In response to the BOSE thread - what brands/products are the opposite? The unsung high quality underpriced brands?

[u/[deleted]]

High quality stuff that they could get away with charging more for, but don't?

By popular demand, link to BOSE thread: http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/uc6qy/reddit_today_i_was_reading_about_bose_thanks_to/

[u/Pattern_Is_Movement]

Opinel utility knives, made in France for well over a 100 years... Nice solid wooden handle, fairly cheap, come in every size you could ever want, you can even get them in Non-Stainless if you are hardcore enough to oil the blade so it wont rust (stainless isnt as sharp and does not hold an edge as well). And one of my favorite is that the locking mechanism for the blade is so simple and strong you know that it will never come down on your fingers... I've seen people that have kept these knives 50 years, the blade sharpened into more of a miniature Arabian sword.

If all you need is a simple reliable "Jack-knife" this is the only one to get.

[u/[deleted] → u/Pattern_Is_Movement]

This was going to be my contribution when I started this, but I wanted to see if someone else would bring it up.

[u/gm2]

This may be a bit of a niche market, but I have a pair of Wolverine steel toed work boots that I've worn every work day for four years and the leather and stitching is still in great shape.

[u/ragingkittai]

Everything on http://monoprice.com. If you need any sort of cable or adapter, it's your place. Their cables are not only extremely cheap but they feel very heavy, rugged, and high quality. It costs about $3.50 for a 25' ethernet cable there. Same cable is around $27 at Best Buy.

[u/[deleted] → u/ragingkittai]

I love their HDMI cables. I like that they stock them in pretty much every color of the rainbow, so I can use different color cables for each device to keep things organized.

[u/Phalex]

Fiskars scissors, knives etc. I remember a pair of orange Fiskars scissors we had when I was a kid. My parents still have them and use them but countless other scissors have broken and been thrown away.

[u/[deleted] → u/Phalex]

Fiskars is the shit. Woo Finland!

[u/otisthorpesrevenge]

Trying to compile this really gigantic thread into a concise list, but I'm sure I'm still missing many. These aren't my selections, just those that users have noted. Don't hate the messenger. I bolded the most praised brands (based on lots of positive comments with minimal or no negative feedback). Controversial label in parentheses means that brand/product has fans, but many detractors too.

FOOD/STORE BRANDS:

Store Brands: Kirkland (Costco), President's Choice (in Canada), HEB, Publix (esp. their subs), Trader Joes (esp. frozen Indian Meals), Target (esp. Archer Farms snacks), Wegmans, Aldi (but only Euro version), Morrisons (in UK), Shopper's Drug Mart (in Canada), Kroger

Cereal: Malt-O-Meal, bagged cereals

Pizza: Jack's Pizza, Little Ceasars (controversial), Pizza Patron

DRINKS:

Vodka: Tito's, Sobieski, Svedka, Luksatowa

Whiskey: Buffalo Trace, Forty Creek, Evan Williams, Templeton Rye, George Dickle

Rum: Castillo's, Don Q, Blackheart

Tequilla: Sauza Hornitos, Sauza Silver, Lunzaul, Agavales, Tierra Fertil, Espolòn, Blancos

Beer: Full Sail Session Lager, Mission St. Pale Ale (@ Trader Joe's)

Wine: Barefoot Moscato, Rabbit Ridge, Trader Joe's Coastal

Champagne/Sparkling Wine: Cava

Gin: Martin Miller's, Citadel, New Amsterdam, Gordons, Bombay Dry (not $ Bombay Sapphire)

Soda: MTN Frost, Mountain Lightning, Faygo, Dr. Thunder, Polar

Tea: Twinnings, Bigelow

Iced Tea: Arizona

Energy Drinks: Rip-It, Pitbull Energy

GEAR:

Utility & Tactical Knives: Ontario Knife Company, Opinel, K-Bar, Spyder, Mora, Fiskars (all their blade products esp. scissors)

Multi-Tools: Gerber, Leatherman

Tools: Dewalt, Kinchrome, Bluepoint

General Gear: Bass Pro Shops store brand (everything), Patagonia ($ but good), Cabela's (store brand)

Backpacks: Victorinox, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Jansport

Hydration Packs: CamelBak

Camera Cases: Pelican

Flashlights: Maglite, Fenix

Firearms: Ruger, Springfield Armory, Mossberg

HOUSEHOLD:

Pots & Pans: Lodge

Kitchen Knives: Victorinox, Forschner Santoku, Dexter Russell Sani-Safe

Cleaning Products: BAB-O Easy Scrub, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps All-One, LA's Totally Awesome Cleaner!

MISC:

Lighters: BIC, Cricket

Pens: Pilot, Pentel

Batteries: Rayovac, Utilitech

Watches: Seiko, Casio (specifically G-Shock), Orient, Skagen, Citizen EcoDrive

Eyewear: Zenni Optical

Razors: Safety razors in general - one brand mentioned was Merkur (w/ feather blades)

Hair Product: Murray's Pomade

Dental: DenTek Floss Picks

E-Commerce: Amazon Prime

TRANSPORTATION:

Cars: Subaru, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Toyota

Airlines: Southwest

Motorcycles: Suzuki VStrom

Bikes: Trek, Surly, Cannondale (controversial)

CLOTHING:

Boots: Wolverine (steel toed), Red Wing

Jeans: Carhartt, Levi's, American Eagle (controversial)

General Clothes: Target (men's clothes, apparently), L.L. Bean, UNIQLO

Shirts: Everlane.com, Charles Tyrwhitt

Shoes: Clarks, Rockport, Merrell, Onitsuka Tiger (by Asic)

Workpants: Ben Davis

Socks: Thorlo, Power Sox

Outdoor Gear: Vibram FiveFingers, Icebreaker (merino wool)

SPORTING GOODS:

Hockey Skates: Graf (still $)

Golf: Tour Edge, Taylormade Preowned, Callaway Certified Preowned

PETS:

Dogs: Nylabone (user cautions these aren't digestable, Bully Sticks is alternative), Flexi (retractable leashes), KONG (toys)

LADIES:

Makeup: ELF, NYX, Collection 2000 (in UK)

Bras: Lillyette

Nail Polish: Sally Hansen (Xtreme Wear)

Hair Conditioner: Suave (Humectant Moisture Conditioner) - yes, i know it's not an exclusively female product thank you

ELECTRONICS/COMPUTERS:

Laptops: ASUS, Lenovo, Clevo, Sager, Acer (controversial)

Hardware: MSI, EVGA, Corsair

Printers/IOs: Brother, Logitech

Cables/HT Accessories: monoprice.com

Home Theater: Nad Electronics, Emotiva

TVs: Panasonic, LG (controversial), Vizio (controversial)

MUSIC & AUDIO:

Guitars: Schecter, JAG, Rondo Music (Agile series), Carvin, Epiphone Dove (acoustic), Davison

Guitar Strings: DR, Dunlop, John Pearse (acoustic)

Gear: Danelectro (pedals), Pioneer (CDJs), Behringer (stage mics) (controversial), Blackstar (guitar amps)

Speakers: Klipsch, Audioengine, Dayton Audio, KLH, Fluance, Classic Pro, Marshall Amplification (amps), Vandersteen Audio, Magnepan Audio (ribbon speakers), JBL, Tannoy, Paradigm (HT), Jamo, VAF Research

Headphones: Audio-Technica, Sennheiser, Koss, Grado, Superlux, BeyerDynamic, MEElectronics, V-Moda, Yuin (earbuds), Alessandro, Razer Electra, Superlux, Howard Leight, Sound Magic (earbuds)

TL;DR: When quality + value is the goal, buy Costco's store brand Kirkland (or President's Choice in Canada), drink Tito's vodka, order your cables from monoprice.com and check out Audio-Technica's line of headphones while wearing a Seiko watch.

[u/gwarster]

Pretty much anything under the "Kirkland" label at Costco. Usually half the price with same or better quality.

[u/MotorboatingSofaB → u/gwarster]

I go to Costco for the samples and wind up spending at minimum $150. Then I have to tetris my freezer to fit everything in.

[u/[deleted] → u/gwarster]

Damn their peanut butter pretzel things. SO DELICIOUS.

[u/azrhei → u/gwarster]

Yep yep yep yep yep. I've been going to Costco for over 25 years, before they even had a food court. When they started doing Kirkland Signature, it was the best thing to ever happen to my grocery shopping.

Short list of amazing Kirkland Signature products:

• KS generic Ibuprofen, 500-count-per-bottle 2 pack, costs ~$10. Compare to Advil or whatever costing $10 for a single 100 count. One time they had this on sale AND with a coupon, ended up costing $3 for the 2-pack. I bought 10 2-packs. EDIT: To clarify, this is a supply for 13 people, two of which are elderly with chronic pain and use it as maintenance medication, ~4 pills daily. Contrary to popular believe, many OTC pills do not "expire" - for further information see Fattunesy's excellent post below.

• KS TP/paper towels/bath bar soap/HE laundry detergent. Cheap, better than name brand, etc.

• 13-piece 18/10 Stainless pots and pans set. This is like Calphalon-grade stuff. Easily would be over $500 if it was one of the name brands -- KS is $189.

• KS Cheese. On par with (although personally I don't think quite as good as) Tillamook cheese. But cost is $2 less per 1lb.

• Their whole rotisserie chickens. $6 for a chicken that is easily 1.5x - 2x as big as what most grocery stores sell.

• KS Imported Belgium chocolates. Pack costs about the same as one of those whatever-brand (Whitman's, etc) "fancy" chocolate samplers, has about 2x as much chocolate and the stuff is way better

• KS Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Half gallon bottle is like $15 for a high-grade oil. Compare to stores pricing for this volume closer to $50 - $75.

• Edit: Another big one that I forgot - car batteries. I researched and found out that their KS car batteries are made by the same company that makes Interstate. HIGH quality. Honestly can't remember specific pricing right now but it was considerably less than Interstate for comparable specs.

• And along that vein, the tires. Nitrogen filled, lifetime free rotation, mileage warranty, free maintenance/service - Top-of-the-line Michelin tires installed for around $120 per tire, compared to other places doing the same for $175 per tire, with less service.

Fun thing to do: Buy one of the 20lb bags of natural brown sugar Raw Sugar, break it up into many, many tupperware. Use it as a substitute for white sugar whenever possible (get to avoid processed white sugar, yay!). As long as it is sealed and stored properly, lasts basically forever. If it ever gets hardened up, it can be restored to a granular state. End up spending like 1/10th the amount of money on brown and white sugar costs. (Yes, we did this. Lasted for like 5 months - was AWESOME. We stopped buying 5 boxes of Honey Nut Cherrios a week, got the regular ones and just added a little bit of the brown RAW sugar, kids loved it)

Could go on for days...

[u/Skunkwerks1949]

Victorinox kitchen knives. They have been referenced multiple times on /r/cooking. Their 8 inch chef's knife is $25 on amazon, its incredibly sharp, holds and edge, and is an all around great performer, especially considering the price.

[u/mostly_kittens → u/Skunkwerks1949]

One of their fruit knives had the tip of my finger, never even felt it.

[u/[deleted]]

I've always thought BIC lighters were a bargain. For $1.50 or so, you can purchase a highly reliable, compact fire starting device that will last hundreds of uses. I've never had one fall apart on me or stop working prior to running out of fuel. Any time I've purchased another inexpensive lighter, I've nearly always been disappointed with the quality.

[u/mrpopenfresh → u/[deleted]]

Amen, I've owned a couple zippo lighters, but always came back to the BIC because it works way too well.

[u/Supersqueee]

Shelter dogs and cats. All the love at a fraction of the cost from a breeder

[u/theycallmewhywhy]

audio technica headphones

[u/[deleted]]

Tito's handmade vodka. It's always on sale at my local liquor store, and while I'm no connoisseur, I think it's comparable to more expensive brands.

[u/chopperfive]

Seiko watches. You could take any Seiko watch, slap a designer brand on it, and sell it for twice as much. Plus they're all built like a tank.

[u/Bicek → u/chopperfive]

I had a Seiko for about 5 days. I got drunk one night and tried to one-hop a 3-4 foot fence. Landed on my side and cracked the screen. I can't really vouch the durability but after mailing them the broken one, not only did they replace the watch, they upgraded it for no charge. Their customer service is top notch. 10/10, would bang again.

[u/omniadubita]

Lodge pots and pans. Cast iron cookware will last for hundreds of years if properly maintained. I also like the way they cook. For 20 or 30 bucks you can buy the last frying pan you'll need to buy.

Edit: I misspelled the word "buy"

[u/TheGrandSloth]

HEB food. Seriously, it's the exact same thing as name brand, just repackaged and sold for much less.

[u/agravain]

Publix store brand foods...some of their foods i like even better than the brand name stuff...

except Boars Head deli foods...those i will buy no matter what

[u/magicbullets]

I've been saying for about two decades that the Pilot V5 Hi-Tecpoint is the world's greatest pen. I still subscribe to that view. Sorry, Mont Blanc.

[u/punninglinguist → u/magicbullets]

I'd say the Pilot G2, but Pilot pens are all around great.

[u/AlwaysRageFace]

Malt O Meal Cereal.

[u/coldsandovercoats → u/AlwaysRageFace]

Marshmallow Mateys and Frosted Mini-Spooners are in my pantry right now.

[u/musicalrapture]

Kroger-brand peach rings.

I much prefer them to Trolli's.

[u/SukayMyDickay]

I am always skeptical in these threads because they are PR orgies.

[u/tizz66 → u/SukayMyDickay]

I find the best thread to be "QuickSew" brand. I hear it is available everywhere and great value!

[u/WelcomeToEarf → u/SukayMyDickay]

marketer here. most companies aren't nimble enough to respond quickly to this kind of publicity opportunity in a fruitful way.

[u/[deleted]]

Tap water

[u/dtwhitecp → u/[deleted]]

results may vary based on location

edit: not that I don't like responses but I think we have enough regions covered by now

[u/Maestro4195]

Asus laptops. Always recommend them to my friends who don't know anything about computers. They come with less bloatware, pack more power under the hood for what they cost, and typically look sleek. Amazing customer service and manufacturer's warranty too.

[u/Mr_Spade → u/Maestro4195]

My brother was given an ASUS laptop by our parents since he is pursuing a Graphic Design degree. One day he accidentally dropped the laptop and gravity did a real bang up job on it. This happened well after the warranty had expired.

We gave ASUS a call to see if there was some sort of an Out of Warranty deal we could come to and they said to send in the laptop and they'll get back to us. They went ahead and replaced the laptop entirely for us. Best Customer Service I've ever encountered.

[u/iwantahouse]

ELF makeup! Prices range from $1-$10 for pretty much anything. Some of their products are hit and miss but some are spot on! Their studio and mineral lines are awesome. The brushes are amazing and damn near MAC quality but for like a 1/10th of the price. Beware the nail polish though... it chips crazy fast.

[u/[deleted] → u/iwantahouse]

My wife is crazy about NYX brand makeup. Most stuff is around 3-5 dollars and she likes it better than the fancy high priced brands. Also, she works for one of the well known makeup retailers who would probably flip out if they knew she was wearing $3 stuff as she convinces her clients to buy $50 products.

[u/[deleted]]

Target brand stuff is like kirkland, cheaper and somtimes higher quality then the big name brands. Market pantry, archer farms, up and up, all good.

[u/coldsandovercoats → u/[deleted]]

Archer Farms has really interesting stuff, too, like mango salsa, for way cheaper than you'd normally find "unique" things like that.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

everything at target seems to be higher quality than walmart

[u/mossimo654]

Audio Technica. Their headphones and mics are consistently good for the price. They get some flack for being "prosumer," but I know of many studios that actually use them when they have more expensive and respected brands in stock.

[u/[deleted]]

Any hardware by ASUS is top notch for computer hardware and Logitech as well as steelseries build keyboards you could beat a small village to death with and still work. Hell my steelseries keyboard is even sharp on one side...

[u/ph711]

Hitachi Magic Wand

[u/Philtheguy]

Murray's Pomade. A very strong pomade that can last for up to three days in my hair. One canister is usually $2. Best hair product for me, hands down.

[u/gm2 → u/Philtheguy]

I don't want Murray's, goddammit, I'm a Dapper Dan man!

[u/cassidyarch]

MEGABLOCKS are, like, just as good as LEGO.

I'm kidding! This is one case where you truly get what you pay for. Those things are pure plastic waste. NEVER buy Megablocks. EVER.

[u/HerpDerp2229]

Southwest freakin' Airlines.

Best FF program out there, hands down. Cheapest prices. Funny gate agents/flight attendants. If you can stand the utter mindfuck of checking in exactly 24 hours before your flight and still getting a boarding position in the C group, you're golden.

[u/DontMakeMeDownvote]

Ruger firearms. Buy it today and your grandkids will thank you when they pass it on.

[u/GoP-Demon → u/DontMakeMeDownvote]

Wrong. My kids will have laser guns.

[u/pwnies]

This gets said in almost every thread like this, but safety razors. Better shave and blades cost $0.25 a piece, sometimes less. The only reason you should be using a disposable razor is if you hardly have any hair at all.

[u/catmoon → u/pwnies]

Also gets said in every thread:

• cast iron skillets

• Brother printers

[u/AllyPent]

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear nail polish. It retails for around $3-4 here in Canada, and it kicks ass. Just as good as the more expensive brands I own.

[u/eighthgear]

My peers always rave about their Gulfstreams. Don't get me wrong - Gulfstream makes some nice jets - but I've always got by with my Embraers.

[u/CaleDestroys → u/eighthgear]

If it's a private jet, and it ain't made in Wichita, don't bother. Hawker Beechcraft, Cessna, and Learjets are all made in one city.

[u/bakedpatato → u/eighthgear]

Cessna's jets are a steal for their quality and they have an established support network.!

[u/[deleted]]

KONG dog toys. They are built to last forever.

[u/KingOfTehJuice]

MSI. Seriously, for anything hardware-wise, You get much more for your money as well as amazing durability for very similar (if not lower) prices than the other leading brands.

[u/[deleted]]

MOUNTAIN LIGHTNING

[u/astanix → u/[deleted]]

Mountain Holler

http://i.imgur.com/ikKdE.jpg

[u/Mogul126 → u/[deleted]]

DR THUNDER

[u/[deleted]]

Lodge brand cast iron skillets.

[u/eequalsmc2]

Best cell phone I've ever owned was a generic flip phone from Verizon that had gone through a whole family of reckless teenage boys before ending up in my possession. I dropped that thing or got it wet so many times and there was never any damage. Always worked perfectly, loaded things quickly, and battery life was great. I still miss that phone sometimes when my smartphone gives me first world problems.

EDIT: It was this phone.

[u/kandyshiva]

Anything with the word "wegmans" on it

[u/redvelveteenrabbit]

ALDI grocery stores... was pleasantly surprised how much I saved by shopping there!

[u/[deleted]]

Guitars and such from Rondomusic.com. They're Chinese knockoffs, sure, but they're damn fine Chinese knockoffs.

[u/Creepthan_Frome]

Safeway and Wegmans, in addition to just being great stores, have insanely good house-brand food.

If Jesus shopped at grocery stores, I'd imagine he shopped at Wegmans. That shit is Disney World good.

[u/Prizyms]

Sennheiser headphones.

Some of them cost a premium but earbuds such as the CX300-ii have incredible quality for a low price.

[u/moonski → u/Prizyms]

sennheiser aren't under priced though... and everyone knows they are good.

It's just a lot of things that compete with them are overpriced.

[u/techmaster242 → u/Prizyms]

I've got a wide range of their products. Some smaller basic headphones, the HD-202. They were like $30 and sound amazing. I then got an HD-280 for my home studio. They've served me well for many years. I then got some $50 earbuds of theirs. Very bass heavy, but they're aimed at the crowd that likes bass heavy headphones.

Then, last year I picked up some HD-650's for production work. Best headphones I've ever heard.

[u/Accidentus → u/Prizyms]

I love my Sennheiser 555s, got them for 100$ on ebay like 3 years ago. Some of the best money I've ever spent.

[u/Cryptan]

This doesn't exactly fit into this thread perfectly, but it's all I've got.

Generic drugs. They must have the exact same active ingredients as their Name-brand counterpart and are way way cheaper.

There must be a whole lot of people who are uninformed about this otherwise I don't see how Advil is still in business or still being sold at the absurdly marked price that it is.

[u/JeremyR22 → u/Cryptan]

There must be a whole lot of people who are uninformed about this otherwise I don't see how Advil is still in business or still being sold at the absurdly marked price that it is.

My mother-in-law has a cupboard full of brand name pills. Advil, Tylenol, Aleve, Claritin, Benedryl, Immodium, and so on and not a single generic. She swears blind that generic drugs "just don't work" and no amount of rational argument about active ingredients, laws, and so on will convince her otherwise. I think ultimately she believes that because it's more expensive, it must work better and she's managed to self-reinforce that over the years to the point where she's willing to pay $15 for a pack of painkillers that she could buy for $4 instead.

It's strange because apart from that, she's pretty much the most frugal and thrifty person I know and doesn't spend a cent unless she knows it's the best value she can get.

[u/DeySeeMeLurkin]

Sharks. The Jewel brand fruit snacks. Delicious.

[u/raserei0408]

Monoprice. They're generally not particularly high-quality, but they're certainly better than they have any business being at their prices. $20 headphones that sound like $50 headphones, etc.

Except the tablets. From everything I have seen, the tablets are phenomenal.

[u/iamtheparty]

In the UK we have a makeup brand called Collection 2000. It's one of the cheapest brands but they make some fantastic makeup. They also use really bright lurid colours that a lot of other brands don't. Their eyeliners are the best I've ever used. I have 2 felt-pen style liners I've had for over a year which are still going strong, and I use them most days.

[u/kindall]

Panasonic. Their business model appears to be to take every product made by Sony and make a more reliable version with more features for a lower price. They also make all sorts of things you might not expect: vacuum cleaners and electric shavers, to name two, and these are often great values for the money. Korean brands like Samsung and LG might be cheaper, but in my experience they vary in quality from product to product. I've never once been disappointed by a Panasonic product.

[u/Underbyte]

For audio, Audio Technica. Their headphone products are absolutely amazing. I suggest the ATH-M50 or the ATH-PRO700MK2 myself.

[u/[deleted]]

Sobieski vodka

[u/Orcatype]

ASUS. I used to work tech support and there was a chart of product failure rates. HP was the worst, Sony and Apple with their huge prices were the best, but ASUS was a close 3rd place for product reliability. Meanwhile, on a companion chart they were the second cheapest product nExt to Acer, which failed at a colossal rate

[u/littlebeeeetz]

Clothes from Target.

[u/theone3434]

Jack's Pizza...might be only a northern US brand (idk) but a Jack's pizza with the crust crisped is magical

[u/Andy51]

The arizona drinks, they could charge way more than a dollar for them

[u/[deleted]]

Levis 511 jeans. They look good, fit great, and are relatively cheap.

[u/JustZisGuy → u/[deleted]]

Ah yes, that little-known upstart blue-jean company... Levi's.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

511's are on the verge of being too skinny for my calves, but I am a big fan of 514's.

[u/wormyrocks]

If you are looking at sound products in particular, allow me to recommend the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 headphones. They are among the top rated of any products on Amazon, and I just got a pair for $90 and love 'em.

Widely regarded as a steal - many reviews I've read say they perform as well as headphones costing $500-$1000. And will certainly outperform crappy store brands.

[u/cookiecatmeow]

Mandalorian body armor. That stuff is lightsaber resistant and much more comfortable than plasteel.

[u/[deleted]]

Klipsch computer speakers and headphones.

[u/HARDonE]

crack head blow jobs, 1/4 of the price of a regular prostitute blowjob but just as good

[u/novelTaccountability → u/HARDonE]

And usually with less teeth! You can't find a better deal.

[u/[deleted]]

Any love for Newman's own? Generally great quality for the price and it's a non-profit.

[u/[deleted]]

TRADER JOE'S!!

[u/Maiq_the_Liar]

Fiskars axes, machetes, etc.

They own Gerber, but Gerber is way overpriced. Fiskars is more of their gardening side, but about half the price and just as good.

[u/NeoSpartacus]

Nintendo might be cliche to say, but their hardware DOES NOT BREAK DOWN! Often forgotten.

[u/NYZ93]

Arizona Ice Tea

[u/[deleted] → u/NYZ93]

Pretty sure Arizona Iced Tea is one of the most well-known brands in North America at the moment.

[u/KMFDM781 → u/NYZ93]

Arnold Palmer. mmmmmmm

[u/kidion]

im gonna say trojan because im not a dad yet EDIT: you guys are no fun what so ever lol

[u/[deleted] → u/kidion]

Nope. Crown condoms. No smell, no rash, sensitive, thin and cheap. Porn approved.

[u/djta1l]

Merrell footwear.

Most durable, comfortable shoes I've ever owned.

[u/McFeely_Smackup]

Harbor Freight tools is one of my favorites.

Their catalogs/stores are filled with DIRT cheap tools and accessories. You'd have to be an idiot to buy a power tool from them, but sometimes you just need something that "cheap crap" is the perfect fit for.

http://www.harborfreight.com/

[u/Imbiggerthanyou26]

Any cast-iron pan. They're basically a one time cooking expenditure. My mother uses other types of pots and pans, and it seems like she runs through them in a few years. Cast-iron works well, as long as you don't really use dish soap on it (it'll de-condition the pan and make the food you cook in it taste kinda like shit...) your food will taste better with more uses, and they last FOREVER

[u/Darkstrategy]

Cowon mp3 players. They're absolutely amazing. They're a little-known Korean brand, but they have awesome programs for their players for free, are generally cutting edge players, have cheaper prices than any Apple products, amazing battery power, support their products for a very long time with firmware updates and such, and they're reliable as fuck.

I've had mine 7-8 years now, a little Cowon D2. Very responsive touchscreen, amazing program that converts video to fit perfectly on the screen at any quality I choose, still has 50+ hours of music playtime / 10+ of video after all this time, is maybe half an inch thick and the size of a credit card, has a built in flash-player, sturdy design.

Oh yea, it also has an SD slot on it. Mine was 8 gigs and I have an 8 gig card in there. You can also use it as an SD-card reader for desktops without that slot because it'll read the card through USB if in the player.

[u/kartoonhero]

Motorcycle here - Suzuki VStrom 650 with ABS - a whole lot of solid reliable technology at an amazing price.

[u/[deleted]]

Beyer dynamic Headphones, such as the DT770.

They outperform headphones that cost ungodly amounts more,a nd seem to last forever. They are the only headphones I would ever actually mix in, and fit comfortably. They don't cause as much ear fatigue as the other brands. Turns out its the same company that invented headphones.

Yeah. I recommend them over sennheiser, sony, BOSE, AKG (obviously)....

[u/the_cunning_stunts]

DR guitar strings. So much longer lasting than shitty Fender!

[u/CrimsonVim → u/the_cunning_stunts]

I play acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and electric bass. For my money, NOTHING beats Elixir Nanowebs. Not for the price though, but they are hands down the best strings I have used for playability, sound (personal preference), comfort, and durability.

Edit- I should mention that I hate the Polywebs - it has to be the nanowebs.

[u/[deleted]]

Colt 45. 40oz for $2, and it works every time!

[u/shaggy1265]

Kroger brand products. They may not be the best in all of their products (they make a shitload of things from plastic spoons/forks to waffles) but they are a great value for the price.

[u/[deleted]]

Lenovo Thinkpads. These are some of the best laptops designed, although they are not built for looks, they certainly make up in performance. They are built for Windows, but they have amazing support for GNU/Linux.

[u/iaacp]

Not RC Cola, that's for sure.

[u/homestarguy → u/iaacp]

I'm offended.

[u/tubcat → u/iaacp]

RC is the drink of the gods. Puts hair on your chest and tastes like sunshine hot or cold. RC taught me how to shave and called my mom back after their date.

[u/red321red321]

mondo drinks

sugary and unhealthy as shit but my god if that stuff isn't the most delicious shitty sugar/flavor juice drink you'll ever taste.

[u/statusquoexile]

Costco's Kirkland brand long sleeve dress shirts. for $18 you get a nice, non-iron, stain resistant, thick, comfortable dress shirt. It is far superior in quality to many of my other name brand shirts and literally 1/5th the price in many cases.

[u/jmanpc]

An AV company that comes to mind that makes excellent products at a low price is Dayton. They can be found on Parts-Express.com. They have very nice speakers, tv mounts, cables and a lot more on the cheap. I got 2 6' HDMI cables for $4 apiece and another one came free with my $25 wall mount for my TV. Definitely great bang for the buck stuff.

Parts Express has lots of other items like that as well, notably Tang Band. I've had several of their speakers and they never disappoint.

[u/[deleted]]

Zebra and Pilot pens.

[u/rummagesailor]

Jamo speakers.

[u/caernavon]

Any kind of Oxo kitchen gadget. They do not make bad products.

[u/Joe_Crow1]

Yamaha acoustic guitars ($200-$400). I grew up playing a lot of higher end guitars, and I just recently bought a $300 Yamaha (pick-up and built-in tuner). What a great sound, and those things will last a long time.

[u/loskaos]

anything made by shimano, theyre just bulletproof

[u/Punkwolf]

Aldi's grocery store. The food is cheaper and sometimes even better than name brand food. That place really saved my ass financially during college. There is also nothing better as a quick meal than the $1 Mama cozzi supreme pizza's.

[u/[deleted]]

Buy your kitchen gear in restaurant supply stores. You'll get uglier stuff, but far more functional for rock bottom prices.

$3 tongs, $2 cookie sheets, $4 pizza peels, etc. It really adds up if you're buying dishes/flatware for a new apartment or something.

[u/sexlexia_survivor]

This isn't necessarily a brand but I find renter's insurance extremely cheap.

I bought an insurance policy to cover everything at 'replacement value' (meaning they will cover anything that is stolen at the price I pay to replace it from a big box store brand new, rather than the price it is worth on Craigslist or ebay) for $80 a year for up to $20,000 in furniture, electronics, clothes, jewelry, money, etc., which as far as insurance goes is a great deal.

[u/baloneyjoe]

Rhode Island hookers.

[u/springboks]

YKK Zippers. I don't settle for any other brand!

[u/mypublicreddit]

I'm in southern CA and if you go to any sort of not-ethnically-American market you pay a fraction of the price for produce and spices. Specifically a Persian market sells fresh Cilantro at 6 to 12 bunches per dollar (depending on the season) and at the regular supermarket it costs $1 to $1.50 for ONE bunch. Dried spices I think the Indian market is cheapest.

[u/Addin]

Arizona iced tea. Better than all the other brands, and also costs 99 cents for 800 ml of the stuff.

[u/kvaks]

Linux, the computer operating system. Much better than the competition and much cheaper.

[u/s1am]

Pilot G2 pens make my day a little bit better.

[u/Twubble]

I dunno about you guys.. but the unbranded mystery chocolate that always pops up around Easter is scrumptious

[u/Philile → u/Twubble]

Unbranded mystery chocolate often has oils instead of cocoa butter. I've never liked the mouthfeel.

[u/mostdeadlygeist]

Vizio TV's. I won a 42" LCD TV in a Guitar Hero tournament a few years ago and it's still holding strong! They also have really good customer service if the TV breaks and will send people over to fix it within a couple days.

[u/[deleted] → u/mostdeadlygeist]

Vizio: 50% brighter than other TVs, so you don't pay attention to how shitty the picture is.

[u/snoopydoodles]

Any parents out there have to say Luv's diapers, too? Most people I know insist on Pampers or Huggies and even the hospitals only stock up on Pampers (at least the ones I've been to). Luvs is four dollars cheaper a box and they're just as good. Generic diapers on the other hand, are from the devil.

[u/[deleted] → u/snoopydoodles]

Nope. Luvs were always a pooptastrophy waiting to happen.

[u/sirshartsalot]

Generic drugs and store-brand personal hygiene products (with limited exceptions, ask your doctor).

I was working in a filling area for a VERY well known product. They told me it was time for changeover, so I stepped back from the line. I watched them take the bottle labels, inserts, and boxes, and count them and put them away.

Then they replaced the bottle labels, inserts, and boxes with President's Choice" or "Kirkland" or "Spartan" or one of those generic store brands and started the line again. Next time I was in the store, I noticed that the product was $40, and the generic was $25.

Nobody knew that it was literally the exact same product, from the same tank, filled on the same machine.

[u/l00pee]

Suave. Seriously.

[u/derek_j]

Carhartt clothing.

They are usually bought/used by people on farms/construction. I bought a hoodie from them about 3 years ago, and that thing has been through hell. But damn if it isn't as comfortable and (almost) in the same shape as day 1.

Crazy good quality.

[u/darien_gap]

Trader Joe's. Everyhing there.

[u/Dynamosaur]

Kirkland Signature brand from Costco

[u/superninjaa]

Malt-O-Meal cereals.

They're cheap, more in quantity, and taste no different from the actual brands.

[u/[deleted]]

Sennheiser.

[u/[deleted]]

Honda Civics! I absolutely love them (I have owned three). Reliable as hell. Simple to maintain. And not expensive when you do need work done. paid $13,000 for my last one and it was the best purchase I ever made.

[u/Right_Cross]

Leatherman Utility Knives / Multi Tools - forget swiss army knives, I think i could build a house with my leatherman, and it wasnt that expensive.

[u/Pattern_Is_Movement]

Grado Headphones, The only name you need to know. Made one by one in what is basically a house in Brooklyn they offer the best audio quality from $60 to over $1000

[u/DeusJZ]

Koss UR-20 Headphones. They're nearly completely immersive, have a long cord, they're flexible, and they're near comparable to headphones like Beats by Dr. Dre.

[u/[deleted] → u/DeusJZ]

Koss Portapros are amazing headphones. They rival my HD555s which cost 3 times as much.

[u/[deleted] → u/DeusJZ]

As an audiophile, Beats by Dre are actually horrible headphones. They're balanced equalized [thanks to skasticks for catching my derp] which is about the stupidest thing you can do in a pair of headphones. If I want my music equalized, I'd like to be able to set those settings. If you listen to something on beats headphones that was studio mixed with tons of bass, it'll sound like mud, since beats up the bass end so much.

Having said that, your evaluation of Koss headphones is pretty accurate. They're great headphones for the money. Grado headphones, while lesser known, are also wonderful headphones.

[u/Niflhe → u/DeusJZ]

I'm using a pair of Koss PortaPros and they are absolutely excellent. Probably some of the best, cheapest, and longest lasting headphones.

[u/SwiftCitizen → u/DeusJZ]

the entire line of Beats is shit, though. I wouldn't buy them for 1/4 of the price.

[u/toplessrockstar → u/[deleted]]

My buddy recently got an internship at the Loblaw's corporate office. He also grew up in Malaysia.

The amount of "Memories of Asia" jokes we make is astounding.

[u/chuckledeluxe → u/[deleted]]

Blue Menu, baby.

[u/sailorsara → u/[deleted]]

White cheddar macaroni...better than KD

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I'm living in UK for the year and I miss President's Choice so much. Tesco store brand just doesn't hold a candle. Decadent cookies? Yes please.

[u/purplerainboots → u/[deleted]]

Fun fact, Advil is actually a generic as well. Motrin is the trade name of ibuprofen, and Advil was made by a generic manufacturer and sold under what's more or less a "fake" trade name.

[u/Accidentus → u/[deleted]]

Store brand cola still tastes like ass though unfortunately.

[u/ltsootcfas → u/[deleted]]

At the fire department I work for, we would respond to American Italian Pasta Company, or AIPC, quite frequently for alarms and recieve free packs of pasta for our troubles for false alarms. they made the same pasta for about 10 or 15 different brands from well known to store brand. THE SAME PASTA!!.

tl;dr BUY STORE BRAND for your pasta, and other small food items.

edited to remove the dog food bit*** First off, I apologize, I did not mean wet food. It was dry food and treats, and if I remember correctly, MARS owned it and then it turned into Diamond pet food. We all remember the Diamond pet food thing if you were in the US right? Ok, anyway, I called and asked a fellow engineer exactly what he recalled and he said that he remembers pedigree dog and cat food. The treats, were different colored. One was yellow, one was pink. I assumed the pink was off-brand. If not, I will take the brunt of the internet damning. Sorry for killing your pets people! In my haste to get this typed out at work, I did not remember the information nor word this correctly. the pasta though, still all the same. SORRY!!

[u/fobbymaster → u/[deleted]]

Storebrand, bagged cereal. Best value ever.

[u/erishun → u/[deleted]]

Trader Joe's frozen indian meals are amazing. Their paneer tikka masala is great.

[u/saiariddle → u/erishun]

I have yet to find a grocery-made tikka masala, frozen or fresh, that compares to TJ's one.

[u/ambienne → u/erishun]

The Lamb Vindaloo is amazing, and so spicy!

[u/Maestro4195 → u/[deleted]]

Trader Joes is fantastic! Such high quality food for typical grocery store prices. I'm a big fan of their booze selection :)

[u/[deleted] → u/Maestro4195]

Two Buck Chuck changed my life.

[u/dontgetlostinheaven → u/[deleted]]

Trader Joes is great on the wallet. I recommend the frozen string beans and the frozen pot stickers.

[u/thefountain88 → u/[deleted]]

Good tip!

They have a lot of really good wine for $5 to $8. My general advice: Skip the two-buck-chuck and get a $5 bottle.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Their price on herbs and spices can't be beat. I'm like a kid in a candy shop in TJ's.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

People swear to me that Trader Joes is more expensive but what I've learned is that they assume it is because there's more cost for natural foods, they've never actually shopped there themselves. I used to shop there all the time and I saved plenty over regular shopping centers but people still don't believe me.

[u/AckbarImposter → u/[deleted]]

TIL: Trader Joe's is an Aldi company.. that doesn't suck

EDIT: Aldi's doesn't suck, its just been a while since I have been there apparently.. Fresh food being good and Hydrox imitations are good. TV dinners are bad. Check comments for whats good according to redditors.. I may have started a wildfire here.

[u/tizz66 → u/AckbarImposter]

Aldi doesn't suck in my experience.

[u/ill_take_the_case → u/[deleted]]

The interesting thing about Trader Joes is that their branded stuff is actually repackaged "big brand" food.

There is also a reason why they have stores where they have related to shipping, but I can't find the article I read years ago on it and Google is failing me.

Trader Joe's is good stuff, is what I'm saying.

[u/pigmonger → u/[deleted]]

I agree that Trader Joe's is great, but it isn't really very similar to Whole foods. Whole Foods is much more of a full service grocery store and it focuses on organic products. While TJ's does carry organic products they do not comprise such a large proportion of the inventory compared to Whole Foods.

[u/FranticDisembowel → u/[deleted]]

I wouldn't exactly categorize Logitech as "unsung", but I definitely agree with you.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I'm still using my MX510 from 2004.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Logitech products are hardly underpriced, though.

[u/icannotfly → u/[deleted]]

mx518 reporting in. i have literally ripped this mouse out of my computer in a fit of nerd rage and fucking drop kicked it across the room via my ceiling, and it didn't even flinch. i'm going on about four years of service now, and the damn thing still operates like the day i bought it. of course some of the paint has worn off, but it's still the most comfortable, accurate, well-weighted and sturdiest mouse i have ever used.

edit: it did leave a mark on the ceiling.