This is not a conversation about guns. This is a conversation about items that have withstood abuse that are near unbreakable.
Some items I have heard referenced as AK47 of:
Gerber MP600: It’s a multi tool
Old Thinkpad Laptops
Mag lights
Toyota Hilux
Old Thinkpad Laptops
This.
1990s or 2000s era Volvo station wagon or sedan
I owned a 96 Volvo 960 for about 15 years before engine gave out with fixable problems … I didn’t have the money to get it fixed, sold it and from what I heard, the new owner is still driving the thing. (one potential buyer that wanted it was a young guy that wanted it for a demolition derby as he claimed that Volvos were great for this kind of use because they are indestructible in a crash. He said the engine is so well placed and protected that it would take several hits from other vehicles before being compromised)
Later bought a 2004 station wagon and other than a few minor problems (electrical issues that aren’t critical to driving the car) and a bit of rust spots, it’s still my daily driver. I met a young guy a few years ago that had a 1992 Volvo Station wagon with a million kms on it (the thing was covered in rust and looked like hell but it was still driveable)
I can confirm the durability! I had a 89 240 wagon, went cross country three times with it. It eventually met its end when I was car number 9 in a 13 car pile up. Total write off. But after all the smashing and spinning around, none of the three of us were injured and I had to turn the car off. I miss that car a lot.
Feel the same here … I miss my 960 … it was known as a diplomats car … the thing was luxurious inside and it looked like a plain vehicle from the outside. And it could turn on a dime! I used to love being able to turn around on two lanes without doing a three point turn! I joked with my friends that it had a turning radius of a bicycle. The main reason I didn’t want to sell it to the demolition derby guy was that I didn’t want to see the car destroyed!
Fair enough! I would totally feel the same.
But 1989 … wow! … I also had an old Italian friend who was very frugal with her money and the vehicle’s she owned. She also had an 80s era Volvo station wagon that she ran for about 15 years before she got tired of it and traded it for another newer Volvo in the late 90s.
Viking Fishing Kayaks. Made in New Zealand and absolutely bulletproof.
KitchenAid mixers before they got cheap
I inherited a 6" Wilton vise from my dad. He’s still alive but I convinced him to pass it on to me early because I had a couple projects it would be super helpful on. And maybe a little bit to beat my siblings to the punch.
Zippo lighters.
My dad also has a Lincoln Electric welder that will last to pass onto another generation or two. He still uses it though and again, I probably have a sibling or two who would also appreciate having it.
zippo lighters
I’ve never had any luck with zippos, whenever I tried to use it it wouldn’t work and I had to refill it. I hear you have to use them often but I’m not a smoker or arsonist so will only use a lighter maybe once a month. Any tips or recommendations for lighters that you don’t have to use often but will last longer than a cheap disposable one?
Get a cheap disposable one. If you really don’t use it often the cost of an unused reusable thing is greater than buying disposable.
You can get butane and arc lighter inserts for zippo shells. I’ve had the arc lighter for going on 3 years, I’ve only had to charge it 5 times, it’s gone through the wash twice now and it’s still working great.
Bought my best friend the butane one the same time. She’s a heavy smoker, not only is it her conversion starter but apparently it’s been cheaper than buying bics.
Use a butane insert. Still refillable but it’s sealed in well enough to last years of infrequent use.
Shure SM58/57
SM57s still can get roughed up pretty bad with the plastic covering on the front of the mic (especially if miking a snare drum with a less than precise drummer). SM58 will survive a nuclear war.
The Logitech x3d Xtreme or whatever the hell it’s called. it’s a $34 flight stick, best one you can get for cheap, and after having and abusing it for years it only had any issues after a rottweiler puppy chewed the cable. Would recommend.
The wrt54g. They don’t make wifi routers like they used to.
I bought one specifically for DD-WRT firmware way back when. I now rock a gigabit mesh system but that wrt lasted almost a decade before tech moved on enough for me to switch.
I ran Tomato on mine. Liked it better than DD-WRT.
Careful now, they are too old to be secure. I’d switch to TL-WDR4300.
That’s what I’m running, though I had issues with it randomly requiring a reset. Installing OpenWrt fixed that problem.
Yup, WDR4300 on OpenWRT is the way to go.
Had that running on my main router until a newer one came along. Now it’s still going strong, but as a wifi repeater.
Cast iron skillets.
If you season and clean them the right way they will outlive you.
I’m using the same one that my parents owned for 30 years and hope I will get another 30 years of usage out of it.
Same goes for carbon steel. Unless you’re frying sticks of dynamite they are practically indestructible.
Unless you put them in the dishwasher
If someone puts my cast iron in the dishwasher the cast iron will still outlive them
Thats the beauty of cast iron though. Even putting it through the dishwasher doesnt ruin the pan permanently. You just have to re-season it.
As long as you don’t use a heated dry it’s pretty much fine tbh. If any rusts you just wipe it down or sand it and re season
We have one my great-grandma got before WWI that we use several times a week.
panasonic microwave from 1996. I hope i don’t jinx it by posting about it here. Gigabyte Ultra Durable mainboards. IBM Model M keyboard PROXXON tools
Google Pixel phones, with GraphineOS you can keep using it for a decade or more
Not without cracking it open to swap the battery.
Or, for longer, LineageOS
I was under the impression that Graphene OS stops support for Pixel models at the same time as Google does.
You’re correct, GrapheneOS is just for privacy and security, not to keep devices out of the landfill. LineageOS keeps devices up for super long. The first gen Pixel is still officially supported with Android 14, and I’ve seen an unofficial build for a Nexus 4, a 2012 phone…
Thus us true for security updates 7 years is the stock timeframe.
A lot of them have pretty good PostmarketOS support too, so can double down as a Linux server if you ever move on to another devicd
I have a Galaxy S3 somewhere, which is apparently supported by PostmarketOS. Interesting.
Starrett tools. All of them. I’ve put them through Hell and back.
AR-15
Also, the 1911 class of pistols. Can’t go wrong with the OG Colt Government Model. As in, it can’t jam, fail to feed, fail to eject, fail to chamber, fail in any way.
Honorable mention goes to Hi-Point. Ugly and heavy fucking guns, but they function flawlessly and last forever.
Ruger 10/22 for general varmint control and small game. Ruger wrangler .22 revolver for snakes and close up varmint control, works well with ratshot. Browning BPS 12 gauge for pretty much all shotgun needs.
1911 is also a damn fine handgun.
You’re not wrong, but the discussion is tools and equipment, not firearms.
A firearm is very much a tool in some non-combat applications. Ranching, for instance.
Honey, bring the AR-15. The cows need to be reminded who’s boss.
Real, cows gotta learn!
Having a firearm larger than a pistol that is semi auto is very much needed. ARs are no worse than any other hi cap semi auto all the way back to invention of semi autos so if you ban an AR you my as well ban every semi auto. I’ve seen coyotes and wolves in packs corner someone in the woods. Bolt guns just aren’t an option for certain situations. Hate the system causing oppression and the person for doing bad things due to outside factors illness or systemic issues not the tool used. A firearm is a tool nothing more nothing less. Without a user its useless.
Well i think its more to deal with wild animals that wander in and attack the cows lol
Damn, seeing you downvoted makes see how sadly opinionated Lemmy is.
Like if you live in a rural area, a firearm is a fantastic and common investment. In rural areas, emergency help is a while away or nonexistent. Animal Control isn’t gonna be there when your chickens are getting snatched by a raccoon or your pets are getting hunted by coyotes. Cops aren’t gonna show up in time if some methhead is bashing down your door.
Plus, with a firearm, you can hunt! Yay for the most ethically sound way of putting meat on your table!
They’re just plain wrong about 1911s though. Those things have been surpassed many times over in every category that you would care about in a hand gun, including reliability. I know a few gunsmiths. They’re always fixing 1911 platforms, well beyond what your would expect for their popularity. Everyone always says “two world wars,” and they were a great gun for they’re era, but there’s a reason they got replaced.
The Hitachi Magic Wand
But they don’t make them anymore :(
Even though they’re made by a different company now they’re still pretty good ;)
Any specific brand recommendations? Asking for a friend of course.
I was mistaken. Vibratex, which made the original Hitachi Magic Wand, is still making them today. They just dropped the “Hitachi” from the name.
A woman’s best friend 100%. Couldn’t live without mine.
I knew this was gonna be here. I just knew it. Felt it in my bones. Someone’s got their doomsday bunker stocked 😂
Gotta be the KitchenAid mixers no? Especially the older ones. I have a friend that has one from his grandma that’s over 50 years old. If anything breaks, it’s usually a gear or something simple to fix, and the parts are easy to buy and generally cheap.
The mixers are not exactly cheap though… and their other stuff is now mostly made from plastic (like the food processors for example)
I’ve managed to get a hold of 3 of the old ones through garage or estate sales, but yeah the ones that are brand new have plastic parts in them which drives me crazy. But you can at least 3d print what you’re missing
Red Wing Iron Rangers
