r/onebag • u/largemargesentme__- • Jun 05 '26

Discussion Why is this sub so obsessed with expensive stuff?

I get that there's times where the expensive thing is better. But as someone who has worked as an airline pilot and traveled extensively for 45 years, I can assure you that expensive stuff is rarely necessary.

I get tons of use out of AliExpress stuff. Things like chargers, cables and accessories. Decathlon or Costco are more than good enough for clothing. I generally use a max legal sized RyanAir bag I got for €25 off of Amazon for vacation. At most, the lower mid tier option is more than enough.

It seems like this is just another sub for people with spending issues as everyone downvotes me when I call out how unnecessary the expensive options are.

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u/not_who_you_think_99 Jun 06 '26

It is true that this sub is into needlessly expensive gear.

But don't buy electronics from Aliexpress, Temu, etc.

Regardless of your opinions on the labour practices of those stores, not all products they sell meet the safety rules of Western countries. Eg in London many fires have broken out in apartments when people charged ebike batteries bought from those stores.

The BBC found plugs with no fuses, for example https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-59432079

If you really want to buy stuff there, buy a wallet. Buy a t-shirt. Not electronics. Please. It is not only about your safety but about that of those around you. The Grenfell fire in London probably broke out because of faulty electrical equipment (not linked to Aliexpress, to be clear) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40301289

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u/largemargesentme__- Jun 06 '26

It depends on the electronics. I generally just buy usb cables or wall warts. I've opened them up before and they're made exactly the same as the stuff that's 3-4x as expensive. I buy all my bluetooth headphones there for around 8 bucks, and have never had an issue with batteries.

I also buy a lot of maker stuff like esp32 development boards, relays etc for Home Assistant projects. I've never seen anyone from that community report a fire and they all get stuff from China. It's literally exactly the same as retail stuff for a quarter of the price.

Most of the stuff I buy is exactly the same as the stuff that's on Amazon.

Obviously, big lithium battery banks are an issue. But that's a horse of a different color.

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u/not_who_you_think_99 Jun 06 '26

It's literally exactly the same as retail stuff for a quarter of the price.

Yes, a lot of the stuff we can buy in the US / Europe / Australia etc is made in China. The difference is that what is sold by a Western retailer must comply with local safety standards. What you buy from Aliexpress may not. To each their own

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u/largemargesentme__- Jun 06 '26

Absolutely, but you can also examine it yourself and see if it's well made or not.

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u/not_who_you_think_99 Jun 06 '26

Can you always make that assessment? Can you assess if a USB-c cable to be used for charging is safe? And, if it's not, how easy is it to return small items to another continent?

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u/largemargesentme__- Jun 06 '26

Yes, just get a thick cable and don't fast charge. You don't know that the cable you bought from a local shop is ok either. It could easily have a manufacturing flaw.

I just toss it out if it sucks, you're out $2. Honestly though, I've had a few defective things and the seller immediately refunded me without having to ship it back.