When you need a dehumidifier, you *really* need one. Whether you're dealing with a water leak, mould, rainy days or humidity, a good dehumidifier can take care of your damp dramas.
But a dud dehumidifier will only extract one thing: the dollars in your bank account.
Not only can dehumidifiers be expensive to buy, they can be pricey to run, so choosing a poor-performing model will see you losing money twice over.
One dehumidifier in our latest test scored just 24% for water removal.
Choosing a poor-performing model will see you losing money twice over
With a score that poor, you might find that a better use of your cash is to use a fan or a cheap product like DampRid.
Priced between $200 and $400, the four worst performing products in our test fall at the cheapest end of the price range for dehumidifiers, and unfortunately we've found that cheaper models don't always perform as well.
However, if you can stretch your budget a bit, you'll have more luck: eleven products recommended by our experts cost $600 or less.
We don't want you to end up with a dud buy, so here are the products that scored lowest in our lab tests. Consider becoming a CHOICE member to see the best performers.
A Kogan dud: this model isn't worth your money.
Kogan KAWFSMDEHUA
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 48%
- Water removal score: 40%
- Price: $259
A water removal score of 40% may not seem terrible at first glance. But to put things into perspective, most dehumidifiers our experts recommend score anywhere from the high 70s all the way to 100% for this metric.
This model does have a relatively large tank (2.25L) and claimed water removal rate (7L/day) – but it's still far from a stellar performer.
A water removal score of 40% may not seem terrible at first glance
If you can scrape together an extra $200 or so for a dehumidifier, you'll be able to buy one our experts recommend that will actually do the job for you.
Read the full Kogan KAWFSMDEHUA review.
This Breville model may have very good energy efficiency but its water removal score is poor.
Breville LAD208WHT
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 54%
- Water removal score: 28%
- Price: $399
This dehumidifier received a lower water removal score than the Kogan model – just 28% – which hurts all the more when you realise it's $140 more expensive.
It gets a higher CHOICE Expert Rating because it is far more energy efficient than our other worst performers, which means you'll save a bit of money on its running costs.
(Though that's arguably not that helpful if it's not actually doing the job you bought it to do).
Don't write the brand off completely though – other Breville models fared better in our testing
If you can stretch your budget a little further, our review has uncovered other models that will give you much better overall performance for your money – in fact, we recommend a few models that cost around $450.
Don't write the brand off completely though – other Breville models fared better in our testing, so do your research to ensure you buy the right one.
Read the full Breville LAD208WHT review.
Another underwhelming Kogan dehumidifier.
Kogan KADEHUM6LFA
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 55%
- Water removal score: 24%
- Price: $200
This Kogan klutz scored just 28% for water removal, which was the lowest score received by any model in our testing. There are in fact three Kogan dehumidifiers with a CHOICE Expert Rating of 56% or lower in our test, which means you probably want to avoid the brand altogether if you're in the market for this kind of appliance. Not only do they not perform well, but they also offer only a poor one-year warranty.
Not only do they not perform well, but they also only offer a poor one-year warranty
This model did receive a rating of 'very good' for energy efficiency and is easy to use, but how beneficial is that if it can't do the one job you need it to do well?
Read the full Kogan KADEHUM6LFA review.
Some Ausclimate dehumidifiers performed well in our testing, but not this one.
Ausclimate NWT WDH-716DE
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 55%
- Water removal score: 43%
- Price: $400
Ausclimate is a brand that specialises in dehumidifiers, air purifiers, heating and cooling, so unsurprisingly, it features heavily in our review. We looked at seven Ausclimate dehumidifiers, and though some models from this brand performed well, this one comes near the bottom of the bunch.
Although it has very good energy efficiency, it's not much good at actually removing water, receiving a score of only 43% on this front.
And while you can find dehumidifiers that weigh around the 6–8kg mark, this one is relatively heavy with a weight of 13kg, meaning it could be tricky to move around your house to where it is most needed.
Read the full Ausclimate NWT WDH-716DE dehumidifier review.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
