Barbours

[Nigel Rainton]

Ian,

I agree it is a fine line to tread but if your exhausts needed replacing every few months, your customers would buy cheaper Chinese copies ! We have lost a lot of premier brands to poor management and over diversification. The venture capitalists have rescued some and re-focused on their core products. I buy Barbour because its excellent quality and made in the UK. If either change, I will look elsewhere.

[Tinca Tinca]

In Germany some premium manufacturers had to close,too because they made stuff that you only buy once or twice
a lifetime.But as I wrote earlier in this thread :I love to repair ,restore,refurb and use such this things of "the good old times".

Unluckily we are only a few that think that way.The most buys cheap cheap cheap to have money to travel four times a year
to all inclusive holidays or drive expensive cars.That are our "modern" times.....

[Nigel Rainton]

BMW and Mercedes are doing well in the recession. Although overall consumers spend less during a recession, the premium brands do well. People want good value for money and are prepared to pay a little more for excellence. Has Edward Barder put his prices down because of the recession ?

[Tinca Tinca]

No idea.Think not....

[The VFC]

I def. think the barbour are not of the same quality they were years back - that the material is thinner and the lining less robust too. But what really narked me recently were 2 examples of their new attitude (and I do mean new - past 3-4 years really):
1) No longer doing the inners for their older coats and jackets - in fact they deliberately changed the inners - presumably so that you now have to buy a whole new coat rather than just a new fleecy inner.
2) Not doing a liner for their game/ fishing bag - its all poppered up ready for one but they decided not to make one in the end. Apparently (so my retailer tells me) because they were being bought by people to use a posh hand bags and they didn't want the game liner.
Eventually Barbour will kill off their old clientele - as Burberry did - but probably won't care. Luckily the trade in second hand old style barbours is going strong....

[SparrowHawk]

My old barbour northumbria gave up the ghost far too early so i replaced it with a musto keeper jacket about 10 years ago.Very good product but not the same traditional feel

[Bobby Marlene]

I agree that Barbour jackets go very strong and can take quite some abuse but I believe there are much better jackets on the market in terms of functionality. I think you go far better with a good quality hunting jacket from a top brand as Fjallraven or Härkila. To be honest, I cannot understand all the fuss about Barbours. They are not so good compared to modern hunting jackets, they do not really keep you dry in a very heavy rain and they are very heavy, feel cold and are quite uncomfortable.
That said I still love my 15 year old Moorland Classic but more and more often I wear a Fjällraven when going fishing.
Best, Bobby

[Tinca Tinca]

with Fjällräven I agree compromissless good quality but Harkila is a bit to pricy .I donot really
understand what is worth the money they will get for their stuff.Thats something for "upperclass"
hunters that will show that they have the money to be dressed with.But only a name is not a reason
for me to buy.I want stuff that is repairable and dureable.Repaired a Gore or Texapore membrane?
My Barbour is repaired on few places....

[Ian.R.McDonald]

and on the same basis that modern stuff is better (i would agree) why are we using cane rods and centrepins?

wax cotton is cold and heavy- but somehow going fishing in some modern plastic job would not be the same

[Azur]

Out of interest does anyone rate the waxed barbour bucket hats? I'm in the market for a quality fishing hat