What are some items that really aren't worth paying the expensive version for?
What are some items that really aren't worth paying the expensive version for?
I saw this post and wanted to ask the opposite. What are some items that really aren't worth paying the expensive version for? Preferably more extreme or unexpected examples.
I buy a lot of generic or store brand stuff. Usually I'm comfortable doing this with things that have been around for a long time like bleach, laundry soap, and basic foods. I assume that it is not difficult to do these things so anyone can make it and there's little if any difference between brands.
On this topic: I heard once that you should first buy cheap tools. Use them until they break and then decide what you want to improve about those tools and buy better ones. Often those first tools never break. This seems like pretty good advice for most things.
In the UK, baked beans.
In my work we did a blind taste test of 10 different brands of baked beans, with participants ranking them in order from best to worst. The name brand options such as Heinz, HP, and Branstons ended up in the middle, with the cheaper options from Aldi and Asda being the best. The most expensive beans were from Marks and Spencer and were voted the worst ones.
If you're paying more than 50p a can its not worth it.
I personally do not find expensive wine and liquor worth it. That obviously don't mean all cheap wines are good, but I find the percentage of bad wine I had at $50 - $70 range is pretty much the same as wine around or under $20.
I find the best way is to research online before you buy or go for couple known-good brands. Most of the results actually tend to be on the cheaper side (around $20 for wine, around $35 for liquor).
Digital cables, like HDMI and USB. If they meet the spec, they should operate identically.
ETA: It's a digital signal: either it works or it doesn't. There's no "higher quality" version of the same image. Sure, if you have a 4K 120hz HDR signal you might need an HDMI 2.1 spec cable, but as long as it meets that spec, it'll either work or need to be returned. The signal won't be washed out, or crackly, or static-y (all the concerns we had with analog video cables back in the day); the signal might not work, or it might drop out from time to time, which means it doesn't meet spec.
Same with USB-C. If it doesn't charge your phone correctly, or have the transfer speeds you want, because you bought it at a Dollar Store and it isn't in spec, the problem isn't USB-C, it's the fact that the manufacturer sold you an out-of-spec cable.
Dish washer soap. Gotta rep technology connections for teaching me that not only is the powdered stuff cheaper, it's also just straight up better. Also store vs name brand shouldn't make a big difference either, at least not from my tests.
When I buy dishwasher soap now I just compare price per gram and grab the cheapest option.
Cheap pregnancy tests work just as well as expensive ones do. Theyre highly regulated either way.
Fashion accessories. For most fashion (not workwear), the expensive stuff is made from the same material and in the same factories as the cheap stuff, they just market it harder.
Body wash. It's watered-down soap. Just buy a bar of soap.
Amazon Prime. Amazon used to be space-age Sears. Now it's just Aliexpress. Fake reviews and bribery are rampant, dangerously nonfunctional products get top recommendations, used and broken products get resold as new while untouched returns get thrown into landfills, Amazon Basics violates IP, and they're putting ads in Prime Video now.
Microwaves and space heaters. The boxes may try to convince you otherwise, but the amount of heat these devices can deliver is bottlenecked by the power outlet. Every 1100W microwave is just as effective as the others. If you're paying more, it's for looks and for features you'll never use like popcorn mode.
Electronics, for most people. Most people won't get more use out of a new $1500 phone than a last-gen model from the same manufacturer for $500. Do you really want a $200 smart coffee maker, or a $20 dumb coffee maker with a $10 plug-in timer?
Software. Obligatory FOSS plug. I don't blame people for sticking to what's familiar, but if you have the time and energy to spare tinkering, most software out there has a good free or open-source equivalent these days. At least for personal use. In my use case, LibreOffice beats Microsoft Word, Photopea beats Photoshop, and Google Sheets beats Excel.
Two things that have been very relevant to me recently:
Car washes. If you want the best outcome, wash it yourself. If you're just trying to knock some grime off, the cheapest one will do. The finishing sprays don't last a week.
Also beverages when hosting a party. No need to buy name brand when store brand is half the cost and will get drank the same anyway.
Video games, there's thousands for free online at itch.io and even on steam.
You can always buy games discounted if you wait, and paying for microtransation games is a recipe for wasting money.
I often see people say to buy the expensive toilet roll but I always go for the low end of the midrange rolls. I don't need 4ply, scented, quilted shit, I just need two pieces of paper stuck together.
There is a balance, you don't want to get the 1ply stuff you'd find in a stingy office. But just look at the label and price-per-sheet
(If you can afford it, buy a year's supply in bulk from the company)
Soap. My mom and sisters always complement my hair and skin, asking what products I use. I just use 2$ Yardley bar soap for skin and hair. I also like them because they smell nicer than other cheap brands that just have a generic detergent smell.
Razors. For all shaving I use a safety razor. The initial investment is somewhat expensive but after that each blade is mere cents. Also much less wasteful. Make sure to store your used blades in an old medicine bottle to dispose of them safely (and for the garbage man's safety). Also find these to be way nicer on skin, 5 blade or whatever cartridge razors don't make a closer shave and remove and irritate skin much more.
Kitchen knives. Most cheap knives (and a lot of expensive ones) suck because of bad design. Most knives today are way too thick and chunky, to make them look more robust etc. what you need is a thin blade and a sharp, long lasting edge. Victorianox fibrox ($35) is excellent for the money and for most people you don't need any more performance. You can also use kiwi knives (10$). They are super cheap, perform well, but dull fast, a good cheap option if you know how to sharpen and hone. If you want more performance than the fibrox you can get a Japanese tojiro basic. These aren't very fancy but have excellent performance, being made of laminated vg-10 steel and having a much longer lasting edge. These are around 50$
If you cook and chop a lot and want a knife to take pride and pinnacle of performance then you'll want a hand forged Japanese knife. DO NOT fall for Japanese knife scams and do lots of research on YouTube. These will be around 200$ to 500$ (more expensive knives are for prettier, or famous blades). They are very thin, highly polished (it'll glide through food) and made of extremely sharp, extremely hard, hand forged laminated steel.
A lot of generic foods. Safeway's in-house brand, for example, has better crackers, pasta sauces, a handful of other items than the expensive name brands do. And yes, that includes Rao's. I'll never understand why that brand is so popular when Safeway Select exists and tastes better with perfectly good ingredients at a fraction of the cost.
Space heaters
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salt
table salt, iodized salt, himalayan... they're all the same for me. I don't think my taste buds are adapted to the subtle differences so cheaper ones are better.
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show-off jewelry, wallet, purses
showing off jewelry is an invitation to be mugged (again, imo. ymmv) so the cheaper ones are the better options.
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coffee
if only you're fine with cheaper ways to wake yourself.
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wax-based lip balm
anything beeswax is good. then again ymmv since people can be allergic
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pure or as-is things like land, electricity, internet, water, oxygen cans, gas/ heating, alcohol (disinfectant)
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Tools and sports equipment especially if it's something niche.
People shit on harbor freight but if you need a new tool or something for a hobby it's probably not something you're going to use often if youve already soent any significant tiem doing that hobby.
Buy the cheapest version of it and of you use it enough to either break it or figure out what parts of the design you don't like it's a good sign spending a little extra on a better version isn't a waste.
Especially getting into a new hobby avoiding the urge to buy expensive shit right at the beginning because you think it'll make you better at the thing.
I don’t think this is much of an issue for anyone here but… expensive wrist watches. I am a reformed watch guy. My $11 Casio F-91W keeps better time than my FIL’s $6,000 Omega. Quartz and batteries were a real game changer when it comes to watches. I really like having a watch but there is no reason for anyone to spend real money on a watch that doesn’t use quartz.
If you want/need a watch, to me the sweet spot are those Casio G-Shock squares. Totally bullet proof, can last a lifetime, and you can spend as little as $35 or up to about $150 if you want solar and atomic time. But spending any more than that and you’re really just buying jewelry, not something to keep time.
Most stuff on a bicycle for the average person unless it's carbon, plastics or electronics. Including safety stuff. Some caveat if you wanna huck yourself off a mountain or do like 100kph descents on your roadbikes.
But for the most stuff? The cheap shit works absolutely fine because at it's core it's bits of formed metal with threads attached connected by steel wires. Very hard to fuck any of that up to the point it becomes dangerous. I keep seeing parts being rated as SAFETY LEVEL 5 E-BIKE READY as if the metal rod that is my handlebar usually disintegrates once I hit the ludicrous speed of [checks notes] 25kph. Your $2 Alibaba Special V-Brakes are, at worst, gonna have garbage springs so it doesn't return to not-braking great, but you're not gonna like snap them in half even if you were a gorilla riding a bicycle.
On phones; while you don't need a flagship model if you are privacy conscious it is worth seeking out a platform that will work well with degooglified OSes; ironically the Pixel is one of the best thanks to GrapheneOS.
Cosmetics. Maybe not women cosmetics, but the expensive moisture cremes and so on only add stuff you don't want on your skin. Btw, "natural" marigold cremes are really bad there.
I buy good brands from China for my professional tools, phones, laptops, and gadgets. The key is knowing which brands in China are good. Nothing else can compete in terms of value for money.
Motorbikes (for commuting). My midrange motorbike cost under 2k USD brand new, and it gets me to work at the same speed as an expensive one (Asian traffic, haha).
I will go the opposite route here, and tell people to instead make an exception for certain things, and never go for cheap unknown brands.
- highly reputed Oxymeter in medical establishment (do not buy inaccurate smartwatches, Apple is 20x ripoff and still subpar)
- Victorinox for Swiss army knife
- Victorinox or Leatherman for multitool
- reputed branded batteries (Maxell, Duracell, Sanyo, Sony, Eneloop et al)
- reputed battery/device chargers
- PSU/SMPS and UPS for computer (APC, Emerson, Schneider and other brands)
- reputed brand watches (Casio, Citizen, Seiko have affordable BIFL options)
- ThinkPad for laptop (user repairability, third party parts, open schematics)
- Levis for jeans, they are almost BIFL
- a good weighing machine for kitchen/home use
- a good mixer grinder WITH safety lock (atleast 750W)
- quality stationery pen, mechanical pencil, leads, eraser and other items (Uni, Pentel, Sakura, Staedtler et al, refer to JetPens website)
Edit: fuck you GrapheneOS, for almost 2 months now, they are mass downvoting my comments, and doing voting manipulation, also abusing federation
There are only a few things, I find, worth shelling out a bit for. British tea brands (British émigré), boots, and ale come to mind. Some other things you're taking your chances a bit if you don't spend a bit more, like bikes, electronics, and musical instruments. Otherwise I'm a stingey aul get and it does me fine.
Everything. Just steal.
Phones. Cheaper chinese phones already give one everything they need in their day-to-day life. I don't really see much benefits for most people from buying an expensive phone
Expensive Cars. If you have to have one, buy a cheap one. One of the worst lifetime financial decisions you can make is spending money on cars, all of them get you to A to B. A used Prius is just about the most economical car you can buy for total cost per mile travelled. It would be nice if more cities had good public transportation systems, but unfortunately most don't. I love long island, getting around on public transportation is so convenient.
Edit: Something like this example prius is the way to go if you are trying to maximize your dollar. Drive it until the wheels fall off:
Medicine in a pharmacy, similar to the pregnancy tests.
makeup removing coton pieces
I'll go with shoes and clothes (not the work kind)
That does not mean that I'm going out to buy the cheapest I can find. I just mean to say that I don't buy expensive ones.
And my definition of expensive is $100+ I always make sure to not spend more than $50 on a shoe or any item of clothing (shirts, t-shirts, shorts, jeans)
Dish soap. Joy cleans just as well as dawn, but doesn't leave any residue.
Phones; the latest and greatest is the middle range phone in just 2yrs and half the price.
Shaving foam: its so much worse for the environment and always with horrible perfume. Shaving soap is amazing, like in the old days.
Safety razors: the old one-blade ones are sometimes more of an investment (10-15€) but the blades are way cheaper and standardized. You never need to buy overpriced stuff again.
Agree on Soap. All the fluid stuff with perfume is money waste.
New tech. Wait 2 years and get some used ones for ⅓ the price.
Clothes: there are cheap quality brands, but expensive ones are often made in the same factories. Nike, Adidas, Gucci, LV, ...
Toilet paper: simply buy recycled. Its the last process of paper recycling (lol) so why?? Why would you buy brands that have weird contracts with logging companies and destroy forests?
Conventional Food brands doing fruit Joghurt, dairy products, meat, with only fake seals. Its literally the same bullshit in there. Same for Crisps, ...
Flour, sugar, electricity, coffe, ... they are all different cathegories. If you buy ecological, full-grain etc. they have different growing standards, so its a huge difference.
Often its about investing more one time, and then keeping it. Capitalism prevents that, as it doesnt make much sense for companies today, to survive.
In my experience... computer mice.
I can pay 80 dollars for a gaming mouse that dies in 6 months or I can buy a 7 dollar walmart mouse that dies in a year. Realistically how your mouse settings are configured matters more than the type of mouse you have and I have had bad experiences with more expensive mice dying under the strain I put them through. i.e usually the middle mouse wheel/button dies first because I use it A LOT. And if the damn thing is going to die in 6 months to a year anyway I may as well buy them in 6 packs and not bother throwing 10+ times tge money at them.
Everything.
Taxes.