Anyone who has spent time on the Buy It for Life subreddit likely knows about many of these products already, but we have a few special rules for our guide. For one thing, everything you see here can be bought right now. You can purchase them used—buy them that way if you want!—but we wanted to make sure each item can be bought new with its original factory warranty and is still supported by the company that made it. The second major rule? A WIRED Gear reviewer has to have personally used each product for years and vouch for it. That way, you know who to scream at in the comments if yours breaks.
Here's a good rule of thumb: Just because something is well-made doesn't mean it doesn't require proper maintenance. Take care of your stuff, and it'll last for years.
Updated March 2026: We've added a Flexzilla hose, Le Crueset's Enameled Cast Iron, Blundstone Boots, a moka pot, and a Chemex.
Shun Cutlery Sora 8-Inch Chef's Knife
I'm a fan of all things Japanese, so my most prized knife is an 8-inch Shun chef's knife, a Christmas gift from my then-girlfriend (now wife!). I have used this knife nearly daily for about a decade, sharpening it every six months to keep it employed. It shows a few scuffs (my fault), but no signs of stopping. It's also among the sharpest knives I have ever used. This is my recommendation, but there are plenty of other high-end knives worth considering, including those from German and American brands. Read our Best Chef's Knives guide for more.
A basic set of whetstones and some YouTube videos have been the difference between dull, unsafe knives and razor-sharp tools in my kitchen. I like kits like this that come with four different grits. (You likely will use only the top grits for certain knives, but they're nice to have when you need them.) I like that it comes with an angle guide and a leather strop, which help you make sure you're using the correct angle and polish the edge of your blade.
Sonder Los Angeles Walnut End-Grain Cutting Board
A solid walnut end-grain cutting board like this one won’t warp as easily as non-end-grain versions, and its thick wood cut will last you a lifetime of slicing. I like versions like this one from Sonder that have routed handles that make them easier to carry to the sink for a wipe-down.
Originating in France in 1927, these perennially popular glasses can be found in cafés and kitchens across the world. The scalloped look, heat-resistant glass, and chunky proportions make them almost impossible to smash, and while they lack the Michelin-starred sophistication of an Iittala or Reidel, we can’t imagine decimating steak frites and a bottle of chateau-du-plonk with anything else. They’re also equally suited to drinking espresso, having been tempered to withstand heat up to 130 degrees Celsius. Sadly, the carafe has long been discontinued, but WIRED’s 15-year-old sample here stands as a testament to design and durability. Glass with class. —Chris Haslam
Winemaker Lynn Penner-Ash once showed up at a dinner party my dad threw with a set of Riedel glasses because she was so tired of drinking her fine wine out of his tired old stemware. This pair of big-belled pinot glasses from Riedel are excellent for providing your nose with full, fruity aromas, and their thin glass feels extremely classy while you sip. Just be careful when washing; these are fine enough to qualify for life, but they're still breakable!
Crockpot 7-Quart Oval Manual Slow Cooker
My mom has made apple sauce in the same cheap Crockpot since the early 1990s, and it still gets warm every time. Crockpots are still made well, as are, in my experience anyway, the more modernized version: Instant Pots. Most of them will last a long time and have replaceable seals and lids, including this model I've had since college. Just be sure to clean and dry it properly before storage and you can make all kinds of stuff in it for years. I prefer ones with simpler controls, but I've had the Wi-Fi-connected model for a long time and barely used it with the app. I found it a buggy experience, but the buttons work just fine.
If you’re cooking any kind of rice dish, you deserve a good rice cooker. You might think to yourself, why change? My rice cooker is fine, isn’t it? Sure, it’s fine, but don’t you want rice to be delicious? With a better rice cooker, you’ll get rice that’s akin to stopping at a restaurant, with the help of a few more buttons. Zojirushi is the name of the game when it comes to rice cookers, not only for great cooking results but for its long lifetime on your kitchen counter. The rice cooker and warmer models like the NS-LCG05 are a great choice, but our favorite is the NP-NWC10, which is a pressure cooker for even tastier rice. —Nena Farrell
If you like strong coffee, the moka pot is one of the best brewing options around. I've had a simple Bialetti Moka Express moka pot for going on 30 years now. The design has changed little since Alfonso Bialetti introduced it in the 1930s. The moka pot is ingenuously simple, which is part of what makes it so reliable and long-lasting. The only thing that goes wrong is a rubber seal that wears out, but that's easy to replace. You can control the heat, which in turn controls how fast the water moves through the grounds, and you can control the grind size, which also contributes to how fast the water moves through the grounds. This infinite amount of variation from a limited set of choices is what makes it fun. I find the moka pot produces the best deep, rich, chocolately, smoky flavor I'm after, with just a little bite of acid. Just don't call it espresso: While it does use steam pressure to brew, the moka pot doesn't use enough pressure to qualify as true espresso. —Scott Gilbertson
The classic Chemex coffee maker is dead simple in its design and flawless in its performance. Invented by a German chemist in 1941, the top half of the hourglass-shaped Chemex holds a thick bonded paper filter at the perfect 60-degree angle to give your beans and water enough time to brew before gravity does the work of filling the pot below. Because there are no mechanical parts or plastic, the borosilicate glass Chemex can remain in perfect shape for many decades. —Martin Cizmar
I bought the Barista Express espresso machine for my now-wife five years ago, and it's been pumping out drinks almost daily ever since. We usually make an Americano, but we also make iced and hot lattes, depending on the weather. You do need to maintain it by descaling the machine every so often and changing the water filter. Breville also sells tons of parts for years in case something gets damaged over time—I recently had to replace the rubber group head gasket and it was a quick affair. I highly recommend getting the freshest beans you can (we get ours from Trade) because the Barista Express can be a bit snobby about the kinds of beans you pour in. That said, I see no signs of it stopping anytime soon. —Julian Chokkattu
Dualit Classic 2- or 4-Slice Newgen Toaster
Every Classic Dualit toaster is hand-assembled at the company's factory in West Sussex, and because the product was conceived to cope in commercial kitchens, they’re impressively robust and refreshingly repairable. You’ve got two choices if your toaster fails—you can either send it back for a quote and full repair or, if you fancy yourself with a screwdriver, Dualit sells spare parts including heating elements and timers, with prices from just £3.60 (roughly $4.50) for a new control knob. —Chris Haslam
This simple, well-made appliance from Cuisinart is a great way to make waffles, but it can also be used for any of the myriad other things you might cook in a waffle iron. The plates are easy to clean, and similar machines have been in use among the WIRED staff for years, trouble-free.
Every chef—whether in a Michelin-star restaurant or a home kitchen—knows the importance of a good thermometer. The classic Thermapen is a nearly instant-read model that has stood the test of time in many kitchens around the globe. I've used mine for everything from chicken and smoked meat to lasagna for years, and it has vastly improved the quality of my food from less-speedy versions.
Nalgene Sustain Tritan BPA-Free Water Bottle
Despite the more popular insulated stainless steel water bottles that have taken over, a Nalgene is probably the most durable water bottle you’ll find, and they remain beloved among adventurers the world over. I’ve dropped them from crazy heights, taken them on journeys, and drank liters and liters of water out of these lightweight plastic bottles, and they’re still the longest-lasting vessel I’ve tried.
KitchenAid Artisan 7-Quart Lift Stand Mixer
Your grandma has one, your mom has one, and your brother has one: The KitchenAid stand mixer is perhaps the most universally beloved buy-it-for-life item in existence. This simple yet colorful mixer can be used to make bread, cookies, cakes, and even pasta (with the right attachments). I’ve yet to hear of one that can’t be fixed, and I’ve also yet to encounter a family member who had to do any repairs. This is the 7-quart version that lets you raise and lower the bowl, which makes it easier to make larger batches.
This portable cooler is so popular that Igloo made the guard tower of the Igloo factory look just like it. A solid plastic lid that slides with a press of a button is the secret sauce here, making it easy to grab something and quickly pop the lid back on. They’ve been making them essentially the same way for decades, and they’re great for picnics, lunches, or bringing a few cold ones to a gathering.
Weber Original Kettle 18-Inch Charcoal Grill
Weber’s basic charcoal kettle is a cult classic for a reason: This grill can be used for everything from charred veggies to smoked brisket if you know what you’re doing. The tried-and-true design is cheap and practical, with plastic wheels, metal legs, and a simple tub and ash catch. The secret to making these last forever? Get a cover, or store it in a garage or shed between uses. (They can quickly corrode if you don't.) I also recommend snagging a set of cast-iron grates and a chimney for starting the thing, for ever-better searing potential. Read our Best Grills and Best Portable Grills guides for more recommendations.
Pretty much any cast iron will last a lifetime. I’m a fan of vintage Griswolds and Wagners, which are lighter and smoother than modern cast iron and come with mysterious markings you have to try to decipher using websites dedicated to their lineage. But there’s no need to spend your weekend thrifting or take your chances on the wilds of eBay when Lodge makes such excellent pans at such reasonable prices. A Lodge frying pan will set you back less than $30. It’s all but indestructible, comes out of the box well-seasoned, and will one day be sold on Etsy for way too much money by someone in your grandkid's generation.
Enameled cast iron pans like this classic Dutch oven from Le Creuset are the kind of thing you will pass down generations—literally, mine came from my grandmother. In addition to coming in a rainbow of colors that nerds and collectors covet, these French pans are some of the best-performing enameled cast iron for baking bread, cooking stews, and doing anything else many many times throughout your cooking life. If these pans are too expensive, there are also great options from Lodge and others that perform similarly, albeit perhaps not with as much visual pizazz.
All Pyrex is not the same. The Pyrex familiar to most Americans and often made in America is made from soda lime glass. It’s fine. However, the French have their own special Pyrex, made of tempered borosilicate glass through a unique manufacturing process. French Pyrex can endure an extreme temperature change without breaking—a 200-degree shift from the freezer to a preheating oven is no sweat. You’re going to want the one that’s all in capital letters with a French flag or marked “Origine France Garantie.” It does tend to be expensive and is a bit of a hassle to acquire. (Think $40 for a measuring cup that you can buy at Walmart for $10.) But, you’ll never want (or need) to replace it. —Martin Cizmar
A welcome antidote to all the pod machine waste and artisanal barista BS surrounding the coffee industry, the Moccamaster has been hand-made in the Netherlands since 1968 and makes a delicious cup (well, four to 10 cups to be precise) of filter coffee. The secret lies in the heating element, which maintains an optimal brew temperature of between 92 and 96 degrees Celsius to help produce a smooth, flavorful drink without bitterness. It’s fully repairable, is available in cool colors, and is completely recyclable. —Chris Haslam
I'm frugal first and a gearhead second. Here’s what my fellow gearheads are sometimes reluctant to tell you: Sometimes “the best” gear isn’t all that much better than second- or third-best. But when it comes to kitchenware, All-Clad gets first place, and it’s not even close. Cooking gets so much easier when your pots and pans have heat retention! All-Clad nonstick holds up well over time, and the vast majority of its pots and pans come with lifetime warranties. I have yet to use an All-Clad product that didn’t impress me. It might be an investment, but you’ll only have to make it once. You’ll never regret it. —Louryn Strampe
Le Creuset Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Cookware Set
WIRED UK managing editor Mike Dent has been enjoying these tri-ply stainless steel pans (yes, these actual ones) for the past eight years, and his guests have appreciated not being served up Teflon flakes from compromised nonstick pans. There are various sets you can choose from, but the premium-grade pans offer fast and impressively even heat distribution, as well as infinitely scrubbable surfaces. “Life after nonstick has been a revelation. Beyond a decent frying pan, you should go steel for everything else. I honestly can't see myself replacing these anytime in the near, or far, future,” Dent says. —Chris Haslam
One of the first things my grandma gave me when I moved out was a pair of Nordic Ware baking sheets. Those sheets have now lasted me well over a decade and are still working great with no warps. Pair them with any cheap silicone baking pads, and you're liable to be baking cookies for decades with no problems.
SimpleHuman Wall Mount Paper Towel Holder
I love mounting stuff to the wall. Why waste valuable counter or desk space when you can just have it floating? For years I've had a simple aluminum paper towel holder for my Bounty rolls that sat on the countertop, but that's where this SimpleHuman holder comes in. It's incredibly sturdy on the wall, super easy to remove the exact amount of paper towels you need, and swapping in a new roll is dead simple. It's been holding up well for years, and SimpleHuman offers a five-year warranty in case anything goes wrong. —Julian Chokkattu
Priority Chef Granite Mortar and Pestle
A basic granite mortar and pestle is the best way to make everything from chili paste to guacamole and will last you a lifetime.
They may not last you as long as a cast-iron pan will, but Herman Miller chairs are some of the most revered (and copied) in the industry for good reason. WIRED reviews editor Julian Chokkattu has been using the Embody since 2020, and it still feels new. It does take some time to get used to the seat—it's more comfortable the longer you sit in it—but it improved his back problems after years on a gaming chair. It's not the only Herman Miller chair you should consider. The Aeron ($1,400) is another staple in the office chair world. Both come with a 12-year warranty too. The kicker? You can most definitely find them far below the MSRP on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and local furniture resellers. Read our Best Office Chairs guide for more options.
