Just a thought about all the people recommending knives… I kinda feel that by definition, great knives aren’t BIFL. Great knives are made from soft steel that require constant sharpening, eg Global knives— love em, but if you use them and sharpen them every day (or two) they won’t last more than a couple years. There are plenty of durable knives that may be discussed as BIFL, but I haven’t used a “durable” knife that I’d want to be my main knife for life.

All that said, the $40-$50 Victorinox Fibrox chefs knives are great durable knives you can abuse without regret. Maybe not BIFL but so utilitarian and good for their value, they seem worthy of mention.

Also, if considering a mandolin, please consider a Miu. A lot of mandolins have ill conceived methods of attaching the horizontal blades that can impede the outfeed (area under the blade) which is really dumb. I’d steer people away from mandolins for safety reasons, but they’re great tools. Just dangerous… And often ill conceived.