quote:

Originally posted by Eponym:
It might be quicker to list the brands that are as good or better than they were years ago.

I still buy Craftsman because I do not use my tools professionally and Craftsman is fine for my needs in most cases. There was a Sears Hardware near me and it was a hell of lot better than Lowe's, but unfortunately it closed. I liked how they would fix a 10+ year old ratchet for free, or replace a bent shovel. I also liked how I could get parts on the website and fix my lawnmower and weedwacker. And now Lowe's and Ace carry Craftsman.

The big issue is professional products that go mainstream and then have to meet consumer cost targets.

TUMI started making indestructible luggage for frequent travelers that would wear out a bag in less than a year. It was great - heavy duty ballistic nylon and unbreakable hardware and a great guaranty. But people complained it was heavy. So they lightened it up by using thinner nylon and lighter weight hardware, and somewhere in there they were purchased by Samsonite.

The 2nd generation of their signature Aplha line had a lot of failures but kept the high price. The 3rd generation I think is a little better but it's even more expensive.

And when you go to the TUMI store most of the stuff is just rebadged fancier styled but same quality Samsonite for 2-3x the price. And a lot of the buyers are not professional road warriors, but status conscious vacationers that want the cool name but don't really need what the original TUMI was designed for

The therein lies the issue. People WANT the PROFESSIONAL brand because it's better but they don't actually need it. So cheapening of quality to improve margins or lower the price isn't noticed by most consumers. Only the people that depend on the original quality notice.

The Martin Guitar website, a place for players, enthusiasts etc gather to exchange advice, help and complain always has those that complain that the newer models aren’t up to standard.

This goes back to 68-70 when Brazil placed onerous restrictions on Brazilian rosewood and Martin switched to Indian rosewood. The claim was that the latter doesn’t have as good a sound.

Recently, there are criticisms of the build quality. Higher volumes lead to lesser build quality.

My 73 D35 is an Indian rosewood model and sounds dang good. I had a problem with some binding coming loose, a common complaint about early 70s models. Material shrinkage, bad glues etc are blamed. It was easily fixed. Seems to me almost 50 years of use through temp and humidity changes is gonna cause maint issues.

Still, recent production seems to get a lot of criticism. Haven’t played a recent production model so I’m no judge. Paying 2500 to 4000 and up should provide for good workmanship.

Who knows? I’m satisfied with mine. Players can be a “picky” lot. AFAIK the higher end models are all still made in the US in Nazareth Pa.

I would say this that you can't always broad stroke a "Brand".
I prefer to concentrate more on the actual item, product or technology.
It's like the lame question that always makes me cringe "Is XXX (brand) any good?"

As far as the products I think many many were made much better albeit inefficiently.
Now days they make products that are made with cheaper materials, more plastic, etc but perform much much better due to advancements in technology and manufacturing procedures and in may cases cheaper in cost.

But there is still a lot of truth in the saying "they don't make it like they uses to".
... and sometimes for good reason.

As far as warm clothing goes, you can't go by weight anymore. The last ten years have seen significant improvements in fabrics. I have a North Face lightweight (I mean, lightweight) fleece that I work this morning in 22 degree weather with a 10mph wind for a hour long walk. I didn't get cold at all. Same thing with my Xero brand shoes. There what I used to call tennis shoes, a synthetic fabric over rubber type soles, over the ankle. I've worn them all winter without cold feet.

Take a chance, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Yea, I’m going to disagree slightly. I’ve got older big heavy warm jackets. My wife tried to get me to buy a Columbia jacket. Pretty lightweight, had some silvery aluminum foil look to it. Nope. Finally I tried it. They call it heat Shield or something. It is easily the warmest material by weight I have ever used. If it’s cold I can just wear the jacket. If it’s freaking cold I add a layer of fleece or something and it’s warmer than jackets twice it’s size and weight.

It also was reasonably priced after discounts st our local store. I’ve ended up with a couple over the years.

So for me, this jacket is better than one I could have bought 20 years ago.

A lot of brands make this list, but Levis is near the top of mine, for a variety of reasons. Their products leave as much to be desired these days as their politics, but that's another subject.

Maytag was the go to for washer and dryer, no longer.

CCFilson,, not what it used to be. But prices are astronomical now.

Thorlos socks. The older ones would last at least 10 years. The newer ones don't feel as cushioned and I've thrown a few out in less than a year because of holes in the toes.

Brands change, the executives that come onboard change things up in the quest for new customers, the company gets sold and the new owners have ideas, the dealers that sell the brands are looking for new and different after so many seasons of the same, it's a constantly evolving game. Some brands go too far, loose their way, get rid of a a few executives, try to bring the pendulum back.

Big thing to keep in mind when complaining about a brand: is that item you're looking for still made, its just not celebrated as a leading style or, did the brand change completely? Big brands like Nike, The North Face, Carhartt, etc... are enormous and have multiple collections for different market channels.

Bet most of you had no idea Carhartt has been one of the leading street/skate brands over the last 30-years with their WIP collection

Nothing says buzzkill quite like walking into Costco and seeing the Orvis or Spyder items you own selling for a third of what you paid.
It doesn't matter that the product has been dumbed down to meet a price point, you just don't feel special anymore.

quote:

Originally posted by houndawg:
Thorlos socks. The older ones would last at least 10 years. The newer ones don't feel as cushioned and I've thrown a few out in less than a year because of holes in the toes.

Wigwam socks are the same.

I have some that I bought 12 years ago that, while thinning out some, are still going strong. Last year I purchased some of their new ones and wore through the heels in just a few months.

I've switched over to Smartwools. We'll see how they hold up.

Let's toss in things like Fram oil filters. Great reputation "back in the day". Now most of them are junk inside.

quote:

Originally posted by lbsid:
Nothing says buzzkill quite like walking into Costco and seeing the Orvis or Spyder items you own selling for a third of what you paid.
It doesn't matter that the product has been dumbed down to meet a price point, you just don't feel special anymore.

Keep in mind, that Costco is one of the biggest buyers on the Grey Market, particularly for known brands within the electronics, apparel and non-consumable categories.
My parents bought a Sony flat-screen right when they first became available; we had an issues with it, went to Sony and found out Costco was not an authorized retailer. They've also been found have Tag Hauer watches, Waterford crystal and a handful of other premium brands that they didn't purchase directly from.

Indeed...Timberland doesnt make boots per se any longer, they make "fashion footwear resembling boots targeting hipster/millenial d-bag customers"

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:
Timberland boots, Justin boots, Land's End clothing.

I hope Carhartt doesn't go the same way.

I think YMMV depending on the product and the vendor.

I bought some Levis jeans a couple years ago at Kohls that are wearing poorly and thin as tissue paper it seems. Just donated them to Goodwill.

I paid good money for several pairs of 501s at Macys recently and they are super heavyweight / sturdy and fit well.

quote:

Originally posted by bigwagon:
A lot of brands make this list, but Levis is near the top of mine, for a variety of reasons. Their products leave as much to be desired these days as their politics, but that's another subject.

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo Jones:
Indeed...Timberland doesnt make boots per se any longer, they make "fashion footwear resembling boots targeting hipster/millenial d-bag customers"

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:
Timberland boots, Justin boots, Land's End clothing.

I hope Carhartt doesn't go the same way.

Timberland's business is much bigger overseas than it is here in the US. And yes, their entire biz revolves around that damn yellow 'faux' work boot. Being a VF brand, they've pretty much given up that domestic business segment to sister brand Kodiak.

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:
 
Danner Boots, with the exception of the few remaining made in the USA models.

People here go on about Thorogood boots, but they're behind the curve. A few years back when they announced a new CEO and new plans, I thought "Uh oh". Right away they phased out much of their classic USA made designs that made them who they were and introduced lots of imported crap.

Not just Danner, there's Rocky, Georgia, Irish Setter, Carolina... hell pretty much all the long standing boot companies have gone mostly or totally off shore.


Gerber knives is another really sad tale. Remington.

Eddie Bauer used to be an expedition supplier. I went to their close-out in about 1980 in the basement of their Spokane store. Still have piles of their down-filled arctic coats.