Comment by class3shock
9 months ago
It depends on what you are looking for. I found looking at the BIFL subreddit, sites that cater more towards industry (McMaster Carr as an example), and companies based in Europe (Fjallraven as an example) can help find higher quality products faster (or finding items on there and then searching reddit/forums for "alternatives").
Sometimes it just feels impossible though E.g. trying to find various items for the kitchen that are better than the crappy import stuff sold everywhere but not ludicrously expensive for a low use item.
> trying to find various items for the kitchen that are better than the crappy import stuff sold everywhere but not ludicrously expensive for a low use item.
If you're wanting BIFL kitchen items for low use try looking for commercial foodservice versions. That stuff is generally priced between plastic throwaway versions and Williams Sonoma but if it's built to survive at least a month in a busy professional kitchen, it'll probably serve me for life.
Alternatively, head over to your nearest ethnic grocers. I have some Asian and Mexican grocery stores near me that have kitchen supply sections that stock no-frills but reasonable quality versions of kitchen tools. My nearby standard American grocery stores stock much lower quality items by comparison.
+1 on buying from commercial suppliers for even home kitchen stuff. I’m a fan of webstaurantstore.com . Prices are good, and you can buy stuff that will last you forever in a home kitchen which usually isn’t available in normal stores (eg Cambro containers).
Do you happen to know a McMaster-Carr equivalent based in Europe?
I do not but if you have a STEM club at a local school or a nearby university with a mechanical engineering program they would be able to tell you (assuming one exists).