affordable versus cheap

Over the summer, I have an ongoing project in mind - to compare higher-end products with their cheaper counterpart. I've been curious: do you really get what you pay for? I'm doing this for two reasons...

1. To help people make informed buying decisions - use your money wisely!
2. I really like trying out new products. Especially beauty products. And food.

For my first few posts, I'm going to compare things I use often and I spend quite a bit of money on, or use often. Here's my logic: there is a point where the quality of the product is worth the cost. I'm on the hunt for products that last, that work well, and most importantly, don't cost an arm and a leg. For instance, check out my fictional graph. This is how I envision it in my head. I want the products I purchase to fall below the blue line.

Figure 1. Super scientific (completely fictional) graph.

So what do you think? Are some products worth the money, or does the cheap product always win based on price alone?

Most importantly: any ideas of what I should compare? I'm thinking hand cream, since I use so darn much of it on my man hands.

- Maggie White