Products You Should Not Buy Generic
Off brand shopping has becoming mainstream these days due to out of control inflation. According to Morning Consult, “eighty-five percent of U.S. adults say rising inflation has had an impact on the way they shop, prompting them to look for deals, discounts and coupons, or just shop less overall”. The Off Brand Guy team has always seen the value in saving money with off brand products. We are happy to see that the rest of the country is catching up with us. Unfortunately, there are some items that are just not worth the savings. The off brand mindset is about finding the most value from every purchase, not about being cheap. We have put together a list of products you should not buy generic.
Never Buy The Generic Version Of These Products
1. Salad Dressing
This one snuck up on a me. I use to be all for generic salad dressing. I mean it is such a simple product. How can anyone mess up ranch salad dressing? You would be surprised. Here is the thing. Dressing is used on everything. It you buy cheap dressing that lacks flavor you will have to deal with it when you eat french fries, salads, and much much more. It is not worth saving a buck if every meal is a little more bland.
2. Specialty Camping Gear
I have bought a bunch of Ozark camping gear from Walmart over the last few years. It hasn’t all been bad. The stainless steel coffee cup was a decent value. And my blue Coleman cooler has worked out fine. But skip the Ozark sun shades, tents, and more complicated items. Yes, they will be cheaper than anything else out there. No doubt. But it is not worth the hassle. It is not fun to get to your destination and have an important piece of your equipment fall apart.
3. Craft Beer
We have reviewed a lot of budget beers here at Off Brand Guy. Most of them are fine. They have alcohol and will get the job done. But as I get older that is not what drinking is all about. I have become a beer snob. I want the best possible stuff. I am willing to splurge for a limited produced hazy IPA that smells juicy a mile away. Spend the money and drink good beer.
Related: Inflation Has Grocery Store Food Prices Rising
4. Knives
Cooking has become more important to me as I have entered my thirties. I mean life is all about those couple of hours each evening when you get to sit back, drink some wine, and cook a nice dinner. I want the cooking experience to be positive. I don’t want to be fussing around with cheap knock off kitchen knives. I recently received some premium Shun knives as wedding present. They are amazing. I look forward to chopping each night and I can see these things holding up over the long run.
5. Suitcases
I have put a good amount of research into this subject. I travel a lot. I figured it would be worth the time to figure this out. There are super premium suitcase brands like Briggs & Riley. These are beautiful and they come with a lifetime warranty. I have been tempted. But the best value is getting a reasonably priced name brand Samsonite suitcase at a discount retailer like Ross. You can spend $75 for a $200 suitcase and then get five years out of it. Cheap and simple.
6. Frying Pans
Nothing is worst than spending a hour scrubbing a frying pan to get fried egg residue to come out. This always happens with cheap cookware. Always. I have seen those pan sets available on Amazon that look amazing. They are so cheap. But trust me, it is garbage. Complete junk. It may look shiny and new but it is not worth the hassle. I splurged on Le Creuset cookware. This stuff lasts forever.
Related: Off Brand Websites For The Budget Shopper
7. Toothbrushes
This may be the most clear cut item on our list of products you should not buy generic. I wrote an article on avoiding generic toothbrush replacement heads. It has become one of the most well received articles here at Off Brand Guy. These things are horrible. They immediately get rusty and accumulate gunk. It is disgusting to think about putting this back in my mouth each night. The name brand replacement toothbrush heads are expensive. That is why I fought it for so long. I wanted the cheap Sonicare heads to work so bad. But they don’t. Go get the name brand ones at Costco.
Worst Things To Buy Generic
