In this thread I will review LAY'S STAX ("Lays") and Pringles, specifically the Flamin' Hot and EXTRA HOT varieties, as shown here.
In this review, I will compare the following:
- Metadata (nutritional facts, quantity, etc.)
- Flavor
- Crunchiness
- Miscellaneous criteria
First off, we can see the nutritional facts at the back of the labels for each can. Lays contains 140 kcalories per 28g serving, while Pringles contains 150 calories per 28g. Although this is not a very noticeable difference, it is a difference: Lays chips wins in this area. In addition, on the labels, Lays says that 12 of its chips weigh 28g, while Pringles says 15 of its chips contain 28g; this means that Lays' chips are heaver than Pringles chips, again making them superior in this area. Lastly, on the front of the labels, we can observe the net weight of both chips. While Pringles contains 131g of chips, Lays contains 155.9g of chips. For winning all three areas of this segment, Lays gets one point.
Disclaimers:
- I would like to apologize for not buying the same variety of flavor for the chips. In a properly controlled experiment and unbiased review, I would have gotten the original flavors of both varieties of chips, but my local 99-cent store did not carry original Pringles. These two were the closest to each other I could find. Because of this small difference, I will not be including the winner of this segment in the final calculation of the score. Sorry, everybody.
- Flavor ranking is largely a subjective and opinionated matter, and will not be considered in the final score calculation. This segment is only here for your personal information in aiding you to decide which of these products to buy. Take the following information with a grain of salt.
These Lays aren't horrible, but they aren't good either; not good enough to pursue. They fall into a bland area. In my opinion, Pringles has the better taste and wins this round.
Disclaimers:
- I do not have professional sound recording equipment, so I cannot objectively measure which chip crunches the loudest. However, I can make my best guess, so we'll go with that.
The only real criteria I can think of to test here is the packaging. Pringles' circular can allows your hand to reach about halfway to the bottom; after that, you can slide the chips out with no problem. Lays has a weird shape which is small and uncomfortable to stick your hand in; you can only stick your hand in about one fourth of the way to the bottom, because any more and your hand gets stuck on this painful plastic rim that the can has. In addition, Pringles sports an aluminum can, which helps protect the chips inside better than the flimsy plastic casing Lays has. Pringles wins this round.
It may seem that LAY'S STAX is the superior chip, having a score of 2-1 against Pringles. However, note that I decided that Pringles has the better flavor, and I would worth that segment as three points. With the flavor calculated in, Pringles wins 2-3. If I were given a choice between the two chips that I reviewed today, I would without hesitation choose Pringles. However, this is personal preference. I leave you with an objective summary of this review.
Lays has:
- thicker chips
- more chips
- An annoying (flimsy) plastic can design
- Less calories per serving
- thinner chips
- less chips chips
- A beautiful aluminum can design
- Slightly more calories per serving
- Brand age (better well known)
And with that, I bid you all good night. Thank you for reading, and may you enjoy the chips you enjoy.
