Name Brand vs. Store Brand: Cotton Swabs

As I was swabbing my ears this morning with store brand swabs, I was motivated me to write this post a little earlier than I had planned. It’s a relatively minor price difference, but I had always wondered: are Q-tips better than store brand cotton swabs?

We use roughly one box of cotton swabs a year, which means this isn’t really a big financial issue. Q-tips cost a dollar or two more than store brand, so this will add up to about the price of a pair of good jeans in my lifetime. Until recently, I’d always purchased Q-tips, since it didn’t seem worth taking a chance. Now, though, you can be at peace, because I took the leap and bought Hy-Vee* cotton swabs last month.

Are Q-tips better? Yes, but the store brand swabs still do the job. The store brand swabs are more apt to bend in the middle or have the cotton peel away from the stick. However, for most uses, that doesn’t really matter. I’m occasionally annoyed when my swab bends, but I can still finish drying my ears.

Will I buy store brand again? Yes, unless my husband complains. My store brand policy is to buy the cheapest unless we sufficiently don’t like it. The cheap swabs pass my test, and my husband has about eight months left on this box to inform me if they don’t pass his test.

*I know, just one store brand, that’s a weak test. I just couldn’t bring myself to purchase a five-year supply of cotton swabs for this test.

 

Have you tried any store brand cotton swabs? What did you think of them?