So doing some work on bikes for locals. Has anyone used an off brand set of brake pads that were ok?

I found pit-eck and sumo on ebay. These guys are local city riders so wont abuse them I figure.

 

I've never had an issue with "whatever's cheap" on ebay for my cheapo project bikes. Could there be a scientific study that EBC whatever may perform a little better under extreme conditions? Probably... Would I put "whatever's cheap" on my Hayabusa or a track bike? Probably spring for the good stuff. But for a cheap commuter Shadow/Magna/FZR600 project that prior hasn't been cared for/neglected (you can't bleed the brakes buddy if there's no FLUID in the system) at the very least fresh fluid and pads, regardless of the brand, always have made me feel better about selling a bike to someone. Plus I always ride the bike around for a while prior to selling it so I'm comfortable it's safe. To answer your question I can't remember the brand (think it was "Volar") but I've never had an issue with cheap pads. Can't say the same regarding something like automotive brake rotors where I'll now always pay what's required to have a lifetime warranty. But I'll also not disagree with someone if they were to say it's a motorcycle, and it's your brakes, and you should buy the best stuff you can. But if that were the rule everyone would have carbon Brembos on their Rebel and Harley Davidson would've been out of business a long time ago. As long as the rest of the braking system is working properly and the rotors are straight I don't think you'd run into an issue with the pads.