This is not a conversation about guns. This is a conversation about items that have withstood abuse that are near unbreakable.
Some items I have heard referenced as AK47 of:
Gerber MP600: It’s a multi tool
Old Thinkpad Laptops
Mag lights
Toyota Hilux
The Logitech x3d Xtreme or whatever the hell it’s called. it’s a $34 flight stick, best one you can get for cheap, and after having and abusing it for years it only had any issues after a rottweiler puppy chewed the cable. Would recommend.
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No prob! Just here to not help
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Well, what do you need then?
Any chance you have any suggestions for any “buy it for life” items from your own experience?
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Shure SM58/57
SM57s still can get roughed up pretty bad with the plastic covering on the front of the mic (especially if miking a snare drum with a less than precise drummer). SM58 will survive a nuclear war.
Old Thinkpad Laptops
This.
Rice cookers.
You can get really simple ones that just work and due to little components they will last a while. IMO they’re really worth it if you cook rice often or can’t for the love of god not mess it up while cooking. They’re really cheap as well.
Other people are saying “cast iron” or other broad brands/categories, but this is the only one that doesn’t fall under OP’s request?? Nonsense.
The AK-47 is a specific product from the class of assault rifles, whereas “rice cooker” product class, not a specific product of a class.
Ah right, the post confused me a bit.
I recently bought a zojirushi rice cooker because of their reputation for making perfect rice and lasting decades. So it’s the AK of rice cookers. Or more like the AR because it was $200.
My man… 200 for a rice cooker, does it at least give you a reach around?
It even plays a happy little tune while it does it.
Okay, I’m sold.
To be fair there’s probably almost no moving parts in a rice cooker. Someone mentioned cast iron pans. I think that’s a fair example.
Gotta be the KitchenAid mixers no? Especially the older ones. I have a friend that has one from his grandma that’s over 50 years old. If anything breaks, it’s usually a gear or something simple to fix, and the parts are easy to buy and generally cheap.
The mixers are not exactly cheap though… and their other stuff is now mostly made from plastic (like the food processors for example)
I’ve managed to get a hold of 3 of the old ones through garage or estate sales, but yeah the ones that are brand new have plastic parts in them which drives me crazy. But you can at least 3d print what you’re missing
I feel like I’m being baited to mention Nokia
I’m seriously considering buying a Nokia smart phone to use with LineageOS. I’m a big fan of shitty android phones anyway.
Just be aware their newer phones are hot shit. It’s the older phones that got the reputation for durability.
a cheap microsoft phone isn’t a nokia
Who said anything about Microsoft
Pretty sure they’re referring to the sale of Nokia’s phone division to Microsoft in the mid-2010s. It’s since been bought back and is in the process of renaming to HMD.
ok, that’s cool. and their stance on repair ability means if they make a reasonably sized smart phone before I need a new one I’ll be getting one, and one of the stupid tablet sized ones anyway if not.
Didn’t it get resold again to a Chinese firm? Please tell me they’re independent again.
Sort of. HMD licenses the Nokia name from the broader Nokia business and kept a lot of the old c-suite. Manufacturing is owned by a subsidiary of Foxconn.
LineageOS wouldn’t run on a real nokia unless you’re talking about the nokia branded microsoft phones and they’re more like a 3d printed gun than an AK-47.
I think the argument still is, that those aren’t „real“ Nokias. At the very least they’re not the same Nokia that built the 3310, as that Nokia isn’t in the consumer electronics market anymore.
Nokia of now is not the Nokia of yesteryear. Their new phones are just cheap Android smartphones.
if they still ran on the phone network maybe
I would say that most Ryobi One+ tools fall into this category. Cheap and I’ve never had one fail where I wasn’t using it far beyond it’s design parameters. Others are more comfortable to use for extended periods, but they are also usually more expensive. That said, there are apparently a few stinkers in their mix, a dust buster style vacuum comes to mind, but I’ve not run into many.
Yeah, Ryobi had a bad reputation for a long time, because they’re old (dark blue) tools were hot garbage. But when they were bought out by TTI (and they changed the color to the bright green) all the tools started getting made on the same production line as Milwaukee (also owned by TTI). The QA is a little looser on the Ryobi stuff, but it’s all sourced from the same place as the (much more expensive) Milwaukee tools that many people swear by. If I remember correctly, TTI also owns Ridgid.
It’s basically the Lexus/Toyota thing, where they’re both owned and manufactured by the same parent company, but the Lexus brand is much more expensive just because it’s marketed as luxury. You can get a Toyota for half the price of a Lexus, and find the same quality as a Lexus. And for the insanely cheap price and wide range of available tools, it’s hard to go wrong with Ryobi. The Ryobi may not stand up to the same level of abuse as other (more expensive) brands. But the average person isn’t a construction worker using and abusing their tools for 9 hours a day. The average person just needs to occasionally drill a hole in the wall, or cut the occasional piece of lumber. And for that, the Ryobi is the way to go. Hell, even if you’re a hobbyist in the garage, Ryobi will likely be fine for what you need.
Just avoid their larger power tools, like the vacuums and lawn mowers. From what I know, those have a range of issues that haven’t been worked out yet.
For the price point and compatibility, it’s hard to beat them—especially if you’re okay with buying secondhand. I’ve pushed most of my One+ tools to their limits (not to mention a fair share of the even worse built Hart tools) and am always surprised how much they can do.
And before someone comments that they’re not as powerful as other TTI brands or DeWalts—yeah. I know. Most people also aren’t going to need the power that comes with those, either.
That being said, the vacuums are Ryobi’s weak spot. A lot of Ryobi users recommend buying other name-brand cordless vacs, and sticking an adapter on them. Their 40v lawnmowers and snowblowers used to also have a variety of issues, but it seems like the last few models have fixed those.
Hart
My wife bought a Hart brand shop vac and it nearly caught on fire the first time we used it. We swapped it for a DeWalt branded one (which are not actually made by DeWalt) and haven’t had any issues.
The tools sure, the batteries, trash.
Estwing hammers. Not excessively expensive, but the kind of hammer you buy for life.
Are there hammers you don’t buy for life?
Those cheaply made in china plastic handle one, it will break and fling itself across the room.
Plenty
Knit wool sweaters. You can get them for cheap at thrift stores, they are the brick shithouses of clothing. Warm as hell even when wet, safe around camp fires, and you look fly
If you store them with moth repellent.
The original Japanese Boss HM-2 (1983-1988). Nasty, indestructible, cheap (at the time) and still in use today. There are death metal band out there still using a forty year old pedal.
Just about any Boss pedal
True but I’ve had an HM-2 since '85, so I can attest to the durability of that one.
AR-15
Also, the 1911 class of pistols. Can’t go wrong with the OG Colt Government Model. As in, it can’t jam, fail to feed, fail to eject, fail to chamber, fail in any way.
Honorable mention goes to Hi-Point. Ugly and heavy fucking guns, but they function flawlessly and last forever.
You’re not wrong, but the discussion is tools and equipment, not firearms.
A firearm is very much a tool in some non-combat applications. Ranching, for instance.
Honey, bring the AR-15. The cows need to be reminded who’s boss.
Real, cows gotta learn!
Having a firearm larger than a pistol that is semi auto is very much needed. ARs are no worse than any other hi cap semi auto all the way back to invention of semi autos so if you ban an AR you my as well ban every semi auto. I’ve seen coyotes and wolves in packs corner someone in the woods. Bolt guns just aren’t an option for certain situations. Hate the system causing oppression and the person for doing bad things due to outside factors illness or systemic issues not the tool used. A firearm is a tool nothing more nothing less. Without a user its useless.
Well i think its more to deal with wild animals that wander in and attack the cows lol
Ruger 10/22 for general varmint control and small game. Ruger wrangler .22 revolver for snakes and close up varmint control, works well with ratshot. Browning BPS 12 gauge for pretty much all shotgun needs.
1911 is also a damn fine handgun.
Damn, seeing you downvoted makes see how sadly opinionated Lemmy is.
Like if you live in a rural area, a firearm is a fantastic and common investment. In rural areas, emergency help is a while away or nonexistent. Animal Control isn’t gonna be there when your chickens are getting snatched by a raccoon or your pets are getting hunted by coyotes. Cops aren’t gonna show up in time if some methhead is bashing down your door.
Plus, with a firearm, you can hunt! Yay for the most ethically sound way of putting meat on your table!
They’re just plain wrong about 1911s though. Those things have been surpassed many times over in every category that you would care about in a hand gun, including reliability. I know a few gunsmiths. They’re always fixing 1911 platforms, well beyond what your would expect for their popularity. Everyone always says “two world wars,” and they were a great gun for they’re era, but there’s a reason they got replaced.
The Hitachi Magic Wand
I knew this was gonna be here. I just knew it. Felt it in my bones. Someone’s got their doomsday bunker stocked 😂
But they don’t make them anymore :(
Even though they’re made by a different company now they’re still pretty good ;)
Any specific brand recommendations? Asking for a friend of course.
I was mistaken. Vibratex, which made the original Hitachi Magic Wand, is still making them today. They just dropped the “Hitachi” from the name.
A woman’s best friend 100%. Couldn’t live without mine.
KitchenAid mixers before they got cheap
I inherited a 6" Wilton vise from my dad. He’s still alive but I convinced him to pass it on to me early because I had a couple projects it would be super helpful on. And maybe a little bit to beat my siblings to the punch.
Zippo lighters.
My dad also has a Lincoln Electric welder that will last to pass onto another generation or two. He still uses it though and again, I probably have a sibling or two who would also appreciate having it.
zippo lighters
I’ve never had any luck with zippos, whenever I tried to use it it wouldn’t work and I had to refill it. I hear you have to use them often but I’m not a smoker or arsonist so will only use a lighter maybe once a month. Any tips or recommendations for lighters that you don’t have to use often but will last longer than a cheap disposable one?
Use a butane insert. Still refillable but it’s sealed in well enough to last years of infrequent use.
Get a cheap disposable one. If you really don’t use it often the cost of an unused reusable thing is greater than buying disposable.
You can get butane and arc lighter inserts for zippo shells. I’ve had the arc lighter for going on 3 years, I’ve only had to charge it 5 times, it’s gone through the wash twice now and it’s still working great.
Bought my best friend the butane one the same time. She’s a heavy smoker, not only is it her conversion starter but apparently it’s been cheaper than buying bics.