# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/61 "2015-02-17T18:30:21Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > '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… I just ate a $0.25 piece of candy, and if tampons were two bucks a pop, you can bet some women would just go back to rags and bits of moss. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/62 "2015-02-17T21:24:33Z")
I bought a bag of 10 glowsticks from a dollar store for a child’s sleepover. Only 2 actually worked. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/63 "2015-02-17T21:31:26Z")
Plastic wrap. I decided to cheap out once. Wow that stuff sucks. It sticks to itself and the box but never ever ever to whatever you want to wrap. From now on I only buy Glad Saran Wrap. Also, toilet paper. Find the kind that works for you and stick to it. Don’t ever buy cheap stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/64 "2015-02-17T22:12:08Z")
My current pair of house slippers are getting kind of worn and ratty, so I put slippers on my Christmas list last year. Oldest stepdaughter bought me a cheap pair of slippers from… you guessed it… the Dollar Store. One slipper was fine and one felt like it was two sizes too small. I wound up tossing them. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/65 "2015-02-17T22:32:08Z")
The 1 1/2 ton jacks from harbor freight, use once and throw away if you are lucky enough to complete the job with it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/66 "2015-02-17T22:56:18Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Also, toilet paper. Find the kind that works for you and stick to it… 😃 ---
**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 17, 2015, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/67 "2015-02-17T23:57:07Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > My current pair of house slippers are getting kind of worn and ratty, so I put slippers on my Christmas list last year. Oldest stepdaughter bought me a cheap pair of slippers from… you guessed it… the Dollar Store. One slipper was fine and one felt like it was two sizes too small. I wound up tossing them. Nice user name / post combo. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/68 "2015-02-18T01:23:31Z")
Don’t buy trash bags at the Dollar Store. They just fall apart at the slightest strain. I keep a set in the car for emergencies, but I know to not stuff them and I double them up. Ditto for soup. Even if it’s a brand name soup. I can’t describe the horror that greeted me the time I opened a can of Campbells soup from the dollar store. It was like a round brick and the smell…:eek: I agree with every other comment of stuff from the Dollar store. Especially the ziploc bags. I thought I was the only one with this issue. Their laundry and bath soaps are okay if you’re careful. Just avoid the stuff with the lavendar smell. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/69 "2015-02-18T01:29:12Z")
Socks. I was out of the country and forgot to bring socks with me, so bought a dirt cheap pair from the Mexico Tienda Dolare, figuring they only had to last me through one round of golf. They lasted me through half of one hole of golf. > [@pkbites](#): > > 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. I’m picturing a Grade-Z Siri saying hilariously unhelpful things: “Turn left…turn right in 100…in 10…feet…turn…around in 100 feet” “I found thirty highways near you named…highway” “There used to be a gas station around here back in the 80’s” “You gonna go all the way down about…half a block…and you’ll see a…Torino… with no wheels on it…Now inside that Torino is my cousin Jack…now you tell him you’re my boy and…you’re…lost…and he’ll make sure you get to where your goin cause you don’t want to know from me man, this ain’t even my neighborhood.” ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/70 "2015-02-18T03:31:24Z")
Shoelaces. They were like 2 bucks. Broke the first time I tied them. ---
**Author:** ![betterlifethroughchemistry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/betterlifethroughchemistry/32/3094_2.png) [@betterlifethroughchemistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betterlifethroughchemistry)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/71 "2015-02-18T04:13:18Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > The thread title should be “What have you bought from Harbour Freight Tool?” > > 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”._ Totally agree - will never set foot in that place again…I once used a coupon to buy a small pancake compressor and finishing gun to finish a small project…the next day when I returned both pieces of crap, I was also out the $25 core charge which goes with their compressors… After that return, I purchased a 20 gallon Porter Cable compressor that came with a finishing gun and a brad gun which I plan to have for many years… The most aggravating part was my very good contractor/woodworking brother-in-law trailing behind me saying, “See, I told you so, didn’t I tell you so, you should have listened to me, I would have told you so…” Grrrrrrr…pretty sure steam was coming out of my ears at full force that day… ---
**Author:** ![lel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8797f3/32.png) [@lel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lel)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/72 "2015-02-18T05:16:59Z")
Another Harbor Freight victim. I bought a multi-function oscillating tool for one sanding job that would take a few hours total. The attached triangle melted after less than a minute. I did get a giant screwdriver from HF to work for one job though, it was very exciting. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/73 "2015-02-18T05:59:29Z")
How difficult can it be to make a decent scouring pad? I don’t know, but damn there are a lot of bad ones out there! ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/74 "2015-02-18T09:32:54Z")
A phone holder. In a way it was a really great product, and I will probably buy another. The problem is that big ass spring combined with the lack of a stop to keep the ends of the clip from touching. So the first time your thumb slips while you are opening it is also when it breaks. Easy fix, a lego and some superglue to keep the ends of the tongs from touching. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/75 "2015-02-18T11:41:36Z")
Ha! You guys just aren’t good bargain shoppers, like me. I just bought a knock-off brand pacemaker from Wel-Mart and I couldn’t be happier (they even threw in an extra one for only additional S&H :)). Granted, the wind-up mechanism is a little sticky and the occasional puffs of smoke are a bit disconcerting, but otherwise it works perfec fec fec fec c c c c c ccccc **CCCCCCCCC** \\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ ---
**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 18, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/76 "2015-02-18T14:40:18Z")
I was feeling cheap one day and bought “feminine products” at Dollarama. Such a disposable product can’t be that bad, right? Trust me, don’t ever buy off-brand feminine products. They literally disintegrated. ---
**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 18, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/77 "2015-02-18T14:46:29Z")
Bloody awful ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/78 "2015-02-18T15:32:17Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > Bloody awful \ ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/79 "2015-02-18T15:42:58Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > 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. In my case, my $2 earbuds fell apart after two uses–the bud part covering the tiny speaker at the end of one line snapped in half and broke off, so I couldn’t even put it in my ear. I was expecting them to produce terrible sound but still be, you know, functional after two uses! ---
**Author:** ![zwede](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ac91a4/32.png) [@zwede](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zwede)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667/80 "2015-02-18T15:48:44Z")
My Harbor Freight purchase was a pressure washer for $149. Third time I used it there was a “thump!” noise and water stopped coming out of the wand. Instead it was shooting out every gap on the washer. On the other hand I also got the digital calipers they sell ridiculously cheap (I think $10) and after years of heavy use they still work perfectly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-products-that-really-surprised-you-with-their-poor-quality/712667.md?page=5)