Boots! Let's discuss em...

[Anonymous]

My oldest brother goes to estate auctions quite often, in this area many are old farms being split up and all the real estate and possesions of a couple of generations of farmers beig sold off in one day. Anyway he is always bring home shovels, rakes, picks and other assorted hand tools which he picked up dirt cheap, but these things last longer than any of the new crap you buy from Lowe's or HomeDepot. His theory on much of this stuff (most which came from the 50's like your friends Rambler) is in post war production; there were tons of tanks and other assorted stuff (made of superior grades of steel)left over that got melted down and used for all these new things. Added to that, the mindset of people that had come through the depression, it just made sense to build things that would last.

 

[ZombieWeinerDog]

well, i have size 16 feet, so i do not have a very large selection. but u can recommend hushpuppies! Made in Michigan!!!!!!!!!

 

[Benjamin Button]

well, i have size 16 feet, so i do not have a very large selection. but u can recommend hushpuppies! Made in Michigan!!!!!!!!!

Holy crap! 16? Wow.

To add to this discussion further, I did laundry last evening and decided to take inventory of all of our clothes just for ***** and giggles.

Of the roughly 40 or so garments that I had washed, the percentage of items manufactured in the USA was...


:drumroll:


Zero.

Not a single thing we had was made in the US. I felt so sick to my stomach it was awful. Our sons Levi Jeans, Old Glory jeans, Fruit of the Loom, Hanes, American Eagle, etc...

China. Pakistan. Mexico. Indonesia. Haiti. Egypt.

Pretty sobering. In fact I started going through our closets and checking everything. I found one pair of jeans that my fiancee bought a while back that are her absolute favorites, but they cost her like $160. :affraid: I freaked when I heard how much they were but now that I know that money went to American workers and less profit to a greedy company, I feel a little better. I guess it's the same as me wanting to spend $300 on a pair of well made American boots, rather than some cheaply made ones that will cost a fraction of that.

I am making some changes this year in the way I buy things, that is for damn sure.

 

[Puff Daddy]

.... We then (of course), drank some beer and celebrated our victory. A six pack each later---maybe an hour---we decided to torch the wreck with a gallon of gas brought along for the purpose before hiking home.

Ah, good times! Brings back fond memories of my childhood. What a calmer, gentler generation we were, eh? :lol:

 

[Justpipes]

.... We then (of course), drank some beer and celebrated our victory. A six pack each later---maybe an hour---we decided to torch the wreck with a gallon of gas brought along for the purpose before hiking home.

Ah, good times! Brings back fond memories of my childhood. What a calmer, gentler generation we were, eh? :lol:

They were good times weren't they!

 

[Benjamin Button]

So as a follow up, I stopped into my local Redwing shop in town (we have had a shop here for almost 30 years, it was my first time there). Talk about a first rate experience!!! The shop owner Joel, was you classic shoe shop guy and could not have been any more helpful. He was awesome, absolutely knowledgeable and showed me exactly what I had wanted. He happened to have a pair of the Beckman collection shoes in store (they don't carry them as they are "made to order" because each pair is hand crafted) and they were amazing...because of that, and the great service, these are what I ordered:



They are the Red Wing Iron Ranger style No. 8111. I held a pair of these in the store that someone else had ordered and the quality is top notch, like nothing else I have ever seen. The hand made quality was evident in every stitch and cut. Amazing. `

I can't recommend Red Wing in Manchester, NH enough. Joel was awesome and offered up that good old fashioned service and personal attention that I would strive for when looking for something like shoes, but have never received it from Foot Locker or any other chain shoe store. Once they fit you in one of their stores, they will ship to your home for free for life. Not only that, when you buy a pair of their shoes you get replacement laces for the life of your shoe, free minor stitching for the life of your shoe, free cleaning and conditioning, free polishing or oiling & free replacement hardware. It makes the cost of the shoes worth it over the long run.

-Adam

 

[Wet Dottle]

This was an interesting thread, but I have a different affliction: I would like to find good looking boots with a short life span (say, 3 years). The thing is, I like to buy new stuff but can't make myself do it unless my old stuff has been worn enough. Currently I have LL Beans, made in China and in their second winter, I think they'll live longer than I would like. Any suggestions?

Remember, they have to be good looking.

 

[Anonymous]

I have two pairs of Red Wing boots, one of them is at least 20 years old, and they are still not worn out. I can't reccommend them highly enough.

In dress or casual shoes, you will not find anything to outlast a pair of Allen-Edmonds. They're a bit pricey, but if taken care of, you'll have them the rest of your life.

 

[Anonymous]

Not trying to steal the thread;, just a comment on the durability of appliances. Replaced a Maytag washer and dryer last year. Good friend of mine is in the appliance business..sold us a fine new washer and dryer. When I commented that I thought the Maytags would have lasted longer (ours were 10+ years old), his response was that most major appliances are built to last 7 years!! Anything you get over that is gravy!!! And, paying to repair them isn't worth it; may as well buy new!! FWIW, FTRPLT

Your friend is right, there's not much on the home appliance market these days that will last longer than 7 years.

The problem is in what he sold you....there is no such thing as a "fine new washer and dryer" on today's market. Your old Maytags (if old enough to be made in their Newton, Iowa plant) were fine machines, designed and built to last for years. That plant turned out the last decent machines on the market.

Maytag was bought by Whirlpool a few years back. The first thing Whirlpool did was to close Maytag's plants down. What you get in a Maytag branded washer these days is simply a Whirlpool machine with the Maytag name and a few gimmicks....the quality is no better.....you simply pay more for the name. The only thing Whirlpool wanted was the Maytag name, because they knew they could charge a premium for that brand name.

It's a shame, but that's how it is these days. Time was when all the manufacturers tried to build a quality machine, but now they're only interested in a cheap price. If it lasts until the warranty expires, that's pretty much all they care about.

I used to own an appliance store, and people still ask me to reccommend a brand to them. I tell them to buy the cheapest machine that has the features they need, and when it falls apart in 5 years, throw it away and buy a new one. Sad but true.

 

[Doc Manhattan]

Old Maytags are really the tops. Our washer and dryer are 30 years old, and they're not just built solid, but elegantly... when you build an appliance with only two or three moving parts (not counting dials/buttons), you tend to get a quality product.

 

[SmokeyTweed]

Dakota T-max insulated work boots. they have a 3 year life span but work buys me a new pair every two years so i really don't have much to complain about. All i know is that i need a well insulated boot that is rated to -35 degrees celsius because i work outside a lot at that particular temp.

 

[Slow Puffs]

...All i know is that i need a well insulated boot that is rated to -35 degrees celsius because i work outside a lot at that particular temp.

In canukville, those boots have multi uses in such cold weather...