So at the risk of sounding like a FOP (Fucking Old Person) I’m really starting to get tired of brands that have become a shadow of their former selves.

Latest example, the three Smith & Wesson Mountain guns that I bought. All three have been returned to the factory for warranty repair. Really? When did Smith & Wesson forget how to make a double action revolver?

Duluth Trading Company. When I first moved here 6 years ago they were my go to for upgrading my wardrobe from Arizona to Alaska. Quality stuff that was well designed using heavy fabrics. Yes, it was more expensive than stuff from the other big box stores but it was worth it. They’ve now cheapened up reducing features, thickness of fabrics and not nearly the quality, yet it’s still the same premium price.

Cabela’s. Back in the early 90’s when it was just a single store in Sydney, Nebraska it was our go to for outdoor gear. We’d make the annual guy’s pilgrimage to Cabela’s and drive 3-1/2 hours. It was nirvana; hardcore outdoor gear, the Bargain Cave was amazing, bought a reintroduced Colt .36 Navy black powder revolver in there (yes it’s probably an Italian copy, but it’s branded Colt and was part of their reintroduction series) Even Cabela’s own branded stuff was quality gear with things like cold weather gear designed by Iditarod musher Jeff King. Now it’s just cheap Chinese crap that might last a season if you’re lucky.

Galyan’s, coolest sporting goods store ever. It was like the old Cabela’s and REI had a one night stand with a bottle of Boone’s Farm and Galyan’s was conceived. Climbing, hunting, fishing, camping, guns (like cool Smith & Wesson limited runs, Winchester 70’s, Beretta Over/Unders and all the tactical stuff too). Then Dick’s bought them out and the decline started to eventually becoming Dick’s with team sports and patio furniture.

Motorola, they kind of invented the call phone. Used to always carry them because of their reception quality, durability and battery life. They kind of don’t exist anymore.

So yeah, if it was warmer than 20 degrees right now, I’d probably go sit out out on my porch in a rocking chair with a Daisy Red Ryder and yell at the kids in the neighborhood to get off my lawn.

London Fog, Nunn Bush, Florsheim, Etc

quote:

Originally posted by 2000Z-71:
Duluth Trading Company. When I first moved here 6 years ago they were my go to for upgrading my wardrobe from Arizona to Alaska. Quality stuff that was well designed using heavy fabrics. Yes, it was more expensive than stuff from the other big box stores but it was worth it. They’ve now cheapened up reducing features, thickness of fabrics and not nearly the quality, yet it’s still the same premium price.

Coincidentally, they revised their famous "No Bull Guarantee" in August 2019 to be only 1-year.

I'll probably still be wearing my 2010 purchases from my Alaska days when I'm throwing away my 2024 purchases.

You can still pick up new old stock or lightly used Duluth Trading clothes from the "good old days" on eBay.

Duluth stuff makes up over half of my wardrobe. It's a shame that they've taken the path of cutting quality on many of their products while keeping the prices the same or even higher. At least some of their stuff is still the same, like their socks and boxers.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
At least some of their stuff is still the same, like their ... boxers.

Not my Buck Naked. Made 5 orders spread out over '23 and '24 to replace 10+ year old with elastic wearing out.

Of the 15 pairs, 4 or 5 are already in the trash from elastic failing and/or the stitching to the elastic failing. I bought a completely different color from 10 years ago so it's real easy to tell it's the new ones failing.

Ah. That's a shame.

I wear their Free Range boxers and their Coolerino socks, and the newer ones I've bought seem to be holding up just as well as the older ones.

For me, it is the Russell Athletic brand. They were my go-to for good quality, long lasting T-shirts. The last one I bought, it shrank up enough to be slightly tight on my cat, the pocket stitching failed at the top and the neck frayed out in less that 3 washes. Awful!

Craftsman. Not the same as it once was.

I find myself going to Harbor Freight more and more these days. Equal quality hand tools that you get at Lowe's or Home Depot.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
For me, it is the Russell Athletic brand. They were my go-to for good quality, long lasting T-shirts. The last one I bought, it shrank up enough to be slightly tight on my cat, the pocket stitching failed at the top and the neck frayed out in less that 3 washes. Awful!

I used to work for Russell. I still wear stuff from when I left 30 years ago. Russell could be a case study in how a brand goes to hell in a hurry.

Doc Martens

Wore them for years but they switched making them in the UK to China and they turned into crap. Would crack and fall apart within months.

Carhartt is not what what it used to be. Probably 90% of my wardrobe is still Carhartt and has been for the past 45 yrs, but the quality and materials have fallen off like everything thing else in today’s world. They cater to the craft beer crowd now vs the working man.

You're all going off on clothing brands. I'll go off on Ritz crackers.

A tube of Ritz crackers used to be 9" long; now it's only 7" long. How do I know? Because I have (and use) 60-year-old cracker tins, 9" long, that a tube of crackers would fill.

Why does it matter? Because I have (and use) 60-year-old hand-written recipes that call for "one tube of Ritz crackers"... now I have to use one tube, plus 2" of another tube...

1st world problems.

Cabela’s…yep. Gone to hell and ain’t coming back.
Duluth Trading…yep. ^See above^

I sent my 629 back to S&W once, (back in the early 90’s) told them it was piercing primers. The firing pin nose bushing was bulged instead of flat.
Should be an easy fix right?
Nope - they sent it back after a fluffNbuff of the firing pin saying “it’s all better now.” It will still pierce a primer now and then but I guess technically it is “better”.

Toyota reliability.

quote:

Originally posted by Oaklane:
Carhartt is not what what it used to be..

Not even close. Once they shipped out their manufacturing to central America they, too, went south.

Although I have no personal experience, I'll go out on a limb and say jaguar...

John Deere mowers. You could run over a landmine with the ones from 40-50 years ago and only wonder if you ran over a stick. Now…a firecracker will destroy one.

This list would be easier and shorter if we listed companies that still made a quality product and hadn’t screwed them up

quote:

Originally posted by Appliance Brad:
This list would be easier and shorter if we listed companies that still made a quality product and hadn’t screwed them up

Snap-on comes to mind, but they are kinda spendy.

Smith and Wesson is Taurus tier now.
They had to fix a NIB 43C THREE times.

It had the barrel and cylinder each replaced twice.
Still had serious function issues.

Ended up spending almost four months at the factory.

Never again.