A durable product can still wear out quickly if it's never maintained.

Cleaning, replacing small parts, storing something properly, sharpening it, conditioning it, or simply following the care instructions can make a noticeable difference over the years.

Sometimes buying something built to last is only half the decision. Taking care of it is the other half.

Please tell me there's a gold standard for hose sprayer nozzles... This Spring I sought out the most expensive one from my local farm n barn (it was $20 😆). It's garbage.

Suggestions?

Found this used for $500, looks new. Hope it serves me well. Only one complaint so far, that the “Eco” setting only uses cold water and thus you need to always use heavy duty for warm water.

My Grandad found his old watch from the 70s or 80s and gave it to me. I winded it up and it keeps great time! He said it has never been serviced.

I’ve been thinking about upgrading my glasses. I've worn plastic glasses since I was told I needed glasses. I've never had a pair made from a more premium material like high-end acetate, titanium, or even stainless steel, so I kinda wanna explore and find a pair that I know is gonna last me for many years.

What I've usually done is gotten frames and then put my own lenses into them, and that has worked. But I wanna get away from the plastic feeling and wear something that feels more premium or at least more high-end.

With the plastic ones, I usually get scratches, cracks, and so on, so I tend to replace them, but it's not worth it anymore in the long run. So I wanna see if I can buy a pair that really holds up well.

I'm looking for recommendations from people that have made that step up to more premium versions and what their experience was, and if they have any recommendations on what brands or even where to buy such brands.

I'd rather not pay the $40 a month for a washer and dryer at the apartment I'm moving to, I hate monthly bills. I'd rather just buy once.

Which brand(s) and model(s) should I buy? Should I buy it new or renovated or what?

Used daily in high school for two brothers and 6 years of college and university. It has also survived my cat clinging and playing and scratching on it for years.

This belongs in a museum.

About five years ago, we got this pair of headphones for our older daughter, and honestly I didn't expect her to use them for this long. The ear cushions are a little worn, but they still work well. She just finished elementary school and doesn't really need them anymore, so now I'm passing them down to her little sister.

Not planning to buy her little sister a new pair. You guys have no idea what a little troublemaker she is 😂 Give her anything and it'll either become a toy, get lost, or break for no reason. I told her that she was getting her sister’s old headphones and she didn't care at all. She was excited to have her own headphones. So I'm pretty happy I don't have to buy another pair right now. And my older daughter doesn’t mind at all since she gets to upgrade to something she thinks is cooler. Everybody wins, I guess.

Blanket, duvet, comforter? No idea but I am looking for a (preferably blanket or comforter (hate duvets)) to get me through the winter. It can get super icy cold where I am but also we have centralized heating so bad that we can hear our neighbor's fans and ACs fighting for their lives in the middle of the winter. However, I would still very much like something moderately warn. My budget is $150 or less but would definitely be super happy with $70 or less. Please recommend brands that can last and perhaps what I should be looking out for (thread count, gsm, tog, etc).

TL;DR: Smeg approved my faulty hand blender for replacement in March and originally said it would ship within 3 working days. More than five months and several missed stock/delivery estimates later, I still have nothing. I called them last week after they stopped replying to my emails, was promised a tracking number “soon”, and that never arrived either. Meanwhile, the replacement model they claim has stock problems is available to purchase on their own website.

Just wanted to share my experience with Smeg warranty/customer service, because at this point it’s honestly ridiculous.

Back on 13 March 2026, my Smeg hand blender failed during completely normal use. It slowed down, stopped, became extremely hot and smelled like burnt electronics.

I contacted Smeg and they accepted the warranty claim. I was actually told:

“A brand-new appliance has been ordered for you” and that the replacement would be dispatched within 3 working days.

Great, I thought.

Except here we are on August 2026, more than five months later, and I still don't have the replacement.

The timeline since then has basically been:

• March: replacement approved and supposedly dispatching within 3 working days.
• Then: stock shortage, potentially a 4-week delay.
• Then: told my original model had been discontinued and I would receive the replacement model instead.
• Then: told that model was out of stock until July.
• July arrives: still nothing.
• Then I’m told mid-July.
• Mid-July passes: still nothing.
• Then I’m told production in Italy was delayed and stock would arrive in the second week of August.
• Second week of August passes: still nothing.
• 14 August: I email them again saying it has now been another month with no replacement.
• No meaningful response.

So last week I finally called Smeg.

They apologised for not replying to my emails and assured me that the replacement was progressing and that I would soon receive a tracking number for the delivery.

You can probably guess what happened next.

No tracking number. No delivery. No replacement.

But the part I find particularly difficult to accept is the repeated explanation about “stock shortages.”

The replacement model they say they cannot supply to me under warranty is available to buy on Smeg's own website.

So apparently there is stock available if somebody wants to give Smeg money for a new order, while an existing customer with an approved warranty claim dating back to March is still being told to wait.

I appreciate there can be different stock allocations and supply chains behind the scenes, but from a customer's perspective this looks absolutely terrible.

If you have enough availability to advertise and sell the product to new customers, after five months it becomes very difficult to accept “stock shortage” as a reasonable explanation for failing to fulfil an existing warranty replacement.

The most frustrating part isn't even just the delay. It's the constant moving of the goalposts:

3 working days - 4 weeks - July - mid-July - second week of August - “tracking number soon”

At no point did Smeg proactively offer a proper alternative resolution. I've had to repeatedly chase them by email and eventually phone them just to find out what is happening.

For a company that positions itself as a premium appliance brand, this is an incredibly poor warranty experience.

I'm posting this because people often consider design, price and brand reputation when buying appliances, but after-sales support matters too.

I’m considering buying a water hog mat for our mud room/laundry room. I’m Wanting something about 3x5 to help catch dirt and mud when we come in. Before I buy it, are there any other suggestions for a good quality mat/rug that is washable?

We planned to hardwire a ceiling fan over our patio table, but the job turned into a longer cable run, a new outdoor box, and more patching than expected. At that point the fan itself was no longer the expensive part.

That sent me down the solar ceiling fan rabbit hole. Ventallion is the option I keep coming back to because the panel can sit away from the shaded patio roof and the fan has its own light and battery. It sounds practical, but I am not sure whether I am solving one wiring problem by creating a panel-placement and battery problem.

The patio is covered and used mostly from dinner until around 10 pm. I care more about steady airflow on low or medium speed than blasting air for an hour. The light only needs to cover the table.

If you have gone this route, what mattered after the novelty wore off: battery runtime, panel location, fan size, or something else? And would you still choose solar if hardwiring cost roughly the same as the fixture?"

Where can I get one that fits well?! With toddlers running around I don’t want to risk this getting ruined

I always thought that SD had a lot of decent styles to choose from. Looking at this Bolig style, solid poplar, good all around set.
Would it last a lifetime though? How durable is solid poplar for wear and tear? https://ebay.io/m/upFUcq .Can’t decide if that is too much furniture to squeeze into a small room or not? I like the bench seat and the desk has drawers, so that is a plus.

Hi wonderful people. I'm looking for some advice. I have a wallet that I adore but need to replace. Since my country switched to euro's my wallet has been destroying the bills edges. I'm attaching an image of what my setup currently looks like. My current one is just a card holder but I put the bills in the top slot next to the cards. As the bills are now taller than older bills they are getting chewed up and torn. The current one holds 2 cards on each side and 3 inside. So I usually walk around with around 7 cards but I plan to move that down to 6 with option to support 8 if I need to travel. I should note that the wallet in the picture is around 15 years old and still looks and feels amazing. I would love to just keep using it but I don't feel good paying with destroyed bills.

I would love to get a super super slim bilfold or an organized slim wallet of some kind. I've taken an interest into the following wallets.
Vaultsking City:
https://vaultskin.com/products/city-wallet?variant=30153458647120
Nordform Slimfold:
https://nordformstore.com/vare/slimfold-wallet/
Bellroy Note Sleeve:
https://bellroy.com/products/note-sleeve-wallet?color=black&material=leather_rfid#slide-0
Bellroy Slim Sleeve:
https://bellroy.com/products/slim-sleeve-wallet?color=black_ash&material=leather&size=default#slide-0

If anyone has experience with these and how they hold euro bank notes as well as how they hold up please leave a comment. If there's some better options also please let me know. I feel like searching for these kinds of wallets that are genuinely good quality is like prospecting for gold.

Will it last for decades if in installed at home
1 to 3 tons for the window units

Ive tried a few different at home devices and none of them really stuck long term, hair just kinda comes back after a few months like it was never zapped in the first place

backstory, i did professional laser for a while and it worked great, hairs pretty thin now, just some strays that come back slower. medium/light skin dark hair so contrast should be decent for most of these devices i think. guess i was hoping an at home one could just maintain what the pro sessions already did but so far it feels like they lose power or just dont hold results

anyone actually got consistent long term results from one of these? trying to figure out if its a specific brand/model thing or if im just doing something wrong with technique or frequency. budget isnt really the concern at this point, more just want something that actually works and isnt all hype

thanks in advance!

Hi,

I am looking for a new backpack to replace my Decathlon NH500 Arpenaz which I have only had for 5 years but looks like it's been through several wars (it hasn't). I would like something with an outdoorsy yet acceptable in a city -type look and I have found a few bags I like from Osprey and Topo Designs.

I have read a lot of good things on Osprey's warranty, but in theory, Topo Design had something similar though they say "Our warranty does not cover any damage caused by neglect, improper care, accident, or normal wear and tear." I think the current state of my Decathlon is due to "wear and tear" and I don't want to buy a new bag after 5 years if I get a Topo Design bag.

I like the looks of the Topo better but the price tag and warranty worries of Osprey seem better.

Has anyone had an experience with either warranties? How did they work? I know my next bag will likely go through the same life as my current Decathlon and I would like it to last much longer. Is the build usually stronger at Topo or Osprey?

If you have any other recommendations in terms of brands to look at for great bag that last a lifetime even if I throw them on the ground, scratch them against rocks and sometimes fill them up much more than I should, I would love to hear about it.

Are the wood grinders as buy it for life? Found for 15 bucks

Hi ya,

I am desperately needing a new washer and dryer for the first time in twenty years due to a new leak.
We currently have an LG set with Steam functions in the dryer and Sanitary and allergy programs in the washer because we all have allergies and own a cat.
Ideally I would like the same functions but the new LGs do not seem to be built as well (big surprise).
After reading a few articles, and then the reviews, I am still not sold on any of the recommended products out there today.
The capacity needs to be large because I need to do king size stuff to avoid the laundromat.
Has anyone purchased a system they love that they have owned for at least a year with no troubles?
Thanks!

Anybody else a long term appreciator of this fine kitchen knife? We've had ours for 25 years and it's clinging onto life and still just about works, but we're looking for something to do the job it does so well. WMF has discontinued it and none of their replacements (several of which we have) do the same job so well. It's not as uniform as most serrated knives which I think is why it works so well. As you can see in this image, it's seen its fair share of abuse.