Lifehacker:
Outsmart Brands does the research for you and shows more affordable versions of popular consumer products. The site shows you the best you can get on a budget. They just launched, and while they still have more items coming, they have a pretty decent selection of stuff to start with. You can’t yet search for specific items, but you can browse their categories and get a pretty good idea of what to find.
I have been lusting after a decent stand mixer for a while and Outsmart recommended one that cost more than $100 less than the comparable KitchenAid one. If you’re on a budget and looking for inexpensive alternatives, check the site out.
Whatever you do make sure what you’re buying is American and not Chinese. They’ve already taken over Vancouver BC and the American west coast cities. You’re next Middle America.
“They’ve already taken over Vancouver BC” Really? In what way?
And you do know where your iPhone was made, right?
Not to sure I like the “Don’t by iFruits” comment on the iPad comparison here
https://www.outsmartbrands.com/buying-guides/top-cheap-10-inch-tablets
I don’t want to sound snobbish here but almost every time I went with the cheaper option on something I regretted it later. Sometimes the reasons were simple dissatisfaction, other times it came down to reliability problems that required that I replace the item one or more times resulting in higher cost and frustration. Get the best you can afford.
Go through your house and try to find an appliance that wasn’t made by a contract manufacturer. I’ll wait patiently.
I think that’s editorial clickbait of a sort. The bullet points below that suggest a slightly fairer assessment.
But given the site’s primary goal, they’re naturally going to proclaim Apple as too expensive.
Brother in law bought three early-days Vizio TVs because they kept dying, but were “cheap” at Walmart. I bought an “expensive” Sharp. Its still working just fine 12 years later.
My brother gave me shit for my $120 Corona pipe lighter. I asked him how many lighters he goes through smoking cancer sticks… he said probably 1 a week or more. “Congrats!” i told him – i’ve spent way less money on my lighter than he spends on lighters in a year… and i’ve had mine now for 15 years.
If you buy something and it lasts forever/until you’re dead – you will never be worse off than if you had chosen to buy a crappy/cheap one.
That KitchenAid mixer should last 30 years… minimum. Worth every penny of the $400 i spent on it. Saving $100 on a shit brand will only kick you in the head in the long run, because you’ll be buying them over and over again.
Its really expensive to be a cheap-ass – which is why you should endeavor to not be one.
(sorry for replying to myself…
The Cheftronic is made of plastic – you’ll be buying one every 5 years if you use it even only a handful of times.
I know, but still. It leaves a sour taste and makes me uninterested.
“Get the best you can afford” Absolutely agree.
I’m using an iPad 2 right now that’s been great and still has a very powerful battery. Battery life shows 6% wear. I’ve had this iPad since it was brand new. Not one regret.
If it slows down it is almost always Java related. We all know Java sucks.
An important point to make here too is that you can’t inspect the goods before buying either. While I don’t know their return policy, even if it’s good, it’s a pia to return things.
As far as Vizio is concerned, maybe I got lucky, but mine has been working since I bought it about 5 or more years ago now. I’ve got that and a used Panasonic plasma I bought a few years ago. Both are still fine.
Regardless of all that though, you are right about buying quality. It’s one of those things you learn as you go.
Agreed. At least for that product category.
No… current-day Vizios are just fine.
When they first came out (2003-2004?), when the prices were around an order of magnitude cheaper than comparable Sonys or Sharps, they were absolute rubbish.
They have in the last 5 years or so cleaned up their act and make the Toyota Camry of TVs. Ok… maybe the Mazda 3 of TVs… it will be a long time before i consider them reliable as Sharp, Sony, or LG.
(if you buy things from Samsung, you’re a bad person because Samsung is basically the Korean version of if Al Capone setup a company and took it legit, and only did a little organized crime on the side)
I want to agree but it’s just not that simple either way. Sometimes a cheaper brand is just as good or even better; sometimes it’s junk. Rarely is “the best” also the best value. I do believe in buying quality, but I also believe in using funds efficiently and actively dislike anything priced for snob appeal.
I would be very skeptical of this site just on the basis that it’s easy to take shortcuts and recommend something that’s equivalent on paper but not in actual use.
So it’s just a site that highlights cheap knockoffs of original ideas and quality goods?
Samsung must be on there a lot.
I’d rather support the companies that develop the new ideas, rather than the companies that just steal someone else’s IP and leech off their marketing.