57 ‘Buy It for Life’ Products: Cast Iron, Tools, Speakers, Chairs, and More

We’re all tired of spending money on stuff that breaks. Whether it’s a tool that wears out instantly or a pair of pants that gets a hole too soon, it seems like more things in this world should be something you buy for life. They’re not as common, but there are numerous companies that aim to make excellent products that last a long time and can be repaired when or if they fail. 

Anyone who has spent time on the Buy It For Life subreddit on Reddit likely knows about many of these products already, but we have a few rules for our guide. For one thing, everything you see here can be bought right now. You can definitely purchase them used—buy them this way if you want!—but we wanted to make sure each item can be bought new with its original factory warranty and is still supported by the company that made it. The second major rule? A WIRED Gear reviewer has to have personally used each product for years and vouch for it. That way, you know who to scream at in the comments if yours breaks. 

Here’s a good rule of thumb: Just because something is well made doesn’t mean it doesn’t require proper maintenance. Take care of your stuff, and it’ll last years.

Table of Contents

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Kitchen

A Quality Chef’s Knife

I’m a fan of all things Japanese, so my most prized knife is an 8-inch Shun chef’s knife, a Christmas gift from my then-girlfriend (now wife!). I have used this knife nearly daily for about a decade, sharpening it every six months to keep it employed. It shows a few scuffs (my fault), but no signs of stopping. It’s also among the sharpest knives I have ever used. This is my personal recommendation but there are plenty of other high-end knives worth considering, including those from German and American brands. Read our Best Chef’s Knives guide for more. 

Premium Oven Mitts

Skip the Ove Glove, and step away from the dish towel you’re considering using on a hot pan. Silicone oven mitts offer better protection than fabric oven mitts and are especially safer than a dish towel that isn’t designed for heat protection in the first place. The silicone offers a strong grip, which is important when handling hot cookware. These mitts are also waterproof, so your hands will stay safe if hot liquids splash onto your gloves, a one-up over fabric mitts. They’re easier to keep clean and show less wear and tear from stains and spills too. Five Two’s pair are my favorite silicone oven mitts thanks to the large size that provides plenty of protection and fits every hand in my household. Plus, they come in pretty colors! —Nena Farrell

Durable Drinkware

Originating in France in 1927, these perennially popular glasses can be found in cafés and kitchens across the world. The scalloped look, heat-resistant glass, and chunky proportions make them almost impossible to smash, and while they lack the Michelin-starred sophistication of an Iittala or Reidel, we can’t imagine decimating steak frites and a bottle of chateau-du-plonk with anything else. They’re also equally suited to drinking espresso, having been tempered to withstand heat up to 130 degrees Celcius. Sadly, the carafe has long been discontinued, but WIRED’s own 15-year-old sample here stands as a testament to design and durability. Glass with class.

A Long-Lasting Rice Cooker

If you’re cooking any kind of rice dish, you deserve a good rice cooker. You might think to yourself, why change? My rice cooker is fine, isn’t it? Sure, it’s fine, but don’t you want rice to be delicious? With a better rice cooker, you’ll get rice that’s akin to stopping at a restaurant, with the help of a few more buttons. Zojirushi is the name of the game when it comes to rice cookers, not only for great cooking results but for its long lifetime on your kitchen counter. The rice cooker and warmer models like the NS-LCG05 are a great choice, but our favorite is the NP-NWC10, which is a pressure cooker for even tastier rice. —Nena Farrell

A Crockpot

My Mom has made apple sauce in the same cheap Crockpot since the early 1990s and it still gets warm every time. Crockpots are still made well, as are, in my experience anyway, the more modernized version: Instant Pots. Most of them will last a long time and have replaceable seals and lids, including this model I’ve had since college. Just make sure you clean and dry it properly before storage and you can make all kinds of stuff in it for years. I prefer ones with simpler controls, but I’ve had the Wi-Fi connected model for a long time and barely used it with the app. I found it a buggy…