I've actually picked up some great stuff.
For about 50p, I managed to buy a lovely retractable craft knife (stuffed with tissue-wrapped extra blades) from a street vendor. Made by "Runii" (apparently Chinese).

It's made from heavy, high-quality plastic, unlike the violently expensive ones I bought from proper hardware stores over the years.

The blade sits securely in a metal sleeve inside the grip, which prevents the blade from lopping off your fingers if the plastic should split. Which does happen if your cutter is poor quality.

There's a famous (among craft types) Japanese brand of blade called an NT Cutter. It is well renowned and of a truly high quality standard. I have owned one, it was stolen. My cheap blade is actually better.

Oh, and it has a nifty locking system that doesn't require the twisting of an (easily lost) screw.

I may be overselling it, but if you ever encountered the nightmare that is a razor-sharp cutter with a poor housing and failed locking mechanism, you will understand my joy.

I've also bought a lot of padded zip-up CD carriers (plastic sleeves inside) from tat shops. They work, they're cheap. They protect my porn stash.

A lovely little keyring with an very bright LED bulb that has really saved my bacon once or twice. It also has a little compass which seems to work. I suspect that I will never need the compass except for some hare-brained office exercise or similar.

A little manicure set I keep in my desk. It works, repeatedly clipping off annoying hangnails and neatening breaks. It cost less than a can of Coke.

So, yes, most of the stuff you buy from these shops is crap. But you can usually see it's crap before you buy it, and with care, some of the stuff you can acquire is a top notch bargain.

Bravo China!
(Ladyfingers is in your wardrobe,, Fri 4 Jan 2008, 16:57, Reply)