Your favorite investment grade / ultra quality gear

[JohnnyH]

In the spirit of Jacob's last boots post, what are you favorite long lasting items?


*Kershaw multi-tool: I was able to snag 2 set of replacement parts from Sears 10 years ago for nothing. I love it for the 1 handed operation and I can completely break it down to clean. I lost a screw on it and Kershaw sent me another at their expense, a great company/warranty. Custom parts could even be machined and added to it without much difficulty (I kinda want scissors;)
*My wet/dry Norelco. I'm tempted to not put anything electronic on here, but its 6 years of service is too noteworthy. It's probably nearing 1,000 shaves without costing me an additional dime.
*Since I opened the door for electronics, my Sansa Fuze. It's an 8GB refurb that I got for $35 2-3 years ago. I added the open source firmware Rockbox, and a $20 (after rebate) 16GB mSD card for a $55 24GB player that IMO makes an ipod look like a flashy toy. Rockbox even has a run time counter on it, which is reading 387h:25m:13s... That's only since my last fresh Rockbox install. I'm guessing this player is well over 800 hours, maybe 1000.
*1970 era GM 350 V8. Fuel economy (~14-17 mpg) better than many moderns in its class (3/4 ton) and has cost me about $80 in parts the last 10 years and 50k miles. Also, has been appreciating nicely.
*Carhartt canvas work pants. The only pants that my lifestyle (biking maybe?) doesn't seem to destroy in under 2 years. 5 years and only tears are my clumsy fault.
*1990s Schwinn Ranger: $27 used, and I've run just thousands and thousands of miles on it with no major parts. Including daily commutes through several snowy winters!
Some gear I'm looking for:

*I doubt this exists, but is there a pair of low profile (like these) earphones that will last years of daily use?
*Broke another Timex. Anyone know of an practical, maximum value grade watch that has an alarm?

[Ralphy]

My god-mother bought me a set of Craftsmen screw drivers for a Christmas present about 12-15 years ago. They get used on a regular basis at work, and are still in great shape.

[Rex]

I do like the Kershaw A-100, though with it being discontinued, and becoming more difficult to find, I would have to say that, for me, a Victorinox SwissTool Spirit would be my contender in that field; lifetime warranties are amazing, too, even if the tools aren't customizable.
For a pocket knife, however, I would have to recommend, according to price:

high end: Chris Reeve (small) Sebenza or Mnandi

middle end: majority of Spyderco's offerings

low end: Victorinox Swiss Army Knives (effectively all; the most expensive models are on sale at least once a year, such as SwissChamps for >$40 on Amazon), Kershaw Leek, Spyderco Tenacious, Case Peanuts (Delrin or Yellow Bone models; or G10 if you know where to get them at wholesale price ), Ka-Bar Dozier models.
The above is just a very brief list; I could go on and on, but don't want to hijack this any.
To answer your question about a maximum value grade watch with an alarm, I've been very pleased with my Casio DW-5600E. I believe I purchased mine in second hand-but-new condition for all of somewhere between $25-30 USD. I can see mine lasting me no less than a decade, though I hope to wear it out until the calendar rolls back in 2029.

[Wild]

-Kershaw Shallot knife, Ken Onion design
-Xezo Air Commando, Swiss ETA watch
-Carhartt hooded sweatshirt/jacket
-vintage Lakeside hatchet

[vern]

Filson coats and luggage. They are made to outlast you and be handed down to your kids (if you have them). They're a great company and have been in business for over 100 years. Filson's highest quality goods are still made at their factory in Seattle.
I do a lot of travelling and used to go through a carry-on bag a year. I finally stopped being cheap and laid out for a Filson bag about ten years ago. It's still going strong.
http://www.filson.com/

[Redsted1]

Piggybacking on the "Filson" idea (which I heavily will second), I would say another great company is Orvis. I have a duffle bag from them and I know that thing could probably make it all the way to my great-grandchildren, if I have kids. The "Battenkill" line of luggage is expensive but will outlast any other luggage you may buy. I'm finding it surprisingly difficult to think of more things...sign of the times?

[B]

About the high-quality luggage: I've lost luggage more than once on long multi-transfer air trips. It's now my policy to either 1) only use a carry-on or 2) Only check-in luggage I can afford to lose.
Number one is the more attractive option to an ERE-minded individual. If you can afford to lose it, then maybe you shouldn't own it to begin with. These policies are in line with owning expensive, high-quality luggage.

[KevinW]

Pyrex measuring cups, bowls, and cooking dishes.
Bodum coffee presses.
Craftsman hand tools, but only the ones with the lifetime guarantee.
Ecco shoes.
NAD stereo equipment. I have a CD player from 1987 that's still going strong.

[Marius]

Casio AW49H watch. Inexpensive, relatively elegant, water resistant, quiet, alarm, stopwatch, auto-calendar, dual time.

Seems pretty durable so far, but is cheap to replace if you manage to destroy it anyway.
Nikon digital SLR cameras. They are sturdy. They are also expensive, but I use my SLR all the time. And a used D40 (not the D40x) is good enough, you don't need an expensive one to take great pictures. In a bind it could be used to generate additional income.
Original Leatherman tool. I managed to break it twice, but they repaired it for free. If I remember well they come with a 35 year warranty.
Sebago Docksides. I don't like the style anymore, but never managed to wear mine out. They continue to look great after many years.

[Rex]

@Marius: Leatherman actually has a 25 year warranty, however they will repair (more likely replace) their earliest PSTs as well, simply because the tools lacked date stamps until 1993 - look on the inside of the handles, extending the tools, to perhaps see a four digit date stamp - the first two numbers are the month, and the last two are the year - of when the handles themselves were made. I like Leatherman's older lineup quite well, myself.

[jeremymday]

Ditto on the Nikon D40...
I also love my Martin Grand Concert Acoustic electric guitar...
Ive tested nearly every laptop and Toshiba wins hands down every time in my opinion...
Capilene shirts are wonderful...
My old fleece jacket thats been everywhere with me over the years...
My REI backpack is still doing great...
Besides my first 3 I dont have a lot of possessions...

[Redsted1]

My short, but comprehensive list...
-North Face backpack

-Filson Briefcase

-Banana Republic pea coat (sounds flashy, but probably was one of the best investments in a classic coat I've ever made)

-I have a couple of Gerber pocket knives that have served me incredibly well--and they are a great bang for your buck.

-Maglite--I'm shocked no one has mentioned this one yet.

-Timex IronMan watch...the thing is a tank!
Trying to sift through the rest of my crap and slowly replace with classics as needed.

[JohnnyH]

How could I forget?! My GREGORY backpack... 14 years, probably at least 1500 miles with loads up to 75 lbs.
It's huge (7000 cm) and heavy (7.5 lbs) but comfortable and distributes weight better than any other pack I've seen. It's all about the rigidity of the belt and how it meets the vertical frame.
It's starting to wear through near the frame, which I've been repairing with fabric tape. Supposedly Gregory repairs their packs, I'll find out soon.
... I've got a Timex Ironman. Which are very good, but still somewhat disposable. I love the 1 handed Indiglo "flix" a light that operates by flicking your wrist. Great when wearing gloves, riding a bike or both... Alarms and features can't be topped by a non electronic watch. It's too bad I go through one every couple years.
TIMEX: make and market a high quality stainless steel or indestructible synthetic watch with lifetime warranty and I'll pay big bux!

[orinoco]

You don't necessarily need high quality kit, you just need to look after it. I'm currently wearing my favourite jumper which I bought for under £15 from a cheap generic high street chain store when I was in school which I left 13 years ago. Still a great jumper now.
People are agog that my 1st generation iPod is still going strong.
My PC is over 9 years old with nothing more than a new processor, more RAM & a second hard disk fitted. It still exceeds my needs.
In the spirit of the thread though, my B&W speakers & Rotel amp have suffered near daily use for over 14 years. I also have a Marantz CD player which I would put in the same category but has seen considerably less use than my other bits since mp3s became common place.
I fully anticipate the more recently acquired cast iron casserole pot from Le Creuset & Wustof chef's knife to last longer than me too.
Since becoming more frugal over the past two years I have been surprised at how few things I need to use regularly.

[JohnnyH]

@orinoco: ipod nice! I had one of these for years:

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Nomad-Ju ... B0002BRMNA

It had a replaceable battery AND an easily replaceable 2.5 inch hard drive... I put probably 5 hard drives in it from 20gb-160gb. It was built like a brick, even similar in size! but the board fried and I moved onto a flash based player and couldn't be happier (no more spinning HD failures).
While we're on the subject, I remember Jacob said that speaker technology hasn't really improved in the past few decades. Is anyone familiar with some cheaply available, yet high quality speakers?

[Redsted1]

@JohnnyH--I've had a set of speakers from JBL for 5 years now and they're still going strong. For their size they put out incredible sound, and as a side bonus they look nice too. Someone even gave me a set of Bose computer speakers that cost 4-5x as much as these a couple years ago for Christmas and they didn't sound as good so I sold them on Craigslist! Ha!
http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... 8wIwAjgA#p
...Pardon the link looking sloppy...how do I do a link that is "cleaner" looking like everyone else seems to know how to do?

[aquadump]

@Redsted1, Here you go.

[HSpencer]

@JohnnyH
"1970 era GM 350 V8. Fuel economy (~14-17 mpg) better than many moderns in its class (3/4 ton) and has cost me about $80 in parts the last 10 years and 50k miles. Also, has been appreciating nicely. "
I so heartily agree!! I had a 76, and an 82 that I squeezed a zillion miles out of. You just cant wear one out with normal use. My present baby is a 93 GMC 5.7 V8 with "only" 135K miles and I promise you it looks brand fired new!! Drives and runs like new as well. It is the early 90's "Heart Beat of America" stepside version of Chev/GMC that plastered the magazine ads from 88' to 93'. My current 93 GMC is a lifetime keeper. I will put in a crate engine if it ever needs one, and I am sure I, at least, will never wear it out. I would not sell or trade it. The 76' and 82' were great trucks as well, but I was young, dumb, and full of rum, so I let them go for something "newer"---plain stupid move!!!!

[RobC]

I know this is an old thread but if anyone is having trouble like some of these guys with destroying watches a really tough watch is one of the Casio G-shock models.
The g-shocks were designed to survive a 10m free fall, 10 bar water resistance and last over 10 years on one a battery.
I've seen a video of one of these frozen in a block of ice then thrown of a building to break the ice-block and the watch didn't loose a second.

[dragoncar]

You have to be careful with brands these days. Case in point: someone said Pyrex. Pyrex indeed used to be awesome. But the brand (along with corningware) was recently sold overseas and the glass is no longer lab quality "Pyrex" (ie borosilicate).
So don't buy it in the store, but try to identify the real thing at garage sales.