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You must die before the item is worn out

To many people 10 years ago seems like last month.

Depends on how you interpret "for life". Does that mean you bought it new recently and you're hoping you'll never need to buy another one? Or does it mean something acquired a long, long time ago and it's still fully usable?

I wish ppl used this subreddit a little less literally. Some things are just never gonna last a literal entire lifetime. I wish ppl used it more as an “insane quality” type of subreddit. If anybody knows of one like that, let me know!

> products that are well-made and durable

They qualify even it they don’t last a lifetime.

[removed]

My pair of adidas Cloud Foam shoes from Costco have lasted 3 years. I consistently wear them every day to work in a manufacturing environment where I do a lot of walking. 3 years for $35 sneakers is a lifetime

Funny story, one day I thought to myself “I have too many shoes, I’m going to pick a pair and wear them until they burn out.” I picked wrong and I still have too many shoes 3 years later.

Something that can still be bought also should be the main thing.

Seems like this sub needs a name change sometimes, like "bought it for life" or even "inherited it for life".

But main sad reason for that is that the companies making those products stopped making them as good or got bought out.

I have my great grandmother's cast iron kettle and chicken fryer. I'd guess, 1890s probably. Im 4th generation

#METAL

for me it's that it's well worth whatever I paid for it. when it dies I want to think, "wow, that lasted longer than I thought it would".

Yessss these shoes last a long time

People disagree. Personally I consider it to be something that is going to last at least 15-20 years with relatively minimal expense.

Some people think it’s just “it lasts longer than other things in the category.” Like boots that have durable uppers with replaceable soles, or a Toyota that requires less maintenance than average. Personally “buy high quality products and/or reparable products” Is not bifl to me, but to each their own.

I have a desk made out of 4” thick ancient old growth wood that was used in a cotton gin built in the 1820s. I’ve had it for 10 years and obviously, it still looks new. It’s 200 year old wood and a metal base. That’s bifl (and your kids’ lives).

Have you seen rusted out car frames?

#NEVER

Cosmoline has entered the chat

30 years is a good benchmark I think.

most things not designed to be disposable last 10 years.

Hell my n64 is over 20 years, same with my dresser... are we gonna flood this sub with average products that's get used frequently simply because their inherent simple design is hard to fuck up to begin with?

Cosmoline? Just load up your used motor oil in a pump-sprayer.

Ya, I see a lot of people asking about electronics/appliances on this subreddit. I hate to break it to people, anything you have to plug in, or uses batteries, ain’t gonna be BIFL. Seems like people are using this subreddit more as a Consumer Reports replacement. I’d like to see more of the “insane quality“ posts too.

Anything that you bet your life on, such as climbing gear is always BIFL regardless of how old it is

To me, it is a price per use assessment. I have a hoodie that is about 20. Except for a few years spent in the tropics, I have worn that thing a ton every year.

I have another hoodie that is slightly older but has nowhere near the number of wears in it. It is closer to getting repurposed. Do when I SM looking for quality for my next purchase, I am looking at the characteristics of the former over the latter.

These days, if it last 3 months, it’s BIFL

Pc

Interesting, a had a pair of Cload Foam shoes and the comfort did not last long. Used to wear them daily for work (indoors and sometimes out) and in less than one year the bottom of the show was dangerously slippery and had to be replaced

For shoes I don’t expect them to last more than a couple years before they need to be resoled but I expect them to be able to be resoled if they are good quality.

I feel like anything related to working outdoors there is no in-between, it either lasts you a season or 10+ years.

I define BIFL as something that, we’ll-taken care of with routine maintenance and the occasional replacement part, will last indefinitely.

I used to walk 10 hours a day in a nuclear power plant wearing 9” steel toe boots (mandatory). The secret is insoles.

I have to plug in my GE clock radio that I bought in the early 1980s. I'm still using it and it's functioning perfectly. So is my Technics receiver and turntable that I purchased in 1981.

I have some old aluminum pots that I bought at an estate sale in the 1990s. I use them occasionally for various thing since they have built in handles, which are convenient for picking blueberries. I know they must be at least 100 years old. I have my grandmother's large pottery mixing bowl, which is also at least 100 years old, and still in service.

"For life" mostly depends on how old you are yourself.

So if we're still using something that was made in, say, the 1920s, and the company that made it went out of business in the 1950s, it shouldn't count?

I think to count for the official records, you're supposed to post here the day before you die.

Bad climbing gear could very much be 'BIFL' in a very literal sense - and something you own briefly.