26 Surprisingly Brilliantly Engineered Everyday Items You Won’t Believe Are So Affordable
Ever catch yourself thinking, “Why does everyone else’s stuff look like junk but my own clutter is just fine?” George Carlin nailed that paradox decades ago, and it’s truer than ever—especially when it comes to all those cheap, mass-produced items we usually overlook. But here’s the kicker: some of these seemingly mundane things are engineering marvels in disguise—dead simple, dirt cheap, yet mind-blowingly well designed. From the humble cardboard box that ships your online orders to the trusty ballpoint pen that scribbles your next great idea, Reddit users recently spilled the beans on which everyday objects deserve a round of applause for their genius. Ready to see the hidden heroes of mass production? Dive in, and you might just start appreciating that “stuff” you thought was nothing special. LEARN MORE
I fondly remember George Carlin giving a 5-minute monologue as part of his stand-up act talking about stuff. And I will always remember his iconic quote about it: “have you ever noticed how everyone else’s stuff is **** and all your **** is stuff?”
And when you think about it, it’s true. And on several levels. Not only because you care about your stuff more than you do about others’ but also because some stuff can really be bad. But it can be seemingly bad but surprisingly good.
This is what Reddit has been talking about lately—the things that are cheap, mass-produced, and seemingly bad, but absolutely stupendously well designed and engineered.
The now-viral AskReddit post found its way under our radar, so there you have it, the best responses of stuff that isn’t bad, though it costs as much. Scroll down, check it out, vote, comment, all that jazz.
More Info: Reddit
throwaway-boxer said:
The humble corrugated cardboard box.
It’s lightweight, strong, splash resistant, somewhat padded, doesn’t break down in heat/cold, scratch resistant, recyclable, biodegradeable and able to be assembled cheaply into any size.
The basic design has existed for over 150 years. The retail shipping industry runs on cardboard boxes.
XYZ2ABC replied:
The Corrugated Fiberboard Association of America would like to remind you that it’s the humble Corrugated Fiberboard box you’re referring to; a cardboard box is what your shoes come in.
Raptorscars said:
The ballpoint pen, clearly
Calphrick replied:
Give credit to the inventor, Laszlo Biro. He escaped the Nazis, invented the pen, then got ripped off and never made money.
ohz0pants said:
Toilets. They use nothing more than gravity to reliably flush. Doesn’t use power at all.
i-d-p replied:
And if you’ve ever used a poorly engineered toilet, you really learn to appreciate the well engineered ones.
Paranomorte said:
Screws, can you imagine what would happen if all the screws suddenly disappeared from world? Everything would fall apart
FarmerMKultra replied:
We would be screwed.
Dahhhkness replied:
Tool puns, everyone, you know the drill.
ihlaking replied:
> “you know the drill.”
I mean, I know a bit.
UndercoverFBIAgent9 replied:
Time to ratchet up the laughter.
RiverShenismydad replied:
Y’all are nuts.
teeebax replied:
This is absolutely riveting.
Shonnyboy500 replied:
I find it boring.
olioli86 replied:
Too plane for you I guess.
BreakfastBright1999 replied:
Nah, just hammered.
Torvaun said:
LEGO. When’s the last time you got two bricks that didn’t fit, or that were loose?
DneSokas replied:
TBF LEGO is actually quite expensive as far as toys go, but IIRC their manufacturing tolerance is literally tighter than some components used by NASA and in theory the first ever brick manufactured would work with one manufactured today.
HoraceBenbow replied:
> “in theory the first ever brick manufactured would work with one manufactured today.”
Can confirm. My son inherited some of his grandfather’s bricks from the 1960s. They fit today’s bricks perfectly.
wanderingsoul825 said:
The zipper. It’s a very cheap mechanism that secures objects in a very neat fashion. No wonder it’s used in most objects that need to be opened and closed such as luggage and jackets.
DonatellaVerpsyche replied:
Sewing person here adding: not all zippers are created equal. There is a big difference in quality. Those zippers in the top of a purse or a great jacket that just move smoothly like butter: yep, great quality. The cheap ones are the ones that will drive you nuts and get stuck. I always get the best quality for what I’m making. Huge difference. And those top quality zippers are also a lot more expensive, like $5-7/ each. (Vs Very roughly, a cheaper zipper can go for like $0.50-2.50/ ea.)
Added fun fact that includes zippers: (often) the most expensive part of a handbag is the hardware and this includes all the zippers.
Tough question, I’d say stainless steel cutlery.
How many other things in life are used almost every day, then machine washed, thrown haphazardly into a drawer & regularly survive in a working condition for much more than a century.
