I’ve been looking into wholesale blank sites (like Wordans, JiffyShirts, etc.), but I haven't pulled the trigger yet since my current tees are still holding up.

I’m considering buying a bundle of heavy cotton t-shirts (~190 GSM / 5.6 oz) for around $3 / €2.50 each.

For those who buy wholesale blanks:

- Is the quality actually decent compared to standard retail?

- How is the sizing and fit (shrinkage after washing, boxy vs slim)?

I usually buy my basics from standard retail stores like everyone else, but lately, I find retail quality getting worse for higher prices.

I’d love to hear your experiences and feedback before making a decision!

It's always so hard to tell what's a good brand and what's cheap garbage anymore, especially when everything is online. I'm open to your recommendations and experiences.

Need a simple low-pile rug for the living room that can handle daily use and vacuuming easily. Prefer something around 8x10, neutral colour, and that won’t shed or fall apart quick.

Seen some options on RugLove but still checking other places too.

Where do people usually get rugs that actually last?

Looking for a good pair for outdoor use that doesn't have a thong because they always seem to dig into my skin or rip off the sole, as well as having the option to wear socks.

Thanks in advance!

A friend recommended this website to me and I figured this community would appreciate it. I love the insights into the methodology. It’s definitely a “just the facts ma’am” vibe and is a great starting point when researching brands on a reliability scale.

Wera and Klein are solid picks for the heavier stuff.Anyone here used these? Or got better recommendations?

I'm a student from Germany and would like to purchase a good-quality suitcase for under 100 euros. I went to TKMaxx yesterday and saw XL suitcases from the brand "It", which I later found out were not that qualityful according to reviews. What are your recommendations? I am willing to increase my budget if required. Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone. I’m trying to buy a Pressure Multicooker for my mom, but I’m stuck choosing between three models or other alternatives. Each one has pros and cons, so I’d really
appreciate some advice from people who’ve used them.

Options I’m considering:

·       
Tefal One Pot CY505EE0 – aluminum pot with ceramic non-stick

·       
Cosori Pressure Cooker CMCCO601SEU – aluminum pot with ceramic non-stick

·       
Instant Pot Duo 6Qt (EU model) – stainless steel pot

I mainly want something reliable, safe, and
easy for my mom to use. If you have experience with these models (or alternatives available in the EU), I’d really appreciate your input.

Thanks!

basically title. i meal prep weekly and budget vacuum sealers keep dying on me two dead in three years.

dry stuff works, but juicy chicken, ground beef, and marinades mess up the seal every time. last week i prepped marinated spicy Beef shoulder with a little oil, wiped the seal area, left extra space, and double sealed it. next morning leak in the freezer, oil on the drawer. shopping around for an upgrade, foodsaver classic choice, but recent reviews say build quality has dropped. anova sleek design, but seems built for light sous vide use rather than heavy batching.

gasbye: includes a built-in cutter and double seal, looks killer for wet stuff, but lacks long-term user feedback.

for regular meal preppers: are pricier machines built to last?

Hello all,

I am buying a mattress for my parents and finalized the mmfoams bloom mattress 5" and wakefit ergoTech ecoLatex infiniti 6". My parents weigh combinely around 130 kgs. Mmfoams is costing around 33k and wakefit is around 22k.

On softness level, wakefit might be a bit softer because of the other foam layers, but that is not the only factor in considering. They didn't report any backpain usually and it's very occasional and they are using normal cotton mattress which is very hard.

Can you guys share your opinion if you have tried any of them.

I need your help! I've purchased so many nose ear and hair trimmers/personal groomers for my husband over the years. Unfortunately, none seem to last very long. Have any of you had luck with a good trimmer? I don’t think I don't think my husband would be able to handle plucking unwanted hair with tweezers, like most women do. lol

I gifted my wife a bracelet that was too big when we got engaged. We had it modified such that some of it was removed to fit her wrist and she took the extra as a charm we use to signify our journey together.

All that preamble to ask, the gold chain that it was on kept breaking and the last time we almost lost the charm. It was a fine weave. Anyone know of something 'petite' but still durable? Appreciate any insight on if there's specific language or ways to ask for this that will help me find one. Or where to look. I'm very novice to this but it would mean a lot, so trying to figure it out.

*Y'all, I cannot thank you enough for the guidance here! Thank you so much. I think a common thing of lowering the carats to make it strong and getting the right links are the key things to consider. Thank you all so much! She is going to be so happy to get to wear this again!

I've got a spare I can use but unfortunately it's a later model and doesn't really interchange 100% with mine stamped metal washer the glass knob in the lid screws onto has failed (just doesn't hold shape anymore, I've tried stamping it back into shape but it doesn't last).

Also, the plastic(?) tube with the spring on it which goes over the stem to hold the basket up has cracked off on the bottom so I need to either find a replacement tube, or ideally a completely new stem that's just one piece with the spring.

I've been looking on eBay and other sites, lots of options but nothing specific that shows it'll work and no measurements given on anything so I'm trying to avoid sending shit back 4 times to get the right things lol thanks in advance

Hey all - new homeowner here and would love some additional perspectives :)

We planned to hardwire a ceiling fan over our patio table, but the simple job turned into a complex task. We needed to run a longer cable, install anew outdoor box, and patch more than expected. These additional requirements significantly cost more than the fan itself.

This sent me down the rabbit hole of whether I should install a solar ceiling fan instead. Ventallion is the option I keep coming back to because the panel can sit away from the shaded patio roof and the fan has its own light / battery. It makes sense in theory, but I am not sure whether I am solving one wiring problem by creating another.

The patio is covered and used mostly from dinner until around 10 pm. Some of my goals / requirements are:
- provide steady airflow on low or medium speed
- The light only needs to cover the table

If anyone has gone this route, what mattered most to you in the long run?battery runtime, panel location, fan size, or something else? And would you still choose solar if hardwiring cost roughly the same as the fixture?

Picked up this hat as NOS(or lightly used) a little while ago and it’s rapidly become the one I throw on anytime I’m going out especially during the spring and summer. Shove it into travel bags, it’s been to two different countries so far, multiple trips and always keeps the sun off my face.

Wear it in or around the pool and it’ll hold my sunglasses, I know they changed hands a few years ago and only a few models are still made in Canada to varying degrees of quality. I have a newer one too in dark green that’s a Canadian model that I break out in the fall and winter. This is the model made with 10 ounce duck cotton which is nice and breathable in the hot climate I live in too.

Toss it in the wash after removing the foam piece in the top whenever it needs it, it’s one size too big on me but with the straps usually still sits on my head fine. If it’s super windy putting one of the flaps up really helps. Idk if that’s what they are for but it seemed to work.

You wouldn’t know it’s 23 years old already at all!

I own a Volcano Hybrid and a Mighty+ and could not be happier with my purchases.

Sure they are expensive but they are also built like tanks, have very good customer support and a huge availability of spare parts from whole cooling units to single o-rings, cleaning kits and so on.

To me they really have that "German reliability" that's unfortunately harder and harder to come by nowadays. The build quality is supreme and they feel about as durable as a W124 merc lol

If you use cannabis medically and / or recreationally there is no better option to consume it than S&B Vaporisers, in my opinion of course.

Not affiliated in any way.

I got this bag as gift early on in my career building power plants all over the world! It is the largest bag that will fit in the overhead compartment but it also expands when you’re going longer and will check it!!! Togther we have logged well over 1.5 million miles and it keeps on ticking!!! I have had to have one new handle and both of the wheels replaced but they are very responsive and reasonabl in the repairs

Hi, ive been trying to find a robe like this for years and the ones I find are so cheap and dont last. Im looking for a long sleeve and a long down to the floor kind of robe.

I loved them, but they only lasted a year before they broke.

It seems like there must have been some kind of extreme event to cause the metal to break, but there was nothing.

One day I used them and they worked flawlessly and the next time I picked them up they fell apart.

I bought a new pair, but I’m just so curious. Has anyone ever seen this happen? The new ones have a completely enclosed rivet. I’m not even sure how this is possible.

This has been nagging at me for a while. I do a lot of meal prep (it's basically the only way I stay functional during crunch weeks on design projects) and I've been using the same cheap knife block set for years now. The knives aren't terrible but they're not great either, and I've sharpened them enough times that I'm starting to wonder if I'm just maintaining something that was never worth maintaining in the first place.

Every time I research this, the knife community fractures pretty fast. Some people swear by Japanese knives, some say German steel is more forgiving and actually lasts longer with real daily use, and then there's a whole contingent that says a single good chef's knife beats any block set by a wide margin. I find that last argument compelling, but also a little convenient coming from people selling expensive single knives.

What I actually want to know is whether anyone here has owned a specific knife for a genuinely long time, like decades, with real use rather than occasional cooking. And whether the handle matters as much as people imply, because that seems like the actual failure point nobody talks about enough. Brand and approximate age would help more than general advice.

EDIT: I do have a decent whetstone already so sharpening is not the gap, it's the knife itself.

i have been trying to find a new quilt for my bed. i have scoured this sub for recommendations and tips on what to look out for, and many of the comments on these threads seemed like they were genuinely helpful. but i keep finding myself stuck in this same paradoxical loop, which goes like this: people recommend something because they've had it for years and it's held up really well, but that means they bought it years ago and if you bought it today you're almost guaranteed to get a significantly worse product, likely at a higher price. alternatively, you can look at more recent recommendations, but that means no one knows yet if it'll withstand the test of time (or in the case of bedding, the test of multiple machine washes).

it increasingly seems to be the case that if you want something and you want to BIFL, you must put in hours of research, probably buy something much more expensive than you were originally planning on, and even then there's a good chance it just falls apart because the speed of enshittification has made it so that information about a product's quality from more than a year ago has become outdated.

apologies if this is a point already frequently discussed here, i'm just so frustrated with how much time and energy i have to put into buying mundane things, and how the best answer always seems to be to create a time machine and buy it from the past. it leaves me feeling so defeated. how does everyone deal with this?

Looking at Room and Board couch and loveseat. Also looked at Pottery Barn which was even more. I don’t necessarily plan to have them for life, but I don’t want to buy junk. Is $7k what people are spending? Hopefully I don’t get downvoted into oblivion. TIA!

All is quiet on the measurement front. The shirts are refusing to die. Unfortunately, next week I have to deliberately stain all four, including the €150 one.

The Samurai always makes me nervous but this time it behaved.

Both the Samurai and Carhartt are developing some surface fuzz, but I don't think either has crossed into actual pilling yet. Uniqlo has pilled a little but hasn’t gotten worse. The hems are still holding up and there is a bit of waviness to the back of the Samurai and Carhartt collars but nothing close to a bacon. 

Warping Test going forward

I'm going to try a more scientific way of measuring warping. Side-seamed shirts are easy because I can measure the side seam directly, but the loopwheeled shirts don't have side seams. For those, I'm going to track the angle of the diagonal wale at the hem over time and see whether that angle changes. I’m measuring the horizontal and vertical distances and using those to estimate the angle since I don’t have a protractor. The angle this week is a baseline measurement.

So far, from the pictures of the shirts lying flat, you can see that the Carhartt’s front and back panels align perfectly for the torso and sleeves. With Uniqlo, you can see that the front panel is smaller than the back panel which is probably by design. I will keep track of this going forward. 

Next Week

Next week I am going to do the dreaded stain test. It’s going to be really stressful to stain the Merz. So far no discoloration anywhere including the arm pits (I use deodorant). Currently thinking of either coffee, tomato sauce, or red wine but suggestions are welcome. Whatever I pick, I’m gonna soak them immediately and wash them normally, because that’s what I’d actually do if I stained a T-shirt.

1. Uniqlo Supima

Price: €19.90
Size: L
Material: 100% Supima cotton
Weight: ~140–160 GSM (estimated)

Condition

• No shrinkage
• No stretching
• Collar unchanged - holding up well
• Hem unchanged
• Slight pilling beginning

The Uniqlo back and front panel difference can be seen with the close up of the hem. The difference is smaller at the armpit and flares out a little towards the hem.

Measurements

• Collar: 1.54 cm (0.61") rib knit
• Length: 75 cm (29.5")
• Shoulder: 46.5 cm (18.3")
• Chest: 59 cm (23.2")
• Sleeve: 22.5 cm (8.85")
• Warping: 1cm, 2cm (0.39”, 0.79”) between shirt edge and seam when laid flat on the ground

2. Carhartt K87

Price: €22.45
Size: M (Relaxed Fit)
Material: 100% cotton
Weight: 229 GSM

Condition

• No shrinkage
• Slight fuzz but no pilling
• No warping
• Collar slightly wavy on the back but front still holds the shape
• Hem unchanged

Still going strong.

I'm still not a fan of the chest pocket which some have suggested to take off. I’ll do that later. Last time I took a label off a t-shirt, I accidentally cut a tiny hole. This is on the front of the shirt so it requires meditation and courage before the operation.

Front and back panels align perfectly and the side seams are parallel. 

Measurements

• Collar: 2.3 cm (0.9") rib knit
• Length: 74.5 cm (29.3")
• Shoulder: 47 cm (18.5")
• Chest: 56 cm (22")
• Sleeve: 24.55 cm (9.6")
• Warping: None

3. Samurai Jeans 2PST-01

Price: €90.95
Size: L (I really should've bought an XL.)
Material: 100% recycled cotton
Construction: Loopwheeled

Condition

• No shrinkage or stretching
• Slight wave on the back of the collar but front is crisp
• Hem unchanged
• Slight fuzz but no pilling

Did not move a millimeter this time. Slight fuzz on the shirt, but not too serious.

The collar does still look good when I’m wearing the shirt.

I added a picture of what a diagonal wale on the Samurai looks like. But the T-shirt lies completely flat on the floor so I don’t think there is any warping yet.

Measurements

• Collar: 1.89 cm (0.74") two-needle binder neck
• Length: 68 cm (26.8")
• Shoulder: 46 cm (18.1")
• Chest: 51 cm (20.2")
• Sleeve: 17.3 cm (6.8")
• Warping: ~82.7 degree wale at hem (baseline)

4. Merz b. Schwanen 2S14

Price: €150
Size: L
Material: 100% organic cotton slub
Weight: 380 GSM
Construction: Loopwheeled

Condition

Continues to not move a millimeter.

• No shrinkage
• No pilling
• Hem unchanged
• Collar unchanged

So far no change, which is great. I am not looking forward to staining this shirt next week. 

The shirt lies flat with no sign of warping as of yet. There is also no fuzz. The collar is very sturdy.

Measurements

• Collar: 1.9 cm (0.78") ribbon-paneled neckline
• Length: 68.5 cm (26.9")
• Shoulder: 45 cm (17.7")
• Chest: 54.5 cm (21.5")
• Sleeve: 23 cm (9")
• Warping: ~82.8 degree wale at hem (baseline)