Favourite Brands - and Why?

Doc4 said:

Certainly BB bought P&Co for the prestige of the name ... now the shoes are made by various English makers (mostly if not all by C&J and Alfred Sargent) and the quality is good ... perhaps not "great" as in glory days of yore, but if it were ... the cost would be such that I couldn't afford the shoes.

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Why not, then, just buy directly from one of the manufacturers they use?

But I should point out that the main reason for my earlier post was that your mention of Peal & Co. reminded me of a dead brand that had been purchased (with no real product at the time). I wanted to use that as an example point to corroborate my even earlier post that mentioned this behavior was going on and why I didn't really care so much for brands, per se. I really have to know what is behind the brand before I have any respect for it.

I like this thread because I may learn about some brands which I might not otherwise hear about. The good ones are typically not very good at marketing. It is word of mouth that they depend on.

Croft and Barrow.
Nike Golf.
TaylorMade

I'm only gonna post clothing items since this is the haberdashery:

Arcteryx- My favorite coat brand. Not only do I like their style and craftsmanship, their coats just seem to fit me the best.
Levis- I have trouble shopping for jeans since I lift a lot of weights and often jeans dont fit me in the rear end and thighs...well Levis 505s fit me perfect. Quality pair of jeans for around $40.
Redwing- Cant beat the craftsmanship...they make a quality boot.
Smartwool-My favorite boot socks. You know you've officially grown up when getting a pair of socks for Christmas goes from worst present ever to awesome present .
Saucony- Always like their trail/running shoes. Have always held up for me.
Seiko- Quality watches that wont break the bank.
Kirkland Merino wool socks- I think these are re-branded Smartwool socks. Costco's little secret.

Seiko and Orient automatic divers-Bought a Seiko 7002 series in 1996. Wore it in the field, wore it in Baghdad. Still runs fine.

U.S. Wings-The B-2 bomber jacket is serious cold weather gear and strangers stop mid-sentence to comment on its looks.

Alden-Specifically the model 403 worn by Harrison Ford in the Indy movies. Very comfortable.

El Paso Saddlery-Patton had his holsters and gun belts made there. I like their Ranger belt.

Glock-They just work.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Padron cigars

Factory tours/interviews at various manufacturers during a road trip in and around England, Scotland & Wales.

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/mens-fashion/factory-tour-worsted-wool There are 8 parts to this.

Jos A Bank (Retail stores)
Glock, Krieghoff, Sig Sauer
Patek Philippe, Omega, & Citizen Eco
Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Honda, Toyota
AT Cross, Lamy
Tabac, Hoffritz (Merkur), Taylor of Old Bond St.

Samuelsohn, bills khakis, MdC, Alden, frank foster custom shirts, Burberry, some Brooks brothers, gittman brothers shirts. They all spear quality.

Alden
White's
Patagonia
LVC
Pelikan (fountain pens)
IWC (watches)

babydials said:

Pelikan (fountain pens)

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What's a fountain pen?

(Just kidding. I thought writing was a thing of the past. I hear many schools don't even teach cursive writing any more.)

anoop said:

What's a fountain pen?

(Just kidding. I thought writing was a thing of the past. I hear many schools don't even teach cursive writing any more.)

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I am old. I carry a pen and wear a watch.

In no particular order:

Glock (guns)
Benchmade (knives)
GoPro (cameras)
Rogue Fitness (gym equipment)
Lucky (clothes)
Wawa (gas station and snacks)
Sweet Baby Rays (BBQ sauce)
Magpul (magazines)
Optimum Nutrition (supplements)
Oakley (sunglasses)
Surefire (flashlights)
North Face (jackets)

I'm sure there are a few I'm missing.

Patagonia: I've been wearing it since the pre-Patigucci days. Pricey? Yes, but I'm still wearing some things that are nearly a quarter-century old.

Taylor made

or

No evident brand whatsoever: I reject the sole idea of paying for the advertisement of brands that I am actually wearing. It makes me feel plain stupid.

Thus: my shirtmaker's brand, my taylor's brand and NN jeans from Carrefour (local version of WalMart), shoes from I can't recall its name shoe store some blocks from home, underwear from Carrefour and socks from... Carrefour. Shetland and cashmere sweaters from a factory that has an outlet twenty minutes away from home, leather goods from Lopez (there goes a brand), belts from a tannery and so forth. Sorry, gents, not a brand fan here (except for vintage Gillette razors).

PS: SWMBO forbidded me to buy clothes. All these proved being so good quality I don't need to.

anoop said:

What's a fountain pen?

(Just kidding. I thought writing was a thing of the past. I hear many schools don't even teach cursive writing any more.)

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This is real: I teach American kids spending a semester in a Study Abroad program. I use a fountain pen. One of them asked me for a pen. I gave him mine. He did not know how to use it: he looked at me with a stare that I could tell it meant "What the ... is THIS?".

I was reminded that down here Spanish - French schooling runs deep and that kids are taught how to use a fountain pen, this being a rite of passage actually: the "Hey, Dad, the teacher told us we could stop using pencils in order to use fountain pens" is both welcomed and hated. It means the use of gallons of special ink stain liquid.

Citizen C said:

Seiko and Orient automatic divers-Bought a Seiko 7002 series in 1996. Wore it in the field, wore it in Baghdad. Still runs fine.

U.S. Wings-The B-2 bomber jacket is serious cold weather gear and strangers stop mid-sentence to comment on its looks.

Alden-Specifically the model 403 worn by Harrison Ford in the Indy movies. Very comfortable.

El Paso Saddlery-Patton had his holsters and gun belts made there. I like their Ranger belt.

Glock-They just work.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Padron cigars

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Small correction (yes i'm going to be that guy) the model Harrison Ford uses is actually not a 403 in Chromexcel pull up leather, but a 405 in original brown workboot leather, which is tougher more rigid leather and is a lighter shade of brown than the 403. What tends to confuse things further is that J-Crew calls their Indy boot in Chromexcel a 405 and incorrectly advertises this as the boot used in the movies, yet Alden (and every other vendor) calls it the 403.

I like chromexcel and bought the 403's myself - passing up the less appealing color of the 405's and the much stiffer workboot leather.

Clarke's
Omega (brushes)
Ford
Samsung
Savage (firearms)
ARKO

Men's brand loyalty
while I see a lot of conflicting market research on the topic, I believe men are highly brand loyal. It is perceived quality, ease of decision making and kinda an assurance of fitment.

Jeans: Edwin. I love having a bit of exclusivity that they are rarely sold in the states, and uncommonly seen on the street. Also I can blindly order a perfect fit.
Undergarments: 2Xist. like to have a bit of flair and honestly they hold up really well.
Dress shoes: Allen Edmonds. Grandfather got me hooked. Follow the line closely and pick up a pair or two a year that speak to me.
casual shoes: Puma. I've had some foot surgeries and something about it just fits my messed up feet like no other casual shoe has. I also just love the style. I may have a problem in this area, as I probably pick up two pairs a month (some cheap, some rather expensive).

NoKetchupAllowed said:

Men's brand loyalty
while I see a lot of conflicting market research on the topic, I believe men are highly brand loyal. It is perceived quality, ease of decision making and kinda an assurance of fitment.

Jeans: Edwin. I love having a bit of exclusivity that they are rarely sold in the states, and uncommonly seen on the street. Also I can blindly order a perfect fit.
.

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Agree with you on Edwin. They are under appreciated.

Apple. I own lots of Apple things and stock.

Honda, Toyota, Mazda.

Ecco. Sandals and work shoes.

Snap On

Amsoil.

Carsons Ribs

Lou Malnatti's Pizza

Home Run Inn Pizza

BigDogInAZ said:

Apple. I own lots of Apple things and stock.

Honda, Toyota, Mazda.

Ecco. Sandals and work shoes.

Snap On

Amsoil.

Carsons Ribs

Lou Malnatti's Pizza

Home Run Inn Pizza

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I like how you still managed to tie this post into the Haberdashery somehow.