Just a little OT
I wonder how many folks here buy a particular product on the recommendation of these social influencers. I can honestly say I am not brand conscious and do my own research before buying. I wanted a domestic expresso machine and I took so long to make up my mind and updated La Marzocco came out which cost around. $6600. Some of you might wonder WTF, but this was a domestic version of their commercial one with exactly the same parts made from metal. Domestic ones from appliance shops are normally plastic parts with a vibration pump system which results in inferior coffee.
A couple of years ago I bought a jacket from an Opportunity shop for $100. My partner said the same jacket was selling the previous year in upmarket fashion houses in Sydney for $3000 in 2018.
I don't watch her shows or any other influencer, I buy my stuffs based on my own searches. However, in the past several years, most of the stuffs that I bought (electronics, home appliances, gadgets, utensils, etc) were imported from China, incl. China's own brands. I witness a significant surge in quality from products made in China in the last few years, incl. from those China's native brands. In earlier period, I might still find some significant gap compared with those products made in Japan or South Korea. But later it is no longer true.
For sure I am not seeking for the lowest prices but I
pay attention into quality (built quality), specs, material...
I am ready to pay more at those better Chinese products to obtain the qualities, and I am avoiding those unknown at the lowest prices, those that compete based on pricing solely... but I also hate to pay steep, unreasonable premium just for the brand names (I ain't that kind of consumer). I am that kind that won't pay USD6,600 for a coffee maker
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so item like that or the comparatively pricey is a big no-no for me. After all I still have to spend wisely my bucks... life just does not shower me with such generous fortune as well as I hate to be rigged.
Principally I tend to be a consumer of quality and functionality and stick to price/performance ratio than brand name
![Stick Out Tongue :p :p](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
but in some aspect brand names also guarantee built quality and that's what I found with Huawei products. I have repeatedly bought Huawei consumer products from GSM Wi-Fi dongle long in the past to Wi-Fi Repeater to smartphone to tablet to notebook for I find the built qualities are assuring. Now my Huawei smartphone has been over 5 years old, time for replacement after being postponed for 2 years, and now I am awaiting the launch of
. The blockage by Google gives some minus but as I have my 2nd android phone (Oppo) so I can ignore the absence of GMS and few Google key apps, something that I can afford to miss. I also have a Huawei Matebook (laptop) that will take advantage of the direct communication (file transfer capability both directions) with Huawei's new smartphones (those mid-to-high end models as of 2019 or so), my current phone is too old to support this feature. Well, at the very end I am still relatively quite a rational consumer... a complicated purchaser for serious item
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