How does that old song go? 'When the world is running down, you make the best of what's still around'.
One of the things I hate with the passion of a million burning suns is that how ALL products out of China are just ONE VERSION! Yup, any particular item made in China is made in the same factory. Christmas lights? They're all exactly the same, same options, same behavior, same everything. Sure there are 20,000 vendors on Amazon selling them - but they're all selling the exact same damn product. There is ZERO variation! The PARTY HAS SPOKEN! It's like this with everything.
Like I want a high power LED flashlight that just turns ON & OFF - NOTHING ELSE! But guess what you can't buy anywhere on the entire fucking planet? I don't want to have to click through a dozen different button presses just to have a highpower LED light - but the Chinese government has spoken and they only make ONE type.
Is it wrong of me to want a nuclear war with China so all their production gets destroyed so we can have product variation again?
They may look pretty much identical but that's because everybody in China is knocking off everybody else's products, but they aren't necessarily identical or made to the same quality. There are probably dozens of companies making copies of the 33cc Honda engine. I recall there being about six different companies making copies of Ural's copy of the BMW horizontal twin bike, each with their own particular approach to quality control.
Actually, the guy who owns Prometheus bought 4Sevens just after the rebranding to FourSevens. They are still available as a lower cost alternative to his own lights
Streamlight stinger, while it has three different settings, will directly turn on and off, I have one at work that looks all beat to hell, but has been the most reliable flashlight I’ve ever owned.
I heartily second this. I have a metal one that lives on a charger in my truck. It is a fine product. I'm not really a fan boy, but I carry a microstream in my pocket and the army has provided me with a head/helmet lamp from them that's pretty damn useful.
I don't have any particular expertise on gear, except possibly computer peripherals, among this crowd. You all know cars and clothes as well as I do and tools, knives, and guns better.
So I'll focus on something where I do have expertise: how you know your lawyer is good. (I'm not your lawyer, and you probably shouldn't hire me as your lawyer unless you run a nonprofit or give away a lot of money to nonprofits, but these principles apply in all legal settings I'm familiar with.)
Working with lawyers is frustrating at the best of times. We're stunningly expensive, often behind schedule (which really isn't a sign we're incompetent—it's inherent to how the profession works), and have to deliver a lot of bad news. So how do you tell between an inherently frustrating situation and one where your lawyer, specifically, is the problem?
(1) Listening. If you don't feel that your lawyer is listening to what you are saying, that's a problem. Like doctors, we often confuse knowing the solution with knowing the problem. We're paid to advise you about how to solve your problems (or, sometimes, tell you there's not much you can do), not to tell you what your problems are or aren't. Expect your lawyer to tell you from time to time "I hear what you're saying, but acting on this would be worse than not acting, for these reasons." Don't put up with "It's really not a problem."
(2) Leveling with you. You hire us for our expertise. You're paying, so the expertise should work for you, not be wielded against you. If you feel we're trying to intimidate you with jargon or pull rank over you, that's not good. (But we'll be happy to do those things to your adversaries where it's helpful.) Servility isn't good either, because it's a sign we won't give bad news when necessary. Your lawyer should treat you as an equal and start from a position of mutual respect.
(3) Speaking and writing. If you want to evaluate your lawyer's credentials, don't look first at the fancy school where they got their degree or the fancy firm where they work. Look at their public writing and where they speak. Lawyers who are active in speaking and writing, especially in their own professional associations, tend to be the ones who are most committed to expanding their knowledge and who are the most respected among the people who do the same thing they do.
(4) Advising against interest. We don't always have the opportunity to do this, but if we give you advice that would reduce the amount of fees we can collect, that's a good sign of our honesty.
(5) Careful attention to conflicts of interest. A good lawyer will always need to check for potential conflicts of interest before taking on a new client. Sometimes we find them, and in some of those cases it's still in your best interest to hire us. If we bargain with you about how to handle conflicts, that can seem either slick or frustrating, but it's usually a sign we're trying to do the right thing in a careful way.
These aren't guarantees, and often when you're working with us it's in a situation that's bad to start with - but they are some signs that you're dealing with someone who is conscientious and ethical.
I deal with lawyers a lot in a professional capacity and my field seems to draw decent ones. As far as my personal experience, I’m pretty sure my last one was working for the other side.
I know it isn't practical for a lot of people but buying your meat in bulk from someone who raises cattle and hogs is the only way to go for me. They'll usually sell you a half because the have other people wanting a half so it makes sense. We'll split a half a hog and half a steer every year with a family member. SO a quarter of each for each. Picked up the beef yesterday. The final packaged weight was 320 pounds at about $4.20/lb. We each got 3 roasts, 12 t-bones, 12 ribeyes, 12 sirloin steaks, cubed stew meat, spare ribs and about 100 lbs of ground with some other odds and ends.
I recommend checking with a local meat processor and ask who might be a good source. I'm fortunate enough to know people who raise animals and have room for a 14 cubic foot chest freezer. Definitely worth it the way inflation is causing chaos at the grocery.
In my small town I have the luxury now of dealing with a single cutout between the ranch and the customer -- the price per pound is higher but although I can eat 320 pounds of filets in a year I don't know anyone who will cook them for me.
For being a snob, I’d though you’d prefer a real cut of beef to a filet... Buy a cast iron, get it really hot and do a minute a side includeding the round sides. It’s 95% the beef. Secret is to let it warm up to room temo first to get that nice medium rare temp.
I love steak cause it’s almost impossible to screw up if you enjoy it rare. Some really thick cuts can be complicated and a little too black and blue for me but 1-2 inch steaks take 5-10 minutes with settling time. The only hard steak to cook is the porter house cause the filet and the strip don’t like to be cooked the same
Growing up my parents always bought 1/2 a beef every year from dad's cousin Mike. Post college I started splitting it with them. Sadly Cousin Mike decided to retire and his kids didn't want to bother with ranching. Have never been able to find another good source.
I had to make the decision to trophy hunt this year due to lack of freezer space. I didn’t take anything so the venison will be in short supply this year.
I’ve bought half a hog before but have struggled to find half a beef. I agree it’s a good idea but now i need a generator for my freezer in case the grid goes down
I'll cast my ballot for LL Bean flannel shirts. They last 10 years, and you can then find an identical replacement (Bean offers the same plaids year after year). El Cheapo flannel shirts last about three washings.
I can't stop buying the Orvis but not really Orvis flannels at Costco. I they get gross because I know washing them will kill it. I guess that is real grunge.
Yes. They were bought out by venture capital years ago. They hired a marketing guy from Patagonia to move them upmarket. My mackinaw cruiser cost 135.00 ten years ago, now they are almost 500. I’m too embarrassed to wear mine in public.
I bought a really good looking and reasonably priced flannel recently and wore it once. My wife then saw it somewhere out of place and threw it in with her wash. It shrunk so much that it's now HER flannel. Intentional or naw? Ha
LL Bean flannels are nice but I prefer Vermont Flannel Company. Better fits (IMO) and made in the USA! I've been wearing frequently for a decade with no issues.
Time. Time with family. Time with friends. Time to relax. As I get older- and life here in the land of the free and home of the brave manages to grow stranger at an accelerating rate- I find myself valuing the hours I spend together with good people more and more.
On a more tangible level, cast iron cookware, Klein Pliers and Chris King headsets are a few of the items that constitute my list of good “one and done” purchases.
I'd like to recommend the Henry Classic Lever Action .22 rimfire. It's made in America, solid quality, and very well priced. Also get a case of ammo (5000 rounds).
What happened to Hart Schaffner & Marx? I hope they don't go downhill like Allen Edmonds.
They're doing shit overseas now, nothing closer than Canada. I think Matt Farah's dad helped extract some shareholder value a while back and that ended up wiping them out.
That's very sad. I have some Made in U.S.A. HSM jackets that I really like. There is no mention of anything made in the U.S.A. on their website and it's hard to find current information on the company, but I did find this which says a lot.
"The Company is focused on providing competitive values through cost effective sourcing."
2004-2007 V6 Jeep Liberty Limitrd 4X4 American assembled in Ohio. Body on frame sturdiness. Good for 247,000 miles with regular oil changes every 3,000 miles and tyre replacement every 50,000 miles. The combination vinyl leather seats will wear out before the mechanicals will. Short coming. Jeep no longer stocks new parts for this generation, so one has to seek out NOS.
An 04 Liberty showed up on my company vehicle selector list one year if you can believe it. Renegade package with the light bar and everything. I checked that box faster than you can say “trail-rated”. Way more interesting than the forgettable sedans on offer at the time, and it turned out to be an excellent choice despite the ribbing I took from my colleagues. One guy called it my Jurassic-park-mobile, but I was the one laughing every time we had a good snowstorm. That thing was amazing off-road and in the snow. Just a ton of fun to drive in almost any conditions, but skittish at high speeds on slick roads as a result of the short wheelbase.
I bought it out at the end of the allowable period and it has served our family since with my daughter eventually buying it from me and still driving it today.
Outside of the aforementioned vinyl/leather driver seat cracking badly on the left side, the rocker panels rusting horribly, and some interesting electrical gremlins making the occasional appearance (or disappearance), this Jeep is still in pretty good condition. My daughter’s man removed the offending rocker panels and it looks as good as it did when I picked it up from the dealer almost twenty years ago.
Not sure if you mean the reinforced unibody is equal in sturdiness to a body-on-frame construction, because the Liberty has the former. Having said that, I agree they're not nearly as crappy of vehicles as many people like to claim. Yes there were both engine and transmission issues, yes they rust. But take care of it and it will last.
I was fortunate to never have any rust, transmission, or engine issues. I was starting to get a few electrical gremlins towards the end, but that’s it.
Must not have lived in a place with much road salt? Or you were diligent with washing it and/or oil undercoating?
My brother recently worked on one of the rare-ish diesel ones, said it was an awesome little truck. A ton of hill climbing torque and 30mpg. Wish you could get one with a stick shift!
I’m right on the Great Lakes and salt is a way of life. I tried to wash it in the winter when possible, but often couldn’t. If it’s too cold everything freezes up. No undercoating either.
2014-16 Lexus GX 460. Rolling bank vaults. We have a 2014 and a 2020. The 2014 is my camping rig. Goodyear Wranglers on it and it can go almost anywhere.
We bought the 2020 in that magical two months at the start of covid when the world was ending and dealers panicked, and my sales guy called and offered it for 10k below MSRP.
Pelican tumblers. Can’t beat the quality. I think they’re still made in the USA
Saddleback Leather. I have the front pocket leather briefcase. Every time I carry the thing I feel like Ernest Hemingway. 100 year warranty and made in the US
I’m Canadian and try to shop made in Canada and made in US and it’s certainly getting harder.
I keep a Helle Viking Knife in the “cigar holder” on the briefcase. With just the wooden handle sticking out. I’ve opened the bag in front of 100s of people with the knife handle clearly in view but it blends so well nobody has ever noticed it.
Going to take a look at saddleback, have always wanted a proper briefcase.
The GX460 (and older 470) will run until the heat death of the universe, amazing trucks. I looked at buying one, wound up with an LR3 because I thought it had a bit more character and it was about half the price of the GX, which buys a lot of spare parts.
Have a 2004 Series 100 Land Cruiser. Mileage is horrible, but it's indestructible, as is LX470 without hydraulic suspension. It's been jumped, off roaded, crashed multiple times, tow at max tow rating -- it'll never die
My work and hobby recommendation is of the very affordable end of the spectrum. Stanley’s 12’ 3/4” wide tape measure. Many years ago Stanley switched from a metal to cheap chrome plated plastic case. A few years ago they switched back to metal! The metal case is my secondary reason for recommending. My primary, super high quality printing. The black hash marks tend to wear at the edges making tape measures difficult to read accurately over time. Stanley has something figured out here. Their printing lasts much longer than any other tape measure I’ve used, even Starrett brand.
I have a 25' 1" Stanley Powerlock II that I've had for decades and while the metal case is scratched up it still works fine. While I also have a polymer bodied Stanley Leverlock, which isn't a bad tape measure, I usually use the Powerlock, unless it's for something small. In that case I use my father's 8' 1/2" Evans Power Tape.
The Evans Rule Company was once the world's largest maker of tape measures, with factories in New Jersey, Sout Carolina, and Quebec. If you bought a Craftsman tape measure from Sears, it was likely made by Evans. In 1986 Starrett bought Evans and eventually moved all tape measure manufacturing to the Dominican Republic.
Speaking of measuring tools made in America, it's not vintage but Empire squares and levels are mostly made in the USA. Empire is now part of Milwaukee and it looks like they're making the Milwaukee branded squares and levels as those are also U.S. made.
Anything made by Magpul for any purpose. Our brand snob host Gucci Mane (I kid, I kid because I love) may not approve but 95% of the time for 95% of users it is perfectly acceptable at 1/2 to 1/10 the price of high end alternatives.
I have a 90-ish stainless 10/22 with a mannlicher walnut stock. My dad gave it to me when I was a kid. I had to prove myself first with a single shot absolute piece of shit .22...
Good call. I have both. The Mark IV is my girlfriend's favorite gun to shoot and keeps her interested in shooting. Probably shouldn't have encouraged her to shoot the 44 magnum. That set me back months.
Photography: The Canon 5D MKII is probably the best full frame SLR ever made. After the MKII came out around 2008 it changed everything, and for good reason. The interface is near perfect, the image quality is fantastic, and it shot near godlike cinema-ish video. Sure, they came out with further generations but they were just variations on the theme. Anyone who bought a MKII didn’t need to upgrade for nearly a decade. I’ve bashed the shit out of a pair of them over the last 15 or so years, shooting weddings, cars, anything. They’ve been dropped, scraped, and generally mistreated but refuse to yield. They make use of thirty years worth of fantastic Canon glass that can be had for cheap, the batteries just never seem to wear out, and the shutter modules racked up 100-150k actuations each.
I’m sure others will chime in that there are newer and better generations of Canon camera bodies with whatever features, but If I had to choose a camera for the apocalypse, that’d be it. Like a lot of the cars mentioned here it’s something you can buy used with confidence, because it was over-engineered to the point of almost ruining the manufacturer because they just lasted so damn long. Oh, and they were made in Japan, which is difficult to find even on flagship Japanese cameras today
There may be an "older and better" generation -- the O.G. Canon 5D! I regularly use the one I bought in '05, and I bought another for next to nothing a few years back for a photo class for a kid.
I do wish I had the MK II for the dust-defeating sensor shaker feature it added, as it's hard to keep the 5D sensor clean. It might be time to take a look on craigslist for the upgrade.
The II is physically identical, save for the video related buttons, so if stills are your thing the MKI probably deserves an honourable mention for being even cheaper!
I’d add the Nikon equivalents, like the D3 and D700 for full frame and D300, D7x00 for APSC. They can be made to use with F mount lenses from as far back as 1959. All for pennies on the dollar, because folks are moving to mirrorless, and dumping their SLR stuff.
Nothing wrong with the Canons you mention (I have a 5D), but I also have a big bag of old MF Nikkors that work well with these older DSLRs.
One of my favorite books is "Yankee Boyhood,"by R.E. Gould, which had been my dad's when he was a kid and which he passed on to me. It's the memoirs of a man published in 1950, in which he describes his childhood growing up on a Maine farm in the 1880's. He apparently grew up dirt poor, as did practically the entire town, in a world where people treated possessions the way the Plains Indians did buffalo: they used every single piece to the fullest, and then recycled what wasn't 100% used up.
But the one word Gould uses consistently to describe his surroundings is "old." Everything was old - animals both domestic and farm, people, tools, houses, clothing, boots, you name it. I suppose "old" could simply be his word for "not brand new," but I doubt it because he casually writes about cutting up old boots to make laces for sheep fetters and using the body from grandfather's old wagon as a holding bin for vegetables.
The reason I bring this up is because it seems like we're heading back into that sort of world, where people are shamelessly tight-fisted misers who're still using items originally purchased by grandpa half-a-century earlier on just another Saturday morning trip to Sears, back in The Before Time.
And I hate every minute of it.
As for recommendations, I guess I'd say find yourself a V8, 4WD pickup with a mechanical throttle (GMT400'll work), 3 or 4 old dual sport bikes and ATVs, a chainsaw made of metal that you can rebuild, and several items chambered in 7.62/.308.
Came here to say the GMT 400s. I own a 1997 c1500 with the Vortec 305 and a 5 speed. I'm convinced that the truck will still be running long after the world implodes.
Anything used off craigslist. It's all a bargain, and it's hard to be specific because I've bought bicycles, cars, 2014-era Mac Minis, turntables, vinyl records, tools, a leather sectional, a pogo stick, subwoofers, bass amps, ski boots, key rings, and on and on. Currently searching for a Volvo 240 wagon, anything with a manual transmission (allow fate to assist), cast iron banks, wool clothing, and 12 other things. The best part is the adventure and the weirdos you get to meet.
I'll throw in a mention for the 2006+ Lexus IS & GS. Frequently overlooked by car enthusiasts because of the badge, they're well built and solidly reliable cars, often for a bit less than the comparable BMW, merc, or Audi.
And the people that do really aren't interested in Lexus. They're great and underrated cars. I had an IS350 (since replaced with a BMW); great car but I honestly prefer my wife's GS.
Another fun one, at least a few years ago, is that ES330s and 350s tend to be around the same price as a similar age/mileage Camry. Makes no sense
I should add that the Levinson stereo upgrade is a must have.
The 06-13 GS has some occasional issues with dash rattles, they pop up on rough/dirt roads, easily fixable with some foam.
Get the RWD if possible. The AWD GS/IS run the passenger front half shaft through the oil pan (common) but don't use a separate part for a bracket to hold the axle support bearing (very uncommon). Long story short, can be an absolute nightmare to remove the front passenger half shaft. If you need to drive it in snow, get snow tires or use your GX.
Man I see these things all day long on Craigslist. 200,000 miles, still look in great shape. I'm sure they've got another 200,000 of life left in them.
This is one of those cars that I always want, and never buy. I think part of the reason is because I'll never have a valid excuse to get rid of it.
I just got a 1-owner dealer serviced LS 430 for the about the profit Carvana gave me on a Yaris iA 6MT I had for about 18 months (I’m shocked they’re going bankrupt). It’s a wonderful compliment to my manual sporty daily, and oozes quality. Just did a timing belt and trans flush, and looking forward to many serene miles with the dulcet 3UZ soundtrack.
I also had a Gen 1 manual Honda insight - another moonshot car that I regret selling.
On the tailoring note, my wife found an amazing cashmere and wool coat that almost fit her at goodwill, had it tailored, and promptly sold a 4-figure designer one because it pales in comparison.
For watches, I’m a big Sinn, Damasko, and Stowa fan. Despite the abject failure of Energiewende, they still make shit there and used models are just as good as new, particularly for Tegimented or Ice Hardened steel.
I actually got the chance to visit the Stowa watchmaking shop back in 2015 when the company I work for had an office in Pforzheim. Being where they are, they don’t get very many visitors, but their office ladies did a great job showing me around the building. As a bonus, I got to see some of the original Storz pieces. I bought an Antea (edit - it’s a Partitio.. I blame the flu) from them shortly after I returned home - Very nice presentation and an ETA movement for the (2015 price of ) $995.
Here here ... although the big chain thrift stores (goodwill, unique, savers) seem to sort out the good stuff far better than 5-10 years ago, treasures can still be found.
How does that old song go? 'When the world is running down, you make the best of what's still around'.
One of the things I hate with the passion of a million burning suns is that how ALL products out of China are just ONE VERSION! Yup, any particular item made in China is made in the same factory. Christmas lights? They're all exactly the same, same options, same behavior, same everything. Sure there are 20,000 vendors on Amazon selling them - but they're all selling the exact same damn product. There is ZERO variation! The PARTY HAS SPOKEN! It's like this with everything.
Like I want a high power LED flashlight that just turns ON & OFF - NOTHING ELSE! But guess what you can't buy anywhere on the entire fucking planet? I don't want to have to click through a dozen different button presses just to have a highpower LED light - but the Chinese government has spoken and they only make ONE type.
Is it wrong of me to want a nuclear war with China so all their production gets destroyed so we can have product variation again?
Prometheus makes a USA light with a single high power mode. Milled on a lathe. Not cheap. I have one.
It’s only wrong cause I don’t have high confidence in our “diversity is our strength” war heads
Yeah I think the only way we could beat China in a war is if they tried to invade the Midwest, Red-Dawn style.
I used to know which side Id be fighting on.
I'm on the side of whichever group will restore family-based morality, whether it's cloaked in Confucianism or Christianity.
Just so long as the Chinese don't rape and murder my wife and kids for being Japanese I'll deal with it!
Da.
"Diversity is a strength."
My ASS. Society is a machine, and you don't make a machine stronger, more stable, or more functional by adding complexity.
Modlite is still made in USA if I remember right. I run one on, uh, an airsoft gun? Yeah an airsoft gun.
Surefire is still made in USA? I've been thinking about doing swaps on those to Malkoff lamps for my C2 and C3.
Blind the fuck outta them kids.
They may look pretty much identical but that's because everybody in China is knocking off everybody else's products, but they aren't necessarily identical or made to the same quality. There are probably dozens of companies making copies of the 33cc Honda engine. I recall there being about six different companies making copies of Ural's copy of the BMW horizontal twin bike, each with their own particular approach to quality control.
The company went under, but you might find 4Sevens flashlights second-hand. Made in USA. I've got a couple and they've all been excellent.
Actually, the guy who owns Prometheus bought 4Sevens just after the rebranding to FourSevens. They are still available as a lower cost alternative to his own lights
The Prometheus website has 4Sevens flashlights. Haven’t dealt with either, though.
Streamlight stinger, while it has three different settings, will directly turn on and off, I have one at work that looks all beat to hell, but has been the most reliable flashlight I’ve ever owned.
I heartily second this. I have a metal one that lives on a charger in my truck. It is a fine product. I'm not really a fan boy, but I carry a microstream in my pocket and the army has provided me with a head/helmet lamp from them that's pretty damn useful.
I don't have any particular expertise on gear, except possibly computer peripherals, among this crowd. You all know cars and clothes as well as I do and tools, knives, and guns better.
So I'll focus on something where I do have expertise: how you know your lawyer is good. (I'm not your lawyer, and you probably shouldn't hire me as your lawyer unless you run a nonprofit or give away a lot of money to nonprofits, but these principles apply in all legal settings I'm familiar with.)
Working with lawyers is frustrating at the best of times. We're stunningly expensive, often behind schedule (which really isn't a sign we're incompetent—it's inherent to how the profession works), and have to deliver a lot of bad news. So how do you tell between an inherently frustrating situation and one where your lawyer, specifically, is the problem?
(1) Listening. If you don't feel that your lawyer is listening to what you are saying, that's a problem. Like doctors, we often confuse knowing the solution with knowing the problem. We're paid to advise you about how to solve your problems (or, sometimes, tell you there's not much you can do), not to tell you what your problems are or aren't. Expect your lawyer to tell you from time to time "I hear what you're saying, but acting on this would be worse than not acting, for these reasons." Don't put up with "It's really not a problem."
(2) Leveling with you. You hire us for our expertise. You're paying, so the expertise should work for you, not be wielded against you. If you feel we're trying to intimidate you with jargon or pull rank over you, that's not good. (But we'll be happy to do those things to your adversaries where it's helpful.) Servility isn't good either, because it's a sign we won't give bad news when necessary. Your lawyer should treat you as an equal and start from a position of mutual respect.
(3) Speaking and writing. If you want to evaluate your lawyer's credentials, don't look first at the fancy school where they got their degree or the fancy firm where they work. Look at their public writing and where they speak. Lawyers who are active in speaking and writing, especially in their own professional associations, tend to be the ones who are most committed to expanding their knowledge and who are the most respected among the people who do the same thing they do.
(4) Advising against interest. We don't always have the opportunity to do this, but if we give you advice that would reduce the amount of fees we can collect, that's a good sign of our honesty.
(5) Careful attention to conflicts of interest. A good lawyer will always need to check for potential conflicts of interest before taking on a new client. Sometimes we find them, and in some of those cases it's still in your best interest to hire us. If we bargain with you about how to handle conflicts, that can seem either slick or frustrating, but it's usually a sign we're trying to do the right thing in a careful way.
These aren't guarantees, and often when you're working with us it's in a situation that's bad to start with - but they are some signs that you're dealing with someone who is conscientious and ethical.
All good advice. I've hired enough attorneys and have suffered quite a bit from bad ones.
I deal with lawyers a lot in a professional capacity and my field seems to draw decent ones. As far as my personal experience, I’m pretty sure my last one was working for the other side.
I know it isn't practical for a lot of people but buying your meat in bulk from someone who raises cattle and hogs is the only way to go for me. They'll usually sell you a half because the have other people wanting a half so it makes sense. We'll split a half a hog and half a steer every year with a family member. SO a quarter of each for each. Picked up the beef yesterday. The final packaged weight was 320 pounds at about $4.20/lb. We each got 3 roasts, 12 t-bones, 12 ribeyes, 12 sirloin steaks, cubed stew meat, spare ribs and about 100 lbs of ground with some other odds and ends.
I recommend checking with a local meat processor and ask who might be a good source. I'm fortunate enough to know people who raise animals and have room for a 14 cubic foot chest freezer. Definitely worth it the way inflation is causing chaos at the grocery.
In my small town I have the luxury now of dealing with a single cutout between the ranch and the customer -- the price per pound is higher but although I can eat 320 pounds of filets in a year I don't know anyone who will cook them for me.
For being a snob, I’d though you’d prefer a real cut of beef to a filet... Buy a cast iron, get it really hot and do a minute a side includeding the round sides. It’s 95% the beef. Secret is to let it warm up to room temo first to get that nice medium rare temp.
I thought that’s why people had kids.
Mine are ok with eggs. 25% of them I’d trust with a steak. 12 1/2% with a side of salmon.
It takes a lot of cattle to make 320 lbs of filet.
I refuse to cook, because if I learned to cook and my dick wanders off in my sixties I will have nothing keeping me from living in a Unabomber cabin.
I love steak cause it’s almost impossible to screw up if you enjoy it rare. Some really thick cuts can be complicated and a little too black and blue for me but 1-2 inch steaks take 5-10 minutes with settling time. The only hard steak to cook is the porter house cause the filet and the strip don’t like to be cooked the same
Me too. I enjoy a t-bone or porterhouse on occasion mostly to give the bone to the dog. Ribeye>strip>filet
Strip>everything else.
Growing up my parents always bought 1/2 a beef every year from dad's cousin Mike. Post college I started splitting it with them. Sadly Cousin Mike decided to retire and his kids didn't want to bother with ranching. Have never been able to find another good source.
I split half a steer with a friend every year. If I can get myself out in the cold after Christmas I’ll hopefully knock a deer down.
I had to make the decision to trophy hunt this year due to lack of freezer space. I didn’t take anything so the venison will be in short supply this year.
!! BAMBI TACOS !! .
YUMMY .
.
-Nate
I’ve bought half a hog before but have struggled to find half a beef. I agree it’s a good idea but now i need a generator for my freezer in case the grid goes down
Another good source: local high school Ag teacher or FFA advisor.
I'll cast my ballot for LL Bean flannel shirts. They last 10 years, and you can then find an identical replacement (Bean offers the same plaids year after year). El Cheapo flannel shirts last about three washings.
I can't stop buying the Orvis but not really Orvis flannels at Costco. I they get gross because I know washing them will kill it. I guess that is real grunge.
Whoever owns Filson, has destroyed them.
Yes. They were bought out by venture capital years ago. They hired a marketing guy from Patagonia to move them upmarket. My mackinaw cruiser cost 135.00 ten years ago, now they are almost 500. I’m too embarrassed to wear mine in public.
They were always expensive, but the quality has gone down when they changed to be more fashion focused.
Don't be embarrassed, wear it if you like it.
I bought a really good looking and reasonably priced flannel recently and wore it once. My wife then saw it somewhere out of place and threw it in with her wash. It shrunk so much that it's now HER flannel. Intentional or naw? Ha
LL Bean flannels are nice but I prefer Vermont Flannel Company. Better fits (IMO) and made in the USA! I've been wearing frequently for a decade with no issues.
Time. Time with family. Time with friends. Time to relax. As I get older- and life here in the land of the free and home of the brave manages to grow stranger at an accelerating rate- I find myself valuing the hours I spend together with good people more and more.
On a more tangible level, cast iron cookware, Klein Pliers and Chris King headsets are a few of the items that constitute my list of good “one and done” purchases.
I'd like to recommend the Henry Classic Lever Action .22 rimfire. It's made in America, solid quality, and very well priced. Also get a case of ammo (5000 rounds).
What happened to Hart Schaffner & Marx? I hope they don't go downhill like Allen Edmonds.
I have > 10K rounds through mine. It's a really well made gun that's a ton of fun
They're doing shit overseas now, nothing closer than Canada. I think Matt Farah's dad helped extract some shareholder value a while back and that ended up wiping them out.
That's very sad. I have some Made in U.S.A. HSM jackets that I really like. There is no mention of anything made in the U.S.A. on their website and it's hard to find current information on the company, but I did find this which says a lot.
"The Company is focused on providing competitive values through cost effective sourcing."
I have one with the gold receiver never fired it but I like it
2004-2007 V6 Jeep Liberty Limitrd 4X4 American assembled in Ohio. Body on frame sturdiness. Good for 247,000 miles with regular oil changes every 3,000 miles and tyre replacement every 50,000 miles. The combination vinyl leather seats will wear out before the mechanicals will. Short coming. Jeep no longer stocks new parts for this generation, so one has to seek out NOS.
An 04 Liberty showed up on my company vehicle selector list one year if you can believe it. Renegade package with the light bar and everything. I checked that box faster than you can say “trail-rated”. Way more interesting than the forgettable sedans on offer at the time, and it turned out to be an excellent choice despite the ribbing I took from my colleagues. One guy called it my Jurassic-park-mobile, but I was the one laughing every time we had a good snowstorm. That thing was amazing off-road and in the snow. Just a ton of fun to drive in almost any conditions, but skittish at high speeds on slick roads as a result of the short wheelbase.
I bought it out at the end of the allowable period and it has served our family since with my daughter eventually buying it from me and still driving it today.
Outside of the aforementioned vinyl/leather driver seat cracking badly on the left side, the rocker panels rusting horribly, and some interesting electrical gremlins making the occasional appearance (or disappearance), this Jeep is still in pretty good condition. My daughter’s man removed the offending rocker panels and it looks as good as it did when I picked it up from the dealer almost twenty years ago.
"Body on frame sturdiness"
Not sure if you mean the reinforced unibody is equal in sturdiness to a body-on-frame construction, because the Liberty has the former. Having said that, I agree they're not nearly as crappy of vehicles as many people like to claim. Yes there were both engine and transmission issues, yes they rust. But take care of it and it will last.
I was fortunate to never have any rust, transmission, or engine issues. I was starting to get a few electrical gremlins towards the end, but that’s it.
Must not have lived in a place with much road salt? Or you were diligent with washing it and/or oil undercoating?
My brother recently worked on one of the rare-ish diesel ones, said it was an awesome little truck. A ton of hill climbing torque and 30mpg. Wish you could get one with a stick shift!
I’m right on the Great Lakes and salt is a way of life. I tried to wash it in the winter when possible, but often couldn’t. If it’s too cold everything freezes up. No undercoating either.
I guess the rust gods smiled on me.
I had an 04 Liberty for about 7 years. It was as reliable as a tank and got about the same mileage as one.
Lol, excellent comment and spot on. They are gas pigs for sure
2014-16 Lexus GX 460. Rolling bank vaults. We have a 2014 and a 2020. The 2014 is my camping rig. Goodyear Wranglers on it and it can go almost anywhere.
We bought the 2020 in that magical two months at the start of covid when the world was ending and dealers panicked, and my sales guy called and offered it for 10k below MSRP.
Pelican tumblers. Can’t beat the quality. I think they’re still made in the USA
Saddleback Leather. I have the front pocket leather briefcase. Every time I carry the thing I feel like Ernest Hemingway. 100 year warranty and made in the US
I’m Canadian and try to shop made in Canada and made in US and it’s certainly getting harder.
Oh my God- you’re going to cost me some money with that Saddleback recommendation. An 1894 Winchester would look great in that gun sleeve. Thanks!
I keep a Helle Viking Knife in the “cigar holder” on the briefcase. With just the wooden handle sticking out. I’ve opened the bag in front of 100s of people with the knife handle clearly in view but it blends so well nobody has ever noticed it.
Going to take a look at saddleback, have always wanted a proper briefcase.
The GX460 (and older 470) will run until the heat death of the universe, amazing trucks. I looked at buying one, wound up with an LR3 because I thought it had a bit more character and it was about half the price of the GX, which buys a lot of spare parts.
Have a 2004 Series 100 Land Cruiser. Mileage is horrible, but it's indestructible, as is LX470 without hydraulic suspension. It's been jumped, off roaded, crashed multiple times, tow at max tow rating -- it'll never die
If it’s a 4.4 that LR3 will go forever if well taken care of. Probably the best product Land Rover has made since the original Land Rover.
It is. It's tied with my e36 for my favorite car I've owned.
Wife loves it as well, we'll probably add a similar vintage 4.4/4.2SC range Rover to the fleet in the next year or two.
" . . . and it was about half the price of the GX, which buys a lot of spare parts."
It pains me to say it, but you're going need a lot of spare parts for the LR3. I love my wife's GX because it doesn't need much attention from me.
It's really not been that bad over the last 3+ years, just clicked over 140k. It's no Lexus, but really not bad.
My GMT800 Silverado that it replaced was both utterly execrable and more repair trouble per mile than the Landy.
You’re costing me money! Now I must have the Barrister from Saddleback.
My work and hobby recommendation is of the very affordable end of the spectrum. Stanley’s 12’ 3/4” wide tape measure. Many years ago Stanley switched from a metal to cheap chrome plated plastic case. A few years ago they switched back to metal! The metal case is my secondary reason for recommending. My primary, super high quality printing. The black hash marks tend to wear at the edges making tape measures difficult to read accurately over time. Stanley has something figured out here. Their printing lasts much longer than any other tape measure I’ve used, even Starrett brand.
I have a 25' 1" Stanley Powerlock II that I've had for decades and while the metal case is scratched up it still works fine. While I also have a polymer bodied Stanley Leverlock, which isn't a bad tape measure, I usually use the Powerlock, unless it's for something small. In that case I use my father's 8' 1/2" Evans Power Tape.
The Evans Rule Company was once the world's largest maker of tape measures, with factories in New Jersey, Sout Carolina, and Quebec. If you bought a Craftsman tape measure from Sears, it was likely made by Evans. In 1986 Starrett bought Evans and eventually moved all tape measure manufacturing to the Dominican Republic.
Speaking of measuring tools made in America, it's not vintage but Empire squares and levels are mostly made in the USA. Empire is now part of Milwaukee and it looks like they're making the Milwaukee branded squares and levels as those are also U.S. made.
Good to know on the Empire brand. I will certainly keep them in mind in the future!
Anything made by Magpul for any purpose. Our brand snob host Gucci Mane (I kid, I kid because I love) may not approve but 95% of the time for 95% of users it is perfectly acceptable at 1/2 to 1/10 the price of high end alternatives.
I absolutely do NOT have over 150 Magpul mags for AR pattern rifles, Glock 21s, and Kriss Vectors.
Have you had boating accidents?
Especially if the ATF is reading....
Which they definitely are.
I'm trying to entice them into raiding me because it will result in the death of the neighbor's dog.
😂
I too, am an unapologetic Magpul fanboy. :D
They should make car seats for babies and bedliners for trucks.
Ha!
A Ruger 10/22 and a Mark IV semi-auto .22 pistol would make a nice set of American-made shooting implements. They are quintessential.
I have a 90-ish stainless 10/22 with a mannlicher walnut stock. My dad gave it to me when I was a kid. I had to prove myself first with a single shot absolute piece of shit .22...
One of my prized possessions.
The Mannlicher stocked 10/22s are gorgeous. I’m green with envy. Your father was a man of impeccable taste.
No doubt... I list below his favored gun-belt the fancy tan DeSantis.
I have a 10/22 made in the '60s, back when they put a metal buttplate on it. Quintessential is right!
Just bought my first 10/22 from a friend and the plastic butt plate really bothers me. Feels undeniably cheap.
Good call. I have both. The Mark IV is my girlfriend's favorite gun to shoot and keeps her interested in shooting. Probably shouldn't have encouraged her to shoot the 44 magnum. That set me back months.
I have a 10/22 in Takedown flavor. Love it, especially with 25 round mags that as far as anyone can prove, I've owned since 2012....
Sticking to the cheap and fun to shoot theme, Ruger SR22 pistol, with purple finish of course, fits right in.
I keep these and other, ahem, tools in a SecureIt Answer lightweight gun safe. First and only gun safe for me but I really like it.
I keep my ...ahem... tools in a foreign made "American Security" safe.
In a previous house I had a superior master 25. It was a tank. That's why it stayed at the old house.
Photography: The Canon 5D MKII is probably the best full frame SLR ever made. After the MKII came out around 2008 it changed everything, and for good reason. The interface is near perfect, the image quality is fantastic, and it shot near godlike cinema-ish video. Sure, they came out with further generations but they were just variations on the theme. Anyone who bought a MKII didn’t need to upgrade for nearly a decade. I’ve bashed the shit out of a pair of them over the last 15 or so years, shooting weddings, cars, anything. They’ve been dropped, scraped, and generally mistreated but refuse to yield. They make use of thirty years worth of fantastic Canon glass that can be had for cheap, the batteries just never seem to wear out, and the shutter modules racked up 100-150k actuations each.
I’m sure others will chime in that there are newer and better generations of Canon camera bodies with whatever features, but If I had to choose a camera for the apocalypse, that’d be it. Like a lot of the cars mentioned here it’s something you can buy used with confidence, because it was over-engineered to the point of almost ruining the manufacturer because they just lasted so damn long. Oh, and they were made in Japan, which is difficult to find even on flagship Japanese cameras today
There may be an "older and better" generation -- the O.G. Canon 5D! I regularly use the one I bought in '05, and I bought another for next to nothing a few years back for a photo class for a kid.
I do wish I had the MK II for the dust-defeating sensor shaker feature it added, as it's hard to keep the 5D sensor clean. It might be time to take a look on craigslist for the upgrade.
The II is physically identical, save for the video related buttons, so if stills are your thing the MKI probably deserves an honourable mention for being even cheaper!
I’d add the Nikon equivalents, like the D3 and D700 for full frame and D300, D7x00 for APSC. They can be made to use with F mount lenses from as far back as 1959. All for pennies on the dollar, because folks are moving to mirrorless, and dumping their SLR stuff.
Nothing wrong with the Canons you mention (I have a 5D), but I also have a big bag of old MF Nikkors that work well with these older DSLRs.
One of my favorite books is "Yankee Boyhood,"by R.E. Gould, which had been my dad's when he was a kid and which he passed on to me. It's the memoirs of a man published in 1950, in which he describes his childhood growing up on a Maine farm in the 1880's. He apparently grew up dirt poor, as did practically the entire town, in a world where people treated possessions the way the Plains Indians did buffalo: they used every single piece to the fullest, and then recycled what wasn't 100% used up.
But the one word Gould uses consistently to describe his surroundings is "old." Everything was old - animals both domestic and farm, people, tools, houses, clothing, boots, you name it. I suppose "old" could simply be his word for "not brand new," but I doubt it because he casually writes about cutting up old boots to make laces for sheep fetters and using the body from grandfather's old wagon as a holding bin for vegetables.
The reason I bring this up is because it seems like we're heading back into that sort of world, where people are shamelessly tight-fisted misers who're still using items originally purchased by grandpa half-a-century earlier on just another Saturday morning trip to Sears, back in The Before Time.
And I hate every minute of it.
As for recommendations, I guess I'd say find yourself a V8, 4WD pickup with a mechanical throttle (GMT400'll work), 3 or 4 old dual sport bikes and ATVs, a chainsaw made of metal that you can rebuild, and several items chambered in 7.62/.308.
GMT400s rule. I’d love a standard cab rust-free 8’ bed 350 manual 2500.
Came here to say the GMT 400s. I own a 1997 c1500 with the Vortec 305 and a 5 speed. I'm convinced that the truck will still be running long after the world implodes.
I was thinking that exact truck, but with a 6' bed extended cab.
Anything used off craigslist. It's all a bargain, and it's hard to be specific because I've bought bicycles, cars, 2014-era Mac Minis, turntables, vinyl records, tools, a leather sectional, a pogo stick, subwoofers, bass amps, ski boots, key rings, and on and on. Currently searching for a Volvo 240 wagon, anything with a manual transmission (allow fate to assist), cast iron banks, wool clothing, and 12 other things. The best part is the adventure and the weirdos you get to meet.
And the weirdo you get to meet! Ha!
It’s the F-Series pickup, for me.
Agreed- I have a ‘96 with the straight six and five speed. 220 k and runs like a top
My son found it a couple of years ago. He’s brighter than me in so many ways. It’s a great vehicle.
I'll throw in a mention for the 2006+ Lexus IS & GS. Frequently overlooked by car enthusiasts because of the badge, they're well built and solidly reliable cars, often for a bit less than the comparable BMW, merc, or Audi.
My 2007 Lexus LS460L is the best car I've had (bought from a guy off craigslist). Nobody wants sedans anymore, making them a huge bargain.
And the people that do really aren't interested in Lexus. They're great and underrated cars. I had an IS350 (since replaced with a BMW); great car but I honestly prefer my wife's GS.
Another fun one, at least a few years ago, is that ES330s and 350s tend to be around the same price as a similar age/mileage Camry. Makes no sense
I should add that the Levinson stereo upgrade is a must have.
Two things of note if you're shopping one:
The 06-13 GS has some occasional issues with dash rattles, they pop up on rough/dirt roads, easily fixable with some foam.
Get the RWD if possible. The AWD GS/IS run the passenger front half shaft through the oil pan (common) but don't use a separate part for a bracket to hold the axle support bearing (very uncommon). Long story short, can be an absolute nightmare to remove the front passenger half shaft. If you need to drive it in snow, get snow tires or use your GX.
Man I see these things all day long on Craigslist. 200,000 miles, still look in great shape. I'm sure they've got another 200,000 of life left in them.
This is one of those cars that I always want, and never buy. I think part of the reason is because I'll never have a valid excuse to get rid of it.
I just got a 1-owner dealer serviced LS 430 for the about the profit Carvana gave me on a Yaris iA 6MT I had for about 18 months (I’m shocked they’re going bankrupt). It’s a wonderful compliment to my manual sporty daily, and oozes quality. Just did a timing belt and trans flush, and looking forward to many serene miles with the dulcet 3UZ soundtrack.
I also had a Gen 1 manual Honda insight - another moonshot car that I regret selling.
On the tailoring note, my wife found an amazing cashmere and wool coat that almost fit her at goodwill, had it tailored, and promptly sold a 4-figure designer one because it pales in comparison.
For watches, I’m a big Sinn, Damasko, and Stowa fan. Despite the abject failure of Energiewende, they still make shit there and used models are just as good as new, particularly for Tegimented or Ice Hardened steel.
I actually got the chance to visit the Stowa watchmaking shop back in 2015 when the company I work for had an office in Pforzheim. Being where they are, they don’t get very many visitors, but their office ladies did a great job showing me around the building. As a bonus, I got to see some of the original Storz pieces. I bought an Antea (edit - it’s a Partitio.. I blame the flu) from them shortly after I returned home - Very nice presentation and an ETA movement for the (2015 price of ) $995.
Here here ... although the big chain thrift stores (goodwill, unique, savers) seem to sort out the good stuff far better than 5-10 years ago, treasures can still be found.
Seconded on the Sinn watches. I have a 104 that gets alot of wrist time.
I’ve had my eye on a Stowa Flieger for a while now...one of these days.
Go for it! I got a bronze 40mm flieger last year and love it.