Big brands like Dyson and Smeg have big reputations – and big price tags to match.
But what if we told you that you could pick up a quality appliance for a fraction of the price just by buying based on performance, not price?
Here are five times a cheaper product outperformed a more expensive model.
On this page:
1. Washing machines
The exxy:
- Price: $3295
- Dirt removal score: 54%
- Water efficiency score: 16%
The bargain:
- Price: $999
- Dirt removal score: 71%
- Water efficiency score: 56%
Costing twice as much as the Fisher & Paykel, the Speed Queen washing machine underwhelmed our testers. It scored a grubby 54% in the dirt removal test, just 16% for water efficiency and 57% for spin efficiency.
In comparison, the Fisher & Paykel scrubbed up well: it scored 75% for dirt removal and 90% for rinse performance.
It has a larger capacity than the Speed Queen – 9kg to the Speed Queen's 7kg – but still uses far less water: 99L per cycle vs a huge 171L for the Speed Queen. Plus, it costs half as much to run.
It's certainly not the best-performing washing machine we've ever tested, but it is a better and far cheaper option than the exxy Speed Queen.
2. Mattresses
The exxy:
Original Mattress Factory Refresh
- Price: $2598
- Sagging score: 56%
- Comfort retention after eight years: 62%
The bargain:
- Price: $329
- Sagging score: 89%
- Comfort retention after eight years: 94%
The exxy Original Mattress Factory mattress isn't too bad a buy – if you're happy spending $2500 on a mattress that'll sag over time, and you don't mind being bounced out of bed every time your partner turns over.
It scored a nightmarish 56% for sagging, and a motion-sickness-inducing 68% on the stabilisation score (this is a measure of how much the mattress bounces when someone moves in the bed).
For nearly an eighth of the price, the Ikea mattress comes with a free 365-day trial period and has excellent comfort scores for both male and female sleepers after eight years of use (94% and 97% respectively).
At 53%, its sweat repellency score isn't amazing, but will give you a far more restful sleep than the Original Mattress Factory model – and at $329 a pop, you could probably afford an air conditioner to keep you cool while you sleep!
3. Stick vacuums
The exxy
- Price: $749
- Hard floor score: 63%
- Pet hair removal score: 10%
The bargain
- Price: $179
- Hard floor score: 83%
- Pet hair removal score: 70%
Costing more than four times as much as the Vax, the Dyson disappointed on a number of tests, scoring a sucky 63% on hard floors.
To be fair to the Dyson though, it's designed to be used only on hard floors, which is why it didn't perform well on carpet, and especially poorly removing pet hair from carpet. Our expert tester needed to open and unclog it multiple times during the test.
However, it didn't actually do well on hard floors, scoring just 63% while the Vax cleaned up with 83%.
For stick vacuums, Dyson models generally perform well, but it's worth considering other brands – you can pick up great performers for less money if you choose wisely
Kim Gilmour, CHOICE vacuum expert
The Vax also comes out ahead on running time: it lasts for 15 minutes on full power, while the Dyson runs for just 8 minutes.
The Dyson is easier to use than the Vax, but for such a big price difference and performance, the Vax is superior.
4. Wall ovens
The exxy
- Price: $2999
- Grilling score: 50%
- Ease of use score: 59%
The bargain
- Price: $1399
- Grilling score: 85%
- Ease of use score: 73%
Despite costing as much as a holiday, the Ilve oven disappointed on a few tests, including grilling (50%), ease of use (59%) and roasting (65%).
It was the lowest-ranking model in our rigorous oven test, coming dead last in the list of 30.
The cheap and cheerful Ikea number scored a scorching 100% for cooking crispy pizza, 95% for low-temperature baking (which is great for meringues), and 85% for grilling.
The Ilve certainly isn't the most expensive wall oven we've tested (that honour goes to a $9499 Miele oven), nor is the Ikea the absolute cheapest, but you'll certainly get better bake for your buck with the Swedish brand's option.
5. Fridges
The exxy
- Price: $3990
- Temperature stability score: 0%
- Keeping food fresh for longer score: 38%
The bargain
- Price: $999
- Temperature stability score: 85%
- Keeping food fresh for longer score: 80%
Yes, you read that right: this Smeg scored ZERO for temperature stability.
Its fresh food compartment fluctuated by a chilling 8.4°C in our tests, which will leave you with limp lettuce and mushy cucumbers due to them freezing and thawing over and over. (Not to mention what it'll do to your ice cream, which is the most unpardonable sin of all.)
At a petite 331L, it's wildly overpriced for its size, too.
The LG is also small but it packs a punch, delivering very good results across almost all of our tests. And it's a solid brand: LG fridges have the highest average test score of all the major brands, with the highest number of models recommended by our experts.
By comparison, there are zero recommended Smeg fridges, and their scores average 34%.
At a quarter of the price of the Smeg, the LG proves that you don't need to spend a fortune on a fridge to get a hot bargain.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
