When Is Generic Okay?

I'm browsing Temu and wondering when it is okay to go with no-name brand medical and survival gear.

Jeanette Isabelle

For medical gear, I'm a 100% solid "no" for that. When a personally-known medical professional tells me that a certain piece of gear is good to go, I pay close attention to that. So far, the ones I have trained with didn't suggest anything of the sort.

For survival gear, my position is less black-and-white. An isobutane camp stove, for example, is pretty hard to screw up. I've used mine for a few years and found it to be just what I need. It's an inexpensive, no-name import. My cookpot is no-name brand for sure. But not much else that I can think of.

I cannot think of any brand-name safety pins. Aside from that, I cannot think of any piece of medical equipment where generic is acceptable.

Jeanette Isabelle

I would buy generic drugs but probably not equipment. Certainly counterfeit TQs have often proved to be substandard!

I don't recommend Temu. While many Chinese manufacturers produce quality goods, there are also some that try to squeeze extra profit by gradually degrading the quality of their products. So the first batch is fine. The second batch may not be so great, but perhaps still acceptable. Minor flaws with the third batch, and it goes down from there, until you end up with trash. If there isn't a partner to hold them to a standard, a partner that cares about its reputation, then there may not be guarantee of consistent quality over time.

Temu seems to offer no quality control. This is on top of bigger issues such as no guarantee that it doesn't sell goods made with imprisoned Uighur labor. So even if I got something as simple as a bag, I'd worry: did somebody take a shortcut on stitching? Will a seam come undone when I need the bag to work?

I'm getting a new medical ID bracelet as I've broken two in the past.

Jeanette Isabelle

I received my new medical ID bracelet. Aside from the small print, it is everything I wanted.

Jeanette Isabelle