I have an old Kitchen Aide mixer that was my grandmothers, passed down to my mom and now mine. Same with a meat grinder. Before I got the mixer, I have been through *countless* blenders, food processors, etc in my 18 years of marriage...Yes, nothign is made to last anymore. It's pathetic.

My Diplomacy board.

Yeah, I have a number of kitchen knives that were my grandfather's that I'll pass down. In fact, a vast majority of my furniture, kitchen, and ambiance is passed down.

I bought a desk that didn't even make it through college, unlike all the other furniture which is only starting to show its age after 40 years of use.

@2ndWhite

My Diplomacy board was my dad's. : )

I wouldn't waste money on the cheap knock-offs they make now.

My share of the national debt...

Well, definitely not social security, but almost everything I use in the kitchen (pots, pans, utensils), especially my ceramic knives...

I have a couple of real automatic watches (Bulova automatic, vintage Seiko automatic) that should still be around and working when I die. Of course, they'll be passed on to the nephew as I have no kids. Also, my writing utensils (Waterman pens and others) should still be around. Obvious;y they'll need refills. Oh, and I wear the Bulova and carry one of the Waterman sets with me, so they are daily usage items.

Woodworking tools like some old hand planes and draw knives, a quality chisel set, and my lathe chisels that, assuming they are cared for, while not daily use, get regular use and will be passed down to the next generation of woodworkers I know.

But, except for the watch and pens and a few quality hand tools I've personally bought, most of what I will pass down are already antiques either bought as collectibles or passed down to me from my parents or grandparents. I do have my grandfathers Ryobi rotary tool and it works great, but it's probably only 10 or 12 years old. I doubt the motor in it will last to see my passing no matter how well I maintain it.

@abge - Have the Citizen thoroughly checke dout every 5 years and it should last a couple of lifetimes. While not my favorite as it still has a battery, the Eco-drive movement is still a solid movement. But if you are willing to spend $400 at some point in the future, the Bulova autmoatics are world class and nearly as good as watches 10x their price. The best under 10 grand, of course, is an Omega, but that will still cost you $4000 (yes 4K).

I feel like even the kitchenware I've purchased is no good. In the 4 years I've lived in an apartment, I've gone through 4 peelers. Guess what: the old peeler my mom gave me when I moved away still works just fine.

The knives I've bought are pretty good and so is the cast iron skillet, but other than that, I don't think anything in my kitchen (that I've purchased) will last to see my kids.

@fortknox, what brand of knives do you use? My Henckel single piece forged steel knives will probably get handed down. My wife doesn't understand my obsession with maintaining them. :-)

Cast iron, copper, and stainless if of a professional or high end home kitchen line pots and pans should last a couple of lifetimes. Non-stick won't last a decade.

@Draug

Ah! I do have a very nice collection of tools, all of which I've purchased. I've been happy with them all (especially the Craftsmen). I expect them all to last long enough to see my grandkids.

I've been very happy with my Citizen, but I'm suspicious of how long the power source will last. The watch itself I'm sure is fine.

I've always wanted a fully mechanical watch, but they're much too expensive for a grad student. : )

Interesting question.

I have a lot of books that should last a long time. My mechanical pencil has some chance of doing so, and my recliner. I have some nice fountain pens (also Watermans), though I use those a little less often than daily, and a camera that should last a long long time, though I also use thatless often than I'dlike.

"but good luck carrying a knife around 50 years from now."

What's that supposed to mean? :-(

Well, people already look at me in shock when they see I carry a knife and on more than one occasion I've had to hide it somewhere to get through random security checkpoints that I wasn't expecting (no, not at airports).

Hmm.

Well, that's pretty disturbing. But carrying a knife is perfectly legal, and anybody who tried to give you guff about it would be on very shaky ground indeed. So hold your head high, wear your knife proud, and teach your grandkids to do the same.

Well, not really.

There are a lot of towns with ordinances that make my knife illegal by 1/2''. : (

Where do you experience "random security checkpoints"????

Best thing to pass on to your children: Fond memories, family history, knowledge...these are the priceless things you can not manufacture. Sorry to be sappy...but in the waning years of my last Grandparent's life, I realized what a precious resource of knowledge and history and anecdotes she was, and I truly miss that I can't talk to her any more. People that lived through WWII, that still had ration stamps from WWII in a box...incredible. THAT is what you must pass on to your kids.

Ordinance making it illegal is one thing...."random checkpoints" is dystopian-future-scary.

Oh, I see. I should have inquired about the length, I guess.

But I'm with krellin. Yikes.

Luckily, in Ohio, the only "random" checkpoints are DUI checkpoints and they A) must advertise them the day or two before (so the drunks know not to take that route home from the bar) and B) can only check your sobriety initially within the car with questions. They may flash the light aroudn the car, but won't see a pocketknife no matter how long.So hide your hand gun under your ass and don't act stupid/drunk or have booze on your breath and you'll fly right on through.

Any other security places all seem to be logical like courthouses and airports and metal detectors at schools and concerts and such. Leave the knife in the car at those places or don't carry it that night.

@krellin

I agree. It was more a commentary on how cheaply and complex things are made these days, rather than one on what's most important to give to your kids.

For instance, I went to see a showing of the Colbert Report, which involved going through a metal detector. Luckily, one of my lady friends was able to just put it in her pocketbook, which they only briefly searched.

@semck

Honestly, it's only 3", which I think is perfectly reasonable for legitimate, nonviolent uses.

Waterman seems to make some nice pens. Do you guys really write with a fountain pen, though? One of my roommates does, but I find them very hard to use.

Too bad Waterman has the worst website on the planet. Can't browse their pens at all...

One of my neigbors is a plumber and he was bitchin and grumbling the other evening. Seems Fairfield courthouse calle dhim in to fix some plumbing but hadn't relayed to security that a plumber with an acetelyne torch would be coming in and they wouldn't let him through.

@abge - Waterman also makes regular ball point and roller ball and some of the best refills in the world. Best writing instruments ever. And I have no problem with their site. It's flash or whatever and is real easy to navigate/browse.

@abge - A taping of a TV show, especially one with controversy on occasion, is hardly a "random" security checkpoint. you can't get into an amusement park without some security checkpoint any more.

huh

Maybe my wireless is just slow. Are you using Chrome? I swear the pages don't look like they should.

@Draug

Well, it was random in the sense that I wasn't expecting it. The point remains that carrying a knife is just a pain in the ass and it will only get harder to do as time goes on.

And I didn't think about my Victorinox "Swiss" Army Knife (an original from my Corps days) or my Leatherman multi-tool. They get regular weekend and some evening use and will definitely get handed down to nephew and great nephew and beyond.

Nope, IE 9.

I used to carry around a Victorinox, which was much more subtle, but I'm a wicked nail biter, which makes an army knife very hard to use. Thus, the switch to the Gerber.

Even in IE9, the "shopping guide" doesn't work.

Just as well. This is my pen of choice anyway : )

http://www.bicworld.com/en/products/details/18/4-color

LOL! YEah, I think the Waterman refills cost more than the Bic 4 color pens. hehehe

Permanent objects that I own.... uhh. My clarinet might hold up. Pictures maybe? I have a collection of paper money that will probably not make it another 100 years, if that. It will probably be lost or destroyed immediately after my death in whatever aftermath, or I'll lose it before then.

Probably nothing.

God that sounds so pessimistic lol. It's not that I don't care about heirlooms, it's just that for me these things would be a bit different.

I've written a lot of things that are kept just on my harddrive that I fully intend to be passed on to anyone but especially posterity when I'm dead. That includes letters that directly address them, that directly address my future and past selves, lots of shit. And then a few digital pictures that I can only hope will make it through whatever technological gauntlets they are faced with.

Idk. Good post though abge.

Lol also just re-read my post and I have to say inb4 TC construes my foreign money collection as a love of money.

Lmao

Abgemacht, I do use a fountain pen semi-regularly to write letters and stuff. They're great, though until I got a really good one, I found like you that they could suck.
I highly recommend the Waterman Phileas. Not only is it relatively cheap ($30-$40), it's one of the best-writing fountain pens I have ever seen. Completely trouble-free and smooth.
It also comes with glass cartridge that you can refill yourself from ink bottles, so you never have to buy cartridges.

Ravensburger puzzles and caligraphy pens. Lots of books.

@semck

I may consider it, but, honestly, writing isn't my thing. My handwriting is atrocious. If anything, I'd be more likely to buy a really nice drafting pencil than a fountain pen.

Well, if you write a decent amount, you still want a good writing comfortable pen and the rollerball's from Waterman are very comfortable (the fuller size ones) for bigger hands and have the finest rollerball in the industry.

Which are the rollerballs? I'm still having a hard time with their website.

Virtually every style has a ballpoint, rollerball and cartridge fountain, and many even have a mechanical pencil.

Yeah, I figured it out when I went on my desktop. Not sure why the laptop version was so messed up.