[Closed] Stuff that lasts a lifetime

I have a few gig t-shirts from the mid 80's still going strong
BUT have had a few Le creuset pots de-enamel, all be it they had been handed down to me!

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My parents got one as a wedding present*, and it got used semi-commercially for a decade or so. It is still in use today.

* I am knocking on the door of 40 and despite some rumours to the contrary, not a get.

Adventures and experiences that take you beyond the everyday will stay with you forever.

I have a grandfather clock from 1811.

As for Le Creuset - it's good stuff, but doesn't last forever. My mum's thrown away her set from the 80s, as the enamel was shot. I'll stick with the Aldi copies at 1/4 of the price.

+1 for Snap On and Facom handtools. I've had stuff for twenty five years and it still looks and works like new.

I have woodpiles that may outlive me.

mcmoonter's tractor

I just got a Saddleback leather wallet. When it arrived we were discussing which future grandchild it could go to.

Last year I acquired a Kifaru rucksack. Quite bombproof and should outlast me.

I have a Halfords Pro socket set and thought that would last forever, but the hex & torx sets have now achieved the consitency of dry crumbly cheese and have started snapping.

Halfords will replace these if they are from the Pro range - just walk in and speak to someone, no receipt needed..

Bahco spanners, Knipex cutters and crimpers, Makita power tools.

Halfords Pro tools were made by Signet. Canadian Snap-on. Excelent for the money. Don't know who makes the latest Advanced stuff though.

Bottom line is buy the best you can afford. I've got a mixture of tools and the older bits are generally a lot better quality. Just not so shiny.

I have some of these:
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made by my great grandfather, use them to measure hubs etc

Halfords will replace these if they are from the Pro range - just walk in and speak to someone, no receipt needed..

Bugger. Just bought replacements a couple of weeks ago

Rega turntable.

Decent waxed cotton jacket.

Jar of Marmite.

Zamberlan boots - not quite for ever, but last pair kept going for 21 years.

Rolex watches,Works of art/coins.Oh,and GT Bikes.

Proper powertools:

Bosch blue, Makita, Hitachi

I use all the above brands in my work, they all get a hard life and all do pretty well, but all wear out/break between 1 to 5 years.

Hilti on the otherhand will last a lifetime.

I love stuff that lasts a life time or gets a full life and throughly worn out. Stuff I own that fits this spec:
Brian Rouke Road bike now 33 years old still with original Dura Ace derailer and shifters
Timberland all leather shoes, have been re-soled 5/7 times now 32 years old
Swiss Army knife, had two new blades ten years ago, now 34 years old
Specialized Stumpjumper bought new in 87, original derailers and thumb shifters-bullet proof!
Mulberry wallet and diary both over 30 years old
My workbench vice is from the 40s
the odd SnapOn tool i bought 30 years plus, all going strong
Some Le Creuset and our every day knife and forks from Mr Mellor now 22 years old
My great coat from the fifties
We have some furniture thats years old, my wardrobe is late 1800s, draws, slides, doors all fantastic, it will be going strong a few more generations!

other last a life time items
Submarine jumpers
original spec A2 and Irving jackets

Shimano hubs.

Jar of Marmite.

Saxa Salt tub

My broom has lasted for decades... 😉

Tattoos...?

DrP

quality musical intruments, probably last several life times.

My Leatherman Charge has been driven over by a 2t pick-up and been through the washing machine - still as good as new.

Though I don't own one, Aga range cookers.

Mrs North's great aunt has an Aga in her farmhouse.
It was installed in 1946.
It was second hand then.

Just had a service and on it goes....

my marshall jmp mkii head unit & speakers, 35 years and still going strong.

Proper powertools:
Bosch blue, Makita, Hitachi

I use all the above brands in my work, they all get a hard life and all do pretty well, but all wear out/break between 1 to 5 years.

Hilti on the otherhand will last a lifetime.

Speaking in terms of DIY rather than a proper tradesmen - They'll probably last me a lifetime as I'm coming to the end of our renovation and I'm guessing it'll be a good few years until the next one.

My Saxophone was made in the mid 40s. I'm 25 and am hoping it will last me.

I'd quite like to know the history of it actually.

FIRSTLY bosch is mass produced far east rubbish & wont last the year .
it used to be very good but like dewalt is now just tat painted a different colour to the rest .

due to our disposable lifestiles this will be seen as a rare thing to do.

My dad wanted a new hat for walking when he retired. He was going to get a Tilley hat, but he didn't think he'd get the full use of it before he pegged it.

I like stuff that looks better as it gets used over a long period. Decent jeans, leather shoes and belts, wooden work surfaces, old bike frames.

Some nice blogs on this stuff: http://www.itsworn.com/

I like the Japanese idea of [url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi ]Wabi Sabi[/url], too, which I think goes hand in hand with this.

Whilst on the subject of Halfords advanced professional stuff, their 150 piece socket set is down to £100 from £200 today.

[i]Jar of Marmite. [/i]
2 weeks, tops.

rondo101 - Member
Whilst on the subject of Halfords advanced professional stuff, their 150 piece socket set is down to £100 from £200 today.

That's the one I got and that was last month - My brother bought that set last Jan for the same price.

It's a Bargain, also got the ratcheting spanners that are halpf price as well and from the pro range.

I've got a Myford lathe with my name on it. I think my Uncle bought it off the company he worked for during the war and he still uses it today, I'm getting taught in the dark ways of old skool manufacturing from a 93 year old!

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+1 for AGAs.

Ours was installed in the '50's when the house was modernised. It's duck egg blue, and solid fuel. Noone would have coal in their kitchen nowadays, but I couldnt live without it. We put a new riddle ring in at Christmas and you could poach lobsters from the kitchen hot tap.

My sister is a violinist. He violin was made in the early 1700s and her bow around the same time. Its travelled around the world with her, gets played every day and still has a fantastic tone.

my dad has a compressor which is at least 50 years old, and still works, one of his lathes is a 1940's ward, and was used up until recently daily. he has hand tools which are older than him too (ie 70 years old) which are almost as new.

You can still buy good stuff - i bought my brother a set of facom screwdrivers for about 40 quid maybe 18 years ago, and they have been used and abused a lot in the meantime - hardly any marks on the edges. quality kit.

Your heart.

Buy a Brooks B-17 now and you can hand it down to your children and your children's children. It might be broken in by then.

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Eggbeater pedals

Meridian Amplifier.

Honey (unless you eat it)

Not sure about Brooks though, mine seems to be requiring a lot of tightening. That said you can get them re-covered when hthe leather wears out, which is half the same thing.

tins of Engineers Blue.

As an aside,

Is it just me, or is it actually really difficult to buy quality these days?

Time was, throwing a bit of money at something would guarantee that you get a high quality item which would last a long time. But it doesn't seem to work like that any more, you can pay a premium for something and still have it die in twelve months.

There's stuff in this house that's as old or older than I am. I have Moses' old fridge, used to belong to my grandparents. It's on its last legs now and due for replacing, but it's thirty years old if it's a day, probably nearer forty. I've got my gran's old potato peeler, a 'Lancashire peeler' with a string-wound handle made from something unidentifiable that isn't plastic; she'd used it to death and was going to toss it out, I snagged it because I'm left handed - for her it's blunt to the point of uselessness, for me it's a brand new blade. That's served me for at least twenty years after she'd worn it out, gods only know how long she'd had it.

Today, you want a TV or a washing machine or something, it's a minefield. Even paying a premium for a 'quality' brand is often meaningless.

Got a set of Pyrex cookware as a wedding present in 1990, some of it is used daily and still going strong

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Not changed in that time

Bought a gallon of Jizer in 1987 when I first bought a mountain bike, still got more than half of it left.

Today, you want a TV or a washing machine or something, it's a minefield. Even paying a premium for a 'quality' brand is often meaningless.

I agree, less complex things like the spud peeler are a bit easier though

Not Marmite.

Head full of cold, I dropped and broke a large full jar this morning 🙁

derek_starship - Member

Your heart.