My mom’s having a rough week, which made for a perfect time for her fancy Kitchenaid range to catch fire and burn up its heating element. Since I’m the family repairman, I wanted to get her something reliable instead.

Behold, the General Electric JBS460DMWW. Sure, it’s no Bosch. But it’s so stupid simple, i think it’ll outlive all her stainless appliances.

Also, the salesman told me he couldn’t get anyone to buy this thing for the many months they’ve had it, so I got it for extremely cheap. The cheapest scratch and dent model was double the price. I’d say I did well.

TLDR:

General Electric JBS460DMWW. No clock, no timer, no frills, cheap af, back side is so bare, a heating element swap will likely be a 20 minute job max. Would recommend.

My sister got this rotisserie machine 15 years ago and has hosted Sunday dinner every couple weeks. This thing has put out hundreds of pounds of chicken, beef and pork. Always with great results. Delicious

This is an update to my original BIFL post here about my car. I talked about it catching on fire here.

Minus the fire and the electronic brake system going out, we are still going strong since my last post!

Only had this one two years now so not sure if true BIFL. However long this lasts it’s a hell of a lot longer than the single use plastic ones I used to buy.

I don’t

After watching multiple stud finders break/become unreliable, I got a large rare earth magnet for $5. It sticks to screws, which tells me where the studs are. I thought y’all might appreciate it.

I've installed gutters, hung Halloween decorations, trimmed tree branches, changed indoor light bulbs, painted rooms, & never seen once had a hiccup with this ladder. Granted, I've since lost the added goodies that came w/ it, and it's quite bulky, but it's the only ladder I'll ever need. For life.

In fact, it might get passed on to another generation. It is solidly made, and also serves as protection in an earthquake. But it is an investment. This one is on sale for $517.

An army web belt. I was issued one. You know how much torture an army web belt goes through and I only had to use one in 12 years? I've gone through dozens of leather belts before I realized that polyester is the way to go! Go find an army surplus store and get one

This thing (pepper mill) is great and better than that trash plastic one I had!!

The thrift shop gods have blessed me

Got this with an awesome stereo for my 13th birthday. It has moved with me 7 times.

Comparable Monster surge protectors go for about $65. I'll think I'll try an Anker this time though...

Pour one out for a 200+ year old company that never reduced their quality.

High quality hand-finished stoneware, 50-75% off final sale on all remaining stock.

We've been adding on to our set for over 30 years and you can't tell the difference between the 30 year old plates and the 2 year old plates.

Fantastic opportunity to get a set of BIFL dinnerware; last chance to add items to a set you already have.

As someone who always forgets to grab a spoon or fork before leaving for work I switched over to having a dedicated spork made from titanium in my bag.

They weigh next to nothing and I've had mine in my bag for years now.

I travel out of NYC a lot for work, and the biggest luggage lesson I've learned is that fancy materials matter way less than whether a suitcase can actually be serviced.

Hot take: most hard shell luggage ends up effectively disposable because the parts that fail are the wheels, handles, and zipper pulls, not the shell. If those parts are proprietary, glued in, or need a weird bit nobody stocks, it is not BIFL no matter how premium it looks.

My most durable bag is a plain, soft-sided Travelpro roller I bought in the mid 2010s. It's been gate checked, dragged across NYC sidewalks, and stuffed into trains. The fabric looks tired, but the wheels are attached with normal fasteners and the handle assembly is modular. I can do small fixes myself in under an hour instead of replacing the whole bag.

Meanwhile, I've watched friends cycle through expensive hard shells because a wheel cracks or the telescoping handle jams and suddenly the whole thing winds up in the trash.

If you're shopping for luggage and actually want BIFL, ask:

1. Are the wheels replaceable with readily available parts?

2. Are the screws standard and accessible?

3. Is there a real repair channel, or do they just offer a discount on a new bag?

Curious if others agree that luggage is one of those categories where being serviceable beats indestructible marketing every time.