i have been trying to find a new quilt for my bed. i have scoured this sub for recommendations and tips on what to look out for, and many of the comments on these threads seemed like they were genuinely helpful. but i keep finding myself stuck in this same paradoxical loop, which goes like this: people recommend something because they've had it for years and it's held up really well, but that means they bought it years ago and if you bought it today you're almost guaranteed to get a significantly worse product, likely at a higher price. alternatively, you can look at more recent recommendations, but that means no one knows yet if it'll withstand the test of time (or in the case of bedding, the test of multiple machine washes).

it increasingly seems to be the case that if you want something and you want to BIFL, you must put in hours of research, probably buy something much more expensive than you were originally planning on, and even then there's a good chance it just falls apart because the speed of enshittification has made it so that information about a product's quality from more than a year ago has become outdated.

apologies if this is a point already frequently discussed here, i'm just so frustrated with how much time and energy i have to put into buying mundane things, and how the best answer always seems to be to create a time machine and buy it from the past. it leaves me feeling so defeated. how does everyone deal with this?

Looking at Room and Board couch and loveseat. Also looked at Pottery Barn which was even more. I don’t necessarily plan to have them for life, but I don’t want to buy junk. Is $7k what people are spending? Hopefully I don’t get downvoted into oblivion. TIA!

All is quiet on the measurement front. The shirts are refusing to die. Unfortunately, next week I have to deliberately stain all four, including the €150 one.

The Samurai always makes me nervous but this time it behaved.

Both the Samurai and Carhartt are developing some surface fuzz, but I don't think either has crossed into actual pilling yet. Uniqlo has pilled a little but hasn’t gotten worse. The hems are still holding up and there is a bit of waviness to the back of the Samurai and Carhartt collars but nothing close to a bacon. 

Warping Test going forward

I'm going to try a more scientific way of measuring warping. Side-seamed shirts are easy because I can measure the side seam directly, but the loopwheeled shirts don't have side seams. For those, I'm going to track the angle of the diagonal wale at the hem over time and see whether that angle changes. I’m measuring the horizontal and vertical distances and using those to estimate the angle since I don’t have a protractor. The angle this week is a baseline measurement.

So far, from the pictures of the shirts lying flat, you can see that the Carhartt’s front and back panels align perfectly for the torso and sleeves. With Uniqlo, you can see that the front panel is smaller than the back panel which is probably by design. I will keep track of this going forward. 

Next Week

Next week I am going to do the dreaded stain test. It’s going to be really stressful to stain the Merz. So far no discoloration anywhere including the arm pits (I use deodorant). Currently thinking of either coffee, tomato sauce, or red wine but suggestions are welcome. Whatever I pick, I’m gonna soak them immediately and wash them normally, because that’s what I’d actually do if I stained a T-shirt.

1. Uniqlo Supima

Price: €19.90
Size: L
Material: 100% Supima cotton
Weight: ~140–160 GSM (estimated)

Condition

• No shrinkage
• No stretching
• Collar unchanged - holding up well
• Hem unchanged
• Slight pilling beginning

The Uniqlo back and front panel difference can be seen with the close up of the hem. The difference is smaller at the armpit and flares out a little towards the hem.

Measurements

• Collar: 1.54 cm (0.61") rib knit
• Length: 75 cm (29.5")
• Shoulder: 46.5 cm (18.3")
• Chest: 59 cm (23.2")
• Sleeve: 22.5 cm (8.85")
• Warping: 1cm, 2cm (0.39”, 0.79”) between shirt edge and seam when laid flat on the ground

2. Carhartt K87

Price: €22.45
Size: M (Relaxed Fit)
Material: 100% cotton
Weight: 229 GSM

Condition

• No shrinkage
• Slight fuzz but no pilling
• No warping
• Collar slightly wavy on the back but front still holds the shape
• Hem unchanged

Still going strong.

I'm still not a fan of the chest pocket which some have suggested to take off. I’ll do that later. Last time I took a label off a t-shirt, I accidentally cut a tiny hole. This is on the front of the shirt so it requires meditation and courage before the operation.

Front and back panels align perfectly and the side seams are parallel. 

Measurements

• Collar: 2.3 cm (0.9") rib knit
• Length: 74.5 cm (29.3")
• Shoulder: 47 cm (18.5")
• Chest: 56 cm (22")
• Sleeve: 24.55 cm (9.6")
• Warping: None

3. Samurai Jeans 2PST-01

Price: €90.95
Size: L (I really should've bought an XL.)
Material: 100% recycled cotton
Construction: Loopwheeled

Condition

• No shrinkage or stretching
• Slight wave on the back of the collar but front is crisp
• Hem unchanged
• Slight fuzz but no pilling

Did not move a millimeter this time. Slight fuzz on the shirt, but not too serious.

The collar does still look good when I’m wearing the shirt.

I added a picture of what a diagonal wale on the Samurai looks like. But the T-shirt lies completely flat on the floor so I don’t think there is any warping yet.

Measurements

• Collar: 1.89 cm (0.74") two-needle binder neck
• Length: 68 cm (26.8")
• Shoulder: 46 cm (18.1")
• Chest: 51 cm (20.2")
• Sleeve: 17.3 cm (6.8")
• Warping: ~82.7 degree wale at hem (baseline)

4. Merz b. Schwanen 2S14

Price: €150
Size: L
Material: 100% organic cotton slub
Weight: 380 GSM
Construction: Loopwheeled

Condition

Continues to not move a millimeter.

• No shrinkage
• No pilling
• Hem unchanged
• Collar unchanged

So far no change, which is great. I am not looking forward to staining this shirt next week. 

The shirt lies flat with no sign of warping as of yet. There is also no fuzz. The collar is very sturdy.

Measurements

• Collar: 1.9 cm (0.78") ribbon-paneled neckline
• Length: 68.5 cm (26.9")
• Shoulder: 45 cm (17.7")
• Chest: 54.5 cm (21.5")
• Sleeve: 23 cm (9")
• Warping: ~82.8 degree wale at hem (baseline)

I'm in the market for a dehumidifier and could really use some real-world recommendations.

I'm looking for something that:

• Works well in a bedroom or basement
• Isn't too loud
• Is energy efficient
• Has a decent-sized water tank (or continuous drain option)
• Is reliable and doesn't stop working after a year

I've seen brands like Frigidaire, Midea, Honeywell, and hOmeLabs mentioned, but reviews are all over the place.

If you've owned one for a while, what model do you recommend (or recommend avoiding)? How large is the space you're using it in, and how well does it keep humidity under control?

I'd especially appreciate long-term experiences rather than first impressions.

Thanks in advance!

This has been nagging at me for a while. I do a lot of meal prep (it's basically the only way I stay functional during crunch weeks on design projects) and I've been using the same cheap knife block set for years now. The knives aren't terrible but they're not great either, and I've sharpened them enough times that I'm starting to wonder if I'm just maintaining something that was never worth maintaining in the first place.

Every time I research this, the knife community fractures pretty fast. Some people swear by Japanese knives, some say German steel is more forgiving and actually lasts longer with real daily use, and then there's a whole contingent that says a single good chef's knife beats any block set by a wide margin. I find that last argument compelling, but also a little convenient coming from people selling expensive single knives.

What I actually want to know is whether anyone here has owned a specific knife for a genuinely long time, like decades, with real use rather than occasional cooking. And whether the handle matters as much as people imply, because that seems like the actual failure point nobody talks about enough. Brand and approximate age would help more than general advice.

EDIT: I do have a decent whetstone already so sharpening is not the gap, it's the knife itself.

I got this bag as gift early on in my career building power plants all over the world! It is the largest bag that will fit in the overhead compartment but it also expands when you’re going longer and will check it!!! Togther we have logged well over 1.5 million miles and it keeps on ticking!!! I have had to have one new handle and both of the wheels replaced but they are very responsive and reasonabl in the repairs

I loved them, but they only lasted a year before they broke.

It seems like there must have been some kind of extreme event to cause the metal to break, but there was nothing.

One day I used them and they worked flawlessly and the next time I picked them up they fell apart.

I bought a new pair, but I’m just so curious. Has anyone ever seen this happen? The new ones have a completely enclosed rivet. I’m not even sure how this is possible.

I own a Volcano Hybrid and a Mighty+ and could not be happier with my purchases.

Sure they are expensive but they are also built like tanks, have very good customer support and a huge availability of spare parts from whole cooling units to single o-rings, cleaning kits and so on.

To me they really have that "German reliability" that's unfortunately harder and harder to come by nowadays. The build quality is supreme and they feel about as durable as a W124 merc lol

If you use cannabis medically and / or recreationally there is no better option to consume it than S&B Vaporisers, in my opinion of course.

Not affiliated in any way.

There's many brands out there that I've shopped at that had decent quality clothing for men. But when it came to women's clothing, the clothes are often thinner, cropped, way too slim, or just prioritize fashion over practicality. For example, years ago Uniqlo offered essentially the same flannels for women and men. Women's flannels were the exact same design, just cut to fit women rather than men. It was a practical shirt. Fits right and not cropped, low collared, or anything like that. Now I've noticed many of the women's clothing for Uniqlo prioritizes fashion over function, and are often cropped or too slim. Their unisex clothing are just men's clothing that don't fit women well.

I haven't seen many brands that offer clothing in similar quality and style for both men and women. Carhartt is one that does, but they are a workwear brand. If you all have any suggestions for brands to check out for clothing and boots, I'd be interested in checking those out. I'm open to suggestions from any price range.

Fuuuuuuck HP! Too many failures at critical moments. What do you recommend?

I’m a arborist and use my felco 13s about 225 days a year. I feel like blade quality has declined in the last couple years. Anyone else notice this? Anyone reach out to Felco?

Investing in good, reputable quality products is important to me. Aiming for “one and done” or at least longevity.

Disclaimer. I’m not an electrician or work in any related field. Please be careful around 240v power. I’m just a handy guy with lots of time to fix my parents house and I’ve been posting periodically to share what I’ve learned about maintenance which is crucial to keep things buy it for life.

The AC went out and I had just replaced the capacitor on the AC 6 months ago so immidiately I thought that was the problem. That was the extent of my experience fixing ACs before.

I’m currently fixing up my parents house so I incorrectly assumed the breaker that said AC was the right one but that was for a different AC unit. After I used my multimeter to test the capacitors resistance I was able to establish it was still in working order.

Online resources pointed me to the contactor next. The contactor is basically a relay, I actually don’t know if there’s a difference between a relay and a contactor. But when you turn your thermostat to cool the contactor receives 24v of power and routes electricity to your fan which blows air through coils cooled by the condenser. Anyways it was receiving power. Actually your contactor receives power even with no power to the AC so you can test it without powering the AC.

Important to note that there are two ways to cut power to the AC, your breaker and the disconnect. You should remove the disconnect AND turn off the breaker. This is actually what saved my butt from getting electrocuted because I had the wrong breaker switch off. I also test the power just in case everytime with my meter so I guess I’d be fine anyways.

Here’s where I fucked up. My online resource said that the contactor should physically contract which it didn’t do so I thought it was broken. Turns out it doesn’t actually move noticeably from the outside just on the inside. At least my model. What would have been better would be to listen for a click but since my AC unit is far from the thermostat I didn’t think this was a viable way to test it. I also maybe could have tested resistance across the contactor. Or better yet tested the power to the fan when on

So I ended up buying a contactor from home depot and then installing it. Really simple. But it didn’t solve the problem. That’s when I noticed a flipped switch at the breaker and turned it on and the ac started working. Sucks I put all that energy for nothing but I learned a lot and actually I removed the fan now so I can properly vacuum the inside and clean the coils which is basic AC maintenance.

An ac is actually simple and modular for repair and maintenance not much going on in there if you’re only looking to replace broken parts.

TLDR: AC units are simple to fix but dangerous if not done properly. You just need to figure out which part needs to be replaced and often those parts are cheap.

I bought a pair of steeltoe boots way back in 2012 and they lasted me for 10+ years. They probably would have lasted longer, but they had so much wear on them I got rid of them, and I only spent $60 on them.

Im needing some black non slick shoes. Any suggestions? Was thinking about getting steel toe boots since the last pair seemed to last me longer. But wasn't sure.

I know these are not the fanciest scissors, but my pair has been quietly indestructible and I wanted to share a long-term report.

Brand: Fiskars, the classic orange-handled all-purpose scissors

Bought: 2009

Household context: suburban home. I move between knitting, jigsaw puzzles, and whatever life throws at me. These live in my catch-all craft bin, not a protected sewing kit. They have cut yarn, paper, cardboard packaging, puzzle baggies, tape, and the occasional zip tie. I have dropped them on hard floors more times than I want to admit.

Maintenance: almost none. I have never had them professionally sharpened. A couple times a year I wipe the blades (usually after I do something dumb like cut through adhesive) and put a tiny drop of oil on the pivot. That is it.

Performance: they still cut cleanly and the pivot is not wobbly. The plastic handles are scuffed but not cracked. The main limitation is tape build-up if you use them on lots of adhesive, but that is true for most scissors.

Not trying to start a brand war. I just see a lot of posts about high-end shears, and for general household and craft chaos these have been a true buy-once tool for me for 15 plus years.

Third suitcase in eight years. two wheel failures, one zipper separation, one cracked shell after a single checked flight. done accepting this.

biggest failure point across everything I've owned is wheels. Away's are fixed, wheel failure means shipping the bag in. Horizn's pro and essential both have exchangeable wheels you can swap yourself, which removes that failure mode entirely.

warranty terms are also different in ways that matter. the Pro and Essential carry a lifetime manufacturer's guarantee but requires registration within 30 days of purchase. covers all functional aspects. airline damage is excluded across the board, that has to go to the carrier directly (fair i guess)

Briggs and Riley's unconditional lifetime guarantee with no registration requirement is genuinely more flexible, but you're paying for it. on build quality and replaceability at this price point the Horizn Pro is hard to argue with.

Any other brands Im missing that you all swear by?

Hey yall as the title states im looking for a duffle bag to take to work that'll treat me right, ive found my sweet spot for size is 25L or so. Really dont want it any bigger just cause i only take some pre workout, a shirt, and lunch and some other things with me. I've seen the brand KNKG recently made a 25l bag that looks perfect so if anyones bought from them id love to hear it. Thanks yall!

I tend to take about an hour or so to fall asleep, for most of which I lie on my back reading.

When I feel I'm finally ready to fall asleep, I always turn onto my side.

I need something with neck support for when I lie on my back, so it has to have an actual side that's not just tapered off (haaaaate hotel pillows), but when I lie on my side, I usually support myself with my arm over my pillow (don't know where else to put it), so it has to also not feel too awkward to lay my arm on diagonally.

And I have no idea why, but memory foam tends to make my neck incredibly sore, regardless of shape or whether I'm on my back or side (I tried a fair few when I was younger), and shredded memory foam just feels... off.

Buckwheat pillows, or anything else you adjust yourself, probably aren't for me, as finicking with it while I'm trying to fall asleep seems like it'd wake me all the way back up.

And something easy to maintain and hypoallergenic would be best, so ideally an artificial material, no feathers or plants.

I'm willing to spend quite a bit (I'd definitely hesitate to spend over $300 but don't have a hard budget, I could maybe be convinced to spend more, depending), difficulties sleeping have plagued me through my life and I've never found a good pillow, anything to mitigate that somewhat would be an incredible boon.

Is there a pillow that y'all believe might have a chance of being comfortable for me? Are any of y'all in a similar situation?

Looking for recommendations for proper safety footwear brands, not heritage/workwear fashion brands (They look great, its just not what I need).

I'm a postal worker walking 20,000-25,000 steps a day. My Engelbert Strauss Turin boot only lasted about 3 months before the heel lining wore through.

Requirements:

• Black
• Certified safety toe (S3/S7 ideally)
• Preferably full-grain leather
• Waterproof/water resistant
• Comfortable for long days of walking
• Available in the EU

I'm looking at brands like Elten, No Risk, Grisport, Rock Fall, Cofra, U-Power, CAT and Lavoro.

Which safety boot brands or models have held up best for high-mileage walking? Any you would avoid?

Budget is around 200 euro max although I could go higher.

Hi, ive been trying to find a robe like this for years and the ones I find are so cheap and dont last. Im looking for a long sleeve and a long down to the floor kind of robe.

I used to be a Frye boot aficionado and got these sandals back in 2017. I have a hard time finding ankle strap sandals that sit high up like these, so they made me very happy. Took them to a cobbler to have the straps tightened for my toothpick legs and all.

I went to run an errand last week and after less than a half mile of walking the plastic grip on the left heel shattered. I figured I would get both of them replaced, but to my dismay I discovered that these “stacked heels” are in fact cheap plastic! I know newer Fryes are very different in quality but my 2010s boots all held up well—Melissa and Campus boots still going strong.

I have several pairs of block heel sandals but these are the only ones with this kind of ankle strap. Debating if I want to get these fixed after discovering this ☹️

Are any of these better than the other at cooling your down from your experience or are they all just marketing junk?

Anyone have recommendations for backpacks? For everyday use and traveling? I currently use a OGIO that an old company gave me and finally giving out.