There’s still time to nab a last-dash BARGAIN!
From earphones to Aldi’s washing up powder, ’tis the season to save lolly... !
The very top products of 2023 have been revealed. And the results are welcome boost to all those families out there battling to ‘beat the squeeze’ on their household budgets. Among this year’s winners are many unglamourous brands that help us to do just that.
Top of the list – beating the iPhone 15 and a fancy fridge freezer – is a humble item costing less than €4.
The product of the year is… drumroll… Aldi’s Almat bio washing powder. It has literally ‘cleaned up’ with first place in the Which? annual product awards.
Which? is UK-based, but almost all the products it reviewed are on sale here. And in our follow-up survey, we found out where you could buy them and how prices compare.
The good news is that prices can be cheaper here than in the UK.
Aldi’s dirt-busting biological powder costs £3.95 in the UK – or €4.54 in euros – yet it can be bought here for just €3.99, making it an even bigger bargain.
This is especially good news for families battling to ‘beat the cost of living squeeze’ as some leading brands are twice or even three times that price and the liquid versions are well into double figures.
Almat was lauded by Which?’s team of experts for what they called its ‘superb stain removal, colour protection that keeps whites white, fully recyclable packaging and no ingredients known to be harmful to aquatic life’.
‘We loved it last year, too, and it came in second place in our top 50. But its eco credentials and a reformulation have pushed it to new heights,’ Which? enthused.
Four of the top five items plus the Apple Watch cost less in Ireland, though the bigger ticket products tend to be dearer, which accounts for UK products on our list being €724 cheaper overall.
Second place goes to Lenovo’s popular, but cheap-and-cheerful, IdeaPad laptop that’s a tad dearer than €4 here, though still great value at €495.
Which? said Lenovo’s IdeaPad suits people who ‘won’t ever utilise all the strengths of a high-end device’ that can cost thousands.
‘If your needs only extend to browsing the internet and managing your admin with Microsoft Office – why buy a device for three times the price that’s designed for the most complex tasks a laptop can do?’ Which? asks.
It you’re bemused at how another unglamourous product – a greatvalue cooker from Currys – comes third on the list, don’t be.
Which? raves about Curry’s freestanding cooker, which is not far off the top-scoring model it has tested – yet is over €500 cheaper.
In fourth place comes another less-than-glamourous brand of earphone that’s another ‘string to our bow’ in the battle to beat the squeeze.
Its top five ranking should come as a breath of fresh air for those of us who are rightfully dubious about paying hundreds of euros for those easily lost little yokes that literally dangle out of your ear.
Skullcandy costs far less than fancy-pants earphones, but it strikes the right balance between doing a great job and not costing the earth, according to Which?
The brand name Kindle is the byword for eReaders. But now there’s a cheaper, yet highquality option.
‘The appeal of carrying a library in one light, thin ebook reader is undeniable. And the Clara 2E is one of the best,’ says Which? ‘Automatically adjusting brightness on the e-ink screen gives you the look of real paper and the convenience of reading in different lighting conditions – and there’s room for dozens of books.’
A giant fridge freezer won’t be top of your shopping list if you’re struggling to pay the bills. But LG’s massive 530L model is competitively priced for its size and is highly rated for its energy saving qualities by Which? It seems a good bit dearer here than the UK (perhaps there was a sale on over there) which may undermine its rating somewhat. Similarly sized models are available with DID – and a slightly smaller LG model from Harvey Norman – for over €400 less.
Nor will buying Apple products
save you much money… though fans like me (maybe ‘addicts’ would be a more accurate word) can’t seem to get used to anything else.
It does seem to justify its pricing by scoring consistently very highly with Which?’s testers, And it’s no surprise to see the latest watch and iPhone in the top 10.
I have had my eye on an Apple Watch for quite some time but could never justify the price charged for it. Which?’s rave review doesn’t make it any easier to resist. ‘The S9 chip is lightning-fast, and puts Siri at its heart. It’s an excellent fitness companion, too, with accurate tracking so you can understand your stats and see progress,’ it said. Get behind me Satan!
The last item in the top 10 is a dashcam recorder that will help keep insurance scammers at bay if they try to target your car with a fake accident. If you’ve a lastminute gift to buy for a motorist in your life, it costs €239 (dearer than the UK) in Currys, which is open until 5pm today.
If you’ve already got some of these items on your Christmas gift list, kudos to you. If not, there is still time to snag a lastminute Christmas cracker as many shops are still open today.
In fact, we’ve priced items here based on the cheapest we found online in Irish stores that are open today, although some may pop up cheaper elsewhere, particularly on Amazon.
Currys straddles the UK and Irish markets and seems to sell many products reviewed by Which?, which is why it seems prominent on our list. However there may be equally good alternatives in other stores. Prices have already fallen for many products in Ireland in the run up to Christmas and may also fall further in the new year sales – hopefully!
Until then, Happy Christmas!