Yes, it is the executives and the politicians they own that should be swinging from lamposts. The reason why we say buying from Taiwan or Canada is better than China, if I may speak for a bunch of Internet strangers, is that they are at least strategic allies rather than rivals, and the cost of doing business in those places in the form of wages, and worker and environmental protections more closely approximates that of our own. You are correct that a Chinese brand unabashedly selling a product is at least honest, unlike literally 99% of the crap on the market.
As a Canadian, let me take issue, if not quite umbrage, with your inclusion of Canada in that list. For all intents and purposes, and regardless of the efforts of boy wonder, our Prime Minister, Canada and the US are effectively one economy. I recall reading not too long ago that of all of Canadas economic activity, about 2/3s of it was with the US of A. And Canada was king America's biggest trading partner.
What is not taught in the history books, is that in the mid 60s, the USA effectively declared economic war on Canada. The war lasted about one weekend, and we totally capitulated. Following this, Canadian industry as it had been, ceased to exist. Major Canadian companies, and industries, lost their autonomy and just became branch offices of large US companies.
Would we have been a better ally in the long term if we had kept our independence? Maybe. Maybe not. But we became a wealthy vassal state of the US, knew how to keep our places and mouths shut, and were granted security and the economic wherewithal for state sponsored health care. The US gained a weak but safe northern border.
But don't let's pretend we aren't exactly what and where the US has always wanted us to be, and no threat in the least to the US people.
Don't worry. Our military is currently going through a self immolation. It will end up a danger to no one.
I'm not sure who chose to name those nasty birds after this country. They produce nothing other than copious amounts of almost dog sized turds, while not being worth a damn for eating.
I had to jump start a Canuck yesterday. He had driven through the storm to my neck of the woods with his battery idiot light on. When he shut the car off, to his surprise, the car she no start. I gotta tell you, I might be stereotyping but I thought y'all had more sense than that, eh.
I was at a library book sale about twenty years ago, I spied a slim black vinyl binder, maybe 6 or 7 inches high on the shelf. I pulled it out and it was a USN Pilot’s Manual for the TBF-1 Avenger. It had the pilots name pencilled in to the frontispiece. I got it for a dollar.
If Pilot Manuals are your thing, there's a ton at the New England Air Musuem (in Windsor Locks, CT). I go there with my kids at least four times a year and in the giftshop, way in the back, is always a pile of donated pilot manuals, mixed in with books and magazines. Not quite a dollar, but usually $20 or less.
I have two Kershaw‘s and they’re great knives. One thing to be aware of is depending on the material they can be quite slick. Had one of them slip in my hand and almost cut myself.
I have had 4 of them. Aside from anything running going for insane prices, I think that maybe they aren't as good as we all think they are. They were just better than a lot of crap being sold in the 80's.
I would love to drive a fully refreshed one, and then I might change my tune.
I wouldn't say that it is a good value, but the next time I am looking for a project sporty 80's coupe, I might go with a ASC/Mclaren Capri and carefully hurl the Maximum Motorsports catalog at it. Maybe a salvaged IRS because I still can't shake the feeling that anything with a live axle is a truck. The Roundel is still strong in my hindbrain.
With a little dynamat and good seats, I think it might be more fun than any e30 I have had. Also I mocked my friend's shitty Mustang in HS while being a BMW driving douche, so it would be good penance.
It’s hard for me to comment on many topics as I don’t buy much ever, but the 4 eye mustangs are definitely on a big uptick currently. Very different feel than the newer versions and the recaros in the GTs feel fantastic. Something to be said about the easy to hotrod and classic sounds of a carbureted 302 with a a t5 behind it.
I think for street use the E46 and E9x are the right 3-series. So much better built and more comfortable than E30 or even E36, while avoiding the video-game feeling and ugly 2.0T noises of the more recent stuff.
I find your reasoning sound and your argument logical. However the correct answer for best street use is the 318Ti/Z3/M Roadster, as they are the newest and nicest that had the barely controlled semi trailing arm rear suspension. That is the thing that adds the character to the vehicles and makes them so fun on the street.
I'll throw in a mention for the 2006+ Lexus IS & GS. Frequently overlooked by car enthusiasts because of the badge, they're well built and solidly reliable cars, often for a bit less than the comparable BMW, merc, or Audi.
And the people that do really aren't interested in Lexus. They're great and underrated cars. I had an IS350 (since replaced with a BMW); great car but I honestly prefer my wife's GS.
Another fun one, at least a few years ago, is that ES330s and 350s tend to be around the same price as a similar age/mileage Camry. Makes no sense
I should add that the Levinson stereo upgrade is a must have.
The 06-13 GS has some occasional issues with dash rattles, they pop up on rough/dirt roads, easily fixable with some foam.
Get the RWD if possible. The AWD GS/IS run the passenger front half shaft through the oil pan (common) but don't use a separate part for a bracket to hold the axle support bearing (very uncommon). Long story short, can be an absolute nightmare to remove the front passenger half shaft. If you need to drive it in snow, get snow tires or use your GX.
Man I see these things all day long on Craigslist. 200,000 miles, still look in great shape. I'm sure they've got another 200,000 of life left in them.
This is one of those cars that I always want, and never buy. I think part of the reason is because I'll never have a valid excuse to get rid of it.
I just got a 1-owner dealer serviced LS 430 for the about the profit Carvana gave me on a Yaris iA 6MT I had for about 18 months (I’m shocked they’re going bankrupt). It’s a wonderful compliment to my manual sporty daily, and oozes quality. Just did a timing belt and trans flush, and looking forward to many serene miles with the dulcet 3UZ soundtrack.
I also had a Gen 1 manual Honda insight - another moonshot car that I regret selling.
On the tailoring note, my wife found an amazing cashmere and wool coat that almost fit her at goodwill, had it tailored, and promptly sold a 4-figure designer one because it pales in comparison.
For watches, I’m a big Sinn, Damasko, and Stowa fan. Despite the abject failure of Energiewende, they still make shit there and used models are just as good as new, particularly for Tegimented or Ice Hardened steel.
Here here ... although the big chain thrift stores (goodwill, unique, savers) seem to sort out the good stuff far better than 5-10 years ago, treasures can still be found.
I actually got the chance to visit the Stowa watchmaking shop back in 2015 when the company I work for had an office in Pforzheim. Being where they are, they don’t get very many visitors, but their office ladies did a great job showing me around the building. As a bonus, I got to see some of the original Storz pieces. I bought an Antea (edit - it’s a Partitio.. I blame the flu) from them shortly after I returned home - Very nice presentation and an ETA movement for the (2015 price of ) $995.
Anything used off craigslist. It's all a bargain, and it's hard to be specific because I've bought bicycles, cars, 2014-era Mac Minis, turntables, vinyl records, tools, a leather sectional, a pogo stick, subwoofers, bass amps, ski boots, key rings, and on and on. Currently searching for a Volvo 240 wagon, anything with a manual transmission (allow fate to assist), cast iron banks, wool clothing, and 12 other things. The best part is the adventure and the weirdos you get to meet.
How does that old song go? 'When the world is running down, you make the best of what's still around'.
One of the things I hate with the passion of a million burning suns is that how ALL products out of China are just ONE VERSION! Yup, any particular item made in China is made in the same factory. Christmas lights? They're all exactly the same, same options, same behavior, same everything. Sure there are 20,000 vendors on Amazon selling them - but they're all selling the exact same damn product. There is ZERO variation! The PARTY HAS SPOKEN! It's like this with everything.
Like I want a high power LED flashlight that just turns ON & OFF - NOTHING ELSE! But guess what you can't buy anywhere on the entire fucking planet? I don't want to have to click through a dozen different button presses just to have a highpower LED light - but the Chinese government has spoken and they only make ONE type.
Is it wrong of me to want a nuclear war with China so all their production gets destroyed so we can have product variation again?
Actually, the guy who owns Prometheus bought 4Sevens just after the rebranding to FourSevens. They are still available as a lower cost alternative to his own lights
They may look pretty much identical but that's because everybody in China is knocking off everybody else's products, but they aren't necessarily identical or made to the same quality. There are probably dozens of companies making copies of the 33cc Honda engine. I recall there being about six different companies making copies of Ural's copy of the BMW horizontal twin bike, each with their own particular approach to quality control.
Streamlight stinger, while it has three different settings, will directly turn on and off, I have one at work that looks all beat to hell, but has been the most reliable flashlight I’ve ever owned.
I heartily second this. I have a metal one that lives on a charger in my truck. It is a fine product. I'm not really a fan boy, but I carry a microstream in my pocket and the army has provided me with a head/helmet lamp from them that's pretty damn useful.
I'll cast my ballot for LL Bean flannel shirts. They last 10 years, and you can then find an identical replacement (Bean offers the same plaids year after year). El Cheapo flannel shirts last about three washings.
I can't stop buying the Orvis but not really Orvis flannels at Costco. I they get gross because I know washing them will kill it. I guess that is real grunge.
Yes. They were bought out by venture capital years ago. They hired a marketing guy from Patagonia to move them upmarket. My mackinaw cruiser cost 135.00 ten years ago, now they are almost 500. I’m too embarrassed to wear mine in public.
I bought a really good looking and reasonably priced flannel recently and wore it once. My wife then saw it somewhere out of place and threw it in with her wash. It shrunk so much that it's now HER flannel. Intentional or naw? Ha
LL Bean flannels are nice but I prefer Vermont Flannel Company. Better fits (IMO) and made in the USA! I've been wearing frequently for a decade with no issues.
One of my favorite books is "Yankee Boyhood,"by R.E. Gould, which had been my dad's when he was a kid and which he passed on to me. It's the memoirs of a man published in 1950, in which he describes his childhood growing up on a Maine farm in the 1880's. He apparently grew up dirt poor, as did practically the entire town, in a world where people treated possessions the way the Plains Indians did buffalo: they used every single piece to the fullest, and then recycled what wasn't 100% used up.
But the one word Gould uses consistently to describe his surroundings is "old." Everything was old - animals both domestic and farm, people, tools, houses, clothing, boots, you name it. I suppose "old" could simply be his word for "not brand new," but I doubt it because he casually writes about cutting up old boots to make laces for sheep fetters and using the body from grandfather's old wagon as a holding bin for vegetables.
The reason I bring this up is because it seems like we're heading back into that sort of world, where people are shamelessly tight-fisted misers who're still using items originally purchased by grandpa half-a-century earlier on just another Saturday morning trip to Sears, back in The Before Time.
And I hate every minute of it.
As for recommendations, I guess I'd say find yourself a V8, 4WD pickup with a mechanical throttle (GMT400'll work), 3 or 4 old dual sport bikes and ATVs, a chainsaw made of metal that you can rebuild, and several items chambered in 7.62/.308.
Came here to say the GMT 400s. I own a 1997 c1500 with the Vortec 305 and a 5 speed. I'm convinced that the truck will still be running long after the world implodes.
My work and hobby recommendation is of the very affordable end of the spectrum. Stanley’s 12’ 3/4” wide tape measure. Many years ago Stanley switched from a metal to cheap chrome plated plastic case. A few years ago they switched back to metal! The metal case is my secondary reason for recommending. My primary, super high quality printing. The black hash marks tend to wear at the edges making tape measures difficult to read accurately over time. Stanley has something figured out here. Their printing lasts much longer than any other tape measure I’ve used, even Starrett brand.
I have a 25' 1" Stanley Powerlock II that I've had for decades and while the metal case is scratched up it still works fine. While I also have a polymer bodied Stanley Leverlock, which isn't a bad tape measure, I usually use the Powerlock, unless it's for something small. In that case I use my father's 8' 1/2" Evans Power Tape.
The Evans Rule Company was once the world's largest maker of tape measures, with factories in New Jersey, Sout Carolina, and Quebec. If you bought a Craftsman tape measure from Sears, it was likely made by Evans. In 1986 Starrett bought Evans and eventually moved all tape measure manufacturing to the Dominican Republic.
Speaking of measuring tools made in America, it's not vintage but Empire squares and levels are mostly made in the USA. Empire is now part of Milwaukee and it looks like they're making the Milwaukee branded squares and levels as those are also U.S. made.
2014-16 Lexus GX 460. Rolling bank vaults. We have a 2014 and a 2020. The 2014 is my camping rig. Goodyear Wranglers on it and it can go almost anywhere.
We bought the 2020 in that magical two months at the start of covid when the world was ending and dealers panicked, and my sales guy called and offered it for 10k below MSRP.
Pelican tumblers. Can’t beat the quality. I think they’re still made in the USA
Saddleback Leather. I have the front pocket leather briefcase. Every time I carry the thing I feel like Ernest Hemingway. 100 year warranty and made in the US
I’m Canadian and try to shop made in Canada and made in US and it’s certainly getting harder.
Going to take a look at saddleback, have always wanted a proper briefcase.
The GX460 (and older 470) will run until the heat death of the universe, amazing trucks. I looked at buying one, wound up with an LR3 because I thought it had a bit more character and it was about half the price of the GX, which buys a lot of spare parts.
Have a 2004 Series 100 Land Cruiser. Mileage is horrible, but it's indestructible, as is LX470 without hydraulic suspension. It's been jumped, off roaded, crashed multiple times, tow at max tow rating -- it'll never die
I keep a Helle Viking Knife in the “cigar holder” on the briefcase. With just the wooden handle sticking out. I’ve opened the bag in front of 100s of people with the knife handle clearly in view but it blends so well nobody has ever noticed it.
2004-2007 V6 Jeep Liberty Limitrd 4X4 American assembled in Ohio. Body on frame sturdiness. Good for 247,000 miles with regular oil changes every 3,000 miles and tyre replacement every 50,000 miles. The combination vinyl leather seats will wear out before the mechanicals will. Short coming. Jeep no longer stocks new parts for this generation, so one has to seek out NOS.
An 04 Liberty showed up on my company vehicle selector list one year if you can believe it. Renegade package with the light bar and everything. I checked that box faster than you can say “trail-rated”. Way more interesting than the forgettable sedans on offer at the time, and it turned out to be an excellent choice despite the ribbing I took from my colleagues. One guy called it my Jurassic-park-mobile, but I was the one laughing every time we had a good snowstorm. That thing was amazing off-road and in the snow. Just a ton of fun to drive in almost any conditions, but skittish at high speeds on slick roads as a result of the short wheelbase.
I bought it out at the end of the allowable period and it has served our family since with my daughter eventually buying it from me and still driving it today.
Outside of the aforementioned vinyl/leather driver seat cracking badly on the left side, the rocker panels rusting horribly, and some interesting electrical gremlins making the occasional appearance (or disappearance), this Jeep is still in pretty good condition. My daughter’s man removed the offending rocker panels and it looks as good as it did when I picked it up from the dealer almost twenty years ago.
Not sure if you mean the reinforced unibody is equal in sturdiness to a body-on-frame construction, because the Liberty has the former. Having said that, I agree they're not nearly as crappy of vehicles as many people like to claim. Yes there were both engine and transmission issues, yes they rust. But take care of it and it will last.
I was fortunate to never have any rust, transmission, or engine issues. I was starting to get a few electrical gremlins towards the end, but that’s it.
Must not have lived in a place with much road salt? Or you were diligent with washing it and/or oil undercoating?
My brother recently worked on one of the rare-ish diesel ones, said it was an awesome little truck. A ton of hill climbing torque and 30mpg. Wish you could get one with a stick shift!
I’m right on the Great Lakes and salt is a way of life. I tried to wash it in the winter when possible, but often couldn’t. If it’s too cold everything freezes up. No undercoating either.
Made in the USA Boston Acoustics CR series speakers. At least last time I looked in the NE abundant and cheap on craigslist.
I don't know how they are regarded by people serious about such things, but I have the best stereo setups out of anyone I know personally, and it is sometimes commented on by guests. Even my wife who claims to not tell the difference between standard and HD tv has said things to me after watching something elsewhere.
This guy used to work for Genesis, apparently bought their NOS parts out of the bankruptcy and in addition to selling his own new speakers (mostly very reasonably priced it seems), he does repairs and upgrades on Genesis and EPI speakers. https://www.humanspeakers.com/index.htm
The only reason I didn't was that around 2010-12 I was finding insane deals on the vintage stuff. Paid $150 for some EPI 400s that needed a little love, $45 for a set of Genesis IIs, etc.
5th gen 4 lyfe
I had a 5 speed 97 EX coupe with (dealer installed?) leather. I miss it all the time.
I put THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of rounds through an original Model 60; its the rifle with which I (unfortunately) once shot a sparrow out of the air.
How are you liking the interior of the RC? For whatever reason I find it to be the most attractive interior you can buy right now.
I adore the 80s hi fi aesthetic of it.
Yes, it is the executives and the politicians they own that should be swinging from lamposts. The reason why we say buying from Taiwan or Canada is better than China, if I may speak for a bunch of Internet strangers, is that they are at least strategic allies rather than rivals, and the cost of doing business in those places in the form of wages, and worker and environmental protections more closely approximates that of our own. You are correct that a Chinese brand unabashedly selling a product is at least honest, unlike literally 99% of the crap on the market.
See my comments on Harbor Freight! :)
Agreed on all counts.
As a Canadian, let me take issue, if not quite umbrage, with your inclusion of Canada in that list. For all intents and purposes, and regardless of the efforts of boy wonder, our Prime Minister, Canada and the US are effectively one economy. I recall reading not too long ago that of all of Canadas economic activity, about 2/3s of it was with the US of A. And Canada was king America's biggest trading partner.
What is not taught in the history books, is that in the mid 60s, the USA effectively declared economic war on Canada. The war lasted about one weekend, and we totally capitulated. Following this, Canadian industry as it had been, ceased to exist. Major Canadian companies, and industries, lost their autonomy and just became branch offices of large US companies.
Would we have been a better ally in the long term if we had kept our independence? Maybe. Maybe not. But we became a wealthy vassal state of the US, knew how to keep our places and mouths shut, and were granted security and the economic wherewithal for state sponsored health care. The US gained a weak but safe northern border.
But don't let's pretend we aren't exactly what and where the US has always wanted us to be, and no threat in the least to the US people.
I don't know about that that last statement, you got some pretty good snipers and some pretty awful birds.
Don't worry. Our military is currently going through a self immolation. It will end up a danger to no one.
I'm not sure who chose to name those nasty birds after this country. They produce nothing other than copious amounts of almost dog sized turds, while not being worth a damn for eating.
I had to jump start a Canuck yesterday. He had driven through the storm to my neck of the woods with his battery idiot light on. When he shut the car off, to his surprise, the car she no start. I gotta tell you, I might be stereotyping but I thought y'all had more sense than that, eh.
I was at a library book sale about twenty years ago, I spied a slim black vinyl binder, maybe 6 or 7 inches high on the shelf. I pulled it out and it was a USN Pilot’s Manual for the TBF-1 Avenger. It had the pilots name pencilled in to the frontispiece. I got it for a dollar.
I’ll have to look. It’s definitely for a TBF-1, before GM took over production from Grumman. Then it became the TBM.
If Pilot Manuals are your thing, there's a ton at the New England Air Musuem (in Windsor Locks, CT). I go there with my kids at least four times a year and in the giftshop, way in the back, is always a pile of donated pilot manuals, mixed in with books and magazines. Not quite a dollar, but usually $20 or less.
Wow- thank you! They are real pieces of history.
I have two Kershaw‘s and they’re great knives. One thing to be aware of is depending on the material they can be quite slick. Had one of them slip in my hand and almost cut myself.
Seconded this. The blur is great
God's chariot, BMW E 30?
E30 & E36 prices these days are insane for what the cars are. I say that as someone who throughly regrets selling my 328IS for $2000 in 2017
I have had 4 of them. Aside from anything running going for insane prices, I think that maybe they aren't as good as we all think they are. They were just better than a lot of crap being sold in the 80's.
I would love to drive a fully refreshed one, and then I might change my tune.
I wouldn't say that it is a good value, but the next time I am looking for a project sporty 80's coupe, I might go with a ASC/Mclaren Capri and carefully hurl the Maximum Motorsports catalog at it. Maybe a salvaged IRS because I still can't shake the feeling that anything with a live axle is a truck. The Roundel is still strong in my hindbrain.
With a little dynamat and good seats, I think it might be more fun than any e30 I have had. Also I mocked my friend's shitty Mustang in HS while being a BMW driving douche, so it would be good penance.
It’s hard for me to comment on many topics as I don’t buy much ever, but the 4 eye mustangs are definitely on a big uptick currently. Very different feel than the newer versions and the recaros in the GTs feel fantastic. Something to be said about the easy to hotrod and classic sounds of a carbureted 302 with a a t5 behind it.
I have a generator for mine. Plus 100lbs of salt just in case.
I think for street use the E46 and E9x are the right 3-series. So much better built and more comfortable than E30 or even E36, while avoiding the video-game feeling and ugly 2.0T noises of the more recent stuff.
I find your reasoning sound and your argument logical. However the correct answer for best street use is the 318Ti/Z3/M Roadster, as they are the newest and nicest that had the barely controlled semi trailing arm rear suspension. That is the thing that adds the character to the vehicles and makes them so fun on the street.
I'll throw in a mention for the 2006+ Lexus IS & GS. Frequently overlooked by car enthusiasts because of the badge, they're well built and solidly reliable cars, often for a bit less than the comparable BMW, merc, or Audi.
My 2007 Lexus LS460L is the best car I've had (bought from a guy off craigslist). Nobody wants sedans anymore, making them a huge bargain.
And the people that do really aren't interested in Lexus. They're great and underrated cars. I had an IS350 (since replaced with a BMW); great car but I honestly prefer my wife's GS.
Another fun one, at least a few years ago, is that ES330s and 350s tend to be around the same price as a similar age/mileage Camry. Makes no sense
I should add that the Levinson stereo upgrade is a must have.
Two things of note if you're shopping one:
The 06-13 GS has some occasional issues with dash rattles, they pop up on rough/dirt roads, easily fixable with some foam.
Get the RWD if possible. The AWD GS/IS run the passenger front half shaft through the oil pan (common) but don't use a separate part for a bracket to hold the axle support bearing (very uncommon). Long story short, can be an absolute nightmare to remove the front passenger half shaft. If you need to drive it in snow, get snow tires or use your GX.
Man I see these things all day long on Craigslist. 200,000 miles, still look in great shape. I'm sure they've got another 200,000 of life left in them.
This is one of those cars that I always want, and never buy. I think part of the reason is because I'll never have a valid excuse to get rid of it.
I just got a 1-owner dealer serviced LS 430 for the about the profit Carvana gave me on a Yaris iA 6MT I had for about 18 months (I’m shocked they’re going bankrupt). It’s a wonderful compliment to my manual sporty daily, and oozes quality. Just did a timing belt and trans flush, and looking forward to many serene miles with the dulcet 3UZ soundtrack.
I also had a Gen 1 manual Honda insight - another moonshot car that I regret selling.
On the tailoring note, my wife found an amazing cashmere and wool coat that almost fit her at goodwill, had it tailored, and promptly sold a 4-figure designer one because it pales in comparison.
For watches, I’m a big Sinn, Damasko, and Stowa fan. Despite the abject failure of Energiewende, they still make shit there and used models are just as good as new, particularly for Tegimented or Ice Hardened steel.
Here here ... although the big chain thrift stores (goodwill, unique, savers) seem to sort out the good stuff far better than 5-10 years ago, treasures can still be found.
I’ve had my eye on a Stowa Flieger for a while now...one of these days.
Go for it! I got a bronze 40mm flieger last year and love it.
I actually got the chance to visit the Stowa watchmaking shop back in 2015 when the company I work for had an office in Pforzheim. Being where they are, they don’t get very many visitors, but their office ladies did a great job showing me around the building. As a bonus, I got to see some of the original Storz pieces. I bought an Antea (edit - it’s a Partitio.. I blame the flu) from them shortly after I returned home - Very nice presentation and an ETA movement for the (2015 price of ) $995.
Seconded on the Sinn watches. I have a 104 that gets alot of wrist time.
It’s the F-Series pickup, for me.
Agreed- I have a ‘96 with the straight six and five speed. 220 k and runs like a top
My son found it a couple of years ago. He’s brighter than me in so many ways. It’s a great vehicle.
Anything used off craigslist. It's all a bargain, and it's hard to be specific because I've bought bicycles, cars, 2014-era Mac Minis, turntables, vinyl records, tools, a leather sectional, a pogo stick, subwoofers, bass amps, ski boots, key rings, and on and on. Currently searching for a Volvo 240 wagon, anything with a manual transmission (allow fate to assist), cast iron banks, wool clothing, and 12 other things. The best part is the adventure and the weirdos you get to meet.
And the weirdo you get to meet! Ha!
How does that old song go? 'When the world is running down, you make the best of what's still around'.
One of the things I hate with the passion of a million burning suns is that how ALL products out of China are just ONE VERSION! Yup, any particular item made in China is made in the same factory. Christmas lights? They're all exactly the same, same options, same behavior, same everything. Sure there are 20,000 vendors on Amazon selling them - but they're all selling the exact same damn product. There is ZERO variation! The PARTY HAS SPOKEN! It's like this with everything.
Like I want a high power LED flashlight that just turns ON & OFF - NOTHING ELSE! But guess what you can't buy anywhere on the entire fucking planet? I don't want to have to click through a dozen different button presses just to have a highpower LED light - but the Chinese government has spoken and they only make ONE type.
Is it wrong of me to want a nuclear war with China so all their production gets destroyed so we can have product variation again?
Yeah I think the only way we could beat China in a war is if they tried to invade the Midwest, Red-Dawn style.
I used to know which side Id be fighting on.
I'm on the side of whichever group will restore family-based morality, whether it's cloaked in Confucianism or Christianity.
Da.
Just so long as the Chinese don't rape and murder my wife and kids for being Japanese I'll deal with it!
"Diversity is a strength."
My ASS. Society is a machine, and you don't make a machine stronger, more stable, or more functional by adding complexity.
Prometheus makes a USA light with a single high power mode. Milled on a lathe. Not cheap. I have one.
The company went under, but you might find 4Sevens flashlights second-hand. Made in USA. I've got a couple and they've all been excellent.
Actually, the guy who owns Prometheus bought 4Sevens just after the rebranding to FourSevens. They are still available as a lower cost alternative to his own lights
The Prometheus website has 4Sevens flashlights. Haven’t dealt with either, though.
They may look pretty much identical but that's because everybody in China is knocking off everybody else's products, but they aren't necessarily identical or made to the same quality. There are probably dozens of companies making copies of the 33cc Honda engine. I recall there being about six different companies making copies of Ural's copy of the BMW horizontal twin bike, each with their own particular approach to quality control.
Modlite is still made in USA if I remember right. I run one on, uh, an airsoft gun? Yeah an airsoft gun.
Surefire is still made in USA? I've been thinking about doing swaps on those to Malkoff lamps for my C2 and C3.
Blind the fuck outta them kids.
Streamlight stinger, while it has three different settings, will directly turn on and off, I have one at work that looks all beat to hell, but has been the most reliable flashlight I’ve ever owned.
I heartily second this. I have a metal one that lives on a charger in my truck. It is a fine product. I'm not really a fan boy, but I carry a microstream in my pocket and the army has provided me with a head/helmet lamp from them that's pretty damn useful.
I'll cast my ballot for LL Bean flannel shirts. They last 10 years, and you can then find an identical replacement (Bean offers the same plaids year after year). El Cheapo flannel shirts last about three washings.
I can't stop buying the Orvis but not really Orvis flannels at Costco. I they get gross because I know washing them will kill it. I guess that is real grunge.
Whoever owns Filson, has destroyed them.
Yes. They were bought out by venture capital years ago. They hired a marketing guy from Patagonia to move them upmarket. My mackinaw cruiser cost 135.00 ten years ago, now they are almost 500. I’m too embarrassed to wear mine in public.
They were always expensive, but the quality has gone down when they changed to be more fashion focused.
Don't be embarrassed, wear it if you like it.
I bought a really good looking and reasonably priced flannel recently and wore it once. My wife then saw it somewhere out of place and threw it in with her wash. It shrunk so much that it's now HER flannel. Intentional or naw? Ha
LL Bean flannels are nice but I prefer Vermont Flannel Company. Better fits (IMO) and made in the USA! I've been wearing frequently for a decade with no issues.
One of my favorite books is "Yankee Boyhood,"by R.E. Gould, which had been my dad's when he was a kid and which he passed on to me. It's the memoirs of a man published in 1950, in which he describes his childhood growing up on a Maine farm in the 1880's. He apparently grew up dirt poor, as did practically the entire town, in a world where people treated possessions the way the Plains Indians did buffalo: they used every single piece to the fullest, and then recycled what wasn't 100% used up.
But the one word Gould uses consistently to describe his surroundings is "old." Everything was old - animals both domestic and farm, people, tools, houses, clothing, boots, you name it. I suppose "old" could simply be his word for "not brand new," but I doubt it because he casually writes about cutting up old boots to make laces for sheep fetters and using the body from grandfather's old wagon as a holding bin for vegetables.
The reason I bring this up is because it seems like we're heading back into that sort of world, where people are shamelessly tight-fisted misers who're still using items originally purchased by grandpa half-a-century earlier on just another Saturday morning trip to Sears, back in The Before Time.
And I hate every minute of it.
As for recommendations, I guess I'd say find yourself a V8, 4WD pickup with a mechanical throttle (GMT400'll work), 3 or 4 old dual sport bikes and ATVs, a chainsaw made of metal that you can rebuild, and several items chambered in 7.62/.308.
GMT400s rule. I’d love a standard cab rust-free 8’ bed 350 manual 2500.
I was thinking that exact truck, but with a 6' bed extended cab.
Came here to say the GMT 400s. I own a 1997 c1500 with the Vortec 305 and a 5 speed. I'm convinced that the truck will still be running long after the world implodes.
My work and hobby recommendation is of the very affordable end of the spectrum. Stanley’s 12’ 3/4” wide tape measure. Many years ago Stanley switched from a metal to cheap chrome plated plastic case. A few years ago they switched back to metal! The metal case is my secondary reason for recommending. My primary, super high quality printing. The black hash marks tend to wear at the edges making tape measures difficult to read accurately over time. Stanley has something figured out here. Their printing lasts much longer than any other tape measure I’ve used, even Starrett brand.
I have a 25' 1" Stanley Powerlock II that I've had for decades and while the metal case is scratched up it still works fine. While I also have a polymer bodied Stanley Leverlock, which isn't a bad tape measure, I usually use the Powerlock, unless it's for something small. In that case I use my father's 8' 1/2" Evans Power Tape.
The Evans Rule Company was once the world's largest maker of tape measures, with factories in New Jersey, Sout Carolina, and Quebec. If you bought a Craftsman tape measure from Sears, it was likely made by Evans. In 1986 Starrett bought Evans and eventually moved all tape measure manufacturing to the Dominican Republic.
Speaking of measuring tools made in America, it's not vintage but Empire squares and levels are mostly made in the USA. Empire is now part of Milwaukee and it looks like they're making the Milwaukee branded squares and levels as those are also U.S. made.
Good to know on the Empire brand. I will certainly keep them in mind in the future!
2014-16 Lexus GX 460. Rolling bank vaults. We have a 2014 and a 2020. The 2014 is my camping rig. Goodyear Wranglers on it and it can go almost anywhere.
We bought the 2020 in that magical two months at the start of covid when the world was ending and dealers panicked, and my sales guy called and offered it for 10k below MSRP.
Pelican tumblers. Can’t beat the quality. I think they’re still made in the USA
Saddleback Leather. I have the front pocket leather briefcase. Every time I carry the thing I feel like Ernest Hemingway. 100 year warranty and made in the US
I’m Canadian and try to shop made in Canada and made in US and it’s certainly getting harder.
Going to take a look at saddleback, have always wanted a proper briefcase.
The GX460 (and older 470) will run until the heat death of the universe, amazing trucks. I looked at buying one, wound up with an LR3 because I thought it had a bit more character and it was about half the price of the GX, which buys a lot of spare parts.
If it’s a 4.4 that LR3 will go forever if well taken care of. Probably the best product Land Rover has made since the original Land Rover.
It is. It's tied with my e36 for my favorite car I've owned.
Wife loves it as well, we'll probably add a similar vintage 4.4/4.2SC range Rover to the fleet in the next year or two.
Have a 2004 Series 100 Land Cruiser. Mileage is horrible, but it's indestructible, as is LX470 without hydraulic suspension. It's been jumped, off roaded, crashed multiple times, tow at max tow rating -- it'll never die
" . . . and it was about half the price of the GX, which buys a lot of spare parts."
It pains me to say it, but you're going need a lot of spare parts for the LR3. I love my wife's GX because it doesn't need much attention from me.
It's really not been that bad over the last 3+ years, just clicked over 140k. It's no Lexus, but really not bad.
My GMT800 Silverado that it replaced was both utterly execrable and more repair trouble per mile than the Landy.
Oh my God- you’re going to cost me some money with that Saddleback recommendation. An 1894 Winchester would look great in that gun sleeve. Thanks!
I keep a Helle Viking Knife in the “cigar holder” on the briefcase. With just the wooden handle sticking out. I’ve opened the bag in front of 100s of people with the knife handle clearly in view but it blends so well nobody has ever noticed it.
You’re costing me money! Now I must have the Barrister from Saddleback.
2004-2007 V6 Jeep Liberty Limitrd 4X4 American assembled in Ohio. Body on frame sturdiness. Good for 247,000 miles with regular oil changes every 3,000 miles and tyre replacement every 50,000 miles. The combination vinyl leather seats will wear out before the mechanicals will. Short coming. Jeep no longer stocks new parts for this generation, so one has to seek out NOS.
I had an 04 Liberty for about 7 years. It was as reliable as a tank and got about the same mileage as one.
Lol, excellent comment and spot on. They are gas pigs for sure
An 04 Liberty showed up on my company vehicle selector list one year if you can believe it. Renegade package with the light bar and everything. I checked that box faster than you can say “trail-rated”. Way more interesting than the forgettable sedans on offer at the time, and it turned out to be an excellent choice despite the ribbing I took from my colleagues. One guy called it my Jurassic-park-mobile, but I was the one laughing every time we had a good snowstorm. That thing was amazing off-road and in the snow. Just a ton of fun to drive in almost any conditions, but skittish at high speeds on slick roads as a result of the short wheelbase.
I bought it out at the end of the allowable period and it has served our family since with my daughter eventually buying it from me and still driving it today.
Outside of the aforementioned vinyl/leather driver seat cracking badly on the left side, the rocker panels rusting horribly, and some interesting electrical gremlins making the occasional appearance (or disappearance), this Jeep is still in pretty good condition. My daughter’s man removed the offending rocker panels and it looks as good as it did when I picked it up from the dealer almost twenty years ago.
"Body on frame sturdiness"
Not sure if you mean the reinforced unibody is equal in sturdiness to a body-on-frame construction, because the Liberty has the former. Having said that, I agree they're not nearly as crappy of vehicles as many people like to claim. Yes there were both engine and transmission issues, yes they rust. But take care of it and it will last.
I was fortunate to never have any rust, transmission, or engine issues. I was starting to get a few electrical gremlins towards the end, but that’s it.
Must not have lived in a place with much road salt? Or you were diligent with washing it and/or oil undercoating?
My brother recently worked on one of the rare-ish diesel ones, said it was an awesome little truck. A ton of hill climbing torque and 30mpg. Wish you could get one with a stick shift!
I’m right on the Great Lakes and salt is a way of life. I tried to wash it in the winter when possible, but often couldn’t. If it’s too cold everything freezes up. No undercoating either.
I guess the rust gods smiled on me.
Made in the USA Boston Acoustics CR series speakers. At least last time I looked in the NE abundant and cheap on craigslist.
I don't know how they are regarded by people serious about such things, but I have the best stereo setups out of anyone I know personally, and it is sometimes commented on by guests. Even my wife who claims to not tell the difference between standard and HD tv has said things to me after watching something elsewhere.
Boston Acoustics speakers are well-regarded. Same is true of A/D/S, another made-in-USA speaker brand from the same era.
Old school Boston Acoustic Pro car audio speakers are very highly regarded as well.
ADS rocked, their Atelier line was sublime.
70s/80s vintage EPI and Genesis speakers for similar reasons.
This guy used to work for Genesis, apparently bought their NOS parts out of the bankruptcy and in addition to selling his own new speakers (mostly very reasonably priced it seems), he does repairs and upgrades on Genesis and EPI speakers. https://www.humanspeakers.com/index.htm
Huw is great, I bought some rebuilt tweeters and stuff from him a decade ago
I got talked out of buying the Burhoe-by-Huw speakers back in 2014. That was a mistake.
It probably was.
The only reason I didn't was that around 2010-12 I was finding insane deals on the vintage stuff. Paid $150 for some EPI 400s that needed a little love, $45 for a set of Genesis IIs, etc.