What do you refuse to get generic versions of?
Tires. Never cheap out on tires.
This I agree with.
I once heard someone say: «never skimp out on what seperates you from the ground».
For bed and tires I really agree, but with shoes I’m not as strict.I had this exact stance until I won a pair of $200 running shoes in a raffle. My occasional backpains and joint problems disappeared almost immediately. I started buying the best footwear I could afford and my quality of life went measurable up after that decision.
The BIGGEST changes were going to a reputable podiatrist and getting shoe recommendations based off of my arch shape, weight and gait. They put me on a treadmill with highspead cameras at the sides and rear to record how my stride landed both walking and running. That and custom molded insoles.
Now Shoes are a part of our yearly budget to make sure we have good condition, supportive shoes at all times. Also re-soleing if applicable.
Side note: Dress shoes can die in a fire.
Ok fine, my running shoes I got the same way you did.
I still skimp on the everyday shoes though, and like you avoid flat soles like fire.
Cheers for sharing though. I know what you’re doing would benefit me in the long run.
I agree from the opposite direction:
20 years ago I switched to zero drop minimalist footwear for running, hiking, and almost all everyday activities (everything except weddings and funerals). I only wear footwear that has no relation at all to my foot’s arch, my weight, or my gait.
Best decision for my knees, ankles, and hips I think I ever made.
Same same, although VFFs only came out in the 2005, so it hasn’t been quite 20 years. The only shoes I wear that have support are my motorcycle boots and cycling shoes.
I’d go barefoot everywhere if I could.
That’s actually pretty interesting. I started with minimalist footwear once I was old enough to start making shoe decisions myself and apparently that was partially causing some of the problems I was experiencing.
Five Fingers were my go to’s (once they came out) for most days and Vivobarefoot’s / Nike Free’s for when the social side of five fingers was in questionable taste.
It’s always fascinating to me how wildly different solutions are the exact remedy needed for different individuals. It’s why I always get a little irritated when you read someone saying “Use this thing AND THIS THING ONLY! everything else is junk and dumb and you will be a worse person for using it.” such a close minded approach to the world.
I’ve been out of the minimal shoe worlds for a bit minute, anything cool to come about recently?
Toilet paper. My asshole deserves Angel Soft.
If you really care about your asshole get a bidet
Stop recommending bidets to me, I’m already convinced. It’s just that from the three toilets I’ve owned in my life, all of them were for one reason or another incapable of being retrofitting with one. I envy your guy’s clean assholes
Get a bidet shower then. Controlled spray so there’s minimal splash as well.
I have a vagina and bidets can fuck up your vaginal microflora, so no bidet for me. If I didn’t I’d probably use one, though.
Interesting I just had surgery in my vagina and the doctors recommended using bidet to make sure that area cleaner then just wiping.
Probably a different consideration for a fresh wound vs normal maintenance, I’d definitely follow your doctor’s instructions!
Billions of women in the world east of Europe all the way to Japan would disagree with you. But then again it’s the bidet shower variety.
Same but cottonelle
Oh yeah, how is your husband?
batteries.
This one is interesting, because I’ve heard certain generic brands are actually just repackaged Duracells
I’ve also been thinking about getting some rechargeable Ikea ones, heard those are decent
I wonder if they’re repackaged due to not meeting certain quality control thresholds, but still technically useable
Rechargeables are definitely a good upgrade for most applications where people use alkalines. They have better performance under high load, are much less likely to leak corrosive electrolyte, and you can use them again after you drain them. I’m a little surprised they aren’t more popular.
The Panasonic Eneloop is the gold standard for rechargeables, particularly the white ones which are more shelf-stable and have a longer service life than the higher-capacity black Eneloop Pro. Made-in-Japan Ikea rechargeables are suspected of being rebranded Eneloop Pros, but I don’t think that’s been conclusively proven.
A few years back a guy did agood dive into this on (other website name redacted). He said for things like digital camersand other high draw items, Duracell is still the champ - however, $/hour of use, some cgeaper bands came out ahead. I still have half a giant pack of AC Delco AA / AAAs that have been quite solid.
Here’s a comparison site that graphs the voltage during discharge of a bunch of AA and AAA batteries with various loads using a high-end battery tester.
NiMH rechargeable AAs trounce every alkaline under heavy load. It’s not even close at 0.5A and above. Disposable lithium is better still up to 2A, but extremely expensive. Few devices will draw more than 2A from an AA battery, but I can think of a couple of flashlights that do; disposable lithium is unsuitable for those.
I’ve heard certain generic brands are actually just repackaged Duracells
Might depend where you live, I live in Nothern Europe and the cheap generic brand batteries from a popular electronics store chain, rechargeable, are quite shit when I compare them to my 5+ year old Eneloops. Haven’t tried IKEA ones though.
The Ikea Lada rechargables are rebranded Eneloops. Panasonic is the only manufacturer making rechargable batteries in Japan.
I’ve got eneloops that are 10 years old and still kicking. I tried Amazon’s as well and those are shit. 100% are dead and I got them over the years after I got the eneloops as I needed more.
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Some of the IKEA batteries are rebranded Eneloops!
Definitely! For electronics, Eneloop batteries are worth every penny. I think I have ~10 AA and AAA, and I haven’t bought disposable batteries in years. I try to make sure I have 4 of each available at all times so I don’t have to wait for them to recharge. I’ve tried cheaper (Amazon) batteries, and they fail much more quickly, and sometimes swell to the point where I have a hard time removing them.
Some people say IKEA’s batteries are just rebranded Eneloops, but I haven’t had a chance to try them
Computer hardware
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8bitdo aren’t really for any particular device, but the quality is fantastic.
Have they changed the joystick material yet? The joysticks off my ol’ 8bitdo pro (the original) kept shedding with use, so I stopped using it in lieu of the switch and steamdeck controllers. Gods, the controller was way more comfortable and sized just right than any other 3rd party controller for me. My google fu is weak, so I never found fitting thumbpad covers for it.
Not sure tbh, I have a couple of SF30 Pros for about 3 years and they’ve been solid, never had any shedding.
They’re amazing, especially with the backbuttons and such
Mac&cheese
It’s Kraft Dinner or nothing.
I didn’t have to open your username to know what instance your account is on…
because I agree.
Honestly PC white cheddar is very good
Gotta be KD
Annie’s?
Running shoes. Antipronation shoes are fucking expensive, but having bad support will eventually hurt my feet, ankles or knees. I would get hurt very fast if I started running in cheap sneakers or something.
My rule has always been “don’t skimp on the things that separate you from the ground.” Shoes, tires, chairs, beds, etc, get the best you can afford to and don’t pinch pennies.
get the best you can afford
Ah, so the cheapest option available. Got it.
🤣
Yeah, same for motorcycle tires.
Liqueurs, because usually generics don’t exist
And Ziploc bags. The quality is worth the extra dollar over the store brand. I might start doing the same for trash bags as well
The dollar stores here sell offbrand Ziploc bags but, like, reusable. They are amazing.
Are ziplocs not reusable?
There are dozens of vodkas and gins, fake and slightly different whiskeys, rum and so on but I totally agree on buying the brands (not just the top 1 or 2)
Liqueurs, not liquors. I don’t buy big name brand liquor (unless you count Plantation rum, or stuff that happens to be owned by Campari).
Q-Tips (cotton swabs.) Generics seem universally worse.
Toothpaste. Generics are awful.
How come? I’m asking because my dentist said the opposite.
You have the tenth dentist!
I asked my dentist about that, too. The physical act of brushing is the most important part and the toothpaste is just to apply some fluoride, essentially.
Fisherman’s friend cough drops. They’re not the tastiest cough drops out there, but they fucking work.
These and “Sucrets” - for when you throat hurts and you want novacaine in tablet form.
Source: professional singer. These two have saved me many times.
… Siracha.
At least before the debacle with Underwood Ranch. I unknowingly bought extra before it happened and am close to running out. I’m not sure what to do afterwards but I’m not inclined to support Huy Fong.
I hear Underwood ranch sells siracha made from the same peppers Huy Fong used to buy from them. Might be worth checking out
I want to support them, but I hear it’s just not the same. Maybe that could be a good thing, though!
Tabasco Sriracha is not quite the same but decent.
Fix Sriracha is pretty damn good, less sweet, more heat, a touch more fermented funkiness. Downside is it is thinner and more expensive.
Dawn dish soap is simply unbeatable
We ran trials in my middle school home economics class on various popular dish soap brands, and at the time (23 years ago) Palmolive absolutely blasted the shit out of every other brand, Dawn included. So my wife and kid now ride or die with that brand. It’s green, too…
It smells and feels awful, though.
Dawn doesn’t seem to dry out my hands like Palmolive or every other dish soap. I think they all work good enough but I hate the way they make my hands feel.
That’s what Consumer Reports concluded as well, when they independently bought and tested all the brands.
This was my answer dawn is the shizz
Ballpoint pens. Bic, Papermate, and Zebra are pretty much all I would consider buying.
It’s Pilot G2 05 for me.
Pilot is king
The Parker jotter for me
I’ve had the same stainless steel Parker jotter for over 20 years. I love it.
You should try some Uniball Jetstreams
The Pilot 30000 unchanged for millenia because it’s the perfect writing utensil. Well, unchanged other than them adding blue and red ink versions.
I take vitamins because of malabsorption related to celiac disease, and I’ve read that a lot of cheap vitamin brands are total scams.
Fortunately, I’ve been finding some major brands at the dollar store, of all places, for $1.25USD
You probably already know all this, but in case it would be helpful to others: Your doctor should also be able to write you a prescription for whatever vitamins you’re taking, from what I understand the ones you get from behind the pharmacy counter are actually what they say they are.
I have low vitamin D, and when it was atrociously low (#1 lowest my dr had ever seen! 🥴) I got an actual prescription for it.
YMMV on whether insurance puts up a fight about paying for it, if applicable. If not and you have to stick to OTC I try to get stuff with the USP verified label on it.
Yeah true, but last time I went to the doctor they charged me $200 for just the office visit, so it’s not really sustainable for me
