What do you refuse to get generic versions of?
Stuff a certain company or organization can simply do that others cant
- Fedora
- GrapheneOS + stupid Pixel phones
- Coreboot laptop, whatever brand
- actually sustainable products
- some Bike components but if I find something better here I go!
1 and 2 are BS
Fisherman’s friend cough drops. They’re not the tastiest cough drops out there, but they fucking work.
“The name Fisherman’s Friend” makes me think the cough drops are going to taste like fish oil or Powerbait.
Nothing quite so disgusting, they’re the usual sorts of flavors you would expect to find in a cough drop. I taste mostly menthol and a bit of licorice, but they are definitely something that was made to be an effective cough drop first and foremost and tasting good was not a major consideration
They are kind of ugly brown tablets that don’t look too dissimilar from maybe a pellet fish food for a koi pond or something. I have a hunch that I haven’t tested that you could probably get carp to bite on them if you tried to use them as bait, carp will go for some weird stuff
These and “Sucrets” - for when you throat hurts and you want novacaine in tablet form.
Source: professional singer. These two have saved me many times.
Household appliance and in general everything where support and assistance may have a big impact
I take vitamins because of malabsorption related to celiac disease, and I’ve read that a lot of cheap vitamin brands are total scams.
Fortunately, I’ve been finding some major brands at the dollar store, of all places, for $1.25USD
You probably already know all this, but in case it would be helpful to others: Your doctor should also be able to write you a prescription for whatever vitamins you’re taking, from what I understand the ones you get from behind the pharmacy counter are actually what they say they are.
I have low vitamin D, and when it was atrociously low (#1 lowest my dr had ever seen! 🥴) I got an actual prescription for it.
YMMV on whether insurance puts up a fight about paying for it, if applicable. If not and you have to stick to OTC I try to get stuff with the USP verified label on it.
Yeah true, but last time I went to the doctor they charged me $200 for just the office visit, so it’s not really sustainable for me
Cheerios. Just the plain toasted oat variety.
For some reason the other brands of toasted oats do not taste right. Other cereal generics are fine.
SOS Pads and Oreos.
Oreos are a copy of Hydrox. A superior copy, of course, but I wonder if the panel should disqualify your answer.
Nah, Oreos are still a name brand, not a generic. Like cheese nips vs cheez its
Good point. The committee should allow this entry into the record.
Ever had Aldi brand Oreos? Slightly less sweet but I think I like em better
Fishing lures. Off brand ones don’t have the same action. Some of them work, but most knock off meps don’t
What does “action” mean in this context?
The way it retrieves. How the lure spins, the depth at which it stays. If its a cheap lure, it won’t attract fish
I would guess movement, flex and “attraction”?
batteries.
This one is interesting, because I’ve heard certain generic brands are actually just repackaged Duracells
I’ve also been thinking about getting some rechargeable Ikea ones, heard those are decent
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I wonder if they’re repackaged due to not meeting certain quality control thresholds, but still technically useable
A few years back a guy did agood dive into this on (other website name redacted). He said for things like digital camersand other high draw items, Duracell is still the champ - however, $/hour of use, some cgeaper bands came out ahead. I still have half a giant pack of AC Delco AA / AAAs that have been quite solid.
Here’s a comparison site that graphs the voltage during discharge of a bunch of AA and AAA batteries with various loads using a high-end battery tester.
NiMH rechargeable AAs trounce every alkaline under heavy load. It’s not even close at 0.5A and above. Disposable lithium is better still up to 2A, but extremely expensive. Few devices will draw more than 2A from an AA battery, but I can think of a couple of flashlights that do; disposable lithium is unsuitable for those.
I’ve heard certain generic brands are actually just repackaged Duracells
Might depend where you live, I live in Nothern Europe and the cheap generic brand batteries from a popular electronics store chain, rechargeable, are quite shit when I compare them to my 5+ year old Eneloops. Haven’t tried IKEA ones though.
I’ve got eneloops that are 10 years old and still kicking. I tried Amazon’s as well and those are shit. 100% are dead and I got them over the years after I got the eneloops as I needed more.
The Ikea Lada rechargables are rebranded Eneloops. Panasonic is the only manufacturer making rechargable batteries in Japan.
Does Sony not make CycleEnergy, or Sanyo make their version too anymore?
I’m pretty sure ikea just spent a bunch on R&D and tooling to set up their own battery manufacturing plant in Japan.
Rechargeables are definitely a good upgrade for most applications where people use alkalines. They have better performance under high load, are much less likely to leak corrosive electrolyte, and you can use them again after you drain them. I’m a little surprised they aren’t more popular.
The Panasonic Eneloop is the gold standard for rechargeables, particularly the white ones which are more shelf-stable and have a longer service life than the higher-capacity black Eneloop Pro. Made-in-Japan Ikea rechargeables are suspected of being rebranded Eneloop Pros, but I don’t think that’s been conclusively proven.
Some of the IKEA batteries are rebranded Eneloops!
Definitely! For electronics, Eneloop batteries are worth every penny. I think I have ~10 AA and AAA, and I haven’t bought disposable batteries in years. I try to make sure I have 4 of each available at all times so I don’t have to wait for them to recharge. I’ve tried cheaper (Amazon) batteries, and they fail much more quickly, and sometimes swell to the point where I have a hard time removing them.
Some people say IKEA’s batteries are just rebranded Eneloops, but I haven’t had a chance to try them
bandaids and Nexcare medical tape
Toothpaste. Generics are awful.
How come? I’m asking because my dentist said the opposite.
You have the tenth dentist!
I asked my dentist about that, too. The physical act of brushing is the most important part and the toothpaste is just to apply some fluoride, essentially.
Mac&cheese
It’s Kraft Dinner or nothing.
Honestly PC white cheddar is very good
I didn’t have to open your username to know what instance your account is on…
because I agree.
Annie’s?
Kraft isn’t even remotely better that every other shitty brand of that “stuff”.
Go buy real pastas, real cheese and seasoning and learn to make real fucking food.
I sometimes make my mac and cheese with real pasta and Kraft singles. Tastes almost as good as the real thing.
Garbage food is genuinely enjoyable for people.
Also dog food and bogey, doesn’t mean it’s a nice thing.
Gotta be KD
Nutella
Edit: I am FLABERGASTED at how many people disagree, I genuinely thought this was obvious, pls recommend anything you prefer to nutella (and whether it’s more or less expensive)
i started to buy kraft instead of nutella. just as good but sunflower oil instead of palm
I’ll try that, thanks
The really fancy stuff (in Germany, don’t know if it exists somewhere else) is Samba. Nutella is just sweet slime in comparison
Googled it, never seen it around unfortunately
I think ebl supermarket has it, but yeah it’s a little hard to come by sadly
I’ve never had Samba or any other brand of chocolate spread, but I agree Nutella tastes like chocolate slime. It’s as if they melted (vomit flavored) Hershey bars down into a spread.
Aldi has a really tasty version that our whole family prefers.
Aldi is US only I think unfortunately
Aldi is German.
In Germany we have Nudossi which has less sugar and a lot more hazelnut. There’s a variation without palm oil so this is what Ive been buying instead of nutella.
Nah, there’s stuff out there that’s better. Just try out a few.
Forget the name but one with the squirrel on top is very good.
one with the squirrel on top
Maybe you’re thinking of Nutino?
Interesting, that looks good too, but no that’s not the one. I looked it up it’s Nocciolotta.
Nutella is the holy one! There’s other good stuff and I don’t say Nutella is better, it’s just in a one-and-only category: if you want Nutella, you buy Nutella, if you want some chocolate cream, you buy what you like best
I get that, although Nutella has gotten worse in my opinion since they increased the milk powder content relative to the hazelnut content a few years back. So even Nutella isn’t really Nutella anymore in my opinion, therefore I can just as well buy something with more hazelnut centered flavour.
I am one of the Nutella buyers but even so I would mention that the flavour varies wildly amongst different countries to the point that I now can say I like it from very specific places. Just thought I’d mention that each of us could actually have a slightly different version and not like it as much.
Ah, that would explain some things. Thx.
Tires. Never cheap out on tires.
This I agree with.
I once heard someone say: «never skimp out on what seperates you from the ground».
For bed and tires I really agree, but with shoes I’m not as strict.I had this exact stance until I won a pair of $200 running shoes in a raffle. My occasional backpains and joint problems disappeared almost immediately. I started buying the best footwear I could afford and my quality of life went measurable up after that decision.
The BIGGEST changes were going to a reputable podiatrist and getting shoe recommendations based off of my arch shape, weight and gait. They put me on a treadmill with highspead cameras at the sides and rear to record how my stride landed both walking and running. That and custom molded insoles.
Now Shoes are a part of our yearly budget to make sure we have good condition, supportive shoes at all times. Also re-soleing if applicable.
Side note: Dress shoes can die in a fire.
Ok fine, my running shoes I got the same way you did.
I still skimp on the everyday shoes though, and like you avoid flat soles like fire.
Cheers for sharing though. I know what you’re doing would benefit me in the long run.
I agree from the opposite direction:
20 years ago I switched to zero drop minimalist footwear for running, hiking, and almost all everyday activities (everything except weddings and funerals). I only wear footwear that has no relation at all to my foot’s arch, my weight, or my gait.
Best decision for my knees, ankles, and hips I think I ever made.
That’s actually pretty interesting. I started with minimalist footwear once I was old enough to start making shoe decisions myself and apparently that was partially causing some of the problems I was experiencing.
Five Fingers were my go to’s (once they came out) for most days and Vivobarefoot’s / Nike Free’s for when the social side of five fingers was in questionable taste.
It’s always fascinating to me how wildly different solutions are the exact remedy needed for different individuals. It’s why I always get a little irritated when you read someone saying “Use this thing AND THIS THING ONLY! everything else is junk and dumb and you will be a worse person for using it.” such a close minded approach to the world.
I’ve been out of the minimal shoe worlds for a bit minute, anything cool to come about recently?
Same same, although VFFs only came out in the 2005, so it hasn’t been quite 20 years. The only shoes I wear that have support are my motorcycle boots and cycling shoes.
I’d go barefoot everywhere if I could.
Changed my tires for the first time last year. Bought the cheapest tires acailable to me and now my car feel a bit wobbly. I’m definitely buying better tires next time.
Same can be said about the power supply unit of your homemade PC. Cheaping out on that is a good way to fry your PC or burn your house down.
Like Bronzie said, never skimp on what separates you from the ground. Or on this case, what separates your computer from the ground.
Shoes. I usually buy lightly used to offset the cost of better brands, which last longer.
Certain premade foods, like tortillas. Even amongst brands, not all are equal. Same with the cheese.
