Bushells tea Arnotts scotch bread Toyota L'Cruiser (7th) Makita tools till they started fabrication in China and the quality went south Blundstone work booths till again overseas production let us down King Gee drill shorts and closed front shirts still a favorite after 38 years though overseas production also affected their quality for some years.
Montblanc (fountain pens) Leuchtturm, Moleskin, Paperblanks (notebooks) Mazda cars Apple American Spirit Boss
Calling @Mad Dog I am trying to talk my 16 year old daughter into this beast as her first car. I know you have brand loyalty to the mighty Interceptor. Is $3500 with a 100k miles fair?. https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/d/brea-ford-crown-victoria-police/7052608449.html PS I think I want it more than she does.
They cost a little more after these guys jumped in. I have found the more costly the glasses, the less likely I am to loose them. Knocking on wood.
Along with Barbour I'd add Clothing: Allen Edmonds shoes Gloverall wool coats In the kitchen: Wusthof knives Emile Henry bakeware Staub enameled cast iron All-Clad cookware. Furniture: Room & Board Dearly departed companies of which I own some vintage examples include Griswold and Wagner cast iron pans and the glorious Evergleam Aluminum Christmas Tree Company of Manitowac, Wisconsin. I'm loyal to these things not because of branding or any so-called prestige. My loyalty is due to the fact that I think they're exceptionally well made, their core products haven't been off-shored to low wage countries and properly cared for will last a lifetime. Should those conditions ever drop, so would my loyalty.
There are very few things in my life I would do that for...lifesaving medicine maybe, but for a theme park ride? Hell no!
Surprisingly, or perhaps not, at least a few of my favorites have already been mentioned. But I'll elaborate. I have owned a couple of Arc’teryx jackets for many years, and they function as good as new. Obviously very high-quality outdoor gear. I was an early Patagonia customer, and have several jackets, one of which I bought in the early '80s, and it still looks and functions very well. I haven't checked recently, but they had lifetime guarantees on their gear for a long time, and I took full advantage twice. One was a jacket that was over 20 years old. The zipper broke, so I brought in into a shop, and a couple of weeks later it had been repaired at no cost. The second was when I was in New Zealand several years ago, and had a problem with the telescoping handle of my primary (and large) suitcase. I contacted Patagonia, and, while the item was purchased in the U.S., they gave me a number of a local man (in Wellington) who picked up the case, repaired it and dropped it off the next day. The charge was ~$30. Remarkably good support. I am also an Icebreaker merino wool fan. Many of their products are no longer 100% wool, but the quality is still high, and I use their socks and shirts on a very regular basis. Emile Henry bakeware – yes! And some of their designs can be used stove-top as well. Superb. Swarovski binoculars. Brilliant in low light, and ergonomically superb. Very expensive, but I used them for many years while working with racehorses. Outstanding customer service, as well. More recently, I have become a very loyal customer of Kuhl clothes – their pants in particular. Tough as nails, extremely comfortable and practical, reasonably priced, and the best customers service that I have experienced over the past 15 years or so.
Will add a few that I don’t believe have been mentioned yet but I’ve come to love for their high quality, durability and design... Topo Designs - Colorado based clothing coming that makes durable gear. Love their ‘dirt shirt’ line. Fjallraven - Bomb proof outdoor gear that I need to survive the winter excursions and summer hikes. Outlier - Merino wool clothing...really expensive for a t shirt but when you can wear it for a week without washing....the math makes sense to me. Frye Boots - have a pair I’ve worn almost every day of the fall and winter for 3 years in every condition. They are amazingly comfy and resilient. Vans - Cheap and stylish...finding they are my favorite shoes that I can buy a couple pairs and not care about what happens to them. Hyundai - our two cars are Hyundai. I have kids. Having any expensive vehicle would make me insane with the way they instantly trash nice things. Plus I’ve found Hyundai to be super reliable and doesn’t suck to drive (and it’s not a minivan (technically))
Mountain Hardwear Cross Pens Apple (god help me) Golden Head wallets Sony Volvo Microsoft (god help me but at least I bought shares early) Lumix/Fuji HP Sauce
The wife and I are still kids at heart and when a new ride opens we go for opening week (or within 2 weeks if life doesnt allow promptness) Here's a pic time stamped for 6am that morning. Gates aren't even open yet. You only see this when a ride is new. Second picture is me later that day after waking up at 5am. (The wife asked to be edited out due to "I look terrible in that one" haha)