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Sports direct.com , browse by brand.
I was going to say Karrimor
But they were going down hill 20 years ago. In 1993 i was about to buy a big Karrimor rucsac to go round the world. I mentioned this, on the phone, to a mate who managed outside in Hathersage. He said don’t. I said what do in do I’ve a shake down trip this weekend. He said just get in the car and drive here. I’ll stay open for you. So i drove 2 hours for my only personal shopper experience. After ages walking round the shop with ropes in different bags i bought a macpac. They still had good products then but they had added a sort of plastic exo skeleton to the big bags which fell apart. Oh and the clips on the pannier we used on that trip all broke.
I just passed on a 90s jaguar to my son in great nick. I got free at the skip. Some one was trying to throw it away
Came on to say Karrimor.... Sprayway too!!
Howies. When they were good they were so good; jeans, T-shirts, some tech clothing.
Last time to tried their jeans they were these solid lumps of misshapen, cheap-feeling, badly dyed denim that looks like they should have a Tesco label.
+1 for karrimor, i've still got the rucksack i went to uni with, early 90's vintage, horrible colour, but it was half price. Still 100% usable today. Still in a horrible shade of bellend purple.
Bought a karrimor day bag shortly before i emigrated, was replaced with a haglöfs within weeks, after it started to disintegrate. I still have the haglöfs bag nearly 20 years later.
Dug out my 1989 Jag S65 the other day cos my son has started doing backpacking trips. It seems to be in great condition.
Volcom
Was a great brand in the 90s and noughties. Nowadays the quality is Temu-esque
@ayjaydoubleyou has it really. In particular I’d pick out these two as having descended the furthest: Muddy Fox & Nevica / Campri.
then outside the Dick Dastardly empire there’s Oakley, Dawes, Suntour, Stanley, Camelbak, Mercedes, Boeing…,
Hotpoint.
Alpkit. Bought loads though the years but the last few items have been frankly awful quality.
Still in a horrible shade of bellend purple.
I've got one of those, from around 1987. Great bit of kit. Has survived quite a bit of abuse, some of it by me, some by my children.
I like the colour.
Endura. Sizing all over the place, no longer made to last, perfectly good products dropped or redesigned into bad ones.
The lad used my Karrimor Condor rucsac for his DofE.
We still buy Vango tents based off my experience in Scouts and the Force10 I used to have to lug about.
Salomon used to be a decent brand - their kit doesn't stand up to any decent levels of use these days imho
Landrover - ignored their original market and now make amorphic over blinged expensive unreliability.
The North Face.
Used to be genuine outdoors kit, well-made, lasted well. I've still got a sleeveless fleece / gilet thing that I bought in the States about 20 years ago, it's still in perfect condition. Now it's mostly another of the many urban / designer / "outdoors" brands that looks the part but with none of the outdoors capabilities.
Oh and another vote for Endura.
Mountain Hardwear and Arcteryx. Now mainly gone the way of fashion (which is ironic given MH was started up by some disgruntled North Face designers I believe).
I have a fear Montane are heading too far in that direction now too, they've been my go to for no nonsense stuff and not sure where I'll turn! Oh and inov8 seems to be a real mixed bag now too.
Mountain Hardwear and Arcteryx.
Bugger. Just ordered an Arcteryx coat yesterday. TBF I haven't actually seen it, took a punt and ordered it online as it was £600 cheaper than the, frankly ridiculous, retail price. I'll report back when I've tried it.
Did someone up there ^ say Boeing? They've certainly fallen further than most!
Google. Their organic search results (i.e. not paid for ads) are terrible now, I guess by design due to the "enshitification" business model.
Mavic. -rims got left behind being heavy and hubs are shit.
I was going to add Mavic to my previous post.
They used to be THE name in factory wheels - innovative, light, looked cool...
Now it's a confusing mess of similar sounding names, generic looks, overpriced and with annoying proprietary components.
I get that they're far from the first company to do proprietary parts but it's still annoying.
im going to say that North Face still do some pretty good kit but it isn't the street faashin shite that you see everywhere these days. They seem to have two product lines. one for pros and one for show. The good stuff seems hard to come by but what I have I can't fault
Personally never rated ME stuff although I know it is popular on here
Oh but i Just remembered RAB. Oh dear, such a shame
And POD sacs....
Dr Martens
Converse
Carhartt ( some of it is still good)
Any brand now owned by fat Ashley
Cadbury Dairy Milk
Blundstone
Brands I still rate (eg, I’ve bought lots of stuff from them and never had any problems. YMMV)
Sony
Apple
M&S food
Planet X (yes really)
Another vote for PodSacs, had three of their made in Sheffield packs - absolutely bombproof and well thought out.
Seeing the badge stuck on cheap sh*t from PX broke my heart a little.
I read the thread title and immediately thought of Karrimor, I have a thirty year old polartec fleece which apart from the paint marks from decorating looks like new
Volcom
Nah, they're still great. Just started doing MTB gear as well!
Twitter. I no longer have an account because it's deteriorated so much and I'm pretty tolerant of most things.
Ratners. Quality jewellery for the discerning buyer.
Planet X (yes really)
I know what you mean. Never the best but generally good enough (bar some QC issues).
We’ve had a load of cheap but decent enough stuff from them.
I’ve got a 20 year old Karrimor rucksack
Too funny. I saw the thread title and I just though 'Karrimor'.
BBC news, it's been gutted to the point where there's just not the reporters let alone the expertise to report on some topics.
Alpkit
We're always a bit hit and miss.
Decathlon seemed to get much better just as alpkit became expensive too.
Ford. – always been rusty but everyone else seemed to sort it out. Used to at least have reliable engines. Not any more.
Ehh? Our Fiesta is about to turn 21 and the only rust is just starting to appear on the inner door skins.
Transits I'd agree with ?
Irn Bru (pre-sugar tax)
Dairy Milk (pre-Mondolez)
Yorkie (pre-Nestlé)
North Face are shit, another added to the list of stuff that's not worth paying for. Bought some Hedgehogs that lasted no time before the weave on the uppers started splitting. Just about worn them out but they aren't much better than Decathlon stuff for half the price.
Ford, not so much the engines but general parts availability. Including their unicorn piss derived oil that the wet belts need. Also agree that rust is hit and miss. My Mk4 Mondeo is now officially rusty, not bad going for a 2008 model that was often parked a stones throw from the sea for most of its life.
Merlin bike frames from early 2000s
I had a Malt1, my mate still has a Malt 2 - the rock lobster was lovely
used to take pride in their design, be cutting edge and invent stuff you actually wanted before you knew you wanted it.
now just generic hardware with average software
Compared to whom? I’ve yet to see equivalent products from any other manufacturer that would ever entice me to buy it. Folding phones? Stupid idea relying on people so desperate to have something to show off to their Instagram followers, whereas they’re stupidly thick, heavy bricks with an ugly crease across their screens, that Apple are clearly not attempting to follow because you can’t make a toughened glass screen that will fold without failing sooner rather than later.
And I’ve yet to see any other mobile OS that I’d want to use, but then, I’ve been using Apple stuff since the late 90’s, and iPhones since the 3G, before Google copied the design of iOS and changed Android from the ripoff of the Blackberry, to a ripoff of iOS.
That is historically accurate, Google had someone on Apple’s board, when Steve Jobs said ‘and one more thing’, and held up the first iPhone, Google’s boss in charge of Android development was watching in his car; he told the driver to turn around and return to the office, phoned the office and told them to ‘stop everything, we’ve got work to do’.
I’m not an obsessive dweeb who has to keep fannying around with my phones interface, I want it to do what I want, all the time, without having to try to remember what it was I’ve changed recently. The Photos app in iOS 18 has been changed significantly, and it’s pissed me off, because trying to find where everything is in an app I use most days, and have been for years, is bloody frustrating! Thankfully, a bit of digging has restored most functionality to how I want it, when I want it.
That’s not to say change is unwelcome - iOS 18 has allowed me to remove the two functions from the bottom of the Home Screen, which I’ve never used. The introduction of a separate camera button on the right of the case is a great addition, it’s allowed me to remap the Shazam trigger to it, instead of having it open the camera. The only two things I have on my Home Screen are an abbreviated weather widget and a calendar alert - there’s nothing, absolutely nothing that an Android phone could offer me that my iPhone does, and I’ve yet to see any other phone that makes me feel I’d like to have one.
My iPhone 16 Pro Max in its Otterbox Defender case. There isn’t any other phone, by any other manufacturer, that I would want to swap it for.
Jo Brand - never shit. Even when she's dealing with it.
But Russell Brand... can't remember him ever being good.
In that vein, Kevin Bridges
I have 80s Karrimor too, I recall it is Jaguar 75. Curiously metal zipper pullers have fallen off but the fabric is fine (except where it has worn through). Somehow most of visible stitching and webbing seem to be suffering from some sort of rotting, ruining the pack. I don’t have a heart to throw it away but maybe a Viking funeral in Midsummer bonfire could be suitable ending.
Brasher
most jeans are pretty poor nowadays.
To be fair that's because people expect to pay £50ish for a pair of jeans and at that price theyre going to suck.
There's a whole ecosystem of smaller companies doing high quality jeans (Hiut spring to mind) but people tend to disregard them as bouji overpriced nonsense when actually, adjust for inflation and they're roughly the same as the decent Levis were in 80's.
People's behaviour dictates the market and companies adjust accordingly.
Volcom
Nah, they’re still great. Just started doing MTB gear as well
The dedicated Volcom shop in Les Deux Alpes says otherwise. Terrible materials, abysmal stitching and quality. Anything I've bought in recent years is no comparison to their mid 90s quality
Rolex
Merrell for me but it could just be the style I buy, the laces outlive the soles now
The Post Office. Or Royal Mail
2 deliveries a day , the first usually pre leaving for work.
Next morning service for pence.
Having worked at numerous board stores in the 90’s that sold Volcom i reckon your memory might by rose tinted there @BoardinBob. I still remember the arguments over warranty returns.
but back in 90’s snowboarding, style ruled over quality
Merrell for me but it could just be the style I buy, the laces outlive the soles now
So true. My first ever approach shoes were Merrell, but we've had a few pairs which have worn silly quick. One pair managed a fortnight holiday and were warrantied for chunks falling off the soles....
Oh and inov8 seems to be a real mixed bag now too
I switched to inov8 when the quality on my North Face trainers started deteriorating, the first pair of inov8 I had were great.
Since then, they've been very variable, they're nowhere near what they used to be. Had one pair replaced under warranty when they just fell apart within 6 months. Stitching and gluing was near non-existent.
Nikon SLRs
Original Aldi (Crane) from 20 years ago or so is still going strong. New Crane has gone down hill 🙁
Ditto for Lidl.
3 year warranties have always been faultless.
Hatter I agree but when brands that have a reputation for quality are selling stuff of dubious quality for a £100 when you can get the same crap elsewhere for £30! I find that a bit much. A branded t-shirt I wouldn’t where now days on recent inspection was £90 and the quality was on par with primark.
Nobody’s mentioned UCI yet?
Well the downhill coverage has certainly gone downhill since WBD took it over.
I had a post written about Riley Snooker tables. Retracted.
I have a 1910 slate table and it's amazing.
But it seems there is a Riley (cheap) crap from Ashley type outlets.
But there is still a Riley who makes championship tables and active. Local to me in Caldicott it seems.
I would like some faster cushions and cloth. Must swerve in and see what they can do.
It seems even brands get muddled and even tarnished by crap China remakes.
Merrell for me but it could just be the style I buy, the laces outlive the soles now
So true. My first ever approach shoes were Merrell, but we’ve had a few pairs which have worn silly quick. One pair managed a fortnight holiday and were warrantied for chunks falling off the soles….
The complaint with Merrell shoes always used to be that the soles were too hard and didn't grip well until worn in. Maybe Vibram went too far the other way.
My issue is more with certain brands stopping making things that I use. I've bought Endura stuff recently that's really good, but I'd rather have the kit they made previously. Just before they were sold Karrimor were selling some amazing kit, I still have a jacket that's like new - not something I use every day but perfect for harsh conditions.
Helly Hansen, from kit for artic explorers and round the world sailors to cheap non waterproof cagoules and vests that fall apart after 2 washes. Lifa used to be the go-to for thermal underwear despite the unique smell after living in them for several days, now their outlet shops in centres in the middle of nowhere sell predominantly cheap tat.
I started making a mental list ( Alpkit, Rab, VW, Solomon etc), and then thought Jeez, it's just about everything, and then thought, has this been started by Botski? Is this thread designed to make us feel like things used to be better? Are we sounding like the far right nutters harking back to the 40's and 50's? I think we've been done again. Damn them Bots!
I have a Karrimor rucksack that I bought in 1990 to go travelling. I still have it and it's still in one piece however, it is unfortunately unusable as all the plastic coating on the inside of the fabric has crumbled away so everything comes out covered in 'dandruff'.
Ray Bans - found a pair of modern Wayfarers in the street at a carnival about 5 years ago, and was convinced that they were not genuine until getting them checked out. Not a patch on the free ones with proper Bausch and Lomb lenses that Marlboro were literally giving away 35 years ago.
U2
I'm amazed RaceFace hasn't been mentioned yet. OK, it's a little more than 20 years, but when I started MTBing the square taper Turbine and Next SL cranks, XY seatpost and SYStem were to me some of the most desirable components.
Then came ISIS.
Then the tiny bearings in their X-Type BBs.
Then came 30mm BB axles.
Then came the carbon cranks and their terrible pedal inserts.
Surprised at the mention of the UCI - twenty years ago they were embroiled in massive scandal after massive scandal, to the point where I think even the general public had begun to notice. The Verbruggen and MacQuaid eras where just rife with corruption.
Enjoying the Karrimor love on here. I have a holdall style rucksack that my mum bought to go travelling almost 40-years ago. I stole it off her in my late teens to go travelling round the world and I still use it for a few trips a year thirty years later. The only that has broken is the tabs on the zips (has had key split rings with gaffer tape instead for the last 20 years).
Wouldn't touch them now of course.
My 2023 Brasher shoes are way better than my 1995 Brasher boots were.
U2 have always been bad in my humble opinion.
Kate Beckinsale - latest film Canary Black is very bad. Not sure if they had overlaid an AI image over her face, as she could only summon one neutral expression throughout the film. Kind of a bored WFH look that I adopt for Teams. And she was strangely sexless and amorphic. Top tip: don't watch it.
Nobody’s mentioned UCI yet?
Surprised at the mention of the UCI – twenty years ago they were embroiled in massive scandal after massive scandal, to the point where I think even the general public had begun to notice. The Verbruggen and MacQuaid eras where just rife with corruption.
TBH, they've dipped lately, but even if they continue on this track for the next decade, they'll *still* never plumb the depths of the 80s and 90s. Much like the BCF/BC. (and on that note, i didn't realise Tony Doyle had died!)