this post was submitted on 29 Nov 2023
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Buy it for Life
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A place to share practical, durable and quality made products that are made to last, with an emphasis on upcycled and sustainable products!
Guidelines:
Things that are well-made and durable (even if they won't last a lifetime) are A-Okay!
Unlike that other BIFL place, Home-made and DIY items are encouraged here, as long as some form of instruction is included in the body of the post.
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A limited amount of self-promotion is accepted, IF the item you are selling aligns with this criteria:
- The item must be made with sustainable or recycled materials.
- If electronic in some way, the item must be open-source.
- The item must be user-serviceable (if applicable).
- You cannot be a large corporation.
- The post must be clearly marked with a [Self Promotion] tag in your title.
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I don't know if Merino wool is the best use case for BIFL.
My take on wool: Wear it as long as possible, patch it and recycle or upcycle it when the time comes, and buy something that's 100% wool instead of having synthetics mixed in, so it can be composted after use.
Unfortunately, in my experience, 100% wool doesn't last nearly as long as wool blends when it comes to durability. No matter how hard I try, I get small holes and tears within a few months. I've had the best experiences with 80% wool blends.
For merino performance fabrics at least. Look at a microscope picture of merino next to another wool, and you will understand why it's so soft but why it doesn't last as long. It doesn't help that merino t-shirts are really thin usually.
It exists but it's niche and expensive.
For general use 80/20 is a good bet if you don't mind the downsides and if you're not fanatic about natural fibres like me 😄
The only socks that come with a lifetime warranty are “Darn Tough” and (AFAIK) just one other competing brand. IIRC, both are made of Merino wool.
EDIT: Darn Tough socks are a blend of Merino wool, nylon, and lycra spandex.
In any case, Marino wool must be durable if socks makers are offering a lifetime warranty on it. The only material that I would expect to do better would be aramid (Kevlar™), though that’d be quite pricey since that fabric must be laser cut.