Brand loyalty, good or bad habit?

I have no problem with brand loyalty; those that anger over brands are well, wrapped a tad too tight. In the end, it is your money and you purchase as you wish; forcing your opinion on anyone is called control - buy what you want and I will leave you alone (and you will leave me alone) - that works very well for all parties involved.

I'm not particularly loyal to any brand, per se, but I am most definitely aware of what each represents. For example, I know that Glock redesigned the autoloading pistol in the 1980s, dramatically simplifying it while simultaneously making it more reliable, and thereby became the market leader because of a superior product. I also know that Smith and Wesson pirated Glock's design with their Sigma line, lost a major patent lawsuit filed by Glock, and was not only thoroughly humiliated by the fiasco but also lost numerous police contracts because of it. Hence, I prefer Glock autoloaders over Smith and Wesson's, both because of their technical superiority as well as because of Smith's unethical business conduct. I'm also aware that even though Beretta won the U.S. military contract for a new combat pistol in 1986, its gun was outperformed by the Sig Sauer model but because the Sig was more expensive, the government went with Beretta. In my mind, both brands performed brilliantly and are superb so I own and trust guns made by both. Finally, I'm aware that Hi-Point has a reputation for making cheap low quality ghetto blasters but I know the reality is that their business strategy is to use cheap-to-manufacture blow-back designs that result in generally reliable firearms and that they believe their mission (and market opportunity) is to provide self-defense options to those of limited means and I respect that. Their handguns don't necessarily appeal to me but I most definitely will pick up one of their 10mm carbines at some point. In other words, I'm happy to support companies that are ethical and that produce fine products.

upptick said:

I know that Glock redesigned the autoloading pistol in the 1980s, dramatically simplifying it while simultaneously making it more reliable, and thereby became the market leader because of a superior product.

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Whoops! Superior product? Heh. Not aware of how Glock actually seized the market share, eh? Hint: basically giving law enforcement agencies across the U.S. free pistols if they traded in their previous issued handguns (which were then sold through distributors at a premium, returning even more dollars to Glock and the individual departments). Oh, yeah -- then selling agencies the pistols at a steep discount for far less than they'd have to spend procuring American-made handguns to replace their Glocks or current issue as they aged out... If you want to believe government agencies purchase firearms because they're the best out there, I've got a couple bridges for sale near me...

No brand loyalty here, it all depends on what I like or am in the mood for. As an avid 22RF shooter I learned a long time ago that you have to find the ammunition your gun likes, not what you like. During my reloading days I found little if any difference in primers,brass, etc. though I stuck to Hercules powders. I buy guns for their appeal to me, not the manufacturer.

I don’t really have a brand loyalty as much as I have brand boycotts. I own and have tried many, some Have been so bad I avoid all future contact. For them the old adage “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Really holds the truth.

My brand loyalty comes from positive experiences with a brand. If my experiences change from positive to negative, so does my loyalty. Choices are also made by the experiences of others. Kinda one reason I belong to these types of forums. While there are those "fanboys" that will stick to their guns(sorry about the pun) regardless of quality, I certainly am not one of them. One only has to look at the multitude of different manufacture in my gun safe to see I am loyal to many different brands.

I think it would be nearly impossible for an individual to not form loyalties. And thats ok if they are not blind loyalties. I think those loyalties would be even stronger if you moved there from another brand that failed.

jmorris said:

I don’t really have a brand loyalty as much as I have brand boycotts. I own and have tried many, some Have been so bad I avoid all future contact. For them the old adage “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Really holds the truth.

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I agree with that. There is only one company that I banned. Its a shame because I really like there firearms.

I have practically zero brand loyalty. I might buy the same toilet paper or coffee week after week but once we start talking about more expensive things I'll do my research for each item. I'm not going to go out and buy another Toyota or Ford just because the last ones I had treated me well. I really liked my KTM dirt bike, but I'd go back to Honda again too or try out Yamaha for the right features, price, and anticipated reliability. I've had good luck with Samsung TV's, but maybe the next time I need one I can find an LG for a better price. And if I'm in the market for a revolver, I'm going to check out all the options and read up on everything I can before dropping $500-800. Sure, my S&W's manufactured in decades past are great, but that doesn't necessarily mean by default that in 2021 they offer what I want.

I also buy most things I can used, so even if I was brand loyal the OEM's wouldn't get much benefit from me.

At one point I had a certain amount of brand loyalty, then the corporate heads started putting short term profit, and management compensation, over customer satisfaction and quality products.

Next thing you knew, products you had previously liked and trusted suddenly became crap because a new corp. owner thought they could fool the public long enough to keep buying their named products and make a quick buck before customers realized the company had horribly diluted the quality.

Simmons scopes and optics, Remington .22 ammo, etc. Other optics companies have started lower priced lines with imported goods with no prior notice. Lawn equipment companies who now sell lines through big box stores, with lower quality machines. Those who remember what Abercrombie & Fitch was weep over what they have become.

Then there are those who buy a name and start applying it to anything in hopes people remember the name, Emerson and Kodak come to mind. Some will license and prostitute their name for any form of garbage, Harley is a major player there.

So no, no more brand loyalty here. I'll read reviews, do a little research, and buy whatever is the best at the moment, regardless of brand.

Sovblocgunfan said:

Stick with what works for you. Until it doesn’t. Then find something else that works for you.

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Hey, you made a choice, you stuck to it. I've seen a lot of folks who are nightmarishly all over the map. You have to somehow set your own limits and standards, otherwise you risk "drowning", as it were, in the never ending array of gear that's out there.

Buzznrose said:

I am pretty loyal to brands as well. I think it’s built into us that when something works or we have good experience with certain brands, it only makes sense to continue using them until things change (which all to often happens).

The issue I have is with folks who get too “brand loyal” or stuck in their own paradigms and they become jerks about things.

I am an unapologetic Glock shooter. I also like and own other brands, but I almost always carry and shoot Glocks because it works for me.

But I am fully supportive of folks who prefer other brands or styles. You prefer revolvers or 1911’s or whatever, press on!

I just get tired of the folks who continually put down another persons choice, as if it really mattered to them.

You want to crow on about your favorite flavor, have at it...but don’t whine about mine.

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Same here. Except I run mostly S&W. I'm about keeping controls the same.
On the OP. If they don't find one thing to count as a negative. They are either a fan boy or a sell out.
IE my Taurus spectrum is cheap, fits my hand well, is reliable, points well.
I could stop there. Or add the sights suck. I got with them. But they suck.

I think a lot of what people refer to as “brand loyalty” is just dislike of change. It has less to do with the intrinsic value of a particular brand and more to do with the Sheldon Coopers of the world wanting to keep everything the same. It’s driven by convenience, not necessarily quality.

That said, there are people who are fiercely protective of a particular brand. Sticking with something because it’s high quality and reasonably priced is smart...sticking with something because of the name on it is foolish. If someone’s defense of a product is nothing more than, “It’s good...it’s a {Fill in the blank}”, then they’re blinding themselves to the fact that their “favorite” might just have produced a real dog. That kind of blind brand loyalty is silly at best and dangerous at worst. If it’s a matter of life or death, standing by a poor product because of the label could tip the scales against you. Critical thinking and a willingness to question our perception are key to avoiding poor choices.

Nothing wrong with being loyal to something that proves it works, but blind loyalty to anything is a bad idea. Products, and people change over time. There are certain years of Toyota, Ford, Chevy and Dodge trucks that are excellent. Certain years are lemons. It is a mistake to keep buying Chevy's just because the last one you had was a good one when the current production proves something is better. Same with Remington, Winchester, Smith&Wesson and Ruger.

I've had a pretty open mind over the years and tried just about everything except the stuff on the high end and really cheap guns. I used to be a pretty prolific gun trader but over the years I've really slowed down. Probably 80-85% of the guns I've owned over the years have been bought used. I'd often buy something just to see if I liked it. Since I was buying used I was almost always able to get most, if not all of my money back if I didn't like something. And actually made a little profit a time or 2.

I wouldn't say I'm brand loyal, but my choices have narrowed quite a bit. There are some designs I simply don't care much for and I tend to use what I have found works best for me. That doesn't necessarily mean other choices are bad, but I have preferences.

There's lots of brands & guns I'm interested in but have never had a chance to try yet. But I do have a strong tendency to go with companies and vendors that have done well by me in the past. For vendors I feel it's very important to go with those with a good track record of honestly and good service. Examples include but are not limited to:

• Midway- Never had a bad experience with them
• SGAmmo- same, always get what I order promptly and well packaged at competitive prices.
• Scalarworks- Top notch quality, good service, always include swag
• Fortress Tactical- Very responsive, answers my emails around the clock (seriously, does Mike ever sleep?), good pricing.
• Battery Junction, Illumn- Both sell batteries, lights, chargers, etc. Both are very solid and have been so for many years.
• Malkoff & Elzetta- High end flashlight makers that sell direct (and through some vendors). Impeccable service, incredible products
• The Knife Connection, KnifeCenter, BladeHQ, Knifeworks- All of these vendors have been rock solid for me for many years.

There are certain brands of guns and ammo that I always return to as well.

• HK- If you get used to carrying an HK it's hard to go back. I've found their quality and service to be top of the field. But they do have a functional difference that makes nearly all other brand irrelevant for me; the paddle mag release. Nearly all modern HKs use a paddle where the trigger guard meets the grip and it's a very different technique. Never in 20+ years of CCWing an HK have I ever had a mag fall out when I stand up (something that happened dozens of times with the Colts and various other American style guns). If I couldn't have an HK for whatever reason I'd probably go with a Walther as they're also good guns and use the same type of mag paddle.
• Federal HST- Until such time as something significantly better comes along I'll always buy HST. It's exceptionally accurate in all my guns and just seems to work. There's other good ammo but it really seems to shoot to POA in all my guns and I like nickel plated brass.
• Hill People Gear & Mystery Ranch- Both companies have fairly different design philosophies but both are well made and have served me well for many years. For better or worse I rarely even look at other brands when I'm shopping for a new pack.
• Aimpoint- Best RDS in the world, and if you disagree prove me wrong.
• Honorable Mentions: CZ and Beretta are good companies that come up with very interesting designs. Both of them can be flighty though, jumping from new product to new product and sometimes abandoning older products when they come out with something new. For example my Bren 805 is my favorite rifle but they discontinued it in 2018 after just a few years in favor of the 806 (which seems to be plagued with problems). Likewise the Beretta 1301 is amazing but they basically ignore their Storm Carbine, ARX100, Nano and Pico lines nowadays.

I wouldn't say that I'm LOYAL to a brand - I don't buy a gun BECAUSE it's X brand - but there are brands that repeatedly come out on top when I go through my decision-making process for buying another gun, or whenever the next random gun strikes me as one I want to own. And looking at the ones I have, there are clearly brands that have produced several models that I wanted to own.

I associate the word "brand" more with consumables-in our case, ammunition, powder, primer, bullets, etc. To me, a "make" is a durable-a firearm, e.g.

I have brand preferences. With that said I prefer S&W. Yes I have other brands that come and go but usually most of my handguns would be S&W revolvers and semiautomatic pistols.

Every brand has pluses and minuses. I try to be sure the minuses of the guns I consider outweigh the minuses. Being able to work on my own also gives me more options than for those who don't. I've bought more than one gun of a type that 'has a reputation" and needs a little work, and either kept it, or usually, kept it for a while, shot it, and sold it when an offer I 'can't refuse' comes in. (Usually doubling my money or so.)

Every brand has turned out an organic bolus or two. Even S&W. I have one. a BodyGuard 38. (The polymer one, not a Model 49) Colt has had their share, though I've never owned one. Worked on a few, though. I'd say with guns , I have more of a 'model' preference, as in "classics" in whatever genre of guns. Tri-Star makes serviceable semi-autos, but I wouldn't buy one of their O/U's if they were on sale for a dollar. Their TT-15 Trap gun is a joke waiting to fall apart on the unsuspecting new trapshooter. Kel-Tec makes some good guns, and some that I'd rather have a Jennings or Bryco. Here's a good example within a brand: Winchester-Model 12, yes! Model 1200, NO! Here's another; Remington 870: all day, every day. Remington 877; No, thank you.

Before I bought my first handguns 5 years ago I made my initial choices by researching brands with a reputation for quality, good CS, reliability and affordability. My first semi auto was a Sig 226 and my first revolver was a Ruger GP100 357. Both met my criteria and expectations. Gradually I acquired S&W, Colt and Dan Wesson because I like variety. Brand loyalty isn't bad nor good it's just a choice.

Yes I would have to admit to having brand loyalty to certain manufacturers (Toyota, Honda, Sony, Panasonic, HP, Benchmade, Kershaw, and Gerber to name a few), mainly because my experiences with them has typically been positive with few if any serious problems. As far as gun brands go I am still a fan of Colt and S&W, though they've had their share of clunkers along the way. More than likely it goes back to when I was growing up and these two were basically "it" when it came down to semi-autos and revolvers. You wanted a pistol in .45 then you went looking for a Colt; likewise if you wanted a revolver, then S&W was your go-to manufacturer. Sure you could have strayed from the beaten path with guns from Star, Llama, Astra, Manurhin, Steyr, Walther, and Springfield Armory; and for their part they were all decent guns. Still I always came back to Colt and S&W.

Nowadays I have quite a few more brands to share the wealth with (HK, Ruger, Browning, SIG, Beretta, CZ, Kahr, Mossberg, Uberti, and Pietta), and as long as their guns are well built, reliable, durable, and accurate I'm going to remain loyal to them as well.

The first thing I look at when purchasing a new or used firearm is how the company positions the people that are buying their product. There are companies that put their customers satisfaction at the top of the list and they get my dollar. The companies that don't give a rats butt about the people purchasing their product, even if they made the best gun in the world, would never get my business. If you've been interested in firearms for any length of time then you know what companies just don't care. If a company doesn't care about me , the customer, why would I ever purchase their product.