List of essentials

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Nomad
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Re: List of essentials

Post by Nomad »

re: earphones
Anything Sennheisser is good quality - even their cheap stuff is fine.

Nomad
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Re: List of essentials

Post by Nomad »

re: bike
I would look on second hand sites, many people buy a bike with great intentions use if a hand full of times then sell it a few years later in mint condition
for a massive loss. Just aim for a simple mid-price make and be prepared to repair yourself.

jacob
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Re: List of essentials

Post by jacob »

https://foldimate.com/

I think I need to expand the range of my graph.

tonyedgecombe
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Re: List of essentials

Post by tonyedgecombe »

It's actually quite impressive although I wonder what the equivalent of a paper jam looks like.

prognastat
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Re: List of essentials

Post by prognastat »

Can I get a 3-in-1 washer, dryer, folder? Perfect...

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Sclass
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Re: List of essentials

Post by Sclass »

BRUTE wrote:
Sat Jan 05, 2019 9:05 pm
OP: brute regards blenders, pressure cookers, pocket knives, and hiking boots (Hanwag) not as essentials, but as luxury hobby items.
There was a post here about prepping a few years ago here. One of the old members like Dragline or Ego said something like some of the behavior can be used an an excuse for consumerism. Not true all the time but BIFL can get expensive and can sometimes be used as a rationale for going upscale.

We all have the friend with the Dyson vacuum that will be the last one they’ll need.

Just saying careful what you say to yourself when justifying purchases.

I personally own a lot of tools that I have convinced myself of their lifetime utility. But on closer examination I haven’t owned these things all that long. Either I couldn’t afford them thirty years ago or maybe I’ve just let things come and go when I thought they were lifetime buys. Perhaps modern stuff works better for my applications?

So this thread got me thinking, which one of these things have I actually owned and used a long time?

Not many.

2Birds1Stone
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Re: List of essentials

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

This sounds like OP is down the path of the Diderot effect......you start upgrading one thing, and before you know it....poof!

Peanut
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Re: List of essentials

Post by Peanut »

Agree essentials is a questionable categorization for much of what has been mentioned. And the tendency towards luxury creep. I am not exactly a stranger to the latter, however.

@Sclass: Smiled at the Dyson reference as I bought a Miele a year ago. I and my kids love to vacuum now and it gets a free annual 24-pt check from the retailer so I defend it as one of my best purchases.

Canada Goose! Coats run I think 1k these days since they got bought by Bain. You will sweat if it’s over 40 degrees and look like every other patch-wearing douchebag on the big city streets. GOOS may be a good bet tho.

The only thing I really recommend to anyone is a Rosle (Roesle) can opener. Sheer magic.

Scott 2
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Re: List of essentials

Post by Scott 2 »

Foldimate needs to make a Marie Kondo branded unit that folds in thirds. It would be the pinnacle of consumer joy.

I looked at that $38 can opener, then realized only my lazy food comes in cans, and most of them have pull tabs.

I have a Dyson, on sale and refurbished, they aren't too expensive. The $140 vacuum it was to replace does good enough though. Now I have an upstairs unit and a downstairs unit. Why don't we have a face punch emoji???

My most recent buy it for life item was the Midnight ice cream scoop. Definitely a necessity. Amortized over the next 10 years, provided I eat ice cream every day, it's only a penny per use. Great deal.


The real buy it for life items I own, are cheap things that happened to last. Particle board desks, bare bones computer mice, free dishes from the laundry room of my first apartment, etc. It's rare something I buy as "the best" persists over 10+ years.

BRUTE
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Re: List of essentials

Post by BRUTE »

yea, the crux of BIFL is that price and quality don't necessarily correlate. some of brute's longest-lasting purchases were from the "lower middle" price/prestige range. none of his "high" price/prestige purchases seem to make it for very long.

there definitely is a "cheap because cheap materials/craftsmanship" category at the bottom that should be avoided, and brute has made a few mistakes there by being cheap in the short vs. the long run. but straying too far above that border has rarely paid off.

jacob
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Re: List of essentials

Post by jacob »

Methinks that's just the mistake of confusing high price with high quality. A better metric for BIFL is whether the item has been in production for a long time (10+ years) and whether there are spare/OEM parts available in the market. And whether the product has a following/fan club. And whether the product can be disassembled/rebuilt.

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Jean
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Re: List of essentials

Post by Jean »

A down sleeping bag. It makes homelessness easy, and traveling virtually free in winter too.
I recommand Valandré as a brand. I had mine for 12 years now. I bought the Odin, but a cheaper model would probably have been enough too.

2Birds1Stone
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Re: List of essentials

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

Jean wrote:
Sat Jan 12, 2019 7:24 pm
A down sleeping bag. It makes homelessness easy, and traveling virtually free in winter too.
What are your thoughts on a down quilt, such as this?

https://enlightenedequipment.com/revelation-stock/

The premise being that you sleep on an inflatable pad, since the sleeping bags underside gets compressed and loses its R value.

Redo
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Re: List of essentials

Post by Redo »

"@tony there's always the law of diminishing returns, if I had to wing it I would say quality works on a log scale: a $100 pan will be 10x better than a $10 pan, but if you want 10x better quality than the $100 one you will have to spend $1000.
So everybody can find their sweet spot, but usually I've found it to be
Definitely worth it to buy "good stuff" instead of shit
Rarely worth it to bug "the absolute best""


I like the log scale point, this makes sense to me. So it seems like the sweet spot between value and longevity is somewhere in the middle.

"OP: brute regards blenders, pressure cookers, pocket knives, and hiking boots (Hanwag) not as essentials, but as luxury hobby items."

Noted, I've editied my post.

"re: computer. I would buy a second hand previously corporate computer on ebay about 3 years old -> very cheap.
Probably something like a Dell."


I've had bad experiences with Dell and HP computers. I have a Dell G3 and it's honestly a piece of crap. I've pretty much given up on computers since even ASUS (which lasted me 7 years) started making crappy computers. The next time I buy a computer I'll just build it myself.

"So this thread got me thinking, which one of these things have I actually owned and used a long time?"

I agree with you, you have think about how often you're going to use tools before buying them, and whether it's worth it spend a lot of money on it.

This sounds like OP is down the path of the Diderot effect......you start upgrading one thing, and before you know it....poof!

I'm not looking to go on a shopping spree and buy all these things, I will use what I have until it becomes unusable. This thread was just to make a list of what to buy when I need to.

Agree essentials is a questionable categorization for much of what has been mentioned. And the tendency towards luxury creep. I am not exactly a stranger to the latter, however.
Canada Goose! Coats run I think 1k these days since they got bought by Bain. You will sweat if it’s over 40 degrees and look like every other patch-wearing douchebag on the big city streets. GOOS may be a good bet tho.
The only thing I really recommend to anyone is a Rosle (Roesle) can opener. Sheer magic.


Added can opener to list. I don't have carpet, so I don't need vacuum cleaner.
I'm not sure if Canada Goose jackets are worth the price. I'm sure I can find similar quality at half price.

BRUTE
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Re: List of essentials

Post by BRUTE »

P-51 military can opener
brute has 10

Frita
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Re: List of essentials

Post by Frita »

I wear my clothing out and now tend to replace most with thrift store finds. The clothing I have purchased (for myself, spouse, or child) that has worn well and last for decades has been Columbia, Helly Hanson (great for long-armed and legged, trim women), and Patagonia. The North Face and L.L. Bean, both have good customer service for the item that does not last.

Redo
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Re: List of essentials

Post by Redo »

BRUTE wrote:
Sun Jan 13, 2019 4:05 pm
P-51 military can opener
brute has 10
Thanks, but why do you have 10 can openers? :?

jacob
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Re: List of essentials

Post by jacob »

BRUTE wrote:
Sun Jan 13, 2019 4:05 pm
P-51 military can opener
brute has 10
The P-51 design was subsequently improved by Swedes and then stolen/commercialized by Danes.

One is enough for life ...
https://hoslange.dk/products/raadvad-fi ... 5029728659

PS: I didn't think steaks came in cans?!

BRUTE
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Re: List of essentials

Post by BRUTE »

Redo wrote:
Sun Jan 13, 2019 6:59 pm
Thanks, but why do you have 10 can openers? :?
came in a pack of 10.
DLj wrote:PS: I didn't think steaks came in cans?!
they don't. brute never uses his can openers.

Jin+Guice
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Re: List of essentials

Post by Jin+Guice »

Something I've learned from my brief ERE journey is that, if you really like doing something, and you are a real fucking ERE frugality nerd, learning what level of stuff you need and what makes good stuff is fun and rewarding. I really like biking. I have a steel frame single speed bike that's older than I am. It's the best bike I've ever ridden. I love cooking and food. I have 1 nice knife (needs to be sharpened so it's basically at $10 knife quality right now). I have a pressure cooker and 2 cast iron skillets. Unless you're out there gathering berries, making your own clothes and sleeping in the moonlight you're engaging in consumerism to some extent. Buying nice shit is still fun, it's even more fun when you use it a lot and appreciate why it's so nice. 1,000 1,000,000 bonus points if you can actually make it. As Jacob said, we are so amazingly rich that this won't make or break you, if you were really ERE you could survive with only a hat, some lentils and precision woodworking equipment. It's still fun to own other nice stuff you use a lot.

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