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Low quality goods

Neutrino

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Is it just me or are consumer goods in Ontario of an abysmal quality? For example, the bicycles I've gotten from Canadian Tire break down after one summer of light use (warped wheels, plastic components break, soft metals, poor design making it difficult to adjust the gears and brakes); most of the clothing from the big brands in major malls seem to be made to last a season at best. If this is the case, where can one acquire high quality goods in the Toronto area?
 
Yes. Quality of almost everything has gotten worse but this isn't just an Ontario problem.

As far as where to buy quality goods? It depends what you're looking for. Typically brands with great warranties tend to have better built products.
 
Indeed. The first bike my family bought from Canadian Tire in the early 2000s lasted over 10 years with few issues. The next one we got in 2006 was awful beyond belief and I have no reason to believe it's gotten better based on the other items I've gotten from CT over the years. Specifically, I am looking for long lasting clothing.
 
I have a bike and a pair of ice skates purchased from Canadian Tire in my late teens, early 20's that I still use and are in great shape. I'm 48 now.
 
Everything is built cheaply these days. I got stereo equipment that is 40 years old and still sounds amazing. Never been repaired either. I also have power tools that are over 30 years old from Canadian Tire and Sears that still work. These were expensive to buy back in the day. My amplifier which is a mid level, was bought from Eaton's, retailed for over $300 in the 1970s! That was a lot of money back then when you look at the wages people were making. They were investment pieces. Now a days newer electronics aren't even worth getting repaired. I got a 43 inch smart TV from Costco last year for under $500. I used to pay that much get my TV fixed back in the day..
 
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Is it just me or are consumer goods in Ontario of an abysmal quality? For example, the bicycles I've gotten from Canadian Tire break down after one summer of light use (warped wheels, plastic components break, soft metals, poor design making it difficult to adjust the gears and brakes); most of the clothing from the big brands in major malls seem to be made to last a season at best. If this is the case, where can one acquire high quality goods in the Toronto area?

What goods do you want?

There are appliances that still last 30 years; I can't say, but I imagine this is true for electronics too. (though obsolescence may still be an issue) .

But how much are you prepared to pay?

Bay-Bloor radio has some very high end electronics.

You can buy restaurant grade cooking appliances, some with 4-year all-in warranties and limited-liftime ones. But you may end up paying over $15,000 for that next stove.

There's lots of high-end and custom clothing places in the City. But expect to pay anything from double to 10x the typical price point.
 
For socks I'd look for this brand among others.........Darn Tough.

https://darntough.com/collections/mens-ski-ride

Available at MEC and a bunch of other places (there's a store locator on their website)

Socks are guaranteed unconditionally for life.

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In winter jackets, I would look at the higher-end brands, ie. Canada Goose, NorthFace, Moose Knuckles

Most come with limited lifetime and or extended warranties. Aside from name plate stores, Sporting Life and many other higher end retailers should have some.

You're looking at over $600 per jacket, maybe a lot over in some cases.

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Doc Martens boots have a lifetime warranty.

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Tilley Endurables also have lifetime guarantees

https://www.tilley.com/ca_en/guarantee-for-life

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For higher-end menswear

Harry Rosen is worth considering.

This is their guarantee page

https://www.harryrosen.com/en/shopping-at-harry

I personally wouldn't look at much of their casual stuff......as it is well made, but the price point is so high I don't think you get the quality back (T-shirts range into the hundreds)

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LL Bean has a good warranty plan (return any goods of theirs at any point, no questions asked, and they will give you that item again (in new form) or store credit.

Patagonia, and Eddie Bauer also have very good guarantee policies suggesting a fairly high quality.

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This place has lifetime guarantee T-Shirts at prices that are high but not insane if the shirts are that good (haven't tried them)

https://www.tomcridland.com/pages/tom-cridland-delivery

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This is a site called 'Buy Me Once' which i think is fairly clear in terms of their mission/offer.

https://buymeonce.com/

They don't ship to Canada yet; but they do allow you to see all their brands, most of which would make quality product, and many of which are available in Toronto through other vendors.

Hope that's a helpful start.
 
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Another way to make your shirts last with frequent washing is to hang them dry instead of in the dryer. All the lint that comes out of the lint trap is fabric that used to be part of your shirts.
 
For clothes, I wear mostly lululemon... washes nice (always hang/lay flat to dry)

For other things like household items, just dont buy crap (like Dollarama)... Do you really need a crappy $2 bin to organize something? it's not going to last.

Or for food, dont overbuy ... how much food is thrown away by people!!! it's insane.
 
Another way to make your shirts last with frequent washing is to hang them dry instead of in the dryer. All the lint that comes out of the lint trap is fabric that used to be part of your shirts.

Put clothes and bedding into the clothes dryer and cook for 20 minutes to kill bedbugs. Then hang on a clothesline to complete the drying process.
 
The quality of most consumer goods has gone down because that's what we have been conditioned to want. The general consuming public wants the latest 'thing' as cheaply as possible and right now. Then a year later all over again. In response, manufacturers have reduced the quality of materials and construction and moved production to cheaper labour locations.

A quality product that was $500 twenty years ago probably costs $1000 today, but the general consumer isn't willing to pay that. As Northern Light points out, quality products are out there but they're not at Walmart or Canadian Tire. Even products that are reasonable quality and reasonably priced are often not repairable, either because it's simply not cost effective, there's nobody out there doing it or they are beyond the scope of most homeowners/DIYers. Having said all that, some modern products are much better that older generations. You can turn on your flat screen TV today and not watch your lights dim (but you can't take the tubes down to the corner and test them).

Consider the hype and turnover of consumer electronics, especially cel phones. I have had the same phone for about 6 years, the one before that about ten. They both do and did all I want a phone to do. I suspect that is true for most of you, but many have to have the latest and greatest.
 
Is it just me or are consumer goods in Ontario of an abysmal quality? For example, the bicycles I've gotten from Canadian Tire break down after one summer of light use (warped wheels, plastic components break, soft metals, poor design making it difficult to adjust the gears and brakes); most of the clothing from the big brands in major malls seem to be made to last a season at best. If this is the case, where can one acquire high quality goods in the Toronto area?

Your first mistake was thinking that you'll get a quality bike at Canadian Tire, period. The second was expecting said $250 bike to last.
 
Your first mistake was thinking that you'll get a quality bike at Canadian Tire, period. The second was expecting said $250 bike to last.

I did not expect it to last, but the first one which was $100 in 2000 (the cheapest model at CT) did last for over ten years. My point is that even CT has gotten worse and they didn't have far to fall.
 

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