What is a product that you won’t accept a generic alternative for?
For example, if you insist on buying Advil instead of store brand ibuprofen. I mean, you’d be wasting your money in that example, but you do you
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Super glue.
Cyanocrylate adhesives were accidently discovered in WW2 while trying to develop a clear plastic. Later Eastman-Kodak held the patent and then sold it to Loctite on the 1960s.
Loctite 404 is so much better than anything else available on the market. It bonds better, it's stronger, it lasts longer and the bottle applicator is more controlled and easier to use. If you want it to last years, you can actually store in in the refrigerator when not being used.
Ok, I know Lemmy doesn't have a spying algorithm like pretty much any other company's site, but it is a bit amazing that you brought that here just when I needed that product to glue a ceramic handle of a mug that I broke because of stupidity.
As you seem to know about the subject, may I ask if it is prudent to still use the mug in the microwave? (Usually I heat my coffee or water there), the handle looks very well attached and I have used it once to drink... With fear.
I'm just some guy who can maybe read minds?
I don't know about the microwave. Heat actually breaks the bond for these kinds of adhesives, so if it isn't poisonous, it probably wouldn't work well for that anyway.
Glues for ceramic are epoxy resin.
Something like 2-part Araldite would be what i would use. Comes in a double-tube kinda syringe and you squeeze out equal parts, mix until tacky and apply, wait 24hrs to set.
The technical datasheet for Loctite 404 is surprisingly detailed.
Not really what the project farm guy says.
Says? THE PROJECT FARM GUY YELLS AT THE CAMERA. VERY IMPRESSIVE!
I didn't know he tested super glue, have to look for it. I dig his videos for some reason I don't really understand.
Maybe the repetitiveness of his words
Could be. The project farm repeats words often. The project farm yells pretty loud. The project farm likes to destroy the stuff he tests.
TIL, thanks!
I agree their bottle/applicator is the GOAT. Can't go back to other brands after trying a bottle of loctite.
I much prefer super glue with the brush applicator, but I can't find it in the U.S. anymore. When I saw some on a trip to Portugal, I bought it and brought it home with me. I'll try refilling it when it's gone.
I buy nearly everything generic but generic Band-Aids have terrible adhesive so I always buy name brand.
Edit: Oh, and frozen pizza. I’ve had too many generics with crusts that might as well have been made of cardboard.
My local grocery store just made one that slaps actually. But most others suck
edit: I am talking about pizza. I don't eat band-aids
but if you don't eat the bandaids you can't have pudding, that's how this works right?
It's pretty weird to be basically shilling for brands in here but Nexcare bandages are superior to band-aids in pretty much every way; i agree that band-aids beat generic though
You a paid rep? No? Then you're not shilling, you're sharing a positive experience with $whatever. And that's a good thing. Helps us all.
Can I make a plug for Curad bandaids? So much better than band aid brand and you can get all the available sizes in fun colors. I may be an adult, but I'd like a bright orange band-aid on my skinned elbow thank you
LOL, I'll fight you on Curad vs. Band Aid.
Bang for the buck though? Meh, you gotta use more Curad to get the wound over with, but they're cheap and not nearly as shitty as the generic shit.
Still. Mediocre.
I feel like the Curad bandages I got in the stores always sucked, but I found different ones on Amazon (I know I know, I hate Amazon too) and they're bigger in comparison to Bandaids, noticeably better quality, and stay on forever if you don't pull them off.I've stuck one on and forgotten about it until over a week later when I realize its still on. I don't know why they're different than what I've always seen in the stores. I'm also wildly allergic to Band Aid brand adhesive to the point that I have scars shaped like bandages and I'm only very mildly allergic to whatever Curad uses.
Can you tell me the generic brand? LOL, let's just say I often need band aids.
Band-Aids are a great call out!
I'm both active and clumsy with DIY stuff. Nothing else sticks "right" like Band-Aid brand. Yes, the off-brand shit is cheaper, better than nothing, but it's shit. And you're not saving any money by using twice as many.
And serious y'all, let me preach the gospel of Hydro Seal Band Aids. Game changing. No clue how they work, but they stick, puff up around the wound (infected bit) and come off when, and only when, you want them to. And taking them off don't hurt a tiny bit. Got a few in every med kit.
Any more than a paper cut, Hydro Seal. And even then, if I want it healed fast? Hydro Seal. They're also great for capping torn fingernails when you fucked it up too far down.
Tried the generic Amazon version. Meh, they're OK for half the price, "healing" tech seems the same. Doesn't stick quite right so you'll use twice as many. Worth it if you want that painful finger wound done with in 24-48 hours.
Caveat: They work a little too well on puncture wounds, seals the infection in, only treats the top. If you got poked deep, and congrats if that's your thing, it seals off the wound and makes it worse. Surface wounds like slices and scratches, go for it. Punched a drill bit 1/4" deep? Nope. Clean that one up and let it breathe a bit.
tl;dr $.70 for a band aid sounds crazy. I know. Just try it for me. Try it for yourself.
I love those things too!
I find the cloth generic band aids to be identical to brand name, the plastic one of any brand, well they're just crap and I don't know why the even exist.
Yeah, this is a case of a brand that's been subject to trademark genericization where the knock-offs and generic products genuinely aren't as good.
What frozen pizza do you recommend? Every single time I have the misfortune of trying a frozen pizza, I regret my life choices because they taste like dogshit. Even the crappiest delivered pizza is way better than any frozen pizza I've tried. Granted, my experience is limited and I can never remember which ones I've tried.l
I'm a fan of Freschetta rising crust personally, with the caveat that you'll want some hot sauce or something for the crust.
There aren't really any good ones, just a few different quality tiers between "low" and "extremely low"
The ones with rising crusts usually have higher quality sauce, cheese and toppings and are more filling because they're breadier.
How dare you talk shit about Jacks.
Never had problems with tombstones either but Hy-Vee has a nice inhouse pizza for $5. A bit heavy on the 4meats though.
My experience with frozen pizza is very limited! I've never tried Jacks but I'll keep it in mind! No Hy-Vees in my state tho.
Honestly, Safeway Select frozen pizza is pretty good. I'd take it over most of the midrange name brands.
Great Value used to have an amazing 5 cheese and bacon white pizza... can't find it anymore though.
The problem with non-generic frozen pizza is they cost like a dollar less than a real pizza. Some of the fancier ones cost even more than a pizza from the place right next to the grocery store. Maybe I’m just blessed living in the pizza sphere but even the best frozen pizza is fucking disgusting next to even mediocre real pizza.
I think Dawn dish soap gets mentioned in these often.
Are there that many ducks on here?
Works well on other water inhabitants too
So we got 1 otter and a bunch of ducks. Am I the only human??
quack.
slurping intensifies
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
quack.
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.
I use an Aldi version of Dawn. There is no difference.
Choice Australia did a test of different washing liquid recently and found the Aldi stuff to be one of the best and a bunch of expensive brands to be no better than plain hot water.
Well Costco brand is absolutely shit. Smells horrrrrible. Bought it and did my best to convince myself it wasn’t that bad I’d just finish the bottle, ended up tossing the whole thing
At Costco, I decided to get the Dawn Ultra Advanced Power, and man it knocks the socks off of grease, with just a small dollop on a sponge. While my cooking is simplistic and I wash sparingly in large batches, I don't eat out often and I've only used a 10th of the 2.66L bottle in 2 months.
If you don't use a sponge then I think any dishsoap will do, so long as you can tolerate the smell.
My rule of thumb is does it smell good when it boils?
Dawn is the only soap I've found that smells good when it's poured onto a hot pan.
Yeah you should let your stuff cool before washing it.. but how many of us do that?
Dawn smells great boiling.. so that's the only soap I use.
I used to love putting hot pans in the sink with cool water. Loved the sizzle and steam it created, and it was faster than waiting for it to cool down.
Then I would complain about all my pans being cheap and warped. I couldn't cook evenly because there was one bulge that got direct contact with the oven and the rest of the pan rocked back and forth and either burned or undercooked all my food.
Until one day, my wife pointed out that putting a hot pan in cool/cold water causes them to warp. She got mad at me because some of the ruined pans were actually expensive quality brands. I've learned my lesson; no more hot pans in the sink for me. Let them cool a bit before you wash them.
Yep no big deal if you're using a $15 tfal from Walmart. $200 al-clad let that shit cool
How much washing up do you think you could do without any washing up liquid?
Stop pissing on my bonfire
Dawn Powerwash is pretty great for general cleaning too, not just dishes. It’s great at removing soap scum. You can technically DIY it with dish soap, isopropyl alcohol, water, and a spray bottle, but the bottles they sell last a while and are cheap.
That's not enough to do what powerwash does. Normal dishsoap has to maintain a consistency so certain additives are just not feasible. This allows powerwash to have a higher ph, stuff that goes after calcium deposits and stuff that hydrates stuck on food.
Personally I really really like powerwash but the amount of plastic it needs is too much for me. They did to come out with bulk refills.
SD cards, SSD, USB drives, any form of computer memory really and replacement batteries too eg for cameras. I suck up the cost and buy directly from a reputable manufacturer.
Mine is Q-tips…. Let’s just say you shouldn’t put a flimsy cotton stick in your ear unless you trust it’ll come out in one piece
Let’s just say you shouldn’t put a flimsy cotton stick in your ear
unless you trust it’ll come out in one piece. Just don't.WHAT? I CANT HEAR YOU!
I have daily for decades and have never had a problem
I did, too, until my early 40s when it caused a
wicketwicked ear infection. Tiny pieces of cotton, like threads, eventually built up over time. I ended up with a fungal ear infection that had me in pain and dizzy for weeks. I was very close to having my eardrum burst. Never again. It was really hard to break the habit of using qtips, but it's fine now; ears are self-cleaning.I know it is not recommended, but I produce a lot of earwax, and if I don't use them sooner or later it will mess up with my ears, actually now that I recall, I have been for years without any issue in my ears 🤔
https://clinere.com/
I use these regularly. I feel like they do the best job and they also allow me to gently "scratch" the inside of my ear. It's not really scratching, but it relieves the itch I can sometimes get.
QTips cause wax plugs, if you use them gently to clean just the outer bit of the ear canal, it is kind of okay, but really you shouldnt. The ear canal is cone shaped so as you insert the Qtip you inevitably push some wax down.
Furthermore the ear canal is self cleaning.
You might not notice them, but id say theres a good chance you have wax plugs built up in your ears from using QTips (and inear headphones if you use them).
Wait, my headphones do this too?? Why is this the first time I'm hearing this? I thought I was being so responsible by not using a q tip on my ears like once a week, but all this time I've still been shoving those bluetooth earbuds in on the daily. Sleeping with them sometimes. I feel like an idiot. What else am I doing wrong?
...Also, what type of headphones do you use, if you don't mind me asking? :')
I never really liked the in-ear feel, I also dislike bluetooth, so my go to for moving is Koss PortaPro, these are very open so no real isolation, however. For bluetooth the staple overear is WM1000xm4, though I have no experience.
Ay thanks for the reply! I'll check em out ^_^
Yes, every day
I'm glad it's worked out for you so far, but you really should stop. Your ears probably don't need to be cleaned at all. You could end up damaging your ears at worst, and at best you're just pushing ear wax deeper into your ears, possibly creating a clog that might not have happened otherwise.
Anecdotally, I stopped cleaning my ears 15-20 years ago, and not once have I had ears clogged due to earwax.
That's not at all true for everyone. My ears 1000% need to be cleaned, unfortunately. My ears will periodically get physically clogged with wax and it will both impair my hearing and feel gross/uncomfortable. My brothers all have this issue as well, so maybe I am just genetically predisposed to create too much earwax or something.
I don't use a Q tip though. That can't at all unclog a wax impaction. Instead, I use something called an "ear syringe" (there's no needle don't worry lol). You fill it with water from the sink and squirt it into your ear. Cheap, reusable, and will get rid of wax clogs. You can pick one up cheap at any drug store.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQVQHw1p44hsPMJlLirbn6ukvKPfbs_FY8nzQ&usqp=CAU
The wax impactions could be from things like in ear headphones, but I very rarely use in ears to begin with. It will happen even during long periods of not using them.
It's really easy and quick to use, and creates minimal mess. Whenever I start to feel a clog coming on, I just use it for a few minutes over the sink and I'm good to go. I'd highly recommend it to anyone with wax issues. The chemical wax softeners like Debrox (or even hydrogen peroxide) cost too much and are really not very effective compared to simple mechanical removal.
You shouldn't put cotton buds in your ears at all, honestly I don't know how an industry managed to trick so many people into doing something so potentially hazardous.
Huy Fong Sriracha. As the shortage has made painfully clear. When I dream at night, I'm eating food covered in sriracha and tinkering with my roomful of Raspberry Pi projects.
And don't talk to me about disgruntled pepper farmer rivalries or whatever bullshit. Just please give me back my sriracha. :(
Fuck Huy Fong Foods. Chinese-American businessman appropriates a traditional Thai sauce and uses marketing to brainwash the world into thinking they're the only ones that can make it. They tried to use their size to squeeze their longterm supplier and lost a $28 million judgement because they were objectively wrong as proven in a court of law.
They started their own shortage trying to fuck over farmers when they already had over $150 mil/year in sales and they deserve to die off.
The only meaningful impact we have against these predatory businesses is by voting with our dollars and if you cant give up a fuckin sauce that has hundreds of excellent options available from other companies then you are part of the problem.
While I agree, where do we draw the line in our personal lives? There is no ethical consumption under capitalism.
I’ve never seen it go low in stock here in Aus.
I haven't seen a bottle in a grocery store in maybe two years? Your comment made me think maybe I just haven't looked hard enough, but I just checked my local Walmart delivery and Instacart and neither has Huy Fong Sriracha available anywhere nearby. I'm in Utah, U.S.
I’m an NJ resident, have also had trouble finding it for the past two years. They’ve had a lot of trouble sourcing the peppers they need to make it.
All I hear are excuses. Supply chain schmupply chain. Sourching schmourcing. Have I made my point? Shortage schmortage.
Sorry for the strong language.
You’re right, they mostly did it to themselves by trying to screw their main supplier
Thanks for the laugh
A local Asian grocery store I frequent recently started stocking it again, so maybe the shortage is improving.
The owner of the company and the the farmer that exclusively sold to them began to feud. Then came a drought and the variety of pepper they use went off the market. They are recovering now and product is coming out in smaller batches but not at previous volume. It’s still really hard to find.
I think it's mostly the US with the issue. I've had no problem getting it here in Canada either.
My Trader Joe’s knockoff is not great. Too much vinegar taste and hardly any of the sriracha bite. Sucks that it’s so hard to find the real deal now.
Yes this is it absolutely. There are 5-6 sauces in my fridge that are ok but I don’t use. Need the good stuff.
So far the Tabasco version has been my favorite stand-in.
I haven't tried that one, but have seen it. Will give it a whirl.
Underwood Ranches uses the peppers Huy Fong used to use. It's made by their old pepper supplier. It's what I buy now.
Indeed, I bought a different brand thinking it'd be the same because the recipe is public, boy was I wrong 🤮
Same. "It's basically spicy peppers and garlic, how hard can it be?"
Very hard, apparently.
Agree but also any non Hellmans mayonnaise is a fucking disgrace.
All the alternatives I've tried never get the flavor right, not even close. Most are way too sweet.
I prefer mine a bit sweet. I usually buy YellowBird Blue Agave Sriracha
Irish butter, in particularly Kerrygold, are so much better than american butter.
in Australia you can get store brand butter that is every bit as good because it comes from NewZeland where every cow is grassfed.
Such a massive money saver that Woolworths now tells you where it's produced, for a long time it was an open secret.
And it’s probably fucking cheaper than exactly the same thing in New Zealand.
Yes, once I tried kerrygold, I never went back.
It's deeper and richer. Sauteed onions in irish butter soften easier and taste more flavorful.
Kerrygold (and other imported-to-US/European, "fancy," etc.) butter just tastes better. It has more fat content than land o lakes, for example, which contributes. The unsalted version is also cultured, and that makes a difference too. It's definitely worth the price in any use where the butter flavor is important. In baking, maybe it's not as worth it, but even then I'd still use it over a US brand.
Fyi to Europeans: Any and all of our butter is what they call "fancy" or "high fat" over there, otherwise it wouldn't be allowed to be called butter in the EU
"I can't believe it's not legally allowed to called butter in the EU" brand buttery spread.
It’s got a bit o the Irish in it
Ireland gets a ton of rain, and all of our cattle is grass fed. Turns out, cows that eat organic grass from rainy parts of the world make great milk and butter.
I'm from Ireland and our milk, butter, cream and even yogurt is fantastic.
I'm 26 but will literally have bread and butter with a glass of milk as a bed time snack.
There are some iffy brands locally, but Kerrygold is god tier.
I've been toying with the idea of going full vegan now that there are good plant based alternatives. But I will always miss Irish dairy.
Irish are so much better than American. Word.
Irish butter is a generic category. Kerrygold is an irish butter name brand
Wait until you try french butter.
Amish butter can be pretty great, too.
Garbage bags. I don't particularly care WHICH brand, but I won't do generic. The consequences if the bag rips open are horrifying.
Victorinox Swiss Army knives. If you want a tiny, multipurpose pocketknife, they cannot be beat.
And they're cheap enough from TSA eBay sales, why would you accept a crappy knockoff?!
They also do excellent small kitchen knives for under 10€, best money invested to carv out those vegetables or meat.
I'm pairing it with a cheap knife sharpener from a certain Swedish company ^^
Their also (or at least used to) honor their warranty. I had problems with one of their knives several years after I bought it. It got replaced without a major hassle. Haven't had to use the warranty again in decades though, so it could be different now.
Had mine for over 20 years until it disappeared. Years later still no idea what happened to it. Only issue I had with it was the clock it had, broke halfway through owning it.
I can't agree with you more on this. I have used them for years, most recently got one with a scalloped side that fits in your hand so nicely. My son is a cub scout and just got one too, his first pocketknife.
Pretty much every signature soda drink. Pepsi, Coke, Mountain Dew... none of the knock-offs taste right and some are just nasty. Oddly, root beer seems to be the one flavor everyone can do well, maybe because it's a more common flavor with no patents on the general idea? I dunno but I don't think I've ever had a 'bad' root beer.
Verners ginger ale puts the rest to shame
Completely agree, but I wouldn’t call Vernors a generic. It’s a competing brand.
Canada dry, I will fist fight you over this.
I actually prefer the heat of ginger beer, but since nobody makes an affordable version, I'll often settle for ginger ale. Between Verners and CD, I generally prefer Canada Dry. Verners has always seemed a bit too syrupy for my taste.
I've never had ginger beer. How is it different from ginger ale?
It's basically a far more complex flavor, often with a little less sweetness. The biggest difference is that it's made with real ginger, so it has noticeable heat that varies by brand. It's also lightly fermented, not enough to make it alcoholic, but enough to deepen the flavor and allow for natural carbonation. Depending on the maker, it can be more or less filtered, so sometimes there's a little sediment or a cloudy appearance.
I actually prefer Royal Crown over Coke and Pepsi. It's not a generic, but it's not top-shelf either. It works out well with the sales at the Supermarket, too. Often they'll do a 12-pack mix-and-match with RC, Canada Dry, Squirt, etc. all very tasty sodas.
I buy Royal Crown and mix it with Crown Royal.
The perfect marraige of the king of middle shelf soda and the queen of middle shelf whisky.
Man, RC Cola is a Southern delicacy! Pair it with a Moon Pie, and you've got the breakfast of champions!
Germany has some great tasting cola brands that are nothing like Pepsi or Coke (and aren't trying to be either).
I actually prefer generics. But because I'm a fat ass, I haven't been keeping soda at the house.
Yeah but with kroger generic I can get pineapple soda.
While I agree with this, the one except I've found is Sprite. Different genetics have different tastes but I've found I like my Kroger generic Sprite more than the name brand.
Q-Tips. Paper shafts, plenty of fuzz on the ends.
My dad always bought the no-name cookies for us, according to him every major brand had a deal with discount supermarkets to sell their brand name product under a cheaper no-name alias.
That might be true in some cases but the stuff he bought was mostly just cheap knock-offs that didn't even come close to the original.
This is true for household appliances, rather than letting the factories go idle during slow sales they pump out the same machine under "generic" brand names. QC isn't as stringent I suppose.
Pop-Tarts. No store brand toaster pastry tastes like Pop-Tarts.
It seems like half the time I buy them these days, pop-tarts don't even taste like pop-tarts. So I stopped buying them :(
I would definitely never consider the off-brand a viable alternative though, those things are pretty gross.
I honestly can't think of anything. I own many "name brand" products but it's usually a pay-once-cry-once situation. It's not like I keep buying more of the same product after I already have one.
For consumables pretty much every product I use is the generic version of some well known one. I'm not paying double the price for something that's 20% better. For example the generic version of my favourite cookies is 95 cents and the name brand is 3.4€. It's not that much better.
Nutella,
I only buy it once or twice a year but no other chocolate spread tastes nearly as good.
That's because it isn't a chocolate spread, but rather a nut and nougat spread.
It has 13% hazelnut, the same as many other brands, but also the lowest amount I can buy. There's a really pricy one that has 30%
Trader Joe's would like a word
It actually has very little chocolate in it, that's why. It was made (i think) during WW2 when chocolate was in short supply, so they came up with a way to stretch it, by mixing a bunch of hazelnuts (and w/e else is in there) with it.
This is very true.
I live in France and there are lots of brands that are exactly like Nutella, or even more tasty. Nutella is cheaper yet.
The Kraft one isn't half bad
But then note I said "isn't half bad", not that it's great. But I'd say it works in a pinch, or if it's on sale...
The Kirklands one is good, but doesn’t hold an emulsion. And trying to stir a 3000 litre tub of “hazelnut spread” to re-emulsify it isn’t on my list of desirable morning activities.
I could eat that as the fucking Whine Poo eats the honey ngl.
For nougat, the Milka stuff is better. If you want real chocolate, take Caotina.
I used to agree but after finding Kirkland hazelnut spread at costco i've switched to that. Its palm oil free and every bit as delicious as nutella.
You're absolutely wrong about Advil. Advil has a tasty candy coating.
The liquid gels are so profoundly better than the other types of pills that I've stopped purchasing any other brands or kinds of ibuprofen forever. Liquigels are the GOAT
I read a study recently that found it really only ends up working like 10 minutes faster than the regular kind.
10 minutes worth every penny. When you need it, you need it now
I do powders for headache medicine. When I want that to work, I want it working yesterday. Dissolve in like 4 ounces of water, drink, and go lay down in a dark room.
depending on what you're taking it for those 10 minutes can be worth it
Also, yes the OP of this thread is correct; the sweetener added to the capsules for all branded Advils are really nice, and the coating they put on all their pills allows for smoother swallowing (so smooth that I normally don't take them with water anymore). Literally nothing comes close this these fucking amazing pills they make.
I'm in the process of slowly replacing my screwed-up teeth, and ten minutes means a lot when you're in pain. I haven't had the liquigels in a very long time, but I'd consider buying them for the faster response time.
Idgaf about pills. Doesn't mater the size or coating, I can down em without a drink.
As a child I was raised in a household of chewable Tylenol tablets. Those were the only pills I really knew, particularly for mild pain relief.
In gradeschool, I had a day where I developed a splitting headache. I was sent to the ""nurse"", who, by nature of this being a small town American public school, was just the school office secretary armed with a bottle of child dose Advil tablets. I was promptly given a couple tablets to take, and was shooed off to the drinking fountain. Instinctively, I chewed the tablets. Within minutes, they came back to see me, along with my breakfast, and I was quickly sent home. The valuable lesson I took away from that day was, "chewables are for babies, grown-up pills are swallowed whole".
Growing older, I became accustomed to increasingly annoying pills, which only further cemented that lesson. The culmination was probably being forced to swallow huge capsule pills while having a throat swollen and raw with strep. I just accepted that "real" pills are swallowed whole, and they suck, and that's just how it is.
Much later in life, I was visiting my parents while recovering from a pub crawl. My mom offered me some Tums to combat some heartburn I was having. Somehow I made it far enough into life to drink alcohol but not know what antacids were. I was handed two US silver dollar sized tablets. Flashing back to my previous mistake when taking unknown pills, I swallowed them whole. I was embarassed to learn after the fact that they are, in fact, meant to be chewed.
The morals of this story:
I take Advil Cold and Sinus to help me breathe. LOL, the brand name certainly has a sweet coating vs. the generic! No difference in effect, and it's not like I'm chewing it up first.
Tasty until it's not. And it happens fast.
Probably to strike a balance between making it easy to get down and discouraging kids from eating them
No, it's that the actual ibuprofen has that horrible tangy taste.
Spam, off brand spam just isn’t worth it
Coffee. I found a coffee shop I loved 20 years ago and have been buying beans from them ever since. Sure, it's 2x-3x times more expensive, but it's worth it to me.
Toothpaste. I have sensitive teeth and the off brands just don't cut it. Heck, some of the name brands don't.
3d printing filament. Printed Solid named their line after their dog, so I have to. I will still branch out for stuff on sale, but the majority of my stock is Printed Solid.
Netherlands represent!
Coca Cola
Hela curry ketchup
Albert Heijn frikadelbroodje
Ben & Jerry's ice cream
Trader Joe's stuff is hard to find emulated else where.
Fun fact: Oreos are the knock-off brand. Hydrox was the original.
TBD, Hydrox is a pretty bad name and Oreo definitely had the better marketing team.
It's because of the time. The owner wanted to imply cleanliness in production, chemistry was pretty new, and what could be cleaner than water? Hence Hydrox
Huh. Not only that, it sounds like Hydrox is better:
I find Oreos too sweet and soft.
Last time I tried Hydrox, arguably many years ago, it seemed to taste and feel like all the generic knockoffs. They would start off crunchy when you first open the pack but would turn soft and stale within a couple days. Oreos seem to stay crispy for literally weeks.
From personal experience, Hydrox tasted terrible compared to Oreos. My parents switched to Hydrox when I was little because Oreos were being made with lard at the time, and they were barely worth eating. The chocolate cookie part was too hard and chalky.
HEB Twisters > Oreos
Tried buying some organic Oreos once.
They were quickly referred to as "punishment cookies".
That one box lasted almost 3 months rather than the 3day lifespan of a normal Oreo.
Really? I think the Great Value knockoff Oreos taste fantastic.
And also contact lenses themselves
I wear dailies now but when I didn't I used just generic saline solution and never felt any difference from the fancy stuff.
Kraft mac and cheese, all the store brands are superficially similar but taste bland and or have weird textures.
What about Annie's? Or call we even compare them?
I was really just comparing to generic. Annie's isn't generic. I still prefer Kraft, but I'd take Annie's over generic too.
Yep. I'm from Europe and of course this is kind of not understanding American culture enough to not compare different qualities of mac&cheese. That reminds me, we came back home from the US and had mac&cheese in a restaurant in Germany. They served us Kraft with fried onions and parmesan flakes on top. At that moment I understood Germans will never understand American cuisine...
You should never ever in a million years find restaurants serving Kraft mac and cheese in America. That's wrong. It's a cheap food you fix up at home when you're feeling too lazy to cook for real. Most of us like it because we grew up eating it. Real Mac and cheese is so much better.
Yeah, well we were a month in KC just before and ate the most amazing food. It was so crazy to get that thing from the restaurant when we got back.
Exception: some places explicitly put it on the kids' menu as something that even finicky eaters will find familiar.
Annie's is next level.
Growing up I always saw kids in American shows/movies enj it so I assumed it was delicious. I was 10 when the finally began selling it here, my parents were also curious so they bought enough for 5 people. IT TASTES LIKE VOMIT. My parents never bought it again. 12 years later my sister bought it again because she didn't remember the taste and I gave a try again because I thought maybe just maybe I would like it better since my tastes hace changed, AND IT STILL TASTES LIKE VOMIT. so we ended up making our own with real cheese and pasta and it was actually cheaper than the boxed crap
I had the exact same experience when they first started selling pop tarts here. I guess american nostalgia food only tastes good when you actually grow up with it. Even grilled cheese tasted only ok to me
Epicurious put out a fun video last week having a few chefs compare boxed mac and cheese products. You might find it interesting https://youtu.be/uambW2W6zmQ
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I prefer Velveeta shells and cheese to all the other boxed Mac and cheese dinners. That said, if I have someone to act as a dishwasher, I will make a banging baked Mac and cheese that blows any box out of the water. I don't mind the cooking, or prep. Cleanup is always a chore.
No doubt. Homemade is infinitely superior. Almost a different kind of food. Just comparing it to generic store brands.
What about compared to homemade Mac and Cheese?
Well I mean it's hard to compare. Homemade is clearly on another level. The boxed stuff is a very quick meal to put together out of the box. Homemade takes a while to do properly. I almost see them as like different foods.
Kenji’s 3 ingredients Mac and cheese. As fast (almost faster), as KD. Way better.
https://www.seriouseats.com/ingredient-stovetop-mac-and-cheese-recipe
Homemade mac n cheese tastes like regular old cheese. Kraft’s got something extra in there that makes it better.
Certain skin products for me. It makes such a big difference to get some well recommended brands rather than risk it with a random one.
Cetaphil and Cerave are usually solid, and otherwise I refer to the CDA when unsure:
https://dermatology.ca/recognized-products/skincare/ (note that you can scroll within the list to see everything)
The list is for stuff that is
But I specifically look for non-comedogenic and fragrance free. The latter because my old workplace had this as a requirement, and now I prefer it
If you like Cetaphil and Cerave, you will also like Vanicream and Eucerin.
I've seen Eucerin around, I'll have to look into Vanicream
If you're looking for stuff for your face, I also recommend the following Korean beauty items. Nows a good time to buy them from kbeauty online retailers because most are doing deals and free shipping (November 11 is a Korean holiday):
Most foods. Store brands are (nearly) always lacking in something. Be it tiny sized canned beans, or jam whose only flavour is ‘sweet’. That shit is cheap for a reason.
Doesn’t apply to everything (depending on where you live), some things you can’t cut corners on without advertising it. 2% Milk is 2% milk.
But largely, low cost food has been made low cost via haircuts and shortcuts.
Heinz ketchup, everything else is garbage in a bottle!
No. Heinz rides on a name, not on quality.
I can name three local brands that dwarf that bottled red sludge in quality, sell cheaper and larger volumes.
Only thing I will grant to Heinz: glass bottles.
There was a big scandal in canada a few years ago in cananda where heinz moved its ketchup manufacturing from Canada to the US. Many people switched to french's, a lot of people seemed to prefer french's. I'm not sure if it was the boycott but heinz eventually returned to Canada.
I was going to say Heinz beans, but yeah, the ketchup too.
Heinz's British beans, the ones in North America are way worse.
Oh really? I'd no idea. Yeah, the proper British ones. Pip pip!
Honestly most of the products I buy are perfectly fine store brand
I'll never cut corners on toilet paper though, I buy a specific brand and specific kind. I was homeless for nearly a decade and the only toilet paper I could use in that time was what was available in public restrooms. I like the brand I get now and you'll have to pry it from my cold dead hands before I part with it.
Edit: Removed some wrong info.
I hear you. I buy good toilet paper that's 2 ply and sturdy. Not only that, I buy it by the case in bulk on Amazon. My wife makes fun of me for having so much, but it's something that will always get used, and it's not going to spoil or go stale before it does.
(I'd also like to mention how much I love my bidet. If you haven't, you should try one. It'll change your life!)
Target brand tp is perfectly fine. I am also particular about it, but it's like Charmin.
Dr. Bronners liquid Castille soap. I've tried others but they are not as concentrated or as moisturizing. Great diluted for shaving legs.
Sensodyne Pronamel Intensive Enamel Repair Toothpaste. I've reversed three cavities that were forming by using this toothpaste.
Persil detergent. I use other detergents but always have this on deck for tough stains or funky items.
Jockey women's cotton underwear. There's a specific cut that they have that's flattering and comfortable.
Ever made your own olive oil soap? It's easy and cheap. I won't buy bars ever again.
Bahlsen Schoko-leibniz. The store brand ones don't have nearly as nice chocolate.
Conversely, after eights are garbage and the supermarket version comes with nicely tempered chocolate that does a very satisfying crackle when you bite.
Birth control
Interesting. In the USA, it’s nearly impossible to get a brand name drug approved by insurance unless you have a serious reaction to the generic version
Unless you want a brand name IUD? I got a Mirena covered, no problem, in the US.
I think parents for implantable devices are different than drugs, but anything that’s around long enough will eventually get a generic version. But yeah, my comment doesn’t apply to new drugs with patent protections because the insurers have no other option
Huh? Lol most birth control I've ever used or seen my friends use has been generic? Name brand is much more expensive and sometimes not entirely covered by insurance. Excepting IUDS.
This has become a rarity for me but I don't like any french onion dip other than Dean's French onion dip.
I don't eat it very often because my tastes have changed but if I had to go to the store and buy some right now if they didn't have deans I wouldn't get it.
This is a combined list from my wife and I.
Most of that list is not brand specific.
I think he meant they don't go for genetic brands for those products
doesn't really need to be brand specific... We just don't go for the generic versions of any of these items. Like energizer or duracell, doesn't matter, but cheap ones included with a remote absolutely not. same for tampons. the generic versions all use cardboard, not plastic, so they're painful. toilet paper and paper towels, once again, the generic versions are all bad, none of the name brand ones are bad.
Do you use rechargeable batteries?
I use ikea rechargeable batteries for my Xbox controller and Panasonic or Samsung 18650 batteries for my flashlights. Most stuff I use rechargeables for, but when you’re camping you often want backups that aren’t rechargeable.
I didn't know about IKEA batteries, will check these out.
they're alright.. best thing is how cheap they are lol.
Tool. I only use Dewalt and Kobalt
This shit was asked a week or two ago. Go away advertiser.
Mortons salt. Somehow that little metal spout is just worse in every store brand I've tried.
Sel de Camargue here in the EU.
Black Diamond salt for me, which is what a lot of restaurants use. Worth the extra cost, especially given how potent a small bit of salt is.
Oh I get both. Sometimes I want fine salt and sometimes I want kosher salt. I even have a third one, french sea salt which comes in big irregular chunks. Good stuff. Don't ever trust someone who says salt is all the same. 🧂🌈
Yes, French sea salt especially for desserts! Put that sucker on some decadent butter cookies.
Milk. Great Value’s brand just tastes so darned awful for some reason I can’t place. I live in the midwest, and Prairie Farms is pretty common as a brand here.
There are some others, many dairy products now that I think about it, but there’s also some medicines like Mucinex which I prefer to use over generic brands. I’m otherwise not very picky.
You're right. The dual-action 12-hour Mucinex is far superior to the slow 12-hour generics, but it's quite a bit more expensive.
Here in the South the store brands are coming from the same processor as the ones that cost 3x. Check the codes by the date that are used for traceability.
Coffee and tea. Otherwise I always buy store brand because it comes from the same factory.
Off brand Bagel Bites are a big nope for me.
I've tried a lot of generic ibuprofen meds (E: including gel ones) but nothing acts both as fast and effectively as advil gel pills. It very well may be a placebo, but I don't really care so long as it works.
Shave gel. Some soaps. Some said Old
BabyBay seasoning and I am 100% behind them on that. Toilet paper. Menstrual pads. Ritz crackers (the consistency, the flavour, the texture/mouth feel). Certain electronics. Definitely tools (I've broken so many pairs of diagonal side cutters and the ones that have held up the best and had the best warranty are knipex). And yeah. I buy Advil (the candy coating makes it easier for me to swallow dry and I'm pretty prone to need it for lots of pains because I'm basically a walking talking broken vessel).Top The Tater. Accept no substitutes
No idea what this is, but ok!
From what I've heard, it's exclusively available in the Midwest. It's one of the best dips out there, especially with ruffles
I've never seen it. I struggle to believe it's better than DIY with a container of sour cream + one of the Hidden Valley Ranch packets. That's the true ranch dip of the gods.
I should do a comparison test, I don't think it would beat a Minnesota staple
It's now the inaugural item on my "When in Minnesota" list.
Interestingly, I learned how to make ranch dressing from scratch a few years ago. I always have the ingredients on hand, so I can make ranch dressing whenever I want.
The proportions are NOT super important. At least 1 teaspoon of each of the main dry ingredients but you can use more if you want.
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Clancy’s Cheese Curls. I dislike all other brands of cheese curls.
holy shit i thought i was the only one
all other cheese curls taste greasy and overseasoned in comparison
Cheeto’s brand tastes kind of stale too
Red Boat fish sauce. If your fish sauce has sugar in it (and the vast majority do because it's cheaper/quicker to make that way), it's crap.
Used to be 3M duck tape. But that has totally gone to shit.
Condoms
Not me. I ordered a pallet of Sam's Choice when I hit puberty and should be set for life. Got so many I double them up sometimes.
Ivan is clearly joking, but for those that don't know, condoms DO expire, and will be more likely to break the more times passes. Similarly, doubling condoms makes them more likely to break.
Shit.
That's why Ivan should triple up. In case one fails he stays doubled up. It's fool proof.
Pro-tip: if the third won't fit easily, you can preheat them in the oven to make them more pliable (and it feels nice, as a bonus)!
😬
Metamucil Bulk Fiber
All the generics are awful in taste or consistency (for instance not being as finely ground it seems). And weirdly in Kirkland Signature's case, foamy.
Stupid expensive for what it is. But the effect is worth it.
Edit: sigh, autocorrect, you are the worst.
Genetics, or generics?
Generic Bulk Fiber night be fine, Genetic Bulk Fiber sounds scary.
That sounds awesome. Call me Captain Regular
i know they prolly come from the same tap, but im not chuggin' a bottle of generic pepto
Tempo. Every other tissue I tried messes up the whole laundry, if I missed only one pant pocket.
Cottage Cheese. Prairie Farms is my go to
The problem I keep running into with cottage cheese is finding large curd. I went to the supermarket today and only managed to swipe one off of the restocking cart. There wasn't a single container on the shelf. I'm just not a fan of the smooth texture of the small curd, might as well eat ricotta.
Old Bay seasoning
batteries (when I have to use disposables)
Command hooks
Legit 3M command hooks are the shit. 3M products seem to be like that. Yeah, more expensive, but always worth it. Nice to see a company stay focused on quality vs. last quarter's spreadsheets.
I think it's more likely that the consistent quality is a side bonus from most of 3M's customers being other corporations, not individual consumers
If 3M only sold painter's tape to the public, most of the public will buy it whether it's crap or not because most of the public only needs to put up with painter's tape occasionally
However if a large commercial real estate company who goes through palettes of painters tape suddenly has to start ordering 1.5x as many palettes because some of the tape is defective, they'll threaten 3M with cancelling a multi-million-dollar contract that will hurt 3M's quarterly spreadsheets.
That is until inevitably someone at 3M gets the idea to start producing a cheaper "consumer grade" painters tape and then everyone who doesn't have a relative in building maintenance who can swipe a pro grade roll for you is SOL
But they haven't and they're a mature company, could have done that at any point. I think that backs my point that they're focused on quality vs. quarters.
I know everyone here is rightfully cynical of corporate America, but 3M seems to get it, be in for the long haul. I've seen plenty of other brands go cheap over the decades. Black & Decker anyone? Craftsman?
OTOH, some brands stick to their guns. Victorinox and Zippo come to mind.
Dude, 3M Extreme Mounting Tape is the stuff. I bought a portable CarPlay unit for my work vehicle, and I mounted it on the dash with the included mounting tape. It didn't stay up there a day before it was falling off anytime I hit a bump. I went to Lowe's and got some Extreme Mounting Tape and put it on, and it doesn't move. AT ALL. The one time I had to take it off, I thought I was gonna pull parts of the dash off with the tape! I live in the south, and not even the summer heat affects it.
South here as well. 3M's outdoor, double-sticky tape is wild. Hot? Humid? DGAF, it'll not only stick and hold real weight, it'll come off easily enough without nasty residue.
No idea how their company works, and their chemists must be the bomb, but they obviously have a tradition of pride in their products. So wish we could get back to that in America. (I'll punt for Gorilla products though! Solid glues and tapes for many purposes.)
When I was a kid, dad had total disdain for "cheap" products. People would talk, compare notes. Everyone knew what products were solid and which weren't, wasn't a price tag thing. Everyone knew KitchenAid, Tupperware and Corning made solid shit. And now look where those companies are. :(
Idk dude, I don’t think old bay seasoning batteries sound very reliable.
blasphemy. they're powered by tiny crabs
Tech products. It's not worth the risk of getting some Chinese spying crap. Even chargers and cables have the risk of damaging your hardware.
Heinz ketchup, Hellman’s Mayonnaise, Coca Cola, Western Digital hard drives back when platters were a thing.
I always preferred Seagate spinning steel over Western Digital. I've had some WD drives fail horribly, unexpectedly and very prematurely on me. My PC today still has some Seagate HDDs in it that are approaching 15 years of age.
I had the opposite experience. Though 15 years ago was around the time I worked at a computer shop and I recall quality between the two comps flip flopping. On a side note, that was also the era of Asus capacitors failing at a surprisingly high rate.
Ever tried Duke's mayo? I was Hellman's always until my sister in law turned me on to Duke's.
I will have to give them a shot!
Used to be Heinz but now they've replaced tomato with more brown sugar or something so it tastes bland.
Greek yogurt
Fage and only Fage.
Ah, you mean creamed chalk? I think that texture is because of low fat, but it's hard finding a generic full fat Greek yogurt.
Edit: it's the generic low/no fat ones that have that chalk texture.
Hanes crew socks. All the alternatives just don't feel good on my feet.
That's interesting because Hanes is a "cheap" brand to me. I've never had socks that properly fit my feet my entire life and recently I treated myself to some Feetures and holy shit I'll never wear another brand of socks again.
Yeah, I don't pretend that they're premium socks or anything, they're just not the generic socks that're like, "value premium" or whatever store brand sock. Or even just the unlabeled.
Socks are another good answer, but there, it’s nothing but gold toe for me. They’re just so comfortable.
SOS Pads and Scotch Tape
I've never had trouble with off-brand SOS pads. But damn, shitty off-brand scotch tape? Yeah that stuff sucks. You have to watch cheap masking tape too. Some of them leave horrible residue behind.
VH soy sauce over store brand. Has to be. VH is king, store brand is so bad it doesn't even count as soy sauce, and I'm a broke dude who buys store brand everything possible. Also mini-wheats, store brand mini wheats are terrible. Other store brand cereals are good but with mini-wheats they dropped the ball.
Peanut butter. Generic peanut butter is downright nasty. Skippy or Jiff for me.
Hair and skincare, especially since it's not even more expensive if I buy from a local store that sells those products in bulk.
I usually actually prefer the local knockoffs, it's usually better and uses locally sourced ingredients. Like soft drinks from the US taste sickeningly sweet and I really don't like them but there are plenty of locally made soft drinks that are great.
Davines shampoo
Braun S9 Pro electric razor
Cola Zero / Pepsi Max (generic alternatives rarely have sugarless options anyway)
Lipton probably but I can let it slip sometimes. Many alternatives just don't taste right, but they are at least drinkable.
Bickford’s cordials. Whether with water or soda water, other flavours are just yuk.
White Rain and V05 shampoo/conditioner products can go to hell. I end up buying Suave because it's at least a step above them. Everytime I used White Rain or V05, my hair is 'clean' but it feels greasy just using them, like I hadn't showered.
Frozen burger patties. You can taste the money going down the drain.
Milk, eggs, cheese, pretty much anything dairy. Almost everything else the generic is great
Bananas.
You have storebrand bananas? Here in the US, I swear Chiquita has a monopoly or some shit. I don't think I've ever seen another brand.