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
Carolina Outdoor Work Boots.
Like wearing a bulletproof vest on your feet.
Bodum French Press
Dynavap DHV
Buffalo Bicycles
Vitamix Blender
That metal toaster we got for a wedding present. It was apparently someone’s parents wedding present from the 60’s. We had it for several years until a friend jammed a bagel in it and melted the cord. I replaced the cord and we used it for another several years before losing it in a move.
I like to believe someone found it and it is still toasting to this day.
Akai 4000ds Reel to Reel tape player. So many are still working, built like a tank. They’re super cheap on the used market.
There is a Sub-Lem for that: https://slrpnk.net/c/buyitforlife
Aeropress coffee maker.
Its like 20$, works really well, very simple design with few things to break.
The EV 635A. Built. To. Last.
http://recordinghacks.com/reviews/tapeop/electro-voice-635a/
I swear to god - on a dare I used one as a hammer and it lost 0 range on the SA.
Toughest mic and best DR of it’s 1965 class. Still a viable non-phantom , mono drum or ambient mic.
True believer!
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.
Pre-2010 Toyota Corolla
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)
A discontinued product from AKG called the K-330. The sound, even though nothing to get excited about, was decent, but the durability of these, in my opinion is legendary. When I was a teenager, I was not careful with them at all, and would often forget them in my sweatpants pockets before throwing them into the washing machine, and that happened hundreds of times and it’s not an exaggeration. The cable was mostly tangle free, while everyone else had to untangle their earbuds (something that most modern earbud cables can’t seem to do as well). These went through abuse more than any other device I’ve ever owned, and they kept working no matter what. Audio quality wise, they are overpriced in my opinion (I think the MSRP was $100, but because not many bought them, I got them on sale as a teen), but the durability is Nokia level in my opinion.
AKG Q701 headphones also. I’ve been using the same pair for well over a decade.
Glad to hear it. How’s the sound of these? I’ve never heard any Quincy Jones signature headphones from AKG.
I’m a bit of an audiophile and the Q701s are the best I’ve listened to. They far out pace anything else under $200 in terms of soundstage and clarity. The bass is a bit low, but this is to be expected from open backs.
That’s awesome. My brother has the AKG K7XX, I’m guessing they sound similar, because I remember being impressed with these. I assume the QJ are just a different tune, and more padding on the headband.
I recently ordered the Sennheiser HD 58X, but I was looking at the AKG options too.
The K7 series is similar but not identical. The sound profile changed slightly when manufacturing was moved from Austria to China.
Concept2 rowing machines. Even if they break, you can still buy spare parts at reasonable rates even for the very first model, which is decades old and only sold a few copies. Fantastic engineering.
It’s a real baader-meinhoff phenomenon: once you notice them, you notice that every gym has them.
Japanese-made sewing machines from the 1950s. Most are all-metal and overbuilt, and will work like new with a few drops of oil, maybe a fresh belt. In the US they were imported and had local brand’s names put on them; what you’re really looking for is the “Made in Japan” on the back or bottom. Granny sewing machines also qualify, but most of the Japanese ones have zigzag
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.
Classic Vitamix blender models. They just work. Long warranty. And even post warranty easily serviceable.
And for a buy-it-for-multiple-lifetimes citrus juicer to get juice for the blender, there’s the Nemco 55850.
Vitamix smell! Dontbreathis!
They keep coming out with fancier models, but the 5200 still reigns supreme. Who needs programs on a blender?
