Quote Originally Posted by PoolDoc View Post
I'm glad you got it working; you can probably tell I'm not 'in love' with BioGuard.

There are other pool companies out there that behave the same way. One particular company, selling specialized equipment for large (100,000+ gal) commercial pools, has been moderately successfully doing what I've described as "marketing Roll-Royces, but delivering Ramblers". Unfortunately, that description worked better 20 years ago, than it does now. Maybe, "marketing BMWs but delivering Yugos"?

Anyhow, it has been those experiences that have made me aware of how often brand "quality" is disassociated with actual quality.

In really large markets, genuine quality brands get sold to big companies who then parasitise the brand, till nothings left. I've seen this happen repeatedly in outdoor gear. I bought some North Face gear 30+ years ago that I still use -- but North Face was then just above a 'garage operation'. Today, the difference between most of the 'North Face' gear I see, and no-name Target gear is just price. I'm wearing sandals which are -- irritatingly and with flopping sole bottoms -- the same way. I purchased, 20 years ago, a pair of Teva sandals that I wore till they wore through. Unfortunately that first pair lasted longer than the two subsequent pairs put together. Of course, in 2002, Teva sold out. I need to buy a pair of Keens BEFORE they get bought by a big company that 'hollows out' the brand.

Branding is a very unreliable guide to product quality, but that's not a fact most people find themselves able to embrace.
This had me laughing, Ben!

I remember when North Face was the slightly cheaper competitor to Sierra Designs and Patagonia. I still have a SD down vest I bought in 1977, and a day pack from a year later. Then Sierra Design went down the tubes. North Face makes SOME stuff that's still high-end, but a lot is Chevy sold as Bentleys.

You are starting to sound almost., almost,..,almost..liberal! (Just kidding!)

BTW, if you can swing it, I think the best sandals you can buy are Mephisto Sharks. I have two pairs, the first I bought 15-20 years ago, and wore to death--going in the ocean with them, sweating into them, etc. They rebuilt them when the soles got a little worn and they were like new, actually, better. The new pair, this summer, are exactly like the re-builts. Unfortunately, they cost an insane amount, but unlike other sandals, at the end of a day of walking and touring and hiking, my feet aren't killing me and blistered. Even Ecco and the other high end brands, IMHO, don't hold a candle to Mephistos. Their dress shoes are equally comfortable and durable.