In the case of cotton swabs, I'm no longer one of those shoppers who believe everything is a Q-Tip. You have cotton swabs made by the infamous "they", and you have the Q-Tips. Some may think it's all the same thing, but when you find yourself with a swab going to pieces easily, and always leaving cotton behind where ever you were using it, or the stick snapping with the smallest amount of pressure. Then you'll see the difference.

For those who may not know, Q-Tips are this brilliantly created device by man, that is made up of a small stick with cotton on both ends. The cotton swabs are really tight on both ends, making them very useful for your needs, and the sticks are durable.

There are plenty of uses for Q-Tips, even Freddy Krueger put one to good use. Besides cleaning ears, some of my uses for them are applying them to cuts after I soak the tips with alcohol, applying an anti-fungal cream, cleaning the keys in between my keyboard, as well as smaller areas in my other electronic equipment. I also keep a large batch in a jar for my toolbox, when I use them for applying grease or smoothing out WD-40 in smaller mechanisms that accumulate rust, plus they're great for cleaning my guns. The old lady mainly uses them for applying make up. I'm sure we used them for other things, but hopefully you get the point that they're not only for cleaning ears.

The cotton tip is stronger than all other generic brands I used, as it doesn't break off very easy. I had a cheap swab break off in my ear once, and that taught me a never ending lesson to leave the cheap stuff alone. The only issue I have is with the packaging. Once the box has been opened, it can never really be completely closed. This could be a problem if your home is infested with bugs.

Q-Tips can be found just about anywhere. They're important to have around in the house, and I usually keep several packages around. I normally purchase the 500 pack since they're used so often, but they do come with smaller counts. Recommended.

Pros:
-All cotton, sturdy stick, widely available

Cons:
-Expensive when compared to others, small issue with packaging