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Is BIFL Still Possible Today?
(lemmy.blahaj.zone)
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this post was submitted on 31 Jan 2025
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Buy it for Life
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A place to share practical, durable and quality made products that are made to last, with an emphasis on upcycled and sustainable products!
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Sadly, I'm sure this happens a lot in the name of "marketing".
There are a few things that I look at to help ensure the best chance of getting something that's BIFL:
Does the company or product have a good track record? I'd trust my Leatherman to be BIFL over whatever no-name clone you see on Aliexpress.
Does the company offer a lifetime warranty (or one that's 20+ years)? If so, has the company been around for decades?
Is the item repairable and easy to maintain? Even if something isn't marketed as BIFL, you can likely extend the product's life by decades through simple maintenance and care.
Does the item have any built-in planned obsolescence features? Proprietary built-in battery? Components that are glued in place? Sealed shut so you can't open it without destroying the item? etc...
Is the product simple or complex? The more complex, the more likely it will fail, but this isn't always the case if you are able to maintain/repair components.
Textiles can be tricky, but not impossible to keep going for decades if the quality is good enough.
Sadly, I do think that many companies aren't interested in making BIFL products because PROFITS!!! I think the market for BIFL will be more with custom fabricators and small businesses.
Thank you :) One of the harder parts about finding things that last is that small businesses don't have many many millions of marketing behind them, which makes it a big struggle to find them.
That's very true. I'm discovering a bunch of small businesses that I never would have found, had I not been looking.
And sometimes you only hear about them through word of mouth.