The items you should never buy from Kmart
With various blogs and social media accounts dedicated to its best buys, Kmart has quickly become a customer favourite as far as major retailers go.
But how do you know if what you’re buying from the store is yielding you the best bang for your buck? Consumer advocacy group Choice has now revealed the best products to buy from Kmart, and which ones to try and avoid.
Best buys
$89 coffee machine
One of the ‘good buys’ that will be a big hit with caffeine lovers is the Anko coffee machine that retails at $89.
The tests conducted by Choice resulted in the machine outperforming a $949 coffee machine in terms of flavour and consistency.
However, the $129 Sunbeam Piccolo Espresso EM2800, which also uses coffee grounds rather than pods, rates higher still, with the team concluding it is easier to use and better for milk frothing than the cheaper Kmart version.
$59 blender
And on the topic of appliances, the $59 Home & Co digital blender is another kitchen must-have.
Beating a $2,200 model, the blender received a performance score higher than 90%, placing it in Choice’s good books for sure.
Carry-on suitcases
Frequent or occasional travellers can appreciate good quality luggage, and Choice advises to “shop wisely” when inspecting Kmart’s collection to avoid the “poor performers”.
Their recommendation is the Active & Co 45.5cm soft carry-on case which actually received a score of 100% in its ‘life and drop’ test, and 86% overall.
For another cheap and cheerful option, they rate Aldi’s Skylite 56cm Spinner Carry On highly too, only the Aldi version is $9 cheaper. However buyer beware for other models of Aldi suitcases, as they don’t all perform as well.
Electric blankets and nappies
The $55 Kmart Anko Fleecy Electric Blanket also made the list, while a Choice spokesperson told Channel Nine that “Nappies are right at the top when it comes to Kmart”.
Buys to avoid
$55 heater
We just mentioned electric blankets, which is probably your best bet compared to the $55 Anko heater that didn’t rate well in the test.
It took “more than 57 minutes to raise the temperature in our test room by 5ºC,” reports Choice, adding the overall score for the electric heater was a dismal 48%.
The $60 Kambrook KFH310 heater is a much better option for the same price point, but will cost you more to run than the market leaders Dyson.
Hard case luggage
The carry-on suitcases mentioned earlier are a great buy, but it’s a different story for the 70cm Kmart hard case that failed the Choice drop test with severe damage caused to the bag.
Likewise, Big W’s $90 Jetstream 70cm Hard Luggage also rates poorly.
$189 trampoline
This Kmart trampoline had a score of 20% after being tested, and four major safety failures were identified.
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