Our Methodology

The Durability Index

Every product on The Last Buy receives a Durability Index score from 0 to 100. This score represents our best assessment of how long a product will last and how well it will perform over its lifetime.

The score is not a feature review. We do not care how many settings your blender has. We care whether it will still blend in five years.

The Five Pillars

Our score is a weighted composite of five pillars, each measuring a different dimension of durability:

1. Warranty Coverage (20%)

What does the manufacturer promise? We evaluate:

• Warranty length relative to the product category
• What is actually covered vs. common exclusions
• Ease of the warranty claim process
• History of honoring vs. denying claims

A lifetime warranty from a company that fights every claim scores lower than a 5-year warranty from one that replaces without questions.

2. Material Quality (25%)

What is the product made of, and how well is it constructed? We assess:

• Primary and secondary materials (e.g., full-grain leather vs. bonded leather)
• Construction method (welded vs. glued, forged vs. stamped)
• Known failure points in the design
• Material grade relative to category standards

This is the heaviest-weighted pillar because materials are the single best predictor of product lifespan.

3. Community Sentiment (20%)

What do real owners say after extended use? We aggregate data from:

• Reddit communities (especially r/BuyItForLife, r/GoodValue, and category-specific subs)
• Long-term owner reviews (filtered for reviews mentioning 1+ years of ownership)
• Enthusiast forums and owner groups
• Warranty claim and repair community discussions

We specifically filter for longevity-relevant sentiment. A product can have 4.5 stars on Amazon but score poorly here if owners report failures after the first year.

4. Brand Reputation (15%)

Does this brand have a track record of building things that last? We evaluate:

• Brand heritage and history of durability focus
• Product line consistency (do they cut corners on budget lines?)
• Customer service quality for post-purchase issues
• Recall history and response to known defects
• Manufacturing location and quality control reputation

5. Repairability (20%)

When something breaks, can it be fixed? We assess:

• Parts availability (OEM and third-party)
• Repair documentation and community repair guides
• Tool requirements (proprietary vs. standard)
• Design for disassembly vs. sealed/glued construction
• Cost of common repairs relative to replacement cost

A product that can be repaired extends its useful life dramatically, and keeps materials out of landfills.

How We Collect Data

Our data pipeline combines:

• Automated scraping of product specifications, warranty terms, and pricing from manufacturer sites and retailers
• Community data aggregation from Reddit, forums, and long-term review analysis
• Material and construction analysis based on manufacturer specs and expert teardown data
• Brand scoring using historical reliability data, service reputation, and industry track records

All data is processed through our scoring algorithms, which apply category-specific weights and normalizations. A warranty score for a kitchen knife is evaluated differently than one for a laptop.

What We Don't Do

• We don't accept payment for scores. No brand can buy a higher rating.
• We don't do short-term testing. Durability cannot be tested in a week.
• We don't score features. A product with fewer features but superior build quality will outscore a feature-rich but fragile competitor.
• We don't fake precision. When data is limited, we say so. Scores reflect our confidence level.

Score Interpretation

Score Range	Rating	What It Means
85-100	Exceptional	Built to last a lifetime. Buy with confidence.
70-84	Strong	Well above average durability. A solid long-term purchase.
55-69	Moderate	Decent construction but some durability concerns.
40-54	Below Average	Expect to replace within a few years.
0-39	Poor	Significant durability issues. Not recommended for long-term use.

Continuous Improvement

Our methodology is not static. We refine our weights, add new data sources, and adjust category-specific parameters as we learn. Major methodology changes are documented and announced.

If you have questions about how a specific product was scored, or think our methodology could be improved, we want to hear from you at hello@thelastbuy.com.