You've hit on what might limit it's lifespan there. Tubes. Eventually, at some point, the tubes will cease being made...

Absolutely not. They seem to not last as long as other soles. Vibrant is vastly overrated

My most recent vibram soled boots are about 50% worn after about 8 months

I find this anti-China thing a bit frustrating to be honest. Almost everything is made in China, even some really good stuff. It's not where it's made that dictates the quality. There is pure crap made in the UK and US too and plenty of the world's biggest brands are manufactured in China. It's all about quality control, not nationality.

You can only call it a thermos if it's Thermos. Thermos is a brand name ;-)

Barbour is over priced and no better quality than any of the other (much cheaper) British waxed cotton manufacturers. I have a jacket by Walker and Hawkes. Quality, British made, less than half the price.

As far as BIFL bags go, my 90s Karrimor rucksacks and my 2000's Maxpedition bags, I would consider BIFL.

I gave up on Espresso machines as I never get more than two years out of electric ones. I now use Moka pots which last forever at long as you don't put them in the dishwasher.

Yes that's absolutely true. Then there is the trade-off with how easy they are to sharpen as well. Some of the higher quality steels may keep an edge fantastically well but sharpening them correctly may well need more skill or experience. Also I have found, sometimes cost and quality are not the same thing.

My son swears by his SteelSeries Artctis Pro

I have switched from Teva to Keen this time around because I always wear through the soles in little over a season on Teva's. The EVA sole is just too soft and it's hollow, not solid as you may expect.

Pretty much any knife of a reasonable quality, even pretty cheap knives, as long as they aren't made of cheese, will last a lifetime if maintained properly.

The key is maintaining it. Most people replace knives precisely because they don't have the time or are willing to put the effort it to maintain it.

There are also many people who find old, rusted knives and are able to restore them with a little patience.

A work colleague used to use one of those kneeling chairs

I use a laptop bag from Maxpedition. I have been using it for over 18 years for both laptop and overnight stuff when doing one night stays. It still looks like new.

It's very easy to ruin knives on a bench grinder due to heat build up...

This is something I've never seen - using a mixer for mashed potato. Surely you simply use masher, or at least we do here in the UK!

Odyssey batteries - there is nothing in the Lead Acid market better.

Possibly. What OP is probably noticing is that if more heat is transferred by convection, there may be less heat transferred as radiant heat, so if you sit or stand in front of it, you maybe won't feel the warmth so much. The heat is still transferred, but using a different method. So, the room may be warmed more efficiently with more air flow, but, for example, your legs, if you are sitting facing it, may not be. So it depends what you want. Are you more interested in warming the room, or your person?

You canne change the laws of physics ...

The more you cool the radiator the more you heat the room as more heat is transferred to the surrounding air. Remember, energy cannot be created or destroyed ....

Wool is an amazing material. It's naturally anti-bacterial, doesn't absorb much water, is more or less self-cleaning unless it gets really dirty. You'll be fine.