Lee Valley

Why r/BuyItForLife recommends Lee Valley

15 mentions from real owners

• #1Dec 20, 2025

  Need BIFL Recommendations as a Graduation Present!

  You have some sweet parents. A few thoughts: don't expect breville to last. It's nice initially, but designed to break (eg. my breville food processor died in 2 years because of capacitors designed to fail. In contrast robot coupes and vitamixes last decades with abuse). I can think of a few excellent presents depending on what category: kitchen: a good knife, a good Dutch oven (either really old cast iron, or staub/le creuset). For coffee, I like a good grinder or a travel French press. Woodworking: some really great chisels, or a nice hand Plane. If you're more a utility woodworker, an excellent block plane. Measuring/marking tools are nice too. Lee Valley and Lie Nielson have heirloom quality western woodworking tools. Covington and sons is my recommendation for Japanese woodworking. Not sure about sewing or painting, as IMHO those are very into disposables. Maybe a PB Swiss screwdriver? They make BIFL tools, and some of the very best bits on the market (but are very expensive). I have my eye on the precision stubby for computer stuff.

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• #2Nov 3, 2025

  Reusable shopping bags/totes

  I like these [canvas bags](https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/home/personal-accessories/bags/55723-lee-valley-tote) from Lee Valley. They do get a bit wrinkly after washing but are strong and hold up well.

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• #3Sep 4, 2025

  Any know where to find a real, all metal, heavy duty yard shovel? Square or rounded.

  Lee valley

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• #4Aug 7, 2025

  Looking to replace every single item we own

  Lee Valley is the best!!!

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• #5Aug 7, 2025

  Looking to replace every single item we own

  That's a tough situation. All of these items are made in Canada and/or Canadian companies: \- Meyer for cookware and kitchen items; \- Takasa for sheets and towels; \- Grohmann knives; \- Lee Valley products are high-quality, if not BIFL; \- Industrie Villageois for furniture; \- Endy or Douglas for mattresses Non MIC, but durable: \- Breville toaster ovens; \- Kitchen Aid stand mixers. Avoid KA small appliances such as mini-choppers and hand mixers; \- Vitamix blenders; \- Briggs and Riley is a good choice for luggage if you have access to their repair depots

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• #6Jun 4, 2025

  Best BIFL gardening tools?

  I am a big fan of Korean and Japanese gardening tools in general. As a person who does not have massive meathook hands and is not six feet tall, I find they fit me better and have been very high quality. Felco pruners are my favourites. They have replaceable blades, springs, etc and come in different sizes (and I have yet to need to replace a blade). I have small hands and have used Felco 5 for years, which is their economy model. I recently upgraded to 15s and oh, those are even nicer. Even the number 5 were a dramatic upgrade from Fiskars. The 5s cost about twice as much as the Fiskars, but have already lasted more than five times as long. For loppers, I use Corona. Much lighter than Fiskars for the same power, which makes them much less tiring. Make sure you get a pocket sharpener too. Someday I shall try Felco loppers too, someday... As a farmer and market gardener, most of my tools come from https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca (they are Canadian, but ship internationally - or you can just use their catalogue for ideas of what to look for). Their house brand garden tools are excellent for the price. More expensive that the cheapest thing at the Home Depot, yes, but pretty competitive with the more expensive shit they sell there that is mega-heavy and breaks anyhow. One tool in particular from the house line I recommend if you have any pavers and cement driveway with gaps is the crack hoe. It works stunningly better than a butter knife. Seriously. It's a shitty task and a good tool makes it a ton faster and reaches better so you don't need to do it as often. (I still want a flame weeder someday though) Another brand I like is Radius. The shovels are the best I have ever used. Nice big foot platform, great handle height, the round handle really is terrific even in the rain. Caveat, my husband did manage to break one of the fibreglass handled ones after a decade of heavy use. They have a lifetime warranty, so I sent it back to Lee Valley (if you are outside the US, they direct you to return it through the vendor) with no hassle at all. I have upgraded to the Pro version which has a stainless steel handle. The fibreglass was lighter and I miss that a bit, but the heavier one is still very well balanced. If you aren't digging trenches with it, the lighter one was just fine before I started farming! The other product of theirs I really, really love are the weeders. The long handle one is the best thing ever for long-tap roots like dock and thistles. The shorter handtool version is like the super upgrade to the cheap dandelion weeders or a butterknife that you never knew you needed. Both of them come out top in many tool tests and surveys as well. Wilcox is another company for hand tools. The All-pro trowel is fantastic and a farm staple. I will second the ho-mi suggestion. They are basically a small hand plow. My husband reaches for this over the trowels. It's extremely versatile and can be used for digging, planting, weeding. If you don't have a lot of space or budget, I would pick this one or getting a shitty set! I don't need it all the time, but when I do, I really like my Hori-hori. Really love it for doing root divisions and such. You can also use it as a trowel, but I prefer the Wilcox if I am using it that way. My favourite weeder is a San Kaku, or triangle hoe. I love it so much that I have two of them in different lengths. I wasn't a fan of normal garden hoes, but this. This my friends! Fucking love it. Slices through weeds like butter, especially if you keep it sharpened and makes perfect furrows for planting neat rows of carrots and whatnot. So good. Also you feel like a peasant warrior farmer wielding it. Speaking of bladed tools. I always must put in a scythe shout-out. I hate weedwhackers and string trimmers and they send me into a blind rage. Not a fan of lawnmowers either really, and the scythe can replace both. It is not any more dangerous than a lawnmower I promise and doesn't require a ton of strength to use. In fact, if you are having to work hard to cut the grass with a scythe, that means you need to sharpen it sooner.

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• #7Apr 1, 2025

  Hello BiFL! I'm looking for ideas to put on a wedding registry! (Canada)

  Any yard tools from Lee Valley.

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• #8Mar 1, 2025

  Looking for Good Tools

  Check out Lee Valley

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• #9Feb 10, 2025

  Canadian Axe recommendations?

  Anything from Lee Valley. They will treat you well

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• #10Feb 10, 2025

  What brands do you trust to always deliver a high quality product?

  Vitamix. Robocoupe. Bosch (kitchen appliances). Lee Valley/Veritas. Lie Nielson. Herder chef knives. Mac knives. G and L guitars. Taylor guitars (I'm not a fan of their style/tone, but their QC is best in the acoustic factory guitar scene. PRS guitars (some of the best factory electric guitar QC). Toyota/Lexus. They just work. I have a Honda, which is pretty reliable...but they chitzied on plastic floorpan clips instead of metal. Bottom of my car started going "whoosh" after 54000 miles. Never had an issue on my 1997 Corolla. Spyderco. Victorinox. Leatherman. solid warranty, and decent QC, even with all the Chinese clones. Mitotuyo micrometers. Built different. Tom Bihn bags. Waterfield designs. IMHO significantly better and tougher than Chrome (wore a hole through a corner in 1 month) and Timbuck2. Excellent ergos. Excellent workmanship and materials. Patagonia.

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• #11Feb 7, 2025

  Don't if this is the right subreddit but... Interior clothesline?

  I have one that I got from Lee Valley years ago, its smaller with just one cable. Its entirely steel though. I originally bought it for us in our old house, because it was a very cozy bungalow and the laundry in the basement had no hanging or shelf space. I was able to retract this easily across the basement hallway so did not decapitate myself. haha. Loved it so much I kept it and installed in our new (old) house, and will keep it for when we finish that laundry arra in the basement. I dont remember the company, but Lee Valley tries to have "nice" quality items. We have bought lots of items from them over the last 15-16 years (lots of tools and garden equipment, plus some other house items like for the kitchen or laundry) and everything we have is still in good working order.

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• #12Feb 7, 2025

  What brands do you trust to always deliver a high quality product?

  Yeah Lee valley is very good

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• #13Feb 6, 2025

  What brands do you trust to always deliver a high quality product?

  Lee Valley - Woodworking, kitchen, and home & garden tool company. If they didn't design and build the item themselves, they researched the heck out of their supplier and they'll often tell you the history of the item and its development. 

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• #14Feb 4, 2025

  A list of BIFL not made in the USA

  Lee Valley / Veritas for woodworking tools. Made in Canada.

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• #15Feb 3, 2025

  Buyitforlife from Canada, what’s your favourite things made in Canada?

  Lee Valley. Hands down. Their stuff is legit.

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