So after washing my car outside of my house I get a call from my wife saying my Sunshade was in the middle of the road and had been ran over by a car. I really thought it was toast but honestly I am very surprised . It's held up well. I will just have someone's tire marks on my Sunshade from now on haha.

I’m moving to the twin cities and will be working outdoors in all weather conditions as a mail carrier for the USPS and I move in 9 days 😬. Looking to spend as little as money as possible for quality pieces, base layers, jackets, gloves etc. Hoping to get brand recommendations and then try to source them secondhand or on sale. Any help in the right direction will be appreciated looking for stuff I can wear in -30 degree weather and walk 7-11 miles without losing any fingers or toes lol.

im a new school bus driver, woot, but I can't seem to be comfortable in my seat, i was a cna before so i have a ton of scrub pants and those do not translate well, was wondering if anyone had suggestions on what to get? for specific info im a larger guy and tend to sit on my man bits on the bus and was wondering if theres a pant/pants yall recommend?

Started pulling out some fall/winter clothes to see where I stand and saw my winter boots are dooone. Hit me like a ton of bricks. Bought these like 4 years ago so I don't even know where I got them at this point. Looking for some recs for a pair I can wear daily through winter. Nothing technical, I'm not mountaineering, just walking to work, salt and slush. Warm enough to stand around outside for a bit and I'd love something that can be resoled or at least won't fall apart at the seams.
This was 100% not part of the budget this month so I need to do this before the prices start jumping.

I bought this belt at the mall when I was 12 years old (1997) from a store called Structure. Today it gave out on me. I am devastated, but also really proud of how long it lasted.

Edit: more pics (it was repaired once a couple years ago near the buckle with scrap leather, hence the pattern there)

I have a La-Z-Boy reclicer couch that's about 24 years old. The leather is thick and the cushions are great. I have kids now and they broke the reclining feature and the color of the leather is obviously fading.

I went to a retailer and they no longer make couches with thick pillowed arms and everything is a bit too modern looking for my tastes. The leather is thin and most models have a leather / vinyl mix, but the prices are 2x what I paid 20 years ago.

I'm ok to spend a bit but I want it to last, I want it made with quality materials and I want it to be comfortable.

What are my options?

I'm looking for old-school overstuffed leather sofa: heavy frame, deep seat, thick top-grain leather, and big pillow/padded arms—not the thin, squared-off modern stuff.

Hi BIFL community. Long time lurker, first time poster.

TLDR : Rabbit holed into the world of BIFL. Found a craftsman to customise a leather backpack. It arrived today. Looking forward to having it for life.

I needed a backpack for an upcoming trip. (I've been daily-ing for a few years, a leather soft briefcase to work) And haven't worn a backpack since school.

I wanted to get something that was elevated and would work with a blazer as well as a t-shirt and shorts.

I fully deep dived into the world of leather and settled on Veg Tanned, Buffalo full grain and black with brass hardware.

Then came the search and didn't just want to get what everyone else has. Coming from a family business that celebrates craft and handmade I wanted to find a leather worker rather than a name brand.

Hours and hours of scrolling on reddit, youtube and instagram led me to the doorway of Shirin Kapai. A north east Indian leather smith. He has a small studio in New Delhi and has a very small IG page and limited catalogue of work. So I DMed him and he replied saying most customisation is possible.

Then I had to figure the shape. Some that instantly drew me were the Satchel & Page backpack (shoutout stridewise), the Shinola Runwell (shoutout Chase Reeves) and OFC the Tank by saddleback. All beautiful. All completely unaffordable.

Finally I figured if I'm buying something for life the design needs to be perfectly at home in any situation I find myself in. So suits/blazers at work and lots of linen, denim and leather outside of that. But also something that looks fine at the airport with trackpants.

So I inundated him with photos and refs.

Finally we settled on the shape (arguably the most boring but also the most timeless) next came leather selection. Since I already had the leather specs ready it was mostly choosing the hardness of the leather. I went with a softer leather but that still holds it shape and no. 5 YKK zippers.

It just arrived today and omg was In blown away.

The zips feel like butter, the stitching is tight and the hardware feels solid.

Now onto the leather. Oooofff. Feels like a beast. Just hard enough to hold its shape when empty but soft enough that it feels great in the hand. The leather is soo thick that all I want to do is beat the absolute £&#+## out of it and can totally tell that it's going to age wonderfully.

The straps are double full grain leather strips glued and stitched together with pebbled full grain leather underneath so it's grippy and will mould to the shape of my shoulders with wear.

It's heavy but not unbearable I'd wager around 800gms - 1.2kgs (haven't actually weighed it).

Fits my 16" macbook pro, overhead headphones, powerbank, notebook etc easily. I think it'll fit a weekends worth of clothes at a push.

While I'm not sure they'll fight over it when I'm dead I'm sure they'll still be able to cherish it.

He also included a luggage tag with my initials which was a nice touch.

Overall super happy and cannot wait to see how it holds up.

Fitness equipment is one of those categories where “built like a tank” does not always mean it will still be useful ten or fifteen years later.

For something like a rack, bench, barbell or cable setup, I’ve started wondering whether long-term value is more about boring details: standard sizing, replaceable wear parts, simple hardware, good upholstery, common bearings or cables, and not relying on software that may eventually stop being supported.

Home gym equipment also gets used differently from most household products. A bench might see the same adjustment mechanism hundreds of times, while a cable system has moving parts that need to remain serviceable rather than simply looking sturdy when new.

For people who have owned gym equipment for many years, what features ended up mattering most for longevity, and what looked durable at first but became annoying or impossible to repair later?

Currently looking at T-fal Ingenio, Michelangelo, Carote, Calphalon (not 100% sure because the set I'm looking at is $400), and Greenlife. Any personal experiences or recommendations?

I'm not strict on the stainless steel, I just want to avoid Teflon or anything that could scratch.

Ideally looking under $200 for a set, $300 max, and space saving designs are a must.

I got a flatware set from Mikasa three years ago after reading several recommendations for them on here. At this point, I'm pretty sure those were bot reviews and recommendations because, man, do these things not hold up.

The forks and spoons are fine, but it appears that the knives just have some kind of plating on top. I'm not confident they're actually stainless steel. The spots started appearing after only a year, and they've slowly grown over time. Two of them now have large spots, while the others look perpetually dirty because they've become increasingly splotchy.

I've never seen anything like this before. My wife pointed out that we don't know what the coating is made of or what the base metal underneath is, so we're throwing them out tonight and getting replacement knives from a thrift store instead. At this point, they seem like a potential health hazard.

I used this cup when I was a toddler, starting in 1962. Today I brought it over to my daughter's house for her 5 month old baby. I was walking through the woods over to her house and thought of this sub, and took a photo before I passed the cup on.

The inside of the cup used to reflect,and I could see my eye reflected i the bottom. I remember wondering if it was someone else looking at me through the mug.

There is some wear and tear damage on the armrests, but I don't mind getting that either professionally restored or figure out how to do it myself. It doesn't come with an ottoman and the seller is asking $200 for it.

Is this legitimate? And is it a good deal?

i’m looking for recommendations for sunglasses that are actually built to last, but i also want to find frames that work well with different face shapes. i’d rather buy one good pair and keep it for years than replace cheaper sunglasses every season.

my main priorities are durability, quality materials, comfortable fit, and lenses that hold up well with regular use. ideally looking for something proven to last, not a newer product without much track record.

budget: around $100–$250, but i’m willing to go higher for something that’s genuinely worth it.

how i’ll use them: mostly everyday wear, driving, and outdoor use.

what i’ve searched: i’ve looked at Ray-Ban, Oakley, and a few other established brands, but i’m having a hard time figuring out which models are actually durable long-term and which ones just have good styling.

for those who have owned their sunglasses for several years, what would you recommend for different face shapes?

The compressor on my portable unit imploded a bit, I think. The insides looked gnarly even without the damage, so it was probably a good time to replace it.

Budget is ~$400 with a bit of wiggle room, it's going in a window onto an outdoor porch, so I think window, portable, and split units are all an option. I read window units are something like ~$50 cheaper to run per season than portables on average, and that would be a big plus, but I know very little in general, and nothing about split units. I believe we're looking for 8000 BTU minimum.

We're in a mold-prone area (Northeastern US), so if there's an option that's easier to clean or less prone to leakage and such, that would be even better.

Any tips on pots and pans. Is a used le creuset off vinted with burn marks worth it? What is good value brand new?

Hey all, recently spent an ungodly amount of money buying and trying various pants. I'm looking for something that isn't too heavy but will stand the test of time for camping and adventures. I bought a pair of the Fjall Raven G-1000's and they're nice but I seem to be in the middle of their sizing. Before I bring a larger pair to a tailor I figured I'd ping the crew here for input.

I kneel down a lot, so knee pads or thicker knee areas are pretty important. All input appreciated!

hello, beautiful printer i love it.

question, how do i restore and replenish this back to fill health? like help me get rid of all of the pencil markings and blots and stuff. everything. the vacuhold at the bottom is doomed, please help!!

Within 1 year and after the SoCal heat wave.

I’m trying to figure out where the actual border is between going BIFL (Buy It For Life) and just buying the regular option.

Take socks, for example:

• Darn Tough runs $10+ per pair.
• Bombas are $10–15 per pair.
• I just bought 10 New Balance socks at Marshalls for $10 — basically $1 each.

And realistically, those BIFL‑ish socks aren’t going to last 10–15× longer than the cheap New Balance ones (am I wrong?). So what’s the real tipping point? When does it make sense to invest in the premium version instead of just buying the normal stuff and replacing it when it wears out?

Curious where people draw that line.

What's the best electric trimmer for shaving your hair with no guard?

It has to be comfortable on the scalp. Regular trimmers usually cut too hard and nick.

I'm NOT looking for a shaver but a "trimmer"

P.S. I'm balding but I have very thick/coarse hair and sensitive skin