The Brand Ledger
Tracking the brands that got worse on purpose — and the ones that didn't.
The Brand Ledger tracks 330 brands, from the tools in your garage to the pans in your kitchen. Who owns them, what they used to be, whether they're still worth buying. Updated as things change.
Recently updated
View all →Kitchen & Cookware · Glass Bakeware
Pyrex
Status: AvoidAmerican glass bakeware built on Corning borosilicate science. US Pyrex is now tempered soda-lime glass; European PYREX (a different company) is still borosilicate.
Anchor Hocking (Centre Lane Partners)
Kitchen & Cookware · Dinnerware & Tabletop
Corelle
Status: WatchlistLaminated tempered glass dinnerware, a genuine Corning invention. Still made in Corning NY.
Anchor Hocking (Centre Lane Partners)
Kitchen & Cookware · Glass Bakeware
CorningWare
Status: AvoidOriginally pyroceram glass-ceramic that went from freezer to stovetop. Pyroceram production ended around 2001; most US CorningWare today is glazed stoneware that cannot touch a burner.
Anchor Hocking (Centre Lane Partners)
Kitchen & Cookware · Small Appliances
Instant Pot
Status: WatchlistViral multicooker that carried a $615M merger, a $345M dividend, and a bankruptcy on its back within four years.
Centre Lane Partners
Kitchen & Cookware · Glassware
Anchor Hocking
Status: WatchlistLancaster Ohio glassmaker, one of the last two American glass tableware plants. The subject of Brian Alexander's Glass House.
Anchor Hocking Holdings (Centre Lane Partners)
Kitchen & Cookware · Glassware
Libbey
Status: WatchlistToledo glassware institution, the standard-issue American drinking glass for a century.
Former lenders (post Chapter 11)
Verdicts
Approved
135 brands
Brands whose quality, ownership structure, and stewardship check out. Still worth buying.
e.g. Knipex, Goruck
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Watchlist
101 brands
Brands with documented risk factors. Either recent ownership changes, conglomerate pressure, or emerging quality issues. Buy with eyes open.
e.g. Starrett, Tom Bihn
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Former Great
17 brands
Brands that used to be worth recommending, but aren't anymore. The product no longer reflects the reputation.
e.g. Ryobi, Tumi
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Avoid
77 brands
Brands actively engaged in the enshittification playbook. Licensing models, post-acquisition cost-cutting, brand equity being extracted.
e.g. Craftsman, Ray-Ban
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Latest investigation
Your Cookware got Worse on Purpose
One buyout firm quietly collected Pyrex, Corelle, Instant Pot, and Oneida. Farberware is a name on a 200-year lease. And the pans still worth buying.
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