# Bad brands **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 26, 2011, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337 "2011-07-26T00:53:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/41 "2011-07-27T02:11:27Z")
When I was living in Mexico, I avoided FUD brand like the plague. That was based _purely_ on the name. Too many associations with 1980’s generics to my mind. Similarly I avoided Bimbo white bread (Mexican Wonder!) and also Wonder. Bimbo is a friggin’ huge company; I guess it was inevitable that they’d start marketing their own brand in the United States leveraging their huge US manufacturing capabilities. I still haven’t seen Bimbo any place but Mexicantown (Detroit), though. Off hand I can’t of a brand of product that I avoid in the supermarket. There certainly are whole classes of things I don’t purchase, but most things I purchase aren’t branded anyway (fruits, meats, veggies, etc.). I suppose I’d never buy Crisco brand extra virgin olive oil, or anything other than Lea and Perrins Worcestershire, though. Edit: I’ve not yet learned what to avoid in China, though, other than “anything Chinese.” That’s going to be a problem, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/42 "2011-07-27T02:17:10Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > The Bimbo posts remind me similarly of the Mexican brand [_Fud_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FUD_(food)). They are all over the place around here, they are cheap as dirt, and they taste not much better. Also, Fudd Beer has been known to cause blindness in the Spittle County hillbillies who drink it, according to the Simpsons. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/43 "2011-07-27T02:34:45Z")
Magnavox: the Chevrolet of consumer electronics. Extremely cheaply made, plastic chassis, internal parts and circuit boards held in place with gobs of hot glue. Whenever one came in for service, the only way to get into it was to break it apart. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/44 "2011-07-27T02:43:23Z")
On bimbo: their actual bread is lousy, but i will say that their pastry-ish items are above par. Their pound cakes, specifically, are the best I’ve had from prepackaged brand. Faint praise, maybe, but they’re great when you’re drunk at 2AM. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/45 "2011-07-27T02:49:42Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Texas Pete Louisiana style hot sauce is truly execrable. There are so many decent brands out there that there’s no reason to bother with that garbage. It’s neither hot, nor particularly flavorful, unless you like vinegar. I think it’s even artificially thickened. Texas Pete and Louisiana are two different hot sauce brands. I’ve only had Louisiana, which I recall as liking less than most but didn’t find inedible. ---
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/46 "2011-07-27T02:54:17Z")
I’ve not had good experience with Memorex brand rewritable DVDs. Gimme a Fuji, any day. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/47 "2011-07-27T03:12:13Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > Magnavox: the Chevrolet of consumer electronics. Extremely cheaply made, plastic chassis, internal parts and circuit boards held in place with gobs of hot glue. Whenever one came in for service, the only way to get into it was to break it apart. I’ve had problems with all three major brands - Magnetbox, Sorny, and Panafonics. Joe ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/48 "2011-07-27T03:24:42Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Not just a bad product, but a whole brand that sucks. Let’s see what shows up. Dell. Never seen a bigger POS for the price. Hell, Emachines are the same quality for a better price. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/49 "2011-07-27T03:41:49Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Buddig sliced meat. It’s the el cheapo brand of “deli” meats. Had to eat it a lot when I was a kid, well, because of the cheapo thing. Tried it as an adult to verify it was still the same. So I avoid it like the plague. I’m not sure Buddig has any other ingredient than salt. 😃 Jennie-o is another brand I won’t go near. Lipton tea. Yuck. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/50 "2011-07-27T04:30:28Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > Dell. > > Never seen a bigger POS for the price. Hell, Emachines are the same quality for a better price. After years of putting up with Dell in the workplace, I’ll never buy one. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/51 "2011-07-27T16:51:26Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > The problem with this thread is, I’ll be at the store, see Mt. olive Pickles, and think “I’ve heard of those somewhere”, and not recall the critical “they’re bad” part. In my opinion, they’re not…I’ve never had a Mt. Olive product like what the OP described. I was not aware that Roddenberry’s was still around. I’ve had enough of Dell, based off of the last computer I tried to buy from them…it overheated minutes after I turned it on, and it took me hours to get in touch with their returns department. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Nene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/da6949/32.png) [@El\_Nene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Nene)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/52 "2011-07-27T17:06:29Z")
Wonderful brand pistachios are disgusting. Do not buy. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/53 "2011-07-27T17:08:24Z")
KRUSTEAZ. Lemon bars, that is. This is the second time I’ve mixed up a batch and gotten burned. :mad: This stuff goes rancid FAST. Didn’t think in time to mix a pinch of the lemon filling with a drop of water before proceding - do this! and sniff, and if it smells bad, throw it out and save yourself three eggs. Krusteaz is good at apologizing and sending coupons if you complain to them, send in the number printed on the box, but I don’t know if I’d want to buy more of their products. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/54 "2011-07-27T17:11:13Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > Dell. > > Never seen a bigger POS for the price. Hell, Emachines are the same quality for a better price. Add Gateway to this list. I had a gateway computer at work and a Gateway Laptop at home and they both crapped out. I was lucky that the Gateway computer was stolen in a burglary and I got to claim it on my homeowner’s policy. E-Machines is kind crap but I bought one for $150.00 in 2001 that lasted me five years before dying on my friend who I had given it to. At that price point, you expect a lot less. For consumer electronics, Apex was pretty bad in my experience although at that price point, it did the job. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/55 "2011-07-27T17:11:55Z")
TRIO brand instant gravy mixes. This may just be a restaurant-only brand (I’ve never seen it in stores), and every time I’ve had to use the stuff in a restaurant — fortunately, not often — I’ve found it to make terrible gravy. Bad texture, floury-tasting. Every place I’ve worked that has tried it has quickly tried something else. On the hot-sauce-in-Mexican-restaurants issue, the brand I see most often around here (Washington state) is Tapatio, which isn’t bad. I’ve seen Cholula in a handful of places as well, and it’s also pretty good. Both “just hot enough” and both with good flavor. I’m talking about actual Mexican-owned, Mexican-run places. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/56 "2011-07-27T17:16:16Z")
> [@howye](#): > > Anyhoo, my personal brand distaste is for American Airlines and their willingness to go above and beyond to treat someone traveling like crap. There… edited that for you. Doesn’t matter if it’s frequent flier miles or not, AA treats you like dogshit for the most part. And the “Fud” brand always makes me think of an old Far Side comic where a dog is trying to entice a cat into the dryer, and it’s labeled “Cat Fud” (instead of “Food”). ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/57 "2011-07-28T03:17:57Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > KRUSTEAZ. Lemon bars, that is. This is the second time I’ve mixed up a batch and gotten burned. :mad: This stuff goes rancid FAST. Didn’t think in time to mix a pinch of the lemon filling with a drop of water before proceding - do this! and sniff, and if it smells bad, throw it out and save yourself three eggs. Krusteaz is good at apologizing and sending coupons if you complain to them, send in the number printed on the box, but I don’t know if I’d want to buy more of their products. Make lemon bars from scratch. No boxed version tastes right. Krusteaz pancake mix is (or used to be) excellent. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/58 "2011-07-28T03:20:11Z")
I’ve a couple of excellent Dell laptops and one big order screwup that sent me to HP instead. The HP was a POS and I’m back to Dell and happy with the machine. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/59 "2011-07-28T15:52:35Z")
Pyrex. Dow Corning sold off the trademark and the new owners put out inferior stuff; voila, a fine old trademark destroyed. Gee, hope your executives made some money off that. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337/60 "2011-07-28T19:13:13Z")
Wow,\*\* Rocketeer\*\*, do you have any idea when this happened? I ask because sitting in an un-opened box from December or January is some unopened Pyrex going with my othe half to grad school. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-brands/590337.md?page=4)