# Brand names that have a reputation for long lasting goods
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [March 14, 2022, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047 "2022-03-14T18:46:04Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 5
### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2022, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/81 "2022-03-22T23:35:14Z")
@Just_Asking_Questions True dat. My folks paid for my college and med school education. And I paid for my kids’ educations by selling off some of the Snap-On tools. The sale of the rest will fund my retirement. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2022, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/82 "2022-03-22T23:41:23Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#):
>
> The sale of the rest will fund my retirement.
But…what will you do in retirement without tools??
The only thing I hate about Snap-offs other than the price and the cult of “personality” around them, is that the lifetime warranty doesn’t do you much good if the SnapOn guy doesn’t come by. If you work in a dealership, sure, they come by, what, once a week? They never come to my house, so if I owned some, I’d need to find out what day the guy comes to the nearest garage and be there. As I understand things.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2022, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/83 "2022-03-22T23:46:15Z")
I’m friends with a local mechanic, I can drop off the broken stuff at his garage for when the local dealer comes by. Not that I’ve had to do that real often.
I also drive past Kenosha on occasion, and can stop by the corporate HQ to do that. Haven’t yet though.
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### Author:  [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2022, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/84 "2022-03-22T23:47:01Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#):
>
> My Maytag washer is still running along after 26 years without a single repair (and it has always and still cleans - that sounds like the sour grapes type of “fake news”, usually peddled by the competition). My dryer is still working along, but to be fair it needed some new parts.
I have had the exact same experience.
This Maytag washer and Maytag dryer were already installed in the house when we moved here in 2000. I’m guessing they were manufactured in the mid 1990s. For the washer, I once had to replace the inlet filter screens for the hot and cold water lines. Ten minute job. That’s it. For the dryer I once had to replace the plastic impeller.
They’re both still going strong.
[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/194366829@N05/51954309332/in/dateposted/)
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### Author:  [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2022, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/85 "2022-03-23T03:20:10Z")
My Leica M3 still produces wonderful images.
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### Author:  [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2022, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/86 "2022-03-23T03:21:45Z")
Double stroke in case you’re wondering…
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### Author:  [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2022, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/87 "2022-03-23T03:53:00Z")
We also have a Maytag washer and dryer that were in the house when we bought it (2004). I suspect they are older than yours, and we’ve never had a repair since we moved in (ok, touch wood).
In a completely different direction, I just repaired a fountain pen that is at least 100 years old, a Waterman’s 52 made of nearly indestructible red hard rubber with gold filled appointments. I had to install a new ink sac inside (it’s a lever filler), a job which you can learn to do yourself in 10 minutes. It should be good now for another 20 years, it still writes as beautifully as the day it was made. There are modern pens that are very solidly made as well, but mostly they are from small manufacturers, the big name brands can have some very good models but they are generally not built to last.
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### Author:  [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2022, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/88 "2022-03-23T04:00:35Z")
Ortlieb is a company that produces waterproof outdoor gear, including bike panniers. I bought a set of rear panniers in 1997 and they’re bomb-proof. I’ve been bike commuting with them almost daily since then, including winter riding.
And there’s an American catalogue cycling store called Nashbar. I bought two fleece cycling jerseys from them in 1990 or '91 and I am still using them for colder weather riding.
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### Author:  [@Mrs\_Fairway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs_Fairway)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2022, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/89 "2022-03-23T11:08:37Z")
I have had the same General Electric dual alarm clock radio with cassette player since 1982. Still going strong. My washer and dryer are GE basics that came with the newly built condo in 2003. Still working great.
I also have a Toshiba DVD player that I bought used from a friend in 2002. I use it every weekend.
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### Author:  [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2022, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/90 "2022-03-23T14:34:40Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#):
>
> I have had the exact same experience.
You practically have the exact same washer! Mine was made 1995, Your dryer looks to be a year or so newer, with the rounded edges on the control panel
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### Author:  [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2022, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/91 "2022-03-23T14:48:12Z")
> [@dtilque](#):
>
> Of what I have owned, my Sharp Carousel microwave is around 35 years old and still works just fine. A couple of the elements of the tens digit on the digital display don’t light up right, but that’s the only thing that’s gone wrong with it. And I use it most days.
My parents had one of these for around 30 or so years. They got it not long after they bought their house in 1979 and used it regularly for decades. It worked perfectly, My mother got rid of it for taking up too much counter space. In the tennish years since, I think they’ve gone through four microwaves.
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### Author:  [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2022, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/92 "2022-03-23T14:52:27Z")
Cool beans. 😄 The washer must be bulletproof. I cannot believe it has worked perfectly for the past 25+ years. As mentioned, the only thing I did was replace the little inlet water filters. Which is entirely expected, and not even the fault of the washer. And if it _does_ fail, I can probably fix it.
Will any washing machine made today last 25 years? Perhaps a Speed Queen.
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### Author:  [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2022, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/93 "2022-03-23T15:03:05Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#):
>
> Will any washing machine made today last 25 years? Perhaps a Speed Queen.
Speed Queen! The choice of laundromats where i grew up. Do they still make them? eta. I have a little collection of Speed Queen glasses, that are also measuring cups. Don’t know where they came from.
I bought my refrigerator at the same time. It is still humming along. I bought a Jenn-air because it looked stylish and yet rugged. The price was considerably more than a Whirlpool/GE/Kenmore, but I thought “go for the better brand”. I guess it was! I do worry - 26 years! You can get by a week without a washer, but if the fridge goes, that’s trouble.
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### Author:  [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2022, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/94 "2022-03-24T06:14:58Z")
> [@Kimstu](#):
>
> (I’m also not sure whether Trek was ever actually known or marketed specifically for longevity.)
Well, they do have a good rep for it.
I’ve had a Trek 7.2 for ages, with no repairs needed. I walked into a bike rental place on an island in Puget Sound and… there were over a hundred Trek 7.2s hanging from the ceilings. The owner explained that they’d always replaced their “fleet” regularly, but “These Treks just won’t give up, so here we are, renting five, ten year old bikes…”
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### Author:  [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2022, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/95 "2022-03-24T08:52:01Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#):
>
> Vacuum cleaners – Miele.
I’d argue that one. We thought they were supposed to be a good brand, so we splurged on one (a canister vacuum), but it gave us problem after problem. This was back around 2005 - so I can’t speak to the quality of more recent ones.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2022, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/96 "2022-03-24T11:55:09Z")
> [@dtilque](#):
>
> my Sharp Carousel microwave is around 35 years old and still works just fine
We inherited my parents’ 1986 vintage Sharp Carousel when they passed. It served us well until about a year ago, when a fuse blew and the kindly old local appliance repairman who used to fix that had unfortunately passed away. They had stopped making the fuses long ago, and we had no luck finding a replacement fuse. So we got this cheapo piece of plastic crap replacement that we both now hate.
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### Author:  [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2022, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/97 "2022-03-24T13:57:46Z")
We went through 3 small countertop microwaves in a year so the last time, I went to Best Buy and bought the most expensive one they had, and it was a Breville. I believe they are an Australian company. Anyways, far and away the best microwave we’ve ever had. I will look for Breville appliances if ever we have the need again in the future.
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### Author:  [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2022, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/98 "2022-03-24T14:22:43Z")
Gotta brag about my GoldStar microwave. It cost me about $80 in 1998 and is still working perfectly. Yes, I use it daily.
GoldStar is still out there. The company wanted a new name that sounded more upscale so they changed it to LG (from Lucky and GoldStar).
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### Author:  [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2022, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/99 "2022-03-24T18:01:39Z")
Fuke meters. I’ve never seen one give up the ghost. I’ve seen them broken/busted from misuse; real blunt mechanical trauma. But not ordinary use. Worst I’ve seen is one of the internal fuses go out (and they are easily replaced), or the leads get mangled.
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### Author:  [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2022, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-have-a-reputation-for-long-lasting-goods/961047/100 "2022-03-24T19:26:38Z")
Something about your post has me utterly fummoxed.
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