Appreciation post: I was wrong about those cheap smart plugs from that brand Five Below sells

I grabbed a four pack of the 'Mainstays' smart plugs for $20 last month, fully expecting them to be junk that would break or not connect. After setting them up with my Google Home to control a couple lamps and a fan, they've worked perfectly for over 30 days with zero drops. It made me realize sometimes the bargain basement stuff is fine for simple jobs, but I still wonder if they'll last a year. Has anyone else had a surprisingly good run with a gadget you totally expected to fail?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor.jessica17d ago

Honestly, how often are you even turning those lamps on and off? For a basic schedule they're probably fine, but I'd never trust a no-name plug with anything important or hard to reach.

rowank6917d ago

Disagree completely, this is how you end up with a house full of junk. Taylor.jessica has the right idea about not trusting important stuff. That plug works until it doesn't, and then you're either resetting it constantly or it fails on and fries your lamp. Saving five bucks isn't worth the hassle or the fire risk, even for a simple lamp. I've had name brand plugs die after a year, so no way a five dollar one has good parts inside. It's a total false economy to buy tech you can't rely on.