This is not a conversation about guns. This is a conversation about items that have withstood abuse that are near unbreakable.
Some items I have heard referenced as AK47 of:
Gerber MP600: It’s a multi tool
Old Thinkpad Laptops
Mag lights
Toyota Hilux
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The wrt54g. They don’t make wifi routers like they used to.
I bought one specifically for DD-WRT firmware way back when. I now rock a gigabit mesh system but that wrt lasted almost a decade before tech moved on enough for me to switch.
I ran Tomato on mine. Liked it better than DD-WRT.
Careful now, they are too old to be secure. I’d switch to TL-WDR4300.
That’s what I’m running, though I had issues with it randomly requiring a reset. Installing OpenWrt fixed that problem.
Yup, WDR4300 on OpenWRT is the way to go.
Had that running on my main router until a newer one came along. Now it’s still going strong, but as a wifi repeater.
Cast iron skillets.
If you season and clean them the right way they will outlive you.
I’m using the same one that my parents owned for 30 years and hope I will get another 30 years of usage out of it.
We have one my great-grandma got before WWI that we use several times a week.
Unless you put them in the dishwasher
As long as you don’t use a heated dry it’s pretty much fine tbh. If any rusts you just wipe it down or sand it and re season
Thats the beauty of cast iron though. Even putting it through the dishwasher doesnt ruin the pan permanently. You just have to re-season it.
If someone puts my cast iron in the dishwasher the cast iron will still outlive them
Same goes for carbon steel. Unless you’re frying sticks of dynamite they are practically indestructible.
Welly tin.
They’re those cute tins filled with themed bandaids you can get at Walmart. Normally they’re brightly colored and targeted to small kids. Not only are they pretty good fabric bandaids but the tin is really reliable as a homemade med pack for camping. Small, light, brightly colored, and stupidly durable. Had mine in my bag for about 5 years now and it hadn’t even dented.
I use an Altoids tin for my first aid kid, for similar reasons. The damned things are basically indestructible as long as you’re not going out of your way to crush them. The one in my pocket right now is probably 5 or 6 years old. I prefer the smaller form factor, because I typically only pack for a few blisters or scrapes; Anything larger would be referred to the full first aid kit in my car.
I did the same for a while before the Stalker nerd in my lizard brain bought an AI-2 aid kit, gutted it, and converted it into a personal aid kit.
Japanese-made sewing machines from the 1950s. Most are all-metal and overbuilt, and will work like new with a few drops of oil, maybe a fresh belt. In the US they were imported and had local brand’s names put on them; what you’re really looking for is the “Made in Japan” on the back or bottom. Granny sewing machines also qualify, but most of the Japanese ones have zigzag
The Logitech x3d Xtreme or whatever the hell it’s called. it’s a $34 flight stick, best one you can get for cheap, and after having and abusing it for years it only had any issues after a rottweiler puppy chewed the cable. Would recommend.
Classic Vitamix blender models. They just work. Long warranty. And even post warranty easily serviceable.
They keep coming out with fancier models, but the 5200 still reigns supreme. Who needs programs on a blender?
And for a buy-it-for-multiple-lifetimes citrus juicer to get juice for the blender, there’s the Nemco 55850.
Vitamix smell! Dontbreathis!
That’s Blend-Tec not Vitamix lol
Funny enough this is the first video I ever watched on YouTube, back in 2007, after switching from Google Video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qg1ckCkm8YI
Pre GM SAABs. I’ve personally gotten 2 of my 5 to over 1,000,000 miles on the original engine and transmission. Both manual transmission. A couple hundred of them have made it to 2,000,000 world wide. The lowest milage I killed a SAAB at was 789,000 miles. I hydroplaned into a semi on I-75, and the car still technically ran, but I gave it to my parents as a parts car. Just read the owners manual, and be absolutely religious about basic maintenance.
Oh, and the turbos don’t like low octane fuel. It gums them up.
How does a turbo that intakes air get gummed up from low octane fuel? Maybe oil is the issue since turbos have oil seals. Maybe I’m missing some unknown factor on turbos.
It’s not the actual turbo that gets gummed, the fuel system is what gums up, but for some reason it’s far worse on the turbo versions of the cars. I could put low octane into the non turbo SAABs I had, and it didn’t gum up the intake the way the turbo versions did. I don’t know why.
Fuel lines degrade under lower octane perhaps. Sounds like a design flaw. I’ve always heard from my car auction and dealer friends that SAABs are junk through and through. I’ve heard it countless times. Hmm…
Nah, Americans just don’t like to read the manuals, and they got a bad reputation in the late '70s and early '80s when they first put turbos into the cars, because you had to pull into the driveway, and let the turbo spin down for at least 30 seconds to a minute. If you didn’t, the turbo would seize and then shred itself when you turn the car back on.
Also American mechanics don’t like the fact that the engine is not in the configuration they are used to. It’s rotated 90° on the z axis and 45 on the x axis. Absolutely solid tanks if you actually read the manual, and followed the routine maintenance recommendations.
Sounds like a giant pain to work on but I’m interested in doing some reading just to learn about something that can potentially contradict what I’ve always heard. Thanks. I’ll look into this.
Once you wrap your head around the new orientation of things, it’s actually really well designed to work on. I figured the mechanics just didn’t want to learn anything “new”
I’m just interested in super high mileage capable vehicles. For instance my cousin has a 12v Cummins diesel and it has over 1m miles. 750k ish when he got it 10 years ago.
My only example are zippos
Honest question, how long is the fluid supposed to last? And I’m not talking about burning time. I have a zippo, I fill it, a few weeks later I go to use it and the flame lasts a few seconds as the fuel finishes.
Stainless steel or cast iron in general. Let go of your nonsticks.
a spoon
I see your spoon and raise to a spork!
Thanks I don’t need any of this stuff
No prob! Just here to not help
I’m just 🙃 joking
Well, what do you need then?
Any chance you have any suggestions for any “buy it for life” items from your own experience?
Definently only old thinkpads. I had two new ones break on me so now I’m not buying them anymore. One had mouse pad just go numb, the other one had the left control key stop working. I don’t even travel with the laptops. :)
My stationary keyboard has worked for like ten years, and so has my mouse…
Baofeng AR-5RM Handheld Radio. Costs under 30$ and is extremely useful and versatile. Can pick up just about any frequency youd need, VHF, UHF, AM, FM, GMRS, etc. and while not waterproof its built very tough. Could probably use it to beat somebody to death then pick it back up and have a conversation on it.
Knipex Tools
Honda Engines.
My last Xiaomi phone cost me 200USD and lasted over five years. Screen started intermittently not working and bought a new one.
Was it the mi9? This model soured my opinion of Xiaomi a bit
