I was just going to say that in my post. For people that care they likely have what they like. For those that don't they will think an expensive pen is a strange thing to get. There is so much variations in something like that this that anyone that writes a lot will have figured this out. Someone who write a lot will likely have tried different options. SO they have already figured out what they like. Someone with minimal understadning thinks a pen is a pen. They don't understand different ink types or that it is very specific as what I like you won't and vice versa.

That all being said I grabbed a parker jotter with a gel refill in it and it writes really nice. I ended up putting it in my Rotring 600 for a bit to test it out. But again this is where personal preference comes in. My wife didn't like it as she likes a finer pen and I don't. I am a fan of something like the Pentel Energel in feel and thickness and the 0.7mm version of the parker jotter gel feels and looks a lot like that if you have used one.

Most modern shoes have a life in distance not really time. Running shoes are typically 300-500 miles and heavier hiking shoes will be more like 1000 miles. There are synthetics in the sole that break down over time and lose their ability to support you. So even if the sole/upper is in good condition the shoe could have failed because the sole is done. It is hard to tell this when you wear them normally but try them back to back with a new pair and you will see this. So for something used as heavily as you are say you are using, they likely will only last that long regardless of how much you spend. The only way to get a longer lasting shoe would be to go to something made in a traditional way with no synthetics but you lose the immediate support and comfort that it offers. So there are pluses and minuses here.

I think it is much more how and where you work. I am in IT so do multiple onsites a day. So I wouldn't even bring a more expensive pen with me as I know what will happen. Those stay on my desk in my office. I just sit at too many desks and will eventually it will get put down and disappear. Nice pens are too pocketable and it will walk away. I usually carry something like a zebra 301 with me but I have been carrying a collapsible space pen with me that is a bit more expensive. I realized I bought it years ago to use on the road, and never really used it because, I was worried about losing it. Maybe in my old age I will be more mindful.

Again there are always outliers. That is why you don't just use one method. But it is clear to me looking back that I was lying to myself about my health and weight. Many, many people are. I know the things I said about BMI and I did that because I didn't want to face my own issues. It was easier to think that BMI was BS then to actually look at it seriously and use it as just one way to assess your health. If you are the outlier then you just use something else.

It isn't flawed for most people. What most people see as a flaw is that BMI doesn't work for aberrations. So you are a body builder that BMI says is obese when you are 10% body fat. But very few people are bodybuilders.
That is why there is a range of weight for each section. And there are many other ways to measure your health. You can take measurements for example. Or use hip to waist ratio But take it from a guy that said that BMI was BS for much of their adult life that I was wrong. For most people it is a good guideline. I said that because I didn't want to face the fact that I was overweight from the time I was 25 on.

Running shoes typically have a life in miles not time. The synthetics in the sole compress over time. How many miles depends on how you are using them, your weight and other factors. But typically, a pair of running shoes might be good for 300-500 miles of running before the sole material starts to fail. Something like a heavier hiking shoe might be 1000 miles. You have to be very careful taking advice here about durability as use matters. You wear them once a week to go for a light walk and they might last a long time. Wearing them daily when you are on your feet all day and they will not last as long. The only way to get shoes that last longer is by going with something that has less synthetics in it. But then you use the benefit of a modern shoe with the immediate comfort and support you get.

ohhhhh what a burn. You are making Vermont sad.

I mean it isn't like we don't put up signs to be good helpful neighbours.

https://i.imgur.com/tw49sGT.jpg

Don't worry us Canadians know you can't figure out how to use a cell phone to do the conversion, so we put up helpful signs for you.

https://i.imgur.com/tw49sGT.jpg

Seriously though if your excuse is you can't figure out what a kilometer is we don't want you here anyway.

I think he is talking about vibram soles in general as there are many of them on many different kinds of boots. Most of my heritage boots have viram soles of them of various types. A red wing iron ranger uses a Vibram mini lug 430 sole. So I believe the OP is talking about vibram soles in general not the five finger stuff they sell.

Bosch is the answer. Ours is going on 11 years old. Things has been perfect except for wear and tear damage done to it.

Have done a lot of train building and we use lots of different tools. Check out my post about it here. Rouge hoes produced much of what I have used.

https://www.reddit.com/r/BuyItForLife/comments/ym2odk/some_of_my_dirt_moving_tools_rouge_hoes_lee_valley/

Shoes with big foam/synthetic soles break down over distance not time. Running shoes are usually 300-500 miles. Bigger hiking boots are 1000. Even if the upper is fine the sole material compresses and stops working properly. It won't matter what you spend likely. You have to be careful here as people have vastly different use patterns. I run so I go through a pair of running shoes every 6-12 months. Doesn't matter how much you spend or what you buy. It is the use that causes it to fail. Remember that there will be people that say buy X but they might only wear those shoes on the weekend so they will last far longer. The only way to get a longer lasting shoe is to go with a more traditionally made shoe with a leather foot bed. But then you lose the benefits of the modern shoe - immediate comfort, support, etc.

People tend to see things in strange ways. They see a washing machine that is 30 years old and say "well it must be good if it last that long" But I know use is far more important than time. If the thing looks brand new maybe it wasn't used that much. Use of something is very important. Based on what I see here I think many of these people just sit this stuff on a shelf to look at it. Meanwhile I now work in IT but I must be the one that doesn't understand technology.

That is r/BuyItForLife for you. I used to work in appliance sales and service for much of the 1990s. But make the mistake of saying anything negative against a speed queen or a top loader and people lose their minds. They don't care there is nuance here. That their needs might be different then another. And that your needs might be different than theirs. I would never own a top loader for many reasons but say that and you get downvoted. Doesn't matter that I have fixed just about every type/make of major appliance and sold them. People like to believe they have found some secret and can't take any negative things about that.

And that is why many people don't see boots as buy it for life. But the difference is the repairs the boot will need to keep them functioning. A boot might require a heel in 7 years. You understand it would be very strange to have a boot where every single component has been replaced. That is just a new pair of boots made over a longer period of time. The only benefit to doing something like that is if you get way longer out of the product, or save money/the environment. In the case of boots I can wear them for 7 years, do a resole, and wear them for another 7. And depending on how much you use them you can have boots decades later you are still use. For example I have a pair of boots made in 1984 but not a computer that is even close to that old. There is no way to keep that kind of old tech running for that long in a useable way.

The easier thing to do is just buy and off lease laptop especially if you are just doing basic office stuff. Most computers last a long time and the specs don't need to be updated constantly for that kind of work any longer. Or you can slide it downwards in use. So I like to have an updated laptop and upgrade every 3-5 years or so because I work in IT. What I do is replace mine and that old one goes to my dad (or anyone with less needs). So right now he is using my last one and so that one is now 7 years old or so. Even the one before that is still in use as a backup system for a kid. That one is over 10 years old. But you go buy the lowest priced laptop and it probably won't last that long. People have to understand that there is a massive difference between a $500 laptop and a $2000 one. This is where buying off lease comes in because you can get a powerful system for much less then it was new. This likely mean it was higher price to begin with and will likely last longer. It is why I always think it is funny when people say that apple laptops last forever. Well they don't really make those cheap systems so they will likely last far longer. Spend 2k on a windows based laptop and it will be the same kind of quality.

The boards can't be future proof in the way you believe. They can allow for some forward capability as they usually do. But they don't have a time machine. They can't build something to meet the requirements of tech that doesn't exist yet. That makes zero sense, and you really don't understand how these systems integrate if you believe that. I mean why did people use horses and not just build and make cars. Because the tech to do that didn't exist for that. Do you really believe that the same board they designed 20 years ago could run a modern processor just because they knew things would get faster? Do you not understand that all the tech has to keep pace with that in order for that to work?

They don't have a clue how much has changed in the last 20 years. I have worked in IT since the late 1990s and it is laughable to think that a device from even 10 years ago would still be able to be used today and that is just because of advancements in the tech. The pace of change is slower then it was 20 years ago mostly becuase the hardware is so powerful there is not much more an average person can do with a device. So desktop computers are used far longer than they were 20 years ago but I don't have many businesses still running 10+ year old computers even if they are still working fine. I think they are conflating electronics like speakers with computers/tech stuff when those are vastly different things.

The problem with clothes is that unless you maintain exactly the same weight over your whole life typically you will need different sizing. Also you have to understand your use compared to others. There is no mileage on a shirt or pants. So you have no idea how it was used. I know with my cheap clothes I don't really care and will just throw them in the washer and dryer. Where as with a something more expensive I will hang it to dry or hand wash it. Typically, you will take care of something more if you paid more for it. And then there is how much you wear that thing. Your work pants might get more use then a pair of expensive dress pants so they just wear faster. That doesn't mean that they are better just that you didn't wear them as much.

Use patterns matter massively. And not everyone is the same. I run so I go through running shoes every 6-12 months. There is no running shoe I can buy that will really last longer than that. If instead I wore them only once every couple weeks they will last far longer in time. So when you see someone who wants running shoes to last for life I understand that isn't possible for me regardless of what I buy.

Army surplus is hard because you need to figure out your location and sizing in order to buy. I have done a post here about them so you can check that. So in my case I know my sizing in a specific kind of Canadian boots that I can get here but you wouldn't likely be able to get them easily in another country.

But if money was no object I would get something like this myself.

https://williamlennon.co.uk/shop/mark-v-canadian-combat-replica-boot/

Traditionally made, by a traditional maker. Can be fully repaired. Something like that should last years of daily wear and then you can resole it and keep wearing them. But there are many options like this depending on where you are and the specific style you want.

Any boot that is made with a synthetic foam insole will have a life in miles not really time. Even if the upper is still in good condition the foam of the sole compresses and eventually fails. But it sounds like your boot is just overall failing based on your description. Running shoes are 300-500 miles. Hiking boots are 1000. How quickly they fail will depending on how you are using them. The only way to really get longer out of a boot is to go with a traditional construction that has no synthetics in the sole. So a full leather sole will last longer but it will be very different then a traditional work boot as you don't have all that cushion. So essentially with a modern boot you get an immediate comfort which sacrifices longer life. Or you go with something that is traditionally constructed, but you will have to get used to that. Most people's feet are used to all that cushion and support. SO trying to go directly to a pair of them from a more modern shoe construction will be difficult.

That's because the thing that makes them heavy and stiff will make them last longer. You have two options. you go with a boot that has a lot of synthetics in the sole so it is confortable immediately. But those boots will have a shorter life because they aren't repairable and more because the foam and cushioning in the sole break down over time. So an example is running shoes. I have running shoes in my closet that you would think are still usable because they look fine. But the sole material has failed and I don't use them anymore. Running shoes are 300-500 miles before failure and that is true to me. So for me I go through a pair of running shoes yearly regardless of what I pay or what they look like as the sole will fail long before the upper does. Hiking shoes will last longer but they are more like 1000 miles. Also depends on how much you weigh and other factors.

On the flip side a heritage boot doesn't have this synthetics. So they are harder to wear but they will last far longer, and can be repaired. So this just comes down to what you want. Most people are used to modern shoes that support and cushion so have a very hard time going to a heritage type boot. So basically any modern shoe will have a life in miles before failure. Most people wear these types of shoes for far too long and that can cause problems too. If you like that type of boot then buy two pairs and rotate them. But know that if you do get all the synthetics that they will likely fail at the same kind of distance used.

The bigger problem would be the size depending on what your needs are. Even their own page highlights this.

https://speedqueen.com/top-load-vs-front-load/

So if you are doing a load a week then it might not be a big deal. But a family doing lots of laundry that might become an issue. Then there is cost. Depending on where you are water costs might be very important or not at all. So you might need to make a choice based on that. There is no perfect machine only the one that will work best for you based on your needs.

Really a BEV would likely be the best option. No fuss and muss. Put a charge point at their place and their car is always charged and ready to go. No oil changes so they won't have to get "scammed". 8 year warranty on the battery for most so that will be covered. But if they are scared of new tech they likely wouldn't go for that. Even something like an older low range Leaf would work for many as they would only need a car for running around town.