Asklemmy

Boots.

The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. ... A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.

A cute little passage from Terry Pratchett, but it holds very true if you ever need boots.

Paying for quality boot work, especially the kind that can be re-soled, is worth it for anyone who has to wear boots with any regularity.

When I first got a job that needed boots I was using an old secondhand pair. It was hell. Eventually I saved up for a quality pair and was totally worth it. I've not underspent on boots since.

As for suggestions as to what brand to go with these days for that... I'm less sure on that because I'm researching new brands myself since Red Wings are a joke compared to what they used to be. Danner still seems pretty all right these days.

Anything that separates you from the ground. So a bed, shoes, your health..

For most things in life I generally follow Adam Savage's advice: "Buy cheap tools until you know what you really need from that tool, then buy the best version you can afford."

However, when it comes to things that are related to safety or protect you from harm the more expensive/high quality they get, that advice goes out the window. Case in point, PC PSUs. You probably don't want your newly built PC to burst in flames because you skimped on it to buy a poorly rated PSU.

GPU's, usually the budget ones have worse performance per dollar ratios

Condoms.

Wow lots of replies but here's another one. Anything that connects you with the world. Boots, glasses, headphones

I don't know if that's just a German thing, but: Swiffer.

The knockoffs are all crap.

This is so hard to specify because it really depends on a lot of factors. It's usually more like there are specific models that are really worth getting, or pricepoints or brands depending.

Like, I don't think cordless drill/drivers that are sub $100 are really worth it if you're ever going to do more than screw into pre drilled or pre made screw holes. But a Bosch (blue), Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, etc are all pretty good. They're just usually over $100.

You're right about blenders - I never had a use for Oster blenders, but a BlendTec in 2008 changed my life (well, not really, but did do things that I have uses for at least).

Ohh, pressure cookers - I don't want to risk it exploding, so I avoid the $70 and under crowd. Actually, I went Kunh Rikon which is pretty expensive, but also really hard to screw up (like 6 layers of safeties), and easy to get refurb parts for seals and such.

Lots of safety equipment - there's all sorts of ... "fake" in that it won't actually work stuff at super cheap prices. I'm thinking like laser safety glasses or chain saw safety pants. Mid range is def worth it there.

Dishwashers IMHO. I've used cheap ones before and they clean poorly and are extremely loud. Depending on your house, you won't want to be in the next room to them. OTOH, Bosch higher end ones, like the 800 series, cost a pretty penny, but are darn near silent and actually live up to the washing claims - shit just comes clean in them. I'm usually surprised in a good way. Oh, and that third tray for silverware - I'm never going back to the basket (though lots of brands have that now).

Stand Mixers - especially if you want to get into bread or attachments for grinding things. I strongly recommend the Bosch Universal Plus. That thing is like a power tool for the kitchen. We've abused it for over 10 years and it's not slowing down. I know many people online who have had them for 30 years.

Vacuums - look into Sebo.

Niche musical instruments. A "cheap" hurdy gurdy can cost up to 2000 dollars and still sound like a bag of cats in a washing machine.

Some new recent models that are relatively cheap and sound okay exist now, but you really need to do your research.

I'm gonna say phones. If you're getting a new phone and you're on a budget, always get a refurbished flagship from Samsung/Google (they support those ones for 5-7 years of updates now). They're often far better than new budget phones for the same price. They are built better, they last longer with far better specs, and are generally far more refined in all aspects.

I would argue blenders/mixers aren't on that list. Used my mothers fancy one, used fancy ones at school, used friends fancy devices. And used my rubbish $12 blender from BigW, so I do not see why anyone pays more than $12 for a mixer ever.

Boots, though, shoes, headphones, and laptop. Those are good to be quality.

Pretty much all kitchenware is worth getting the good stuff if you can afford it, even if cheap versions will work.

Probably safety-related items.