I like to buy good quality products which are reliable and durable.
I was wondering what are some of the best built quality products/brands you ever bought? Which lasted for years (high life expectancy compare to direct competitors)? which are also good value for money?
40" Samsung LCD TV bought in 2006, back when 40" was pretty decent. Wife will only allow me to upgrade to a bigger one when this one dies, but it refuses to…I think next time I'll avoid Samsung so I don't have the same longevity issue again. Need something that will die every 5 years or so for the sake of my marriage.
Haha - I'm in the exact same boat. Bought my Samsung 40" in 2009. Itching to upgrade to a 60" but "there's nothing wrong with that one, it still works perfectly".
My Jansport RightPack backpak (Made in USA)….had one when i was in school, 20 years on and still gets a fair bit of workout. Just bought another one last year as the mrs said, "i reckon its time for a change". One second thoughts i'm not sure if she was talking about the backpack or me?
PS JanSport has a lifetime warrantee on their backpacks
just came here to read about dyson.. but all haters around?
I was planning to get one.. I might've to rethink
I have both Dyson handstick (6m-old) and Miele (5y-old), functional wise they both deliver as the promised.
Dyson customer service is v.poor and product felt like made by cheap plastic and it is, since mine got cracked within few weeks.
They both premium brands, but I wouldn't by Dyson as main vacuum cleaner for the product and service issue.
Gameboy, that is all
Kia Sorrento Platinum Diesel new model. Using it for one year and one the best purchases I have ever made. I have used Mazda, Toyota,Honda but will vote Kia above them all hands down. Its an amazing package for the price paid and with premium feel
Honourable mention to my Samsung 46" 8 series Led 200Mhz 46UA8000 TV bought it in 2009 and hasn't missed a beat for last 7 years
$100 Made in Sheffield scissors
Nokia 3210…:)
Also, my old 1986 Mercedes-Benz 190D 2.5. Diesel. 740,000km on the clock when we sold it. Was an amazing car for the 4 years we had it.
i've bought a potted cactus 10 years ago, best f-ing plant ever! never watered it and it make me look like i got a green thumb.
The first ssd on the market. Intel 80gb x25. 8 years later still going strong. No need for trim.
My audio gear has been excellent. I don't usually keep things long enough to see them die. Dynaudio, Benchmark Media, and Sennheiser are brands I rather trust now though.
My dad has an Astra which is apparently a real lemon with 750,000kms I the clock.maybe he is a quality driver.
my Sonos play 5. the first series… I reckon ive had it 4-5 years and it is flawless. Constantly updated, awesome sound for the real estate it holds. Easy connectivity. I've literally never had a problem with it. Everyone always comments how loud and clear it is as well. I would stream off it nearly every day.
1990 mazda mx5, sony mdr-v6 studio monitors - good ol' japanese design and quality
Best recent purchases:
Samsung metal USB drives.
New Balance Walker shoes.
Motorola moto E.
If it's recent how do you know how well built it is? Maybe it hasn't had a chance to fail yet?
2 wedding gifts received 34 years ago: simpson deep freezer, used nearly non-stop, still going; hoover clothes dryer, used non-stop when kids were young, daughter now has it, dries nappies and clothes every day, other than the door switch busting, still going!!! Also, National Panasonic 12" portable TV bought with my 1st ever pay chq in 1975 still works, no reception now obviously as it was analog. Will never ever buy anything that lasts that long.
Kathmandu Altica windbreaker top. 15 yrs old still looks like new (well, almost). Probably washed over 500 times and colour still same. Went recently to get a new one, and surprise surprise, they dont make them anymore. Only had that flannel sh** . No thanks, I can get a crap one from K-mart for $10. Not paying $129 for that.
I have one in dark blue around that age too. It comes out of the cupboard every winter.
I got this Kodak film camera, old fashioned, lots of scratches, but still working.
The company itself has long gone.
Logitech MX Revolution mouse - it's still going strong after all those years since the Dell pricing error that I got price matched at OW.
No one mentioned Uniqlo??
I bought my first Uniqlo zipper hoodie 10 years ago for approx. AUD10 and it is still going strong!
The zip works perfectly fine, a bit of pilling on the sleeves but that's about it.
Maybe we can start an ozb 'wall of fame' for products that deserve a special mention.
cutco knives
its a total scam (selling knife sets for 1.4k around 15 years ago)
but my knives are still as sharp as every and I have never had to sharpen them
got an intro set for 220 as a seller so was a bargain
My Ergoflex memory foam mattress (double size). Bought at end of 2010 for $750.
6 years on and my spine still loves it. Hardly ever have poor sleep deprived nights anymore.
Easily one of the best purchases I've ever made.
Nowadays, probably could get similar results from the newer brands that follow the same business model as Ergoflex. E.g.: Koala, OneBed, GreyWing, etc.
My engel 12v fridge. Bought 2nd hand is bullet proof.
Everything made by Apple !!
empeg in dash car MP3 player bought in 2000, still works perfectly installed in the R33 Nissan Skyline I bought the same year that also still works perfectly.
Sennheiser Headphones. I have an 18 year old pair, a 16 year old pair, and a 5 year old pair. They're still as good as the day I got them, and the sound quality is on par with any of my newer sets.
Industrie T-shirt. Bought from David Jones, in 2009, used weekly, and still look and feel great. I wouldn't have ever expected them to last so long (and I treat my clothing harshly!). Normally Tshirts start losing there shape after 2-3 years, and get holes in them and stuff, but these have surpassed all expectations.
They weren't even expensive, around 2 for $25 if I remember.
Makes me wish i bought 20 of them.
The best phone I had in terms of hardware was my old Blackberry Bold 9900 in 2008. It was very well put together. It fell out of the hanky pocket of my suit into a lift well 5 floors down and still worked for another 2 years or so.
Sansui receiver from the 70s – these put modern mid hifi amplifiers to shame. I’ve only ever had problems with modern amps, these old sansui’s despite some occasional channel crackling/dropout, just seem to keep working. I suspect there is a huge market for reliable & serviceable simple amplifiers/receivers of this kind.
De buyer carbon steel pans
Himalayan salt lamps last pretty well.
bought some hiut denim back when they launched – if I could afford it now, I’d probably try iron heart
le laboureur chore jacket
Tilley hats
Darn Tough Vermont socks
one planet daypack – used daily for over 15 years, had it repaired once, still good. Used to burn through backpacks.
julbo/maui jim sunglasses – although don’t use chlorinated tap water to clean them.
Beyerdynamic dt440 – in use since 1998. replaced ear pads once. Didn’t bother replacing the thin foam covering the speakers once they disintegrated. Looks kinda cool that way. The plastic moulding covering part of the headband cracked so I removed about half of it, exposing part of the thin metal band & wires.
Deck backlit keyboard.
A Natural Bedding Co timber bed base frame & latex/wool mattress. I though it was expensive at the time, but now for a similar spec it costs about 5 times as much. It was a bit of a bargain.
Oh yes, my mum had the pedal only one for about 20 years (no motor). Much better stiches than new electric sewing machines. Unfortunately she broke the cabinet when gettng a spider on the ceiling. So we hacked a motor on to it from a sewing machine parts place, and it worked for another 10 years. Still works. But its in garage now as mum is a bit frail to use it. I use it sometimes with denim jeans as the electric ones are too weak to go over the thick fabric.