Brand loyalty - what brands do you proudly support?

snakebite · 2019-10-28T16:13:44.000Z

most things nowadays it doesnt pay to be brand loyal as the same item in a different styled case is sold by many brands.
i go by personal and trusted friends experience instead.
and beyond that bang for the buck.
as far as flashlights i prefer the blf collaboration lights.
and convoy.

Tixx · 2019-10-28T19:19:12.000Z

Random ones in my top list:

Triple Aught Design (Clothing and gear)

Zebralight (Flashlights)

ITS Tactical (Clothing and gear)

Maxpedition (Packs)

Carhartt (Clothing)

Samsung (Phones/Electronics)

Casio (watches)

Patagonia (Clothing)

Smartwool (Clothing)

Unbound Merino (Clothing)

Grayl (water purifier bottle)

Buff (winter accessories)

Fallkniven (knives)

f0xx · 2019-10-28T20:13:00.000Z

I am not strictly loyal to any particular brand, but have found the following to offer good value and quality in my experience:

Flashlights - Emisar, Convoy, Sofirn, and anything BLF
Phones - OnePlus
Laptops - Lenovo (more so IBM) Thinkpads, Dell Latitudes
Computer parts - ASUS, AMD, Crucial, Samsung, Intel, Nvidia
Knives - Kershaw (had a Leek since I was 12, and it has survived a lot of abuse), ZT on the high end
Guns - S&W, Colt, Ruger, (old) Remington, IKICKHIPPIES (the SLAP goes on everything), GALCO
Trucks - Ford (all day long), Toyota
Cars - Toyota
Power/Hand Tools - Dewalt, Craftsman (of yesteryear), Ingersoll-Rand, Bosch, Fluke, Klein, Magnepull, Greenlee, RCBS, Irwin
Small gas/petrol powered tools - Echo, Honda
Tractors - Kubota
Clothes - Under Armour, Ariat, Levi’s, Carhartt
TVs - LG
Printers - HP Laserjet
Servers - Dell Poweredge
KB & Mouse - Logitech (basic), for fancy KB’s it is either DIY or something like DAS Keyboard
Gasoline - Costco, Buc-ee’s (they have ethanol free gasoline in some pumps, and unleaded regular has been 1.99 since they came to town)

The full list would take all day.

richbuff · 2019-10-28T21:03:14.000Z

Lights: Acebeam

Music: Led Zeppelin

Laptops: HP

1911's: Dan Wesson

Ammo: Underwood

Antivirus: Kaspersky

Tofu: Sprouts extra firm.

Oatmeal: Walmart great value

Drain opener: Rooto

Safes: ISM

Pens: Pilot G-2 bold

Bleach: Clorox

Internet service provider: None liked.

grin · 2019-10-29T05:56:07.000Z

Recently had to replace my 15yr old Leica Disto the original and the best. Original cost AU$1680, replacement AU$275, smaller, more robust, more features, easier to use. This thing saved me a bucket load of work. i could mark out a highrise building without help except with for a laser Robovector plumb level square.

MichielSanders · 2019-10-29T20:45:42.000Z

Flashlight’s: BLF and Olight.
Phone, tablet, watch, laptop: Apple
Power tools: Makita LXT, also chainsaw and weedwacker
Measurement tools: Fluke
Hand Tools: Wera
Pliers: Knipex
Storage boxes: Pelicase
Two way radio’s: Motorola
Vape mods: Lost Vape DNA-c mods
Whiskey: Jack Daniels
Soft Drinks: Coca Cola
Fast Food: Burger King

toddcshoe · 2019-10-30T05:16:48.000Z

Kent paddles, Ten Tec rigs and homemade antennas.

Davis weather monitors.

Levi jeans.

Carhart coats/jackets.

RedWing or Justin boots.

Not partial to any one brand of light. Though I have a few I don’t buy. Jetbeam and Zebralighs being my favorites.

We are all spoiled with a great selection of overseas and american knives at super reasonable prices.

I have a 2006 Lexus IS250. Owned it since new. 288,000 miles on it. Not one real problem. Normal maintenance, alternator and a new exhaust are about all it has eaten in 13 years. Would surely buy one again. Little small for me but the wife wanted it so…………………I bought a truck. It’s a RAM 1500. Nice truck I guess. It’s a truck, as long as it can haul crap and not break down, I’m good with that. It gets dirty and muddy and sometimes the only washing it gets is when it rains. The day I can’t use a truck as a truck is the day I get rid of it. It’s not a pavement and subdivision queen.

I tend to buy craftsmen tools. My grandfather did, my father did, etc. Just is what it is. Priced well and always seem to work.

I don’t drink so i’m indifferent to spirits.

As you can see I’m not super partial to anything really. Though I draw the line at cheap toilet paper. Charmin or a garden hose for me. The wife knows not to bring home that dollar store junk. I work for a living, buy the good stuff. Heinz ketchup. Two bucks more, buy it.

Boaz · 2019-10-30T07:22:05.000Z

Flashlight’s: BLF

Phone: Apple

Power tools: Makita

DMM: Fluke

Hand Tools: Klein,Estwing

Storage boxes: Pelican case

Radio’s: Icom

Shoes : Johnson & Murphy

Cars: Toyota,Lexus

Motorcycles: Yamaha

Batteries :Eneloop/FDK

Pens: Pentel

Chainsaw: Stihl

Bike :Trek

Kitchen knives :Yaxell

Majoroverkill · 2019-10-30T07:32:49.000Z

Olight, Klarus, Acebeam for lighting. LAPG for clothing. First Tactical and Vanquest for packs. ZT and ESEE for knives. Sawyer water filters big time. Leatherman Raptor shears! Knipex mini tools and Glock since 1990, G24, G24C G35, G23, G27, G20, G21 and soon the G40 10MM. KKM barrels because I live 30 minutes from where they are located in Mound House Nevada. He custom fits my barrels to my Glocks. WOW! I just realized I’m a gear whore and this place is awesome! I purchased 9 flashlights this month and one of them was the Acebeam X45. Got in trouble big time for that purchase, Thanks Amazon for sending all my purchases to my wife’s phone, man I hate that.

Lightbringer · 2019-10-30T16:16:19.000Z

Funny how many people have quoted their favorite brand of jeans. To me, they’re all garbage nowadays. I remember back when getting a new pair of jeans was like wearing chaps, or armor-plate. It’d take a few weeks and many washes to just be able to flex enough that you could sit down and not have to remain standing all the time. You’d outgrow the jeans (vertically or circumferentially) looooooooooong before they’d even come close to wearing out.

Now? Wrangler, Lee, Levi, Land’s End, no matter, they’re trash. A year at best before they’d get threadbare and start to split in random places (the “distressed look” on the cheap).

Grew up on Wranglers, but after they changed their “cut” I found that Levis just fit better. Land’s End were just Levis in drag. Best of all I could mail-order LE because I have arms’n’legs like an ape and need looooong inseams unless I’m going for that Capri-pants look.

Bought a coupla pair of Wranglers, which both split on the front-thigh in the same exact spot. And I got an office job, so it’s not like I’m hauling bales of hay or trudging through a coal-mine or anything. They just split. And I like a looser fit, so it’s not like they were stressing or straining.

Levis? Same dealy for the most part. They just got threadbare from the wash, got another front-thigh split, now a few rear-thigh splits are in the works in the gauzelike spots of material that wore through. This is the last week I’ll be wearing this pair, as I broke out another (new) pair from my last buying-spree. Literally just over 1yr of daily-but-outdoor wear. In the house, it’s b’ball shorts or sweats, so it’s not even like I wear jeans 7 days/week. As soon as I get home from work, the jeans come off and the shorts go on.

I got recommended… was it Carhartt?… jeans that seemingly last forever just like Carhartt shirts, that a lot of truckers wear. Maybe I’ll have better luck with those…

f0xx · 2019-10-30T16:56:23.000Z

Lightbringer:

Funny how many people have quoted their favorite brand of jeans. To me, they’re all garbage nowadays. I remember back when getting a new pair of jeans was like wearing chaps, or armor-plate. It’d take a few weeks and many washes to just be able to flex enough that you could sit down and not have to remain standing all the time. You’d outgrow the jeans (vertically or circumferentially) looooooooooong before they’d even come close to wearing out.

Now? Wrangler, Lee, Levi, Land’s End, no matter, they’re trash. A year at best before they’d get threadbare and start to split in random places (the “distressed look” on the cheap).

Agreed, but I’ve been buying some pair of Levis at Walmart that has some stretch to it (can’t remember the name of the “technology”) that seem to wear a bit better. They’re about $20/pair, comfortable, and look decent. I also wear them out in less than a year, but I am often crawling through attics or doing other activities which are hard on clothes.

I have had some Carhartt pants that were pretty tough, I think they are a quality product. I have heard good things about Duluth Trading Co. and may try some of their stuff next go around:
https://www.duluthtrading.com/men/pants/jeans/

Lightbringer · 2019-10-30T18:14:14.000Z

f0xx:

I have had some Carhartt pants that were pretty tough, I think they are a quality product.

My only grex about their shirts is that the collars tend to be a little snug/small. Love the quality, though.

f0xx:

I have heard good things about Duluth Trading Co. and may try some of their stuff next go around:
https://www.duluthtrading.com/men/pants/jeans/

Ah, that sounds familiar.

Otherwise, I can’t think of anything approaching brand “loyalty”. Temporary preference, maybe, but there always seems to be a race-to-the-bottom sooner or later. At the very least, quality-fade.

Yeah, I’m just a ray of sunshine, ain’t I?

Nismo · 2019-10-30T18:40:40.000Z

I’m new to the flashlight game, but I’ve developed a love for Emisar so far.
They’re pretty high quality for their price, and Hank is quite helpful with any questions and is active on this forum.
Although I’m trying a lot of different lights from ZebraLight, Sofirn and Fireflies currently.
I tend to lean towards a single brand, but I force myself to try something new every once in a while.

For batteries, I’ve had good experience with Samsung, Keepower and LiitoKala although they often have fraudulent floating around.

BT100 · 2019-10-31T02:08:23.000Z

levi’s have been junk since they went to thinner material 15-20 years ago.
Now they are just “coasting” on a reputation they don’t deserve anymore.

Swabs · 2019-11-16T02:05:13.000Z

TwoSun Knives
Subaru
Nokian Tires
Skecher shoes
I’m still new to flashlights, but I love Sofirn torches
iPhones
Kendall motor oil

Tubercle · 2019-11-16T04:26:16.000Z

Swabs:

TwoSun Knives
Subaru
Nokian Tires
Skecher shoes
I’m still new to flashlights, but I love Sofirn torches
iPhones
Kendall motor oil

Twosun Knives are amazing! I have so many of them in my collection.
For flashlights I like Fireflies, Emisar and Astrolux
Cell phones: Samsung
Laptop: Dell
Supplements: Now
Cars: Subaru

tekwyzrd · 2019-11-16T06:16:50.000Z

e1000:

I tend to be very brand dis-loyal. I typically base my buying decisions on what features and qualities I want the most and make a choice from those factors. To me brand is most relevant in that certain brands tend to produce products favoring certain qualities, and that may align better to what my preferences are. At the end of the day, I really don’t care what logo is on what, as long as it does what I bought it for.

:+1:

for shoes, skechers are junk. the last pair i had wore through the outsole in less than 6 months.

Lightbringer · 2019-11-16T07:02:34.000Z

tekwyzrd:

e1000:

I tend to be very brand dis-loyal.

for shoes, skechers are junk. the last pair i had wore through the outsole in less than 6 months.

Try Dockers. Garbage, at least their slippers. Needed a pair, went to Kohl’s, saw them on sale, bought. Stretched to about 2-3 sizes too big within a week, literally fell apart (sole split off the rest of the slipper) in less than a month.

Vaguely recall an episode from an old teevee show (fiicr which, though) where someone was able to get beautiful shoes for heavily discounted prices. Anyone who bought ’em had the shoes self-destruct in no time at all. Turned out the shoes were geared towards morticians to put on stiffs, and the glue didn’t stand up too well to body heat from anyone still living.

That’s what those Dockers were like. Oh, beautiful high-quality-looking boxes, but garbage product inside.

Only brands I can “root for” (because they haven’t turned into garbage yet) are for shirts: Carhartt, Sonoma, and Eddie Bauer. Tough, soft, and a-little-of-both, respectively. Don’t recall ever having any actually wear out.

One from Apt 9 eventually stretched from a teeshirt into a dress with plunging neckline. Lost all elasticity. And either Cherokee and/or Jerzeez (forgot which) basically self-destructed after less than a year of ~1day/week wear.

I noticed a bunch of shirts from Port Something. Got some artwork shirts from Amazon from them, got a few regular unadorned teeshirts from ’em. Not sure which brand it is, but one just developed a hole in the underarm. Hope it ain’t that one, as I got a bunch of ’em.

Sox and unnerwear, generally trash that doesn’t last terribly long. “Denim” jeans, I already went into my tirade about those. Belts? Oh, man, got one POS from Kohl’s, reversible, leather held into the buckle by 2 eyeglass-screws, essentially. Leather was brittle, which bent, and later literally cracked. Garbage, garbage, garbage.

Got one now that’s non-reversible, that looks to be decent quality, also from Kohl’s in the same batch, but hopefully a different mfr.

Jackets, I do like Columbia and North Face. Got a RainForest that I quite like, too.

Backpacks, JanSport. They do tend to last forever, and I might put their “lifetime guarantee” to the test, as I washed mine in scalding hot water (as I do all my clothes) and the waterproof “skin” inside peeled off. My bad, but let’s see what they do.

Best boots I ever got? Cheap-ass “Vietnam Jungle Boots” from Sportsman’s Guide. Good Lord, they lasted ’til well after I wore down the soles to slicks. Looked like Hell with some kind of mesh uppers and leather toe-caps that eventually peeled the coloring, but they lasted nigh forever. Couldn’t kill those things except by sheer mileage. Went up to a size bigger, stuck in innersoles for summer, thick sox for winter. All-year wear. Nice deep tread so you could walk up the side of a tree if so inclined.

Reminds me, should get a coupla more pair…

pennzy · 2019-11-16T14:49:54.000Z

Try Timberland belts. You can get them at Marshalls. About $15. Heavy leather that lasts.

RollerBoySE · 2019-11-16T17:34:25.000Z

Going with well known brands is a way to guarantee reasonable quality without having to research the particular items. But do expect to pay a premium for your time.

When it comes to flashlights the current leader seems to be Emisar.