An excited reader emailed me yesterday saying she had discovered an imitation Wii and Wii Fit for less than a third of the price the brand name video game console commands – $80 v. $317. She is so smitten with the generic version she plans to buy it for her son for Christmas.
(CVS sells the Zone 40 wireless gaming console for $30 (orig. $40) and the Zone Fit Extreme Gaming Pad is another $50. Amazon has the Wii for $200
Is the Wii’s brand name worth the higher price? Conversely, do the price savings of the Zone 40 make up for its supposed short comings?
Every time we buy we have to decide whether to go with a brand name or generic. The differences are not always trivial.
- Status of brand
- Quality of product
- Life expectancy of product
- Quality of technical support
- Warranty
When it comes to electronics, are brand names worth the extra cost? What other factors do you consider?
Thanks, Tina!
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
Build quality is very important for computers and electronics not to mention quality of the content when it comes to game systems.
You can buy cheap electronics but most will break quickly and don’t have an established company behind them handling these issues. It is often more of a hassle then buying a new one. Cheap electronics are often manufactured by big Chinese companies and rebranded by smaller companies. Cheap (disposable) electronics are primarily responsible for heavy metal pollution in developing countries and in US landfills as most aren’t properly disposed of in Hazmat Collection Facilities. Buy something of quality (and pay more) as it will last you much longer and have better support than knock-offs.
James
You should also know that certain brands allow stores to put their own name on some items. Think Sears Kenmore.l
I would never buy electronics that are not brand name. It’s not worth it and in the end you end up paying two or three times the price in the long run that you could have paid once in the beginning. I can’t imagine that an imitation Wii would be as good as the real thing.
One of the big savings for companies that knock off products, is in the plastic housing. Virgin material is nearly double the cost of recyle plastic, but virgin material is three times as strong or more. That is why knock offs, break down so much earlier. Thickness for thickness recyle plastic will always break down sooner from the same amount of use.
I’ve found buying brands is critical sometimes but now always. Read reviews, talk with friends and experiment to learn when a brand name matters.
I’ll be interested to see what Mr. Techie, Steven, has to say on this subject.
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My brother in law would appreciate this blog post. We were not too long ago discussing about this. lol