OT(ish) diference in performance between sealants

[David]

Just nipped out to buy a tube of white bathroom sealant from HomeBase.

There was a range from just under £5 (HomeBase own brand) to around £12 (Unibond super with fairies).

Now I have been told that the budget supermarket range of e.g. tinned tomatoes can contain the same product to the same quality as the "Super Duper Special Lifestyle Elegance" varieties at many times the price.

Does the same apply to DIY products such as sealants?

If not, what is the cross over point to pay more?

Cheers

Dave R

[Muddymike]

I've been using silicon sealant bought form Lidl for about £1.20 (sorry cant remember the exact price) and it seems fine. Just as white and sets just as fast as some I had to buy last year from local builders merchants for around £5.

I used some for a temporary seal and it was bloody difficult to get off so seems to stick just as well as the expensive stuff.

Ask me again in a few years time!

Mike

[Dave Plowman (News)]

You really can't tell by price. One own brand may be identical in spec to an expensive one. Another may not. It's possible to get an own brand at a budget price which is superior to a well known brand too.

Supermarkets often do a BOGOF on well known brands. So half the original unit price. Which shows price alone is simply no guide.

[newshound]

Another +1 for budget products from Lidl, also SF and TS. I don't think I have ever paid as much as a fiver.

This isn't a bad link about various types of silicone, and the other sealant materials.

There are slightly more expensive products which contain a fungicide, I have used these inside a shower cubicle (where the humidity is more likely to stay high for a while).