I picked it up for $6 at a yard sale near Phoenix, spent an hour scrubbing off the rust, and now it's the only pan I use for everything from eggs to steaks - anyone else ditch non-stick for good after trying cast iron?
After 3 camping trips where my tent nearly blew away, a guy at the REI parking lot pointed at my cheap stakes and said "those are just giant paperclips, man." He pointed me to some MSR groundhogs and I haven't had a single issue since. Anyone else have a random stranger save you from bad gear?
I bought a pair of mid-range hiking boots back in March for $120 and by September the sole was separating from the toe on my right boot. I only used them on weekends, maybe 30 hikes total on trails in the Sierras. Some folks online say you should just glue them back with Shoe Goo and call it good. But I wonder, is that really a fix or just kicking the can down the trail? Has anyone else had bad luck with boots failing way before the 1 year mark?
I was over at a buddy's place last month helping him break down a deer he shot. His uncle who's a retired butcher watched me sharpen my knife and just started laughing. He showed me I was holding the blade at like a 30 degree angle instead of 15. I had been wondering why my edge never lasted more than a couple cutting sessions. Has anyone else realized they were doing basic maintenance totally backward for years?
Was swapping out the hinge on my old Stanley toolbox that finally gave out after 12 years. Should have been simple, but the retaining clip on the pin was some weird proprietary design I'd never seen before. Spent an hour digging through old forum posts and another 2 trying to bend it back with pick tools and a pair of needle-nose. Has anyone else run into these weird clips on older toolboxes? Wondering if there's a trick or if I should have just drilled it out from the start.
I heard some guy at a truck stop cafe last week say leather is a scam and pleather is just as good. I nearly choked on my coffee. My dad gave me a leather belt 15 years ago and it still holds up fine, no cracking or peeling. Meanwhile I bought a pleather jacket 2 years ago and it's already flaking apart like crazy. I get that cheap leather exists too, but man, there's something to be said for the real stuff if you pick a decent one. Anyone else had a pleather product fall apart way faster than expected?
Last fall at a friend's cabin in the Smokies, his dad watched me drag a chef's knife at the wrong angle on a whetstone and calmly said, 'you're grinding the edge off, not putting one on,' and suddenly all those dull blades made sense.
Waited months to save up for that fancy hand-poured skillet from a small foundry in Ohio. Dropped a cold chicken thigh in hot oil and snap, right across the middle. Has anyone else had a cast iron just give up on them like that or did I just get the one bad apple?
It was a $35 Jansport I'd had for 3 years, but the stitching just gave out carrying a heavy water bottle, and now I'm wondering if anyone else has had a supposedly 'tough' bag fail at a random seam like that.
Picked up a no-name toaster oven at a discount store for $40 thinking it was a steal for my tiny apartment kitchen. One morning it started smoking bad while toasting a bagel and I had to unplug it fast before the plastic handle melted off. Has anyone else had a small appliance turn into a fire hazard like that?
I was opening a bag of dog food at the shop and the main blade snapped clean off right at the pivot point. I've used that knife almost every single day for 26 years without any issues. Has anyone else had a long term tool just give up on them out of nowhere like that?
I was always a cotton sock guy, figured wool was just for hunters or old folks. Then last month I did a 6 mile loop up near Flagstaff and got caught in a downpour for 3 hours straight. My cotton socks turned into wet rags and I got blisters on both heels by mile 4. A buddy at the trailhead let me borrow a pair of his Darn Toughs for the walk back to the car and my feet actually stayed warm even soaked. I ordered three pairs that same night and now I'm mad I wasted years on cheap cotton packs. Anyone else have a piece of gear that made you feel dumb for waiting so long to try it?
Everyone raves about non-stick pans, but my Lodge skillet just crossed a decade of daily use with zero coating to worry about. I’ve even used it to hammer a tent stake flat when I was camping near Big Sur last fall. Anyone else think we hype up the shiny new stuff too much?
I grabbed a used craftsman vise for $15 there about 6 months ago. Thing must be from the 1970s, weighs like 40 pounds, and it works better than any new clamp I ever bought at Home Depot. It got me thinking about how much stuff we buy today is built to fall apart after a couple years. Now I spend more time at estate sales and pawn shops looking for the older stuff. Anyone else finding better deals on used gear than new?
Found a beat up old Lodge at a garage sale in Phoenix last month for $60, took an hour with steel wool and some elbow grease to strip the rust off. Anyone else have luck bringing old cast iron back to life?
I left my trusty Lodge skillet on the stove during a breakfast rush at my buddy's cabin up near Lake Arrowhead. The whole kitchen caught some smoke damage from a grease fire that flared up when I stepped out for wood. That pan came out blacker than coal and I figured it was toast, but after a scrub and three rounds of reseasoning it's back to cooking eggs like nothing happened. Has anyone else had a piece of gear survive something way worse than you expected?
Bought a random boot dryer off Amazon for $20 last winter. It melted the sole of my work boots after three uses. Anyone got a brand that won't ruin $150 boots?
My buddy swears by patching his old Jansport with duct tape and says it's good for another 5 years, but after my third patch on a strap the whole thing ripped at a bus stop in Portland. Anyone else hit a limit on repairs where you just gotta call it quits?
I bought a Stanley thermos back in 2002 for my construction job, and it kept my coffee hot for about 10 hours every single day. Last month the vacuum seal started leaking, so I picked up a new one for $38 at the hardware store. The old one still held heat for 6 hours, but I figure two decades of dropping it off ladders is a good run. Has anyone else had a thermos last that long, or is there a better brand I should look at next time?
Last Tuesday I stepped in a puddle of oil at a loading dock and then walked through gravel for two blocks before I noticed. It ground that stuff deep into the leather and now I've got scratches that won't buff out even after two rounds of saddle soap. Anybody got a trick for fixing deep gouges in work boots?
I walked into this tiny shop in Portland last spring, no sign out front just a bell on the door. This guy in his 80s took one look at the 1940s Elgin I handed him and said 'your granddad kept this clean, I can tell from the mainspring tension.' He spent 45 minutes with a loupe and tweezers, refused to take my $60, just asked me to bring him a coffee next time I come by. Has anyone else run into that kind of old school craftsmanship where they value the story more than the money?
I was working on a roof gutter replacement near the Michigan Central Station and my grip slipped. The thermos hit concrete hard and only got a dent the size of a dime, coffee was still hot 8 hours later. Has anyone else had a flask or bottle survive something stupid like that?
I started applying a thin coat of neatsfoot oil every 3 months instead of just wiping them down. After a year of daily use on concrete floors, the soles still had good tread and the leather stayed flexible. Anyone else use a specific conditioner that really made a difference?
He meant well but that stuff just attracts grit and dries out the lube I should've used instead. Now I'm out $40 for a new chain and have a scar on my elbow to remember the lesson. What's the dumbest thing someone sold you on for gear care?