Ira Alulkar

Choosing Products

I love buying things. Additionally, I love high quality products. I am frightened by the new rise of cheaply made products that have infiltrated our daily lives, as many others are, but I still remain hopeful. I think there are still outlets on this world where you can find quality products. In this post, I want to outline my process for finding such products and how I select options when shopping.

I think there are 2 main situations that involve purchasing in one’s life:

  1. Shopping around for a specific item in a category (i.e. a kettle, an ice tray, a table, etc.)
  2. Trying to find nice items to fill your life with (i.e. shopping for decor, nice clothes, cool stationery, etc.)

The first type is usually time-sensitive, you’re usually in need of the item and need something to fill the space. The second type is time-insensitive, it is something that you do for your whole life, accumulating things that fit your taste and showcase your personality. I will be focusing on both types in this article, because I think they are both equally important. Having reliable objects that spark joy in your everyday life is important to having a good quality of life. This skill, of finding quality items, is something that takes a lot of judgment and time, but it can be done by anyone. I think this is a real skill that is often unacknowledged, and I take pride in my ability to pick out cool things for my life, and you should too!

Alright, to start off, I’ll talk about type 1: trying to find the best X for your life. Even though this situation is time-sensitive, it shouldn’t have to lead to the purchase of inferior goods. You should be able to fill your life with the most productive, efficient, and useful products you can. I think the biggest thing to keep in mind is that there is no such thing as the “best”. If I looked up “what is the best kettle”, I would find hundreds of articles, each with their own pick. The fact of the matter is: none of these people are wrong! Everyone has different priorities and needs from a product, and you have to try and balance these to find the best option for you.

In this space, I think the best resources are product review websites. They allow for you to see written reviews, compare items, and find items which have the best feedback. I’ll give a list of some of my favorites here, but by no means is this an exhaustive list. It’s always useful to look at other websites, even if they are low quality, simply to see what is out there.

  1. The Strategist - Part of New York Magazine, I think that this website is probably one of the best for finding quality goods, well-written reviews, and everything else. Their newsletter is amazing, I couldn’t reccommend this website enough.
  2. Wirecutter - Part of The New York Times, this website functions in much the same way as The Strategist, but is often less detailed or expansive. This website is good for technology, bags/travel, and other stuff along those lines.
  3. Gear Lab - This website has reviews for all sorts of outdoor gear in all sorts of categories. However, it’s not good for only that, it’s also useful for general clothing and gear recommendations. The items recommended on this site are often high quality, durable, and inexpensive.
  4. r/BuyItForLife - This subreddit is dedicated to providing recommendations for durable, high quality products. I think the fact that this forum allows for discussion from many different people gives a better sample of the options in the space.

Of course, there are other websites that fit in this list, but these are my top recommendations for where to look. When looking for your own website, I think it’s important to make sure the website is not just aggregating Amazon reviews. Look for personal annectdotes/thoughts, a nice layout, and an explanation of the methodology to ensure the rankings are as accurate as possible. When choosing products from these websites’ recommendations, trust your gut. There are often a lot of options of similar quality and functionality that differ slightly. From those, choose whichever one appeals to your personal taste the most, and you’ll have made a good choice.

Moving on to the next type, the biggest thing to keep in mind is to always be cataloguing. If you find out about a new type of thing, write it down! When I found out about the community of mechanical keyboard enthusiasts, I made sure to note down the most popular models, which allowed me to become a surface-level expert in the area and understand all the qualifiers that go into making and choosing a mechanical keyboard. Here are some recommendations for websites that allow you to learn about cool things and even find good deals sometimes.

  1. Secret Strategist - This is one of The Strategist’s newsletters (you should also sign up for their main newsletter). They usually focus on niche items that look cool and add pizazz to your life. I love reading through the issues, even if I’m not in the market for anything, and I’ve found out about a number of retailers, products, and even general things I never would have otherwise.
  2. Thingtesting - This website focuses on cataloguing small, niche companies that make trendy and interesting items. They also allow for user reviews, which is amazing and allows you to gauge people’s opinions on these small brands. I have found out about a number of brands that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise, since they’re so small. Additionally, they are always running a “Thingdrop”, where they showcase items from small companies and allow you to buy from them at (often) an incredibly steep discount. These companies are often more expensive than usual, so the Thingdrop is a nice way to try out different cool products.
  3. Look on social media - There are a number of accounts that focus on talking about design, art, and living. The premier example of this I’m thinking of is @nanuelectrics on TikTok, who make clocks but also talk about how to find good quality products. By following these accounts and seeing what they recommend, you can find out about a whole world of cool products that you never would have before.

Often, I’ll download videos and pictures of things I like, without any intention of buying them anytime soon, simply to keep a note of what types of things I like, and to keep record of cool stuff for later.

I hope this post has been helpful. I am always thinking about this topic, and I thought it would be good to share my “wisdom” with the world in the hopes that it helps someone else!