this post was submitted on 11 Nov 2023
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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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[–] TheMechanic@lemmy.ca 105 points 1 year ago (9 children)

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.

[–] kratoz29@lemm.ee 34 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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.

[–] TheMechanic@lemmy.ca 17 points 1 year ago

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.

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[–] morganth@discuss.tchncs.de 78 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (22 children)

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.

[–] jeffw@lemmy.world 37 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

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

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[–] etchinghillside@reddthat.com 67 points 1 year ago (12 children)

I think Dawn dish soap gets mentioned in these often.

[–] jeffw@lemmy.world 31 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Are there that many ducks on here?

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[–] Manmikey@lemmy.world 62 points 1 year ago (14 children)

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.

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[–] jeffw@lemmy.world 55 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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

[–] PM_ME_VINTAGE_30S@lemmy.sdf.org 62 points 1 year ago (14 children)

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.

[–] jeffw@lemmy.world 35 points 1 year ago

WHAT? I CANT HEAR YOU!

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[–] ivanafterall@kbin.social 53 points 1 year ago (18 children)

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. :(

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[–] atlasraven31@lemm.ee 44 points 1 year ago (12 children)

Irish butter, in particularly Kerrygold, are so much better than american butter.

[–] metaStatic@kbin.social 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] Fullest@sh.itjust.works 36 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Garbage bags. I don't particularly care WHICH brand, but I won't do generic. The consequences if the bag rips open are horrifying.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 35 points 1 year ago (5 children)

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?!

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[–] Shdwdrgn@mander.xyz 29 points 1 year ago (13 children)

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.

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[–] ArugulaZ@kbin.social 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Pop-Tarts. No store brand toaster pastry tastes like Pop-Tarts.

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[–] multicolorKnight@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year ago

Q-Tips. Paper shafts, plenty of fuzz on the ends.

[–] Hillock@kbin.social 24 points 1 year ago (10 children)

Nutella,

I only buy it once or twice a year but no other chocolate spread tastes nearly as good.

[–] SoGrumpy@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

no other chocolate spread tastes nearly as good

That's because it isn't a chocolate spread, but rather a nut and nougat spread.

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[–] Thorny_Insight@lemm.ee 22 points 1 year ago (5 children)

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.

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[–] FireWire400@lemmy.world 22 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

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.

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[–] TheButtonJustSpins@infosec.pub 20 points 1 year ago (13 children)

You're absolutely wrong about Advil. Advil has a tasty candy coating.

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[–] otter@lemmy.ca 19 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

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

  • Low potential for irritation
  • Fragrance free or unscented
  • Do not contain the most common allergens
  • Non-comedogenic

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

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[–] TheWeirdestCunt@lemm.ee 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Spam, off brand spam just isn’t worth it

[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 15 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] BreakDecks@lemmy.ml 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)

LUNCHEON MEAT

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[–] GrayBackgroundMusic@lemm.ee 19 points 1 year ago (5 children)

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.

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[–] SexyTimeSasquatch@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago (17 children)

Kraft mac and cheese, all the store brands are superficially similar but taste bland and or have weird textures.

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[–] jimbo@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (7 children)

Oreos

Contact lens solution (any name brand)

[–] hperrin@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Fun fact: Oreos are the knock-off brand. Hydrox was the original.

[–] newIdentity@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)

TBD, Hydrox is a pretty bad name and Oreo definitely had the better marketing team.

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[–] qevlarr@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Netherlands represent!

Coca Cola
Hela curry ketchup
Albert Heijn frikadelbroodje
Ben & Jerry's ice cream

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[–] CCatMan@lemmy.one 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Trader Joe's stuff is hard to find emulated else where.

[–] slowwooderrunsdeep@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

Which is kinda ironic since most TJs brand stuff is a knockoff of something else. But I get it, because TJs quality is awesome.

[–] RecallMadness@lemmy.nz 15 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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.

[–] qyron@sopuli.xyz 19 points 1 year ago

Or just bulk purchasing.

Knew a fellow that worked for a food company - juices, nectars, preserved fruits, jams and compotes, baked goods with fruit, etc - that has a name brand. Most of the production is exported for so called "premium markets".

The largest supermarket chain here aproaches the company to have a few products made under their label. Not waterdowned versions of their recipes but completely new recipes or variations on the producers recipes.

Final product is as expensive or more to produce than name brand, which implies lower margins but still good money.

Supermarket product is not a waterdowned version but a completely separate product. If the end product is garbage, the supermarket gets the bad record.

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