Already mentioned in thread, Anker cables. It has very good threaded covers that are strong and hard to damage. Internal copper cables and the USB ends are also very well made so there is no chance for it to fray or crack.
Bought a pair pack over 6 years ago. Still haven’t used the second cable because the first one is as good as new.
This is what everyone told me, so I bought a two pack of Anker branded cables. Both of them broke and wouldn’t charge without being held at a weird angle within a month. I bought an Amazon basics cable after that and it has worked for years just fine.
I seem to be in the minority here, but I will never buy Anker again after this awful experience.
I’m in the same boat. I’ve bought their cables at least 3 times at 3 different points in my life. All of their cables have failed within about a year. That being said I use them extremely heavily because I’m an Android app developer. I have many test devices and I’m constantly plugging in new devices and sometimes have up to 3 devices connected at the same time. I’m also not just charging the devices as I’m transferring data between the computer and device.
Anker has been hit-or-miss for me. It either craps out early, or lasts much longer than it has any right to. They’re still my go-to for cables, because I usually lose or give many of them away before they have a chance to show their worth
The main thing that kills cables is sitting a phone in portrait on one’s chest and having it plugged in for charging. That creates a nice 90-degree or nearly 90-degree bend that just destroys the cable over time.
The Anker Powerline 3 Usb C cables are amazing. 100W rated, nearly impossible to tangle and I’ve had no issue with them being used continuously for either my phone or laptops, including surviving a lot of falls, being pinched, run over by a desk chair, etc. I have two and would buy more but I’m waiting for USB C to up the max wattage before I do. The colors are also a nice touch.
3 years ago I bought a double pack of usb-C to A cables on Amazon. Description mentioned a lifetime warranty so I took a screenshot for future. The only thing Anker wanted to know was the production number (which is on the packaging) and a proof of destruction of the old broken cable. Not a single usb cable survived longer than a year at our household despite Ankers.
Amazon Basics’ line of braided USB cables is comparable to Anker, btw. Lots of people estimate that they’re made on the same production line.
I bought a three pack of their lightning cables five or six years ago. Every single one of them sees daily use (at my work desk, in my car, next to my bed) and every single one is still working just fine. Hell, they outlasted the phone I bought them for.
Anker is basically the only phone accessory brand I use. Now that iPhone moved to USB-C, Costco finally carries USB-C cables and they sell a really nice set of Anker cables, and Costco vouching for them tells me all I need to know.
I’ve had an Anker 2 port 3A charger for at least 5 years or so and don’t have any complaints about it. I’ve been an Anker fanboy for a while (albeit, I don’t buy a ton of electronics, but when I do need something Anker is my go-to), but I will say that doing some Googling recently it sounds like their quality might be going down. Just something to be aware of; I’ll probably keep buying from them unless I have a bad experience or keep hearing similar things. I’m just not aware of an alternative that’s as good as they have been.
I’m an Android developer and have owned a huge amount of cables and use them an absurd amount for times. Unfortunately I didn’t have a good experience with Anker cables. They seem to die on me as fast as other brands, usually what happens is phone connection ends up being hit or miss after a lot of use (eg. You have to wiggle it or the connection is lost if the cable is lightly disturbed).
From my personal experience UGreen is currently holding the record for longest lasting cables. So far they have outlasted all of my other cables to the point where almost all of the cables I have left are UGreen because all of the other cables have failed.
Miele, but I think they recently got bought out and enshittified. Their vacuums and dishwashers were built insanely well, sometimes you can still find old stock. They last decades.
Pacsafe backpacks too. Mine has lasted well over a decade. Fuck jansport and all those backpacks that fall apart.
My mom still uses a Miele vacuum that she got gifted by my grandma when my mom moved out. That was almost half a century ago. It’s definitely worth it to check second hand marketplaces for old models
If you’re not from Finland you’ve probably never heard of them but I’m yet to buy one product from them I’m not satisfied with. They make gear for the Finnish defence forces aswell.
Savotta is bombproof. I have their Jääkäri S,. M and L, as well as their Keikka 50L and 80L. Used the Keikka duffle bags as check in luggage for international travel, and they’re still as good as new. They use stainless steel hardware on the Keikka duffles on the stress points. All their bags are made from 1000D Cordura with a rubberized liner, so they’re quite water resistant.
I really like Osprey. High quality and very functional. I used a kid carrier for both my kids and it was great. I also have a day pack from them that I love. My main backpack that I don’t get to use much these days is a snow leopard II by North face from 1992 I think. That’s a pretty good run.
For pots and pans, buy Demeyere. The Demeyere Apollo pots and pans I bought 21 years ago still look just about as good as the day I unboxed them, and I am rough on my cookware. I have a little weathering along the edge of the heart conductive disk on the bottom of some pans, but that is it.
They sit dirty too long and get crusty. They go right into my dishwasher. They fall out of my lower cabinet onto my tile floor all the time. None of this phases them. I bought them over two decades ago because I had an employee discount at a cookware store and the company rep classified them as, “dishwasher recommended.” As an avid home cook and occasional caterer, these pans, a Le Creuset Dutch oven, and my grandmothers’ cast iron are my daily workhorses.
You are going to pay through the nose for Demeyere pans, but they will last long enough for your kids to cook with them after you are gone. You can get their least expensive line of regular pans, cry once, and be good for life.
You might see used Demeyere indoor smokers, asparagus steamers, egg poachers, and other similarly oddball pans in online market places. Ignore those. They were a cheap line made in a different factory at one point. They are not the same quality. All of the regular style Demeyere pans (skillets, sauce pans, woks, sauciers, etc.) are excellent, and I would not hesitate to buy them used.
Used to be a fan of Benchmade; kinda seems like they went cheap more recently.
For footware, I’ve had pretty good luck with Danners - they had an ABU compliant stitched sole boot that was super comfortable; one pair got me through 4 years of active duty, and remain my go-to pair of work boots. The ABU uniform was phased out since I separated, so if you’re lucky you might be able to find a crazy good deal at at military surplus store; otherwise I’m sure they’ve got a newer OCP boot now.
I didn’t think about military surplus stores. There seems to be some items that people really enjoy, like the army poncho liners or old ammo canisters for containers.
I’ve been looking for a genuine army poncho liner but can only find knock offs online and cant find a reputable surplus store online if it exists
I was Air Force, so no idea if our rain gear was comparable to the Army poncho. Ours didn’t strike me as anything special, but then again the one I was issued was several sizes too large, so I kinda hated that thing by default.
The best military surplus stores are going to be the ones near military bases - they have constant stream of new inventory coming in from folks who separate and want to make a quick buck pawning off their issued shit.
And while there are definitely a few gems among military inventory, don’t make the mistake of thinking military = high quality or even high durability. To the contrary, most of it’s the result of bidding wars for a government contract, resulting in the absolute cheapest shit available.
Idr the brand, but sticking with the boots example, the ones I was issued in basic training barely made it to the end of basic training. Those things were absolute trash.
The poncho liner is often referred to as a woobie if you know that name. Afaik the “on brand” ones are made by the blind kids. Something something school for the blind or whatever it is.
I’m actually having a hard time finding a shot the ABU rain gear liner that I was issued… closest I’m seeing is the pic below, but that thing actually looks decent.
Ours was a material that looked similar to that, but shaped more like a vest - nothing went over our arms. It was completely nonfunctional outside of the actual raincoat shell though - you couldn’t just wear like a vest or put it under the ABU top for a little extra warmth. It was cut in a way that it’d just fall off without being buttoned into the shell.
…I wonder if there was some supply issue, and the ones we were issued were a shitty backup. /shrug.
Timberland boots also last. Docs have gone down in quality
I doubt it matters much, but I’ve had the same cloak from Cloak and Dagger for close to a decade now. The only issue was that the clasp detached, but it was an easy fix.
Sub Zero Fridges, amazing. Toyota, just about any vehicle they make. Vulcan Commercial gas ranges/ovens. Original Penguin Button Up Shirts or Pendleton outer wear. Stihl chainsaws. Festool power tools.
Sub Zero fridges are great, but keep the maintenance up on them.
I personally own a Wolf DF304 range and if you cook a LOT, they are well worth the money. Mine is 10 years old, is used VERY heavily and it is the best cooking stove I’ve ever cooked on.
I’ve got so many old Pendleton wool shirts. They’re back from the '60s when my dad was a surfer. I didn’t think I fit in him at the moment but I don’t want to get rid of them
It’s not at all in the vein of work wear, but I have had Klipsch speakers all of my life and have never had any issues with any of them. My dad has some enormous old school Klipsch speakers from the 60s that are almost as tall as I am and are still crisp, clear and deep. I am rocking Klipsch throughout my house as well. They’re very expensive but I appreciate the clarity.
I’ve had their 2.1 computer speaker set for nearly 20 years at this point. The only issue I’ve ever had was crackling when adjusting volume, and that was caused by dust inside the knob. WD-40 to fix. Love them.
At this point, I don’t generally give trust to brands but products. Too many companies that used to be a name to trust have decided to monetize that trust (or get acquired by another company that doesn’t see the value in maintaining that trust), but they might still have good quality products in their lineup along with the cheap ones.
Though I’ve also done well with the “just buy one to see how important it is to have quality in this particular thing”. I just sold my old cordless drill after owning it for about a decade. It was weak but I didn’t even really notice that until I wanted to drill a hole through a stone counter top. A bought another cheap corded drill for that, but have since also bought a quality cordless drill set that might even allow me to sell the corded drill.
And if you need quality, look for stuff marketed to professionals. People who use their drill every single day aren’t going to be using the ones that can’t hold a charge or break after 20 hours of usage. Booster Juice doesn’t have shitty blenders where the connection between the motor and blade wears down with each use such that the motor spins but the blades do not before 3 digit uses, or even 4.
I think it’s good to know the histories of companies that are reputable though, then you can get an idea of what you’re getting when looking at thrift stores
Looking around my immediate environment, I see very few things that aren’t
A. already 30 years old made by companies that are essentially defunct and if the brand does even still exist it’s transitioned to another parent company as a zombie brand that produces identical temporary garbage to the rest of the industry, like my Kenmore 80 series washer and dryer.
B. Modern shit with a single-digit year life expectancy, like any computer hardware I have, my cell phone, my printer, etc.
C. Isn’t from a company that has completely pissed me off glares at my very, very last Dell products
D. I didn’t make myself from scratch, like an increasing amount of my furniture.
The only item that falls in my eye line that I can say “buy it now and your grandchildren will actually want it” is my Revere stainless steel frying pan. It’s not as ragnarok proof as cast iron but it also won’t cave in my glass cooktop. I think my grandmother bought mine in the 80’s, you can still buy them today.
I do want to mention my Kitchenaid mixer. The unit itself is well made, I’ve made at least one pizza a week with it for the past…six years? It’s a quality power tool. I dislike the company and their product range. They have a tendency to discontinue attachments in favor of incompatible and worse ones. For example, I’m aware of three different meat grinder attachments, one metal one and two plastic ones only one of which the food mill attachment is compatible with, and they did their best to prevent people from learning that, because the difference between the plastic one you probably already have, that was possibly packed in with your mixer, and the one that’s compatible with the food mill, is like, a few millimeters in diameter here and there. If I show you their marketing pictures (of white plastic on that White Marketing Void background) you couldn’t tell them apart, and the model numbers are very similar. That has rubbed me the wrong way in a bad place.
For printers, I’d like to suggest picking up a brother laser scanner/copier/printer off Craigslist.
They can usually be had for ~$100 if you just get black and they’ll last for a stupidly long time. Toner is expensive but you’ll easily get 1500+ pages out of one cartridge and it never dries out.
If you want color, look around for an HP laserjet pro. They’re usually commercial grade and while you’ll probably pay a fair bit more, I see them on Craigslist regularly for ~$150-250 depending on the model. I have one in my office and I’ve gotten several thousand pages through it with zero problems.
I just get the toner refill and old cartridge exchange from whatever local print shop. My current area doesn’t have one sadly but I still have 2 left as I normally do 5 at a time. For anyone looking for printers I recommend checking openprinting.org and grabbing one categorized under “perfectly” even if you don’t use Linux. The driverless printers will work with phones and such too.
They are great, so long as you know how to season them and clean them properly. My wife always has problems cooking on them because she doesn’t let the skillet fully heat up well, but I never have had issues with them 😁
I knew if I scrolled far enough I’d see this one. Go look on YouTube for cast iron restoration videos. These damn things would survive anything I believe.
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