As time goes on, I’m realizing that I’m no longer in my 30s, and I’m definitely getting set in my ways. But when it comes to certain brands, I’m okay with that. Here are some of my go-to choices:
Sidchrome – In my opinion, they still make the best tools for the workshop. I have sockets and spanners that are over 40 years old, and I absolutely love them. I’ve recently started a project to clean up and restore some of these tools to their former glory.
Blundstone Boots – I went through four pairs of Blundstones in the late ’90s and early 2000s. I had a pair from 2016 that I rarely wore, and when I recently put them on, the soles cracked and looked terrible. I sent a polite email to Blundstone, explaining that I had barely worn them and was disappointed they fell apart. To my surprise, they replaced them! I was blown away. Now, I wear the replacements once a week. The only thing that could make them better is if they were made in Australia.
Jeans – This one’s tricky. It’s either RM Williams (which I find quite pricey) or Levi’s. As a kid, I always wanted Levi’s because all the cool kids had them, but instead, I had the K-Mart knock-offs. Nowadays, my wardrobe consists only of Levi’s and RM Williams jeans, along with a few pairs of Thomas Cook moleskin pants, which are incredibly comfortable.
Shirts – I only buy RM Williams or Bisley shirts. Sure, there are cheaper options out there, but I’ve found that good-quality shirts last three to four times longer than the cheap ones.