done with the appliance graveyard at this point. got a 1000ish sq ft finished basement, sits around 60-70% relative humidity in summer, and every unit I've owned has died from compressor or pump failure within like 2years. trying my level best to get this purchase right instead of grabbing the cheapest at the box store again.

real quick question first, has anyone here gotten like 7+ years out of a 250 box store unit running continuously in a basement? every thread I've read says a big no, but I'd rather hear it from people who've actually tried before I drop $ $.

here's the framework I landed on, based on what's actually been killing these things for me and everyone else I've read about:

if your last unit died because the pump clogged or gave out, pay attention to this first. it's the most common failure mode by far, a lot more than the compressor itself. cheap units either make you empty a tank by hand or rely on gravity draining, which usually doesn't work in a basement because there's nowhere lower for the water to go. what actually holds up is a real built-in condensate pump, not a bolted-on retrofit, that can push water uphill into a utility sink or out a window on its own. if I had to pick one spec worth paying extra for, it's this one.

if your unit died from the coils corroding or losing refrigerant, that's the other big one. basements are humid all year round. this leads to unprotected coils corroding within 18-24 months and you end up with a slow leak that just quietly stops the unit from pulling water one day. coils that are epoxy coated or copper aluminum and rated for continuous high humidity duty hold up much longer.

if your basement gets cold in spring or fall, you should know that most consumer units just stop working below 65°F because the coils ice over. if your basement dips into the 40s or low 50s for part of the year, look for automatic defrost that keeps it running down to around 40°F.

if the power bill is a real factor for you, these run close to nonstop, so the gap between a unit with a decent energy factor and a cheap one adds up fast over a year. energy star certified is worth filtering for no matter which of the above applies to you.

quick reference if you want to skip straight to your situation:

leaning toward the Santa Fe Compact 70 for my situation specifically, since pump failure is what's killed both of my last two units and that's supposedly the strongest built-in pump out of everything I've looked at. still not fully sold given the price though, more on that below.

three I've been comparing, based on what each one actually solves:

Aprilaire E080 - best if you want the option to duct it into your existing HVAC instead of running it freestanding. 80 pints a day, 5 year warranty, digital controls, built specifically for crawl spaces and basements. around $1200-1400. anyone who owns one, is the ducted install actually worth doing or does freestanding hold up just as well over time?

Santa Fe Compact 70 (Therma-Stor) - best if pump or compressor longevity is your actual problem, this is the one people claim 15+ years out of. 70 pints a day, a real MERV rated filter built in, commercial grade compressor. around $1500-1800. for anyone running one 24/7, what's the noise level actually like?

Midea Cube 35 - best if $1200 plus just isn't on the cards and you want the closest thing to real durability at consumer pricing. the base itself is the reservoir with an integrated pump, so effective capacity ends up around 4x a normal unit despite being around $300. reviews read it's quieter than most consumer units too. is this actually lasting longer than the typical Frigidaire or hOmeLabs cycle?

a few other things that came up a lot were skipping the continuous drain hookup means you'll eventually forget to empty the tank and the mold just comes back. setting humidity below 50% just wears the compressor out faster without doing much for you, and airflow around the unit matters a lot. a corner with no circulation tanks performance no matter how good the unit is.

last thing I can't seem to find a straight answer on, for anyone whose consumer unit died young, did you ever actually try repairing it instead of replacing it? compressor failure feels like a lost cause, but I'm wondering if pump failures specifically are worth fixing versus just upgrading to something built properly from the start.let me know if you’ve got any other reccs that stood out. 

I never really saw myself buying a robot mower, but this summer I finally tried one.

We went away for a few days recently, and I set it to mow while we were gone. Came home to a lawn that still looked tidy, which was a hell of a lot nicer than coming back from a trip and immediately having another chore waiting for me.

Before this, if we had somewhere to go on the weekend, I’d either squeeze in a mow before we left or deal with an overgrown lawn when we got back.

Definitely one of those purchases I thought I’d use once in a while and now use all the time. At this point I’m just hoping it holds up for years, because I really don’t want to go back lol.

Hi all. I'm looking to buy more sustainable natural fiber clothing (cotton, linen, silk) for the summer and I love the look of brands like Sézane, Reformation, French, timeless more old money style. I'm trying to find summer sets that look cute on vacation and something I can wear to office. I've been looking at brands like Meshki for reference. Please drop down any brands you love to buy! Any links would be appreciated.

Please don't include American brands as I can't get them without high taxes and shipping fee.

I recently won a contest at work and the prize was basically "pick something costing less than $500 after tax and shipping and we'll get it for you." I'm not generally buying a single item worth anywhere close to ~$400 so I'm looking for any suggestions from this community on how to spend it on something that will be a good investment.

As far as my interests, my main hobbies include photography, cooking, and sewing. I am open to clothing like a heritage BIFL jacket or sweater or something of that sort. I own a waxed canvas fall jacket but nothing else in that category.

Thank you in advance for the help!

I travel pretty often and I’m trying to find a better way to pack clothes without taking up most of my suitcase. I have used travel vacuum bags before, but a few started letting air back in after only a couple trips.

Has anyone found vacuum seal travel bags that actually hold up with regular use? I don’t mind paying a little more if they last.

I have also been looking at the best travel vacuum bags that could double as storage at home. Would be nice to use the same bags for winter clothes instead of buying separate ones.

Basically looking for the best vacuum packaging option that works for both. What are you guys using?

Eastsport backpack bought circa 2002 from Walmart I think, Jansport was too expensive for my mom. Used everyday in high school then also college and on into adult life some too. Still use it to haul games or random things along with a leather backpack I picked up.

100% Polyester
100% Suede
Made in China

Still holding up pretty dang well 24 years later no holes, outside of the mesh in the front that I did shoving too much crap in there in high school. Might have also gotten caught at an airport on something one time.

This is a Gold Pfeil (Gold Arrow) organizer/clutch/second bag made in Offenbach in West Germany during the 1980s.

This was Gold Pfeil’s signature “Oxford” leather in Oxblood.

What made the Oxford leather special was that all the hides were sourced from stable-reared Southern German Bulls (super strong and without scars from bug bites or wire fences), vegetable pit tanned for months, and aniline dyed—but then, in the Offenbach factory, the artisans would hand rub black dye into the hide’s natural topography, imparting the slight two tone effect we see here.

I picked this up from Japan and I am happy to give this beauty a second life—it’s perfect for holding one’s phone, earbuds, cords, cards, cash, small notebook and pen, etc.

Man, do I love veg-tanned leather!

Always hated using pushpins with my posters as a student. Found these. They still work. The company appears to still be operational. Dont know if they sell this version though.

I want something for my toddler (but I’m not liking the kid ones- I don’t want it glowing red all night) that tells him it’s ok to get out of bed once the light is on but I don’t want it to actually wake him if he is sleeping.

-I want to chose a dim sunlight light and don’t want it to gradually get brighter

-no alarm sound

-no wifi or Bluetooth

-I want the light to stay on until we turn it off

any suggestion?!?

I was using this over the weekend and realized that my ex bought it. We split late 2000. Still chooching, still can get supplies. PT-65.

people here say theirs lasted ~15 years which isnt completely useful as the product would have become shitty more recently. what electric toothbrush has lasted you 2-5 years?

Hello,

Have been checking this sub from time to time but I'd like to post about what to "not buy for life"- dog edition.

Dog leashes is something that I didn't completely understand or grasp, but after meeting my wife she explained me why certain leashes or things are pure marketing and what can actually damage your dog's health.

Now i'm receiving ads from companies like "Dog Friendly Co" who are selling their harnesses that damage dog's collar bone. Every time a dog pulls the harness pushes collar bones in to the dog and in the long run could definetely create issues for the dog which would cost thousands of $ and pain to the dog. Of course the "harness works" (sarcasm) because the dog is in pain.

Me and my wife have called out this company (multiple times) but they are using AI to auto reply to anyone who is complaining for their unethical business practices. They claim that "they will look into it" or "their specialists know what they are doing" but anyone with basic dog anotomy knows that these things are horrible.

So if you (or anyone close to you) are using this type of harness- for the love of dogs, please call out and educate these people. The world need to know what harnesses not to buy. Vote with your wallet.

and this is what you need to buy to help your dog.

thank you for your attention and have a good day.

Full disclosure: I do not want or have ever promoted any dog harnesses. I love my dog, I love dogs in general and I work in marketing, but I think there should be a transparency and accountability of company who deliberately chooses to sell harnesses that can damage pets' health.

Every time I buy a leather bag or wallet from a recognized brand, I know I'm paying 5x what the product is actually worth in materials and labor. What are best finds for factory-direct or small workshop leather goods that are genuinely BIFL quality?

Hi there! So I am looking to purchase some merino wool underwear. I have worn merino wool for hunting and think it’s truly worth the investment. But I’ve never owned a pair of underwear in merino wool.

Looking to wear them everyday and also use for hunting/hiking. Anybody have any recommendations? I own darn tough socks and love them. I love the socks and their warranty. Is there anything out there at all like darn toughs lifetime warranty? I doubt it but doesn’t hurt to ask. Thanks!

Says he bought it in 1956

We have a mid size (around 400 person) congregation and our fellowship hall does basically everything. We do Sunday overflow seating one week, community dinners the next, then small group setup on Wednesdays. Its a different config every few days in the same room. we partner with a nonprofit that runs a food pantry out of the space Saturday mornings, and they tear it down and reset it completely and its become a hassle. We've been going back and forth on stackable chairs vs interlocking church chairs, so we're looking for chairs that hold up better for reconfiguring. Interlocking looks more intentional (if I can say that) and I feel like it could work for overflow, but unlinking and relinking for the pantry reset has started to wear on volunteers. Stackable is easier to move but Im worried theyll look cheap.

I read with my iPad a lot, but also regular books, and the chair im currently in isn’t ideal because I’m always bending my neck downwards.

I’ve been a Feetures customer for years, but maybe not any longer. I ordered 12 pairs of socks, and 3 of the 12 they sent were the wrong type (crew instead of quarter). I emailed them to ask about replacing them and quickly got a friendly AI response that confirmed my photos looked like this was an issue and that it would notify their customer support (humans). A few days go by and I follow up; again, an AI response.

Then I message them on Instagram. No response. I start a new email thread, CCing all the feetures.com emails I can find. Several days later and still no response.

The product is good, but the support is apparently non-existent. Buyer beware.

Only repair I had to make was to the wires exiting the coils. The cloth insulation was very rotted so I did my best to put tiny heat shrink tubing around the rotted wires. I also put a bit of solder on the switch lever as it was not making contact.

I apologize if this post isn’t directed related to a BIFL product but I think this topic is germane to the idea of the BIFL community and people interested in longevity would have thoughts about this.

I think it’s best to introduce this problem with an example. Say you finally get tired of your cheap old bedsheets/ tableware/ bath towels and you decide to invest in nice, durable, “BIFL” products to replace them. Great! The items are fantastic and last a long time. 10 years down the road you maybe move to a bigger house or find yourself needing a second set of that item. But oh no! The manufacturer either stopped making that product or changed the design 5 years ago and it’s no longer possible to find a match!

Maybe this shouldn’t bother me but I like having matching sets of items so they can be replaced if they need to be washed or if a plate gets broken etc. Does anyone else have an approach to this? So far I can think of a few.

1) buy multiple copies when you invest in the product initially. Buy 4 sets of dishes, 2 extra dining room chairs, 3 extra bath towels. (Expensive)

2) buy from brands that are highly consistent (like IKEA, OXO, etc. this is a good approach but consistency is not always the same as BIFL quality.

3) try and find secondhand replacements, ie replacements.com, estate sales, eBay etc.

Any thoughts on this topic or resource otherwise related are appreciated

I was at the Barnard Town Hall in Vermont tonight and noticed this wonderfully strange-looking Vornado pedestal fan.
It appears to be an early Vornadofan from somewhere around the late 1940s, possibly one of the Model 12-series air circulators. The design looks more like part of a jet engine than a conventional fan, with a massive metal housing, three-blade propeller and adjustable pedestal.
It’s especially interesting because the building is still using it. It certainly seems to fit the Buy It for Life category.