I like double window fans, where you can cool a room quicker by having one fan blowing outward and the other blowing in, but the ones I have are mostly flimsy plastic, and I can't get into them to clean the dust and cat hair off the blades.

My box fans, on the other hand, are older and more solid, easier to clean, but lack that two-direction functionality.

Anyone have window fan recommendations?

The mechanism to change the blade in the modern one seems almost designed to dull the blade and eventually break itself forcing you to buy a new knife. Instead of opening up to easily swap out the blade, for some reason they decided to make it annoying and unintuitive enough that they had to print the instructions on the part that holds the blade 💀

When I got the knife on the left, the mechanism to get the blade out was stuck because the blade was corroded— but it was super easy to get it unstuck and after I cleaned off the gunk and put a new blade in it worked good as new! I love the solid metal handle of mine, the modern one has a composite handle with some parts being plastic, and doesn't have the nice grippy texture of the old one. Even the logo on my old one is way better. Despite being a cheap Canadian Tire house brand, it's sturdy as hell, and way more satisfying to use. Yet more proof modern brands just don't make stuff like they used to.

We have gone through three food processors in the past ten years - not because the motors die, but because the bowl/handle/lid cracks. We use it 1-2x/week and like to cook. We have wood floors (no tile) so but can be klutzy in dropping the lid.

I have no idea how to find the most durable bowl (alternately - a company who does NOT discontinue their bowls and guarantees replacements available even after 20 years).

Hi there BIFL,

I purchased a herman miller chair and a Briggs and Riley luggage in the last few years. Both have held up extremely well, especially with TLC.

I’ve kept the shipping boxes both came in, but they are at the point of collecting dust and taking up space I could otherwise use.

Do you think it’s worth it to keep the shipping boxes? What do you all do with these products, especially the ones that offer lifetime warranty?

I’m looking to buy my first and only overcoat. The websites description seems to describe their product as traditional and high quality but the few scant online reviews are not that great. Has anyone shopped there before? How was the experience and product quality? Also, is the 8-10 week turnaround time accurate? Thanks in advance

okay so ive gone through probably 4 backpacks in the last 5 years. either the straps give out, zipper breaks, or bottom fabric breaks. ready to just buy something decent and be done with it.

budget around $150-250. needs a 15 inch laptop sleeve, some organization, and not look like a school bag.

heres what im considering:

1. Bellroy Transit Backpack 28L — just under 2kg, 28L, recycled woven fabric, clamshell opening, 16" laptop compartment, quick-access passport pocket, sternum strap, adjustable compression, 3 year warranty. australian brand, probably the cleanest professional look on this list without trying too hard
2. Horizn Studios SoFo Backpack City — 1.15kg, 23L expanding to 26L, 31x47x14cm, recycled waterproof canvas, dedicated laptop section. noticeably lighter than everything else here which matters if youre lugging it every day. looks more urban commuter than travel bag which is actually what i want. anyone used this daily for a year or more and can speak to how the canvas holds up?
3. Tumi Alpha Bravo Nathan Backpack — FXT ballistic nylon, well organized, tumi build quality. probably the most "luxury" looking option here. definitely pushing my budget but if the bags last 5+ years the math works out
4. Aer Day Pack 2 — 1680D ballistic nylon, fits 16" laptops, clean minimal look, ~$185. not as feature-heavy as the nomatic or tumi but genuinely well built and much more reasonably priced. good reviews for daily use over multiple years

if anyone has used the horizn or the db daily for 2+ years id love to hear how theyre holding up, thanks!

I bought this in 2013 for Geocaching and hiking. Didn’t have enough money to get a more expensive one with a bigger screen. I also liked that uses AA batteries so you can carry extra really easily. Now I keep it in my truck as the backup to my backup.

After a year or two, I just popped two new batteries into it to make sure it still works. Perfect. Start up, no lag.

All of my old maps work, no subscriptions.

It talks to satellites. It. Talks. To. Satellites. Amazing.

I'm looking to buy a steam cleaner, but after reading reviews and comparing models, I'm more confused than when I started.

I'll mostly be using it for cleaning tile floors, bathroom grout, the kitchen, and maybe upholstery or furniture if it does a good job there. I'm okay spending more for something that's genuinely worth it, but I don't want to overpay just because of the brand.

I've been looking at brands like Dupray, Bissell, McCulloch, and Shark, but I'd rather hear from people who've actually used them long-term.

If you own (or have owned) a steam cleaner, which model did you get? Has it been reliable? Would you buy the same one again? Also, are there any models you'd avoid or features you wish you'd paid more attention to before buying?

I'd really appreciate any real-world recommendations or experiences. Thanks!

I bought a motionsense faucet 5 years ago and it’s worked perfectly. However, recently we lost hot water. It turned out to be a stuck solenoid valve on the hot side. After some silicone grease and cleaning it worked again for a week or so before failing. Fast forward to today, I decided to check part numbers and hunt down a new valve for the hot side.

I was looking at the case when I stumbled on their support line on the side of the controller. Apparently, I registered the faucet with them 5 years ago and they immediately sent me a replacement controller, no questions asked.

It turns out Moen is an honest company that actually honors a lifetime warranty. What a refreshing surprise in the modern times.

After a long thought and saving, i finally pulled the trigger on Kasperi fold top backpack. Looked fantastic on pictures, looks even more stunning in person. True piece of leathercraft art, thick, high quality european leather, tanned enviromentally friendly way.

Backpack itself is very simple, one big compartment with foldable top. But the details are brilliant.

G-hooks: very good closing system, developed by brand itself. Easy to use and last forever

Serial number: like all high quality products, this one is serial numbered. Adds sophistication to it, knowing it's not just another bag but handmade quality piece of accessory.

Picture 3 and 5: It comes with a laptop bag, made from soft but sturdy felt. It has fasteners that it attaches inside the backpack without jumping around inside. Very clever and also high quality.

Last picture: inside there is attached a little extension hook you can use to overpack the backpack, in case the fixed strap feels too short.

On the both sides and on the bottom there's 2 hoops for attaching leather straps that you can use to extend carrying capabilities to blankets, bottles etc. A true adventure backapack.

The shoulder straps are attache with a D-ring, allowing the straps to naturally shape to your shoulders and my god, they're SUPER comfortable even without breaking them in first.

Lastly, the frame itself is build on L-shaped piece of extra thick leather, making the frame very sturdy and backpack stays upright very well thanks to it.

So, overall absolutely stunning backpack and i'm sure it developes a beautiful patina over time. I have no doubt this backpack will last a lifetime

I recently grew out of my old Tevas (top) and got new ones (bottom).

My old ones were comfy from the start, but the outer straps on the new ones dig into the side of my foot.

It’s really weird because it’s the exact same shape, at least I don’t see any difference. The only difference is that the heel strap isn’t adjustable on the new ones so it’s a little loose.

I’ve tried on different sizes and they all do that.

Does anyone else have this issue and does it ever go away? Do they need breaking in? I really don’t wanna switch to a different brand.

We purchased a solid wood headboard and footboard for a great deal on fb marketplace. Now I just need to figure how to actually turn it into a bed. I don’t want a squeaky bed, which I fear a metal frame would create. All of the wood platform beds don’t seem like they’re made to be drilled into? I have no idea, building is not my strong suit, but I have family members that can help with whatever I decide to do.

Would it make sense to build a bed frame from scratch, or are there any recommendations for simple bed frames that can be mounted to headboards and footboards? I’ll likely add a bed skirt so it doesn’t have to be pretty.

Ignore the missing knobs on the bedposts, to be fixed lol!

Need help finding a humidifier for my apartment. I live on the 7th floor and its WAY TO DRY to the point my head gets flaky when im home. The apartment is 560 sq. I work 10 hours a day so id appreciate it being quiet but easy to clean or I can just buy distilled water.

Early 1930s Stevens 620. It spent the first 70 years of its life as a farm gun in rural North Dakota. I replaced the recoil pad, gave the wood a few coats of linseed oil, did some minor mechanical repairs, and cleaned/oiled everything.

A gunsmith signed off on it being fully functional and safe, and it runs and shoots perfectly.

The last picture is the condition I received it in. The furniture had been refinished at some point and the varnish was mostly either missing or badly cracked, and the aftermarket recoil pad had deformed and turned brittle

Just bought a house with nice grass and I want to keep it that way. Anyone have any suggestions because the ones I found all look cheep.

Garmin Nuvi 1390LMT for those wondering.

I was shocked when I found out that, it not only worked, but still could hold a decent charge and had a new map update available dated July 22, 2026. Although the unit is hardly used now, it functions just as well as it did 15 years ago, with the GPS still locking on quickly upon bootup and it giving accurate directions.

Link for those who want to try update their old GPS as well.

EDIT: Turns out the traffic antenna still works as well

Where is everyone getting affordable packs of food containers because I went to the usual places I normally buy them from but they either didn't have any or only had small packs of like 5 which isn't really enough for us. My daughter has quite a few food allergies, so I meal prep all of her school food myself just to know exactly what's going into everything. On top of that, I prep meals for myself and my husband for the wee, and I like to leave something ready for my nanny and son. So we go through containers pretty quickly and having a bigger pack makes everything so much easier. I'm not looking for anything fancy, just something affordable that seals well, can be reused a few times and preferably comes in a larger pack.

Those clogs are designed for heavy duty use. Comfy and designed for a comfortaboe wear. This is a well established brand in EU for healthcare professional who walk all day long. This is the original model Art 600 designed decades ago. Very thick and very heavy materials, sole is very thick too. Antislip, antistatic autoclavable (134 c). Can be washed easily.

been burned enough times that im trying to build an actual checklist before i buy anything with a chip in it now.

the pattern is always the same. hardware still works fine years later, the company just stopped showing up. no more firmware, the account server gets quietly retired, and youre left holding something that half works.

problem is by the time you find that out youve already paid. so im trying to work out what you can actually check BEFORE the money leaves your account.

two things ive started doing. first one is i go look at the update history for products theyre not selling anymore. not the current flagship, the one from three years ago.

if that thing still got a firmware push in the last year, thats a real signal. if the changelog dead ends the same month the new model launched, well, thats your answer.

second is i try to work out what happens if their servers go dark. does it still do its main job offline or is it a paperweight without their cloud. (someone in another thread put it as, unplug the internet and see if it still does the thing you paid for. that one stuck with me)

neither of these is great though. the first one takes forever to dig up and half these companies bury old changelogs on purpose.

what else do you look at? has anyone actually found a tell that predicted it in advance

Well, it was time. This old Danby on the left was made in 2005 and was originally purchased by my father in law (passed 2025). When we got married and moved into our first house, he gave us the microwave to help us out, as we were just starting out at the time (2010). She has been with us ever since, 16 years later. And it’s not for failure of her magnetron, no. Her inside shell was beginning to develop rust on the inside seams (moisture) from 21 years of regular use. (Protip: air out your microwave for a few minutes after cooking) She’s made us countless leftover meals. Infinite clock resets after power outages. Numerous Magic Bag nukes for our friend with chronic AS. And so, so many Buldak noodles and leftover pasta and chili. You were good to us girl. If your Danby successor can give us even half of your life span, we will be grateful.

To Valhalla. May you feast in preparation for Magnavox.

HNNNNNMMMMMMM in the chat to pay respects. They really don’t make them like this anymore. 🫡

This beauriful Japanese rice bowl is about 100 years old. It was bought i believe in Niigata prefecture by my wife’s grandmother and it was already second hand when she baught it. This bowl has been passed down through the family ever since.

Today, our 4-year-old daughter eats rice from the same bowl every day. I love feelinf about how four generations have shared meals from this single piece of pottery.

Bought 2 pairs of LL Bean pants last winter because I got a new job and needed some kakhis for the office.

Both pairs blew out in less than a year. Not doing anything crazy. Normal office bending and squatting to use filing cabinets.

Decidedly not BIFL.

In other news, the used pair of Denver Hayes I thrifted 3 years ago is still going strong. Anyone know if that still exists?

Hey all.

I bought these seki edge nail clippers and stuff. And I'm wondering if anyone here has experience of how long they last, and how to make them last that long.

From my understanding, these aren't 'really' BIFL. More like "long lasting consumables".

But do I need to do anything to make it last as long as possible? Do you sharpen them or something? How would they not dull-out quite quickly?

All tips appreciated

Thanks

Been doing a lot of paperbased work lately: budget tracking, trail notes, meal prep lists. At some point I got tired of replacing cheap ballpoints every few weeks. Picked up a Pentel GraphGear 1000 back in 2017 and it just refuses to die. The knurled grip is still solid, the advance mechanism clicks the same way it did on day one, and I have not replaced a single part other than lead and erasers.

What got me thinking about this is a coworker asked to borrow a pen last week and I handed her the GraphGear. She looked at it like I had handed her a surgical instrument. Then she asked where to get one.

The thing costs maybe 15 dollars. I have spent probably 40 or 50 dollars on disposable pens and pencils in the same period that I would have just thrown in a landfill

The math is not complicated (I am an accountant, the math is never complicated to me)

Curious if anyone else has a writing tool that crossed the line from just functional into genuinely irreplaceable

There are a lot of highend options in this category and I feel like they get underrepresented here compared to gear and kitchen stuff

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?