01.What not to buy for christmas
We recently asked CHOICE subscribers to rate how useful - or not - the small electrical appliances they own are.
Topping this year’s list of the most useless gadgets is the electric wine chiller. The device, which claims to chill a bottle in under 10 minutes, is quite likely to sit and gather dust in the back of a cupboard. It was rated useless by 32% of owners.
Coming in second is the aromatherapy diffuser. New age devotees will argue this one, but 23% of owners found them of no use at all.
In third place, down from the top position last year, is the electric ice shaver.
Please note: this information was current as of December 2006 but is still a useful guide to today's market.
Over 900 CHOICE subscribers responded to our survey sent out in November 2006 asking them to review any of the gadgets they owned out of a total list of 43 small appliances.
These are the gadgets our respondents rated as the most useless - think twice before you surprise someone special with one of these!
- Electric wine chiller
- Aromatherapy diffuser
- Electric ice shaver
- Foot spa
- Ice cream maker
- Vertical grill
- Milk frother
But it's not all bad news. If you're looking for gifts that will get a work out, consider a car GPS system, an electric toothbrush or a USB key - over 70% of owners considered these devices "very useful".
The table below shows the full list of appliances sorted from least to most useful.
| Product |
Total
(number of
respondents*)
|
% rated useless
|
| Electric wine chiller |
31
|
32
|
|
| Aromatherapy diffuser |
114
|
23
|
|
| Electric ice shaver |
47
|
21
|
|
| Foot spa |
217
|
20
|
|
| Ice cream maker |
73
|
16
|
|
| Vertical grill |
63
|
16
|
|
| Milk frother |
136
|
15
|
|
| Electric can opener |
121
|
13
|
|
| Pedometer |
267
|
13
|
|
| Deep fat fryer |
171
|
12
|
|
| Electric pepper mill |
42
|
12
|
|
| PDA |
121
|
12
|
|
| Electric back massage cushion |
101
|
11
|
|
| Electric massager |
149
|
11
|
|
| Drip filter coffee |
229
|
10
|
|
| Epilator |
91
|
10
|
|
| Pie maker |
113
|
10
|
|
| Popcorn maker |
129
|
9
|
|
| Milkshake maker |
177
|
8
|
|
| Vacuum packaging machine |
49
|
8
|
|
| Body fat monitor |
54
|
7
|
|
| Bread maker |
355
|
7
|
|
| Coffee grinder |
245
|
7
|
|
| Handheld vacuum cleaner |
517
|
7
|
|
| Electric knife |
445
|
6
|
|
| Espresso machine |
232
|
6
|
|
| GPS |
90
|
6
|
|
| Hair styler |
197
|
6
|
|
| Juicer |
436
|
5
|
|
| Universal remote control |
167
|
5
|
|
| Electric frypan |
542
|
4
|
|
| Electric wok |
200
|
4
|
|
| Health grill |
313
|
4
|
|
| Rice cooker |
316
|
4
|
|
| Slow cooker |
338
|
4
|
|
| Hair straightener |
158
|
3
|
|
| Electric toothbrush |
443
|
2
|
|
| Toaster oven |
171
|
2
|
|
| Benchtop mixer |
553
|
1
|
|
| Sandwich maker |
625
|
1
|
|
| USB flash drive |
352
|
1
|
|
| |
Table notes
Products with less than 30 respondents were excluded from the results.
* This is the number of people who owned the appliance and responded in the survey.
10 Nov 2009
|
We save you time and effort by bringing you a list of the best online sites for books and CDS, clothes, electronics, as well as as cosmetics and fragrances.
16 Nov 2011
|
From digital cameras to kitchen gadgets, our gift ideas cater to all budgets.
16 Mar 2010
|
Read which companies have been crowned best of the best. The award shortlists were drawn from hundreds of product tests and research projects conducted by CHOICE during 2009.
1 Sep 2008
|
As a consumer, cause-related marketing can be a way to make a small contribution to a cause without affecting your bottom line.