# Cheap products that really surprised you with their poor quality. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 14, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667 "2015-02-14T20:50:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/21 "2015-02-15T15:18:33Z")
InInIn the 1980s, I bought a few cheap Walkman type cassette players, IIRC, from Walmart. They were something like 10 bucks, but, I thought that I could take a hit on quality to save some money. Other brands were going for 20 dollars on up. Big joke. They lasted a day. I thought, well, I must have got a bad one. I bought 2 or 3 more, and none of them lasted past the first day. They just stopped working. The brand on them was **GPX**. I found another brand, just as cheap. **Lennox or Lennox Sound**. Same story. IIRC, they were produced by the same company. They looked exactly the same, and the quality was just as shitty. I’m surprised that about a year ago, I was in Walmart looking at stereo stuff, and found the same brand names! Dollar store house-brand razors are a good way to die the death of a thousand cuts. I thought that I would only have to deal with an unsharp razor, and would have to repeat the shave process. Nope. It was like running a wire brush across my face, except with more pain. ---
**Author:** ![Hopeful\_Crow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/da6949/32.png) [@Hopeful\_Crow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hopeful_Crow)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/22 "2015-02-15T22:25:48Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > I got some safety pins from Walmart. It was amazing how easily they bent. So if you want some safety pins from Walmart that don’t bend when you try to stick them through heavy cloth you need to buy the high-end stuff there. I bought some safety pins probably at a dollar store. Most of the points were bent into tiny hooks. I was glad I wasn’t using them on any kind of good fabric. ---
**Author:** ![hyperspaz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@hyperspaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hyperspaz)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/23 "2015-02-16T01:41:39Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > The thread title should be “What have you bought from Harbour Freight Tool?”.\* Ahh, Horrible Freight. I once bought a set of small files there; I started to use the flat one and the handle came off and I got a beautiful hole in my palm from the end of the file. I still have a little scar there. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/24 "2015-02-16T04:20:15Z")
I bought a cheap “chinese iPod” knock off from China, delivered. I knew it was going to be junk but thing basically was unusable. I think I managed to listen to a couple of songs on it before it broke. The instruction manual was entertaining though. ---
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/25 "2015-02-16T06:06:04Z")
I bought a wallet for ~5 USD in Malaysia. Fell apart after two days. ---
**Author:** ![Syne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Syne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syne)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/26 "2015-02-16T06:30:51Z")
Android chargers from Amazon… It seems like I can’t buy a good one to save my life. I’ve tried like 3 different brands, and they all break. Even bought one I thought was Samsung but I think it was a Chinese knockoff. I would love to buy a decent phone charger for my car without going to a mobile phone store and dropping $40, but it seems like it’s either that or buy something that doesn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/27 "2015-02-16T06:55:31Z")
I needed a new shower liner and I figured, how could anyone fuck up a shower liner? so I bought one from the dollar store. The thing was made of the same plastic plastic bags are made from. Didn’t even try putting it up, just went straight in the bin and I got a $10 shower liner from Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/28 "2015-02-16T07:34:52Z")
$5 bike computer, lasted about four hours riding time. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/29 "2015-02-16T07:40:58Z")
I’ve seen cheap knives break in exactly the worst way, where if you were using it _like a knife is supposed to be used_, the moment it snaps you could easily stab yourself in the face. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/30 "2015-02-16T13:57:32Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > Some dime-store screwdrivers I snagged in a pinch that didn’t remove a single screw; they stripped while the screw was barely scratched. LOL I did this one once. Two screwdrivers for a dollar. Was away from home and just needed a screwdriver. Both of them stripped themselves and did not turn the screw. Why? Why would someone make something so useless? ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/31 "2015-02-16T14:51:57Z")
When I got a widescreen tv for my office/den a few years ago, I picked up an off-brand DVD player for it that was on sale for $25 at ABC Warehouse. Didn’t expect too much from it, but the picture quality was horrible- all blocky and pixelated, especially if the on-screen motion was faster than a snail’s pace. And the buttons didn’t work on the remote unless you mashed them down as hard as you could. I eventually got a name-brand one that was only $20 more. Has a fantastic picture and works flawlessly. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/32 "2015-02-16T15:07:10Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > Some dime-store screwdrivers I snagged in a pinch that didn’t remove a single screw; they stripped while the screw was barely scratched. I didn’t even get that far with my dollar store screwdrivers. They looked like the ends had been formed in some sort of drop-forge or press, but the operator had got the rod in not quite centered on one(flathead), and on the other(Philips), they hadn’t bothered to grind off the excess that the press/forging die hadn’t cut off. So they wouldn’t even actually fit into the screw recesses enough to actually be useful. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/33 "2015-02-16T15:22:16Z")
Plastic drawer storage bins, such as this: > **[Ace Hardware | The Helpful Place - Ace Hardware](https://www.acehardware.com/)** > > Shop Ace Hardware for grills, hardware, home improvement, lawn and garden, and tools. Buy online & pickup today! Bins like this used to be metal, with hard plastic drawers, but now they are cheap looking platic housings, with soft drawers. But it’s all you can get these days. At Ace, as you can see, they are $20. Walmart had ones that looked identical, but for less, but when I got it home I found all the drawers were warped. I suspect it was actually made by the same company, but the ones they made for Walmart were pulled out of the mold too soon, while they were warm, and they warped while they cooled. I never knew you could make a cheaper, crappier version of a cheap crap version of a good product. ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/34 "2015-02-16T16:05:35Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Honestly, it was the worst smell of my life. I looked at Bailey from the hallway, just sitting there on my bed, looking at me like, “I don’t know why this is happening?” I kinda felt bad for him. Until he farted again. It wouldn’t stop. And it was all from the fucking cheap dog food.( Thank you for the belly laugh. I can empathize, believe me. Cheap cat food can be similar. > [@PatriotX](#): > > Why? Why would someone make something so useless? Because they can make ten or twenty screwdrivers for a dollar and figure plenty of people will fall into the trap of thinking that for 50c a throw they have to be decent value for money. Alternatively, it may be that they had a pile of screwdrivers which failed QA for the $10/set screwdriver company and they figured they could get something for them. > [@Gatopescado](#): > > They have these “clamps” that work with a pistol grip action that break with about a half-pound of pressure. What are you supposed to clamp with these? Paper? Utter garbage. > > My old man used to say, _“The most expensive thing in the world is a cheap tool”._ I agree with your old man. have been burned many many many times by the lure of a ‘bargain’ until eventually I learned to resist a little. I thought hammers were one of those low-tech generic all-the-same items until I was trying to pull out a big nail using a cheap claw hammer. I thought it was coming out quite easily until I realized the nail had not moved and the head of the hammer was at a 45 degree angle.:mad: So I cast aside the marshmallow hammer and grabbed a larger hammer. With that I had to apply considerably more force until - one of the claws snapped off. I tossed them both out and went off to buy a decent hammer, so that was the cost of two crappy hammers plus a trip to the hardware store completely wasted versus just buying the decent hammer to start with. The next morning the two wrecked hammers lying outside had gone rusty! Oh and those pistol grip clamps are fantastic - at least, the Irwin branded ones are. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/35 "2015-02-16T17:57:47Z")
> [@slaphead](#): > > Thank you for the belly laugh. I can empathize, believe me. Cheap cat food can be similar. My experience of cheap cat food was that it didn’t stay inside the cats long enough to produce that kind of digestive upset. In about a 2-hour period after I first tried giving them the cheap kibble, they managed between them to barf at least once in every single room in the house. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/36 "2015-02-16T18:05:18Z")
> [@hyperspaz](#): > > Ahh, Horrible Freight. I once bought a set of small files there; I started to use the flat one and the handle came off and I got a beautiful hole in my palm from the end of the file. I still have a little scar there. Eh, just as a man needs to know his own limitations, he also needs to know the limits of his tool supplier. I have found HF a good resource in 2 scenarios - 1) a specialty tool that I need for a specific project and may never use again, like the 36" wood clamps I needed to build a door or the oil pressure tester that I needed to diagnose and repair an old car. Both performed their one task and have hung in the garage ever since, and 2) tools to be used only for very light duty household applications. OTOH, I did manage to break an HF socket while dislodging a stuck bolt on an exhaust manifod. Not stripped, but broke in half. It was my own fault, I violated scenario #2. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/37 "2015-02-16T18:21:01Z")
> [@fisha](#): > > Dollar store razors. A cheese grater would work better and cause less damage. I’ll go further and specifically say Bic brand razors are horrible. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/38 "2015-02-16T18:32:19Z")
Any cheapo squirt gun. Took me two times to learn my lesson impulse buying them for the kiddo. 6 pulls off the trigger (which squirts a fractured stream of water about 9 inches) and the things are toast, leaving me with a teary boy. ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/39 "2015-02-16T18:41:11Z")
I have a Sony portable DVD player that doesn’t have any anti-skip technology so the slightest imperfection on a DVD’s playing surface will make it skip during playback. Even cheap CD players have anti-skip technology. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/40 "2015-02-16T18:54:14Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > Eh, just as a man needs to know his own limitations, he also needs to know the limits of his tool supplier. I have found HF a good resource in 2 scenarios - 1) a specialty tool that I need for a specific project and may never use again, like the 36" wood clamps I needed to build a door or the oil pressure tester that I needed to diagnose and repair an old car. Both performed their one task and have hung in the garage ever since, and 2) tools to be used only for very light duty household applications. Or 3) HF’s good for tools you know will be destroyed, or substantially mangled in the course of the project. My wife is an amateur jeweler, and she uses HF tweezers for holding things, because all tweezers eventually get jacked up when used with acetylene torches, so why buy expensive ones? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667.md?page=3)