You're probably sick of hearing it from us, but we're going to keep saying it – the most expensive products aren't always the best.
Our experts aren't swayed by sleek aesthetics and clever marketing. We want to know what products do and how well they do it, so we rigorously test everything in our NATA-accredited labs to give you the answers.
Quite often we find that you can't judge a book by its cover – and certainly not by its price tag.
Our experts aren't swayed by sleek aesthetics and clever marketing
As part of our mission to fight for Australian consumers, we think you should get what you pay for (at the very least). So products that cost a fortune but deliver subpar performance really grind our gears.
Here are 7 products that hit the not-so-sweet spot of terrible performance for a huge price tag. Avoid them at all costs (literally).
On this page:
- 1. The air purifiers not to blow your money on
- 2. The $4000 fridge that doesn't keep food cold
- 3. This big-screen TV that's a big disappointment
- 4. The coffee machine that'll keep you awake at night
- 5. The exxy mattress that'll give you nightmares
- 6. The big-name stick vac that really sucks
- 7. The headphones that aren't music to your ears
Dyson's air purifiers didn't blow us away, despite their price tags.
1. The air purifiers not to blow your money on
- Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09: Price: $1149, CHOICE Expert Rating: 45%
- Dyson Pure Cool TP00: $599, 48%
- Dyson Big+Quiet Formaldehyde BP03: $1499, 63%
Dyson products are wildly popular and instantly recognisable – and they come with a hefty price tag. But when we tested their air purifiers, most of them didn't blow us away.
Granted, the Dyson air purifiers often have other functions, such as heating or cooling, which means you can get a few appliances in one.
However, our experts were underwhelmed with the air-purifying capabilities of two Dysons, rating their performance 'Poor'. The third Dyson we tested rated slightly higher, but not so much that it justifies its eye-watering price tag of $1499.
For context, a Kogan air purifier that costs $239 performed better than all three Dyson models in our test
For context, a Kogan air purifier that costs $239 performed better than all three Dyson models in our test. (And we're not recommending you buy the Kogan: it performed poorly too, just for far less money.)
Considering that you can pick up all but one of the air purifiers recommended by our experts for less than $1000, you're far better off investing that extra money into a CHOICE membership so you can avoid upscale underachievers like these.
$4000 for a fridge that can't keep your food fresh? No thanks.
2. The $4000 fridge that doesn't keep food cold
Smeg FAB32RPB5AU fridge
- Price: $3990
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 43%
For almost 4000 bucks, it's reasonable to expect that your fridge will keep your fresh food cold and your frozen food frozen.
But this Smeg fridge couldn't even manage that in our lab tests.
It may be pretty, but it's also pretty ordinary. Far from delivering consistent coolness, its temperature fluctuates wildly and we found warm patches throughout, with the top shelf being significantly warmer than the bottom.
At best, this will leave you with ice cream that's melted then refrozen, or lettuce that's literally turned into an iceberg and then gone limp. At worst, you could end up with food poisoning.
In our test we found the freezer temperature varied by over seven degrees, and staggeringly, the fresh food compartment temperature fluctuated by a massive 8.4 degrees!
Ashley Iredale, CHOICE whitegoods expert
"In our test we found the freezer temperature varied by over seven degrees, and staggeringly, the fresh food compartment temperature fluctuated by a massive 8.4 degrees! You better call Kenny Loggins for your leftovers, because that can take your food temperature well into the Danger Zone," quips CHOICE whitegoods expert Ashley Iredale.
With four grand, you could buy a CHOICE recommended model of a similar volume not once, not twice, but three times over and still have plenty of spare change. And it will actually keep your food safe and your ice cream frozen to perfection. Plus, you'll save money by not having to replace all the food that's spoiled.
Check our fridge reviews to save you from wasting your money on a pretty but impractical money pit.
Big screen, small score: This Samsung is not one to watch.
3. This big-screen TV that's a big disappointment
Samsung QA65QN85C
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 71%
- Price: $3499
Look, no-one expects to pick up a big screen for a tiny price. But when you're dropping enough money to fund an overseas holiday on a TV, you expect excellence.
Unfortunately, what this Samsung delivers is far from perfection. It leaves the 'high' out of high-definition, and even its standard-definition picture isn't especially sharp.
When you're dropping enough money to fund an overseas holiday on a TV, you expect excellence
It's one of the most expensive 65-inch TVs in our review, but it's hard to see where the value is: it ranked the same as an $800 TCL (which is to say, not very high).
If you have $3K to spend on a 4K, there are plenty of 65-inch TVs that have our experts' seal of approval but come in well under budget.
Check our TV reviews to get a clearer picture of what to buy. You can sort by display size, display type, features and price to find what you're looking for.
Oracular not spectacular: you can pick up a good Breville for much less than this model.
4. The coffee machine that'll keep you awake at night
Breville The Oracle BES980 espresso machine
- Price: $2699
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 60%
You don't need a fortune teller to find out what will happen if you buy this espresso machine: you'll be $2700 poorer and stuck drinking ordinary coffee.
It may come with all the bells and whistles (and you'd hope so for almost three grand), but all the features in the world aren't much use if a machine can't make a decent espresso.
Unfortunately, that's the case for this Breville – our experts rated it a dismal 45% for taste.
Breville makes some great coffee machines, but you don't need to drop this kind of cash for a good coffee
It has all the ingredients of a great coffee machine – built-in conical burr grinder, dual boiler configuration, programmable coffee delivery – and it froths milk well and turns out coffees at a very even temperature. But the espresso will leave a bitter taste in your mouth.
To be fair, Breville makes some great coffee machines, a number of which are recommended by our experts. But if you're keen to buy Breville, you don't need to drop this kind of cash for a good coffee. Head to our coffee machine reviews to find out which ones our experts do recommend.
High price, low score: the Original Mattress Factory Refresh mattress.
5. The exxy mattress that'll give you nightmares
Original Mattress Factory Refresh mattress
- Price: $2946
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 62%
Sweet dreams aren't made of this. Despite being one of the most expensive mattresses in our test, it received the lowest score overall – even lower than a $365 Clark Rubber foam mattress.
It's saggy, it's soft, it's sweaty – and can be yours for $2946. Fortunately, our buyers were able to pick it up for half price, but even at $1550 this mattress is well and truly overpriced.
Despite being one of the most expensive mattresses in our test, it received the lowest score overall
Given how much time we spend sleeping, a mattress is an important purchase – which is why it's crucial that you don't blow thousands of dollars on a nightmare.
We've rounded up the best mattresses for less than $1100 so you can rest easy.
A stick vac designed for hard floors that performs poorly on… hard floors.
6. The big-name stick vac that really sucks
Dyson Omni-Glide stick vac
- Price: $749
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 55%
Before we start, a bit of housekeeping: it's important to note that the Omni-Glide is designed for use on hard floors only, so it wouldn't be fair to compare it with other stick vacs that can be used on carpet.
But even when we take carpet cleaning scores out of the equation, the Omni-Glide still performed abominably, receiving the second-lowest score for hard-floor cleaning of all the models in the test – even worse than the Kmart stick vacs we tested.
The Omni-Glide received the second-lowest score for hard-floor cleaning of all the models in the test
And as well as being limited to hard floors, it also only seems to be appropriate for cleaning small rooms.
It has a tiny bin (just 0.1L) that fills up quickly, and the battery runs for less than 10 minutes on the maximum setting, so it won't cover a great deal of ground before needing to be emptied and/or recharged.
Of course, Dyson makes plenty of stick vacuums that do perform well – the Omni-Glide just isn't one of them, so we suggest you save your cash.
These $500 headphones were beaten by a $200 pair in our tests.
7. The headphones that aren't music to your ears
Marshall Monitor II ANC
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 67%
- Price: $499
Yes, you read that right: 500 bucks for one of the lowest scoring pairs of headphones in our review. Yikes.
These Marshalls were roundly outclassed by a $200 pair of headphones that our experts recommend. Awkward.
These $500 Marshalls were roundly outclassed by a $200 pair of headphones that our experts recommend
For around this price – or even less – you could take your pick of multiple high-performing headphones recommended by our experts.
For the same money, you could even buy the $200 recommended headphones plus a pair of top-scoring ear buds and still be better off.
If that's music to your ears, head to our expert headphone reviews to find your perfect pair.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
