By knowing which expensive items have cheaper alternatives, we can always opt for the best value and save a bunch of money in the process. But often the problem is knowing which brands are the “best buys”. Without reading through hundreds of Amazon product reviews, some of which are fake, it can be hard to figure out which brands are smart buys. Here’s a great list to get you started so you can make informed buying decisions.

Here are a few of the most glaring examples where the more expensive brand is often NOT noticeably better in terms of quality and features.

1. Blender: Vitamix vs. Ninja

This blender battle has been well documented in the past and the $121 Ninja blender is absolutely comparable to the $450 Vitamix.

So the Ninja might be a little louder and seconds slower, I can EASILY live with both and be $300 richer in the process.

2. Vacuum: Dyson vs. Shark

At $400, the Dyson DC41 is a very spendy fun-suck.

I’ll happily opt for the $160 Shark Navigator which actually sucks way more.

3. Stand Mixer: Kitchen Aid vs. Hamilton Beach

Save an easy $150 by opting for the highly regarded $149 Hamilton Beach stand mixer over the $300 KitchenAid mixer.

The Hamilton Beach variety is 12-speed and 4.5 quarts and has the tilt head and everything PLUS it gets 4.5 stars with over 1,100 reviews on Amazon.

4. Espresso Machine: Breville vs. De’Longhi

If espresso is your thing, save a butt load of money an opt for the powerful $145 De’Longhi machine.

Leave the $1,000 Breville Touch for the coffee connoisseur who “claims” they can taste the difference.

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5. Water Bottle: Stanley vs. Takeya

The Stanley tumbler craze is ridiculous. Why would you pay $50 for a Stanley when you can get a Takeya for only $25?

Oh, and by the way, with 2 teenage daughters in my house we have both of these tumblers and I’ve tested them.

Which one do you think keeps ice frozen the longest? Yep, good guess.

6. Noise Canceling Headphones: Bose vs. Sony

This one is my favorite.

If you’ve ever priced Bose noise-cancelling headphones, you know they’re quite expensive at around $250.

If you find yourself on a loud airplane several times per week, they may be worth the money, but for infrequent travel and office use, the 4-star Sony version ($99) will more than suffice.

7. Memory Foam Mattress: Tempur-pedic vs. NovosBed

At under $1,000, the NovosBed appears to be a great buy when comparing it to the $3,600 Tempur-pedic mattress.

This is especially true when you compare material and owner satisfaction with each.

Although, as a faithful Tempur-pedic sleeper, I’d want to test out the NovosBed for a couple nights first.

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8. Cables: Monster vs. Monoprice

If the cable is less than 6 feet long, the cheaper Monoprice cable ($4-$14) is a very smart buy compared to Monster brand cables ($30 and up).

This is especially true for HDMI cables as the average TV viewer will never be able to tell the difference in terms of picture and audio quality.

9. Chef’s Knife: Shun vs. Victorinox

At a spendy $125, the Shun knife is a popular top-of-the-line chef’s knife.

But….the comparable Victorinox for under $40 is a solid knife with some very positive reviews.

Heck, you could buy 3 Victorinox for the price of a single Shun knife.

Ask the Reader: Have you had success with any of the cheaper brands mentioned above? Or maybe other products that weren’t mentioned?

By Kyle James