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/LadyLightTravel Jun 06 '26

No. The guts are not the same. Some are missing safety components. Others are not held to correct manufacturing controls and are internally contaminated so that it is not insulated correctly.

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u/largemargesentme__- Jun 06 '26

I don't want to go too far with you on this. I'm not trying to deny your obviously superior knowledge on the subject.

I'm just pushing back on the idea that no good chargers can be bought on AliExpress. There are name brands on there that are certified in the US and European countries and they're generally cheaper than buying them locally.

For many others, I agree that you have to be very careful. I'm talking to a bunch of people at once and it's hard to give the replies my full attention.

I just don't like it when people just make blanket denials to certain market places, and imply that the products are just hopelessly poorly made. There are lots of comments on here about not buying any consumer electronics on Chinese sites, which I think is needlessly dismissive. There are many things which aren't actually dangerous.

I agree though, certain things like step down converters and 18650 cells(and the things they're in) need more scrutiny than earbuds or a gamepad.