(I’m trying to adjust my shopping habits for quality, long-lasting goods from reputable brands. This isn’t some hailcorporate thing)
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Cotopaxi
Lush, specifically their shampoo. I would use other stuff of theirs but I live in a country which they do not sell in, so the shampoo (which lasts for ages) is something I buy a lot of when I can get it.
Apple I generally trust (computers, not phones, those are too expensive and limited).
Darn Tough Socks, made in Vermont USA and guaranteed for life. If you get a hole in one, send it back and they give you a credit to pick any pair you want on their website.
That’s amazing. I’m going to look into this. I suppose they make this work because most customers actually find it inconvenient to send their destroyed socks back or the terms to do so make it difficult.
The socks are $20-27 pair, but they’re the most comfortable sock I’ve worn. I’m switching my whole wardrobe or socks over as I can afford.
Patagonia since they also offer repair services in the event of damage and are relatively ethical.
I’ll start my own thread with OXO for their kitchen goods. After a decade of dealing with subpar containers and utensils, I’ve slowly started to rebuild my set with OXO stuff and habe yet to be disappointed by anything of theirs.
Seconded with Knipex hand tools. They’re far pricier than the competition you’ll find on the store shelves, but the quality and engineering is better than anything else you can reasonably find (barring boutique toolmakers).
A lot of OXO stuff is cheap made in China junk these days.
My OXO kettle’s handle fell off during regular use, it’s just held on by a tiny clip.
Their conical coffee grinder is as expensive as a bur grinder.
IIRC OXO measuring cups have raised lettering 1/2c. That’s so clutch, the painted letters seem to come out in the wash.
OXO quality has tanked over the last 15 or 20 years since Helen of Troy bought them who source all of their products from Mexico and China using shady subcontractors. They had a lot of innovative designs when they started out, but don’t really invest in that anymore.
Knipex on the other hand is still pretty solid on quality. They’re still family managed and their manufacturing employees are primarily union workers, so they’re able to keep the skilled workers around.
Le Creuset… but there’s a secret… They’re SUPER expensive.
So you find your local outlet store and sign up for their mailing list. You’ll regularly get 30%, 40%, 50% off deals.
Not everything Le Creuset. They seem to be very similar to other kitchen brands (kitchenaid, Cuisinart, etc) where they make a few excellent products, but the rest of their lives is overpriced stuff that isn’t as good as other brands you could buy. Their Dutch ovens are good, for example, but not their French press so much.
2nd trick, they have an outstanding warranty. Bring it in, they swap it out.
I have an outstanding warrant …is that the same?
Not quite, but I encourage you to visit your warrant provider for more details to prevent loss of service.
There’s plenty of knockoffs brands that seem to be as hardy; might but be worth the premium anymore.
Lodge is also quite good and a fraction of the price.
Cuisinart makes a dutch oven that’s just as good but lighter somehow.
Also thrift stores. The only Le Creuset pan I own cost me $7.
That’s a hell of a thrift store find.
I’ve used my Knipex 5” cobra pliers more than anything else in the toolbox, except maybe a torx set. Solid tools.
They’re great. As a line cook, I used to EDC a pair of the 4" minis in my pocket for taking off burner nozzles for cleaning. By the end of my year there, everyone else I worked with had bought a pair because they were so much better than dealing with the garbage Hart brand pliers the restaurant supplied.
Have you tried their cantilever grips? Thought they’d be a gimmick but I’ve stopped carrying spanners because they’re so good
The only OXO product I’ve had issues with is their rotating cheese grater, but it’s so nice to use that I just buy a new one every seven years or so.
Hottest take on this site: Apple.
I use my 2011 MacBook Pro to manage my 80k photos. My phone is six years old. My iPad Pro is five? (Edit: I lied, it’s a 2017 model) Years old.
I don’t use their desktops, I use Linux for my servers and windows for playing games. But my Apple shit for casual use has all lasted me an insane amount of time.
My 13 year old MacBook Pro still gets through 1.75 playthroughs of Beetlejuice on max brightness! Full disclaimer, I originally bought it for games and used Windows 7 always plugged in, and only now it has an SSD and OSX and the battery has 30 cycles. BUT STILL
Lucky for you, but the truth is, Apple isn’t that great or reliable. Here is a list of all the MacBook recalls, and it’s a list from 2021. Battery issues of possibly catching fire, screens cracking, logic board failures, etc…
Here is another list that is from 2023 of different Apple devices.
Apple Watch Series 6 – Black Screen Issue iPhone 12 and 12 Pro – No Sound Issues iPhone 11 – Touch Issues AirPods Pro – Sound Issues iPad Air 3rd gen – Blank Screen Issue Smart Battery Case – Charging Issues iPhone 6s and 6s Plus – No Power Issues 15-inch MacBook Pro – Battery Overheating/Fire Risk MacBook lineup – Keyboard Issues 13-inch MacBook Pro – Display Backlight Issues Apple Three-Prong AC Wall Plug Adapter – Electrical Shock Risk iPhone X – Touch Issues iPhone 7 – No Service Issues iPhone 6 Plus – Multi-touch and Display Flickering Issues Apple European AC Wall Plug – Electrical Shock Risk Beats Pill XL – Overheating and Fire Risk Apple 5W European USB Power Adapter – Overheating Risk Apple Ultracompact USB Power Adapter – Electrical Shock Risk
Where’s a list of recalls for non Apple devices for comparison?
I’ve had several devices that should have been recalled and weren’t so good on Apple for recalling anything at all.
Did you read the wiki leaks for chained exploits to achieve privilege escalation on various devices? Apple devices had the smallest attack surface by far and had already patched several vectors before they leaked.
With android, you had several paths to choose from to achieve full control of the device for each and every android version, and the likelihood that a device was patched, if a patch existed at all, was extremely low. Patch releases would lag published exploits for years.
Apple has always used the right hardware for the job, while others add as much power as possible to hide the fact their software / hardware marriage is abysmal.
And now there is Apple silicon, which is even better!
- Hardware: Winner Apple
- Software: Winner Apple
- Security: Winner Apple
- User friendliness: Winner Apple
And you had anything beyond saying it to back it up.
Hardware I’ve already proven, you, well… You made something up and hoped for the best.
Software, as we are talking more about macOS at the beginning, it’s a joke that you are claiming macOS has more and various software than Windows. There is a reason even Apple uses Windows and not macOS.
Security, again, you made a quick claim and nothing to back it up. But here is a list of iOS exploits just from 2022-2023.
User friendliness: this reeks of desperation. And has been proven in the past to be wrong, but keep trolling. I’ll keep laughing 🤣
All you have proven is that Apple has had recalls in the past. Recalls happen. I’m not sure what point you are trying to make.
Hardware you have not proven at all. You linked to Apple recalls. Who are you comparing them to? Whose products in this space are more trustworthy to you?
Security… here is a list of CVEs Samsung is patching just for August. I’m glad they have SMRs, but what is the uptake? Android 14 has a measly 13% share. 70.5% of iPhones are running the latest iOS. Security patches that don’t get installed don’t provide security. You can’t trust android developers to not exploit the hell out of the android os. The OS wasn’t designed with security in mind and anybody that reads the API can see that. The entire ecosystem can’t be trusted.
Critical CVE-2024-21461
High CVE-2024-4610, CVE-2024-0153, CVE-2024-21460, CVE-2024-21465, CVE-2024-21469, CVE-2024-21462, CVE-2024-34724, CVE-2024-34725, CVE-2024-34726, CVE-2024-23373, CVE-2024-23372, CVE-2024-23368, CVE-2024-23380, CVE-2024-26923, CVE-2024-31334, CVE-2024-31335, CVE-2024-20077, CVE-2023-20971, CVE-2023-21351, CVE-2024-34731, CVE-2024-34735, CVE-2024-34737, CVE-2024-34738, CVE-2024-34739, CVE-2024-34740, CVE-2024-34741, CVE-2024-34743, CVE-2024-34736, CVE-2024-34742, CVE-2024-34727, CVE-2024-34745, CVE-2024-34746, CVE-2024-36971, CVE-2024-32896
User friendliness… it is well documented that Apple cares more about users than developers and now, as a result, developers target Apple platforms too. Why? Because developers follow the users. It doesn’t matter how enticing Microsoft is for developers, if there aren’t users, developers will leave. Because Microsoft can’t be trusted and constantly screw over their users. Microsoft is only still in use because they have plenty of monopolies. Every time one of their monopolies falls, users flock to their competitor. Microsoft cannot be trusted to execute. Zune, Windows Phone, Kinect. Office has been replaced. Xbox replaced. And windows is being replaced.
Here is an analysis of usability and reliability that sums it all up in terms we all understand. Money. Macs are cheaper than PCs.
This debate is over. ^
Debate is over? You come here, attempt very poor attempt of a flood of BS, and call that a debate? 🤡
Bonus points for linking to the well known and debunked “claim” that macs are cheaper over the long term than Windows. Wow, that sad attempt took me back (and I knew you’d use it). I can see you never looked into that claim. It claims that Windows needed AV, a $100+ a year, but macOS some mhow doesn’t, even though macOS malware was on the rise even then. Combined with how they claimed half the enterprise security suites somehow weren’t needed for macOS showed it wasn’t a serious attempt (a lot like your messages).
Sorry. I didn’t realize OP was asking for a thesis paper when asking what companies I trust.
The debate is over because it was never a debate.
It wasn’t a debate not because I wanted a thesis, it’s because all you wanted was to troll. Your entire comment was “lol, trust me bro. Here’s a well known lie to back me up”. And you were terrible at it. Go back to Reddit.
If you’re much of a tech person, you must have been living under a rock if you think all apple products are good. Several of their laptops and desktops have been large misses, some have had critical flaws that burn them out after a few years, one of their iPhones had a battery/processor combo flaw that had the batteries not deliver enough voltage after like a year and instead of doing a recall, they put out an update that undercooked the apu so the phone ran shittier but wouldn’t rando restart anymore. Then there was the iPhone that lost reception if “you were holding it wrong”.
Also, there’s a reason they were about to go bankrupt in the mid 90’s. They got saved by Bill Gates and got lucky with the Ipod, that saved their company.
I just give my experience.
What is the phone with the undervolting? I do not know that thing.
Oh yeah, the thing that all devices do so they don’t just shut off randomly. Apple was just punished cuz they weren’t transparent about it. Would you rather your phone slow down as the battery is almost empty, or shut off at 15%?
Lol. That is 100% not true, Fan Boy. My four year old samsung still pulls the same test numbers and frequencies as when it was new. Apple was using flawed batteries with a processor that couldn’t cope and just tried to cover it up.
My almost six year old iPhone XS Max also has a very healthy battery. But if we kept our phones for a long time, when your and my batteries aren’t healthy, both of our phones are absolutely going to throttle when voltage drops. If they don’t, they’ll just shut off at 15%. It’s how batteries work.
Hottest take on this site: Apple.
That’s because there’s such a huge and biased fan base, and they drown out the actual objective opinions.
No it’s because they are so far above and beyond any of their competition Apple ‘s worst is better than any of the trash products trying to compete with it.
I notice that here as well. I use tech products from all companies, but the frothing hate for everything Apple brings me back to my teens, in 2003, when I also felt that way. I started coming around when Apple started putting Intel processors in their machines and giving them decent specs for the price.
I originally bought my first Apple product, a MacBook Pro in 2008 for playing video games! All the PC laptops at the time were huge and had terrible battery life, while a 2008 MBP was tiny, light, and the battery lasted twice as long as GAMING LAPTOP. All I had to do was install Windows. That died in an unfortunate sticky spill and was replaced with my 2011 MBP, which is still going.
Now I just have that, my original first-Gen Apple Watch, a six year old iPhone, and an old iPad Pro. And they’re all still fast (well, not the watch) and work fantastically.
I’ve been using MacBooks for work as a developer for over 15 years. They are ridiculously reliable. Earlier models would have key paint rub off. Mostly cosmetic stuff. But I’ve literally never had one not work.
I don’t like that you can’t switch out batteries, ram or hard drive anymore.
Also, they’re not cheap so for personal use I don’t buy apple products (especially since I don’t want to switch from an android to an apple ecosysten) but its to the point where if work tried to make me use a Dell windows laptop for my daily driver id go find another job. That’s how much I like the MacBook pro.
Until you realize you can’t replace ram or batteries…
I replaced my RAM and the battery is easily replaceable… but that’s on my 2011 model.
Mazda for cars (pretty much anything after 2013)
My solar powered casio pro-trek wristwatch has been going for over 15 years now. No battery changes, atomic clock syncing, altimeter, barometer, moon phases, tidal display, compass and a lot more.
Seriously i think it might be the last watch I’ll ever own and within the first year I bought a second just to have a a backup if this one ever dies.
Carhartt
I’ve worked with a lot of people who do hard, physical labor outdoors and they are almost always in Carhartt gear. Either that or Duluth Trading Company, which is what I wear.
Casio
Seiko
Slackware
Vibram
Shimano
Coen Brothersold casio products are unforgivingly reliable. I’ve literally never had one fail regardless of the ridiculous amount of abuse I put them trough.
The new ones tho… “it’s water tight not water proof” is what support told us when their “water tight” watch died after a minute of rain
Well, that technically applies to all watches. They are just water tight to a certain degree, but none are completely waterproof. Depending on the ATM rating a hot shower can be enough to kill it, whilst others can survive diving hundreds of meters deep into salt water
Shimano really should have turned to shit, what with them effectively having a monopoly (in mountain biking certainly) for literally decades. I don’t know whether it’s a Japanese thing or what, but they never did. Just kept quietly putting out decent gear at a variety of price ranges.
I picked up a full set of XTR v-brakes from eBay a few years back. Those things were still as good as the day they were new, despite being old enough that I only paid £20 for the lot.
Samsonite, I’m on my 3rd backpack of theirs. I’ve been using them since I was about 11 or so, I’m 26 now.
They’re not officially water or wear proof, but they’ve always been that way in my experience regardless. Even after years of daily use,and I was a weird school going kid that liked his bag heavy.
Their zippers failed on my on both my previous bags, when they got really cold in the winter. I don’t know if it’s the less cold temperatures of today, or whether they’ve improved their zippers, but they’ve not failed on my latest bag. Which is currently about 13 years old I think? It looks as good as new still
YKK zippers have a reputation for holding up though I’ve had one or two recently that didn’t last (you can see YKK on the handle)
YKK dominates zippers from meh quality to the best. It’s up to the downstream partner to decide which they want
Agreed. The zipper on My Samsonite roller case has been abused beyond belief and generally tested to breaking point over and over, and yet it resists and basically feels as good as new. Of course, I paid top dollar for that thing. You do get what you pay for.
We have a saying here “goedkoop is duurkoop” which means “to buy cheap is to buy expensive”
I would’ve ran through 10 cheap bags by the time 1 good back would fail. Making it much more expensive to buy cheap
That, but in one sentence
Why would you trust a brand? The brand that you like wasn’t the same people 20 years ago, and that will change again.
there still are brands that make a good quality product and haven’t tried to scam customers. Leatherman comes to mind.
You can like the quality the brand embodies and sells.
If you know the quality is a good compromise to the amount of money you spend it’s tbh a no-brainer.
Stanley. I have my grandads original Stanley thermos from around the 40’s and its in amazing condition. The new Stanley products are still top notch.
I bought two large Stanley thermoses when they were on sale locally. Used them every day for 5 years. Besides a few cosmetic blemishes they’re as good as new.
None.
Victorinox has never disappointed me. I own a few kitchen knives, their cutlery and an extensive collection of pocket knives. Everything is solid, dependable, arrives sharp and stays sharp. Plus they have good company ethics, as far as those things go. I like their products so much, I frequently give them as gifts.
I second this recommendation. They’re certainly not the best at anything, but they’re a good value for the money and good quality.
