Things that are a good value

[grampster]

The fresh smell of a warm spring morning when the sun is just rising, there is a mist on the lake, no wind, and the birds begin their daily song.

A Walther P99 and 5 or 6 boxes of 9mm.

Looking at grandchildren who have just fallen asleep in the spare bedroom.

A fine wife, who slugs you in the arm when you say or do something because she was thinking the same thought and starting to do the same thing at the same moment.

The color of the sky and water produced by the setting sun on fluffy evening clouds  and across the flat waters of the lake on a warm, calm summer night.

Wolverine Boots.

Good fitting jeans and a soft, old flannel shirt.

Super premium ice cream.

Fine, fine spirits and an occasional real cigarette;  the ones with pure tobacco and no additives.

Top quality canvas khaki's with no pleats and a little elastic in the sides.  Regular cut.

The smell of fresh mown grass.

Saturday morning breakfast with neighbors and friends.

Sons, who despite their warts and grey hair giving proclivities, actually absorbed the difference between right and wrong and are gentlemen and hard workers to the core.

A woman who stood by through thick and thin.

Coming to grips with the reality of the "The Book of Ecclesiastes" and "The Book of Job", which gives rise to a faith in Jesus.

The smell of little babies.

[Gewehr98]

Sightron riflescopes, but don't tell anyone.

KFC is definitely NOT a good value, with my physiology, one only rents KFC menu items.  Either stay there at KFC for the explosive aftermath (best idea, you're using their facilities), or drive directly home to the bathroom.  No stopping somewhere else enroute, things happen fast, very little warning, maybe a cramp or burble if you're lucky.

Harbor Freight Tools, but you have to be selective.  There are good things camouflaged in a store full of cheap chinese junk.  I've started memorizing SKU numbers.

Tektronix Phaser 560 and Phaser 780 factory color laser toner cartridges on eBay.  $9.99 each for the Phaser 560, and that'll print about 5000 pages.  $24.99 for the Phaser 780 toner cartridges, again, about 5000 pages per, but that also covers legal and tabloid size paper to full bleed width and height.  We've thrown out or sold all of our inkjet printers since we acquired the color laser machines. Check the retail prices of those toner cartridges if you don't think that's a good deal!

Used HP LaserJet 4 printers.  They run forever, need minimal maintenance, and are economical on toner.  If something hiccups, just point your browser to www.fixyourownprinter.com and do it yourself.  For example:

http://www.fixyourownprinter.com/search/center?q=hp+laserjet+4

Berry's copper-plated bullets.  Accurate, no leading, and considerably cheaper than jacketed.

Foaming bore cleaner.  The bee's knees.  Almost as wonderful a value as mixing your own Ed's Red bore cleaner.

Ed's Red bore cleaner.  Get the recipe and head down to WalMart, Lowes, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, etc.  Mix a big batch, and clean a lot of guns for a long time for pennies.  Anhydrous Lanolin is an optional ingredient, if you can't find it locally.

WW231 or WST powder.  I use WST for .38 Special, 9mm Luger, 9mm Steyr, .44 Special, .45 ACP, and .45 Colt.  That's a great value to me.

Older APC Back-UPS 800 RT units.  They're beefy, and provide a long run time when the power goes out.  But they need 4 each sealed lead-acid batteries every 5 years or so.  That's when organizations/businesses/people simply discard them, and go buy new UPS units with new batteries inside.  So I buy a pallet-load or two at DRMO auctions, get a serious discount on a bunch of new batteries, and voila'!   Family and friends have uninterruptible power supplies on all their TV, stereo, DVD, computer, nightstand alarm clock, X-Box, PlayStation, etc.  Rather nice here in flicker 'n flash Florida.

Snapper self-propelled lawnmowers.  Mine's just over 20 years old, and is still parts-interchangeable with new ones.  Same thing with their riding lawnmowers, that goofy disk-drive power transfer system hasn't changed.  Neat!

As stated before, the Remington 870, particularly the Express version.

Replica Colt or Remington black powder revolvers.

[brimic]

Lyman Great Plains Rifle
Toyota Pickups
Spiderco knives
Wusthof Kitchen knives
Leinenkugels beer
LaCrosse hunting boots
Anything made by CZ/BRNO
Amish Furniture

[garyk/nm]

Wolverine Durashocks: ugly as home-made sin, but you can't kill the danged things.
Lands End clothing. I've got an Extreme Squall jacket (gore-tex) going on 15 years old and it still looks good and does the job. Same with their shirts; 4-5 years, no problem.
Sauza tequila. As smooth as (much) higher priced labels.

[esheato]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Filson outerwear. Damn things last forever.

Ed

[jefnvk]

Anything I get free.

With the exception of alcohol.  With that, spending a few bucks of my own money is usually the much better value.

[SpookyPistolero]

Corn cob pipes, if you're a pipe smoker.

The AK.

Those Brinkman lithium surefire-type flashlights at Walmart.

BlueMoon beer, with an orange.

A strong leatherman-type multi-tool.

Probably more to come..

[Vodka7]

Mass production paperback books.  I have books I've easily red 6 times, and will read dozens more in the coming years.  You can't beat days or weeks worth of enjoyment per reading, multiplied by possibly dozens of readings in a lifetime--not to mention the karmic benefit of giving the right book to the right person at the right time.  (I have, for example, two paperback copies of Charles Bukowski's Post Office, one of which is on permanent loan, and the other is currently in the hands of the sixth person in as many months.)

All for less than the cost of one movie at a theater.

Klipsch PC speakers--expensive, but in the seven years I've owned a pair of 2.1's, I've never even thought of upgrading my speakers, nor been disappointed with the way anything sounds on them.  Occaisionally I go grazy and think about buying a faster PC than I need or getting a flatscreen, but I've never entertained the idea of buying new speakers.

[cosine]

Swiss Army knives

Martin D-15

Steinway Grand pianos

Leblanc clarinets

Yamaha Clavinovas

Special 20s

[Guest]

Swiss Army knives
Old Hickory Kitchen Knives
Case Trapper
Case Bird/Trout fixed blade and sheath
Norton India Oil Stones
Used Police trade in Model 10s
Used Police 870 shotguns
H&R / NEF single shot shotguns
Old used Lever Actions [make mind 30-30 please]
MEC single stage reloader
Maytag washer and dryer
Oil Lamps
Maglights ( all sizes)
Coleman Lanterns [old red ones from garage sales the best]
LLBean Blue Jeans
Ammo boxes [various sizes]
LLBean/ Cabelas Brass Candle Lanterns
Tea lights
Zippo Lighters
Simple Green
Dexron II /IIE ATF for gun lube
RIG
Johnson's Paste Wax
Patchworm [gun cleaning kit]
Otis Tactical Kit
USGI surplus .38spl/45 ACP cleaning rod
#2 pencils made of real wood with real lead
Cast Iron skillets, dutch ovens...cookware
Stainless pots
Hand held Can Opener
Aluminum Foil
.
.
.

[Jamisjockey]

At walmart they sell a very cheap version of Underarmor.  Its baselayer clothing that's best suited for cold conditions.   The stuff is cheap, 1/4th the cost of UA.  The only problem is they only have longsleeve, shortsleeve, and shortpant versions.  Otherwise, the stuff kicks butt.  I wear it cycling, snowshoeing, flyfishing, and camping.  

Scanttate bicycles.  They were sold under the Supergo brand, but are now part of Performance bicycle.  (www.performancebike.com)

Cheap cereal.  That stuff that comes in the bag, vs. a name brand in the box.

[grampster]

Leatherman Micra.

[Guest]

Swiss Army knives

Martin D-15

Steinway Grand pianos

Leblanc clarinets

Yamaha Clavinovas

Special 20s

...Fender Telecaster/Stratocaster guitars, Marshall guitar amps, Ibanez Tubescreamer overdrive pedal,...

[SpookyPistolero]

Almost forgot, Silvertab jeans.

[Antibubba]

The Sunday Farmer's Market, in the Central Valley of California.  I am eating so well, so healthily, for so little.  Right now, it's oranges and asparagus.

The SKS.

Used books, and the odd stores you find them in.

Dogs.

A $10 pair of sunglasses.

(Gently) Used Army boots.

A long, hot shower.

Spring, when the ladies start wearing their flowery little dresses!

THR and APS.

[HForrest]

Ecco shoes.  They tend to cost a bit more, but are more comfortable and last longer in my experience.

Definitely seconded. After buying crappy outlet store shoes for years, I got a couple pairs of Eccos about a year ago... very durable and comfortable. I generally have to scrounge around for wide shoes, but the European sizing fits perfectly. So far they're still in great shape.

RC Cola. If you want high-fructose corn syrup-ey, mass-produced liquid candy, there's no reason to pay more for Coke or Pepsi brand.

Bic lighters. Cheap, relatively long lasting, no wicks/flints/fuel to buy and replace constantly, and don't impart taste to cigars.

Apple computers... they just work. While I still use and will continue to use Windows, Mac OSX turned me into a believer. It just works.

High-quality cell phones. The first 3 cell phones I had were the free ones provided with the plan... one was giant and bulky, and the other 2 just flat-out stopped working after a very short period of time. I decided to pay the extra money for a Motorola RAZR a while back, and while it isn't perfect, it's a well made electronic device. I've been happy with it.

"Greased Lightning" brand cleaner... it doesn't have harsh fumes and works better than any other cleaner I've seen.

Eagle Backpacks. After having many backpacks fall apart after less than a year of relatively rough use, I bought an Eagle AIII and it's given me almost 3 years of performance and durability.

And, as jefnvk mentioned, free stuff.

[...has left the building.]

The Honda S2000 and Corvette C6 Z06.

[Gewehr98]

Antibubba,

If you're eating fruits and veggies from Denio's Open Market, make damned good and sure you wash them thoroughly.  

Otherwise, your weight-loss plan may kick into hyperdrive.

Don't ask me how I know.

BTW, that one corner of Denio's where the food vendors are located always reminded me of the binjo ditches in Osan and Kunsan, Korea.  I'll never forget that smell!

[Guest]

Older motorcycles - 80s and 90s- you can find rock solid Japanese bikes with only a few thousand on them for peanuts, and all the power I could ever use. (Mike Hailwood I am not!)
 
A simple solid gun- no frills, preferably old US or newer eastern Europe.

NEW tools. I do not know if anybody has been following this, but tools are a heck of a bargain these days. 20 years ago I bought a powermatic 66 tablesaw- can buy it today for little more than I spent then NOT COUNTING INFLATION!!  Same holds true for other tools.

Your health, your family and your friends.

Good wood - the smell of fresh cut walnut  or Port Orford cedar

Simple good food.

This is an interesting thread- so much of what we are taught by society to "value" HAS no value- like glitz and fashion, fame and fancy expendables, etc.

[Stickjockey]

Coleman hiking boots. I've got a pair that I just had to replace that are ten years old.

Harbor Freight Tools, but you have to be selective.  There are good things camouflaged in a store full of cheap chinese junk.  I've started memorizing SKU numbers.

I'd love to see that list.

[doczinn]

The first 3 cell phones I had were the free ones provided with the plan... one was giant and bulky, and the other 2 just flat-out stopped working after a very short period of time.

The one I have was free with my plan and has lasted 2 years and 4 months so far. There's still nothing at all wrong with it. And the price was right.

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

Motorola StarTac 7686W cell phones.  I've had three, they were all great.  Verizon won't let me activate them anymore, though.  Also, my Nokia 6015i has been very durable.  Survived many falls from ladders, and out of my truck.  Good phone.

[Antibubba]

Gewehr,

   Never heard of it.  There's a Sunday morning market under Hghwy 50, at 8th Street-at least 30 vendors.  But I wash everything anyway.

[Iain]

My dog. Cost £30 from my aunt eight and a half years ago.

Gym membership.

My first pair of Merrell trainers. Bought them in '99, the soles are now slick, but I still wear them for dry walks.

Army surplus canvas sack and 120lbs of sand made one of the best training tools I can afford.

Whey from wheyconsortium. Sort of tastes like ass, but is so cheap I don't care.

My 1938 Epiphone Olympic. Made in New York and made well. It was cheap when it was made and now people think it is was an expensive guitar. I got it in a junk shop and it still plays good, may need a neck reset but I'm sort of loathe to do anything to it.

Ubuntu (or other linux distro) from what I can tell. Repairing the decent computer soon and I'm going to install it on an old 8gb hard drive. Free OS that actually provides the functionality I need (word processing, internet, dvd) seems like value for money. I put it on an old laptop, but the laptop was just too old. Looked promising though.

[Felonious Monk/Fignozzle]

Wahl family haircut kit with the how-to video.  Purchased around 15 years ago for $20.00, I figure it's probably saved me somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,500 to $2000 in haircut costs between me, my son, and (a time or two) my daughters.  Not sure why SWMBO won't let me touch a hair on the daughters' head with my trusty Wahl...

...oh, and +1 on the Volvo 240's.  I own 2; a '91 Sedan which is my everyday commuter, and a '92 wagon which is my daugher's car and backup when other cars are in the shop.