There is nothing that some profiteer can't sell for a little less and still make money on by making it a lot worse. Pick a class of device, and there will always be garbage specimens.

i plan to start taking canoe trips farther north in
Canada..so one of the things i came to this site for
was the search for a good PLB..good thing i did..
the review of the TracMe was an alert that not all of
the "high tech" gear is what it is cracked up to be.
satellite phones are not a %100 sure thing and if you
want the best you will have to pay big for it..at least
from my retired guy point of view..but having said that
it seems getting a good PLB on my plastic and paying for
it over 6 months is better than no PLB at all..or worse
buying a "negative" PLB....

Perhaps this is off-topic a little, but...

Paper matches, in my experience, are viable fire-making devices long after wooden matches, of any kind, have become fancy kindling. And if you tear paper matches all the way down to the base of the pack, and use three at a time, they're remarkably effective. Even after kicking around for 10+ years. Also, they're free (dig it!).

That said: unless travelling by air (paper matches plus flint stick), I carry Bics, and always in multiples. Never been let down by a Bic.

Being a smoker, I consider myself an expert on lighters. Over the years I have used them all. And my experience has taught me that Bic lighters are the best in the world. Their only weakness is if they get wet or dirty. A wet Bic needs to dry out before it will work again. A dirty Bic is pretty much ruined. But if you take care of it, it will take care of you.

"Storebought" survival kits in general. Many (most) are full of junk items, the purchaser usually never opens one 'til they think they need it, then find out they have nothing useful. And many (most) seem to be soooo large no one would have one along if needed anyway...

I flew with a bic lighter over Thanksgiving, they seem to be off the prohibited list now. I agree paper matches can be useful, as long as they're dry and you know how to light one.

I think as long as you know the limitations of a device, nearly anything can be useful. As long as you remember that gas station pocket knife is a gas station pocket knife and don't treat it like a Sebenza its something you can use. Only when you think a tool much better then it is, is it truly a liability. But the same thing is true with high quality gear. You can't cook over an open flame with a Nalgene bottle, you can't pry with most high quality knives. If you don't use it with in its limits, or don't know its limits its a negative item.

People have done a lot with poor tools. How many people have cooked in empty cans? Tried cutting with a piece of glass?

On the other hand if a device doesn't perform with in the advertised specs, then I really consider it a negative survival item. A knife with a defect in temper or handle material, or electronics that short out or otherwise break unexpectedly these are really negative survival items. These I worry about.

Once saw a guy bragging about his new knife. And man that knife sure did cut. At least it did until he dropped it. Ceramic blade when ceramic blades were new, very expensive and just a little more fragile than they are now. Guy just about cried. Expensive it not necessarily a sign of quality or appropriateness for any particular situation.

As for negative gear. Well ... it is a general quality of gear to be either useful or less than useless. Rare indeed is the piece of gear that is entirely neutral and so only useless. It is in the nature of matter to have mass and take up space. Something that is functionally useless still makes the bag heavier and gets in the way when your digging around for what you need.

And don't underestimate the negative effects of bulk and weight. The ideal kit would take up no room and be entirely weightless. As the kit gets bulkier and heavier the odds of it getting in your way and so getting left back in the truck or at home go up. A kit at home is less than useless when your out and around. You still have the memory and inner glow of one who is 'prepared'. You may inwardly feel prepared. Even when your not because that do-everything kit of yours was so big and heavy that you left it behind.

In the end a small and far less comprehensive kit would work better for you if it means that it is with you when you need it. A $10 pocket knife in your pocket is always going to be better than a $500 one left back at the house.

You're right on the money. There's always been a saying in the CCW community, "A .22 in your pocket is better than a .45 in your safe." Same thing goes for EDC gear.

Cell phones get more people in trouble...

They head out, thinking 'Hey, if there's a problem, I'll just call for help..."

But no tower, no power and it replaces the idea of planning ahead

Well said, AROTC. I agree with every point you just made.

Tools that are substandard not only let you down in the field, they tend to cause injuries when they fail. So they are not only useless, they are a liability. And like (dare I say) a substandard condom, they can get you into deeper trouble by giving a false sense of security.

But there's no reason why inexpensive gear cannot be sturdy and functional. It just takes a bit more experience and judgement to winnow the wheat from the chaff. And perhaps a bit more savvy on the part of the 'operator' to have a sense of what it can and cannot do.

The inexpensive BOB being discussed here sounds a lot like the emergency bag that lives in each of my cars. Mostly surplus, scrounged, and inexpensive stuff; but it's all adequately functional, and all extremely valuable if stranded someplace.