Cheap vs inexpensive

[Lil Bear]

I see so many people that will tell you that in order for something to be of good or decent quality that it has to be expensive. Now I completely disagree with this. Many folks don't understand the difference in something being cheap and something being or poor quality. There are many factors that go into price and actually, quality isn't high on the list that affects the price. I laugh at people who will tell me that something is bad because its cheaper then something they may have paid for EVEN though they can't tell me why its bad or of poor quality. As consumers we are led to believe that the more something costs the better it must be...nope! Falls inline with the "it has to be American made". There is a high percentage of items made outside the US, but assembled within the US and called American made. This is just a "rock in my shoe" type thing for me. I see people bash on others builds and items simply because they may have chosen to buy something with a lower price point or not a certain brand name. That's ridiculous in my opinion. High dollar items break the same as low dollar items. Sorry...rant over. LOL!! Carry on and have a great day!

 

[MMc]

Yep! I love using something that I picked up cause it fit the bill at the time and was inexpensive. When it it mission critical item I will do the research and purchase based on value and durability. I reason I love a thing is the reason you hate it.

 

[Boostpowered]

It really all depends on a lot of different things, one batch can be good then the next can be crap and that happens with anything mass produced. Formulas change, workers error and even sometimes a company gets purchased and goes downhill due to greed.
On the other hand some of the expensive stuff is good and worth it , the reason of high prices from some of the better company's is due to research and development and tooling along with material prices going up. the r&d is what your paying extra for, so that the part will fit without modification and do what its advertised to do. Then again sometimes a company gets to big for its britches and over charges while at the same time quality falls because they hire people who don't care or don't really know what they are doing. And that goes into the category of schools failing to teach kids real skills they can use.

 

[Things]

Time changes things constantly, good today is not for tomorrow. I find it easier just to make my own stuff, ensures quality and fitment along with form and function.
If it fails I blame the guy in the rear view mirror... my dog isn't happy about that...

 

[grubworm]

cheap is good....

 

[bgenlvtex]

People confuse "cost of acquisition" and "cost of ownership", and they are rarely synonymous.

The dealership rotated the tires on my Gladiator for "free", which by any measure would be cheap. However they over torqued the wheels to the extent that I twisted off a 4" 1/2" drive Snap On extension trying to get them off. I can't afford that kind of deal, and I just ordered a new truck from a different dealer as a result.

I have a piece of a Harbor Freight hammer that fragged embedded in my left wrist. Was it cheap, inexpensive or a piece of shit? Had that piece found its way to my eye the answer would perhaps be clearer.

In my current occupation I manage fuel and tires in a smallish fleet ( about 350 units), I have warranty claims for some tires that came on some new trailers. About 100 tires, Chinese manufacture, they extended about $7k in warranty credit (under duress). I spent almost $60k getting them off the side of the road, replacing the remaining survivors and fixing the equipment they beat the shit out of. But hey, from the trailer manufacturers viewpoint they were cheap.

All of these items were cheap to obtain and expensive to own.

Communist China is your mortal enemy, they have bribed your government officials, poisoned your children, pets and you, and have attempted to steal an (many) election(s) . You can't afford their "cheap deal"

 

[Murphy Slaw]

Communist China is your mortal enemy,

Agreed, and I will exhaust EVERY other option before buying their goods.

We also vote with our dollars.

 

[smritte]

As a consumer, dealing with "inexpensive" Chinese item's can be a double edge sword. Being made in China doesn't always mean "poor quality" either. The company having the item made can choose how the part is made. There are very high quality and expensive items coming from there.
I'll give an example.
My brother in law owns a very large Wireless ISP (WISP) company. This supplies high speed internet to remote areas using something like wifi only way better. Motorola made a transmitter for this and was the only one with this at the time. A single unit went for about $200 and the quality was fair. This was a niche market so they really didn't have any motivation to produce these any cheaper or better. The "WISP" industry grew, a company in Latvia designed a better one and had them manufactured in china. These sold for about $50, were better, more modern then the Motorola's and had a better warranty. The less expensive Chinese units became very popular and were not a copy or knock off of the Motorola.
My brother in law mentioned that the only time these have failed on him were if they got hit by lightning which is rare. He uses hundreds of these.

As the industry grew, so did the demand for these units. Two years ago the manufacture started getting these units returned at a high rate. It turned out the Chinese company contracted to make these, started producing knock offs. They basically stole the design all the way down to the box, logo and paperwork. They started selling them in the South American market as the real parts. The people buying these "Cheap Chinese" knock offs, didn't know they were fakes and were sending the failed units to the Latvian company for warranty.

The problem here is, you have no recourse when this happens. I've seen this same story play out again and again. Buying cheap part's may or may not bite you.

Automotive wise, if it can leave me stranded, its OE. If its structural or safety, "name brand". I just replaced four suspension bushings @ $60 each from Toyota. I could have sourced them from a lesser company but there is no way the "cheaper" parts would have lasted more than a year or two let alone the 250k miles the OE did. Do I have Chinese parts in my vehicles? Of course I do. We all do.

I have spent a lifetime building and modding vehicles. I refuse to buy crap regardless of what country it comes from. It's just not worth it.

 

[BCMoto]

Well when I purchase something its for me, if someone has something to say about my purchase I will ask did you pay for it? No? then keep your mouth shut. I purchase things based on experience and some low cost items are almost up to par. I stay away from poorly made products.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

cheap is good....

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Ha ha !

All of those things are expensive in the long run.

Seriously though, to the original poster...Cheap things are expensive! To me, cheap is cheaply made. Which is different than inexpensive.

I can tell you right now that my 1950's through early 2000's Craftsman tools were more expensive than thier Great Neck by AutoZone counterparts. Guess which sockets have broken apart? Which screwdrivers have crazed? Hint: not my old Craftsman stuff. So, yes, cheap is often cheap and crappy. When you find something of good quality but inexpensive, now you've got something.

Some may say that only semantics separate you and I on this issue.

Why do I personally buy American whenever possible? So that local folks dont lose manufacturing jobs. So that customer service is in the US. They tend to be better made, but I agree, that's not always the case. Obviously the best cellphones are not made in the US. It just depends if the company has high QA tolerances. I have no problem buying outside of the US at all. I just buy local when possible, and outward from there if I cant find what I'm looking for or if the price is Super ridiculous. As long as I'm getting quality.

For me, finding a used "something" of a brand thats known for quality is where it's at. If I can do that, I feel I got a quality item at a cut rate, and that makes one side of my lip curl up a bit.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

People confuse "cost of acquisition" and "cost of ownership", and they are rarely synonymous.

The dealership rotated the tires on my Gladiator for "free", which by any measure would be cheap. However they over torqued the wheels to the extent that I twisted off a 4" 1/2" drive Snap On extension trying to get them off. I can't afford that kind of deal, and I just ordered a new truck from a different dealer as a result.

I have a piece of a Harbor Freight hammer that fragged embedded in my left wrist. Was it cheap, inexpensive or a piece of shit? Had that piece found its way to my eye the answer would perhaps be clearer.

In my current occupation I manage fuel and tires in a smallish fleet ( about 350 units), I have warranty claims for some tires that came on some new trailers. About 100 tires, Chinese manufacture, they extended about $7k in warranty credit (under duress). I spent almost $60k getting them off the side of the road, replacing the remaining survivors and fixing the equipment they beat the shit out of. But hey, from the trailer manufacturers viewpoint they were cheap.

All of these items were cheap to obtain and expensive to own.

Communist China is your mortal enemy, they have bribed your government officials, poisoned your children, pets and you, and have attempted to steal an (many) election(s) . You can't afford their "cheap deal"

Here, here!

 

[ThundahBeagle]

I spend hours scanning Craigslist for older Craftsman, S-K, or Snap on tools. I would buy those used ones before any of the new stuff.

 

[LostInThought]

I have a piece of a Harbor Freight hammer that fragged embedded in my left wrist. Was it cheap, inexpensive or a piece of shit? Had that piece found its way to my eye the answer would perhaps be clearer.

And here I thought I was the only one. My hammer was a Craftsman - the head spalled and I caught the fragment in my arm. Tools will break - some are better, but none are perfect, no matter how much your spend.

 

[Deleted member 59857]

Very little in this segment of products is inexpensive and of high quality. good tools, and functional quality gear is expensive.

There is some very bad Chinese product. There is some very good product from there. Either way, it doesn't magically appear on our shelves.
American companies are the ones selling out and moving manufacturing there. But, this is a complex issue that the consumer on up has a hand in.
The Chinese are merely a easy scapegoat.

I also try to buy Made in USA products and strongly dislike "designed in America" or other slipper marketing to try and imply the "Made in USA" badge.

OTOH there is plenty of expensive gear that is of moderate quality out there.
It's very easy to buy overpriced product in this market. It's easy to buy cheap product.

There are also different markets and price ranges. Tools, for example, can be very expensive. Trying to buy all Made in USA can be difficult and expensive.
A great wrench told me a long time ago, get what you can afford. The ones that break, invest in those with better ones. The important thing is doing and learning.

Buy once, cry once is a good motto. Often, situations mean you buy the best you can when you need it.

Everyone is looking for good value. If everyone looked at value, instead of cost, there would be a lot more Made in USA selection out there.
But hey, not everyone knows enough to even understand that, or they get suckered with the overpriced stuff.

I've never seen a free lunch product though...

 

[RonaldHoward1313]

I've seen this go both ways. I have bought cheap/inexpensive stuff and had it last many years and continue to use it. At the same time I have seen it break the first use. But, the same can be said with very expensive top name brand stuff also. Just because it's cheap or expensive doesn't mean a darned thing and name brands don't mean squat either other than you're paying for the name to show off to "friends". What works great for some may not for others. And this goes for tools, camping equipment and just about everything else.

 

[Dilldog]

It all comes down to doing your research and weighing pros and cons. I have experienced enough to not discount anything just because its low cost, or because of where it is made. Just like I have enough experience to not automatically trust something because of where it is made or how much it costs.

 

[Lindenwood]

A great wrench told me a long time ago, get what you can afford. The ones that break, invest in those with better ones. The important thing is doing and learning.

I like this! I think that is about where I have settled. I often buy the least expensive thing that research indicates will do what I need. I will admit that about 10-15% of those purchases--mostly made in my teens and mostly from Harbor Freight--have not lived up to expectations. This would inude things like the $8 power tools on the bottom shelf. I will also, however, say in at least as many cases, my perceived use-case was far different than reality, and I was glad to have not spent the extra money on the high-end versions of something it turns out I still would not have used or needed.

For example, my $300 Smitty winch worked the literally one time I needed it before I sold the rig it was on--and research and experience had ready indicated I wouldn't need it much. I'd have been annoyed had I spent 3x as much on a high-end brand to use once. Of course, as a counterexample, I put a tiny $50 winch from HF on my old Samurai years ago. The one time I needed that winch, it was too weak in a single-line pull, and 30ft of cable isn't very long doubled through a snatch block. I learned a nice hours-long lesson about buying the cheapest things (with no back-up options or accessories) you can find :P .