hi guys anyone know when ALDI and LIDL walking and cycling gear comes around ? it's not at all bad kit and cheapee cheap !!  plus how come - to the editor JON ? is ALDI or LIDL gear not reviewed these days ?? I mean officially ? thankee skint
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 Register for the Lidl and Aldi "specials" email. They come out every week, Aldi do Thursday and Sunday specials with the email coming on the Monday and Friday beforehand (I think). Not sure about Lidl as a mate at work gets those and he tells me whats coming up. I guess the kit isn't reviewed as it's only available while stocks last, which in the case of the trousers is about three hours at my local store!!
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 Some of it is very good qualiy ok cheap Chinese import kit, yes! OK most of it for basic camping outdoors/walking/hiking use for the most part only though! As with all things you pays your money and you gets your choices, as much as you get what you ultimately pay for! Good sound starter kit though undoubtably some of it may well be; along with the Tesco import stuff on the shelves, and all the other outfits like Woolies/Argos etc now over the last few years more venturing into the outdoors/camping/hiking leisure markets, in an increasingly bigger way! There are actually already a good deal of such "budget kit" reviews online here on OM, to be easily found in the forum chat threads alone anyway, as it is!
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| Edited: 05/02/08 06:21 |
 Not ried it myself but know a few people who have.Waterproof trousers,cycling jacket,cycling trousers. All the above came with the comment " ok for the money"...and all now redundant as the intial thoughts of putting up with their failings for the price soon fell apart after some use. The only thing my friends are still using and " good for the price" is a small cycle pack ( like a MULE)...cheap and does the job very well..that is carries tools,pump and spare tubes.
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The winter insulated (thinsulate) trousers do their job well but are large for their stated size. Since I use them only a few times a year and not in ultra extreme conditions, they do the job for me at a very favourable price.
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The Walking stuff usually comes around March - April - I've got a set of their walking poles at a tenner for the pair and I've had them 3 years regular use and they are still fine. Also got the soft shell they were selling for a tenner and I've had that 2 years and use it regularly in the hills as well as everyday use and it still looks brand new - great bit of kit and I think there was a really good review of it somewhere on here.
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 The Aldi walking gear was in on the Thursday before Easter last year so keep an eye out around Easter this year. I got myself one of the soft shell jackets and have worn it constantly over the last year. I wash and treat it with Nikwax products and I find that it performs suberbly. I'll definately be after another one this year.
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 The Lidl running socks I bought are (for my feet) at least as good as, if not better than, the X-Socks Sky Runner and at about one eighth of the price. I only wish I had bought more! No problems with durability either. I think the key is being able to identify the quality of a garment from look and feel rather than brand name. Ignore the label and take a close look at the fabrics, stitching etc. and you can usually get a fair idea of how 'fit for purpose' the kit will be. However, I am rarely tempted by the Lidl/Aldi stuff as a good scour of TKMaxx can usually return items from leading brands at similar prices!
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 > I think the key is being able to identify the quality of a garment from look and feel rather than brand name.
Absolutely. Some of their items are excellent, some are rubbish, and you haveto be able to judge for yourselves, or take recommendations (rather tricky considering the brief time these 'specials' are in the shops).
The Aldi winter cycling jacket and trousers I bought 2+ years ago have been used every work day for three winters and are still looking in excellent condition, bar a bit of bobbling on the fleece.
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