r/bifl

so i've been slowly trying to build out a proper kitchen setup and i keep falling into the trap of buying gadgets that seem useful but end up sitting in a drawer after the second use. egg slicers, avocado tools, that kind of thing.

i'm trying to be more intentional about it now and only buy things that genuinely make cooking faster or easier on a regular basis. i've had good luck with a few things like a solid mandoline and a good bench scraper but i feel like i'm still missing some stuff that would actually get used daily.

i cook most nights so i'm not looking for novelty items, just well made tools that hold up over time and actually solve a real problem in the kitchen.

what are the gadgets people here have owned for years and would genuinely buy again? trying to separate the actually useful stuff from the marketing hype.

🙌 Hello people.

I am interested in buying a keyboard which will, hopefully, last for years.

My preferences:

1. Full. With numpad.
2. Preferrably silent, I do not like “thock” ones, yet any suggestions are welcome.
3. Knob is a must-have for me.
4. Shopping from Eastern Europe.
5. Budget: up to $100.

Best wishes!

Just hit 200k miles on the civic. User manual I found tops out at 180k miles for routine maintenance. What maintenance should be done now or should I expect to be doing soon?
Up until now I have just been following the maintenance reminder schedule.

We all like sturdy, well made and quality items that will last a long time.

But, considering we take care of our belongings in an effort to make them last as long as possible, couldn’t everything be considered BIFL with a little TLC?

I have high quality items of clothing I spent a lot of money on and I also have T-shirts bought from a supermarket over 10 years ago and I still wear both regularly. The T-shirts are admittedly starting to look a little tired but on the whole they’re still in pretty good condition considering they were bought pretty cheaply so long ago.

I’ve also got a cheap socket set that’s now over twenty years old that I’ve used on every car I’ve owned and it’s yet to let me down.

I don’t baby my belongings but I equally try not to abuse them and if I do then I will try to clean/service them sympathetically.

So my point is, whether it’s the cheapest tools, clothes, boots or whatever else, they can all be considered BIFL as long as you don’t abuse them.

What do you think, am I wrong?

I'm hoping someone has experienced something similar because this one has me completely stumped.

I have a Speed Queen TV6000WN top-load washer that is only about 4 months old.

A couple of months ago, a sock got stuck in the drain pump. I replaced the pump, and since then the washer has been functioning perfectly. It fills, agitates, spins, and drains normally with no issues.

The strange part is that every 5-10 days (after roughly 15-20 loads), I'll notice a small puddle of water on the basement floor. Because the floor slopes, the water collects in one corner. It's not a huge amount—probably around 2-3 cups of water.

What's really confusing is:

• The washer never leaks while it's running.
• I removed the front panel and inspected it immediately after finding the puddle.
• The inside of the cabinet was completely dry.
• I checked the drain pump, pump housing, inlet and outlet hoses, tub-to-pump hose, drain hose connection, and under the outer tub—everything was dry.
• I even ran another cycle with the front panel removed and still couldn't find any leaks.
• The washer may then go another week or more and another 15-20 loads before it happens again.

The water appears to be clean (not soapy), and the leak is so intermittent that it's almost impossible to catch in the act.

Has anyone experienced something like this on a Speed Queen? Could there be a component that only leaks occasionally or after many cycles? Is there somewhere else I should be looking besides the obvious hoses and pump connections?

Any suggestions or troubleshooting ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

https://preview.redd.it/2bmiqrmv7nah1.jpg?width=1589&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b4fe2fe02b1666b8554df1ae470172fb3d72f4a0

I have had my current citrus press (the kind that two halves with a hinge on one side and you flip it open to load the chamber and then swing the top half back over and squeeze the handle together to press the fruit) for a long time but it is coated or painted and the coating/paint is starting to chip and that doesn’t breed a lot of confidence. For a single use kitchen item I actually use mine a lot so I’d love to find something that isn’t coated in anything and would be a last purchase for me. Any brand recommendations? I think I prefer the idea of this squeezer style vs the dish with a cone thing in the middle, although I can’t say for sure. I don’t do a super high volume or anything, it’s usually 1 lemon or a couple limes at a time.

Ive been using the samsung galaxy tab a9 as my daily driver for 3 years now. samsung devices get seven years of updates so theoretically the next model, which is the galaxy tab a11 (not to be confused with the a11+) will get several years of updates. im also going to look into flashing a custom rom onto this device from xdaforums so I can use this one longer.

this thing is very durable. I have dropped it on concrete several times. one time I was walking down the road and I tripped on a concrete divider and faceplanted outstreaching my arms out in front of me. I landed my full weight (200 lbs) onto this tablet. there were no cracks but there was slight bleedthrough for black colors. so if my tablet is completely black theres some slight light eminating from it.

there was a period where I couldnt charge the tablet so I gave it away. before I gave it away I slammed it against the wall three times moderately hard, not full blast, to demonstrate to my friends how durable it was, and it was still fine.

later I asked for the tablet back from my friend and after extensive research I learned the reason why it wasnt charging was pocket gunk in the charging port. I found a safety pin was the perfect tool to remove that gunk and it still worked fine after that.

I have no reason to replace this device except that it only gets one more year of updates. I am going to try to flash it with custom software to see if I can get more life out of it, and if not, then the upgrade to the next model is only $140. the specs of the next model are nearly identical, and the two models look almost the same.

this is a wifi only tablet if that bothers you my apologies.

the huge selling point of this tablet is that it is the biggest possible tablet that will still fit in a pants pocket or a jacket pocket. for any tablet bigger than this you would have to put it in a bag, but I rock this in my pocket every day.

I remember buying a similarly sized tablet at bestbuy for $100 from lenovo and the screen broke the first day, unlike my a9 which is rugged.

I want to make it clear that the next model, the a11, is not the same as the a11+. the a11+ will not fit in your pocket, and somewhat defeats the point of this tablet.

this thing is moderately fast. I can play playstation 2 games at 45 fps solid. I can get a tablet case that adds a keyboard and a stand to this, or I can get a controller for it that snaps on.

this thing is great for watching movies. really big screen, and I personally cant see the pixels on the screen.

the sound is pretty good for the price. dont expect amazing sound but it isnt bad.

one annoying thing is there are two microphones and one of them, which is only used when doing calls on speaker, is awkwardly placed. its easy to cover it with your hand.

another quirk of this tablet is that you cannot set the default alarm clock ringtone on the tablet away from the default one unless you use the alarm clock app that comes with the phone.

another issue with this device is that the maximum screen timeout time is 30 minutes, not giving you a setting for infinite screen on time.

the battery is still good, and I use this tablet all day every day (often plugged in)

if you like to code this works really well with droiddesk which gives you a full linux container with debian and gnome or xfce, with some other options. although it will crash if you run out of ram.

alltogether I paid $100 for this tablet before shipping and tax and it served me very well, and may still serve me very well for several more years if I can change out the os (you can pay someone to do this for you as well if you dont know how).

I am absolutely willing to fork over the $140 for the next model (the a11) cause im confident it will last me a long time. this is the most rugged android device ive used in 15 years

Has anyone purchased a product, tool or gadget that seems extremely obscure to the masses and helps make your daily life EXTREMELY convenient? Something that someone who might come visit you would be blown away how useful such an item is and never even once thought about it? Maybe something you use around the house, in your car or just carry around with you.

My wife and I make rice 1-2 times a week, typically just 2 cups each time. $150-$200 isn't outrageous for our budget but im just curious if its that good. Obviously we see stuff here all the time but am I gonna notice a huge step up on quality if I go to any rice maker, should we instead go the Instant Pot route, or is it truly Zojirushi or bust?