Name a product thread.

[Richard A Thackeray]

Two more cycling related preferences

1. I used to have Oakleys
At one point, owning 6 pairs
My first was a pair of 'Eyeshades', with clear & 'purple iridium' lenses (sold a few years ago, with original packing to someone on 'Retrobike'

I had a pair of (solid blue framed) 'Blades' & 'purple iridium'/opaque grey framed Frogskins (both are 'who knows where', lost in a previous housemove?)

2 pair of Mumbos, dating to '94/'95
Sadly both frames have snapped, so just in a drawer
- 'blue framed/deep yellow lens
- shallow 'purple iridium'/translucent grey frame

I still have, in the box a pair (bought for a holiday to Florida, in 2012), Flak-Jackets?
Black frame/dark grey lens

2. I still wear Sidi shoes though, with a pair of CX shoes for the commuter bike, as (MTB/CX) SPDs make immeasurably more sense for me than the 'LOOk' pattern of pedal

 

[Accy cyclist]

Cordings of Picadilly tweed suits and jackets, their coats, their corduroy trousers and moleskin trousers have made me into a clothes snob! https://www.cordings.co.uk/?gad_sou...GEIszfDFqwRF_pNsno1Mkhx23WiLxuxYaAu_mEALw_wcB Gone are the days where I'd spend less than £500 on jacket, unless it's a Cordings sale one and no way would I buy a charity shop jacket for a fiver like I used to do!🫣 To add to the 'snobbyness', I tend to keep the labels on with the price included, so I can 'accidentally' let folk say 'Oh, excuse me but you've left the price tag on your trousers', with them looking at it to see the price!🧐

 

[Chris S]

Heinz Baked Beans on toast... The food of the Gods! 😆

Heinz beans were the best until they made them healthy. They just taste like supermarket beans now.

 

[sevenfourate]

Dulux paint ? Are there any great finish / one coat / easy to use: cheap paints ?

Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper etc. Have you ever had a decent tasting cheap ‘Rola Cola’, Supermarket take off or otherwise…….

Quality / highish model and Branded Trainers. I walk circa 150 miles a month with my dog alone. Quality Adidas, Asics etc regularly still look good at approx 400-500 miles [*Where as recommended: I then renew them to retain my chosen footwear’s shock absorbing properties and save my knees). Trying to cheat the system with cheaper pairs never pays. Most self destructing and being unwearable way-way earlier than above; apart from anything else…..

Quality or OEM; replacement car parts. Cheap drop-links, track rod ends, bushes, bearings etc just never handle today’s awful roads. And either wasting your own time or paying someone else to fit twice isn’t the way I roll….

 

[Rusty Nails]

Heinz beans were the best until they made them healthy. They just taste like supermarket beans now.

And Branston baked beans knock them out of the ground for taste.

 

[Once a Wheeler]

If any one else out there is still using toe straps, then it's Alfredo Binda or nothing:

In the very bitter end the metal fittings will rust and corrode; but the straps will hold till the buckles break.

 

[Reynard]

Royal Canin "Sensible 33" dry cat food. All the cats I've had clean their bowls, the kibbles are big enough to make them chew, yet small enough not to leave crumbs behind, and it doesn't a) give a cat the squits or b) give them constipation.

And because cheap art supplies are only fine for letting kiddies mess around with...

Faber Castell coloured pencils. Both the "Albrecht Durer" watercolour ones and the "Polychromos" ones that can be blended with a bit of white spirit. Pencils are pushing £2 each, but they're way better than most others, including Derwent.

Windsor & Newton watercolour pans

Liquitex acrylic paints

Bockingford water colour paper, Daler Rowney Murano for pencil & pastel work

And decent brushes (Windsor & Newton, Daler Rowney, Pro Arte)

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

Sugden Masterclass audio amplifiers.

Yep, once I bought my first proper turntable and amp there was no going back. Several upgrades later and I am hoping I am settled for a good while.

 

[Rezillo]

Dualit toaster.

Runner-up. The Farmers Son black pudding

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

Well made clothes and well made wine are my main vices. Doesn't necessarily have to mean ridiculously expensive but certainly more of an outlay than regular stuff. The good thing is that the price limits my consumption of both!

 

[Reynard]

Although as far as food is concerned, cheap doesn't always mean it's nasty. SImply that according to current marketing trends, it's just less desirable. So here's a few of my favourite cheap eats...

Aldi corned beef - it's more fatty than Tesco's equivalent, hence cheaper, but it has far more flavour.

Tesco's "Finest" cheddars - made by the Davidstow creamery, cheaper than the "Brand" but often beats it in blind tests

Lamb breast

Megrim sole

 

[TLW1]

Running / skiing snizzle it’s dynafit

I love having a really nice pen, understated elegance

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

Tesco's "Finest" cheddars - made by the Davidstow creamery, cheaper than the "Brand" but often beats it in blind tests

With a bit of digging you can also work out a lot of unnamed suppliers to the big brands and buy direct for far cheaper. I have tracked down various items that are significantly cheaper when buying direct.

 

[Profpointy]

Cycling wise, I think Brooks saddles: been a convert since about 1980. And also more recently Ortlieb luggage and map cases

Rukka motorbike clothes.

Festool power tools, albeit the prices have maybe crossed the 'how f@&£ much? level these days. But even so, they are very nice tools but I'm not quite sure they are really twice as good as Bosch blue or Makita say.

Crockett and Jones shoes, even if most of mine have been seconds or second hand as I don't think I can quite bring myself to spend nearly £600 for a pair at full price.

Paramo anoraks and other outdoor kit. I wear a variety of brands, but Paramo are perhaps first choice if I am looking for something they make

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

Crockett and Jones shoes, even if most of mine have been seconds or second hand as I don't think I can quite bring myself to spend nearly £600 for a pair at full price.

As per my 'well made clothing' post above, I did treat myself to a pair of C&J for my wedding (still cost me considerably less than my wife's dress 😂). As a nice bit of good fortune, the pair I wanted were 'blemished' so I got a 20% discount on them. Not sure why C&J labelled them as such, they were absolutely pristine but I wasn't going to question it!