Doesn’t make “quality”…
Cursed lack of sleep resulting in poor typing skills.
Doesn’t make “quality”…
Cursed lack of sleep resulting in poor typing skills.
I dearly, dearly love my Bang & Olufsen Beocom 6000 series phone system. The only phone system in existance with a good UI, IMO. Well, I take that back… B&O recently came out with an upgrade to the Beocom 6000s. It’s probably better, but I refuse to look at it because the minute I do I know I’ll want it.
I also love my All-Clads and my KitchenAid.
Kitchenaide Mixers
Le Creuset
Henkels knives
Pakistani rugs
Coach bags.
Etienne Aigner shoes.
Good pearls.
Another vote for Le Creuset.
And Belgian chocolate.
Caithness glass - I collect as much as I can afford, especially the paperweights. Simply stunning.
Any electronic device that is manufactured with thin metal casing screwed together with watch maker precision. Often found in Japanese manufactured cameras, mini cassete players and the like.
Le Creuset cookware,
J.A. Henkell Knives that are made in Germany (important point that, there are knives sold under this name that are not German made of indifferent and poor quality).
I had a Nikon F-series SLR camera in the 70s – manual focus, manual exposure. Since then I’ve had a succession of fancy-shmancy auto-focus auto-exposure power-drive (and now digital), but nothing I love as much as that Nikon.
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.
Nikon cameras - I’m speaking of their professional SLRs such as the F4 - are amazing items. Pick one up, and it’s a solid, substantial camera without flimsy bits and buttons that you wonder if they actually got pressed.
Anything made by Western Electric. Back in the days when a phone could be counted on and would easily survive being dropped or misused.
Another vote for the durable and dependable IBM Thinkpad. They may not be ultra-stylish, (OK, they may not even be vaguely stylish) but they will shrug off abuse that would destroy other laptops. I’ve seen them survive 4-foot falls onto concrete with no more damage than a scuff.
NHT speakers and Velodyne subwoofers. Both companies deliver a high level of “fit and finish,” quiet elegance and performance.
Not to quibble, but any portable device for which the battery replacement instructions include “use a screwdriver to pry the battery unglued” doesn’t make my list.
I recently bought a Mondaine Swiss Railway watch - love the design. And I’ve become quite fond of shoes from Shipton & Heneage.
Tell me more about B&O phones – like where can I get one? Yahoo Shopping came up empty, and I’m growing increasingly frustrated with the succession of crappy cordless phones I’ve owned.
I’ve had Le Creuset…I’m sure they’re wonderful, but jeez you can get some serious biceps lifting them onto your stove.
How about the B&O store on Powell in San Francisco?
or maybe B&O at the Stamford Shopping Center, Paolo Alto is nearer
I forgot to add well lined trousers, suits, jackets. When you can feel the weight of the lining and the jacket holds its own shape well.
Hmmm…too obvious. Must be a trick of some kind.
The new Mini Cooper. I didn’t know they could make fun out of metal.
toyota & honda sedans
Cub cadet lawn mowers. My dad has had 3 of these. one was a used model made from the 50s that didnt die until the 80s, another was a model from the 70s that just died a few years ago and he has his new one. I know he went through about 3 mowers in 10 years, a john deere, craftman, and i think toro, but his cub cadets lasted for 20-30 years.
I used to own a 1930 Ford Model A. These cars were virtually indestructible and far better than any other car made in 1930. That’s why there are so many still around. No I’m not eighty I’m thirty-six.
The HP48GX calculator (I almost cried when the screen on mine broke :()
Fluke multimeters
Stuff made by Digital Equipment Corporation (but not Compaq or HP)
Stuff made by Symbolics (the now-a-zombie Lisp machine manufacturer)
I tried thinking of stuff that wasn’t geeky. I failed.
The [url=www.wengerna.com/wenger/product.jsp?prod_id=352&cat_id=1&cat_name=Knives&sub_cat_id=18] on the Wenger Swiss Army Knives are absolutely brilliant. Best scissors ever made.