For example, if you insist on buying Advil instead of store brand ibuprofen. I mean, you’d be wasting your money in that example, but you do you
Super glue.
Cyanocrylate adhesives were accidently discovered in WW2 while trying to develop a clear plastic. Later Eastman-Kodak held the patent and then sold it to Loctite on the 1960s.
Loctite 404 is so much better than anything else available on the market. It bonds better, it’s stronger, it lasts longer and the bottle applicator is more controlled and easier to use. If you want it to last years, you can actually store in in the refrigerator when not being used.
Ok, I know Lemmy doesn’t have a spying algorithm like pretty much any other company’s site, but it is a bit amazing that you brought that here just when I needed that product to glue a ceramic handle of a mug that I broke because of stupidity.
As you seem to know about the subject, may I ask if it is prudent to still use the mug in the microwave? (Usually I heat my coffee or water there), the handle looks very well attached and I have used it once to drink… With fear.
I’m just some guy who can maybe read minds?
I don’t know about the microwave. Heat actually breaks the bond for these kinds of adhesives, so if it isn’t poisonous, it probably wouldn’t work well for that anyway.
Glues for ceramic are epoxy resin.
Something like 2-part Araldite would be what i would use. Comes in a double-tube kinda syringe and you squeeze out equal parts, mix until tacky and apply, wait 24hrs to set.
The technical datasheet for Loctite 404 is surprisingly detailed.
TIL, thanks!
I much prefer super glue with the brush applicator, but I can’t find it in the U.S. anymore. When I saw some on a trip to Portugal, I bought it and brought it home with me. I’ll try refilling it when it’s gone.
I agree their bottle/applicator is the GOAT. Can’t go back to other brands after trying a bottle of loctite.
I buy nearly everything generic but generic Band-Aids have terrible adhesive so I always buy name brand.
Edit: Oh, and frozen pizza. I’ve had too many generics with crusts that might as well have been made of cardboard.
My local grocery store just made one that slaps actually. But most others suck
edit: I am talking about pizza. I don’t eat band-aids
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Ignore the haters, this is actually hilarious.
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The android ROM?
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but if you don’t eat the bandaids you can’t have pudding, that’s how this works right?
It’s pretty weird to be basically shilling for brands in here but Nexcare bandages are superior to band-aids in pretty much every way; i agree that band-aids beat generic though
You a paid rep? No? Then you’re not shilling, you’re sharing a positive experience with $whatever. And that’s a good thing. Helps us all.
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That seems like a really big stretch to me. The essence of being a shill is dishonesty. What you’re calling fanboyism isn’t dishonesty, just questionable judgement.
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Can I make a plug for Curad bandaids? So much better than band aid brand and you can get all the available sizes in fun colors. I may be an adult, but I’d like a bright orange band-aid on my skinned elbow thank you
LOL, I’ll fight you on Curad vs. Band Aid.
Bang for the buck though? Meh, you gotta use more Curad to get the wound over with, but they’re cheap and not nearly as shitty as the generic shit.
Still. Mediocre.
I feel like the Curad bandages I got in the stores always sucked, but I found different ones on Amazon (I know I know, I hate Amazon too) and they’re bigger in comparison to Bandaids, noticeably better quality, and stay on forever if you don’t pull them off.I’ve stuck one on and forgotten about it until over a week later when I realize its still on. I don’t know why they’re different than what I’ve always seen in the stores. I’m also wildly allergic to Band Aid brand adhesive to the point that I have scars shaped like bandages and I’m only very mildly allergic to whatever Curad uses.
Can you tell me the generic brand? LOL, let’s just say I often need band aids.
Band-Aids are a great call out!
I’m both active and clumsy with DIY stuff. Nothing else sticks “right” like Band-Aid brand. Yes, the off-brand shit is cheaper, better than nothing, but it’s shit. And you’re not saving any money by using twice as many.
And serious y’all, let me preach the gospel of Hydro Seal Band Aids. Game changing. No clue how they work, but they stick, puff up around the wound (infected bit) and come off when, and only when, you want them to. And taking them off don’t hurt a tiny bit. Got a few in every med kit.
Any more than a paper cut, Hydro Seal. And even then, if I want it healed fast? Hydro Seal. They’re also great for capping torn fingernails when you fucked it up too far down.
Tried the generic Amazon version. Meh, they’re OK for half the price, “healing” tech seems the same. Doesn’t stick quite right so you’ll use twice as many. Worth it if you want that painful finger wound done with in 24-48 hours.
Caveat: They work a little too well on puncture wounds, seals the infection in, only treats the top. If you got poked deep, and congrats if that’s your thing, it seals off the wound and makes it worse. Surface wounds like slices and scratches, go for it. Punched a drill bit 1/4" deep? Nope. Clean that one up and let it breathe a bit.
tl;dr $.70 for a band aid sounds crazy. I know. Just try it for me. Try it for yourself.
I love those things too!
I find the cloth generic band aids to be identical to brand name, the plastic one of any brand, well they’re just crap and I don’t know why the even exist.
I buy nearly everything generic but generic Band-Aids have terrible adhesive so I always buy name brand.
Yeah, this is a case of a brand that’s been subject to trademark genericization where the knock-offs and generic products genuinely aren’t as good.
What frozen pizza do you recommend? Every single time I have the misfortune of trying a frozen pizza, I regret my life choices because they taste like dogshit. Even the crappiest delivered pizza is way better than any frozen pizza I’ve tried. Granted, my experience is limited and I can never remember which ones I’ve tried.l
I’m a fan of Freschetta rising crust personally, with the caveat that you’ll want some hot sauce or something for the crust.
How dare you talk shit about Jacks.
Never had problems with tombstones either but Hy-Vee has a nice inhouse pizza for $5. A bit heavy on the 4meats though.
My experience with frozen pizza is very limited! I’ve never tried Jacks but I’ll keep it in mind! No Hy-Vees in my state tho.
There aren’t really any good ones, just a few different quality tiers between “low” and “extremely low”
The ones with rising crusts usually have higher quality sauce, cheese and toppings and are more filling because they’re breadier.
Honestly, Safeway Select frozen pizza is pretty good. I’d take it over most of the midrange name brands.
The problem with non-generic frozen pizza is they cost like a dollar less than a real pizza. Some of the fancier ones cost even more than a pizza from the place right next to the grocery store. Maybe I’m just blessed living in the pizza sphere but even the best frozen pizza is fucking disgusting next to even mediocre real pizza.
Great Value used to have an amazing 5 cheese and bacon white pizza… can’t find it anymore though.
I think Dawn dish soap gets mentioned in these often.
Are there that many ducks on here?
Works well on other water inhabitants too
So we got 1 otter and a bunch of ducks. Am I the only human??
slurping intensifies
I use an Aldi version of Dawn. There is no difference.
Choice Australia did a test of different washing liquid recently and found the Aldi stuff to be one of the best and a bunch of expensive brands to be no better than plain hot water.
Well Costco brand is absolutely shit. Smells horrrrrible. Bought it and did my best to convince myself it wasn’t that bad I’d just finish the bottle, ended up tossing the whole thing
At Costco, I decided to get the Dawn Ultra Advanced Power, and man it knocks the socks off of grease, with just a small dollop on a sponge. While my cooking is simplistic and I wash sparingly in large batches, I don’t eat out often and I’ve only used a 10th of the 2.66L bottle in 2 months.
If you don’t use a sponge then I think any dishsoap will do, so long as you can tolerate the smell.
My rule of thumb is does it smell good when it boils?
Dawn is the only soap I’ve found that smells good when it’s poured onto a hot pan.
Yeah you should let your stuff cool before washing it… but how many of us do that?
Dawn smells great boiling… so that’s the only soap I use.
Yeah you should let your stuff cool before washing it… but how many of us do that?
I used to love putting hot pans in the sink with cool water. Loved the sizzle and steam it created, and it was faster than waiting for it to cool down.
Then I would complain about all my pans being cheap and warped. I couldn’t cook evenly because there was one bulge that got direct contact with the oven and the rest of the pan rocked back and forth and either burned or undercooked all my food.
Until one day, my wife pointed out that putting a hot pan in cool/cold water causes them to warp. She got mad at me because some of the ruined pans were actually expensive quality brands. I’ve learned my lesson; no more hot pans in the sink for me. Let them cool a bit before you wash them.
Yep no big deal if you’re using a $15 tfal from Walmart. $200 al-clad let that shit cool
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Dawn Powerwash is pretty great for general cleaning too, not just dishes. It’s great at removing soap scum. You can technically DIY it with dish soap, isopropyl alcohol, water, and a spray bottle, but the bottles they sell last a while and are cheap.
That’s not enough to do what powerwash does. Normal dishsoap has to maintain a consistency so certain additives are just not feasible. This allows powerwash to have a higher ph, stuff that goes after calcium deposits and stuff that hydrates stuck on food.
Personally I really really like powerwash but the amount of plastic it needs is too much for me. They did to come out with bulk refills.
SD cards, SSD, USB drives, any form of computer memory really and replacement batteries too eg for cameras. I suck up the cost and buy directly from a reputable manufacturer.
Mine is Q-tips…. Let’s just say you shouldn’t put a flimsy cotton stick in your ear unless you trust it’ll come out in one piece
Let’s just say you shouldn’t put a flimsy cotton stick in your ear
unless you trust it’ll come out in one piece. Just don’t.WHAT? I CANT HEAR YOU!
I have daily for decades and have never had a problem
I did, too, until my early 40s when it caused a
wicketwicked ear infection. Tiny pieces of cotton, like threads, eventually built up over time. I ended up with a fungal ear infection that had me in pain and dizzy for weeks. I was very close to having my eardrum burst. Never again. It was really hard to break the habit of using qtips, but it’s fine now; ears are self-cleaning.I know it is not recommended, but I produce a lot of earwax, and if I don’t use them sooner or later it will mess up with my ears, actually now that I recall, I have been for years without any issue in my ears 🤔
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I use these regularly. I feel like they do the best job and they also allow me to gently “scratch” the inside of my ear. It’s not really scratching, but it relieves the itch I can sometimes get.
QTips cause wax plugs, if you use them gently to clean just the outer bit of the ear canal, it is kind of okay, but really you shouldnt. The ear canal is cone shaped so as you insert the Qtip you inevitably push some wax down.
Furthermore the ear canal is self cleaning.
You might not notice them, but id say theres a good chance you have wax plugs built up in your ears from using QTips (and inear headphones if you use them).
Wait, my headphones do this too?? Why is this the first time I’m hearing this? I thought I was being so responsible by not using a q tip on my ears like once a week, but all this time I’ve still been shoving those bluetooth earbuds in on the daily. Sleeping with them sometimes. I feel like an idiot. What else am I doing wrong?
…Also, what type of headphones do you use, if you don’t mind me asking? :')
I never really liked the in-ear feel, I also dislike bluetooth, so my go to for moving is Koss PortaPro, these are very open so no real isolation, however. For bluetooth the staple overear is WM1000xm4, though I have no experience.
Ay thanks for the reply! I’ll check em out _
I’m glad it’s worked out for you so far, but you really should stop. Your ears probably don’t need to be cleaned at all. You could end up damaging your ears at worst, and at best you’re just pushing ear wax deeper into your ears, possibly creating a clog that might not have happened otherwise.
Anecdotally, I stopped cleaning my ears 15-20 years ago, and not once have I had ears clogged due to earwax.
That’s not at all true for everyone. My ears 1000% need to be cleaned, unfortunately. My ears will periodically get physically clogged with wax and it will both impair my hearing and feel gross/uncomfortable. My brothers all have this issue as well, so maybe I am just genetically predisposed to create too much earwax or something.
I don’t use a Q tip though. That can’t at all unclog a wax impaction. Instead, I use something called an “ear syringe” (there’s no needle don’t worry lol). You fill it with water from the sink and squirt it into your ear. Cheap, reusable, and will get rid of wax clogs. You can pick one up cheap at any drug store.
The wax impactions could be from things like in ear headphones, but I very rarely use in ears to begin with. It will happen even during long periods of not using them.
It’s really easy and quick to use, and creates minimal mess. Whenever I start to feel a clog coming on, I just use it for a few minutes over the sink and I’m good to go. I’d highly recommend it to anyone with wax issues. The chemical wax softeners like Debrox (or even hydrogen peroxide) cost too much and are really not very effective compared to simple mechanical removal.
Yes, every day
You shouldn’t put cotton buds in your ears at all, honestly I don’t know how an industry managed to trick so many people into doing something so potentially hazardous.
Huy Fong Sriracha. As the shortage has made painfully clear. When I dream at night, I’m eating food covered in sriracha and tinkering with my roomful of Raspberry Pi projects.
And don’t talk to me about disgruntled pepper farmer rivalries or whatever bullshit. Just please give me back my sriracha. :(
Fuck Huy Fong Foods. Chinese-American businessman appropriates a traditional Thai sauce and uses marketing to brainwash the world into thinking they’re the only ones that can make it. They tried to use their size to squeeze their longterm supplier and lost a $28 million judgement because they were objectively wrong as proven in a court of law.
They started their own shortage trying to fuck over farmers when they already had over $150 mil/year in sales and they deserve to die off.
The only meaningful impact we have against these predatory businesses is by voting with our dollars and if you cant give up a fuckin sauce that has hundreds of excellent options available from other companies then you are part of the problem.
While I agree, where do we draw the line in our personal lives? There is no ethical consumption under capitalism.
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I haven’t seen a bottle in a grocery store in maybe two years? Your comment made me think maybe I just haven’t looked hard enough, but I just checked my local Walmart delivery and Instacart and neither has Huy Fong Sriracha available anywhere nearby. I’m in Utah, U.S.
I’m an NJ resident, have also had trouble finding it for the past two years. They’ve had a lot of trouble sourcing the peppers they need to make it.
All I hear are excuses. Supply chain schmupply chain. Sourching schmourcing. Have I made my point? Shortage schmortage.
Sorry for the strong language.
You’re right, they mostly did it to themselves by trying to screw their main supplier
strong language
Thanks for the laugh
The owner of the company and the the farmer that exclusively sold to them began to feud. Then came a drought and the variety of pepper they use went off the market. They are recovering now and product is coming out in smaller batches but not at previous volume. It’s still really hard to find.
Yes this is it absolutely. There are 5-6 sauces in my fridge that are ok but I don’t use. Need the good stuff.
So far the Tabasco version has been my favorite stand-in.
I haven’t tried that one, but have seen it. Will give it a whirl.
Underwood Ranches uses the peppers Huy Fong used to use. It’s made by their old pepper supplier. It’s what I buy now.
Agree but also any non Hellmans mayonnaise is a fucking disgrace.
My Trader Joe’s knockoff is not great. Too much vinegar taste and hardly any of the sriracha bite. Sucks that it’s so hard to find the real deal now.
Indeed, I bought a different brand thinking it’d be the same because the recipe is public, boy was I wrong 🤮
Same. “It’s basically spicy peppers and garlic, how hard can it be?”
Very hard, apparently.
All the alternatives I’ve tried never get the flavor right, not even close. Most are way too sweet.
I prefer mine a bit sweet. I usually buy YellowBird Blue Agave Sriracha
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Irish butter, in particularly Kerrygold, are so much better than american butter.
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And it’s probably fucking cheaper than exactly the same thing in New Zealand.
What’s different about it?
It’s deeper and richer. Sauteed onions in irish butter soften easier and taste more flavorful.
Kerrygold (and other imported-to-US/European, “fancy,” etc.) butter just tastes better. It has more fat content than land o lakes, for example, which contributes. The unsalted version is also cultured, and that makes a difference too. It’s definitely worth the price in any use where the butter flavor is important. In baking, maybe it’s not as worth it, but even then I’d still use it over a US brand.
Fyi to Europeans: Any and all of our butter is what they call “fancy” or “high fat” over there, otherwise it wouldn’t be allowed to be called butter in the EU
“I can’t believe it’s not legally allowed to called butter in the EU” brand buttery spread.
Ireland gets a ton of rain, and all of our cattle is grass fed. Turns out, cows that eat organic grass from rainy parts of the world make great milk and butter.
I’m from Ireland and our milk, butter, cream and even yogurt is fantastic.
I’m 26 but will literally have bread and butter with a glass of milk as a bed time snack.
There are some iffy brands locally, but Kerrygold is god tier.
I’ve been toying with the idea of going full vegan now that there are good plant based alternatives. But I will always miss Irish dairy.
Irish are so much better than American. Word.
Wait until you try french butter.
Garbage bags. I don’t particularly care WHICH brand, but I won’t do generic. The consequences if the bag rips open are horrifying.
Victorinox Swiss Army knives. If you want a tiny, multipurpose pocketknife, they cannot be beat.
And they’re cheap enough from TSA eBay sales, why would you accept a crappy knockoff?!
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Their also (or at least used to) honor their warranty. I had problems with one of their knives several years after I bought it. It got replaced without a major hassle. Haven’t had to use the warranty again in decades though, so it could be different now.
Had mine for over 20 years until it disappeared. Years later still no idea what happened to it. Only issue I had with it was the clock it had, broke halfway through owning it.
I can’t agree with you more on this. I have used them for years, most recently got one with a scalloped side that fits in your hand so nicely. My son is a cub scout and just got one too, his first pocketknife.
Pretty much every signature soda drink. Pepsi, Coke, Mountain Dew… none of the knock-offs taste right and some are just nasty. Oddly, root beer seems to be the one flavor everyone can do well, maybe because it’s a more common flavor with no patents on the general idea? I dunno but I don’t think I’ve ever had a ‘bad’ root beer.
Verners ginger ale puts the rest to shame
Completely agree, but I wouldn’t call Vernors a generic. It’s a competing brand.
Canada dry, I will fist fight you over this.
I actually prefer the heat of ginger beer, but since nobody makes an affordable version, I’ll often settle for ginger ale. Between Verners and CD, I generally prefer Canada Dry. Verners has always seemed a bit too syrupy for my taste.
I’ve never had ginger beer. How is it different from ginger ale?
It’s basically a far more complex flavor, often with a little less sweetness. The biggest difference is that it’s made with real ginger, so it has noticeable heat that varies by brand. It’s also lightly fermented, not enough to make it alcoholic, but enough to deepen the flavor and allow for natural carbonation. Depending on the maker, it can be more or less filtered, so sometimes there’s a little sediment or a cloudy appearance.
I actually prefer Royal Crown over Coke and Pepsi. It’s not a generic, but it’s not top-shelf either. It works out well with the sales at the Supermarket, too. Often they’ll do a 12-pack mix-and-match with RC, Canada Dry, Squirt, etc. all very tasty sodas.
I buy Royal Crown and mix it with Crown Royal.
The perfect marraige of the king of middle shelf soda and the queen of middle shelf whisky.
Man, RC Cola is a Southern delicacy! Pair it with a Moon Pie, and you’ve got the breakfast of champions!
Germany has some great tasting cola brands that are nothing like Pepsi or Coke (and aren’t trying to be either).
I actually prefer generics. But because I’m a fat ass, I haven’t been keeping soda at the house.
While I agree with this, the one except I’ve found is Sprite. Different genetics have different tastes but I’ve found I like my Kroger generic Sprite more than the name brand.
Nutella,
I only buy it once or twice a year but no other chocolate spread tastes nearly as good.
no other chocolate spread tastes nearly as good
That’s because it isn’t a chocolate spread, but rather a nut and nougat spread.
It has 13% hazelnut, the same as many other brands, but also the lowest amount I can buy. There’s a really pricy one that has 30%
Trader Joe’s would like a word
This is very true.
The Kraft one isn’t half bad
But then note I said “isn’t half bad”, not that it’s great. But I’d say it works in a pinch, or if it’s on sale…
I live in France and there are lots of brands that are exactly like Nutella, or even more tasty. Nutella is cheaper yet.
It actually has very little chocolate in it, that’s why. It was made (i think) during WW2 when chocolate was in short supply, so they came up with a way to stretch it, by mixing a bunch of hazelnuts (and w/e else is in there) with it.
The Kirklands one is good, but doesn’t hold an emulsion. And trying to stir a 3000 litre tub of “hazelnut spread” to re-emulsify it isn’t on my list of desirable morning activities.
I used to agree but after finding Kirkland hazelnut spread at costco i’ve switched to that. Its palm oil free and every bit as delicious as nutella.
For nougat, the Milka stuff is better. If you want real chocolate, take Caotina.
no other chocolate spread tastes nearly as good.
I could eat that as the fucking Whine Poo eats the honey ngl.
Pop-Tarts. No store brand toaster pastry tastes like Pop-Tarts.
It seems like half the time I buy them these days, pop-tarts don’t even taste like pop-tarts. So I stopped buying them :(
I would definitely never consider the off-brand a viable alternative though, those things are pretty gross.
Q-Tips. Paper shafts, plenty of fuzz on the ends.
I honestly can’t think of anything. I own many “name brand” products but it’s usually a pay-once-cry-once situation. It’s not like I keep buying more of the same product after I already have one.
For consumables pretty much every product I use is the generic version of some well known one. I’m not paying double the price for something that’s 20% better. For example the generic version of my favourite cookies is 95 cents and the name brand is 3.4€. It’s not that much better.
For consumables, I agree that generic almost always tastes nearly the same.
However, there are some snacks that the generic brands can’t seem to get right for some reason. Generic Oreos? They taste great and almost exactly the same. Generic sour cream and cheddar potato chips? They taste like shit for some reason and I’m not sure why.
Wildly disagree about Oreos
pay-once-cry-once situation
I’ve never heard this phrase, and I’m struggling to figure it out from context. Does it mean that you regret the purchase after finding out it’s not as good as you thought, but then don’t replace it with something better because you don’t want to spend more?
I’ve only ever heard buy-once-cry-once and it’s usually in the context of eating the bullet and paying more out of the gate for a good product that you know will last you years and years. Like a Miele vacuum or a kitchen aid dishwasher or something. Premium prices, but hopefully the only one you’ll ever need for decades if you take care of it.
That is how it is with many products. If you pay twice as much for wine it does not taste twice as good - but still noticably better.
