Favourite Brands - and Why?

[duotone]

Ever since I started school I remember going to the shopping centre and getting my feet measured for Clarkes shoes http://www.clarks.co.uk/ Even though I havent bought a pair from them for the last couple of years, I still find myself automatically wandering in and having a look around.

Which brands do you instantly trust & have faith in?

[Nikola_Tesla]

Craftsman
Ray-Ban
Bvlgari
Coach
TIGI
Shimano
Garmin

are my favorites in their respectable industry.
I'm still new to other facets of industry to pick a favorite brand amongst them (e.g. razors, soaps, watches, shoes, cars, etc.)
I'm still in my 20's, so I'm sure the list will grow as I age and learn to appreciate quality products of particular brands over another.

[maxman]

Sony (high end only)
Grado
Sennheiser (high end only)
Tag Heuer
Brooks Brothers Glasses frames
Chanel fragrances
New Balance
Rockport
Gehwol foot care products

I'm sure there are many more, but that's what comes to mind immediately.

[Cuttingboard]

Brooks Brothers - Even though they've lost some favor with me recently, they're still one of the very few classic menswear stores. Love their Saxxon Wool suits and sport coats.
Ledbury shirts - Two American gentlemen who have Oxford MBA's decided to learn the craft on Seville Row and pursue fine shirt making instead of wall street.
Crockett & Jones and Edward Green Shoes - Old School English craftsmanship.
Alden Shoes - Great American Craftsmanship

[Godan]

Rolex
Montblanc
Bills
BB
Arc'Teryx
Burberry
Allen Edmonds
HS Trask
LE Tailored Fit
And, although these may be a stretch for this forum - - Randall and Glock

[Thebigspendur]

With few exceptions I don't have favorite brands because usually they reflect advertising and the perceptions Madison Avenue sticks in your head. I know folks always say they are not affected by advertising but Madison Avenue types would laugh their butts off at that remark. Usually the younger the person the more the choices reflect this and that's why a certain demographic is heavily favored by advertisers because they can be more easily swayed by the hype.

[BRRV]

"Brands" are not just about hype if they add value, innovation, and innate usefulness to what they bring to the market. But really excellent brands have a special place because in many respects they define the product(s) they produce and challenge their competitors in ways that separate them from the pack. There are very few companies that do this, and do it consistently. With brands like this, prices often becomes a non-issue, even when they are priced competitively. I can only think of a few that, for me, do this: Apple. BMW. Alden. Seiko. These four leap to the top of my mind, and it has to do with they way they work or perform, the manner in which they do it, and how they are made. Their "brand loyalty" is off the chart, and it has little to do with their advertising. Sadly, I used to be able to say this about a number of clothing brands, but I find that any more there is little in the way of innovation, quality, superior construction or fabric to warrant that distinction, unless you are at the very high end of the market (hand made Brioni, for example). Finding a superior and well made polo shirt can be an exercise in frustration.

[bassopotamus]

Is this just stuff in general?
LL Bean
Warmoth Guitars
Land's end
Federal Ammunition
Lamy Pens (high end)
Pilot Pens
Noodler's Ink
Saddleback Leather
Kershaw knives

[Acmemfg]

Snap On (tools)
Apple (computers/electronic devices)
Harley Davidson (if you don't know, I'm not saying)
Browning (firearms)
Remington (firearms)
Ford (automobiles/trucks)
Webber (grills)
Randall (knives)
Titleist (golf equipment)
Sweetwater (beer)

All the above have demonstrated to me their worth as carefully designed and manufactured products. Pricey? Perhaps, but still worth the cost as far as I am concerned. And......
Ford didn't stoop down and grab any of the "Bail Out" money like GM and Chrysler. Class Act!!

[Soul Surfer]

Brands I trust without hesitation:

Saddleback Leather
Harris Tweed Scotland (not the generic fabric, the coats)
Fjallraven*
Keen
Florsheim
Apple*
Brooks Brothers*
Indochino

Those with a * are kind of on the edge. Recent changes in manufacturing and material quality point towards less reliability, although I haven't necessarily experienced it yet.

[philamac]

Gap (Jeans, chinos, boxer shorts, shirts)
Marks & Spencer (coats, t shirts, socks, vests or undershirts as I think Americans know them)
Loake, Jones Bootmaker (shoes)
New Balance (running gear and casual trainers)
Charles Tyrwhitt ("party" shirts)
Barbour (wax jackets, shoes)

They all just a great job at what I consider to be very reasonable prices.

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Coke
Ruger
Colt
Vasque
Ray Ban
Serengetti
Hyundai
Nissan
Kawasaki
Suzuki
Seiko
AT Cross
New Balance
Weber Grills
Glock
Panasonic
Merkur
Beretta
Benchmade
Victorinox
Galco
Boyt Leather
Michelin
Mobil 1
Zeiss
Leica
Heinz ketchup

To name a few----more will come the more I think about it.

[avsmusic1]

Lands End
New Balance
Sig Sauer
Subaru

All of the above have done well by me in the past and have earned my repeat business

[Samurai-5]

-Brooks Brothers (Sport Coats/Shirts & ties)
-Cole Haan/Born (Shoes)
-Rolex/Omega (Watches)
-Microtech/Swiss Army (Knives)
-Van Heusen (Clothing)
-Colibri (Lighters)
-H&K/Beretta (Handguns)
-Persol (Sunglasses)

[global_dev]

rocked clark wallabies through college and some other clark models, but i found that over the past decade, the name clarks has more nostalgia than recent success for me..

my favorites over the last 10 years tend to be the classic inspired (not super trendy) stuff. for clothes, most people wouldn't recognize the companies right off because the items i trend to don't usually have logos. Having spent a lot of time in Russia altered my taste incredibly. It all has to have the right feel for me, so i don't have instant faith in really any company. but i do find myself trending towards a certain look and the New Russian style it is not.

Cavalli
Helmut Lang
Gucci
Elie Tahari
Tom Ford
GFF
Prada/Miu Miu
Armani

Omega
Bulgari

A. Testoni
Asics

I love my Arc'Teryx winter gear i got in 2001, it is still friggin sweet.

BoConcept
DWR

and finally Acqua di Parma!!!

[scottish steve]

for me

Barbour, Hoggs of Fife and Driz-a-bone
Tilley
Church's (though I have yet to afford a pair!)
Uni-Qlo & Muji (not for all items, but for many)
Marks & Spencer
Dunhill (tobacco)
G-Shock
Mora

[Rossmeister]

Woolpower, (http://www.woolpower.se/en/default.asp) because they make the best socks in the world =D

[Blue Raccoon]

Honda (if I need anything that Honda makes I get it from Honda.. cars, mowers, generators, etc)
L.L. Bean (hunting, casual)
Orvis (fishing, casual)
Filson (anything)
Patagonia (silk weight shirts)
Winston (fly rods)
Shimano (spinning equip)
Sig Sauer (pistols)
Browning (rifles & shotguns)
Ziess (glass)
ECCO (shoes and boots)
SmartWool (socks)
Filson (anything)
Fishpond (fishing, packs, bags, etc)
Xikar (lighter)
Ray-Ban (Outdoorsman II for 40 years and now with Rx glass)
Casio G-Shock
Swiss Army Knives
Peterson (pipes and tobacco)
Canon (camera & lens)
Weber (grills)
Campolongo (bicycling hardware)
Surefire
Matts Coffee

[scottish steve]

for me

Barbour, Hoggs of Fife and Driz-a-bone for outdoor clothing
Tilley
Church's (though I have yet to afford a pair!)
Uni-Qlo
Muji (not for all items, but many)
Marks & Spencer
Dunhill (tobacco products)
G-Shock
Mora(knives)
Also
Highlander and /web-tex for camping/military clothing

addended

[chicagotrim]

Lacoste
Banana Republic
7 for all mankind
Johnston and Murphy
Patagonia
TaylorMade

[LuckyR]

Porsche- similar outlook
Santoni- experience
Citizen- utility
Toyota- corporate culture
Sperry- experience
Levis- tradition
Donnay- retro innovation
ProKennex- proven utility

[Rhon]

wow, for the most part the lists look really high end. maybe you do get what you pay for...

Wrangler pro rodeo jeans - the only jean to ride in (smooth inside leg seam)
Olathe boots- riding
Whites boots - packing
Ford Powerstroke
Apple I-mac - it just does
Pentax
Bridgestone tires -

kind of a sad list. Pretty basic I guess.

[Stubblefield]

Hmm, hard list to follow.

Rite in the Rain--Notebooks
Eleiko--Weightlifting gear
Apple--from a design standpoint only.
Alden--footwear
B.A.D. Bags--duffel bags

[FiveOhNine]

Couldn't possibly go through all of them, but one that I keep coming back to:

Crumpler Bags (usually funky, not always my style, but very high quality)

[kwk285]

Ping
Adams
Toyota
Izod
Ecco

[Maduro 5]

Panerai (watches)
Brooks Brothers Black Fleece (shirts and khakis)
Woolrich Woolen Mills (jackets)
Canada Goose (parka)
Naked and Famous (jeans)
Peak and HDS (EDC flashlights)
Fratelli Rossetti,Alden, Church's, Tod's(shoes)
Viberg (work boots)
Partagas (Cuban cigars)
Aero Leathers of Scotland(horsehide leather jackets)

[steammaker]

Apple (everything)
Goorin Brothers (hats)
Truefitt and Hill (shaving cremes)
Feather (blades)
Dunkin Donuts (coffee)
In-N-Out (burgers)
Brooks Brothers (shirts)
Manhattan Industrial Supply (machine shop supplies)
Dunhill (pipes)

[Mojo88]

Jeep- We had a Grand Cherokee with 235,000 miles ..It still had the original transmission and engine when we got rid of it.
Tilley
Red Wing
Spyderco
Winchester
Alden
Vintage Gillette and Merkur

[Rushman2112]

Clarks shoes - yes, I used to have their shoes as a kid and still buy them
Marks and Sparks - we have them here but everything is 30% dearer than in UK and they only have a very limited selection of food with no fresh stuff. I don't miss much about the UK but M&S food hall is one thing I really miss. I still buy all my upes, socks and ties there despite the price.
Singapore Airlines - I fly a lot on business and pleasure and almost always use SQ if they do that route, again, despite the price. It's partly because I have Solitaire level FF membership so I get personal attention on the flight, even up the back of the bus, partly even without that the service is streets ahead of most other airlines and partly because I feel safer on an SQ plane in that I know the maintenance has been done properly.
Asahi beer(!)
Absolut vodka
Schweppes mixers

[Arturius]

Bill's Khakis
Allen Edmonds

[gaseousclay]

Adidas (great styles all around)
North Face
New Balance (their shoes are simply indestructable)
Montana Sling (thick, durable US made rifle slings)
Leupold (rifle scope)
PalmOlive shave soap & cream
Personna blades (the only blade that doesn't turn my face into shredded cheese)
Gillette DE's (anything pre-1970's)
Browning (though I like the new Winchesters, Weatherby & Sako as well)

I know there are a ton more brands i'm forgetting, so my list is pretty short. I'm also only listing brands that I currently own and use, not brands I wished I owned and used. If that were the case, my list would be much bigger.

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Which brands do you instantly trust & have faith in?

My original list went back to this question.

I find it interesting as to what brands didn't make the lists.

For example:
I've owned only HP/Compaq computers going back to the mid 1990's---never had a bit of any problem with them other than one that was way past its usefull service life---there is a 8-9 year old desktop currently running my network--I keep buying them yet feel no particular loyalty or fondness of the HP brand name.

Same goes for the Walmart Great Value picante sauce--its all I ever buy---tastes good-priced right---but would change up in heartbeat if something better that was cheaper came along---yet when it comes to Heinz Ketchup anything else just won't do--even as much as I dispise putting money in John Kerry's pocket.

[BrianTN]

Apple (computers)
Kifaru (backpacks)
Andrews Custom Leather (holsters)
Allen Edmonds (shoes)
Lucchese (boots)
La Sportiva (hiking boots)
Dillon Precision (reloading)
US Optics (scopes)
Colt, Remington, Glock (firearms)
Snap On (tools)
Surefire (lights)

[duotone]

for me
Muji (not for all items, but for many)


Thanks for that, I have walked past their store loads of times without ever going in. This time, I did go in & bought my first pair of cedar shoe trees http://www.muji.eu/pages/online.asp?V=1&Sec=5&Sub=22&PID=4564

[tvldatsi]

....gillette

joking! Anything Never Summer ever made is pretty good and their industry isn't exactly consistent when it comes to manufacturing. ASUS probably too I haven't had many of their products fail on me. Texas Instruments calculators explode the competition. Carhartt. seems like "brands" nowadays are just an office somewhere that sends orders to manufacturers and distributors so it's hard to say they make good products when they don't really make anything at all.

[Bill Smith]

My favourite non shaving brands:

Clothing:

Brooks Brothers
Samulsholn (suits)
J.Crew
Ralph Lauren Polo
Robert Talbot (ties)
Alden
Allen Edmonds
Sperry
Timberland.
Brooks (running shoes)
Nike

Sunglasses

Maui Jim
Serengeti

Sporting Goods:
Head (skis)
Salomon (bindings)
Technica (ski boots)
Trek (bikes)

Electronics:

Apple (Computer, iPhone)
NAD
KEF (Speakers)
Rotel
Bryston (amplifiers)

Automotive

VW
Mercedes Benz

Travel/Hospitality

Porter Airlines
American Airlines
Fairmont Hotels,
Air New Zealand
Quantas
VIA Rail (Canada's answer to Amtrak).

[duotone]

Asahi beer(!)


Had a pint of this on Saturday, not often but once in a while you find a pub in London that has this on draught.

[LexusAussie]

Qantas
Lexus
Bose
Apple
LL Bean
Festool
Llyods Shoes
Rock port Shoes
Yamazaki Single Malt
Sennheiser headphones
Leica cameras
Mont Blanc Pens
Seiko anything
Saddleback Leather
Samsonite Luggage
AMSoil oils
Monster Cable
Pioneer Televisions

[Natohog]

This list is all over the place:

Kifaru
Mountain Hardwear
Arc'teryx
Ecco
Maui Jim
J. Crew
Banana Republic
Aveda
Apple
VW
GE
Maytag
H&K
SOG
Ka-Bar
Craftsman
Stranahan's Whiskey
Oskar Blues
Burris optics

[Mad Man]

Rolex
Mercedes Benz
Bally
LV
Klipsch
Zegna

[little Big feather]

I am one who has little faith...I do know my ROLEX will never fail me.
My CROSS pen(USA Made) is and was better than my three times more expensive Mont Blanc.
I have tried at least a dozen diff. sunglasses but keep coming back to AO(American Optical).
My BOSCA wallet(USA Made) is now 15 years old and still going strong.
Seems to be a pattern that I just noticed.....Except for the ROLEX, these are American things.
Of these USA made....Only AO is still USA made.....

[Yanks27]

Allen Edmonds
Apple
Zegna
whole foods
Subaru
Shake Shack
Anything recommended by Jim.

[duotone]

Crockett & Jones - Old School English craftsmanship.


Treated myself earlier today to a pair of their Bradford black calf shoe. It's 3 1/2 times more expensive (cost me £335, although the £3 shoe polish was a bargain!) than any other shoes I have previously bought, but I thought my feet were worth it. Since my feet seem to have grown this last year I was fed up with my old ill fitting leather pair of shoes and if you can't treat yourself shortly before your 30th birthday, then when can you?

http://www.crockettandjones.com/Product/Bradford-Black#.UOoRpnwgGSO

Hoping to break these in in the next few months and have a long lasting pair of best friends :biggrin1:

298114 298113

[Charlie NJ]

Honda, I just bought a 2013 accord, this is my fifth Honda. I've has civics, pilots and accords, put over 100.000 miles on most
cabelas, simply the best outdoor store I've ever delt with, customer service, choices, prices
apple, technology is second to none
mauijim sunglasses great lenses, sent them a pair that broke and they replaced the frames after 10 years of ownership at no charge no shipping. They stand behind there name