We spend so much time in life buying things, and a lot of its is overhyped and turns out to be really disappointing, or you go into it knowing it’ll suck but you have no choice (Airline travel.) But you know, some brands just deliver the goods. Nothing fancy or stupid expensive, but by God you get what you pay for and then some; they do exactly what they say they will. Stuff like movies or video games and things that are inherently mostly subjective don’t belong here; I’m talking about products with a purpose.
Some examples:
Sharpies. This thread was inspired by someone mentioning Sharpies. Sharpies are fantastic. I have never, ever been disappointed with a Sharpie. They’re affordable and yet work fantastically well, every time. I’ve been using the same set of permanent Sharpies for by whiteboard (erase by simply drawing over them with a non permanent marker) for a year and they’re still going strong. I may as well have bought them yesterday.
Heinz Ketchup. My wife is a little cheap and will go out of her way to save 25 cents on a grocery item but when it ocmes to ketchup she’ll buy Heinz and nothing else. And she’s right. Heinz is delicious. I’ve tried other ketchups and they all taste exactly like if Heinz ketchup was accidentally not made quite right.
Philadelphia cream cheese - I’ve tried the store brands and they don’t taste as good.
Pilot G2 ink gel 07 pens - Back when I was working, I had to write a lot of stuff by hand. These pens are so good I went out and paid for them rather than use the ones I got for free at work.
The Right Shoes. If you get a pair of shoes that are fitted properly for your feet, built with your required use in mind (running, basketball, walking, hiking, standing, etc) and have the right mechanics to support your specific foot needs (low arch, pronation, supination, heel spurs, etc) you will do so much more for your entire body than you will save by buying cheap shoes.
I’m a big person who wears New Balance shoes with pronation support and walks miles each week in them, and has zero leg and back problems. Well well well worth the $120 every year or so for the right shoes.
The Wilson Evolution indoor basketball is so far and away the best product in its segment, I don’t know why stores even sell others in that price range. The bounce and the grip blow away other leather and composite leather basketballs. I’ve bought 3 of them at around $55, and I’d probably pay double the price for that ball.
Seconded, after checking my pocket. I use the 1mm pens though.
This is useful to maybe one or two other people here, but I try to buy my river stuff from NRS whenever I can’t find what I want at the one or two local outfitters that I’m personally friends with. NRS first tier customer support knows their stuff (or used to, it’s been a while since I had to call), and it’s nice to start with my question and not have to wait patiently while someone rephrases the catalog descriptions before transferring (Hi, REI, for what little you sell.)
The electronic calculator. You can get a solar powered one for a dollar and they’ll last a life time giving you accurate calculations that only a few generations ago would have been hugely complicated and time consuming for a single person to perform.
OP mentioned Sharpies, which reminded me of Pilot G2 pens. I don’t think anyone mentioned them yet.
Don’t buy the cheapest blank DVDs. I don’t get the really expensive ones either, but I find that Verbatim has the best price vs. quality point. That said, DVDs shouldn’t be used for long term storage,
I am perfectly happy buying generic medications, and still feel that way about pills. But the name brand Catapres transdermal patches (generic is Clonidine) lasted a full week while generic brands are a crapshoot. Some worked just as well while others, while cheaper, ended up falling off after a few days so there is little price savings. And you couldn’t really choose which generic supplier they had in stock.
A lot of the electronic devices available today—computers, TVs, tablets, smartphones, ereaders, etc.—give you so much for your money compared to what you could get for the same price thirty or twenty or ten or even five years ago. But I don’t think that’s the kind of thing the OP had in mind unless we’re specifying a particular brand that’s great value compared to its current competitors.
At one time I would have said Band-Aids, since I hadn’t ever found a competing brand or generic version that stayed on nearly as well; but I don’t think that’s true any longer.
I’ll third that unless you’re talking ketchup flavored with something “extra” like sriracha or Tabasco. In that case you can either buy the cheaper generic flavored version or just buy cheap ketchup and doctor it yourself.
I also vouch for Charmin and Bounty. If I buy generic I regret it.
Kraft grated sprinkle cheese. I get that fresh cheese is better but if we’re comparing grated sprinkle cheese in the shaker containers nothing comes close to Kraft.
Mid tier Logitech mice give very good service and value for the money.
I was pretty skeptical about 3-bladed razors, and only bought one (a Gilette Mach 3) because I’d forgotten my razor on a trip and that was all the store had. I don’t know what made it so different, but I was totally blown away by how much better it was than the 1- and 2-bladed disposables I’d been using. No nicks, no hairs left behind, and easier to keep clean. When the 4- and 5-blade razor came out, I started hoarding Mach 3 blades in a panic, but luckily they’re still available.
For pens, the $1 Zebra Sarasa 0.5mm Gel is the only one I ever want to use. It has the perfect combination of reliability, line thickness, line sharpness and comfort. I wouldn’t trade it for a Mont Blanc.