3 cheap products that are better than expensive ones

Here are three cheap products that gave expensive versions a run for their money.

1. Anko 20L microwave from Kmart

How does it perform?

At just $69, you might not expect much from this Kmart microwave, but you shouldn’t underestimate it. We put microwaves through a bunch of cooking and defrosting tests and this one was rated either excellent or good for all of them. We also liked how easy it was to see through the door and that the touch controls were easy to wipe. We did note its turntable and usable volume were small, though.

What does it beat?

A lot! It was given a higher overall score than pricier microwaves by big brands such as Miele, Panasonic and Breville.

Shopping tips

If you’re reading this and immediately planning a trip to Kmart, take note of the SKU for this microwave – 42681229. There are other Kmart microwaves in our test but this one does slightly better than them.

If you don’t want to pay a lot for a microwave, but don’t want to go as cheap as one from Kmart, it would be worth checking out our microwave test results. There are a couple from a well-known brand that performed better and at their usual price are between $200-$300 - so you might be able to get one for cheaper than that in a sale.

2. Mother’s Choice Ava stroller from The Warehouse

How does it perform?

If bubs is on the way and funds are tight, you can rest assured you don’t have to spend a lot to get a safe stroller that’s easy to use. This one from The Warehouse costs just $220 and gets our Consumer Recommends tick.

It passed all our safety and durability tests. We also found it easy to fold, unfold and put in the boot. There were a couple of downsides, though – the front wheel swivel lock was hard to use, and the basket underneath was small compared to other strollers.

What does it beat?

We rated it higher than some strollers by big names such as Phil & Teds, Mountain Buggy and Edwards & Co.

Shopping tips

The Mother’s Choice is the cheapest of our recommended strollers, and while some of the others are $2,000 +, we also recommend another stroller that’s under $300. There are also a few around the $450-$700 mark.

Of the 49 we’ve tested, there were 16 that failed a safety test, so it’s a good idea to start browsing our stroller test results by filtering out the ones with failures.

3. Anko 24cm Frypan from Kmart

How does it perform?

This $21 frying pan did an excellent job in our cooking tests. Its surface also stood up well to our mechanical scrubbing arm.

Our members have also given it rave reviews on our website. The only complaint amongst them is that it can be hard to find a Kmart that has it in stock. We’ve checked at the time of writing this and, while there are some stores that don’t have it in stock, plenty of stores do, and you can order it online.

What does it beat?

You have to check you’re seeing things right when you look at our frying pans test. The Anko 24cm frypan has the same score as a Le Creuset skillet that costs $359. It also beats some expensive Scanpan frypans.

Shopping tips

Just because this frying pan is so good, doesn’t mean all Kmart frying pans are worth buying. In fact, the worst in our test is also a Kmart buy and it’s so bad we’ve labelled it as a “don’t buy”. Make sure you buy the one with SKU 42748281.