Cool things that are still being made

Vinyl records. Turntables. Vacuum tubes & the chassiae to hold them. Leica thread mount lenses after all these years. Who'd a thunk it.

Almost still being made and sorely missed: Konica LTM & M mount lenses and Hexar RF and AF bodies.

A 1930 something zippo just sold for $38k, + or -.

Very important: Skilled craftsmen and artisans making boats, furniture, pottery, glass, photographs, etc. the old way. One at a time. By hand.
 
I've heard about a guy who manufactures parts for Morris Minors somewhere in Bangladesh.

Pelikan fountain pens
strange that many of the cheap plastic toys I used as a kid (35 years ago) are still being made
 
ErikFive said:
Water and Air
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Water - maybe. Net loss to space offset by excess combustion processes. Air - not.

Baskin-Robbins ice cream. Weekly treat for the kids, just like 45 years ago for me. Served up by sometimes-sullen teens today - not like the little old ladies way back when.

- John
 
Well, for me, two items fall into categories.

Bikes:

- Steel frames with lugs, forks with crowns

- Down-tube shifters

- Non-clipless pedals, toeclips & straps


And:

Double-edge razors and blades.


As far as specific things, from specific companies go:

Lamy 2000 fountain pen: Yes, they've tweked it a bit here and there, but in essence it's the same pen they introduced in 1966, and stands out as a modern design that's stood the test of time, and remained in continuous production. While other companies have reintroduced certain "classic" designs, most of these have been adulterated in certain ways (a Parker "51" with just cartridge/converter refill?). The basics of the piston-fill-only 2000 have never been messed with.

Kodachrome 64: Enough said.

Sanford Sharpie: Essential for scribbling on film cassettes, among other stuff.

Domke bags: Yep, I'd be an unhappy camper if they stopped making them.

Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical wristwatch: The company has gone through wrenching changes, and isn't quite the same Hamilton that existed up till 1969, and the movements aren't made in-house anymore (although the industry joke is that, since Hamilton's parent company, Swatch, also owns ETA, the major Swiss manufacturer of mechanical and quartz movements, Hamilton's movements are "in-house"🙄), yet the current Hamilton does a better-than-credible job in offering good value for money, and honors its heritage without getting cheesy. The Field Mechanical, which is manual-wind, is a nice example of this. (Of course, if the Hamilton name does nothing for you, you could always buy IWC's version of the field watch, the Mark XV, at a price an order of magnitude higher than the Hamilton's, with a movement that's highly-finished and tweaked, but ain't "in-house" either.)

Filson bags: See: Kodachrome

McDermott pool cues: Well, I really like mine. Don't get to use it enough.

All the above are items you can buy brand-new, as opposed to battling the throngs on eBay and the like for relatively-intact specimens.

That's all that comes to mind right now. Which is just as well; just how long a list do you really want to read here?


- Barrett
 
Had a Mk1 Golf GTI in Mars Red, absolutely stonking car. Pared down to the minimum, completely optimised for its purpose in life (primarily to corner on three wheels, make your g/f scream, and leave a huge grin on your face). Have a Mk2 now, that car is almost as good. Luxury in 795kgs, unbelievable. Both completely bulletproof.

Other cool stuff still made:

The Biro
The Omega Speedmaster "moonwatch". Three long years until I get mine
Old lens designs in new bodies (I'm looking at *you* Zeiss/Cosina 😛)
 
erikhaugsby said:
Coca Cola?
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The Coke they sell now is not the cool stuff they should still be making. 🙁

Try the Coke that comes out of that fountain in the Coke exhibit in Atlanta. Not the same as what you buy on the street. 🙁

KforP Coke or some imports come close.

Dr. Pepper anybody?
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Actually, I've kinda developed a taste for Diet Dr Pepper lately. Never really cared for DrP until a few months ago. No reason, actually.

I did find out that you can still get Boylans and Masons root beer if you order it via web.

Green River, anyone? 🙂
 
dmr said:
The Coke they sell now is not the cool stuff they should still be making. 🙁

If you buy coke at a Mexican tienda 'Coka Mexicana' it still comes in those 16 oz real glass bottles It is imported from Mexico and it is the real thing.
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JimG said:
dmr said:
The Coke they sell now is not the cool stuff they should still be making. 🙁

If you buy coke at a Mexican tienda 'Coka Mexicana' it still comes in those 16 oz real glass bottles It is imported from Mexico and it is the real thing.
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Well, it used to be. The real Coke should be made with cane sugar which the Mexican stuff used to be. Last time I bought a Mexican coke it was made with high fructose corn syrup just like its American cousin.
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