Buy-it-For-Life Items to Look Out for the Next Time You Thrift
Some things are just made to last — Red Wing boots, Le Creuset pots and KitchenAid stand mixers to name a few. Treat them well, and it could be a buy-it-for-life item.
The catch is that well-designed, well-made items are often pretty pricey. Most of us don’t have $500 lying around for a brand new KitchenAid, even if the cost per use would be worth it in the end. One solution? Buy it for life, but buy it used.
Here are some tips to help you thrift items so sturdy you can keep them forever.
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What Makes Something Buy It for Life
The basic idea behind “buy it for fife” is pretty simple. You buy it once, and it’ll last a lifetime. But how do you know an item is made to stand up to decades of use? We asked Tara Button, author of A Life Less Throwaway and founder of BuyMeOnce, a store that sells long-lasting products.
FYI: There’s also a community of people pooling knowledge of “Durable, Practical, Proven, and Made-to-Last” products on Reddit at r/BuyItForLife. If you use it to research the best secondhand deals, it’s a surprisingly good subreddit for saving money.
Here are some of the things Button looks for in a product.
- Design: You don’t need to be an engineer to assess the quality of an item’s design. Button advises thinking about why something usually fails. “Think: Why might someone discard this product?” Button said. For example, you’d throw out a pan if its handle got wobbly. When you’re trying to figure out whether a pan is well-designed, pay close attention to the handle.
- Repair: When it comes to appliances, make sure you can peek under the hood. There should be a way to remove panels and replace parts. “If repair is impossible, don’t touch it with a barge pole,” Button said.
- Warranty: If an item was manufactured by a company that offers a lifetime warranty, that’s a good sign it’s high quality. But these days, lifetime warranties are few and far between. According to Button, longer warranties are still a green flag. “If all the brands offer one to two years, and one brand offers five, look into that brand.”
- Reviews: Are you checking out an item that’s still in production? Visit its Amazon product page. As a durable product advocate, Button is no fan of the company, but… “So many people use Amazon that it’s a useful resource in terms of reviews.”
Brands that really stand by their products offer repair before replacement. “If they offer repair, they’ve made the calculation that it’s cheaper to repair than to replace the item,” Button said. “That is a sign it’s good quality.”
Examples of Buy-it-For-Life Items to Look Out For
The good news: there are tons of well-made items out there that are buy it for life. The bad news: it can take a bit of research to recognize them (especially when you’re sorting through piles of stuff at the thrift store). Let’s make it a little easier. If you find anything on this list, snag it.
1. Cast Iron Skillets
You might already have a cast iron skillet that’s older than you. With proper care, they can last just about forever. That makes them a common kitchen essential to pass down from generation to generation. If you’d like to pick up another one – for flipping pancakes or for flipping on eBay – don’t worry too much about the brand. (Lodge pans are great, but so are plenty of others, according to Consumer Reports testing.)
Instead, look closely at the condition of the pan. Cracks are an automatic dealbreaker. You don’t want a hot pan to break in half while you’re cooking. Chipping, pitting, and warping aren’t necessarily dangerous, but do make the pan obnoxious to cook with.
One fault that shouldn’t scare you off? Rust. Most rusty pans can be stripped and re-seasoned at home.
Another category to look out for is enameled cast iron. Colorful Le Creuset Dutch ovens retail for hundreds of dollars. According to Button, they’re worth it. “When I received one as a gift, I thought, this blows everything else I own out of the water.” Staub is another heritage brand known to last years.
Staining is common – and harmless – on enameled pots. Chipping: not so much. The enamel could chip further over time.
2. Fully Clad Stainless Steel Pans
Not all stainless steel cookware is created equal. Frying pans from top brands like All Clad and De Buyer go for around $200 new. You can probably find a cheap no-name pan at Walmart for $20. What’s the difference? Cladding.
The entire body of a fully clad stainless steel pan is made of steel layered with aluminum. On cheap pans, the body is made of steel, while a disc on the bottom is made of aluminum. Disc bottom pans are less durable; in rare cases, the disc can even slide off, according to America’s Test Kitchen. So, when you’re searching for high quality stainless steel pans, avoid any with a ridge between the body and the base. You want your pan to be seamless.
3. Welted Leather Boots
You know that trademark yellow stitching between the upper and sole of classic Doc Martens? That’s actually a sign that they’re repairable. Most shoes made today have glued soles, which are tricky to replace. Doc Martens, Red Wings, and other high quality shoes have welted soles, which can be replaced easily when they wear out. (Repairing instead of replacing is one of the best ways to save money on clothes!)
In addition to the tell-tale stitching, look for leather uppers. Plastic alternatives degrade over time.
FYI: Have you ever heard of the Boots theory? Originally from Terry Pratchett’s “Discworld”, it has become a popular way to explain how cheap stuff costs more in the long run. The gist is that you could spend $50 on boots that last for 10 years, or $10 for boots you have to rebuy every year. People with low incomes are more likely to buy the proverbial “$10 boots” – entrenching socioeconomic inequality.
4. Sturdy Stand Mixers
Did your parents receive a KitchenAid stand mixer as a wedding gift before you were born? There’s a good chance it’s still making cookies. (The same goes for Bosch, Ankarsrum and commercial Hobart mixers.)
A well-made stand mixer can last for decades — with proper maintenance. Over time, motors can fail, and parts can work themselves loose. High-end stand mixer brands offer replacement parts and service appointments to fix them when that happens.
What to Do With Buy-it-For-Life Finds
So, you’ve found the Holy Grail: a buy-it-for-life item at a reasonable price. Now what?
Option one: keep it. Enjoy it. Maintain it. And if something goes wrong, find someone who can fix it. “People should cherish their local menders,” Button said.
Option two: pass it along to the next person. It could make an exceptional gift, a generous donation or a profitable flip. If you can bear to part with your new heirloom, that is. You just might want to keep it for a lifetime.
Contributor Ciara McLaren is a freelance writer with work in Huffpost, Insider and elsewhere.
