I’ve seen a lot of warnings lately about not downloading the Temu and Homary apps or buying them from the store. There are many accusations, but there is little absolute, proven truth.
While I’m pretty obsessed with Facebook advertising, as I’ve lost about $150 to Facebook scams so far, I recently bought an intelligent toilet from Homari to replace my $5,000 (now about $7,000) Toto Neorest that started sound like it’s going to swallow me. Luckily, the new one works fine.
Let me share my experience with both companies compared to their more expensive competitors in the US and Japan. We’ll end with my product of the week, the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite, which is currently 6-12 months ahead of AMD and Intel and sets the bar for AI computing.
Topic against Amazon
To say that I buy a lot from Amazon is an understatement. I rarely shop anywhere else, although I almost stop there after a $200 Amazon gift card was stolen in transit, used, and not returned. I was still upset about it and stop buying Amazon gift cards, which had previously been my favorite gift.
The benefits of Amazon are that shipping is faster, products are better packag, and the quality and customer support, except for the gift card issue, has been exceptional.
The theme is much cheaper. Example:
- I bought a nice automatic dragon buckle belt on Amazon for $23.99. I purchased a similar automatic belt from Temu and Homary with a Jaguar (automotive) buckle for $9.19.
- I bought a nice back brace on Amazon that cost me $29.97. I purchased a more excellent option from Tema for $10.88.
- The most exciting thing is that on March 3rd, I bought an LED exhaust tip from Amazon for $41.39 from China, which has not yet arrived, and the same item from Temu on March 23rd for $22.07, delivered on April 2nd.
- The keychain from Amazon cost $11.99, and from Temu – $1.74, although it was deliver a week and a half later than from Amazon.
Yes, some items from Temu and Homary are of poor quality, but I have had quality issues occasionally on eBay outside of China and on items from Amazon. You have to be careful, but Temu products are 50-90% cheaper than similar products on Amazon.
Some questionable items include $15 smartwatches that work but are not a replacement for the Apple Watch. I bought a couple of tennis shoes for $17. They looked nice but cheap, so I doubted they would last long. I have purchased several tools from Temu and Homary, and they have all worked well and are Craftsman quality, although they are not quite at the same level of quality as Snap-on tools. However, they suit me, and I can expand my toolbox for less money.
Also Read: Spatial Computing
Temu and Homary Value, Privacy, Packaging
Overall, I’m happy with the Temu experience once the delivery time has passed. They write to me a lot, but it doesn’t bother me, and I’ve bought it several times based on offers.
In terms of getting data, I got the app through the Google Store, which means it’s curated, and I didn’t see my online ads carry over to anything I purchased like I often do with Amazon. All online stores collect data and use it to promote product sales. Although I have seen warnings about Temu spying on you, I see less influence from Temu than Amazon, Facebook, or even eBay. So, while the concerns are accurate, the scale of the problem does not yet appear problematic.
It can be addictive because you can shop for many things without spending over $100. The same experience at Amazon or Costco will usually cost you hundreds more. All these things can be very addictive, but at least Temu is cheaper than usual.
The significant difference is the quality of the packaging. Amazon is good, if wasteful, in terms of cardboard usage. Temu puts everything in a plastic bag, which is more stable, although two parcels arrived with the bag torn. Although nothing is lost, it supports not buying anything expensive from Tema.
Homari vs. True
The intelligent Neorest Toto toilet has been the gold standard in its class of bathroom products for some time, but it comes with a price tag. If you don’t have a repair shop near you and you have a problem, you’ll have to take the toilet apart, send its brains back to Toto, and then wait for it to be fix before you can use it again.
When we renovated our house, we bought three Toto toilets: two for $3,500 and one for $5,000. Of course, it’s the $5,000 that starts making sounds like the troll on the bridge being eaten, and that troll is going to eat our asses. Otherwise, the bathroom was trouble-free and incredibly quiet.
We need a black toilet, and you can’t get any rest from Toto, at least not in my area. Additionally, the noise made by the bathroom increased the price to almost $7,000. Because of the fit issues, we’re considering getting the Kohler Numi, which comes in black but costs a whopping $10,000 (and looks very uncomfortable), or the black toilet from Homary, which costs another $1,000 for next to nothing.
Moving to Homari: Smart Transition to the Toilet
Purchasing Toto and installing Homary costs about $750, but it’s pretty simple. The biggest problem is that both toilets are made of porcelain, which makes them a little heavy to work with.
When we installed the black Homary, it looked better and performed like the Toto. Yes, it’s noisier than the Toto when it was new, and its remote sounds more like a TV than a toilet, but overall, we don’t miss the Toto, and the Homary (made in China) worked flawlessly. Granted, it’s not as high quality as the Toto, but for the $6,000 savings, I’m willing to drop the quality a bit.
I should add that Amazon has a similar smart toilet that’s a little more expensive but has a better remote. So, if you are in the market, you should also consider this option. (I never thought I would check Amazon before purchasing from Homari.)
I also bought a bedside table from Homary, and it’s reasonably priced and decent quality. So far. Homary is an excellent alternative to Amazon, and their toilet is a cheaper alternative to the Toto Neorest or Kohler Numi.
Wrapping
While you should be careful when buying from any new supplier, I have found that Temu and Homary offer relatively good quality products at reasonable or low prices in Temu and Homary’s case. However, shopping in Tema can be very addictive. While writing this column, I discovered things I wanted to put on the site. Now I’m down another $133, so be careful.
I think Temu and Homary fears are exaggerated. It sounds like “someone” is trying to FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) the seller, a practice I’m not a fan of because it smacks of unfair trade practices.
Snapdragon X Elite
Microsoft is aggressively pushing the AI PC, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite solution is the benchmark processor for this new concept of a more brilliant PC. It’s exemplary because running with AI doesn’t waste much battery life.
The coming wave of desktop AI (AI currently mostly runs in the cloud) needs to be running all the time to be effective. But if the platform is too power-hungry, battery life drops dramatically, so Microsoft turns to Qualcomm, a leader in high-end smartphone technology, for a fix.
This laptop solution is expect to be available in the next few months. Based on third-party tests, it’s six to 12 months ahead of its PC competitors. However. Remember that this desktop AI component is not yet fully ready and may not arrive until later in the year. However, in using AI, at least initially, part of Qualcomm may face all competitors.
My portable laptop is a second-generation HP Folio with an older version of Snapdragon. While the performance leaves much to be desire, the battery life is fantastic. I can leave my charger and laptop bag in my hotel room or at home and take my laptop. The new component not only adds artificial intelligence capabilities but also significantly improves the performance of the corresponding laptop while maintaining a very long battery life.
I work primarily in Office and will therefore be an avid Copilot user. So, having a laptop that runs Copilot (Microsoft’s generative AI solution) smoothly and efficiently will be a godsend.
Since the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite significantly improves my current laptop experience, it’s my product of the week.
