[Closed] Brands who used to be good?......

Belstaff

welsh rfu

Evisu

Same with Berghaus as well

I'm going to disagree with that. Have been wearing mens Berghaus long sleeved zipped technical tops and am really pleased with them. An alternative to merino so you don't end up feeling damp.

If you look around there's some to be had at reasonable prices. 🙂

No mention of Specialized. Maybe because theyve always had good ride mixed with DESIGN FLAWS

Apple
Used to be a brand of free thinking arty creative types wanting to be an individual - now just mass marketing and bland 😉

Kodak is a good one, now just a patent file
AOL - anyone know what they do anymore (not saying they were good though)
MBR - used to have bits worth reading

Dirt mag. Thinned down like Berlusconi's hair piece.

I think Timberland boots are fairly poor compared to 20 years ago , the first pair I bought were so good when the soles eventually went I sent them off to get re-soled . These days they aren't much better than Caterpillars.
Also Fila and Tachinni were the ultimate in Soccer trendy coolness , Now they copy old designs but still fail miserably.
Also see Stone Island , though I always thought mediocre quality and very overpriced.

In the bike world see :

Kona , Always fairly cool but now very poorly specc'd.
Spesh again compared to the new breed of German bikes fairly poor value for money.

Howies

Animal

North Face all got a bit high street for a while but back on track now.

You sure, still seems like high street tat to me. Very few decent outdoor brands left, only Rab and Haglofs spring to mind.

Howies +1

Used to buy loads of their stuff but not seen anything half decent for years. Their T-shirts used to be great in the early years.

Very few decent outdoor brands left

mountain equipment, arcteryx, mountain hardware, patagonia, mammut

there's loads

I am sure Black and Decker were half decent once upon a time. Their power tools seem crap these days.

TNF have such a huge range that they comfortably cover both high street fashion-ware and decent technical clothing, with lots in-between. Much of their technical stuff is just as good as any other outdoor brand. Much of the negativity towards TNF is some form of snobbery because there isn't any exclusivity left in the logo.

Marin. No market presence.
Kona. Seem to have lost their way.
Karrimor. Same as everyone else's perception really.
Black & Decker. As above.
Howies. Just no longer interesting in terms of products and the t-shirts simply don't feel as nice.

Syncros

Used to be ace. Especially the seatposts.

What angeldust said.

Again, like Berghaus, TNF top-end kit is properly good. They've come out with some UK specific jackets (Point Five and another one I can't think of) recently which have had great reviews. Funny thing is that if you head over to Sweden, you see people wearing Haglofs kit like you do TNF over here so you can't really judge a brand by who wears it!

Mammut?

I still use a softshell of theirs on the bike that I bought in 2000.

Howies - over-priced, falls apart, cut for people that don't do any sport. Old pair of trousers cost half as much and outlasted the most recent which have massively improved my sewing skills. What happened to the 'rocking chair test'?

Howies - over-priced, falls apart, cut for people that don't do any sport.

I sent a jacket back as the waist was wider than the chest - god knows what model they used for the design, but whoever it was needed to cut down on the pies....

Juniper
Checkpoint
Cisco
IBM (although really, I'm struggling to remember the last decent thing they made. They must have been good at some point)

And non-IT related.

I think budweiser must have made some tasty beer at some point, it's horrible now.
Little Chef

British Airways
Ralf Lauren
Alfa Romeo
Olympus
Nomura
Barings Bank
Triumph
W H Smiths
Xerox
Preston NE
Moseley/Richmond Rugby Clubs
Élan skiis (Stenmark era)
IBM
Grandstand, Newsnight, Question Time, QoS, BBC Sport
The (Manchester) Guardian
CND
The Liberals (and the Lib Dems)
Minced beef
Sainsbury
NUM
Body Shop

athgray - Member

I am sure Black and Decker were half decent once upon a time. Their power tools seem crap these days.

We've got an ancient B&D hammer drill which I think Noah used on the ark, it'll be going long after all the orange plastic crap they sell now is in landfill.

2nd that howies t shirts and trousers falling apart

rab sizing since they sold out and started aiming there products at go outdoors

Triumph is a little unfair - they are making far better bikes that they used to! Car wise , I guess they don't exist
I can only agree with Belstaff - great functional barnd , now a fashion brand. Same goes for Lewis Leathers.
MG - now just producing rubbish cars (some would say, they always did)
Benelli - a bye word for unreliability
Lonsdale - esp with it's far right association
Arsenal FC
I fail to see how "minced beef" was every a brand !! Certainly Fray Bentos isn't what it used to be
Shipphams
McVities
Oxo
Trebor
Squirrel Horn
Stella
Tag Heuer - chav watches are go!
BMW 3 series. Does anyone actually not own one?
The BBC

Don't laugh

Marks and Spencer - used to be reliable good quality but now mostly cheap tat

The amount of times we've gone into M&S and walked out with nothing. My wife simply can't get her head round the fact that they're shit now until she gets inside and then realises they only do purple jumpers in size 24 and red jumpers in size 6.

The worst suit I own is an M&S suit. After wearing it about ten times, it looks like a sack. My £60 Tesco suit is better quality.

Diamond Back
Mongoose
GT

All three used to make some of the most desirable BMX bikes BITD. Nowadays? No thanks.

How to kill a 'cool' brand overnight? Sell out to a big corporation.

Edit.

Add:

Haro
Redline
DC shoes
Etnies
Vans

Smythsons.

Used to be a nice shop selling, now just chasing the market for handbags and lost a lot of style

Howies?

I sent a jacket back as the waist was wider than the chest - god knows what model they used for the design, but whoever it was needed to cut down on the pies....

That's me, that is! 😀

I've got loads of Howies stuff that's lasted for years. They used to justify their prices as stuff was UK made. The new gear seems to carry the same hefty price tag, but all seems to be made in China. Taking the **** somewhat. Mind you, I suppose that's just following every other clothing manufacturers buisiness model

Everyone loves a Howies bash, I still think their jeans are spot on.

Pretty sure I judge most things on merit individually rather than brand in general, but I could be wrong.

Everyone loves a Howies bash

No, I've never 'gotten' why its so pricey. Its a given that a menswear product should be of a certain quality.

The brilliant knack of the founders was to add a subtle-lifestyle spin to essential a 90's BOSS/ARMANI-branded product for the 00's but on a more subtle/tactile level.

All the power to them. Marketing is about a new message- they got it spot on with a market/audience who didn't want the brashness of 90's 'brand'.

Fair number of STW brands that used to be good feature in this list. IBM number 2 even.

Just because a brand is not seen as cool by a pretty small segment (perhaps even one the brand is not positioned for) does not make it bad. eg. Triumph was the fastest growing motorbike brand in europe last year apparently and is market leader in the UK (20% for bikes over 500cc).

Haro
Redline
DC shoes
Etnies
Vans

I would love an explanation why these are failed brands.

For me, raleigh is a good example of a brand that once had enormous credibility, but has now pretty much lost all of it.

British Airways
Ralf Lauren
Alfa Romeo
Olympus
Nomura
Barings Bank
Triumph
W H Smiths
Xerox
Preston NE
Moseley/Richmond Rugby Clubs
Élan skiis (Stenmark era)
IBM
Grandstand, Newsnight, Question Time, QoS, BBC Sport
The (Manchester) Guardian
CND
The Liberals (and the Lib Dems)
Minced beef
Sainsbury
NUM
Body Shop

Lord Nelson
Lord Beaverbrook
Sir Winston Churchill
Sir Anthony Eden
Clement Attlee
Henry Cooper
Lady Diana
Maggie Thatcher, can you hear me?
Maggie Thatcher your boys took a hell of a beating! Your boys took a hell of a beating!

MrMofo...no one actually owns a 3 series any more, they're all lease cars!

I don't mind some of the Howies stuff, although I'm tight so only ever buy it when its in the sale or I have an offer code! DC and Etnies still make some good stuff and sponsor loads of people.

Azonic used to be pretty cool in the bike world but seem to have all but vanished or make tosh.

Roadrunner Records used to be pretty cool if you liked heavy music but started signing absolute garbage like Nickelback.

For me, raleigh is a good example of a brand that once had enormous credibility, but has now pretty much lost all of it.

Wasn't that a certain MD's fault? Moved everything from the UK to the far east and a few other bad changes? I saw an interview not so long ago where the bloke was semi-aggressive when questioned on it.

kona

Cove bikes

Hora, the problems started well before that. I will find the link to the recent summary I posted. On Triumph, (and note any list like this always has a tongue in cheek element) I grew up riding my Raleigh bike past the original Triumph works in a small village in the Midlands. It is from those heady days, that I view the company's decline with a hint of nostalgia and sadness!

Russell.

Jo.

Pity isn't it. Raleigh had it all- in the palm of their hands. They would have been bigger than Specialized now if they'd kept the same focus and they'd have a massive loyal older fan club buying for their youth now too.

I STILL would buy my son something Raleigh if they brought out a good product.

Nike

Just seem to make a load of Chav-tastic gear now, do any serious runners actually buy Nike trainers any more?

Oakley have a bit of a dodgy image these days

hora, Specialized are still an amazing brand with amazing bikes and products that work and an amazing after-sales and warranty service.
I won't have a bad word said about them, even with their crappy proprietary parts that seem to be increasingly appearing on their bikes...

Sony