Buying high quality products \ stacker news ~Personal

5713 sats \ 49 comments \ @boisechampion 22 Dec 2023 Personal_Finance

Something that me and my wife have changed radically on the last 2 years is buying expensive high quality products.

In the first 4 years of being together we bought 3 very shitty Walmart vacuums. They were absolute crap at actually sucking dirt up. Ultimately, they would break very fast as well.

We decided to give a higher quality vacuum a try even though we cringed at the price. Wow, what a difference. Not only do the vacuums work 100x better (not exaggerating) a secondary effect is they work so well that my allergies have gone down drastically.

We've realized that by front loading the cost we are usually saving 2-10x over the decades.

What are some products you've bought that have been extremely high quality and that will end up saving you money over the long term?

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1130 sats \ 1 reply \ @Undisciplined 22 Dec 2023

My wife is a pretty active researcher when we need to buy appliances and other expensive household goods, so I don't pay a ton of attention to what we end up getting.

The one major miss was our coffee maker: it's an OXO, but I'm not sure what model. It clogs and overflows just often enough to be really annoying, but not often enough to buy a new one.

At some point I developed a heuristic of buying the median priced option whenever I have little specific knowledge about a product class (which is most of the time). My rationale is that the cheapest option is probably garbage that only sells because of it's price and the most expensive option probably has a bunch of qualities that I neither need nor care about.

640 sats \ 0 replies \ @m00ninite 22 Dec 2023

It's best to avoid things with complexity if you can help it. My French press will probably never break and makes (imo) better coffee than a machine.

440 sats \ 4 replies \ @elvismercury 22 Dec 2023

Agree that a good vacuum is worth the premium that you pay for it.

This is a thing where a btc phrase that I generally hate ("fiat mindset") is actually spot-on. Even if you say "I will spend 5x as much on this thing to get the best possible one" it's not always either a) possible or b) practical to identify how to do that.

I buy expensive boots that last a decade, and it's clear what the money gets you. But the expensive winter jacket I bought has lasted only a few years, where the cheap and shitty one has lasted fifteen. I would like to buy a toaster that would last twenty years but have so far been unable to manage it.

A renaissance where it's possible to buy high-quality, well-made stuff that will last a long time would be so welcome. I wonder (non-ironically) if btc really could fix that, or at least help.

248 sats \ 3 replies \ @boisechampion OP 22 Dec 2023

I think BTC could fix this over the next few decades.

I know what you mean about trying to find the actual quality in the spot you need it.

One thing we’ve been struggling with is pots and pans. We’ve had really crappy ones that go out within a few months. We bought what we thought was an expensive set but they only lasted about 18 months. It’s one of those things where do we go up to the premium quality the absolute top or is it just more of the same?

Yes, we have cast-iron. But I hate cooking my eggs on a cast-iron.

Secretly, I’ve always wanted to start a website where I curate the best value items on the planet. It would be such a fun project, but so time-consuming

13 sats \ 2 replies \ @elvismercury 22 Dec 2023

You might learn that there's an explosion of demand and you're suddenly rich from the project, as everyone in the whole world who's as fed-up as we are piles in :)

10 sats \ 1 reply \ @boisechampion OP 22 Dec 2023

Yeah. The problem is I don’t know how to build websites and have no desire to learn it. Could you imagine the market research you’d have to do??

3 sats \ 0 replies \ @dieselbaby 23 Dec 2023

Wouldn't be too hard, to be honest. I'm a developer and it could be done pretty easily, I think the main issue would be having to convince end users/visitors to the site that the person(s) curating the items purported to be of the highest quality/best value, knows what they are talking about (no offense, lol). I think it's a good idea, actually, I just don't know how you'd get past that hurdle...the technological aspect of making the site itself is negligible nowadays, I am sure if you are here and know how to use Bitcoin you are technically proficient enough that you could be guided if necessary to teach you to the extent needed to build such a site.

On the actual subject, I too am a big fan of purchasing higher quality items for things I need, even if it's initially more expensive, it's well worth the time to do some research and figure out what isn't complete garbage. This is especially true, IMHO, in a few specific areas -- one such one being the chair I sit in at my desk. Of course, it might be initially expensive when I say I spent ~500 USD on a computer chair, but, it's one of the best purchases I've ever made. I spend enough time in it, and those shitty cheap chairs will kill your back. Same with a mattress, always good to buy something higher quality.

Unfortunately, that's not so easy nowadays, even brands which have had a lengthy history of making quality products, I'm finding fun little surprises where I learn that the company got sold to some investment fund or to a foreign conglomerate and while the name is the same, their products bear little resemblance to what made them famous initially.

297 sats \ 3 replies \ @orthwyrm 22 Dec 2023

I am a Henry Hoover maxi. Are these even a thing in the US?

50 sats \ 0 replies \ @moel 22 Dec 2023

Armageddon Will come before mine stops working. Those things last a lifetime 😃

50 sats \ 1 reply \ @boisechampion OP 22 Dec 2023

Never seen it but brilliant marketing.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @orthwyrm 22 Dec 2023

Ah, you'll find them everywhere in the UK. Don't let the goofy face fool you - Henry's tough as nails and these things last forever.

276 sats \ 2 replies \ @smuglydawg 22 Dec 2023

Reminds me of the saying 'Buy once, cry once'

A few years ago I also thought of when buying items do some quick math about the cost dividend by the amount of days or hours used.

This was before the “girl math” meme but sometimes when items last they are practically free over the long term.

Great mindset of quality over quantity.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @02c3daa64b 22 Dec 2023

Reminds me of the saying 'Buy once, cry once'

But nice or buy twice

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @boisechampion OP 22 Dec 2023

Girl math. My wife’s favorite topic!!!

113 sats \ 6 replies \ @zuspotirko 22 Dec 2023

One thing I learned on subreddits about high quality items is:

People will inevitably defend their plastic crap as "high quality". It isn't.

0 sats \ 5 replies \ @boisechampion OP 22 Dec 2023

Preach it. Reddit is a black hole now. I was a big user in 2015.

0 sats \ 4 replies \ @zuspotirko 22 Dec 2023

I don't think it has anything to do with Reddit. Most people just can't fathom a higher quality of things than the best they know.

It's one of the few things I value in Germans - because sometimes they can and make high quality stuff out of raw metal, wood, fine finishes, very few parts and precise craftsmanship.

I'm unfamiliar with your vacuum. Maybe I'm wrong but it looks very plastic to me. Solid metal would look different. Sometimes one just has to accept that real high quality simply just doesn't exist. The best in the world isn't good enough.

3 sats \ 3 replies \ @boisechampion OP 22 Dec 2023

Haha I would never buy a metal vacuum. Could you imagine how heavy that thing would be?

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @022a8a1886 23 Dec 2023

I can imagine, because my parents still have one. Kirby (yes, search for it) - it is a monster machine! It is something completely different. Every other vacuum feels like a toy.

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @zuspotirko 22 Dec 2023

I don't mean that literally (unless... ;) ). Just wanted to say we should always keep on dreaming about improving literally everything on earth. Everything that is good quality could be even better quality.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @boisechampion OP 22 Dec 2023

Oh for sure. I was just having some fun and poking.

Better quality and better design are things I’m craving for right now.

6 sats \ 0 replies \ @Nuttall 22 Dec 2023

My wife has a saying and she grew up in the Soviet Union. "WE NEVER HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY CHEAP THINGS."

Conversely some technologies are very simple you can assess the quality by experience. Like a Jigsaw from Walmart for one job that you will never do a again. If the fucker breaks during the job you return it. On the other hand I buy DeWalt power tools for long term jobs because my circular saw from DeWalt has lasted 30 years!

Sony, I have always regretted a Sony purchase. Last item was a Palm Pilot device that the digitizer never calibrated correctly. I sent it back to them several times to get repaired. Eventually I threw it in a river one day. I had owned Walkmans and other things that were over priced shit. That's just me. Unbrand loyalty works too.

Most of the time is best to do the research, brand assessment, experience and such.

There is a great book called:

The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy https://a.co/d/fHDkhf0

It's a great read. Apply this with Bitcoin knowledge and you will be a king. Check your library for a copy. Anyway, don't buy shit and do things for yourself.

3 sats \ 1 reply \ @brave 22 Dec 2023

Quality product doesn't have to do with brands no more, no matter how big and corporate they are with all boils to your experience

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @boisechampion OP 22 Dec 2023

110%. I have a recent example of that. I ordered https://farmerbillsprovisions.com/

It beats Jack Links by 10 miles. It isn't even close.

3 sats \ 2 replies \ @shaunpmartin 22 Dec 2023

I don't know that these products will necessarily save me money (probably break-even) but will certainly provide far more comfort: Ekornes Stressless scandinavian recliners & reclining sofa.

I was visiting my parents in 2019, and they'd purchased a couple of these recliners at a local furniture store. The retail price on these things is pretty nuts ($2800 if I recall) but the store was selling some models at around a 40% discount due to discontinued colors/trim/etc. I purchased one and literally drove it back to TX with me. A few months later I purchased a floor model sofa for 50% of original retail ($6500). By all accounts, these things will last basically a lifetime, and they're so ridiculously comfortable & supportive compared to standard living room furniture that I do not regret either purchase for a single moment.

10 sats \ 1 reply \ @boisechampion OP 22 Dec 2023

If I was a single bachelor, I would absolutely do this. I prioritize, comfort and convenience as my main priorities.

Well, luckily for me, I have a wife and she’s an interior designer, and an architect. So the idea of having one set of furniture for the rest of our lives would be her version of hell. She loves getting a new set every 3 to 4 years to spruce up the household. Which ultimately is fine by me because it makes her very happy

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @shaunpmartin 24 Dec 2023

I feel like there will always be some room that will have use for these delightfully comfortable pieces, even if that ends up being a game-room, study, lounge, etc. I'm not married, and also the idea of getting new living room furniture every 3-4 years sounds awful to me, but fine if I'm left out of the decision-making process :-)

3 sats \ 3 replies \ @birdeye21 22 Dec 2023

Yep, a great mindset to have. I used to try to thrift a lot of things to "save money", but would always run into the same problems you've described.

Clothes I almost always purchase high quality now, and I very rarely buy clothes. A good quality set of t-shirts lasts me years longer than cheaping out on stuff that'll shrink and deteriorate after a couple washes.

42 sats \ 0 replies \ @boisechampion OP 22 Dec 2023

Same. The only thing that we thrift for now is home decor for my wife. Little vases, artwork, set pieces. Stuff that just sits and doesn’t get interacted with so it can’t break down.

21 sats \ 1 reply \ @juanito 23 Dec 2023

which good brands of clothes do you recommend? I seldom buy clothes (except shoes, which I go through quite fast because of the hundreds of kilometers I walk and hike)

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @birdeye21 23 Dec 2023

Dont really have specific brands i gravitate, just buy stuff that stands out to me. Fjall Raven though is great if you like walking/hiking. Good for general streetwear too

3 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bap 22 Dec 2023

Just another reminder of the skewed incentives inflationary fiat money causes. Companies are incentivized to manufacture as quickly as possible, cutting corner often, in order to lessen the impact that variable costs of exchange rate, labor, material, and shipping costs.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @bookguy 26 Dec 2023

Recently bought a Magliner Gemini Jr convertible hand truck for a move, got the 30 inch nose extension and floor panel. Easiest move ever, cart will last a lifetime for all future heavy lifting needs.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @BlokchainB 26 Dec 2023

Agreed. I used to pay $40 for a car wash and the car would still be dirty. So now I will save up and get a nice detail every 5 to 7 months.

My mind recently switched on this but I think people should be paid well if they provide high quality products and services.

I recently paid a lot to get my car serviced at the dealership. But the level of service is fantastic! I got to drive a new loaner car while my car was being serviced! Plus if anything happens to the repair it is covered via warranty.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @robbabuona 25 Dec 2023

As an ancient embedded dev...if the product has a "mechanic use" meaning that is not just an electronic device doing electronic things. Choose the one that cost more, but has less possible software and electronic onboard. I just wish to have back my old audi 80 from 1989...what a car! No electronic parts, completely fixable from owner with no issue...

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Natalia 23 Dec 2023

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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @mo 23 Dec 2023

Good on you @boisechampion, now you can sell your old ones on ~Agora territory

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @anon 23 Dec 2023

My Faves with a coffee slant: Kitchen - Vitamix Blender Kitchen - flair espresso maker Kitchen - ancap espresso/coffee cups Kitchen - chemex coffee maker Kitchen - bodum french press (glass models only, not plastic) Kitchen - comandante coffee grinder Bitcoin - Coldcard

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @sudocarlos 23 Dec 2023

And now you have something with easy-to-find replacement parts that you can keep working beyond its warranty lifetime

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @cryotosensei 22 Dec 2023

Dyson hairdryer. Most expensive hairdryer in the world but my wife was thrilled to bits. And as we all know, happy wife, happy life lol

10 sats \ 0 replies \ @boisechampion OP 22 Dec 2023

I prefer “Happy spouse, happy house”

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @BitcoinIsTheFuture 22 Dec 2023

Well not exactly the same but I have a clippers and scissors and cut the hair for my family of four and have need doing so for 9 years! North face jackets last forever and have a lifetime warranty. Aston grey dress shoes over cheap pleather ones! I buy new vehicles but get them a model year old to save thousands! Refurbished apple products.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Entrep 22 Dec 2023

It all boils down to luck as a Chinese product can give you more quality over a German product

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @kr 22 Dec 2023

i bought a bunch of the exact same pair of jeans a while ago. same size, same black color.

they’re not super expensive, but definitely a notch up from what i might usually buy. hoping that i don’t need to buy any more for the next 5-10 years.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @m00ninite 22 Dec 2023

I alluded to it in one of my responses, but I'm generally more a fan of buying items with as little moving parts as possible, than trying to get what's "the best". Less complexity means less ways it can break.

An equally high priority is to buy stuff made with standard parts so you can fix it yourself.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Fabs 22 Dec 2023

Yeah, it really does pay off to buy expensive equipment. Apart from that I just love comparing items for days and weeks until I've found the right fit.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @needcreations_ 22 Dec 2023

What are some products you've bought that have been extremely high quality and that will end up saving you money over the long term?