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The Buy-It-For-Life thread

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#541 · (Edited)
Shaver said:
My friend I imagine that, even with my 'pricey' shaving equipment, over the course of my life I have actually spent less dollars than you will have on the art of the shave. The ongoing cost of my shaving is (approximately) a mere £29 per year.
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I have found this to be so. As is his wont, Shaver's advice is sound.

I have learned to use the time shaving to enjoy myself, and practice a craft long forgotten. When I "graduated" to the straight razor shave, I faced quite a learning curve, but I now have the satisfaction of honing a new skill, and I love the guilt-free quiet time of stropping and using some handmade soaps from enthusiasts.

The cost of cartridge razors, per year, is very high. My family has switched to safety razors, including my wife and daughter, and love both the shave and the savings. I think the razors are about .09 per, and they change them twice a week.

My straight razor is over 100 years old. I intend to pass it along to one of my sons. Many of these straight razors are BIFL.
 
#542 · (Edited)
A musical instrument is a well worthwhile lifetime investment, Fatman. I own only one musical instrument, a lovely rosewood and pine Taylor 710 six-string acoustic guitar that I purchased new in 1994 for around $1,300. My then-wife was not pleased with me. It was the only major purchase I made alone during our marriage, without prior knowledge or approval of my partner, but I had to have it. We couldn't really afford, but I picked up an extra job to pay it off, well before the balance was due at the shabby strip-mall loan-shark office that fronted the cash for the thing. Paid ahead of time, paid with no interest--take that! It was a good feeling.

I never regretted that purchase. It has aged beautifully over the years, mellowing both in the coloring of the wood and in the tone itself. I keep it humidified in the winter, stored in its case, and polished and well maintained with fresh strings routinely.

It is a thing of beauty, and in spite of my inexpert technique, one that gives me hours of enjoyment.
 
#545 ·
Considering all the antique items we own, our BIFL list is rather long. I don't think of clothing, shoes, automobiles, and similar as BIFL but I do think of much furniture, art, books, watches, jewelry, etc. as BIFL. For instance, today, I'm wearing a Rolex Datejust I bought new in 1989. Closing in on 30 years old. Looks almost new. Well, wait. My grandfather gave me his grandfather's pocket watch (an 1877 American Watch company case and P.J. Bartlett movement). Wasn't working and I set it aside. After his death, I found a watchmaker who cleaned and restored the old key-wind piece for $100 and that watch runs accurately today. I also ended up with my granddad's own pocket watch, a gift he got when he graduated Harvard in 1925. It runs great. I have books that are 200-300 years old and furniture that is 100-200 years old that we use in our daily lives.

These are all things that are able to last through multiple generations and I find comfort in haveing and living with old things. I would think the point of the thread boils down to buying quality and passing on disposable goods when ever possible. Less truly is more when you buy quality.
 
#548 ·
I recently received one of these after a nine-year wait:



Better believe it's a keeper!

Now, I'll be the first to admit that astronomical telescopes are not exactly day-to-day items. But this one sure is beautiful, very well made and, since the basic refractor design has not changed since 1609, likely to be just as effective in a few decades when I'm a doddery old fella.
 
#551 ·
Duvel said:
We have several cast iron skillets. They're wonderful. We'd never use them to violent ends, however--that would hurt.
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I have a couple of cast iron skillets -- a Lodge and a no-name that is my particular favorite. I also have a Lodge Dutch Oven which doesn't get nearly as much use as the skillets, but when called upon, performs admirably, too.

My daughter, fortunately, likes doing things in the kitchen, so these will be hers someday.
 
#552 ·
CMDC, I agree with you about Zeiss. I have a 10x25 Victory, and 8x32 Conquest HD, and an 8x42 Victory HT. Also have an early Televue Pronto 70mm telescope. Went through the Genesis and NP101 but came back to the compact Pronto. All of these are lifetime optics.
 
#553 ·
Sorry for the absurdly tardy reply, gents - I do need to visit this side of the forum more often.

Woofa said:
Roger,

Did you say that you made that knife? It is beautiful but I am afraid I have no experience with someone actually doing this. Was this a local artisan that you worked with or something similar for a one time deal or is this one of your hobbies? I would think that knife making at the level you show would be quite an intensive and lengthy process.
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Yes - that was my first of my own making. There's a detailed thread on the interchange somewhere about the process, which is indeed both lengthy and intensive. And thank you.

godan said:
Nice knife. One of my Randalls is over forty years old - O1 tool steel and what was then new technology, a Micarta handle. Used for everything, including field dressing deer, elk, etc. Shows its age, but I take care of it and it is still going strong. Good luck with yours.
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Randalls were my first introduction to the very concept of quality cutlery and part of the inspiration for what has been a decades-long passion.
 
#554 ·
Enjoying this thread as a new user. I am keen on Buy Once, Cry Once items... but it's hard to say that I have many things that are truly, truly BIFL. Life is a long time, even buying quality what will I have 20, 30, 40, 50 years later? My wedding ring. Iron skillets as mentioned if I can still lift them... I have several old Wagners; my dad says that the way to tell really good ones is if they are thin... better heat transfer with thin ones. Gibson guitars, but I've bought and sold and never kept them. Hand tools?

A recent acquisition of mine via a gift from my brother is a YETI cooler. Now that thing is a tank, truly enjoyable to own and use, and likely to last for a long, long time... but a lifetime? We shall see.
 
#555 ·
Here I return to one of my favorite threads of Ask Andy...

I also offer a new phrase that I read elsewhere which may be appropriate for those of us in the Autumn or Winter of our lives:

The "Endgame Purchase" as indicative of buying something for life, knowing it may outlive us due to quality, and is such that upgrades may not persuade us from our decision.

My Endgame Purchase, as a "Buy It For Life" dares to venture into the world of technology, as this is one area in which some items, particularly "Sony", are still going strong in spite of technological advances:

Headphones.

My Buy It For Life purchase has yet, another nod to German manufacturing:

The Beyerdynamic T1 headphone.

Beginning at age 13, as a beneficiary of having 8 older siblings, I was exposed to a wide variety of music:

Mom gave me Classical (as did Warner Brothers cartoons) and Irish Folk
One sister gave me soul, Aretha
Another sister was a hippie and gave me Folk, and Dylan
A brother gave me rock and pop, with The Beatles and on and on.

the problem is that after 40 years of listening, there is no way I am going to listen to the same version of "Blood on the Tracks" or "Sgt. Pepper" only because I have heard them far too many times!

In researching headphones, I read, repeatedly, that the Beyerdynamic 'flagship' headphones, the T1 would "bring your old music library back to life!" in various descriptive articles and comments.

It is true!

I am hearing instruments that I did not know
were part of the song composition!

The detail is stunning. In some classical pieces, I can hear the 'tap' of the fingernail hitting the piano, or the scratch of the guitar string, or the breathing of the singer. It is amazing. I get 'lost' in the music with the entire catalog becoming as if 'fresh and new' for me.

The comfort is such that hours of typing articles while music is playing in my head (I walk and chew gum) gives no discomfort nor fatigue.

The manufacturing is as they are the "Mercedes Benz of headphone manufacturing", hand made in Germany.

They are expensive but built to last decades and the improvement of the flag ship model is that they have detachable cables; something every parent (or now grandparent) knows the contrary: kids pull, get tangled, and even step on headphone wires which greatly shorten the lifespan of the headphones. This is not rectified.

I do not understand the "Telsa" measurement of magnetic power, but can hear the stunning difference between them and many other models tested, including Bose.

They have an old school look; nothing fancy, nothing for "bass heads" who wish for amplified continual heavy mind numbing bass, and are a marvelous "buy it for life" quality product that enhances the lives of those of us who hold a certain appreciation for life.

I'm listening to Happy Traum play with John Sebastian, a half century removed from their first professional appearances, and the definition and separation of instruments makes me feel front and center row seating!
 

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#556 ·
Revisiting this thread from my earlier response in November, I also have a few Fender and MArtin guitars and a few Rolex and Omega (and other brands of mechanical watches). My oldest watch is my great-great grandfather's American Watch Company pocket watch. It was made in 1877 but wasn't working when my grandfather gave it to me in the early 1980's. I had it rebuilt a few years later and it still runs perfectly today.
 
#558 ·
I have a green Eastern Mountain Sports jacket with a waxy feel that I've had since 1994
 
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#559 · (Edited)
Thanks fat man. After reading your recommendation of Beyerdynamic, a brand of which I was previously ignorant, I decided to purchase a set of their in-ear headphones to use with my ipod. Worth every penny, a rich, deep and clear sound which far surpasses my previous Sennheiser 'phones and significantly improves my enjoyment of music on the go.

Fatman said:
Here I return to one of my favorite threads of Ask Andy...

I also offer a new phrase that I read elsewhere which may be appropriate for those of us in the Autumn or Winter of our lives:

The "Endgame Purchase" as indicative of buying something for life, knowing it may outlive us due to quality, and is such that upgrades may not persuade us from our decision.

My Endgame Purchase, as a "Buy It For Life" dares to venture into the world of technology, as this is one area in which some items, particularly "Sony", are still going strong in spite of technological advances:

Headphones.

My Buy It For Life purchase has yet, another nod to German manufacturing:

The Beyerdynamic T1 headphone.

Beginning at age 13, as a beneficiary of having 8 older siblings, I was exposed to a wide variety of music:

Mom gave me Classical (as did Warner Brothers cartoons) and Irish Folk
One sister gave me soul, Aretha
Another sister was a hippie and gave me Folk, and Dylan
A brother gave me rock and pop, with The Beatles and on and on.

the problem is that after 40 years of listening, there is no way I am going to listen to the same version of "Blood on the Tracks" or "Sgt. Pepper" only because I have heard them far too many times!

In researching headphones, I read, repeatedly, that the Beyerdynamic 'flagship' headphones, the T1 would "bring your old music library back to life!" in various descriptive articles and comments.

It is true!

I am hearing instruments that I did not know
were part of the song composition!

The detail is stunning. In some classical pieces, I can hear the 'tap' of the fingernail hitting the piano, or the scratch of the guitar string, or the breathing of the singer. It is amazing. I get 'lost' in the music with the entire catalog becoming as if 'fresh and new' for me.

The comfort is such that hours of typing articles while music is playing in my head (I walk and chew gum) gives no discomfort nor fatigue.

The manufacturing is as they are the "Mercedes Benz of headphone manufacturing", hand made in Germany.

They are expensive but built to last decades and the improvement of the flag ship model is that they have detachable cables; something every parent (or now grandparent) knows the contrary: kids pull, get tangled, and even step on headphone wires which greatly shorten the lifespan of the headphones. This is not rectified.

I do not understand the "Telsa" measurement of magnetic power, but can hear the stunning difference between them and many other models tested, including Bose.

They have an old school look; nothing fancy, nothing for "bass heads" who wish for amplified continual heavy mind numbing bass, and are a marvelous "buy it for life" quality product that enhances the lives of those of us who hold a certain appreciation for life.

I'm listening to Happy Traum play with John Sebastian, a half century removed from their first professional appearances, and the definition and separation of instruments makes me feel front and center row seating!

View attachment 15741
Click to expand...
 
#560 ·
I have a Tumi ballistic expandable duffle bag that I bought just over 20 years ago. Still in perfect condition. I will have it for the rest of my life (as long as an airline doesn't lose it).

By the way, I am particularly happy with it because I got it for half price - my buddy worked at a high end luggage store at the time, I picked up a few pieces of Tumi ballistic luggage at great prices through him.
 
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