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What are some products that last forever / are an absolute reference in their category?

Cyberpunkd

Member
You know these stupid companies that made a product so good you are thinking if they want to drive themselves out of business.

Examples:

Printers: Brother - lasts for years, never breaks.

Rowing machines: Concept2 - your children will inherit this stuff. The only answer ever to “which rowing machine should I buy?”.

Guns: AK-47 - never breaks, never jams, point and pull the trigger and you will hit your target.

What are your picks?
 
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Trogdor1123

Member
Some tools last forever. I’m specifically thinking about tools like chisels.

I have a set of snap on sockets that my dad gave me that his father used. Pretty damn old but work great.

Same thing with my old snap on air impact. I’ve had to rebuild it before though so not sure if that counts.
 

near

Gold Member
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I've had my MacBook Pro since 2011 and it's still going strong. I've dropped it a couple of times with no ill effects.

It does have a certain Trigger's Broom quality in that I've replaced the battery and hard drive, upgraded the RAM, got through numerous power cables and probably need a new trackpad. However, I would probably have needed 3 regular laptops in that time.
 

nush

Member
Sega Megadrive. I used to have a nice sideline repairing Super Nintendos (It's the fuse, it's always the fuse). But Megadrives are absolute tanks.
 

sankt-Antonio

:^)--?-<
Genelec Monitors, anything from RME (music production). And I have to say all my Mac gear outlived its specs. Had a iMac for 11 years, now it’s at my parents house.
 

Ophiuchus

Banned
Cast iron skillets like Lodge or Le Creuset last forever and can be passed down. Victorinox Swiss Army knives are nearly indestructible. Leica cameras offer unbeatable build quality and longevity. Yeti coolers are incredibly tough and keep ice for ages.
 

dsp

Member
I've had my MacBook Pro since 2011 and it's still going strong. I've dropped it a couple of times with no ill effects.

It does have a certain Trigger's Broom quality in that I've replaced the battery and hard drive, upgraded the RAM, got through numerous power cables and probably need a new trackpad. However, I would probably have needed 3 regular laptops in that time.

I have a 2015 MacBook that l use fairly frequently. The only thing I need to do is repair the speakers since one of them is shot. Still need to figure out a way to optimize its heat output when using Linux. I've tried MBPFan which helps but it still gets fairly hot doing regular things. Works great in MacOS. I know that repairing the speaker is going to be a pain so I've been avoiding it.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
I have a Craftsman tool set that I've been using for 20+ years that has yet to fail me. I don't know if modern Craftsman tools are still as good because I haven had to buy any for so long.
 

Xellos

Member
A good pair of speakers. I have two pair (Energy V2.2, C3), both over 20 years old, both still sound great. One of the V2.2s did need a tweeter/midrange replacement a few years back, but I was able to source parts off ebay for around $200. Energy still exists but sadly was bought out in the mid-2000s and hasn't really been the same since.
 
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anthony2690

Member
Original Xbox, my brother's ex girlfriend back in the day, threw his down the stairs, and it probably did more damage to the stairs and the console looked and worked perfectly fine still.
 
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ReBurn

Gold Member
I bought some tables made by the Amish. They're over 20 years old and still just as awesome as they day I bought them.
 

BadBurger

Many “Whelps”! Handle It!
Which one?

No brand, I bought it from a little mom and pop shop that sits next to a pier in my home town. A woman everyone calls "Tam" runs it to this day. She's like 90.

Edit: I decided to look it up and ask my brother about it who now owns a house nearby. The shop closed last year. All good things come to an end
 
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jason10mm

Gold Member
Rolex watches. If you stick to a relatively non-blinged out dial, their design is pretty timeless (heh heh) and the movements are ROCK SOLID, will last for decades without a service and can be serviced by virtually any competent watchmaker. The newer movements are a little more tricky with the parachrome mainsprings and whatnot and they restricted parts access so they may be torpedoing their rep, but for the older models their reputation is well earned.

Wusthoff forged kitchen knives (or any good german knife maker) the jump from stamped steel to proper forged knives is pretty large. Blades that will last for decades of sharpenings so long as you are not using a belt sander or angle grinder on it, handles that won't warp or crack or come loose. Just gotta treat them right, hand wash only, use a rod at times and learn to sharpen then and you will never need those lesser knives again.

Lecreuset pots. This is cast iron coated in enamel. So they look great, are easy to clean, handle damn near any cooking method. You just gotta avoid metal utensils, let them warm up and cool down properly, and stay away from harsh scrubbers and the pots will last decades looking brand new. Waaaay better than thinner aluminum that warps, lesser coatings that fade, chip, or scratch, or handles not molded in that come loose. A couple of these bad boys in a few sizes and the only thing you gotta worry about is a skillet that can handle scrambled eggs.

Vitamix blender. This is a BLENDER. It's heavy, most of it is metal, and it has TORQUE! You may balk at dropping a few hundred on something that does what a $40 walmart special "can do", but once you realize the power of the vitamix to blend damn near anything, spin long and hard enough to heat up the contents to make HOT SOUP, and that it will crush ice all day, every day, you realize that it will outlast you and the 10 lesser blenders that are now junk.

Kitchenaid stand mixer. This is the CLASSIC workhorse mixer. Even the hinged (versus the lever) versions have the same powerful gearing, lack of digital nonsense that will fail, and not to mention the plethora of attachments using the gearing at the front. There is a reason why you see this brand on every cooking show ever produced. Buy once, cry once, use it forever.

Wright wrenches. It's just a wrench, I can get a dozen of them for $20 from china, right? WRONG. Quality wrenches have better edges, they won't slip and round off the nut, the finishing is better so they don't rust, they are true to measurements, the metal is better so they hold up to abuse. Totally worth the couple hundred to get sets of metric and SAE in the ranges that cover appliances and automotive so you can do stuff at home. That "30 in 1" kit you got for xmas in the nice little molded plastic box is gonna fail you or just not have the exact size you need and will lead to frustration and damage. You don't gotta buy them all at once, but I make a point of writing down when I could have used a specific tool or when a cheap tool failed me and then upgrade. You can just deal with stripped screws, nuts, broken bolts, and all that, or you can pony up and get proper tools that do the job right, the first time. So long as it doesn't have a battery you are buying stuff for your grandkids anyway, assuming they have anything that isn't immediately disposable or just 3D printed on demand.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Takumi no waza Green Bell G-1205

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These nail clippers are about $20 and will likely outlast you
 

Cyberpunkd

Member
Rolex watches. If you stick to a relatively non-blinged out dial, their design is pretty timeless (heh heh) and the movements are ROCK SOLID, will last for decades without a service and can be serviced by virtually any competent watchmaker. The newer movements are a little more tricky with the parachrome mainsprings and whatnot and they restricted parts access so they may be torpedoing their rep, but for the older models their reputation is well earned.

Kitchenaid stand mixer. This is the CLASSIC workhorse mixer. Even the hinged (versus the lever) versions have the same powerful gearing, lack of digital nonsense that will fail, and not to mention the plethora of attachments using the gearing at the front. There is a reason why you see this brand on every cooking show ever produced. Buy once, cry once, use it forever.
Got these two and 100% agree. Rolex is a workhorse, that watch will never fail you. It’s hilarious how the Gen Z selling kidney for a Sub cries about bezel scratches whereas us older folks are like: “Should I take it on a tour in Vietnam? Probably.”.

Kitchenaid is just built differently. What does break if it fails? A fucking fuse, because a designer was not an idiot and he thought - why should you replace a mixer when you can replace a $5 fuse? SHOCKING.
 

12Goblins

Lil’ Gobbie
Don't know anything about cars, but I watched some durability video on YouTube and Toyota trucks don't have shit on the G wagon
 
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