# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/41 "2015-02-16T18:56:49Z")
I’ll admit to buying something from Harbor Freight that actually works. I needed a caliper for my home-based business, and found one for about $2. Because it’s used for light duty, it does what I need and I’m OK with that. As for higher-end items, no way. My experience with clothes from Old Navy is the same. I cannot figure out how that store stays in business; everything I’ve ever purchased from there was unwearable after the first washing. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/42 "2015-02-16T18:58:34Z")
I bought a pack of zip ties at the dollar store. each one disintegrated while they were being zipped. No matter how gently I tried they just fell apart. I bought a portable GPS device on Ebay. it was uber cheap and I didn’t even get what I paid for. Right out of the box it was crap. Like I’m going to ship it back to Hong Kong for my 12 cents back. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/43 "2015-02-16T20:22:05Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’ll go further and specifically say Bic brand razors are horrible. I learnt to shave with those things (my Dad’s brand). It’s a good way to get over a fear of blood I guess. That and your technique gets pretty damn good so when you move to a decent razor everything’s a breeze. In addition to cheap tools, cheap musical instruments are a huge no-no. I can’t think of a better way to discourage a beginner than handing them an impossible to tune guitar with a ridiculously high action and frets that are not quite in the right places. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/44 "2015-02-16T20:33:49Z")
Clothes from Cato. Every couple of years, I forget why I don’t shop there and buy something. Rarely do they make it past the second wash. Dollar store cotton swabs. The stem bends at the slightest touch and the amount of cotton varies from next to none up to the siz of a small grape. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/45 "2015-02-16T20:39:49Z")
The Nexus 5. given that this was supposed to be Google’s “flagship” android phone of its day, you’d think they’d figure out a way to make it not a battery sucking piece of shit. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/46 "2015-02-16T20:54:41Z")
> [@fisha](#): > > Dollar store razors. A cheese grater would work better and cause less damage. Sweet Jesus, yes! I made that mistake once. _I’ll give them a try. They can’t be that bad,_ I thought. Oh yes they could. My face looked and felt like I had shaved with a power sander. The entire bag of 10 or 12 razors went into the garbage. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/47 "2015-02-16T21:20:44Z")
I bought a water bucket (roughly 2-3 gallon) from a dollar store. It was so cheap and flimsy that, when filled it water, it flexed too much to pick up – the sides would bend up and the handle popped right out. Completely useless as a bucket. I also made a mistake with cheapo earbuds once. I bought a pair for $5 for my ex after she broke a pair. They were on clearance at Target, originally $20ish and fairly nice looking but from a no-name brand. I figured they couldn’t be worse than the cheapo pack-ins she had before. Man, was I wrong – the audio quality was unlistenable. It sounded like listening to music through the announcement speakers on a subway. Oh, I also recently bought a case for my phone from eBay. It looked liked a copy of an existing cheap case I had that wore out. It looked okay in person, although the plastic was a little flimsy. As soon as a put the phone in, however, it cracked apart. It looks like they got the dimensions just a tiny bit too snug. I’d wager every one of these things did the same thing, but who is going to return to Hong Kong for a $4 refund? ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/48 "2015-02-16T21:27:00Z")
> [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > I was in need of new earbuds and saw a pair at the grocery store that were on sale for $1.99 because they had been discontinued. I thought, HELLYES I cannot pass up a pair of $2 earbuds!!! > > They broke after the second use. > > So, I mean, I knew they were cheap, but I didn’t expect them to be quite so shitty. 'Scuse please. But, what are ear buds? Are they like ear muffs? Or maybe ear plugs? I don’t know about sticking anything into my ears that cost less than $2. I mean … I like my ears and depend on them a whole bunch. Come to think of it, I would stick anything into any part of my body if it cost less than $2. It just seem like asking for trouble - a whole lotta trouble. Just my opinion, but … YIKES! Still … it would be good to know what “ear buds” mean. What? What? What? Oh, yes. Ear Buds. They are like head phones, except that they hurt. That’s an important difference. Isn’t it? I don’t care what they look like … but give me headphones cuz they don’t hurt my ears. Please? Hear is a link to the things. [https://www.google.ca/search?q=earbuds&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws\_rd=cr&ei=tGDiVKahHYLhsASbnYKQDw](https://www.google.ca/search?q=earbuds&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=tGDiVKahHYLhsASbnYKQDw) Typo intentional. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/49 "2015-02-16T21:37:00Z")
A replacement flush valve kit from Home Depot. The family of a friend owns a wholesale plumbing supply company. He happened to be over one day and asked why I had this brand new flush valve kit sitting on the kitchen counter. “Oh, I’m taking it back. It looks like really poor quality. I’m pretty sure it’ll break after a few flushes and I’ll be doing this all over again, so fuck that. I’d rather call the plumber and get a flush valve that’s better quality.” He inspected everything in the kit and said, “You’re right; take it back and call a plumber.” I even went shopping for a similar kit, only better quality, at other stores, but they all carried the same brand. I haven’t called the plumber yet. I just keep the valve shut off. (I have another bathroom; it’s not a big deal to just live with it until I get around to calling the plumber.) ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/50 "2015-02-16T21:41:41Z")
I haven’t tried it, but I saw a pregnancy test at the dollar store. Struck me as an area where someone wouldn’t want to cheap out. ---
**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, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/51 "2015-02-16T21:58:10Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > I haven’t tried it, but I saw a pregnancy test at the dollar store. Struck me as an area where someone wouldn’t want to cheap out. Actually, they’re accurate enough. Maybe not as early as some of the more expensive ones, but not inaccurate such that they have false positives, or say you’re not pregnant when you are. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/52 "2015-02-17T00:50:19Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > I mean … I like my ears and depend on them a whole bunch. Come to think of it, I would stick anything into any part of my body if it cost less than $2. The issue with low quality earbuds is poor sound quality and reliability. It’s not as though the cheap ones are made out of acid and bees. I clean my outer ear canal with Q-Tips that run less than $2 each. Ear buds go in the same place. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/53 "2015-02-17T00:54:39Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > I haven’t tried it, but I saw a pregnancy test at the dollar store. Struck me as an area where someone wouldn’t want to cheap out. “Hon? It says we’re having _kittens._” ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/54 "2015-02-17T14:38:36Z")
I bought Mexican instant coffee at the dollar store realizing that I was bucking the odds on several counts. It wasn’t bad, it merely had no coffee flavor whatsoever. You could dump in an ounce and still it could just as easily be cereal beverage or unsalted vegetable boullion as coffee. It works as a cheap caffeine fix after the office coffe pot has been turned off in the afternoon, but in the future I’ll splurge on something better. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/55 "2015-02-17T16:39:39Z")
¡ƃuoɹʍ ɟo spuıʞ llɐ sı pɹɐoqʎǝʞ sıɥʇ ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/56 "2015-02-17T17:04:36Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > I bought Mexican instant coffee at the dollar store realizing that I was bucking the odds on several counts. > > It wasn’t bad, it merely had no coffee flavor whatsoever. You could dump in an ounce and still it could just as easily be cereal beverage or unsalted vegetable boullion as coffee. > > It works as a cheap caffeine fix after the office coffe pot has been turned off in the afternoon, but in the future I’ll splurge on something better. The coffee brand _Master Chef_, which is by far the cheapest coffee available at Walmart, exemplifies this topic. It was sooo cheap, I had to try it, figuring that I could always mix it with a better coffee to make it bearable. Boy, was I wrong! The upside is that once you’ve tried drinking that stuff, you’ll probably never have a bad cup of coffee again, relatively speaking. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/57 "2015-02-17T17:07:12Z")
Reminds me of an old (70s era?) SNL skit. “We’ve replaced the fine coffee this 5 star restaurant usually serves with a mixture of dirt and ground up clam shells. Let’s see what happens…” Which was a spoof of an instant coffee brand commercial playing at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/58 "2015-02-17T17:29:33Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > I haven’t tried it, but I saw a pregnancy test at the dollar store. Struck me as an area where someone wouldn’t want to cheap out. Funny story about those. My best friend once phoned me laughing so hard she couldn’t breathe. Finally got it out of her that she was at the Dollarama and saw _pregnancy tests_ for a buck. It just struck her as hilarious. But the other funny story is that apparently some dude did a test for a joke and it came out positive. He posted the results to Reddit all like “Haha, look how much these tests suck, I’m a guy” and someone replied that the hormone that pregnancy tests look for could mean cancer in a male. The guy got checked and sure enough he did have cancer and caught it in time. Back on topic: I agree with the Q-tips. Pay the extra and buy actual Q-Tip brand. Any other brand is simply not worth it. I was surprised at how crappy dollar store ziploc bags are. Trust me, pay the extra for Ziploc brand. Same goes for cat litter. I bought a different (cheaper) brand of clumping litter recently and it’s freakin’ terrible. Every time I scoop the boxes (which are in the basement) my husband complains that he can smell the dust. From now on I’m spending the $20 for the low-dust good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/59 "2015-02-17T17:48:41Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > Funny story about those. My best friend once phoned me laughing so hard she couldn’t breathe. Finally got it out of her that she was at the Dollarama and saw _pregnancy tests_ for a buck. It just struck her as hilarious. But the other funny story is that apparently some dude did a test for a joke and it came out positive. He posted the results to Reddit all like “Haha, look how much these tests suck, I’m a guy” and someone replied that the hormone that pregnancy tests look for could mean cancer in a male. The guy got checked and sure enough he did have cancer and caught it in time. > > . I always just assumed they contained a popsicle stick with the word “Yes” written on it in sharpie. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/60 "2015-02-17T18:15:42Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > I haven’t tried it, but I saw a pregnancy test at the dollar store. Struck me as an area where someone wouldn’t want to cheap out. They’re OK if you just kinda sorta want to find out. I wouldn’t rely on them for confirmation, however. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667.md?page=4)