For ebooks, the hurtle is really storing them on your own system. Most open source readers can read Amazon's .azw and .azw3. I like to keep everything in epub on my proton drive, but I buy (and sometimes don't buy) them from different places. I went to my local library to come up with a archival method that works. I use an open source ereader app on my phone and laptop, and use 'Send to Kindle' to get books on an old Kindle from 2014, deleting them when I'm finished reading.
By breaking up where I get my books from, and decoupling it from storage and reading method, I'm able to be a lot more flexible and take advantage of deals/exclusives on different platforms. I also feel a little more private. The downside is paying for storage, and an extra step to download books from the central location when I want to read them.
In general tho, there are some really unique and cool clothing makers on etsy and I've gotten some of my favorite things from creators who sell using that platform.
Honestly my experience has been that bike lights are way better with rechargeable Li-ion batteries, and not replaceable AA/AAA batteries. Every time I bought one that took replaceable batteries, they ended up, within a year at most, being incredibly faded and not working well, even with a fresh set of batteries. They get to a point where a brand new battery will work well, but for some reason where the first battery lasted months, the new ones all only last days.
I have no idea the chemistry/physics involved in this. It doesn't really make sense to me. Maybe rust on the contacts? All I know is that I've had this happen numerous times. Whereas my expensive combined light/camera unit with a built in battery has lasted years.
Cooling is very important for LEDs. I've seen some cheaper brands skimp on the cooling methods, presumably because it means the product costs less to make, and may force a repeat sale later.
Do you also ride a bike? I can highly recommend the Burley Travoy trailer + the upper and lower market bags. It can attach to most bikes with the included seat post mount, but it can also be wheeled around as a shopping cart. I use it for groceries and errands all the time, and it's super easy to take off the bike and wheel it into a store.
And because it's made as a bike trailer, it handles way more abuse than you could ever dish out by walking it around. It can carry approx. 60lbs of cargo (I've had nearly that amount on it).
It's not cheap, unfortunately. And even though I do recommend the upper and lower market bags, they are an investment for sure. They work seamlessly with the Travoy, and even though I've attached other bags to it, nothing compares to the simplicity of the market bags.
And when you're done, it all folds up super compact! The wheels are 16", so they handle anything.
Country of origin and ethics don't really matter so long as it holds up. I'd like to be able to fix it if I can or add patches to make it look more unique so materials have to allow for hand repairs/"enhancements" as needed.
In that case you might want to look into all leather backpacks or heavy canvas. Both are repairable, though leather is also waterproof. They both take patches well and maybe even pins.
I bought a very sturdy foldable umbrella several months ago (at a temporary sale of a discounter in Germany so not longer available there) - the clou is the cloth as that is highly reflective and therefore much thicker than the normal umbrella cloth so the ribs have to be stronger, too. It really takes on strong winds without bending much and has the additional advantage of high visibility.
This model looks very similar to the one I bought:
Do you care about exposure to potentially toxic/carcinogenic materials? Asian (especially Japanese) rice cookers such as Zoujirushi do an excellent job, but AFAIK they all utilize non-stick pots (Teflon).
Yeah, I’m not super into teflon. This is the only piece of teflon cookware that I have left. Makes me think that I might want to try something like a ceramic or stainless rice cooker.
I've had a stainless steel rice cooker for about a year now. Works well with the two types of rice I tend to cook and is easy to clean. Would recommend
It looks like you can buy aftermarket inner pots that don't have teflon. I tried poking around the website here in Japan and it looks like the new ones use a different coating (there was something in the news about teflon a couple years ago so this is entirely possible), but I can't be sure without downloading and pouring through manuals. You could probably do the same on Zojirushi's US website.
I just recently went on a search for the perfect BIFL Barefoot-style hiking boot, as I find those to be the most comfortable. The most promising boot was the Jim Green Barefoot Ranger. The quality was excellent, and due to it having entirely stich-down construction, it would be trivial for a cobbler to replace the sole. Unfortunately my feet are very wide, so even with the Barefoot version having a wider than normal design, it was ultimately uncomfortable, and I had to send them back.
For people with normal feet, though, It would be a great BIFL hiking/walking boot if you like the zero-drop barefoot style, as would Jim Green's non-barefoot boots. They tend to have the best price for the quality of materials as well.
There are many more options available in normal, non-barefoot styles of boot. As others have said, look for stitch-down or goodyear welt construction, and if well cared for, the leather parts of the boot should last a decade or more.
Thanks for mentioning this. I've had problems with boots because I seem to need zero drop. Otherwise I get pains in my arches after I've worn them.
I've settled on Lem's, and while they're great. The super wide toe box might be worth looking at for you. I've been really impressed with how durable they are, and they have a waterproof goretex lining, but the sole isn't stitch down. Whenever the sole wears out I'll probably try the Jim greens, because of the stitch down sole.
Lem's were on my shortlist to try, but I was able to snag some Vivobarefoot FG Tracker's off ebay for an amazing price, and I've been super happy with them.
I did read of some Lem's owners successfully resoling they're boulder boots. Apparently it's possible to sand down the soft outer sole flat, and then glue on a new sole to that. Might be worth asking a local cobbler about before buying a new pair when yours are getting on in years ^^
Aroma stainless steel for a cheap rice cooker that will last forever but will make bad rice if your water rice ratio is off by a little, if you wait too long after it finishes, etc.
Zojurishi for top of the line premium quality for a premium price.
There are some other Japanese and Korean premium rice cookers that make rice just slightly worse than zojurishi but have a much cheaper price (relative to zojurishi). Tiger and Sakura are two of them.
I've been on a personal crusade to find any kind of footwear that is truly BIFL material and have always come up empty. They are just too stressed and made of materials that don't last. Even uncomfortable wooden shoes (like clogs or geta) wear out rather quickly.
I just go for cheap and comfortable now because even spending more money has not gotten me a shoe of any style that lasts longer than a cheaper one.
I find the ones at the locksmith are heavier-duty than others (and have that nice little jog in the wire where the ends overlap so it's a flat ring unlike the cheaper ones)
Check out Avocado. Do yourself a favor and get one of their pillows while you're at it too. Bought one of their mattresses a while back and the first three months afterwards I didn't want to get out of bed. I just wanted to lay in the heavenly paradise and recover the terrible sleep I was having for the 3 years prior before waking up one day with the worst neck & back pain of my life.
I get asked about what appliances to get all the time because I'm a handyman. I wrote up this short guide to copy and paste:
Tips for buying a fridge or any major appliance:
Don't until you absolutely need to, because...
Most modern ones are crap and won't last more than 5 years, but..
The EU just made it so that any new major appliance must be repaired by the maker for 10 years because they are sick of all the waste created by cheaply made crap
When you do buy one make sure it is one that could be legally sold in the EU so you can get one that lasts.
Do not get any fancy features.
The more features an appliance has the more it costs, obs, but..
The more features an appliance has the more things there are to break which means more long term cost of ownership.
Ice cube trays still work when the ice maker says to change the $40 filter.
Any smart appliances (IoT device) is a network liability and the next thing you know your dishwasher is part of a botnet hoggin up your bandwidth and there will never be a firmware update to fix it.
Really surprising to my that a Bosch / Miele can be had for less than $1000. In the US, it's hard to find anything less than $3k in those brands.
I have seen some places around here sell Beko, but only in white.
Buy it for Life
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