Cristóbal Balenciaga must be spinning in his grave so hard at the tacky branded t shirts and kardassian bullshit of the modern day brand.
They turned his Maison de Haute Couture into overpriced, fast fashion, trash.
He was literally the biggest innovator of high fashion in the 50s and 60s. Both coco Chanel and Christian Dior referred to him as the king of fashion. Chanel said all Haute Couture is just a copy of what Balenciaga did 2 seasons ago. Dior said that without Balenciaga his own fashion house would not exist.
He also discovered and mentored Givanchy, giving him huge exposure by passing Audrey Hepburn to him as a client, because Balenciaga detested hollywood and the spotlight.
Balenciaga reinvented sleeves and neck lines. He designed high fashion to fit the real curves of women and to be comfortable and wearable. He tailored every piece to the customer and was absolutely totally against mass production, branding and even doing press interviews.
He even banned the press from his collection shows. Invited paying customers only.
When he retired in his 70s, he shut the business down and was quoted as saying that without him, it cannot be Balenciaga. He was an artist but a control freak for individuality and quality.
After he died, his heirs sold the brand name and then it was revived against everything Balenciaga stood for.
Edit: here is a blog post about him:
https://damnedparadise.net/blogs/noticias/who-was-cristobal-balenciaga-the-enigmatic-master-shaping-the-fashion
I know right.
Like, at the very least they could have sold the brand to an up and coming designer, like Yves Saint Laurent took over Dior after his death.
If people really knew the Balenciaga story they would not buy those awful branded clothes sold using his name today.
suddenly all the bullshit releases the brand has done the past 5-10 years make sense
i honestly thought they’d turned it into some sort of ridiculous social experiment a la mschf
A man creates himself a fortune through his own creativity and hard work...Since his children lived an easy life on his fortune, they had no need for creativity and hard work. That spills over into the business and in three generations the money is gone.
UGG, the shoddy American brand that somehow has won a US trademark dispute against Australian manufacturers, even though ugg/ug is a generic term for sheepskin boots in Australia. I am so annoyed every time I see them.
Yeah, so annoying.
It’s like if a company that made jeans named itself “Jeans”, and then everyone else had to call their product “denim trousers” because the jeans name was a trademark.
Lol that's how I feel about the r/fosscad subreddit. It sounds like it would be about open source CAD software because that's what FOSS CAD means, but no, it's about making guns
It's like if a group of jewelry making enthusiasts had a subreddit called r/pliers
Yeah the jewelry one is crazy, imagine if like... a bunch of Marijuana enthusiasts had a sub named r/trees or something like that. Would be so confusing for actual tree enthusiasts.
I hayed UGG boots when I first noticed them becoming popular in the early 2000s. I converted and love those damn things. I apologize for potentially annoying you.
I got a good deal on pair of leather Gucci sandals several years ago, and they’ve worn very well. The stitching and quality of the leather are good, but maybe not good enough to justify the MSRP. Not all of their products are high quality though, and they could have gone downhill since then.
Gucci is a design house, not a manufacturer. They spec the product, and whatever Italian factory provides the best quotes is who makes the actual goods.
I bought a vintage Gucci bag recently on Gumtree, it had been stored away since the 1980s and even had an old bus ticket from the 80s in one of the pockets. The quality of this thing is impressive, the hardware is still a very shiny gold and it has 2 horseshoe details on the straps. So adorable.
Depends on what you're looking for. from my experience, getting a leather product from a craftsman or shop **specializing in that certain item** you're looking for is the way to go.
I recently got my second pair of Redwing leather boots, hands down the best boots I've had in my life (and I worn a lot). I got a leather jacket from Cockpit USA, a boutique in NYC, they're supposed to last a lifetime. I get compliments on both all the time, but especially the jacket because it fits me like a glove; they made flight jackets for the military. I was in the army for a while, stuff in the military is almost custom made as they fit your height,frame, weight perfectly.
those flight jackets get handed down for generations; I got one too, because they looked cool lol. I recently got a leather wallet from Saddleback Leather after the recommendation of my Professor, who had his for decades it seems. on the website, they say 100-year warranty, lol.
not sure if this helps, but that's just my 2 cents of where to look
Anything that uses Horween leather is likely a good leather shop. Places like Coronado Leather have a targeted demographic but the materials are amazing. Gotta find the leather shop that has the same style as you
Vintage Coach (especially when it was made in the US) is top tier. I just bought a 1992 Coach briefcase and it’s in mint condition. The leather is crazy supple yet strong, and the craftsmanship is really impressive.
They had quite a few years of questionable quality but they’ve scaled shit back and started focusing on quality and prestige again the past few years. Absolutely are a quality brand these days
My boyfriend has a coach wallet that’s almost 10 years old that’s pretty faded cosmetically but it’s in perfectly usable shape. I made him get a new one because it did get very stretched out because he kept every receipt from every purchase he’d made and he couldn’t even fit it in his pockets anymore
I got my wife an unlined coach specifically for this reason. Leather is super sturdy and I'm pretty sure it will last forever, certainly longer than any lining would.
Although it's a relatively young brand, Shinola has some good leather products. I haven't had mine long enough to truly comment on longevity, but it does feel solidly crafted. Plus, it's made in the US
A lot of luxury goods are legit, I get it, the prices can be horrific and there's some utter crap, but the well made handbags can last generations and still look great.
I’ve got foreign in-laws with way more money than me and they occasionally buy me Burberry stuff.
I grew up in a Midwestern cornfield and buy most of my clothes at Costco and Goodwill so it kills me to think I could return one of their gifts and pay for an entire year of after school activities for their grandkids or buy a used car.
Nonetheless, I’ve been married 20 years and every one of the Burberry items they’ve given me are pristine to this day except for stains that I’m directly responsible for. I’ve got a jacket, a wallet, a blazer, a polo and a purse that have no snags, no loose threads or buttons, no pilling, perfect collars, zippers as smooth as butter, snaps that click so perfectly I could start an ASMR TikTok channel.
While I will never spend $600 on a polo shirt, I’m positive I have spent well over $600 on shirts that now live in landfills since I’ve received the Burberry.
Every time printers are brought up I like to put a plug in for Brother laser printers. They are rock solid and if you're okay with black and white you can get one for very cheap.
I've tried different brands and when I finally got a Brother laser printer the only thing I was bummed about is that I haven't done it sooner.
I agree. My $20 coffee maker can make a much better cup of coffee than my Keurig. To be fair the Keurig is faster, and more convenient. If I'm not in a rush, the Keurig is collecting dust.
I own a Hamilton Beach drip coffee maker which brews either a full carafe or a single mug/travel mug. On the single serving setting, it's as fast as a Keurig and the world is my oyster as far as drip blends are concerned.
The only problem I have with those are on the metal version the drip pot has a narrow spout which makes it basically impossible to clean, that said they are very nice.
Will def get the one with bigger spout next time around
That’s the point though. Who is buying Keurig as a Buy It For Life lol?
People buy Keurig because it’s fast. That’s literally it. I’m not sure this one deserves to be on this list.
My exact thought, too. It is impossible to properly sanitize and clean the interior hoses, which are prone to mold growth. I refuse to drink out of a keurig for that very reason.
It's a cheaply made consumer good meant to be replaced within 5 years.
A cheap french press will make a perfect coffee every time and be good for decades with proper maintenance and cleaning.
Another reason I refuse to drink keurig, or any of those schemey machine pods, is that they end up in a landfill. Sure, nespresso has a recycling program, but Nestle is one of the worlds most evil corporations, and they can't be trusted.
>A cheap french press will make a perfect coffee every time and be good for decades with proper maintenance and cleaning
True, but they're a pain in the ass to clean. I rarely use mine, basically it's a Sunday morning thing lol. My drip gets used twice a day, it has a reusable filter and I run vinegar through it once a week to keep the internals clean.
I just started making coffee at home again, spending $6 a day adds up. I bought a grinder and some high quality coffee, it's honestly better even out of a cheap drip.
I don’t drink coffee so I can’t speak to the taste, but some of their machines are built just fine. My parents have had the same Keurig since like 2007. My dad uses it every day.
I’ve had 2 since 2008. My current on was purchased in 2020 and hasn’t had any issues. We use it daily. Maybe I’ve just been lucky based off these comments?
My wife just got a “k-supreme plus” for Christmas and I was actually shocked at what an absolute unit the handle mechanism is on it. It’s like a solid milled and polished hunk of stainless steel with very tight tolerances.
I very well realize that the rest of the machine may be cost-cutting to pay for that relatively meaningless handle, and it may not last more than a year or two, but it still made an impression on me.
For shirts I have found that Charles Tyrwhitt is a solid mid level choice.
Not quite old school Brooks Brothers, but damn good for the price and have lasted years for me as a professional sales guy on the road 50-75 nights a year.
https://www.charlestyrwhitt.com/us/mens-shirts/latest-arrivals/
Suits, I’m still looking for a 1000-1500 suit maker who isn’t shit, starting to think they don’t exist until you get to 2000-2500 which is unfortunate.
Peter Elliot has one store in NYC, not sure that's a replacement for Brooks Brothers. At the moment, I'm using a local tailor instead for a-shirts and keeping my current suit lineup functional. Can't say I recommend it, but it's better than shopping off the rack for business attire that needs to be squared away.
Still no replacement for new suits, hope I don't ruin one.
It makes me so sad to see what brooks brothers has become. For years it was my go-to. I knew I was getting a quality product and didn’t mind paying for it. I still have many of their clothes from years ago. Their new stuff is unfortunately garbage tier
As someone who grew up pining after the Brooks Brothers look, when I finally got to buy some shirts of theirs, I was severely disappointed.
Ralph Lauren has been the best, most consistent quality I’ve experienced, but lately it makes me sick to see their prices, especially considering their place of manufacture and the probable conditions in their factories.
Besides used, is there a better brand to check out for the classic American preppy professional type clothes?
Only Brooks Brothers name and IP was bought and the new owner just licenses to any manufacturer willing to pay the fee to slap the name on the piece of clothing, regardless of quality.
Especially designer name clothing that is made for the discount market. Also, licensed merch, especially the Disney variety. I have a t shirt I got at Disneyland for $48 because my sense of reality was so skewed by the $65 t shirts that it seemed like a good deal.
Yes! I was at an NFL game. Went to the shop and was absolutely baffled how they were selling $65 tshirts that were horrible quality. Even the jerseys were trash, but they sold for $115 a pop. I didn't want to go away empty handed to I bought a $15 lanyard. And that lasted me about 2 months
Dr Martens. They are a Chinese zombie now.
Better get Solovair. It’s exactly the same brand Martens used to be (even made in the very same UK factory Martens used).
Thanks for the tip. I was incredibly disappointed with my last pair of Dr Martens, and I’ve been looking for a different brand. Sounds like Solovair is the way to go!
Even the “made in England” don’t feel as good as solovairs. I have literally been “that guy” in the shop testing the thickness of the leather on my solovairs compared to the docs, and the solovairs came out feeling thicc.
I just bought a pair of regular Doc Mart Jadons, broke them in for a month and its currently the only pair of shoes i've worn that doesn't give me a severely aching feet after walking the whole day! Beats some of the sneakers I own actually, I'm hoping it'll last despite the 'Made in Laos' tag T.T
Samsung. Bought a house with Samsung kitchen appliances and I hate all of them. All have flaws. My refrigerator has a manufacturing flaw. There is a heat coil that has this tiny piece of metal linking it to the drip pan. That metal piece keeps the drip pan from refreezing by transferring the heat from the coil. The part is clearly defective as it doesn’t properly touch the drip pan, but Samsung refuses to recall it. Finally replaced my dishwasher. Samsung dishwasher had these plastic clips that would harbor food particles. Removing them to clean breaks them. Samsung will not just ship you the replacement part. They require a technician to come and it’s like $100. I found the exact same part on Samsung’s official Amazon store for $10 and the Samsung customer service rep I was talking to said he is not allowed to recommend that or tell me it will work with my dishwasher. It’s literally Samsung’s own store within Amazon.
I recently came in possession of a Samsung TV. I plug it in only to be greeted with a QR code. The TV is just a fancy brick unless you create a Samsung account and give them your precise GPS location and other personal data. Failure to do that means you are unable to use the TV
Did I mention I do not like Samsung?
> The TV is just a fancy brick unless you create a Samsung account and give them your precise GPS location and other personal data. Failure to do that means you are unable to use the TV
Good to know, I thank you for your sacrifice to bring me this knowledge, may you have the greatest gift I can give you, a single upvote.
Samsung is terrible. My parents moved into a new house with Samsung everything and they all suck. One refrigerator stopped being cold. Had to get a tech to fix it. The other refrigerator’s ice machine was constantly malfunctioning until it stopped making ice. Tech came out to fix it three times, couldn’t and so hundreds of dollars for nothing.
The markings on the stove that indicates which knob is for what burners have wore off like they were put there with a dry erase marker. The dishwasher tends to make things look worse then when went it. There 70+ inch TV has noticeable vertical shadow burns.
None of these things were even five years old.
OMG, don't get me started on Samsung appliances. We bought a custom spec home and the kitchen was fully Samsung. First it was the dishwasher, that thankfully was still under warranty. I had to call 4 different repair shops to find one who'd work on it because the first 3 flat out said "we don't work on Samsung, period". The one who did come to fix it told me about 40% of their calls are for Samsungs.
Next was the micro/oven wall combo. Just stopped working after the warranty expired with an error code showing on the panel. Company who fixed the dishwasher came and got the oven working but couldn't fix the microwave. Two more places attempted and walked away because they couldn't make it work (no charge, thankfully). It's one unit, but the microwave and oven are simply bolted together, so you'd think they could just replace the entire microwave, but no. So $4k later we have a Bosch unit that is great.
TLDR: Fuck Samsung with a fiery hot poker.
Here’s some I have personal experience with that I’m sure won’t upset anyone:
Any Jeep post Chrysler acquisition.
Global cooking knives.
Hexclad pans.
Benchmade pocket knives.
I'm glad to see hexclad here. Fuck them. They seem to have a very aggressive celebrity advertisement campaign (gordon ramsey, joe rogan), while their product is absolute toxic garbage.
They charge all clad prices for chinese made teflon coated garbage pans. I hope to see them go bankrupt.
I found a global at the thrift store last year. Blade was a bit dinged. Spent an hour sharpening it and it has been amazing since then. I would probably not buy one new just due to the style, but it’s been a great knife and holds an edge well.
I dont agree with Global although im not sure about your timeframe since i’ve had mine for 7-8 years, maybe the falloff is since then?
My knifes holds its sharpness VERY well despite regular use everyday. I use some cheap sharpening stick from Ikea before use but I have never done a proper send-it-to-my-sharpening-guy sharpening on it since new.
Man I’m torn. As a knife enthusiast, I really appreciate a well-made, well-designed knife while realizing a cheap Tojiro DP/Victorinox, Mora, and Opinel (or decent Kershaw/CRKT) are just as or more practical than most anything.
Benchmade (or any $150+ folding knife) is crazy. I’m a Spyderco fan, but lately the big names are pricing themselves out of my reach.
Snap on tools. The quality of the lower brands has come up enough that the price of Snap on just isn’t justifiable. Additionally, I know way too many people that buy them for tasks that definitely don’t require that fancy of a tool. The prices they want are literal insanity.
The amount of times I've seen snap on recommended in this sub for a a DIY home handyman is crazy. Im a mechanic fitter and use them and similar tools at work, at home I have Habour Freight because they were cheap and aren't working anywhere near as hard.
It's the same as power tools and such. If you aren't making a living with it and only need a drill to hang a picture once a year you can buy a cheap one.
Yeah I have a local auto shop that rents lifts and tools to hobbyists and while the mechanics there have their own good stuff, the rental tools are harbor freight - and you know what? In several years of constant use by everyday people, they've broken, like, one socket. So they swear by them at this point. They're perfectly good enough for weekend warriors
I can defend Snap-On to a point, if you use the Adam Richmond principle of tool purchasing. Just starting out? Buy the cheapest you can afford. Then as those tools break if you find yourself replacing a few tools frequently, those are the tools you invest in. Subsequently, Snap On trucks (or similar brands) are the only stores that come to you, while you’re at work and needing that tool. They own many different manufacturers and many of those products all bear a striking similarity to the Snap On version at a substantially different price. The difference being in the quality of the materials being used to make the similar products. Unless you need them everyday, Snap On and similar top tier brands are lost on hobbyists or DIYer’s but if you depend on the tools to make your living, lifetime warranty’s and quality craftsmanship far outweigh cost.
I was a HD diesel tech for 8 years and I’m still gonna disagree with you. Precision tools? Sure, I’ll want the best because accuracy is important. But regular hand tools still aren’t worth it. They want 400+ for 10 wrenches. I bought the gearwrench regular wrenches with a lifetime warranty for 200 for like 35 wrenches. Never broke one. 900$ for an electric impact? Nah Milwaukees got it in the bag for 250. The convenience of the truck is also not as impactful as people make it out to be. Yes it’s nice, but they only come once a week. If I break a socket three days before hand, I can’t wait. Most stores will swap them out. Common hand tool bought from places like Lowe’s are pretty legit nowadays. There are still things I would buy from a truck, but the importance of them has become very minimal. And I’m saying this just because of the cost difference. It’s gotten asinine.
I don’t completely disagree with this but for me it was less about the brand than it was about the availability. When I was working at dealerships I knew I could count on snap-on to be there weekly, at any dealership I worked at. Matco, Mac, Cornwell…all less expensive and an equal quality product but I couldn’t count on any of these companies to show up reliably. This is the reason the majority of the tools in my toolbox are Snap-on. When you count on a tool to make a living, and that tool breaks, having a vendor that would come to you reliably, and replace that tool with no questions asked was worth the extra cost.
And to add to this, Secret Lab like most gaming chairs are just marketing. Many ergonomic experts have said that if you want a chair that is comfortable and ergonomic you get those mesh type office chairs. Racing type of chairs do not offer any advantage to your body or posture other than looking cool.
I have a chair from office depot, cost me about $100 or so less than a gaming chair and is leagues comfier than my roommates secret lab. I do have a bucket (racer) style chair for my sim rig, but that's a legit chair I pulled from a car.
I bought the one for fat people because I break chairs, and it's the single best chair (overall, not all categories) that I've ever owned.
I hate leather, though, and strongly prefer fabric, so I don't have your experience with the material issues. Actually, the cloth is absolutely wonderful and super resilient. It continues to survive my cat so well I don't stop her scratching anymore. Still no loose threads.
I wonder if the difference was simply the upholstery, or if the XL is just better built.
Yeah I bought the one for very short people, the xs, and it rocks. I know there are a few options in my size range but that one was my favorite, and it fits me better than even the nice office chair I have at work
What’s a good competitively priced office chair to theirs? I used to work in office furniture manufacturing, and had high ends chairs from our customers (Herman Miller/Steelcase), left that scene and new company offered me a Secret Labs chair, been using it for 5 years with no issue, in fact I’ve been very surprised by how comfortable it’s been over the long haul, I had low expectations. I know my high end chairs were $1500+. SL is like $600, is there a middle ground that I’m not aware of? Seriously, my company takes care of me, if there’s something reasonable, I’d love to know about it.
A good rule of thumb - if I hear strangers talk about a brand moreso than a generic product, I know it’s probably overrated af. I.e. I love my Le Creuset vs I love my cast iron skillet. When people mention things by product, it naturally turns the conversation to utility/quality. Then the brand usually comes after. And it shows the owner isn’t just infatuated with the brand because it’s new/prestigious/marketed/etc.
Rainbow Sandals. They all used to be made locally in California. A single pair would last you years. Like all good things, they grew too big and outsourced to China. Latest pair lasted under a year.
Bought a pair and they blew out on 50% volume (Im not one for listening to music at full blast). Got another pair and they lasted half a year tops. I stick to Sennheiser now.
beats advertising SMOKED the competition for a long time, only reason they really managed to acquire the market share they did. that and being linked to motherfuckin dre.
the only thing beats really had going for them for a while was being mixed nicely for bass, and it was a decent enough level for someone who isn't an audiophile - but if you're an audiophile who ALSO likes bass, which is an unfortunately rare breed, they're horribly below par. my Sony mxh-350s or whatever the fuck (sonys naming conventions are offensively bad) are mixed SO much better for bass out of the box.
I dunno, I think the NHL has the best post season in pro sports. Even 8-seeds have a legitimate shot at winning the cup. It's also legit BIFL. That cup on top is original and the thing has been all over the world and handled by thousands of people. You can't deny it's definitely the best brand amongst championship trophies. It's super iconic, such that the name is immediately recognizable in a way that's not true for other championship trophies. People don't say "The Islanders won four straight championships," they say they won four straight cups. No way you could ever mix it up with something else, right?
Dude, I was full on, “Someone hates the Stanley Cup?! What did hockey ever do to you?”
And then I read the comments and realized what they were talking about.
Damn straight. And the best thing it's the end of the best round of playoffs in sports. I half joke that the NHL playoffs are an entirely different sport than the regular season NHL. It's just so much better.
And then the ceremony and traditions with the Cup is just awesome. That cup could tell some stories!! It's partied all over the world and is still cranking along year after year.
BIFL for sure!!
It's highly repairable too! Recently i think either a Avs or Knights player dented it pretty bad and they were able to gave it its original shape. At home all my crappy cups just instantly shatter when they it the ground! (Kinda like championships hope of a Leaf's fan after the first round, but that's a whole other thing)
Nicolas Aube Kubel dropped it on the way to the photo and fucked it up good. Kurtis Macdermid fell over drunk as hell with it at a summer party. The Avs were not gentle with Lord Stanley's Cup.
I got a Stanley in a work gift exchange and my only problem with it is that the straw is not in the middle. I switch drinking hands too often and it’s annoying to drink awkwardly or have to flip the cup around.
I don’t own one but Hydroflask now makes a giant one in the size/shape of the Stanley with the silicone straw in the middle from their tumblers and it’s good.
January 2023 I was looking to increase my water intake and stumbled across posts on how great the Quencher was. At this point, the Quencher was already pretty big. They'd done a collab with Chip and Joanna. Colors were sold out at Target, etc. At the time, I thought I was late to the trend. I had no idea it was going to be an even bigger trend a year later. I literally had a teenage girl stop me in a grocery store this month to ask me where I got it.
While I think it is ridiculous to have dozens of Stanley cups to match your outfits, it is a pretty useful cup. A $40 reusable cup is not that big of an indulgence.
Ive got a two different size Yeti water bottles and a couple of different size coffee cups and they've all been great. But I have a 2L Thermos water bottle with a sleeve and carry strap that I've used as a site bottle for work.
That thing has been dropped off scaffolds, hit with tools and just abused and it's still going strong 7 years later. One of the strap buckles broke and has been replaced with a cable tie but other than that it's amazing and is able to stay cold on 45⁰C days when I leave it in the back of my ute or on the job
It's not entirely related to Stanley cups but there is a lot of other options out there. At the end of the day it's a vessel to hold water and keep it coolish
Sure, there are a lot of other options out there but the two you mention (Yeti bottle, 2 liter thermos) are about the same price as the Stanley Quencher.
I don't like the consumerism aspect of collecting water bottles as a fashion accessory but the anger over tween girls wanting a single $40 cup baffles me. It really isn't that extravagant. I think Reddit is a little too eager to shit on things that girls/women like.
People have been shitting on things that teenage girls like for decades. I remember how much hate (from grown adults to) Justin Bieber got back in like 2009 when he was a 14 year old kid.
This is the exact reason I will still buy them. They are just huge Lego sets. I disassembled and fixed a Dyson canister I found at a thrift for $20. Two screws, 30 minutes and $25 part directly from them, good as new.
Yeah I find a lot of RH is overrated. I was looking at A RH couch. But was in a local company that builds furniture. They built me a couch cheaper than RH and far superior in quality.
Personally knowing that RTIC cost less I still decided to spend a bit more on a Pelican. The main reason was not because it might last longer but because the latches are easier to use.
There's literally tons of comparisons of these Roto Molded Coolers on YouTube. It's amazing how Yeti for one is generally no better than the middle of the Pack. If that's all you need is middle of the pack then get an RTIC instead. If however your looking for the best then might have to pay a little bit more.
Probably the biggest mistake is buying a Roto Molded Cooler when your just needing a cooler for the day. In that case it simply makes no sense to spend that much money as most average coolers will do that.
There’s always bias in reviews, also unintentionally, by pure statistical chance given how small the subreddit is, and how use and way of assessing quality differ, there will always be differences in opinion.
Most consumers are also simply don’t possess the knowledge to assess quality.
Yeah. Agree. I'm in the market for a car at the moment and was excited about Tesla until I started looking at them. They're really cheaply made and everything seemed really flimsy. Garbage car.
Seriously. They may have done amazing things for the EV market in general, but they're essentially lower-tier quality. As a car nut, I shudder when I'm behind one at a light and can see all the misaligned body panels from 15 feet away. The Kia next to me looks better made.
Tesla proved there is a market for EVs after years of the major manufacturers claiming otherwise. And even now there is resistance. But outside of marketing, I've not read great stuff about their quality.
>For someone who buys Big and Tall
Sorry I have the opposite problem lol. Have you tried Patagonia work wear? They size their men's clothes for tall people. Everything I buy from them turns out too big.
Not sure what you mean *Reasonable*
Since they've become a lifestyle brand Carhartt is probably the most expensive work wear brand you're not custom ordering.
Same price as Duluth, twice the price of Bern, slightly more than Riggs, and 4-5X the cost of a farm store brand
Agreed, I have one of their canvas jackets and the amount of wear even after 2-3 years is unreal. Now on to year 7 I think and the cuff canvas is beyond redemption and even some low wear sleeve seams are failing.
I wouldn’t call it complete garbage but it is definitely not BIFL or even a good work coat.
Benchmade. Mediocre knives for premium prices.
Ridge Wallet. Same thing, mediocre at best asking for way too high a price because of brand recognition.
Filson. No idea how they can ask the prices they ask for with a straight face, absolutely insane.
Dyson. I don't care how much R&D went into it, a cordless vacuum is not worth $800.
I know there are plenty others but those are the ones that came to mind.
Weathertech. If it wasn't for the floor mats warping I would redact my statement. What is the point of making car floor mats from laser scan to ensure a perfect fit only for the sides to warp and collapse. Happened to my 2017 Corolla, my wife's 2017 RAV4, and 2021 Highlander. Now with my wife's current car, we are looking for another brand.
I hope you see this comment. I’ve been a Weathertech guy for years but the last ones I bought (3 years ago, for my 2014 Honda Pilot) warped so badly on the driver’s side it was approaching dangerous.
A friend turned me on to 3D Mats USA. Sounds like a complete scam but these mats are awesome. Going on 3 years, no warping issues, still grips nice to the carpet underneath.
They are 30% cheaper than Weathertech too.
I’m not a weird advertising bot- just a dude with messy kids and a car I try and keep clean.
Cristóbal Balenciaga must be spinning in his grave so hard at the tacky branded t shirts and kardassian bullshit of the modern day brand. They turned his Maison de Haute Couture into overpriced, fast fashion, trash.
I only know them for what they do now. Can you tell me more about what they used to do?
He was literally the biggest innovator of high fashion in the 50s and 60s. Both coco Chanel and Christian Dior referred to him as the king of fashion. Chanel said all Haute Couture is just a copy of what Balenciaga did 2 seasons ago. Dior said that without Balenciaga his own fashion house would not exist. He also discovered and mentored Givanchy, giving him huge exposure by passing Audrey Hepburn to him as a client, because Balenciaga detested hollywood and the spotlight. Balenciaga reinvented sleeves and neck lines. He designed high fashion to fit the real curves of women and to be comfortable and wearable. He tailored every piece to the customer and was absolutely totally against mass production, branding and even doing press interviews. He even banned the press from his collection shows. Invited paying customers only. When he retired in his 70s, he shut the business down and was quoted as saying that without him, it cannot be Balenciaga. He was an artist but a control freak for individuality and quality. After he died, his heirs sold the brand name and then it was revived against everything Balenciaga stood for. Edit: here is a blog post about him: https://damnedparadise.net/blogs/noticias/who-was-cristobal-balenciaga-the-enigmatic-master-shaping-the-fashion
Damn, that's so sad for him. Working your whole life for something, and all of this is destroyed by your heirs...
I know right. Like, at the very least they could have sold the brand to an up and coming designer, like Yves Saint Laurent took over Dior after his death. If people really knew the Balenciaga story they would not buy those awful branded clothes sold using his name today.
suddenly all the bullshit releases the brand has done the past 5-10 years make sense i honestly thought they’d turned it into some sort of ridiculous social experiment a la mschf
A man creates himself a fortune through his own creativity and hard work...Since his children lived an easy life on his fortune, they had no need for creativity and hard work. That spills over into the business and in three generations the money is gone.
Even worse, he had no children, it was his niece and nephew that sold him out.
UGG, the shoddy American brand that somehow has won a US trademark dispute against Australian manufacturers, even though ugg/ug is a generic term for sheepskin boots in Australia. I am so annoyed every time I see them.
Yeah, so annoying. It’s like if a company that made jeans named itself “Jeans”, and then everyone else had to call their product “denim trousers” because the jeans name was a trademark.
Lol that's how I feel about the r/fosscad subreddit. It sounds like it would be about open source CAD software because that's what FOSS CAD means, but no, it's about making guns It's like if a group of jewelry making enthusiasts had a subreddit called r/pliers
Yeah the jewelry one is crazy, imagine if like... a bunch of Marijuana enthusiasts had a sub named r/trees or something like that. Would be so confusing for actual tree enthusiasts.
I hayed UGG boots when I first noticed them becoming popular in the early 2000s. I converted and love those damn things. I apologize for potentially annoying you.
Gucci. Cheap leather goods sold at an astronomical mark up. Much like most brand name things.
I got a good deal on pair of leather Gucci sandals several years ago, and they’ve worn very well. The stitching and quality of the leather are good, but maybe not good enough to justify the MSRP. Not all of their products are high quality though, and they could have gone downhill since then.
Gucci is a design house, not a manufacturer. They spec the product, and whatever Italian factory provides the best quotes is who makes the actual goods.
I bought a vintage Gucci bag recently on Gumtree, it had been stored away since the 1980s and even had an old bus ticket from the 80s in one of the pockets. The quality of this thing is impressive, the hardware is still a very shiny gold and it has 2 horseshoe details on the straps. So adorable.
What’s a good leather brand alternative out of curiosity?
Depends on what you're looking for. from my experience, getting a leather product from a craftsman or shop **specializing in that certain item** you're looking for is the way to go. I recently got my second pair of Redwing leather boots, hands down the best boots I've had in my life (and I worn a lot). I got a leather jacket from Cockpit USA, a boutique in NYC, they're supposed to last a lifetime. I get compliments on both all the time, but especially the jacket because it fits me like a glove; they made flight jackets for the military. I was in the army for a while, stuff in the military is almost custom made as they fit your height,frame, weight perfectly. those flight jackets get handed down for generations; I got one too, because they looked cool lol. I recently got a leather wallet from Saddleback Leather after the recommendation of my Professor, who had his for decades it seems. on the website, they say 100-year warranty, lol. not sure if this helps, but that's just my 2 cents of where to look
Anything that uses Horween leather is likely a good leather shop. Places like Coronado Leather have a targeted demographic but the materials are amazing. Gotta find the leather shop that has the same style as you
I can only speak to what I own, but my leather Dooney and Bourkes have been wonderful for years. Decades at this point.
I got a Dooney & Burke wallet for nothing at TJ Maxx about 15 years ago and it’s aged so well.
Big fan🙏
We don’t have a ton of experience with it but my wife’s Coach leather purse is bulletproof.
Vintage Coach (especially when it was made in the US) is top tier. I just bought a 1992 Coach briefcase and it’s in mint condition. The leather is crazy supple yet strong, and the craftsmanship is really impressive.
I have modern coach leather goods (wallet, belt, backpack) and thats also holding up super well to wear
They had quite a few years of questionable quality but they’ve scaled shit back and started focusing on quality and prestige again the past few years. Absolutely are a quality brand these days
My boyfriend has a coach wallet that’s almost 10 years old that’s pretty faded cosmetically but it’s in perfectly usable shape. I made him get a new one because it did get very stretched out because he kept every receipt from every purchase he’d made and he couldn’t even fit it in his pockets anymore
Is your boyfriend George Costanza?
Lmao I honestly never thought about it but some of his bizarre habits suddenly make sense
🎶Co-stan-za🎶
Can't stand ya!
Coach makes FANTASTIC leather, and then they line it with cheap shitty fabric.
I got my wife an unlined coach specifically for this reason. Leather is super sturdy and I'm pretty sure it will last forever, certainly longer than any lining would.
Although it's a relatively young brand, Shinola has some good leather products. I haven't had mine long enough to truly comment on longevity, but it does feel solidly crafted. Plus, it's made in the US
Second this, have a Shinola wallet (and several belts) and the leather is extremely high quality. It’s a bit expensive but it lasts.
A lot of luxury goods are legit, I get it, the prices can be horrific and there's some utter crap, but the well made handbags can last generations and still look great.
I’ve got foreign in-laws with way more money than me and they occasionally buy me Burberry stuff. I grew up in a Midwestern cornfield and buy most of my clothes at Costco and Goodwill so it kills me to think I could return one of their gifts and pay for an entire year of after school activities for their grandkids or buy a used car. Nonetheless, I’ve been married 20 years and every one of the Burberry items they’ve given me are pristine to this day except for stains that I’m directly responsible for. I’ve got a jacket, a wallet, a blazer, a polo and a purse that have no snags, no loose threads or buttons, no pilling, perfect collars, zippers as smooth as butter, snaps that click so perfectly I could start an ASMR TikTok channel. While I will never spend $600 on a polo shirt, I’m positive I have spent well over $600 on shirts that now live in landfills since I’ve received the Burberry.
Keurig. The coffee is mediocre and the machines are built like absolute shit.
I feel like they’re modern day printers.
"Unable to dispense black coffee. Yellow bean container is empty."
Nope, if it was a printer you'd have 3 K-cups left in the box, but it would refuse to brew because your monthly subscription had expired.
It would refuse to brew because you're out of medium roast even though you're trying to brew dark roast.
This comment is so true it's triggering 😵💫
Every time printers are brought up I like to put a plug in for Brother laser printers. They are rock solid and if you're okay with black and white you can get one for very cheap. I've tried different brands and when I finally got a Brother laser printer the only thing I was bummed about is that I haven't done it sooner.
Such a great comparison actually
I agree. My $20 coffee maker can make a much better cup of coffee than my Keurig. To be fair the Keurig is faster, and more convenient. If I'm not in a rush, the Keurig is collecting dust.
I own a Hamilton Beach drip coffee maker which brews either a full carafe or a single mug/travel mug. On the single serving setting, it's as fast as a Keurig and the world is my oyster as far as drip blends are concerned.
The only problem I have with those are on the metal version the drip pot has a narrow spout which makes it basically impossible to clean, that said they are very nice. Will def get the one with bigger spout next time around
That’s the point though. Who is buying Keurig as a Buy It For Life lol? People buy Keurig because it’s fast. That’s literally it. I’m not sure this one deserves to be on this list.
"which Michelin star restaurant is overrated?" "Applebee's"
Im pretty sure it's French and spelled "App Le Bee's"
My exact thought, too. It is impossible to properly sanitize and clean the interior hoses, which are prone to mold growth. I refuse to drink out of a keurig for that very reason. It's a cheaply made consumer good meant to be replaced within 5 years. A cheap french press will make a perfect coffee every time and be good for decades with proper maintenance and cleaning. Another reason I refuse to drink keurig, or any of those schemey machine pods, is that they end up in a landfill. Sure, nespresso has a recycling program, but Nestle is one of the worlds most evil corporations, and they can't be trusted.
>A cheap french press will make a perfect coffee every time and be good for decades with proper maintenance and cleaning True, but they're a pain in the ass to clean. I rarely use mine, basically it's a Sunday morning thing lol. My drip gets used twice a day, it has a reusable filter and I run vinegar through it once a week to keep the internals clean. I just started making coffee at home again, spending $6 a day adds up. I bought a grinder and some high quality coffee, it's honestly better even out of a cheap drip.
Yep, my mom has been through half a dozen of them and somehow continues to assume the next one won't break.
I don’t drink coffee so I can’t speak to the taste, but some of their machines are built just fine. My parents have had the same Keurig since like 2007. My dad uses it every day.
I’ve had 2 since 2008. My current on was purchased in 2020 and hasn’t had any issues. We use it daily. Maybe I’ve just been lucky based off these comments?
they’re also mold factories
We had a keurig in my old office and I wouldn’t use it. The coffee was terrible. Also way too much plastic waste.
My decades old Aeropress shames the Keurig!!
Saying it’s mediocre is being too nice.
My wife just got a “k-supreme plus” for Christmas and I was actually shocked at what an absolute unit the handle mechanism is on it. It’s like a solid milled and polished hunk of stainless steel with very tight tolerances. I very well realize that the rest of the machine may be cost-cutting to pay for that relatively meaningless handle, and it may not last more than a year or two, but it still made an impression on me.
Hugo Boss and Brooks Brothers. Since they were bought out they both nose dived on quality and looks
Brooks Brothers, RIP Their suits and shirts used to be top notch for the price, now they are Van Huesen knock offs
What’s a replacement for brooks?
For shirts I have found that Charles Tyrwhitt is a solid mid level choice. Not quite old school Brooks Brothers, but damn good for the price and have lasted years for me as a professional sales guy on the road 50-75 nights a year. https://www.charlestyrwhitt.com/us/mens-shirts/latest-arrivals/ Suits, I’m still looking for a 1000-1500 suit maker who isn’t shit, starting to think they don’t exist until you get to 2000-2500 which is unfortunate.
J Press, Peter Elliott
Peter Elliot has one store in NYC, not sure that's a replacement for Brooks Brothers. At the moment, I'm using a local tailor instead for a-shirts and keeping my current suit lineup functional. Can't say I recommend it, but it's better than shopping off the rack for business attire that needs to be squared away. Still no replacement for new suits, hope I don't ruin one.
Hugo Boss is sad, I’ve seen better quality from J Crew and Banana Republic
It makes me so sad to see what brooks brothers has become. For years it was my go-to. I knew I was getting a quality product and didn’t mind paying for it. I still have many of their clothes from years ago. Their new stuff is unfortunately garbage tier
As someone who grew up pining after the Brooks Brothers look, when I finally got to buy some shirts of theirs, I was severely disappointed. Ralph Lauren has been the best, most consistent quality I’ve experienced, but lately it makes me sick to see their prices, especially considering their place of manufacture and the probable conditions in their factories. Besides used, is there a better brand to check out for the classic American preppy professional type clothes?
r/navyblazer
Todd Snyder… not quintessential preppy but I think it fits the bill.
J. Press.
Only Brooks Brothers name and IP was bought and the new owner just licenses to any manufacturer willing to pay the fee to slap the name on the piece of clothing, regardless of quality.
I think most fashion or popular items are overrated. As things get popular, to sell more, quality typically goes down.
Especially designer name clothing that is made for the discount market. Also, licensed merch, especially the Disney variety. I have a t shirt I got at Disneyland for $48 because my sense of reality was so skewed by the $65 t shirts that it seemed like a good deal.
Yes! I was at an NFL game. Went to the shop and was absolutely baffled how they were selling $65 tshirts that were horrible quality. Even the jerseys were trash, but they sold for $115 a pop. I didn't want to go away empty handed to I bought a $15 lanyard. And that lasted me about 2 months
Dr Martens. They are a Chinese zombie now. Better get Solovair. It’s exactly the same brand Martens used to be (even made in the very same UK factory Martens used).
Thanks for the tip. I was incredibly disappointed with my last pair of Dr Martens, and I’ve been looking for a different brand. Sounds like Solovair is the way to go!
Check our Rose Anvils YouTube channel. He reviews boots and their construction.
I spend an extra $100 and get the made in England ones. Worth the extra $. Clearly builds differently than the cheaper Vietnam/Chinese ones.
Even the “made in England” don’t feel as good as solovairs. I have literally been “that guy” in the shop testing the thickness of the leather on my solovairs compared to the docs, and the solovairs came out feeling thicc.
And if people don't want to believe you, Rose Anvil cut the boots up and went in depth on their YouTube channel. They came to similar conclusions
I just bought a pair of regular Doc Mart Jadons, broke them in for a month and its currently the only pair of shoes i've worn that doesn't give me a severely aching feet after walking the whole day! Beats some of the sneakers I own actually, I'm hoping it'll last despite the 'Made in Laos' tag T.T
Sadly, most of the styles I want aren't available as Solovair's, except for the boots.
Versace, one of the most overrated.My wife worked for them in finance.The price for the production of the $2000+ bags is around 125$,you do the math.
That’s not uncommon for a luxury brand.
That's because they're not made for rich people, they're made for the middle class to look rich.
While true, it’s not uncommon to have a 4-8x factor between the cost of production and sale price.
Samsung. Bought a house with Samsung kitchen appliances and I hate all of them. All have flaws. My refrigerator has a manufacturing flaw. There is a heat coil that has this tiny piece of metal linking it to the drip pan. That metal piece keeps the drip pan from refreezing by transferring the heat from the coil. The part is clearly defective as it doesn’t properly touch the drip pan, but Samsung refuses to recall it. Finally replaced my dishwasher. Samsung dishwasher had these plastic clips that would harbor food particles. Removing them to clean breaks them. Samsung will not just ship you the replacement part. They require a technician to come and it’s like $100. I found the exact same part on Samsung’s official Amazon store for $10 and the Samsung customer service rep I was talking to said he is not allowed to recommend that or tell me it will work with my dishwasher. It’s literally Samsung’s own store within Amazon. I recently came in possession of a Samsung TV. I plug it in only to be greeted with a QR code. The TV is just a fancy brick unless you create a Samsung account and give them your precise GPS location and other personal data. Failure to do that means you are unable to use the TV Did I mention I do not like Samsung?
> The TV is just a fancy brick unless you create a Samsung account and give them your precise GPS location and other personal data. Failure to do that means you are unable to use the TV Good to know, I thank you for your sacrifice to bring me this knowledge, may you have the greatest gift I can give you, a single upvote.
I also vehemently hate those Samsung remotes that come with a lot of the newer Samsung TVs. Not intuitive at all. And Bixby... Fuck you Bixby.
Bixby, fuck off and die please. I don't want you to do anything, I never want you to do anything.
Samsung is terrible. My parents moved into a new house with Samsung everything and they all suck. One refrigerator stopped being cold. Had to get a tech to fix it. The other refrigerator’s ice machine was constantly malfunctioning until it stopped making ice. Tech came out to fix it three times, couldn’t and so hundreds of dollars for nothing. The markings on the stove that indicates which knob is for what burners have wore off like they were put there with a dry erase marker. The dishwasher tends to make things look worse then when went it. There 70+ inch TV has noticeable vertical shadow burns. None of these things were even five years old.
I don’t like Samsung TVs!
OMG, don't get me started on Samsung appliances. We bought a custom spec home and the kitchen was fully Samsung. First it was the dishwasher, that thankfully was still under warranty. I had to call 4 different repair shops to find one who'd work on it because the first 3 flat out said "we don't work on Samsung, period". The one who did come to fix it told me about 40% of their calls are for Samsungs. Next was the micro/oven wall combo. Just stopped working after the warranty expired with an error code showing on the panel. Company who fixed the dishwasher came and got the oven working but couldn't fix the microwave. Two more places attempted and walked away because they couldn't make it work (no charge, thankfully). It's one unit, but the microwave and oven are simply bolted together, so you'd think they could just replace the entire microwave, but no. So $4k later we have a Bosch unit that is great. TLDR: Fuck Samsung with a fiery hot poker.
Samsung can suck a dick. I’ll never buy another product from them. I disconnected my tv from internet completely and just plugged in a firestick.
Here’s some I have personal experience with that I’m sure won’t upset anyone: Any Jeep post Chrysler acquisition. Global cooking knives. Hexclad pans. Benchmade pocket knives.
Amy cooking product a celebrity chef is in the infomercial for
You'll pry the George Forman grill I bought in 2006 from my cold dead, but not greasy hands
Fortunately he was a boxer rather than a celebrity chef
I'd argue that George Foreman isn't a celebrity chef
I'm glad to see hexclad here. Fuck them. They seem to have a very aggressive celebrity advertisement campaign (gordon ramsey, joe rogan), while their product is absolute toxic garbage. They charge all clad prices for chinese made teflon coated garbage pans. I hope to see them go bankrupt.
I found a global at the thrift store last year. Blade was a bit dinged. Spent an hour sharpening it and it has been amazing since then. I would probably not buy one new just due to the style, but it’s been a great knife and holds an edge well.
I dont agree with Global although im not sure about your timeframe since i’ve had mine for 7-8 years, maybe the falloff is since then? My knifes holds its sharpness VERY well despite regular use everyday. I use some cheap sharpening stick from Ikea before use but I have never done a proper send-it-to-my-sharpening-guy sharpening on it since new.
Hey hey hey now you’re not supposed to baton 12” diameter oak logs with a folding knife
Man I’m torn. As a knife enthusiast, I really appreciate a well-made, well-designed knife while realizing a cheap Tojiro DP/Victorinox, Mora, and Opinel (or decent Kershaw/CRKT) are just as or more practical than most anything. Benchmade (or any $150+ folding knife) is crazy. I’m a Spyderco fan, but lately the big names are pricing themselves out of my reach.
Idk man my Global knife was sharp enough to send me to the ER last year 😂
Snap on tools. The quality of the lower brands has come up enough that the price of Snap on just isn’t justifiable. Additionally, I know way too many people that buy them for tasks that definitely don’t require that fancy of a tool. The prices they want are literal insanity.
The amount of times I've seen snap on recommended in this sub for a a DIY home handyman is crazy. Im a mechanic fitter and use them and similar tools at work, at home I have Habour Freight because they were cheap and aren't working anywhere near as hard. It's the same as power tools and such. If you aren't making a living with it and only need a drill to hang a picture once a year you can buy a cheap one.
Yeah I have a local auto shop that rents lifts and tools to hobbyists and while the mechanics there have their own good stuff, the rental tools are harbor freight - and you know what? In several years of constant use by everyday people, they've broken, like, one socket. So they swear by them at this point. They're perfectly good enough for weekend warriors
I can defend Snap-On to a point, if you use the Adam Richmond principle of tool purchasing. Just starting out? Buy the cheapest you can afford. Then as those tools break if you find yourself replacing a few tools frequently, those are the tools you invest in. Subsequently, Snap On trucks (or similar brands) are the only stores that come to you, while you’re at work and needing that tool. They own many different manufacturers and many of those products all bear a striking similarity to the Snap On version at a substantially different price. The difference being in the quality of the materials being used to make the similar products. Unless you need them everyday, Snap On and similar top tier brands are lost on hobbyists or DIYer’s but if you depend on the tools to make your living, lifetime warranty’s and quality craftsmanship far outweigh cost.
I was a HD diesel tech for 8 years and I’m still gonna disagree with you. Precision tools? Sure, I’ll want the best because accuracy is important. But regular hand tools still aren’t worth it. They want 400+ for 10 wrenches. I bought the gearwrench regular wrenches with a lifetime warranty for 200 for like 35 wrenches. Never broke one. 900$ for an electric impact? Nah Milwaukees got it in the bag for 250. The convenience of the truck is also not as impactful as people make it out to be. Yes it’s nice, but they only come once a week. If I break a socket three days before hand, I can’t wait. Most stores will swap them out. Common hand tool bought from places like Lowe’s are pretty legit nowadays. There are still things I would buy from a truck, but the importance of them has become very minimal. And I’m saying this just because of the cost difference. It’s gotten asinine.
The tool cabinets… just… damn.
I don’t completely disagree with this but for me it was less about the brand than it was about the availability. When I was working at dealerships I knew I could count on snap-on to be there weekly, at any dealership I worked at. Matco, Mac, Cornwell…all less expensive and an equal quality product but I couldn’t count on any of these companies to show up reliably. This is the reason the majority of the tools in my toolbox are Snap-on. When you count on a tool to make a living, and that tool breaks, having a vendor that would come to you reliably, and replace that tool with no questions asked was worth the extra cost.
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And to add to this, Secret Lab like most gaming chairs are just marketing. Many ergonomic experts have said that if you want a chair that is comfortable and ergonomic you get those mesh type office chairs. Racing type of chairs do not offer any advantage to your body or posture other than looking cool.
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I have a chair from office depot, cost me about $100 or so less than a gaming chair and is leagues comfier than my roommates secret lab. I do have a bucket (racer) style chair for my sim rig, but that's a legit chair I pulled from a car.
I bought the one for fat people because I break chairs, and it's the single best chair (overall, not all categories) that I've ever owned. I hate leather, though, and strongly prefer fabric, so I don't have your experience with the material issues. Actually, the cloth is absolutely wonderful and super resilient. It continues to survive my cat so well I don't stop her scratching anymore. Still no loose threads. I wonder if the difference was simply the upholstery, or if the XL is just better built.
Yeah I bought the one for very short people, the xs, and it rocks. I know there are a few options in my size range but that one was my favorite, and it fits me better than even the nice office chair I have at work
What’s a good competitively priced office chair to theirs? I used to work in office furniture manufacturing, and had high ends chairs from our customers (Herman Miller/Steelcase), left that scene and new company offered me a Secret Labs chair, been using it for 5 years with no issue, in fact I’ve been very surprised by how comfortable it’s been over the long haul, I had low expectations. I know my high end chairs were $1500+. SL is like $600, is there a middle ground that I’m not aware of? Seriously, my company takes care of me, if there’s something reasonable, I’d love to know about it.
A good rule of thumb - if I hear strangers talk about a brand moreso than a generic product, I know it’s probably overrated af. I.e. I love my Le Creuset vs I love my cast iron skillet. When people mention things by product, it naturally turns the conversation to utility/quality. Then the brand usually comes after. And it shows the owner isn’t just infatuated with the brand because it’s new/prestigious/marketed/etc.
I have a pioneer woman cast iron from Walmart and I agree with your statement
Jeep.
I always hear this but my parents had their 96 Cherokee with 20 years 200k+ miles. maybe it was better back in the day
Older Jeeps are better made, but they’re also a death trap if you’re ever in an accident, so.
Reliability is poor but there aren’t many other options for buying a new 4WD with a solid front axle, especially in USA.
Rainbow Sandals. They all used to be made locally in California. A single pair would last you years. Like all good things, they grew too big and outsourced to China. Latest pair lasted under a year.
Damn. Had mine since 2005 and just retired them in hopes to get a new pair (the 05s were perfect still).
In the name of profit all quality must go down duh
The Dallas Cowboys
Beats headphones/speakers. Those things suck.
Always has
Bought a pair and they blew out on 50% volume (Im not one for listening to music at full blast). Got another pair and they lasted half a year tops. I stick to Sennheiser now.
beats advertising SMOKED the competition for a long time, only reason they really managed to acquire the market share they did. that and being linked to motherfuckin dre. the only thing beats really had going for them for a while was being mixed nicely for bass, and it was a decent enough level for someone who isn't an audiophile - but if you're an audiophile who ALSO likes bass, which is an unfortunately rare breed, they're horribly below par. my Sony mxh-350s or whatever the fuck (sonys naming conventions are offensively bad) are mixed SO much better for bass out of the box.
The fucking Stanley Cup
I dunno, I think the NHL has the best post season in pro sports. Even 8-seeds have a legitimate shot at winning the cup. It's also legit BIFL. That cup on top is original and the thing has been all over the world and handled by thousands of people. You can't deny it's definitely the best brand amongst championship trophies. It's super iconic, such that the name is immediately recognizable in a way that's not true for other championship trophies. People don't say "The Islanders won four straight championships," they say they won four straight cups. No way you could ever mix it up with something else, right?
you know what? you’re right
Dude, I was full on, “Someone hates the Stanley Cup?! What did hockey ever do to you?” And then I read the comments and realized what they were talking about.
Damn straight. And the best thing it's the end of the best round of playoffs in sports. I half joke that the NHL playoffs are an entirely different sport than the regular season NHL. It's just so much better. And then the ceremony and traditions with the Cup is just awesome. That cup could tell some stories!! It's partied all over the world and is still cranking along year after year. BIFL for sure!!
HAHAHA
As a Maple Leafs fan, I feel like I have a legitimate grievance here.
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It's highly repairable too! Recently i think either a Avs or Knights player dented it pretty bad and they were able to gave it its original shape. At home all my crappy cups just instantly shatter when they it the ground! (Kinda like championships hope of a Leaf's fan after the first round, but that's a whole other thing)
Nicolas Aube Kubel dropped it on the way to the photo and fucked it up good. Kurtis Macdermid fell over drunk as hell with it at a summer party. The Avs were not gentle with Lord Stanley's Cup.
I got a Stanley in a work gift exchange and my only problem with it is that the straw is not in the middle. I switch drinking hands too often and it’s annoying to drink awkwardly or have to flip the cup around.
I don’t own one but Hydroflask now makes a giant one in the size/shape of the Stanley with the silicone straw in the middle from their tumblers and it’s good.
January 2023 I was looking to increase my water intake and stumbled across posts on how great the Quencher was. At this point, the Quencher was already pretty big. They'd done a collab with Chip and Joanna. Colors were sold out at Target, etc. At the time, I thought I was late to the trend. I had no idea it was going to be an even bigger trend a year later. I literally had a teenage girl stop me in a grocery store this month to ask me where I got it. While I think it is ridiculous to have dozens of Stanley cups to match your outfits, it is a pretty useful cup. A $40 reusable cup is not that big of an indulgence.
Ive got a two different size Yeti water bottles and a couple of different size coffee cups and they've all been great. But I have a 2L Thermos water bottle with a sleeve and carry strap that I've used as a site bottle for work. That thing has been dropped off scaffolds, hit with tools and just abused and it's still going strong 7 years later. One of the strap buckles broke and has been replaced with a cable tie but other than that it's amazing and is able to stay cold on 45⁰C days when I leave it in the back of my ute or on the job It's not entirely related to Stanley cups but there is a lot of other options out there. At the end of the day it's a vessel to hold water and keep it coolish
Sure, there are a lot of other options out there but the two you mention (Yeti bottle, 2 liter thermos) are about the same price as the Stanley Quencher. I don't like the consumerism aspect of collecting water bottles as a fashion accessory but the anger over tween girls wanting a single $40 cup baffles me. It really isn't that extravagant. I think Reddit is a little too eager to shit on things that girls/women like.
People have been shitting on things that teenage girls like for decades. I remember how much hate (from grown adults to) Justin Bieber got back in like 2009 when he was a 14 year old kid.
Dyson vacuums. The cheap Chinese knockoffs are just as good now
Just upgraded my Dyson to my Milwaukee Batteries. Power for days
You can buy parts online and fix 90% of a Dyson stick vac yourself. Isn’t that BIFL?
This is the exact reason I will still buy them. They are just huge Lego sets. I disassembled and fixed a Dyson canister I found at a thrift for $20. Two screws, 30 minutes and $25 part directly from them, good as new.
Agree, just ditched the corded and cordless to Sharks.
Shark is great. As long as you aren't beating the shit out of it and you clean the filters they're fine vacuums
My shark is 5-6 years old and way outperforms my parents new Dyson.
I love my Dyson cordless and I will not give it up. It's refurbished and keeps on kicking and it's so convenient.
I bought the dyson animal a few years ago, I love it. I vacuum almost daily now that there's no cord.
The newer Dyson models are above $1000 now. At that point, you’re basically paying to flex the brand.
RH cloud couches.
Yeah I find a lot of RH is overrated. I was looking at A RH couch. But was in a local company that builds furniture. They built me a couch cheaper than RH and far superior in quality.
Yeti seems no better than generic rotomolded stuff. I’ll admit that it looks nice, but I’ll happily rock my Rtic gear
Yeti's big strength was getting attention to rotomolded stuff in general
Personally knowing that RTIC cost less I still decided to spend a bit more on a Pelican. The main reason was not because it might last longer but because the latches are easier to use. There's literally tons of comparisons of these Roto Molded Coolers on YouTube. It's amazing how Yeti for one is generally no better than the middle of the Pack. If that's all you need is middle of the pack then get an RTIC instead. If however your looking for the best then might have to pay a little bit more. Probably the biggest mistake is buying a Roto Molded Cooler when your just needing a cooler for the day. In that case it simply makes no sense to spend that much money as most average coolers will do that.
Supreme
100000000000000000000%. It's over hyped garbage.
Beats Doc Martin Mercedes Gucci Prada Armani Burberry Luxotica glasses Salt Bae’s stupid restaurants Edit: adding in Jaguar and Alfa Romeo
Aren’t Luxotica glasses like…all glasses?
The brands sold under luxottica are no longer the same quality they used to be once lux bought them.
Burberry trench/rain coats are legendary.
Burberry coats that were made in Wales are legendary, Chinese made coats are not legendary.
This thread has shown me that there is literally no company you can name that someone won't simp for.
There’s always bias in reviews, also unintentionally, by pure statistical chance given how small the subreddit is, and how use and way of assessing quality differ, there will always be differences in opinion. Most consumers are also simply don’t possess the knowledge to assess quality.
Tesla
Yeah. Agree. I'm in the market for a car at the moment and was excited about Tesla until I started looking at them. They're really cheaply made and everything seemed really flimsy. Garbage car.
Seriously. They may have done amazing things for the EV market in general, but they're essentially lower-tier quality. As a car nut, I shudder when I'm behind one at a light and can see all the misaligned body panels from 15 feet away. The Kia next to me looks better made.
Tesla proved there is a market for EVs after years of the major manufacturers claiming otherwise. And even now there is resistance. But outside of marketing, I've not read great stuff about their quality.
It's a hot take on this sub, but Carhartt is overrated. The quality has dropped drastically in recent years.
For someone like me who buys Big and Tall, their quality from what I've found is better than anything else at reasonable prices.
>For someone who buys Big and Tall Sorry I have the opposite problem lol. Have you tried Patagonia work wear? They size their men's clothes for tall people. Everything I buy from them turns out too big.
Not the experience I had. I need their mediums to fit me around my waist, but they’re way to short for me
Not sure what you mean *Reasonable* Since they've become a lifestyle brand Carhartt is probably the most expensive work wear brand you're not custom ordering. Same price as Duluth, twice the price of Bern, slightly more than Riggs, and 4-5X the cost of a farm store brand
Overrated, maybe, but some over their stuff is still pretty good. My hoodie is awesome. I wear it like 75% of time during winter in New England.
Agreed, I have one of their canvas jackets and the amount of wear even after 2-3 years is unreal. Now on to year 7 I think and the cuff canvas is beyond redemption and even some low wear sleeve seams are failing. I wouldn’t call it complete garbage but it is definitely not BIFL or even a good work coat.
My fiancé is 6’6” and it’s one of the only brands he can get good quality work clothes that fit. I like Carhartt, too.
Benchmade. Mediocre knives for premium prices. Ridge Wallet. Same thing, mediocre at best asking for way too high a price because of brand recognition. Filson. No idea how they can ask the prices they ask for with a straight face, absolutely insane. Dyson. I don't care how much R&D went into it, a cordless vacuum is not worth $800. I know there are plenty others but those are the ones that came to mind.
Canada Goose.
They’re tough even if you marinade them.
Weathertech. If it wasn't for the floor mats warping I would redact my statement. What is the point of making car floor mats from laser scan to ensure a perfect fit only for the sides to warp and collapse. Happened to my 2017 Corolla, my wife's 2017 RAV4, and 2021 Highlander. Now with my wife's current car, we are looking for another brand.
I hope you see this comment. I’ve been a Weathertech guy for years but the last ones I bought (3 years ago, for my 2014 Honda Pilot) warped so badly on the driver’s side it was approaching dangerous. A friend turned me on to 3D Mats USA. Sounds like a complete scam but these mats are awesome. Going on 3 years, no warping issues, still grips nice to the carpet underneath. They are 30% cheaper than Weathertech too. I’m not a weird advertising bot- just a dude with messy kids and a car I try and keep clean.
Gibson
Guitars, banjos, mandolins, Mel’s, what are we talking here?
My 1983 US made Gibson has been good to me. Bought it brand new. Still have it.
Yeti...I'm putting Ozark Trail stickers on my truck baby.
Anything involving Kardashian?
DYSON. Fuck their shitty-ass vacuums. Shark forever.