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what are the companies/ products that are expensive but genuinely better made / higher quality and are actually much better value.
The tent thread made me think of Hilleberg. We sold ours for more than we paid for it after a decade (we didn’t need a 4 season tent and wanted space and ventilation ) but couldn’t find any other manufacturer that even came close on quality (the other brands seemed to have maintained the same price with ever cheaper materials).
The Grenson boots I bought last year feel like they’ll last forever, and can be properly resoled.
Hope brakes also repairable long term and sell for good money whatever their age
I'm impressed by Spoke clothing as they make it a proper range of sizes (which is also why I wear a fair bit of military surplus) so it fits, even if not the most stylish, so I’m much more likely to wear it until it wears out
(I love what Hebtroco do but no good if you’re anything but an average size - shirts/coats need short and tall sizes as well as trousers)
Hand tools (screwdrivers, chisels etc). I used to think the same about power tools, but the new Aldi / Lidl stuff leaves my 10-year-old Makita kit in the dust.
Michelin Cross Climate car tyres
Duralex goblets
Denby crockery
MSR stoves and tents - the more expensive Vaudé tents too.
Osprey backpacks
Lindt chocolate
Italian armchairs
EVs
Jotul wood burners
Sloggi underware (Madame's contribution)
Durex condoms
HP sauce
M&S chickpeas in a glass jar. (Also butter beans, btw)
Coffee grinders (Niche, Ode and Commandante).
Coffee beans, personal preference perhaps, but I prefer something interesting and well roasted which is usually more expensive than a supermarket bean.
Dog lead, Halti is a lovely tactile cotton and a mile away from the cheap nylon Amazon thing I had originally.
Dog food, Canagan, I don't have to feed my dog much, but she maintains a healthy coat and weight.
I'd say walking boots, but I'm still searching for something with cushioning, some degree of waterproofing and that lasts more than a winter/season.
Car tyres.
Jeans.
Running socks.
Mobile phones.
Meat.
Orange juice. I was in Valencia a few weeks ago, and you could get freshly squeezed orange juice in most bars and restaurants. So much nicer than even the most expensive from Tesco.
Kitchen knives.
Chopping up meat especially but also harder veg like carrots and onions. As soon as you use a decent quality chef's knife, you realise just how shit cheap knives are. Mine aren't exactly Michelin-star quality but they're good and well looked after and they're amazing to use.
Same with saucepans actually. I've got a really good one which must be 10+ years old now and it's still the first one I reach for when cooking. I remember the cheapo starter set of pans I got when I went to uni which were trashed after 4 years. Cheap pans are a false economy.
Bike tyres.
Bike brakes.
XT shifters.
Sunglasses.
Shoes (any, not just riding).
Bike tyres.
Bike brakes.
XT shifters.
Sunglasses.
Shoes (any, not just riding).
Edit: stainless Stellar saucepans. Ours are 20 years old, and they have just replaced for free a lid and a pan as the rivets were working loose...
Darn Tough socks ??
(do you have to send them to the US for warranty replacement? )
Defeet Woolie boolies and Wooleators (3” for riding &running, 6” for “smart” ) . I’ve been wearing them for nearly 20 years now and they’re what I always reach for in preference to anything else I have.
Hotels. In my experience anyway. I’m not including B&B/holiday lets however as price is no indication of quality here.
Bike chains
Bike cassettes.
Cheese. I'd have to be absolutely on my uppers before I'd buy mild cheddar instead of extra mature.
Washing up liquid
Tea
Kelloggs corn flakes.
Haircuts 😉
I,d have to be out of my mind to eat extra mature rather than mild cheddar
As a lifelong suffered of IBS and having had 4 surgeries down there related to cancer in the last few years...
Bog Paper...
end of thread
As a lifelong suffered of IBS and having had 4 surgeries down there related to cancer in the last few years...
Bog Paper...
end of thread
I would take a arse wash/bidet over big roll...
Composite sea kayaks. They are just nicer to paddle than ‘plastic’ ones.
Hilleberg tents.
As a lifelong suffered of IBS and having had 4 surgeries down there related to cancer in the last few years...
Bog Paper...
Izal Medicated is more expensive than the usual stuff. YMMV.
Shoes, tyres and waterproofs
Which is the best bog paper?
aldi coconut scented for me
Food generally and especially meat.
The extra special mention for meat is partly an animal welfare one. I'd rather have good food on the table than a nice car.
And whoever said "tea" absolutely nailed that.
Preferably loose leaf, which does not mean supermarket tea bag dust without an actual bag.
DIY: drill and screwdriver bits.
Cheap drill bits in particular are an abomination especially if dealing with stainless steel items or monel rivets.
I'd rather have good food on the table than a nice car.
If more people thought like this, the world would be a much better place.
Sellotape. In fact anything with R&D overheads rather than generic. Paying a little more for relatively cheap things is always the best reward on investment. But sellotape - don’t buy cheap, it’s just a false economy.
Tomatoes
Socks
Bread
Cereal bars
PHD sleeping bags. World class, made (not just designed) in the UK, and aside from the custom option most lines available in 4 lengths and 4 widths for perfect sizing.
Not just tyres. Road bike tyres. Good (expensive per gram!) ones are grippy, low rolling resistance and much more puncture proof that tyres of old/tubeless. Cheap tyres, limited grip and feel like you are pedalling through glue. Best road bike purchase
Binoculars and camera lenses.
Hand tools, particularly specialist wood carving tools and chisels
Abrasives
salt and pepper grinders
Tyres, particularly car tyres
Food. Good quality food. Everything from fruits and vegetables to meat, cheese and wine. Generally speaking the higher the price the higher the quality/taste.
Exposure lights
Paramo clothing
Chris King. Hubs, BB and Headsets, but especially hubs. Never, not once in 20y of riding have I had to replace a CK bearing. One set of MTB hubs is now over 20y old, has been through winters in the Peaks, Lakes and Quantocks and is still fresh as a daisy. Another is approaching 60k km of all year commuting (same with the BB) and is still going strong and smooth.
Standards obsolescence is the only way to really kill a King hub.
Tents - we bought a Nordisk tent in the Wiggle fire sale. Pitched next to another bell tent on the top of a cliff in the summer (no name generic one) - it was windy. Their main pole snapped, cutting their stay short. Didn't even bother the Nordisk with it's substantial poles. Same a few days later on another site, horrendous wind and rain. Quite a few shouts in the night, and far less tents by the time we woke up.