Who loves Aliexpress

[Neverenoughwatches]

7 hours ago, spectre6000 said:

I've had very mixed experiences with Ali-X. Sometimes, you get a good deal on something usable.

Last thing I bought on Ali-X was an ST19 watch. The classic Chinese chronograph. Turned out to be a quartz fake. They had me send it back, but then did nothing at all about policing the fake. I reported it, and they took the listing down, only the seller IMMEDIATELY relisted it with a slightly different title (still just as misleading and fake). That sort of failure to police their sellers is jarring.

Another time, I got something that was missing pieces and parts, the seller was non-responsive, so I filed a complaint. They found AGAINST ME because the tracking number showed up as having been delivered... No recourse. No appeal.

The shipping company they use in the US is crap too, and marked a package as undeliverable address or something (rather than hold onto it for a few days like every other shipper) and sent it back to China with no refund or recourse because I was evacuated for a wildfire at a scale that made national news! 

I'm maybe 50/50 at this point, and unless it's something I truly can't find elsewhere for an even remotely similar price, I avoid them.

It's often the shipping that lets ali down.

6 hours ago, HectorLooi said:

The previous delivery guy assigned to my area was excellent. For big packages, he would open my gate and leave it on my porch bench. But alas, he has returned to China because he can't stand the weather in Singapore. 

The new delivery guy is cr*p. He just throws packages over my gate and onto the driveway. I have a proper parcel dropbox installed on my boundary wall. It's big enough to take a shoebox sized package but this new delivery guy probably doesn't even know what it is.

I just sent a nasty complaint to the delivery company a couple of days ago. And they actually replied and apologized and promised to look into the matter. We shall see.

My addiction is worse, I buy kitchen gadgets, cat toys, apparel, electronic spare parts, gardening tools and supplies, welding supplies, etc.

I was thinking of ordering laboratory glassware for distilling my IPA. But with this new delivery guy.... I'm not going to risk it.

Don't tell me anything else they sell Hector,  my house just won't hold any more lol.

4 hours ago, RichardHarris123 said:

Sorry to hear that Jon, I hope you have recovered.  Hehe. 

Oh Rich , you need some Rock 'n' Roll in your life, how about some old school...like Thunder.

[GuyMontag]

6 hours ago, Malocchio said:

Most recent buy was these chemical jars. Jam jars and such are not meant for acetone etc. the lids are not air tight especially after the fumes. Nice quality. Borosilicate glass and polypropylene lid.

 

Do you have a link, I'm curious of the price? I picked up some similar jars with PTFE lined lids from Amazon and they work really well with acetone/hexane but they only came in box of 24, way more than I needed.

Edited April 1 by GuyMontag

[Malocchio]

1 hour ago, GuyMontag said:

Do you have a link, I'm curious of the price? I picked up some similar jars with PTFE lined lids from Amazon and they work really well with acetone/hexane but they only came in box of 24, way more than I needed.

Sure, I should have posted it in the first place. Price was $25 / 4 pieces for me.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_Ex1guy0

Edited April 1 by Malocchio

[Neverenoughwatches]

15 hours ago, RichardHarris123 said:

Sorry to hear that Jon, I hope you have recovered.  Hehe. 

Harsh Richard,  rather harsh there

[oldhippy]

I've heard of them but never bought anything. 

Ha Ha Ha Limp Bizkit. You poor sod.

[Jon]

8 hours ago, Malocchio said:

Sure, I should have posted it in the first place. Price was $25 / 4 pieces for me.

Are they good in an ultrasonic machine? Do you know the thickness of the glass? My students are always asking me about good glass containers to clean there parts in and as I use a rotary watch cleaning machine, i can only give the suggestion of small jams jars, but they are a little too thick to be of any real use and I'm sure they don't allow the penetration of the ultrasonic effect to clean the parts optimally.

I bought these recently, but haven't tried them out yet

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007242689513.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.105.55771802khsLKZ

 

Edited April 1 by Jon

[HectorLooi]

I used to use those glass jars. As you said, the glass is thick and it blocks quite a bit of the ultrasonic energy. The plastic covers are ok with #111 and #3. But benzine makes the plastic swell and soften.

[spectre6000]

20 hours ago, Jon said:

Tune!!

I saw Limp Bizkit a couple of weeks ago here in London

20 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Hahaha, I've just got to listen to Rollin' now

Wow. There's a blast from the past. I saw Limp Bizkit ca 2003 at the Summer Sanitarium Tour. Wasn't who I was there to see (Metallica!), and I wasn't a big fan, but they put on one of the better shows for sure. It was right after Fred Durst broke up with Brittany Spears for a cultural touchstone/point of reference!

19 hours ago, rehajm said:

Guilty. Supposedly Brian Johnson lives a few minites from my neice in Florida. I’ve threatend to go bang on his door…

Brian Johnson lives four doors up from me. Unfortunately, it's the wrong Brian Johnson. Also into cars, which is fun, but at least as into Trump, which is not.

1 hour ago, Jon said:

Are they good in an ultrasonic machine?

Limp Bizkit is probably best enjoyed in an ultrasonic machine.

[GuyMontag]

14 hours ago, Malocchio said:

Sure, I should have posted it in the first place. Price was $25 / 4 pieces for me.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_Ex1guy0

Thanks, not that much of a savings on a per jar price over the Amazon ones I got which were $38 for 24 or about $1.60/jar.

[HectorLooi]

I find that the most airtight bottles for volatile solvents those with ground glass stoppers. 

I got some for my clinic over 30 yrs ago. Somehow over the years, I am left with only two. But it keeps acetone and xylene very well.

Maybe I should go down to that quaint little dental supply shop and see if they have any hiding in some forgotten corner.

[Malocchio]

On 4/1/2025 at 2:54 PM, Jon said:

Are they good in an ultrasonic machine? Do you know the thickness of the glass? My students are always asking me about good glass containers to clean there parts in and as I use a rotary watch cleaning machine, i can only give the suggestion of small jams jars, but they are a little too thick to be of any real use and I'm sure they don't allow the penetration of the ultrasonic effect to clean the parts optimally.

I bought these recently, but haven't tried them out yet

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007242689513.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.105.55771802khsLKZ

 

I haven't tried them in US machine since I use a rotary cleaner. The glass is actually a bit thicker than my jam jars, by about 0,1-0,15mm. The cap lining doesn't like acetone too much, it has swollen a bit but otherwise feels normal to touch.

[Neverenoughwatches]

Aliexpress time delay switch for rotary cleaners, only one-way but fully programmable up to 999 minutes per on and off cycle and up to 999 repeat loops.   A whopping £2.40 !  I even went to the the extravagance of throwing in a 50 pence voltage regulator . Beans and rice for me for the rest of this month. 

[Neverenoughwatches]

This is an uncased version of a similar  module, the wiring is a little different , not quite as simple. But it programs the same and works the same. At 88 pence I can afford an extra 4 pint milk pack to keep cuppas on the table. Now there is no excuse for anyone not to make a spinney thing cleaner with a little automation .

[RichardHarris123]

£0.88, I used to be able to get, 10 pints, fish and chips, and sexy Sarah, to do unspeakable thing's for that. 

[Neverenoughwatches]

21 minutes ago, RichardHarris123 said:

£0.88, I used to be able to get, 10 pints, fish and chips, and sexy Sarah, to do unspeakable thing's for that. 

Unspeakable things ? Like gouging a mainplate to increase endshake and not removing a mainspring to fully service a watch. Why that harlot !!!

[RichardHarris123]

4 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Unspeakable things ? Like gouging a mainplate to increase endshake and not removing a mainspring to fully service a watch. Why that harlot !!!

Of course, what else could I mean.  

[Neverenoughwatches]

Aliexpress a fiver, UK 300% mark up for the same thing. Which would you buy ? Either way it's supporting the Chinese economy.