I never thought Id be excited for a garbage can, but after going through multiple plastic cans and having the lid mechanism fail on cheaper metal cans, I broke down and got a more expensive one from Simple Human. I feel the quality everytime I use the step to toss something. It sounds so dumb, but I’m really blown away after years of crappy cans.
Aside from that, my python water changer for aquariums. That thing has been the goat for years at this point.
Red Boat fish sauce.
Outdoor Research for clothing, especially if you live somewhere that rains a lot (they’re a Pacific Northwest brand).
I can swear just fine without any products, thank you very fucking much.
Cast iron pans when you learn how to season them well. As an unrelated note, anyone know of any good mice brands for universal gaming?
Haix boots.
They’re expensive AF, and they’re super heavy, but they’re super comfortable and they’re designed to protect your feet from basically everything, be worn for long durations, and last forever. My first pair lasted me almost 7 years of heavy use and kept my feet safe in the most disgusting situations (I finally had to buy a second pair after they tore up the side). They were covered in mud, snow, blood, vomit, feces, and took me through homes infested in cock roaches and bed bugs and all I ever needed to do was hose them off. I replaced countless broken laces and a zipper once (the laces hold the zipper in place and it’s designed to be easily swapped). They’re rated for electric shock, are wildland fire approved, are waterproof, have a composite toe, and a steel shank in the sole to protect from sharp objects.
I won’t buy any other boots for work. It’s a classic case of the boots problem, I used to go through a $150 pair of boots every 8 months and always had foot pain, but these cost $450 and lasted me almost 7 years so I definitely saved money and my feet are happy and protected.
If you like cannabis, the Pax 2 vaporizer is amazing. Bought one 12 years ago, used it nearly daily til the button died. Recently purchased another one exactly like it, looking forward to another decade of use.
I am generally anti-corporate anti-capitalist, but I will happily endorse this one specific product cuz it performs one function extremely well for years.
I didn’t go with a Pax but I have Mighty and Crafty+ that are great. It allows for less herb to be used which kinda helps pay for the device but my favorite part is the flavor is nicer.
Got both second-hand with new mouthpieces as I hate spending money but they’re dope. Irony is I’m trying to smoke less or just stop but it’s 2026.
I’m not a brand guy at all. However many many years ago I purchased some Adidas runners. I can’t believe the comfort level and wear I got it of them. Like, I felt like they were doing themselves out of business they lasted so long. When the many years passed and I needed new ones, tried them again. Same experience. I gotta say, Germany still produces quality gear.
Bar Keepers Friend, it just works and that’s a rare quality these days.
Lysol laundry disinfectant, it’s the only thing that gets the funk of our well water out of the clothes
Myos muscle powder for dogs, it practically reversed my dogs aging and at 11 he’s actively gaining muscle that was wasting before
MAKEUP BY MARIO surrealskin waterproof setting spray, it’s alcohol free, gentle and works better than any other setting sprays I’ve ever used
This one is a little different because it’s a brand and it definitely isn’t universal, but Kirkland Brand, so much of my house is just Costco store brand and it still has great quality almost across the board, don’t buy their batteries or toilet paper though, I don’t know if they’ve fixed the water content in their butter than was messing up everyone’s baking.
My Brevill toaster oven, it’s a little champ that’s fed a family of four with no problem for years.
I’m sure there’s more but that’s off the top of my head
The Breville Sous Chef is great as well.
Printer. A lot.
Dr. Bronner’s Magic Balm.
Great for healing burns and tattoos. Their soaps are great as well.
I’m usually not a brand loyalist, but when it comes to tools, this is a Makita family.
No other tool company publishes open schematics for all of their tools, so they can be repaired with generic parts instead of expensive “replacement parts kits.” Every other tool company is traded publicly on the stock market and vulnerable to enshittification. Makita is a large, but still family-owned, union company in Japan.
Lots of companies focus on ergonomics & power, but only Makita is focused on low vibrations while still making tools that are just as powerful.
But most of all? They’ve stated that destroying two-stroke motors in yard equipment is one of their main corporate goals, and so for both environmental and noise reasons, this company has my loyalty forever. Makita corporate? Hit me up! I will sell the fuck out of your tools.
Good to know, thanks! My default is just using Kobalt out of cost and convenience. In my opinion best bang for buck. For premium tools I’ll consider Bosch (apparently another great reputation as a company) and now Makita.
Beyerdynamic makes good wired headphones. Are they too expensive? Absolutely. Their headphone stand costs 60 USD. The drawstring bag costs 25 USD. Some of the headphones cost up to 700 USD when not on sale.
But here’s where they’re better than competition. This is compared to the JBL 720BT.
- Will they fall apart after a few months? No.
- Do they require weird audio adapters? No. They work with multiple standard audio jack sizes, in stereo.
- Do they require a proprietary app to use weird Bluetooth features? No. They’re just wired headphones. There is no enshittification.
- Is their customer service line god-awful? Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve never had to put up with their customer service. But JBL made me wait on the line for an hour on multiple occasions, on their crackly phone line to a call center outsourced to India.
Some of their models come with a dettachable cable. If the cable breaks or you prefer a shorter/longer cable you can swap it easily.
Lamy pens, Ibanez guitars, Sennheiser headphones, darn tough socks, crumpler bags have all held up through years of frequent use, travel, moves, etc.
Eargasm premium earplugs. For concerts and loud practice sessions or just popping in running loud tools, they are a must and generally preserve fidelity well. Hearing loss and tinnitus are real bummers. Trust me.
On the topic of garbage cans, I love my giant ass contractor bin meant for like construction sites in my kitchen. I take trash out once a week, it’s great.
The contractor bags are WAY tougher than normal garbage bags, too
