Buyer beware! A century-old adage that still remains very much true today. In our highly commercialized world, there are so many cheaply produced products wrapped in attractive packaging that likely cause owners nothing but trouble. Whether we’re talking about planned obsolescence, poor-quality manufacturing, companies taking shortcuts while thinking beyond profits, or consumers falling victim to misleading bargains, it’s frustrating to see products break down in mere seconds.
But what if you find such a high-quality product that you never need to buy that item again? Ever? For the rest of your life?! Here’s where the ‘Buy It For Life’ (BIFL) subreddit comes in. With over 1.3 million members, it’s dedicated to “practical, durable and quality made products that are made to last”. Think of a toaster from the 1920s. Or a refrigerator that celebrated its 99th birthday this month!
Below, we hand-picked some of the most interesting and surprising photos of things that stood the test of time and continue to serve people for years to come. So continue scrolling through to enjoy this inspiring collection, be sure to upvote your favorite pics, and let us know if you own any long-lasting items you only bought once in the comments below.
Psst! When you’re finished with this list, more of the same goods can be found in Bored Panda’s previous posts on the same feature here: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
#1 1949 Caloric Ultra-Matic Gas Range. Got It For $20 And It’s Used Daily. Everything Works!
Image source: IndustrialDweeb
#2 Our Son’s Nanny Just Received Her Master’s Degree, And We Wanted To Get Her Something Special. My Wife Found This 1980’s Coach Briefcase, And I Did A Full Restoration
Image source: PatPetPitPotPut
#3 My Family Heirloom Restoration Complete
Image source: WarrenCluck
#4 108 Years Old And 54 Years Old Boots – Just In Case You Think Boots Can’t Last You A Lifetime
Image source: motorbiker1985
#5 My Girlfriend’s Grandma Gave Us This Kitchenaid From The Mid 80’s. It’s In Almost Perfect Condition Except For A Few Scuffs That Give It Some Character. It Still Has The Manual, All Original Attachments, And It Works Flawlessly
Image source: IamMagicarpe
#6 122 Year Old Pocket Watch My Grandfather Gifted Me, Still Works Like A Charm With Original Internals
Image source: Aggrivatedcalmness
#7 The First Tractor My Great Great Grandfather Bought To Replace His Horses. 1927 Mccormick Deering 10-20 Still Running Strong
Image source: RedBaronYT33
#8 My 54 Yr Old Stove Made To Look Like An Antique. Still Can Make A Mean Baked Mac N Cheese With Her
Image source: amartin918
#9 61 Years Ago My Parents Received This Waffle Maker As A Wedding Present In 1961. Still Makes Great Waffles
Image source: fredfreddy4444
#10 Still Works. Sunday Spins, A Continued Tradition With Our Kids On The Same Stereo I Had Growing Up
Image source: spiraloutkeepgoing42
#11 This Desk Lamp (Emeralite Banker’s Lamp) Is 100+ Years Old, And Is Solid As A Rock. So Cool Looking
Image source: InsidiousExpert
#12 A Customer Of Mine Came In For Help With Her Voicemail…
Last year around this time I posted an old Motorola Razr one of my customers was finally upgrading from, purchased November 2006. I was advised that those Razrs weren’t BIFL and in fact broke quite often, and that the only true BIFL phones were the old Nokias. Came across one today and figured I’d share.
Image source: liveditlovedit
#13 My Wife Purchased These Doc Martens In 1993 And Hadn’t Worn Them In Over 20 Years. I Restore Leather As A Hobby, And It Still Blows Me Away What Quality Leather Can Come Back From
Image source: PatPetPitPotPut
#14 In Response To The “Vintage” 2009 Bottle Opener, Because I Have Underwear Older Than That, Here’s Mine From A Brewery That Closed In 1959
Image source: BrainFartTheFirst
#15 Happy Birthday To Our Refrigerator That Turned 99 Years Old This Month! She’s Still Going Strong
Image source: LuLuWanda
#16 My 53 Year Old Work Truck. The Man I Got It From Bought It Brand New In 1969 And Drove 1 Truck His Entire Career Until He Retired
Image source: Chace_barber
#17 I Was Told You Guys Would Want To See This! My Mom’s Great Grandma’s Cherry Pitter From 1867. I’ll Be Using This On My Own Cherries Next Season!
Image source: AmiraJ1
#18 Brass Drafting Instruments And Brass Pacific Arc Lead Holder
Image source: itsScylic
#19 The Chandelier At Our Cottage Has This Vintage Light Bulb From The Early 1900s. It Still Works!
Image source: LuLuWanda
#20 White Mountain Model 692. Been Making Ice Cream For Birthday Parties And July 4th’s For Decades
Image source: topbunn
#21 I Inherited This Toaster From The 1920s Around 10 Years Ago And It Has Worked Great Every Single Day
Image source: BenderSimpsons
#22 My New Visionware – 30 Years Old And The Cheapest Way To Completely Avoid Teflon/Chemicals I Could Find
Image source: echofreak
#23 My Mom’s Joint Roller From 1969
Image source: BramStroker47
#24 Twenty Six Years Old, 326,000 Miles And Still Going Strong. I Love This Thing
Image source: The_Safe_For_Work
#25 Though I’d Share This Here. This Dryer Came With My House, And It Still Works Amazing. (See Description)
I’ve never had a problem with it not drying fully on a standard 20 minute cycle, never had a problem with lint clogging (cleaning the filter and ducts as recommended of course), and I love the simplicity. About a year ago, it wasn’t drying and when I opened it, there was a schematic, and on the schematic was a written note that a repair was made in 1980! The issue was a broken belt, which I was able to replace very easily. I would estimate this to be from the 70’s and it still functions as if it was new!
Image source: vsauce9000
#26 1970’s Montgomery Ward Powr Kraft Drill. Before And After. Still Works Great
Image source: WickedFeleena
#27 My Journaling Setup Is Complete! The Desk Lamp Was Made In Japan By A Company Named Sinar. My Late Grandfather Used It When He Was Painting. The Writing Bureau Is Walnut Veneer And Is At Least 70 Years Old
Image source: SimonWolfson
#28 Little Tykes Climber & Slide. My Grandfather Bought This For Me In 1985. It’s Entertained Countless Cousins And Nieces And Nephews. Now My Daughter Plays On It. Poolside Since 1995
Image source: Ma1
#29 Mom Said “They Liked The Le Creuset Your Aunt Gave You? Show Your Internet Friends Mine!”. Well, Internet Friends, There You Go
Image source: dxnn1e
#30 1950 Frigidaire (By General Motors)
Image source: tossaroo
#31 Rescued Oil Can (Before And After) Manufactured Around The 1930’s — It Currently Sits On My Work Bench And Is Used Regularly. Should Last Another 90 Years
Image source: WickedFeleena
#32 My Ti-84 Plus Turns 15 This Month; It’s Lasted From 7th Grade Through My Doctorate!
Image source: Yodude86
#33 The Richard Milous Nixon Watergate Commemorative Iced Tea Cooler Made By Gott In 1974. Of Course It’s Lasted, It’s Space Age Plastic! It’s Holding Lipton Iced Tea Now! It Just Doesn’t Quit! It’ll Probably Give Us All Cancer!
Image source: otterland
#34 My Dad Has Used This Escort Digital Alarm Clock Since The 1980’s. I Needed A New Clock In My Bedroom So He Let Me Have It. I Love How It Looks And It Feels Much Better Quality Than Most Cheap Digital Clocks You Can Get Today
Image source: Zooang
#35 My Grandma Has The Same Blender Since The 1970s, Still Works Perfectly. Not Repaired Even Once
Image source: Lemonix1004
#36 I Teach 5th And 6th Grade Math. I Inherited My Grandmother’s Pencil Sharpener From My Aunt About Five Years Ago And This Beast Has Been Tirelessly Working In My Classroom For Three Years. I Have No Idea How Old It Is, But It’s Certainly Older Than All The Students And Some Of The Teachers
Image source: alja1
#37 Roper Automatic Dishwasher. Installed 1978. Works Great And Is Quieter Than Most Of The New Dishwashers
Image source: milkcowcafe
#38 Microsoft USB Intellimouse, Still Working After 22 Years
Image source: tonypotenza
#39 Here Are My Orka Silicone Oven Mitts That Have Lasted 15 Years. They Look Like New, And Whenever They Are Dirty I Just Throw Them In The Dishwasher
Image source: nevermindmylife
#40 Chicco Stroller. This Beast Is Over 10 Years Old And Been Through 4 Kids, Traveled Around The World To 5 Countries, Uncountable Mall And Theme Parks, Tossed In The Back Of Trunks Like A Hostage, And Treated Like A Jungle Gym More Times Than… Well A Jungle Gym
Image source: patient_zero84
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