ain’t She Pretty?
It's Time To Switch My Ipod Classic (2006) For Spotify. Have Been Using It Daily For 15 Years But Spotify Is Just Too Convenient. Rest In Peace Little One
I still use mine every day, and it has my entire music collection, audiobooks, and podcasts all in one place and available at all times. In my opinion, the finest piece of hardware Apple ever produced - so naturally they pulled the plug on it. To this day, no-one has produced its equal, because everyone has been suckered into believing streaming that you pay for but never own is somehow better.
Dr Martens 1460 (UK) Purchased 1992
Docs are fine for fashion but they’re rubbish for work boots. I wore out a pair in an industrial kitchen in 4 months. After that I bought a pair of German Para boots from the Army Surplus shop. That was 30 years ago and after various dirty jobs and some very messy festivals they’re still waterproof 😎
"Suitcases are the quintessential roaming product, giving them two characteristics which makes the consumer rank lifetime as a priority: the trials of transport make resilience a key factor, and any item used solely for travel will be brought out only occasionally. If it is used rarely, the consumer has every reason to hope it will last a long time," the researchers explained.
"As for printers, they have one of the shortest lifetimes of all household electronic goods, and people buy them because they need them, not for pleasure – two more good reasons why we would want them to last."
Sales of smartphones were among the least affected by displaying their lifetime (+41%).
I Restored A Neglected Old Wrench. It Wasn't Ready To Retire
GF Gave Me This For My Birthday. I Expect To Be Using It For The Rest Of My Days. French Made, Le Creuset, Enameled Cast Iron Sauce Pan
My mum has an entire Le Creuset set that are 45 years old and she still uses them; they show absolutely no sign of needing to be replaced. I've asked her to leave them to me in her will :-D
My Dads Levis Jacket From 1980! I’ve Been Wearing It For About A Year Now
My daughter found my old jean jacket from the 80's with the huge Motorhead back patch. It took years before she finally brought that back 🤣 A few years later, my middle son found my old leather metalhead jacket and wore it to school. Apparently his classmates thought it was awesome. Maybe I'll let him use my old Doc Martins or checkered vans next?
My Grandma Gave Me Her Gingher Scissors Today (In The Original Box!), She Used Them For Ages Before She Taught Me To Sew With Them About 15 Years Ago. Beautifully Sharp Now, Just As I Remember Them Being Years Ago
80% of participants felt that the manufacturers were very to extremely responsible with regard to providing information about a product's lifetime.
"All these findings argue for legislation on product lifetime," the research team said. "There is no doubt that the reliability of the products purchased is important to consumers. The study showed that regulatory information would steer customers when purchasing products."
Bought A Set Of Silicone Resealable Bags 4 Years Ago And They’re Used Every Day And Still In Perfect Condition. Haven’t Thrown A Single Zip-Loc Away In All That Time!
These Cross Pens Were My Grandfathers From The 1960s. He Worked As A Test Fail Analysis Engineer For General Dynamics. These Pens Were Used To Try To Win The Space Race, And Now I Use Them Every Day As I Work To Follow In His Footsteps
Arkansas Traveler Tomatoes. Originally Purchased In 1970... 51 Years Ago. Buy Heirloom, Buy It Once
Just Got Done Detailing My Grandpa's 1971 Schwinn Racer! These Bikes Were Built For Life That's For Sure!
Such policy changes might reflect in r/BuyItForLife's number of posts. I'm half-joking, of course, but the members of the subreddit can definitely give you valuable insight when choosing your next purchase.
"I think our community is great!" the representative of the mod team said. "Maybe I'm a little biased, I only moderate a few subs but frequent many more as a regular user and from my anecdotal experience, the BIFL community is among the nicest and most welcoming people I have interacted with on the internet."
A Customer Of Mine Finally Decided To Upgrade... Motorola Razr, Purchased November 2006
Barber Chair, 100 Years Old And Reconditioned!
Proudly Bought It With My Paper Route Money 50 Years Ago Because It Was The Heaviest One :) Good Choice - Still Works Perfectly. Audition, Made In Hong Kong
This Camping Table Set Bought By My Grandparents In The -60s Just Saw Its Fourth Generation Of Users. The Tent Is On Generation Two
Frye “Fulton” Leather Boots. Bought In 2010 For $350.00, Worn On Every Date, Family Holiday, And Special Occasion Since. Now, Luck Enough To Wear Them To Work
40 Years Of Laundry. My Parents Bought This In 1980 When They First Got Married. It's Also Live A Life As A Pretend Boat And Turtle Shell When I Was Little. It's In Great Condition And I'm So Happy To Be Giving It More Life
My 1965 Gillette Slim Adjustable - Built Like A Tank!
Thrifted From Bulgaria Around 2 Decades Ago. Rail Road Worker Steel Toe Boots. Haven't Moved An Inch Since The Day I Got Them
Restoring The Wooden Beams Of My House And Found This. (More Like "Buy It For The Next 6 Generations")
My Dad Bought A New Knife After 50 Years
Any Love For Purdy Paint Brushes? Wash Them Out Well And They'll Last Decades. I've Had This One For 15 Years. It's Painted Three Apartments
The Legendary 90’s Toyota Land Cruiser. 24 Years Old And Only Needs Routine Maintenance
Vorwerk Tiger 251. Built In 1982 And Still Sucks Harder Than Your Mother's
My +35 Y/O Fire Truck That My Son Now Plays With. It Still Has The Orange Shag Carpet My Father Put On The Seat To Make It More Comfortable
Do Computer Keyboards Count? I Restore And Collect Vintage Keyboards To Use Daily And My Ibm 5251 Is My Favorite. 1979
The Prest-O Gun Donut Maker - A Beautiful Example Of 1950's Industrial Design For A Simple Tool Built To Last
My Old Desk Fan From The 50’s I Think, Has Two Settings And Runs Incredibly Smooth
8 Below. Rolling Blackouts Have Hit. Behold My Grandmother's Vintage Pyrex Percolator. All Pieces Are Intact And In Use. We Shall Not Suffer From A Lack Of Coffee!!!!
The Old Swing Away. Same One My Parents Used To Open My Baby Food. Indestructible
Bought It 30 Years Ago When I Got My First Place To Myself. It's Seen A Lot Of Use Over The Years And Has Needed Zero Maintenance. I Cleaned Up For The First Time In A Long Time, And It Looks Practically New Still
My mom still has the same kitchenaid mixer she had when I was a child in the 80s.
Grado Headphones, Bought Them 15 Years Ago, Modded Last Week To Keep Them For 15 More Years
One can't help but hear " This is the BBC. British forces continue their advance . . . . . ."
Just ~70k Away From Being A Half Million Mile Daily Driver
I Thought My Late Father's Decades Old Polishing Cloth Would Need To Be Replaced By Now, But It Still Gets The Job Done Every Time. Makes Me Smile
Keep it until there are more holes than cloth. The new one would probably be a disappointment anyway.
My 70 Year Old Dazor Model 1000 Desk Lamp That’s In My Shop
Coleman 4 Person Tent I Won In The 8th Grade. This Has Seen Abuse Camping As A Kid, High-School Parties, College Canoe Trips And Hunting Trips In The Rockies In 3 Seasons, And Now It's Being Abused By My 3 And 6 Year Old Nephew And Niece. Well Over 100 Camping Trips And No Rips Or Tears. 10/10
Coleman products used to be built to last a LIFETIME. Now, not so much. Such a shame to see companies known for quality and craftsmanship produce "use it and toss it" merchandise now.
I'm Nearly 30 And I Have Had These Reef Brand Sandles Since I Was At Least 15, Perhaps 14. They Have Been Around The World While I Was In The Marines And Have Been Attached To My Feet Every Weather Permitting Day I've Gone Outside. They Are Still Strong And Show No Signs Of Slowing Down 10/10
Found An Old Milwaukee Reciprocating Saw At A Thrift Store For $15. Took It Apart,. Cleaned It. Polished It. New Grease... Works Great!
If Only I Could Find A Pencil Sharpener Like This One. My Dad Has Had It In His Office Since The Early 90s (If Not Before). As A Teacher, I’m In Awe. They Don’t Make Them Like This Anymore
Coleman Lanterns 1965, 1973, 1977
Whelp, After 21 Years My X1 Finally Had A Failure With A Blown O-Ring. 'Tis Okay Though, Since It's Still In Production And A New One Was Only $1
Original Nintendo Gameboy
A True Bifl Gift From Grandpa Today
Man, these guys can be so incredibly useful! I got mine when my 84 yr old neighbor passed and gifted us some amazing tools, all old & well cared-for.
My Five Dollar, 1977 Steelcase Office Chair. I Love That It's A Low Back, And It's So Comfortable. Will Definitely Survive The Apocalypse
Cripes! $5? I just bought a Steelcase office chair...it was €900! Hopefully it will last as long as yours.
Grandma’s Old Blender Is Still Going Strong 40+ Years Later
My Mom’s Crock Pot That She Got In January, 1980. 41 Years Old And Still Works Without Any Issues
A Hammer From Back When Stanley Made Really Great Lifelong Tools
My Grandpa's Double Bit Walter Axe. Bought In 1940s Ontario And Logged With It Across Canada Until He Retired In '70s B.c
42 And Still Plenty To Do!
Old toys must be really well made, i have a toy rabbit from the 1950s and it hasnt fallen apart
My Towel That I'm Still Using Today Was Made In West Germany, Making It At Least 32 Years Old
This will serve you well when you're hitchhiking across the galaxy.
Zenith Transoceanic - The Radio For Those That Love Radio. This 1969 R3000 Has Been My Daily Late Night Listening Rig For About A Year Now. I Collect Them And Rotate Them In And Out Of Service. Almost Always Found Working. The Build Quality On These Is Impressive. Battery Life Is Equally Impresive
She Ain’t Pretty, But This Ge Microwave Made It Through My Childhood, College Years, And She’s Still Going Strong!
My mum still uses a microwave they bought when I was an infant, it's 30 years old and still working!
My 1988 Ariens Gt20 With 60" Deck And The Boy Who Will Hopefully Still Be Riding It When He's In His 30s
My 49-Year-Old Popeil’s Pocket Fisherman Folding Spincasting Rod/Reel Combo; Brought In Another Ten Fish Today
I remember the ads on TV, back when we had three channels and the one odd one way up on the UHF dial.
30 Year Igloo vs. 4 Months
Tullen Snips! Cut Basically Anything, Last For Decades. I Grew Up With A Pair In Our Kitchen So I Was Stoked To Find My Own Pair
Mimar Model St-28s I Restored For My Girlfriend, I Think It’s From The 1950s
Eagle Industries Becker Patrol Pack. Purchased Online Back In 2001 And Has Been To Over Sixty Countries. Perfect For Trekking And Living Out Of For Shoestring Budget Traveling. Seen Here In Taiyuan, China Shortly Before Boarding A Train To Trek Through Tibet
1986 Yamaha Pw50. Still Starts On The First Kick, And You Can Still Buy Them To This Day
We're Doing Staplers Now? Here's My Made-In-Chicago Ace 502 From The 1940s Or ’50s. They're Available On Ebay For About $25
Faema E61, Reliably Making Excellent Coffee Since The Sixties
Ohh, We're Doing Reversible Cloth Belts Now? I've Been Waiting For This. Patagonia, Purchased Summer Of '93. I Wear It Most Days
My 35 Year Old Henry!
Marlboro Adventure Team Duffel. Closing In On 30 Years Of Use
Still No Rust After 34 Years. Daily Driver. Preventative Maintenance Goes A Long Way
This Juicit Juicer From The Late 60s Is A Champ. Just Made 5 Qts Of Juice!
With These Two 12" Cast Iron Fb Marketplace Finds, I Can Finally Banish The Last Of The Teflon Coated Rubbish From My Kitchen. Brands Unknown, But Each Weighs 6lb+
Contigo Travel Mug. Lid Broke (Left). Filled Out The Form On The Website. Honoring The Lifetime Warranty, They Were Going To Send Me A New Lid. But The Lids By Themselves Were Out Of Stock, So They Mailed Me A Whole New One (Right)
I've had a few broken lids on mine! I didn't know it could be replaced. Hopefully someone buying my donated ones from Goodwill will cash in on that.
Jc Penney Hot Air Popcorn Popper. Purchased 1980. Still Going Strong (Think It Was Made By Waring)
My Black & Decker Handy Pop N Serve from the 80s is still going strong.
My "New" (Renewed) Osprey Ag 50 Backpack From The Renewal Workshop. Only $140 USD And Zero Waste!
"only"... 140$ for a refurbished backpack is expensive, in my opinion.
Tivoli Audio, Henry Kloss Model One Radio. Manufactured In Feb. 2001. Purchased For $15 In Thrift Store About 10 Years Ago. Exceptional Sound Quality Still! Have It Tuned Daily To Wqxr Classical Radio, Running 8-10 Hours Every Day For Years!
My Grandma’s Westinghouse Microwave
1984 Honda Lawnmower. Been In My Family 3 Generations, Still Starts On The First Pull!
Just the sight of a pull-start mower makes me want to sit on the curb and weep (bc it won't start). Can't believe you have had the same one that long. Well done!!
Had The One On The Right For 10 Years, Left Is Brand New. Been Playing Erryday For 12 Years For 1-6 Hours A Day. Really A Testament To Their Durability. Gravity Picks
My Grandfather’s Iron, It Has Never Broke
I never knew Black & Decker made irons, clearly they made them to last.
My 20+ Year Old Toothbrush (Left) Next To My Wife’s 10 Year Old Brush
My 15 Year Old Wahl Designers. Used Almost Weekly For Personal Haircuts For The Entire Time. Do A Deep Clean By Removing The Blade Once A Year. Keep The Blades Clean And Oiled After Ever Use. These Have No Signs Of Stopping Anytime Soon
I Was Looking Through Top Of All Time And Found Something Familiar
Just Nabbed What I Hope To Be A Bifl Clothes Dryer, A Unimac Front Loader. Found It At Local College Surplus Store Barely Used. Hardly Any Lint In Exhaust Duct. Now To Do Some Maintenance And Wire It Up
My Trusty 2006 Roomba Discovery, Still Regularly Cleaning My Workshop. I've Repaired Him Several Times Over The Years, And Have Just Replaced Some Mosfets And Transistors, But He's Still Reliable And Hard Working 15 Years Later
The oldest things I have that refuse to die are an electric carving knife and an Atari 2600, both from the 70's.
I have three wooden cooking spoons that were my grandmother's. "They" say I should buff and oil them every month but I never have and they have been used nearly every single day for the 30 years since I've inherited them! Never buy plastic spoons for cooking, stirring, ladling; total waste of money.
Load More Replies...
I bought my motorcycle in 1996, it was already 16 years old at the time. Still got it, still use it. Minor reparations.... ok, it is not as comfortable as a new one, at least I guess, but I will never sell it
The oldest things I have that refuse to die are an electric carving knife and an Atari 2600, both from the 70's.
I have three wooden cooking spoons that were my grandmother's. "They" say I should buff and oil them every month but I never have and they have been used nearly every single day for the 30 years since I've inherited them! Never buy plastic spoons for cooking, stirring, ladling; total waste of money.
Load More Replies... I bought my motorcycle in 1996, it was already 16 years old at the time. Still got it, still use it. Minor reparations.... ok, it is not as comfortable as a new one, at least I guess, but I will never sell it
