Brands that have lost their way...

Laafet

Laafet

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adventuresinblackandwhite.co.uk
Following on from the Mark Todd thread. I find it really sad that there is such a fall in the quality of gear these days. What with Rambo being made in India or China now, Ariat's not being as good as they were and my friend's Dubarry's falling apart with 6 months of use, a replacement pair from ones that fell apart a lot quicker. I really do wonder what we are coming to. I know it is a throw away culture but the fact that stuff just doesn't last and is not worth fixing is ridiculous. I have a 30 year old Lavenham rug, it was one of the first mass produced type rugs (was given to me) and it is still going strong, alibeit a few repairs. It is a beautiful fit and hence why I have it still. New rugs are silly prices and rubbish fit/quality. Saddles no longer seem to last and riding boots well! Sorry for rant, grumpy 30 year old of Newmarket!
 
Completely agree :( Seems to be a 'throw away' society nowadays. I have a weatherbeeta rug that is about 15 years old, lovely fit & apart from a small patch, its still going strong :) Others I do try to re-proof, re-proof till they die! Also waterproof coats don't seem to stay waterproof for long anymore.
 
Robinsons seems to have lost it. Such a shame.

Would never buy anything K*TY from equestrian Clearance again, no matter how cheap - cost it's **** :rolleyes:
 
Hunter wellies are definitely not as good quality as they used to be, and they cost about £30 more as well! That's the problem when traditional brands go mainstream I suppose. Mountain Horse is another one as well; the latest pair of boots I bought from them haven't lasted as long as previous pairs.
 
I saw a pair of hunter wellies for sale in Schuh the other day. That's enough to convince me that the brand has gone down the pan! When I was a teenager (say 10-15 years ago) I remember my YO had a pair of hunters that were nearly ten years old and still going strong! Couldn't say that about a pair bought nowadays!
 
Applies to everything today i'm afraid. Definitely a throw away society. No wonder landfill sites are filling up so quick. Did hear on news tonight one council in wales has started a "shop" at their recycling facility because so much was coming inthat was good stuff- some brand new & we supposed to be in difficult times financially!!! How can people throw away good stuff that's brand new?????
 
i used to love spending my birthday and christmas money at robinsons - now the staff dont know the front end of a horse from the back.

also hunters - i had my grannies old pair until i outgrew them. Bought some more and i have hit deck numerous times, and they wont last much longer (4years) even though i only go outside over uni holidays, and they arent worn half the time. and seeing them in high street shops have definately put me off them too!

woof wear boots too - i think we got through a pair in a month, although im not sure if they have ever been any good.
 
When I was young I always wanted a real Barbour wax jacket. It was cold, uncomfortable and smelly but everyone had one.
Does anyone buy them these days???, it seems that they have been 'modernised' and are also just a fashion coat instead of the real farming outdoor jackets they were.

I too have yet to find a real waterproof jacket.
 
I've got a Barbour jacket. :) The shop downstairs from our restaurant was a stockist, mine has poppers to open 'skirts' to make it better to ride in and a beautiful Liberty fabric liner. Stinks in true 'wax jacket' fashion but keeps me dry and warm. Also have a pair of Hunter wellies that are so old they have my name in from a school trip! Must be at least 10 years old, faded but still going strong. My husband has a pair (2 years old) but they aren't anywhere near as good as mine.

Robinsons used to be great, such a shame. :(
 
Barbour - chavvy crap these days rather than quality functional country clothing.

Thing is if stuff lasts forever manufacturers don't sell enough. It used to be that they could make money on spares but people don't want to spend money fixing stuff.

My parents have a 60 year old Hoover that is still better than any other vaccum I have ever used, my dad was given it when he first left home because it needed servicing and the owners decided to just buy a new one.
 
I'm sad to hear it's going on with UK brands too. I've long got used to being sold crap leadropes (with cheap aluminum-poured ends that will break at the slightest tugg from a WB weanling...) turnout rugs that seem to get rips from merely looking at them and all that here in Germany. But until now I had always been under the impression the UK was immune to such crap b/c people had more quality-awareness (and an inert idea about quality for that matter).

The problem is clearly the throw-away mentality and I've often wondered how it goes together with all the complaints about the economy doing poorly, being unable to afford this and being unable to afford that. Last year I tried to find a new home for a really nice Ikea couch I had that had become available as hubby had bought a new one and we didn't have enough room for both of them. It was barely 2 years old, fully functional and clean, came with two sets of washable lining so was easy to keep clean. I couldn't even give it away, nobody wanted it. So it is now still sitting here upstairs on a pile waiting for one of the children to use it when they have their first home of their own... I can't simply throw it away. It's not like it was for free when we got it so why throw it away...
In the rugs department - oh well...
 
woofwear have definitely got shabby, i had a pair of their long winter boots which lasted me a month, the stitching on the back seam fell apart, took them back to the shop and they exchanged them, same happened with them so took them back and paid a bit extra to get some leather shires and they are still going strong 2 years later. hunter wellies used to be made with more rubber in them, now they are made abroad they seem to perish and split really quick:( my first pair when i was at college lasted 10 years, i reckon if you kept a pair in a cupboard for 10 years now they'd disintegrate!
 
I think it's everything, too. I don't know why i expected rugs to be different. I'm new to outdoor rugging, but have friends who have always rugged. I'd LOVE to find one of those proper 'New Zealand' rugs, but most have been burnt or used as dog beds...etc.

I was dismayed to find the Ariats are now made in China. I've already stopped buying Joules for the same reason, but frankly, I'm running out of options! I don't know where my Sherwood Forest coat was made, but that was sold to me as a very warm waterproof coat at Royal Windsor. It's neither!! So, I'll be using my tatty old ski jacket again in the really cold spells.

The most depressing thing is that the skills to repair or make these items are being lost! There aren't many cobblers around, these days and fabric repairs are done at the dry cleaners by someone with all the skill of a blind chimp. Urrghh, I think I need a meditation to calm down, lol! :D
 
This has actually cheered me up as I have found an upside to being old!

My green Hunters are 18 years old and still fine except for the little strap on the top of one which has broken. I have a stable rug that I bought in Belgium 22 years ago which has outlasted many newer ones, same with a travel sheet and many other bits and pieces that I've had for 30 odd years :)

I no longer buy expensive things as they are just as cr*p as the cheap ones unfortunately.
 
I do most fabric repairs myself, as I do a better job that the dry cleaners. Luckily for complicated things I can't manage, like zips, my mum is very good (despite being visually impaired). It is a shame that people don't learn how to do things like this when they are young, it is a big part of the problem, learning how to sew hems and replace buttons should be taught at school. It would be far more useful than doing "textile art" in place of sewing.

I drive 8 miles to a decent cobbler and regularly take him £60 quids worth of work because he is so good. Despite only having one hand.....
 
Stubben. A while ago. It used to be that their leather was brilliant but they swapped some 4 years or so ago and the new bridle I bought was nothing like the previous quality.. but was at the same price. I don't buy any new stubben leatherware any more but my old stubben bridles are still going strong!
 
Tash88 said:
Hunter wellies are definitely not as good quality as they used to be, and they cost about £30 more as well! That's the problem when traditional brands go mainstream I suppose. Mountain Horse is another one as well; the latest pair of boots I bought from them haven't lasted as long as previous pairs.
Click to expand...

I know, my last pair of Mountain Horse boots lasted me about six years, but my current pair are looking very tired and worn after having them less than a year. Very disappointing.

Unfortunately I think it's a sign of the times :(
 
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