What's a good way to get items quickly?

I have always wondered what I should do to get items quickly in TF2 without paying any money?

2 Answers

Items are dropped randomly when playing, at the rate of approximately 1 per hour, over a maximum of 10 hours of play per week. There is no way to increase this.

You also receive items from completing the Milestone achievements- the "Earn x class achievements" achievements. There are 3 achievements per class which typically provide you with one weapon for each slot.

Trading is also possible, though if you haven't spent any money you can only receive items- you cannot give them.

You can get between 8-14 (most oftenly around 10) items each week. It always resets on Thursdays, so you have the possibility of getting more items on that day.