On the kitchen thread there has been chatter about a few products that are built to last. I’ve always preferred to invest in quality products even if I need to pay a little more. It seems that many products aren’t built to last the way they used to be. In many areas, we’ve become more and more a throw away society. I’d rather not add to our landfills when I can avoid it.
So, what products/manufacturers do you think are built to last?
I’ll start with a few that surfaced on the other thread and a few personal favorites:
Speed Queen washing machines
Cuisinart Food Processors (at least the vintage ones!)
LL Bean Duck Boots (plus great customer service should you have issues)
Frye Boots (also excellent customer service)
In the kitchen…Le Creuset , Allclad …I am not 100% sold on Kitchen Aid and Cuisinart , only because I have little faith in anything electronic as far as appliances are concerned .I do have a Cuisinart food processor which has been reliable as has the Kitchen Aid mixer. I have knives from Henckels as well as Cuisinart …I love my cuisinart and lukewarm on the Henckels.
I believe if you want to make good food, you need good tools.
I don’t have any allegiance to appliance companies because I firmly believe they have a built in shelf life and no matter what they say when you are making your purchase, they are going to crap out in a few years.
One thing I do have faith in is fine furniture makers…that is something you can rely on if you want. It is almost a lost art , but if it is something you can appreciate, it is a great trade to support
Hondas and Toyotas. Knoll and Herman Miller furniture, especially if commercial grade fabrics are used. A lot of old pottery has held up remarkably well over the centuries.
Used furniture ('40s and '50s is what I prefer)
Oster Blender (20+ years old)
Vitantonio waffle maker (20+ years old)
All in all, my major appliances (all 10 years old and middle of the road brands suck as i.e. more, all and Bausch) have been reliable but tend to fall apart.
My 30-year-old, heavily used, Cuisinart food processor is still going strong.
It’s shocking how short the life of major appliances is these days. One exception: I have a top-of-the-line Kenmore front loader, 14 years old, heavily used, still working.
Lodis items. I have a wallet that is about 5 years old, it still looks new. It’s this one:
caramel on the outside, dark red on the inside, beautiful leather, stitching still perfect, no wear on edges. It knocks around in my purse, I don’t take care of it.
We have several nice suitcases–21" Delsey Helium and Tumi, and other than a bit of grease from baggage handling, look as good as new, tho they are 10+ and 5 years old, respectively. They are carried on, checked, and abused, but they wear very well.
Have a Clark’s purse that has tons of zippers and is featherweight corduroy nylon that I abuse terribly but looks brand new, tho it must be over a year old.
Oh yes, our Toyota Van is an amazing workhorse and requires minimal maintenance. Our Honda Accord plus also very low maintenance.
That’s funny that you mentioned the Lodis wallet, NYMomof2. I have that identical wallet and it’s at least 10 years old. It still looks brand new and I still get compliments on it constantly!
I have my grandmother’s KitchenAid stand mixer, mid 1930’s, works fine. I also have a cheap GE hand mixer from my wedding, 1984, which works just as well as the expensive Kitchen Aid hand mixer I thought I needed 2 years ago.
Also have a Ford Fusion bought this past Black Friday which rattles like a tin can and is on trip 5 to Ford, a fridge which drips water into the fridge when it defrosts and freezes in the back, a rental fridge that sounds like a helicopter, a new"high efficiency" furnace that had 15 calls in 3 years…and so on.
I do think John Deere professional grade mowers are worth the premium. Other than that, I am very reluctant to pay high-end prices because I think it’s planned obsolescence on the part of manufacturers.
I have a black canvas-type material Coach bag that is by far the best purse I have every owned. It is about 7 years old and looks like new, no wear anywhere, all stitching and handles perfect. It has great zippers that never stick, several pockets inside, and both short handles and a long handle so it’s just very easy to use. I have used it most of the time over 7 years, so even though it was expensive it has been well worth it. I like it better than my other Coach leather purses because it isn’t so heavy. All the Coach purses I have are very well-made with high-quality zippers.
Eagle Creek waist pack that converts to purse – have had it several decades. They replace whatever breaks, no hassles and have replaced zipper and also twice replaced the shoulder strap.
LLBean clothing, especially men’s chamois shirts–wears like iron, but very soft. Finally donated when H wanted fresher colors.
Cars sold in the US are now much more reliable and durable than in decades past. People used to think you were lucky to get a car to last 100,000 miles; now it is considered unlucky if it does not.
