When it comes to appliances, we have tried the popular brand the generic. Our first color tv is Sony, a popular and exepensive brand. After our 3rd Sony broke down, we tried the generic brand (I will not name it) that lasted only 2 years. Worse, the technician said that it cannot be repaired for lack of parts. Oh, no parts available as if we are being told to buy a new one. And so we did but it is Samsung now, a branded tv. Based on our computation, it is more economical to buy the branded in terms of quality and durability.
I am not sure because when I bought my first TV, the TVs were too highly priced so I opted for an assembled one by one of my friends who used to assemble TVs and also ran a TV training school. It lasted for more than three years but by then the TV market was in the process to bring new imported technology at cheaper rate. Almost every company has settled in my country so the market competition made it even cheaper and brought better features.
Based from what I experience if it's high end, It is more durable. I don't think it is about brand because some well known brands are not durable. When it comes to blenders the best blenders are Blendtec and Vitamix. Those are not well known brands but they are durable because they are high end.
Yes, branded items are the best ones out there in terms of quality, that's why they have remained in the business for so long. It is common knowledge that generic appliances don't last long, the price speaks for itself. Will they sell it that low if the quality is good? I don't think so.
@moneymania you would be surprised to note that most of the branded items (if not all) are manufactured/produced by some of the unknown companies but the brands keep a strict vigil on quality. I was astounded to know that certain companies in China make almost 90% of total mobile handsets which are sold under the big brand names. Xiomi is one such company which is behind a number of big brands.
@Alexandoy Sometimes I prefer to spend a lot on an appliance knowing that I will stay for almost a decade without replacing. I did a similar thing when I was buying my iron. I always went for the cheaper boxes. Not until I decided that it was enough and I purchased a Phillips branded iron box. Since then I have not yet replaced it. It works just fine. Purchasing the generics may save you money in the short run but in the long run, you will find that you actually lost your money.
@Ray1, Well yeah I know most brands just outsource their products in China nowadays, and since the brands that we use employ a strict quality control then it's not surprising that they would last long. My Sony Ericsson phone that was made in China still works fine and I just replaced it's flex, but the motherboard is still working and I bought that last 2009, so that's good quality for you.
@moneymania so what's wrong if I buy my next phone or modem from Xiomi instead of big brands that charge almost double for the same quality and lesser features which Xiomi is giving me at 50-60% price and better warranty? I have my plans to go for the latest version of Xiomi in couple of weeks.
@Ray1, That's perfectly ok to buy Xiaomi, since it's a branded one in China along with Huawei and Ainol (tablet manfacturer). Huawei is already popular here in my country, although Samsung and iPhone still seems to be the most popular brands. Do give us an update if the phone is a good one in terms of features when you finally buy one.
I feel more secured when I buy branded products be it electronics, shoes, sunglasses and name them. Brands have their name to protect and will be mindful of the quality of items they produce. Again most branded products come with warranty that could be up to a year. That is enough to have some concrete trust on the product. The limitation at times is their price, it's a fact branded items are far more expensive than the assorted.
@moneymania the only problem with lesser known brands is that they are not available on contract with telecom companies. For instance while I tried to get a good plan fro Lycamobile they said the plan was available with either Apple or LG phones. I wanted to have Lyca but it would not run on any of my existing phones so I had to opt for handsets suggested by them.
@Ray1, Well maybe if you get the cheapest plan or maybe the prepaid option then you can probably get a Xiaomi? Or you can simply buy the unit online unlocked and use your postpaid sim card there.
@moneymania I had no choice but to go for their suggested brand because Lyca mobile offers a certain number of other subscribers in the group unlimited number of free calls. I think it would be good enough to recover the cost of handset by way of free calls withing my stay in this country and the set will be free at the end of my contract in this location.
Hhmm, I don't think so. I know for sure technician is just fooling you. He is too timid to repair it and use substitute parts by taking it from a defective branded appliance or TV set for that matter. It is only the product name or the brand that matters or shall we say carries the high price. That is my observation and my belief that branded and non branded appliances are as durable as they would be.
When I shop anything (except for grocery of course), I will ask my self, do you want to do one time big investment or continue to finance it for a long time. In most cases, I will chose one time big investment. For example, except of buying 2 cheap clothes, I will buy one branded clothes, which will last longer. Similar is the case with appliance. I always try to buy good brand that is durable. I never buy a product that has been launched recently. You don't know how long it lasts.I will choose a product that has proofs that it last for a long time.
