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The problem with this "buy for life" stuff is that how do you determine what is really a "buy for life" product rather than just an over-priced "brand?" For ex

The problem with this "buy for life" stuff is that how do you determine what is really a "buy for life" product rather than just an over-priced "brand?" For example, I could go out and buy a $200 pair of sunglasses but depending on where I buy them they can either be poor quality (e.g. fashion brands, sunglass hut, etc) or exceptional (e.g. fishing shops, sailing suppliers, workman-glasses, etc). You would expect reviews to give you an accurate way to tell but people often review a product by the way it makes them FEEL rather than about the product its self.

radarsat1 14y ago
Exactly. They just don't make things like they used to. I bought a $160 pair of boots once, thinking they would be great and last me a long time. They seemed solid, but they started leaking and cracking within a year. The next year I bought a $35 pair, which lasted the winter but sort of fell apart, and the next year I did the same again, which lasted three years. The problem with paying more for higher quality is that there's little guarantee these days that price and quality are even correlated.
HeyLaughingBoy 14y ago
You answered your own question: given a choice, if you can buy from the supplier that sells to industrial/commercial users, the quality will usually be better. e.g., I buy my T-Shirts from Tractor Supply. They are cheaper, much thicker and last longer than the ones I bought from American Apparel. Farmers are harder on clothing than the average urban dweller, I'm guessing. The tools I buy from McMaster-Carr or Fastenal may cost the same or slightly more than the tools (often the same brands) from Home Depot or the local hardware store, but they are much better quality.
- AjithAntony 14y ago
  The lightweight fabric at American Apparel is a premium feature.
  - HeyLaughingBoy 14y ago
    To whom? I can poke a hole in it by just looking at it the wrong way. I'm buying a T-Shirt, not a pair of pantyhose.

radarsat1 14y ago

Exactly. They just don't make things like they used to. I bought a $160 pair of boots once, thinking they would be great and last me a long time. They seemed solid, but they started leaking and cracking within a year. The next year I bought a $35 pair, which lasted the winter but sort of fell apart, and the next year I did the same again, which lasted three years. The problem with paying more for higher quality is that there's little guarantee these days that price and quality are even correlated.

HeyLaughingBoy 14y ago

You answered your own question: given a choice, if you can buy from the supplier that sells to industrial/commercial users, the quality will usually be better. e.g., I buy my T-Shirts from Tractor Supply. They are cheaper, much thicker and last longer than the ones I bought from American Apparel. Farmers are harder on clothing than the average urban dweller, I'm guessing. The tools I buy from McMaster-Carr or Fastenal may cost the same or slightly more than the tools (often the same brands) from Home Depot or the local hardware store, but they are much better quality.

AjithAntony 14y ago
The lightweight fabric at American Apparel is a premium feature.
- HeyLaughingBoy 14y ago
  To whom? I can poke a hole in it by just looking at it the wrong way. I'm buying a T-Shirt, not a pair of pantyhose.