Which? reveals the dud deals to avoid this Black Friday – and what to buy instead

Which? has identified some of the dud deals that should be avoided in the Black Friday sales, including a flawed fridge freezer, a not so “smart” kettle and a pram that failed the consumer champion’s safety tests.

Which? tests thousands of products every year in its labs so it can recommend the very best as Which? Best Buys and help consumers to avoid the worst, which are named as Which? Don’t Buys.

First on the list of items to avoid is the Beko CNG4601DVPS fridge freezer, which is on sale for £479. It made Which?’s Don’t Buy list as its cooling and freezing performance was inconsistent and energy efficiency was poor.

A cheaper and superior alternative is the Fridgemaster MC55251DE which is on sale on AO.com for £315. It has great chilling and freezing power and an accurate thermostat.

Another product that fell short of Which? ‘s expectations was the Swan Alexa Smart Kettle SK14650BLKN. This is available to purchase for a sale price of £59 and was rated poorly by the consumer champion as it boils slowly, overboils for too long and has a lack of filter, meaning it is a terrible choice for those using hard water. Earlier this year, the kettle also won a Which? Shoddies Award for the “dumbest smart product.”

As an alternative, look at the BoschTWK1M123GB MyMoment Delight, on sale at Amazon for around half the price (£30) of the inferior option. It is not as flashy as the Swan model but boils speedily and is easy to use.

Third on the list of Which? ‘s products to steer clear of this Black Friday is the Kinderkraft 2 in 1 Nea pram, which performed very poorly in the consumer champion’s laboratory tests earlier this year and had a range of safety issues. The £349 product had a harness that broke under pressure, a plastic toggle on the rain cover that detached too easily and could be a choking hazard and a broken spring in the wheel suspension.

For a better alternative, Which? recommends the Jane Ruler pushchair that can be bought from Trendybaby.co.uk for £379 and includes the Smart carrycot. It is a lightweight all-rounder pushchair and pram.

The Swan Nordic ST14620WHTN toaster is reduced to £49 in the sales but tested poorly because its toasting slots are not deep enough, which leads to uneven or uncooked bread. Instead, Which? recommends the Argos Cookworks Illuminated toaster which is £30 and is speedy and pops out golden-brown toast every time.

The Withings Scanwatch 2 42mm (£249.95 sale price) is a flawed watch that does not track heart rates accurately and lacks smart features. Consumers will have to pay a bit more, but opting for the Google Pixel Watch 3 45mm (£329) on the Google store means getting a great product that offers accurate tracking and a host of smart features.

The Hisense HS214 sound bar, on offer at £78.17, is another dud. It had nasty audio quality and ease of listening issues and lacked a proper display. Instead, the Sony HT-S2000 is also in the sales on Amazon and is worth forking out a bit more for (£298) as it is a Great Value product that produces adequate audio.

When it comes to vacuums, Which? recommends that consumers avoid the Tower Optimum VL100 cordless vacuum cleaner (sale price £119). This vacuum struggled to pick up dirt from deep within the carpet pile as well as dog and cat hair. At this price there are many better options. For example, the Russell Hobbs RHHS4101 Glide Pro Plus is for sale for £105 on Robert Dyas’ website and was deemed a ‘solid choice’ during Which?’s testing.

Harry Rose, Which? Magazine Editor, said:

“It can be tempting to buy on impulse in the Black Friday sales, but our list of dud deals shows why finding the time to do some research could be worth your while and save you money.

“Which? reviews are based on rigorous and independent testing and separate products that have a hefty price tag but simply don’t perform from the hidden gems that punch above their weight.”

How to get the best deal

-Check the deal price – use a price comparison website such as PriceRunner or Price Spy to see how much a product has been sold for previously, and work out whether the sale price is good value.

-Create a wishlist – some retailers, for example Amazon, let you set up a wishlist for all the things that you want to buy, making it easier to notice when their prices drop. You can then easily click into your list to see what’s on offer.

-List products and research them ahead of the day – every year we find products in the sales that aren’t worth buying. In 2022 we even found products that failed our safety tests. Look at product reviews ahead of the sale day to ensure you don’t feel pressured into buying a sub-par product.

-Use price promises to your advantage – some retailers such as Richer Sounds and John Lewis will match a price you’ve found elsewhere – meaning you can buy from a reputable retailer offering a good warranty but pay the lower price you’ve found elsewhere.