What is Buy it For Life?
I’m sick of junky products and disposable landfill fodder. They are bad for my wallet, bad for the environment and my quality of life.
The concept of Buy It For Life focuses on buying long-lasting products you only need to buy once in a lifetime- or at least the very longest lasting product available in a given category.
So, is it possible to buy a product once in a lifetime and never need to replace it? Yes, but not always.
That’s why I research, review and recommend the longest lasting products available today even if they don’t quite last a full lifetime.
How Do I Spot Buy It For Life Quality?
Recognizing the tell-tale signs of well-made products is just a matter of some key knowledge and attention to detail.
Here are some helpful guides for spotting “buy it for life” products:
- Clothing: How to Spot High-Quality Clothes
- Pants: The Most Durable Pants and How to Spot a Rugged Pair
- Wallets: How to Choose a Durable Wallet
- Backpacks: 17 Durable Backpacks That’ll Survive the Apocolypse
- Duffel Bags: Epic Guide to the Most Durable Duffel Bags on Earth
- Sneakers: The Most Durable Sneakers
- Flipflops: Durable Flip Flops
It’s also useful to focus on brands that believe in their products and back them up with the best warranties in their industries.
I’ve done a ton of research on the brands with the best lifetime warranties. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:
- 120+ Lifetime Warranties: Reviewed and Rated
- Top 5 Knife Warranties
- Top 5 Luggage Warranties
- Top 5 Clothing Warranties
Advantages of the Buy It For Life Strategy
For this, I turned to the ruthlessly independent gurus over on the Subreddit:BuyItForLife which I am a part of. They had some great reasons why Buy It For Life is a great strategy:
- The ownership experience: “I like to do the extra research finding and spending the extra money getting exactly what I want to use forever. It’s much more satisfying than thoughtlessly buying junk and throwing it away when it breaks.” -forgotmypasswordsad
- Re-trains your mindset: “I think the biggest hidden benefit is that it retrains your mindset. It doesn’t exactly quash consumerism, but it shifts your focus from buying the latest and greatest widget for the moment to shopping with a keener eye on the function for the long-term.”- IceCreamforLunch
- Reliability in uncertain times: I don’t have stable income, but I have a decent amount of income when I do. When I lose work, not a lot of things break on me. It’s getting to the point where it feels weird when something breaks. I have a lot of pretty reliable stuff…It’s actually very reassuring. I have confidence that most of my stuff will not break when I don’t have an income...”-fuzzynyanko
- Solves excess waste in landfills
- Rewards businesses with uncompromising standards
- Often keeps jobs at home instead of outsourcing
- Better cost over time: Perfect example, my wife was using the magic bullet for her morning shakes. They would die about every 4-6 months and cost about $40. So I bought a BlendTec $250 and 4 years out, not only have we saved not constantly buying new bullets, but the BlendTec does the job in half the time and does a better job fully blending all the bits especially the hemp seeds she uses -Rggoalie3
- Better experience over the products life: I bought my Malouf Z pillows in 2012. Paid $80 per pillow. My wife thought I was nuts and said we were going to return them. She slept on one and I never heard a peep about returning them again. – Rggoalie3
- Reselection cost: “I don’t want to have to research and select products every X years.” -externality
Buy It For Life Is for Non-Conformists
If you truly value enduring quality you will shun the flavor of the month in favor of the tough and practical.
I stay away from the “latest and greatest” and only recommend time tested products with solid track records because I want to be confident when I recommend top-tier products.
Buy It for Lifers Are Connoisseurs of Quality
Buy it for lifers are often well-researched target shoppers. We don’t make whim purchases and refuse to be the guinea-pigs for new product launches.
We are like snipers. We’ve studied our target. We know what we want and wait patiently for the perfect moment to pull the trigger.
I’m one of those crazy OCD researcher types.
I’ve had people coming to me for years now asking me to point them in the right direction for buying the right thing- from vehicles to backpacks.
Call it a nack.
You’ll find out more about why quality is so important to me by reading my story if you’re interested.
What About Preference and Style?
There is room for that, but practicality and durability comes first. Buy it For Life emphasizes a utilitarian perspective.
Endurable products are often made by extremely perfectionist brands which means every aspect of their products are well-thought out and designed.
A side benefit of Buy it for Life products are their truly superb and timeless styles.
We all have individual needs and preferences. I often confidently recommend certain products, but my main goal is to help folks develop a keen eye for high quality so that you go and make solid buying decisions based on their specific needs and tastes.
By developing a keen eye for quality you will save a ton of time and mountains of buyers regret for years to come.
So, as you browse around this site some products and brands will be familiar and others not so much, but all of them represent class-leading durability. They are safe, reliable purchases with very high customer satisfaction ratings.
“Buy it For Life” Saves The Hastle
Returning disappointing products is extra annoying especially if you ordered them online.
Low-quality products also tend to fail at the worst times. They usually do a poorer job and are less efficient as well.
Then there is the time it takes to re-research a proper replacement.
Time is a precious commodity and crappy products steal it.
Is Buy It for Life for the Rich?
While durable products do cost more, many buy it for lifers simply practice the discipline of delayed gratification and sale sniping.
I’m a minimalist and by no means a rich man. I only buy what I need and I don’t want more.
There is a lot of wisdom in researching well and target shopping. I usually wind of saving a lot of money in the long run by doing so.
I don’t advise folks to go out and get every buy if for life product I recommend either. Just be strategic and methodical.
Upgrade the most critical/high use items that disappoint you the most.The goal is to streamline your life, reduce stress and economize over the long run. Make sense?
Buy It For Life is Not About Luxury
There is a difference between enduring quality and luxury but they do often meet.
Take for instance the difference between a high-end Lexus and a Mercedes S class. They are both super luxurious vehicles, but only one can make it 400,000 miles without breaking a sweat… the Lexus.
I don’t push expensive luxury products. I recommend the best quality products.
Obviously, expensive products aren’t necessarily “buy it for life” material. However, the things I recommend here are often more costly than the run-of-the-mill crap at Wally World.
“Buy it For Life” means taking a long view and enjoying the quality of life a well-made product brings for a longer time.
Don’t Discount Lifetime Warranties
I always encourage folks to look for lifetime warrantied products by companies with well-proven track records.
It’s true that plenty of warranties are useless, but there are some truly epic ones out there.
For Instance, the ESEE 6 Survival Knife is an indestructible beast, and if you do destroy it(even on purpose) ESEE will replace it! (Check out the Review for more)
Darn Tough socks from Vermont is another legendary example.
They come with an unconditional lifetime warrantee. If you wear them out they’ll replace them. Awesome! Socks for life! Check out the review.
Super durable products are still being produced by many quality-conscious companies.
Mainstream consumers are largely unaware of it because of overheated marketing and ads have muddied the waters.
For example: Dyson vacuums. They’ve been able to convince a lot of people (through aggressive ad campaigns) that they are a top end durable brand. That’s simply not true.
Dyson is a classic case of marketing hype. Don’t drink that cool aid. If you really want buy it for life quality, Miele Vacuums spank Dyson’s plasticky butt right out the door.
Quality is King…most of the time
I say “quality is king..most of the time” because there are caveats and exceptions where we should compromise…unless you’re a gazzilionaire. It’s often wise to compromise quality in one place in order to gain it in a more strategic area of your life.
I encourage this balance especially in the realm of consumables.
You don’t need to have pure silk toilet paper and a golden toilet seat. You don’t need to buy choice-cut steaks all the time. That’s just being diva!
Save the money and put it toward something with longer-term benefits.
If you’ve landed here, you probably have a taste for quality and know how to research products. You’re probably not here because you want to shave a penny.
That’s because wisdom and foresight understand that durability and quality trumps mediocrity all day long.
Sadly, the global market seems to have forgotten that lately and is beginning to backfire. There is a growing number of “buy it for lifers” that are making their voice heard in the marketplace.
Get Rigged up
We’re all like sailors who are secured and made ready for the high seas of life. Being well rigged is just plain smart. Hence the name of this site: WellRigged.com.
So tighten up your rigging. Get strategic and be targeted in your purchases so that you’ll be well equipped.
Have a browse around. I’m constantly adding more resources. I hope I can help you make smart quality conscious decisions.
Disclosure: I am not sponsored by any manufacturer. I am not brand loyal nor do I advertise for any brand. I do however support this site with some affiliate links to true BIFL products However, I don’t get a dime for most of my recommendations.
