That’s the age-old frugal vs cheap dilemma.

I discovered this subreddit when I was 18, now I’m 30. I’m far from from old, but I think I have some life experience that I can give some perspective to young guys reading this comment. Buying nice things or “BIFL” as a mentality has been amazing for me to get to a point where I don’t really buy a ton of stuff anymore. I don’t find myself shopping much because I was really intentional about finding the best products for my needs and saving slowly to buy them.

I like nice things that last not because it’s cheaper in the long run, but because it’s nicer for the long run. I bought a pair of redwings when I was 23, and wore them pretty much exclusively for like 5 years. I have friends who could have probably spent less money in total buying vans once a year for that span of time, but I was wearing a much nicer pair of shoes that entire time.

The BIFL influence also kept me happy with what I have because I love the stories all my things have to them. I hold onto stuff that I had to save for or be intentional in purchasing.

In summary, BIFL as a consideration when buying things is really good. There is no shame in loving your stuff when your stuff is worth loving. Buy less, buy nicer, buy it for life (ish).

I have a Northface Apex Flex soft shell that’s tough enough to be my snowmobiling jacket, and an REI pack able soft shell that’s my active winter shell. Highly recommend both.

There’s nothing wrong with it, but there is nothing particularly right with it either. Aluminum is a bit of a flag for me because it does corrode where stainless doesn’t.

West coast shaving has a kit with a handle, a head, and three different combs (piece between the handle and the head) with different angles/“aggressiveness.” You can pick the handle you like, then try the different combs until you land on one that works, then the other two will likely live in a drawer forever.

People recommend the Merkur 34c, there is honestly nothing special about that razor. It’s a stand-in for “a razor that isn’t aliexpress trash.”

We got a really nice artificial tree this year from a friend, and we plan to have it for decades.

Side note, putting your tree on a pedestal is fucking brilliant

For me, items like this get priced against what they are replacing. I'm not saying this is 100% accurate, but if a $80 set of clippers eliminates a lifetime of $20 manicures or pedicures then it's a great deal. Or maybe it doubles the time between those visits.

If hangnails etc were a big problem for you, and they aren't anymore, then I don't get why people are all weird about you getting a nice set of clippers.

There are already a lot of comments about not buying a set, but the Tramontina stainless steel set from Costco is pretty much perfect. You will need a couple individual pieces after that, but that set will get you 90% of the way there and is like $200

I think the idea is to buy fewer, simpler things. It's impossible to track down the origin of everything, and the cheaper and shittier they are the more likely they are to be made by slaves etc.

It also stands to reason that nice quality stuff is less likely to be made with these methods. It's far from 100%, but craftsmanship is usually associated with decent materials and labor

I know 99% of the time people advise against sets, but there is one exception. The tramontina stainless steel set from Costco is exceptional. It may be more than you need right now, especially if you are single, but if you can store the larger pieces for a later date you can absolutely use them for the rest of your life. Especially as a gift, families love to buy gift sets and pointing them to a specific set at Costco would be a great way to go.

All Clad is great, but the handles make me hate them.