After stumbling across a blog post about how big brand kitchen products and appliances are mostly just hollow shells with little to no integrity, I found that same blogger/journalist has a robust list of brands that haven’t gone the way of capital sell-outs that goes way beyond kitchen utensils.
It’s worth taking a look at the list as well as the articles. The articles are conversational, but with lots of links to the source material.
I recently picked up Crafted With Pride. It is basically a directory for brands who actually manufacture stuff in America (with a section for Canada, too). There are many many tiny brands making great stuff that you’ll never hear about because they dont advertise. It’s not “BIFL” necessarily as much as it’s “buy local”, but obviously there’s a lot of overlap in those sentiments. A lot of them are literally 1 man shops.
The book is just clothes, bedding, shoes, bags, and other accessories. It’s arranged by category, but there’s also an index by state.
The appendices are great, though, because they also have a section for private label manufacturers (so you can have stuff made if you want), material suppliers (including a dedicated “union-made” section), repair shops, advocacy groups, and educational groups.
The appendices are mostly aimed towards businesses, but I’m going to go through my copy and mark which suppliers sell direct to consumer.
I wish they had an online index, cause that would make it way easier to search for stuff, but this book is clearly a labor of love from a small team, so I understand they want to make some money on sales. If you want me to look anything up for you (e.g., a leather goods company in Alabama), leave a comment here (or message me) and I’ll get back to you.
Drop your recommendations for the following
Thanks
I admit I do not have much knowledge on this front, so I would like to ask knowledge here from others for best options to reduce. While I know there is no perfect solution truly, what could be a good resource for reducing?
Looking to replace and iPhone 11 Needs to be repairable Able to text people with WhatsApp or other third party apps Able to play music with a local mp3 player Headphone jack
Looking for a backpack and wondering.
mainly used for carrying around a pencil case, water, folders, laptop and odd bits. While I understand durability comes at a cost, I have a budget of £50. Thanks and I look foward to responding to your suggestions
It’s not an easy life. Outside. Travel. Dog chewed. Rained on. Muddy. Sandy.
Rode hard, put away wet, no charge. She comes back purring weeks later.
What’s more, it was an extra long cycle because my washing machine is dying and it got stuck with an error, so they spent several hours soaking, case and all.
Well, I just charged them and apparently they work fine. I don’t know how long they’ll last after this kind of treatment, but just the fact that they didn’t die immediately deserves a commendation IMO.
Does anyone have any electric candle recommendations that they’ve used for a long time? And how is the battery life if so?
Just bought an additional one and felt like sharing somewhere.
Back in 2008 I bought an Overboard waterproof backpack. That thing took a beating for almost 15 years before the straps started giving up. It’s been through months-long trips and Canadian winters and saw near-daily use for the entire time. One thing that I loved is that I could take it on a plane, and it just fit as a carry-on, and it could comfortably squeeze underneath the seats on a plane. At the time, I heartily recommended it to everyone.
Unfortunately after 15 years, the original model was long discontinued, and they didn’t offer repairs, so I decided to buy one of their newer models. The material is thinner and flimsier, and it only took about 6 months before it started cracking where the new design forces it to flex. It’s also limited to either sealing it by clipping it where it rolls up or holding the roll with a weak piece of velcro, whereas my old one had clips at the bottom of the bag which allowed it to seal and pack much better. Anyway, the poor quality of my second purchase means I don’t recommend their stuff anymore.
Anyway, does anyone have any recommendations for a good waterproof backpack? I don’t necessarily need a dry bag as I don’t expect to ever submerge it, but I would like to keep stuff dry under monsoon rains for example. I need something durable and packable, and ideally something carry-on size, about 30L.
I appreciate any help
I need a new reading tablet. I’m not entirely sure but I heard people talking about how a lot of new tablets are becoming difficult to put pirated books onto.
Need suggestions. Cheap too maybe? Please.
