# Things that scream quality **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 5, 2004, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650 "2004-03-05T04:25:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/41 "2004-03-06T02:24:35Z")
The scissors on the Wenger Swiss Army Knives are absolutely brilliant. Best scissors ever made. ---
**Author:** ![Grelby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a5b964/32.png) [@Grelby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grelby)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/42 "2004-03-06T02:26:19Z")
My Texas Instruments TI-83 calculator. That thing is a rock. I’ve dropped it at least a dozen or so times, and barely has so much as a scratch. I also love my Canon A-1 - metal body, solidly built, well-placed controls for all five different photography modes. I will always love this camera. I have a Martin classical guitar: a New Yorker style DD-1800 C from about 1970. It belonged to my grandfather. It’s beautiful. We also have a Guild steel-string with a cut-out. I love Guilds as much as I love Martins, or even more. Simply amazing guitars. My father treated his Civic hatchback like crap - but it survived nine years and over 200,000 miles nonetheless. What an amazing car. ---
**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/43 "2004-03-06T02:52:29Z")
Mercedes-Benz. ---
**Author:** ![pinstripes67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@pinstripes67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinstripes67)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/44 "2004-03-06T03:08:37Z")
_In the early 1960s Rickenbacker history became forever wedded to one of the biggest music upheavals of the 20th century: the invasion of the mop-top Beatles from Liverpool, England. The Beatles used several Rickenbacker models in the early years. Before the group broke up, John Lennon would own at least four. This love affair began in Hamburg, Germany in 1960 when he bought **a natural-blonde Model 325 with a Kauffman vibrato**. Lennon played the original (which was eventually refinished black but still easily identified by its gold-backed lucite pickguard) on all Beatle recordings and in all concerts until early 1964. (Listen for it especially on the rhythm track of the group’s “All My Loving.”) Rickenbacker provided Lennon with an updated 325 in early 1964–also painted black, it featured a solid top, Ac’cent Vibrato, and white pickguards. Lennon’s third Rickenbacker conformed closely to the features of the English distributor’s Model 1996. (In the 1960s Rose, Morris, Ltd., carried five Rickenbacker models in England. Generally, they had F-holes instead of cat’s eye slashes or solid tops. Ads in England called the Model 1996 the “Beatlebacker.”) Lennon’s fourth Model 325 was a one-of-a-kind 12-string version._ _SIGH_… someday… ---
**Author:** ![emekthian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecae2f/32.png) [@emekthian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emekthian)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/45 "2004-03-06T03:58:19Z")
My computer. I set it so that when almost any action occurs, a sound file consisting of a man screaming the word “quality” over and over again plays. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![zenith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zenith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zenith)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/46 "2004-03-06T14:54:06Z")
And I want to add my 1999 Qualcomm/Sanyo Sprint PCS mobile phone to the list. My kids make fun of how big and clunky it looks to them, but they’ve destroyed a lot of “cooler” phones in the past 4 1/2 years. I’ve had lousy luck with Japanese cars myself, but have found that small GM front-wheel-drive makes with 4-cylinder engines and THM 125 automatic transmissions hold up very well mechanically. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/47 "2004-03-06T15:34:53Z")
Damn! I opened this thread to nominate Coach handbags, but **Eve** beat me to it. I resisted them for years because I thought they were too expensive, but when I finally broke down and bought one, I fell in love and realized it was worth every penny. [slight hijack to **Shrinking Violet** : We went to the Caithness Glass when we were in Scotland. It was heaven. Some of the most beautiful glass I have ever seen. [end hijack] ---
**Author:** ![htns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@htns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/htns)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/48 "2004-03-06T15:48:06Z")
My Casio wristwatch. I got it in '95 and it still runs well. My '99 Accord LX. Great fuel economy, low maintenance, easy to drive, no hassles. Not to mention the fact that they’re so common, getting parts for them is easy and cheap. Comcast cable. Only one outage in the year that I’ve had it. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whisky. Very smooth, very drinkable, very nice. You will not ever drink anything tastier, guaranteed. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/49 "2004-03-06T18:02:50Z")
**The Oxford English Dictionary**. Yes, all 20 volumes. I lust for one. I have no idea where I’d put it, but I still want it. Let me add another vote for the **KitchenAid** stand mixer. I inheirited my grandmother’s in 2000, and it was old then. Still going strong. Only complaint I have is that it’s avacado green. ---
**Author:** ![Booker57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Booker57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Booker57)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/50 "2004-03-06T18:17:23Z")
Snap-On tools. I have never broken one in normal use. ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/51 "2004-03-06T18:30:52Z")
Craftsman hand tools. Lifetime warranty, free replacement if you manage to break one, built solid. I’ll second the TI-83. Mine’s going on 7 years now, and it’s beaten and battered but works just fine. Any Game Boy. They are indestructible. I love the article a gaming magazine did on trying to break a Game Boy Advance. They dropped it, threw it against a wall and eventually flushed it down a toilet. After 3 days, the GBA dried out and worked just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/52 "2004-03-06T18:55:30Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > _Good_ pearls. Aren’t you supposed to rub those along your teeth to see if they’re real? The 1968 sedan model Mustang. My dad bought one of those in about 1981 as his ‘divorce’ car. I’d kill to have it. VOX amplifiers. QuickFill. It’s a magazine database none of you will have heard from. But they’re put a hell of a lot of thought into it. Jeeps. Not the Cherokee or Liberty. The old CJ and everything up to the Wrangler. That’s one well-engineered line of vehicles. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/53 "2004-03-06T18:58:40Z")
One more thing: **Mag-lite Flashlights** ---
**Author:** ![\_ceQueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/b9bd4f/32.png) [@\_ceQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_ceQueen)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/54 "2004-03-06T19:05:17Z")
Crocodile leather bags. ---
**Author:** ![TygerDralion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e19adc/32.png) [@TygerDralion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TygerDralion)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/55 "2004-03-06T19:32:36Z")
> [@htns](#): > > Comcast cable. Only one outage in the year that I’ve had it. Negative that. Well, the cable itself might be nice, but the lack customer service that I received when half of the cool features for my box stopped working (as in NO service of any kind) and mentioned it every time I paid my bill for about four months convinced me that they weren’t worth my $65 a month. On a good note, I definitely cast my vote for Toyota vehicles. My 1981 with 174,000 miles on it with the worst problem being an oil leak from a pipe (tube, whatever) that was easily fixed (once it was found) would make it my vote for a high quality item. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/56 "2004-03-07T03:31:25Z")
Quality: Snap-on tools, When they had the ad campain that there is a difference, they were right. Fluke products, absolutly bullet proof. Mag lite flashlights I still have the mini mag that I used all through my carrer as an automotive technican. The black case is almost silver. Cannondale bicycles Others may disagree, but I love my C-dales NiteRider bicycle lights. Red Wing boots. For his birthday I took my son to the Red Wing store and bought him a pair. You should have seen his face when he started walking. Volvo 240, Can’t kill one with anything much smaller than a howitzer, and it is safe as a house. [My big green egg](http://biggreenegg.com/home.shtml) Cannon A 1, and Nikon F cameras HP laserjet 2, 3, 4 printers [The Douglas DC-3](http://www.centercomp.com/dc3/) Was there anything this plane couldn’t / didn’t do? My [Luminox watch](http://www.luminox.com/) Keeps perfect time, and it readable no matter how dark it is. (check the link) ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/57 "2004-03-07T03:33:12Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > One more thing: **Mag-lite Flashlights** Agree. And leatherman tools. Damn sexy things! ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/58 "2004-03-07T03:49:35Z")
I almost forgot [Pelican cases](http://www.pelican.com/index.html) Back when I bought my first one the guarantee was > [@](#): > > Guaranteed against every except shark attack, falling space debris and children under 5 years old. They have changed the wording, but not the quality. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/59 "2004-03-07T03:50:49Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > I was recently given an Omega Constellation watch…I’ve never had a watch that gives me pleasure just by seeing it on my wrist. Classic, elegant, beautiful. I’ve got an Omega watch and I love it. I’ve had it for about 13-14 years and I’ve only had to change the battery once. I wear it all the time. Like you said, it’s classic, elegant, and beautiful. I’ll also throw in a vote for any good-quality cookwear. I spent several years buying cheap crap and ruining it and buying new stuff over and over. Now I have some Circulon and I just LOVE it. Just the way it feels when you pick it up… ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650/60 "2004-03-07T04:00:26Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > I was recently given an Omega Constellation watch…I’ve never had a watch that gives me pleasure just by seeing it on my wrist. Classic, elegant, beautiful. I’ve got an Omega watch and I love it. I’ve had it for about 13-14 years and I’ve only had to change the battery once. I wear it all the time. Like you said, it’s classic, elegant, and beautiful. I’ll also throw in a vote for any good-quality cookwear. I spent several years buying cheap crap and ruining it and buying new stuff over and over. Now I have some Circulon and I just LOVE it. Just the way it feels when you pick it up… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-scream-quality/232650.md?page=4)