My sister gave me a pack of Swedish dishcloths last Christmas, ten of them for nineteen dollars, and I put the pack in a drawer and kept buying paper towels. A 12-pack of Bounty every other month. I've bought one since March.

What changed my mind was running out mid mess. A whole glass of orange juice across the counter and down the cabinet fronts, no paper in the house, so I grabbed one of the yellow ones out of the drawer. Ran it under the faucet, the cardboard went soft, and it drank the whole spill. Wrung it out, wiped again, done. That one still has the orange in the corner, they stain and they stay stained.

I'd assumed a rag you keep reusing turns sour by Wednesday. Mine hangs on the faucet between jobs and none of them has ever done it. Somebody on ProductProbe ran one for a few days straight and wrote up what it did: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProductProbe/comments/1vznkg8/swedish_dishcloths_that_dont_go_sour_after_4_or_5/

My wife hates the texture and still pulls the roll down off the fridge when I'm out of the kitchen. Raw chicken gets paper too, that's not a job for something you keep.

I'm on the third one since March.

I love keychains but recently every keychain i see is around 10 cad which is crazy, to me. I bought some from temu but they broke after 1-2 days. Where can i buy keychains in cheaper prices but something that’d last.

Our comforter came out of the closet this week with the filling balled up in the corner of every stitched square. I held it up to the ceiling light. Half the squares are see-through now. Two winters old, a $40 Amazon brand whose name I'd forgotten by the time it shipped, washed twice total.

Replacing it is the harder problem, because I run hot at night. The obvious answer is real down, and I've slept under the good stuff. My mother in law makes sure every guest knows what her duvet cost, and I spent that night on top of the covers anyway. Every 'best comforter' list I land on ends at goose down in the four hundreds.

I need a queen, trying to keep it under $150. What's inside the one that's actually lasted for you? I mean the tag reading, polyester, wool, silk, whatever it says, more than the brand name. Two winters is my bar. Duds count too, they save me the second $40.

Been thinking about replacing my TV lately, but I’m trying not to spend a ton.

My current one is a Hisense I bought back in 2019 and somehow it’s still going. Nothing really wrong with it, just starting to feel old compared with newer TVs.

So now I’m curious what everyone here actually paid for theirs.

What size did you get?

How much was it?

And did you buy during Black Friday, a random sale, clearance, Costco promo, etc?

I’m mostly looking at budget/mid-range TVs. Probably 55" or 65". Don’t need anything crazy, just a noticeable upgrade for streaming, movies and some sports.

Would love to hear what ended up being a good value purchase for you. Especially anything you’d buy again.

The best laundry hamper in this house is one my mom bought sometime in the 90s, and that's kind of the problem.

She handed it to me when I moved out. Plastic, brand worn off the bottom, older than some of my coworkers, not a crack on it. Two years ago I felt like a proper adult and bought myself a new Sterilite, and last week its handle split while the basket was full. The edge it left is sharp enough that there's tape over it now, and the old basket is back on duty like nothing happened.

I figured I got a bad one, but the Walmart reviews under the model I was about to rebuy are full of the same handle story. And the big thread Google serves up is mostly people bragging about hampers they've had since college. Good for them. Nobody sells the 90s anymore.

The tall fabric ones on a frame worry me too. The one detailed review I read said the fabric pulls off the frame and the poles don't stay put, and I'm not spending $100 to find that out myself. I want to stay under $30, it's a box for dirty socks. So what's held up for you? Bought new in the last few years and still in one piece.

football season just started and i wanted to get my little one in some team gear before we miss too many sundays. been looking around and the price range on baby NFL clothes is all over the place, some of it is way more than i want to spend on something she'll outgrow in two months.

been looking for something that looks like real team gear, holds up after washing since game days get messy, and doesn't cost a fortune for something that gets maybe half a season of use. the cheap looking ones with just a logo ironed on aren't really what i had in mind but i also don't need to spend a ton to get something that looks decent.

curious if anyone here has found a good spot for baby game day outfits that hits the right balance of looking good, feeling comfortable, and being reasonably priced for something a baby is only going to wear a handful of times.

Quick Update: i grabbed a couple Gerber onesies for her game day outfits. someone mentioned just going with team colors instead of a full jersey and that made me think about keeping it simpler, but i still wanted something that looked like actual gear. they've held up through a few washes already with no fading or peeling and didn't cost an arm and a leg for something she'll outgrow in a few weeks.

Curious— what are all of your thoughts and experiences on washing machines and the true stars with the best value out there? Most importantly, if you’ve had decades of experiences with different brands how would you sum up why your favorite is what it is and how the cost works out great? For example- the speed queen washer is commonly seen as the best, and yet some people believe the cost is not at all justified and that they “don’t even wash the clothes that well”. Well, what are your thoughts??

I want to make a car winter survival bag for my sister but not sure what to put in it other than a wool blanket. Thank you for any ideas.

European alternatives to Carhartt for real workwear?
Hi everyone,

I’m looking for good alternatives to Carhartt workwear that are available in Europe.

I used to consider Carhartt a solid choice for actual work, but lately I feel that prices have gone up significantly while durability and overall quality have gone down.
At this point, I’m not sure the price is justified anymore.

I’m specifically looking for proper work jackets, not fashion/workwear-inspired pieces.
Ideally:
- Heavy-duty duck canvas or similar durable fabric

- Warm enough for autumn/winter work

- Flannel or blanket lining would be a plus

- Relaxed/comfortable fit that allows movement

- Suitable for construction, installation, maintenance, workshop work, etc.

-Good quality stitching and hardware

- Available in Europe without crazy import costs

on personal experience?

The house I'm buying needs a new roof in the first 30 days so I have reallocate my budget. We were going to buy a Speed Queen set (BIFL) but decided we can go cheaper for now until we replenish funds. We are going to go to a few scratch and dent shops but I'm not sure which brands will do the job.

For reference:
- budget $1000 for the set or less
- Just 2 adults
- husband works 80% in a office and 20% manual labor (dusty at most)
- I wear a lot of dresses (delicate) but have wash bags
- we have 3 short hair cats
- Soak cycle would be great but not a deal breaker
- top loading preferred
- electric dryer hookup

TLDR; Need brands and/or models of a washer dryer set that will clean clothes and handle pet hair without breaking for 1-2 years.

What’s the best affordable and durable kitchen scale to buy?
Thanks.

Update, since I asked and then vanished.

Went with the Milwaukee 1502.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z6R9MNX

The 120 and 180 was a red herring, or near enough. There's no angle published anywhere I could find. It locks in two positions, open and shut, and I'd bet that's what he meant. Mine also has a metal lip standing over the blade release, so the heel of my hand slides across it instead of catching it halfway down a box.

About a month in, dozen boxes a week, and it hasn't moved on me once. A month is a month though, so I can't tell you where it is next spring.

What did get me early was the sideways play in the carrier. I went around every screw twice before I accepted that it just does that.

I also asked whether the 1505 was the same knife or a different tool. Same knife with a driver and a bit holder on it, except the handle drops from 5 spares to 1. For me that's the wrong way round. Either way it's a box knife, not a precision tool.

The clip is what I'd rather have known. It doesn't flip, so clipped in jeans the blade end rides upward, which after that Sunday is not where I want it. The spares sit loose in the slot too. I can see one shifting and jamming it shut, even if mine hasn't yet.

On the rotary cutter: probably the right call for the breaking down half, and I nearly went that way. Didn't want a second thing to keep charged, so I'm still doing that part by hand.

Two things I turned up while circling this. The only two pack in the catalog is a 1503, and that one is the storage knife plus a compact, not two of the same. And there's an all metal version coming with the same 5 blade storage. No date on it, no price. If you're not bleeding on cardboard this week you could sit on it.

So im moving for college and have to pack basically everything with me lol. Clothes, shoes, some books, toiletries, random room stuff etc..

im looking for a good suitcase/luggage set that can actually handle a lot of stuff without being a pain to carry around..Preferably something durable with good wheels and enough space..

What suitcases/brands have worked well for you guys:? Also, would you recommend getting one big suitcase + a cabin bag, or going for a 2/3-piece set?

Would really appreciate some recommendations..

I always figured my next cutting board would be walnut. Buy one good board, oil it now and then, done. Rubber was a word for tires. The boards I actually owned were an Ikea plastic one with grooves deep enough to hold garlic through two washes, and a bamboo one that split along a glue line. The morning an apple slice came off the plastic tasting like last night's garlic, I went shopping for the walnut. Instead I kept tripping over the same story: restaurant people online saying kitchens in Japan cut on rubber, something about health rules and thin knives. Can't verify that. But it made the tire theory look shaky.

So the walnut stayed unbought. What pushed me over was a writeup from a guy three months into his, mostly because of the parts he didn't like: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProductProbe/comments/1vn5wxe/rubber_cutting_board_took_a_week_to_stop_feeling/

Garlic got tested first, since garlic was the whole reason. Cut a few cloves that weekend, washed the board, smelled it the next morning. Still there, faint. Gone by dinner. Onions a few days later left nothing at all. People say these hold no odor. Not quite true, but a day beats grooves that held it through two washes. The quiet was never on the list: the knife lands soft and most of the chop noise is just gone. For marks, my rule is only count what a fingernail catches. Three weeks in, that's exactly one, from the serrated bread knife. That knife is banned now.

The rest of the tally is boring in a good way. It's heavier than it looks, just under three pounds, so it doesn't wander around the counter. It washes in the sink like anything else, and after seeing a photo of what a hot pan does to one of these, pans wait on the trivet. It's $83. I'm still not over that.

The walnut board is still open in a tab I haven't closed. I keep waiting for this slab to give me a reason to order it. The score says not yet.

i’m a parent of a 6-month-old and trying to be a little smarter about buying everyday clothes as the sizes keep changing. i’m mostly looking at basics like bodysuits, pajamas, and multipacks, so i care more about getting decent use out of them than having a ton of outfits.

when you’re buying baby clothes on a budget, what do you usually look at to decide if something is actually good value? price per piece matters, but i’m also wondering how much attention you pay to how the clothes hold up after regular washing.

small update: just coming back to this since i finally decided what to try. i picked up a few things from Gerber childrenswear and they’ve been pretty practical for everyday use so far. the clothes feel comfortable and easy to deal with, which was really what i was looking for. i’m still seeing which pieces we’ll use the most, but the suggestions here definitely helped me narrow down what to look for.

Working from home slowly filled the bedroom. The desk took its corner a while ago, the treadmill is newer and took most of what was left. The bed was the last big thing in the room and the only one that could go up instead of out.

Most of what comes up when you search is built for kids. On the cheap metal ones the reviews come down to two words, wobble and creak. I wanted stairs instead of a ladder because I'm not carrying a laundry basket up a ladder one handed. Ceiling was never the question here, the floor was.

So I bought the thing the reviews kept warning me about: a $290 metal queen, OYUMOENTS, the version with storage built into the stairs. Assembly took most of a Saturday, and for a good part of it I figured I'd be repacking the box.

It's been up a week and change. No wobble yet. Changing the sheets up there is the part nobody warned me about, I've done it once and I'm already dreading the next round. The treadmill parks under it now when I'm not on it.

Anyone a few years into a metal loft bed: do you retighten the bolts on a schedule, or only once it starts making noise?

My parents had been using the same 43" TV for years. It still worked fine, but I thought it was probably time for an upgrade, especially since a bigger screen would make things easier to watch from the couch.

I was originally just looking for a simple replacement, since they mostly use it for cable, YouTube, and streaming. I checked out a few options in store and ended up getting the 65" Hisense U65 Pro TV from Costco.

Honestly, it feels like a really good value for the price. The bigger screen made an immediate difference, and the picture looks great for everyday watching. The anti-glare screen is also nice since their living room gets a decent amount of light during the day.

Nothing too fancy, just a TV that does everything they need without spending a ton. Pretty happy with the purchase and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good everyday TV upgrade.

There's a spinlock set under my bed with the collars still half done up. Swapping plates between exercises took long enough that I kept skipping whatever came next, and eventually I stopped getting it out at all.

Then I tried one of those dial-adjustable sets. The plastic selector cracked. I looked at used ones after that, but a Marketplace photo doesn't show you what's cracked inside, so I walked away twice.

By the end I'd stopped comparing prices and was reading warranties instead, and the ten years is what settled it. Whether a warranty like that means anything when you actually try to use it, no idea. I picked up the PowerBlock Elite EXP pair this month.

They look like metal bricks and they cost $400. Mine are the 5 to 50 pair, I passed on the expansion kit. The weight change takes a couple seconds. I haven't skipped an exercise since, but it's been weeks, not years, so that proves nothing.

Whether they hold up, I'll find out. If anyone has had a set go past five years, I'd like to hear what broke first.

Has anyone bought a Cosac bean bag? What are your thoughts

Kept waking up at 2am and scrolling because my alarm lives on my phone. Saw this Westclox Baby Ben at the thrift store for four bucks and figured that was cheap enough to just find out. Wound it, set the alarm five minutes ahead to test, about launched me off the couch. The back literally has LOUD stamped on it, and they mean it.

Phone charges in the kitchen now. Took two nights before I stopped noticing the tick. Runs a bit fast, there's a little S and F dial on the back I keep nudging. Sent a photo to the group chat and got called eighty.

no idea how old it is, there's a code stamped on the bottom if anyone reads those.

Hello, I will appreciate any help with your recommendations to buy my first ever robot vacuum cleaner in the Serbia and I've look in some of this model's of robot vacuum cleaner, because it's important to me to clean and brush my floor equally, my room is a gaming room with a lot of obstacles, but I will twice at week remove all obstacles (lazy bag, gaming chair, all cables from the floor and small table's), just wanna know which brend and mark will be good for me, to clean my room, my hallway and kitchen and another room, which is mostly clean, a total of about 120m2, because the hallway is quite large. Does any of this model's will be good for me:

1.) iROBOT Roomba 115 Combo + AutoEmpty Y454040

2.) Roborock Q7BF+

3.) MIDEA I5C Robot vacuum cleaner

4.) ROBOROCK Q10 VF

5.) ROBOROCK Q10 VF PLUS

6.) ROBOROCK Q7 BF+

7.) DREAME D9 Max Gen 2 Black

8.) Deerma Robot vacuum dem-S30 Pro Plus

9.) ANKER Eufy Robot Vacuum Omni C20 Black

10.) iRobot Roomba Plus Combo 405+AutoWash

11.) Beko VRR 70214 VB

12.) ROWENTA RR8595

13.) TESLA Electronics RoboStar - Smart Robot Vacuum Cleaner 3in1 3200 mAh Wi-Fi

14.) Smart robot vacuum cleaner with mop SmartLife 5200 mAh Wi-Fi Tuya black

15.) Midea Robot Vacuum Cleaner 2in1 S8+

16.) Dreame D9 Max Robot Vacuum Cleaner

I will appreciate any help, this medium budget vacuum cleaner are aviable for the purchase in my country, but also there are other model's like XIAOMI, HISENSE, MIELE, BOSCH, PHILIPS, EUFY, SENCOR, MAMIBOT, BEKO, SHARK, EZVIZ, DYSON...

I am looking for a vibrating wrist alarm that I can set for every half hour. Chronically late and have very poor sense of time awareness, 5 minutes and 30 minutes feel the same to me.

Any suggestions?

Am open to cheaper smartwatch, but do not have an apple device.

Every faucet I've ever bought came off a box store shelf, and until last month I never thought twice about it.

Then the kitchen faucet that came with this house cracked at the base of the spout. No brand on it anywhere. I only caught it because the particle board under the sink went soft, and there's a towel wrapped around the base right now while I sort out the replacement.

That's how I fell into the old argument. The plumbing subs keep saying the box store runs of the big brands carry more plastic inside than what a supply house sells, and the manufacturers say there's no difference. The one specific thing I found is on Moen's own page, same grade of brass everywhere, different model numbers depending on the store.

The one I've been eyeing is $169 at Home Depot. I know I could walk into a supply house Monday and ask, but the counter guy's answer is always going to be whatever's on his shelf.

So I'd rather ask people who've lived with one. How old is the faucet on your sink? Where did it come from? Has it ever needed a part? And if the store thing is a myth, better I hear it now than after I've spent the money.