Kmart has a legion of fans who swear by its large offering of products at bargain prices. And with the company’s merger with Target, you can now pick up Anko products at the Red Spot Boutique as well.
Whether you love, hate, or feel indifferent towards the Anko brand, its popularity shows no sign of waning. But are Anko products any good? Yes and no.
While some Anko buys deliver premium performance at low prices, others aren’t really worth the (admittedly small) price
Anko products keep surprising us, often rivalling – or even outperforming – the big brands in our tests.
But while some Anko buys deliver premium performance at low prices, others aren’t really worth the (admittedly small) price.
CHOICE experts have put dozens of Anko products through their paces in our labs over the past year. Here are some of the best and worst performers from our tests.
While some of the appliances listed below performed well in our testing, it’s important to consider the lifespan of cheap appliances. They may be made with cheaper parts and have shorter warranties than more expensive products.
It can also be harder to find replacement parts (if they’re available at all), and the design can make them difficult to repair (either by yourself or a professional), so they could end up in landfill sooner.
A cheap appliance might save you at the checkout, but if you have to replace it sooner, it’ll cost you more in the long run
If things go wrong with your cheap appliance, you might have better luck with customer service from an established brand rather than a discount retailer.
A cheap appliance might save you money at the checkout, but if you have to replace it sooner because it breaks, it’ll cost you more in the long run.
Laundry and cleaning
Vacuum cleaners
This Anko stick vac costs $175, and we were pleasantly surprised by its performance.
Worth buying? – Maybe
You can find a range of Anko-branded stick and barrel vacuum cleaners at Kmart and Target, with prices starting at a minuscule $32 and going up to about $255.
Anko vacuums have historically had patchy performance in our CHOICE testing, though we were surprised by the latest result of the $175 Kmart 400W stick vac, which scored very well for cleaning hard floors.
“The soft cleaning head works well on hard floors, though its performance on carpet was fairly mediocre,” says CHOICE home appliances expert Adrian Lini.
So, we suggest proceeding with caution, especially if you have mostly carpeted floors.
This is one appliance that Anko gets right! Our experts found the Anko 1300W Steam Mop easy to use, and it didn’t leave much water behind after cleaning the floor.
At $52, it held its own against far more expensive products – even some costing more than $500.
It costs how much? The cheapest Anko iron was also one of the best in our tests.
Ironing is one household task that many of us loathe. And if you’re ironing-averse, you probably don’t want to fork out a fortune to buy a decent iron.
Fortunately, Anko does come to the rescue in this situation.
This uber-cheap air fryer had mixed performance depending on the type of food it was cooking.
Worth buying? – Maybe
Anko air fryers have won many fans, most notably because they’re significantly cheaper than what’s available from many of the leading brands.
Prices range from just $39 for a mini air fryer up to $129 for a 24L air fryer oven. The cost of Kmart air fryers can be alluring, but our experts have had mixed feelings when testing them in our labs – there have been some dazzlers and some real duds.
It has a small footprint so it won’t take up too much bench space, and it performed well for the price
Chantelle Dart, CHOICE kitchen expert
The latest Kmart air fryer we’ve reviewed costs $50, and we found its cooking performance to be hit and miss depending on the type of food we put in it. If you’re on a tight budget, it’s an option worth considering.
“It has a small footprint so it won’t take up too much bench space, and it performed well for the price,” says CHOICE kitchen expert Chantelle Dart. “Though its 4L basket means it’s probably not suitable for families.”
But does this mean it’s an excellent machine? Not quite. There are quite a few aspects holding it back, including a very poor milk frothing score, poor build quality and the lack of an in-built grinder, which means you’ll likely need to buy one separately.
Kmart’s cast iron casserole pot ($25) compared fairly well with big-name brands such as Le Creuset, Chasseur and Staub when we tested casserole pots and Dutch ovens – and at a tiny fraction of the cost.
In terms of saucepans, a 20cm Anko stainless steel saucepan ($20) received top marks in our tests, ranking higher than products costing hundreds of dollars.
Premium performance at a bargain-basement price? That’s definitely a winner in our book!
If you’re after a cheap and cheerful food processor that’ll do the job, you can’t go wrong with the $79 Kmart Anko food processor.
“This food processor is a very good performer that’s great for chopping, slicing, mixing and emulsifying,” says CHOICE kitchen expert Fiona Mair.
“It is a compact unit so it’s easy to store, and all blades are stored in the unit. It is quite noisy though.”
We’ve also tested a smaller Kmart Anko 1.2L food processor, which was the cheapest product in our test. Our experts weren’t as impressed by this one, finding some functions frustrating to use, but at $52, it’s a decent low-cost option if you’re looking for a smaller unit.
Mini size, mini price, maxi value: the 1.5-cup Anko mini rice cooker.
Rice cookers
Worth buying? – Maybe
With prices for rice cookers running as high as $350, there’s a lot to like about affordable Anko models.
Sure it’s basic, but that’s to be expected for the price. And it definitely delivers: it scored a solid 80% overall in our tests, emphatically beating models costing many times more.
While our experts were impressed with the Anko rice cooker we tested, we suggest you check our rice cooker reviews for other brands before you shop.
Our experts recommend it, giving it excellent scores for defrosting mince and a whole chicken, plus very good scores for cooking vegetables, melting chocolate and overall cooking performance.
A compact model for a compact price: the $99 Anko 28L microwave.
“If you’re looking for an affordable microwave that cooks well and is great for defrosting, then the Anko 28-litre model is a good buy,” says Fiona.
The larger and slightly more expensive Kmart Anko 34L microwave scored well overall but was marked down on its ease of use so can’t be recommended by our experts.
At these prices, some Anko microwaves are worth considering for your kitchen, especially if you’re on a budget, but make sure you’re buying one that scores well across all our tests.
Cheap and cheerful, Anko kettles get the job done.
Kettles
Worth buying? – Maybe
Anko kettles aren’t always impressive, but they’re not a bad purchase either.
While only one Anko kettle we’ve ever tested has been recommended by our experts and none of the others scored higher than 74%, they’re always among the cheapest, so they’re not bad value for money.
If you’re after something cheap and cheerful to make a simple cup of tea, you could do a lot worse than an Anko kettle.
However, if you’re after something with fancier features or sleek aesthetics, you’ll probably need to spend a bit more.
If you’re after something cheap and cheerful, you could do a lot worse than an Anko kettle
There were more than 20 kettles on the Kmart and Target websites at the time of writing, with new models added to the range so often that we can’t always keep up with them in our testing!
To see which Anko kettles are the best we’ve tested and find other hot buys, check our expert kettle reviews.
This Anko stroller is cheap, lightweight, durable and most importantly, safe.
Strollers
Worth buying? – Maybe
The Kmart Anko Layback Umbrella Stroller may not have the looks or the street cred of a Bugaboo or Stokke, but what it lacks in aesthetics it more than makes up for in value for money.
It costs under $70 but scored better than strollers costing hundreds (and even thousands) of dollars more. Importantly, it passes all our safety and durability tests, and it’s light and compact, weighing in at just 5.8kg.
It’s cheap, easy to use and safe – what’s not to like about that?
However, when we tested a $179 Anko Compact Stroller it failed our safety tests and scored just 33% overall. It’s no longer available on the Kmart and Target websites.
A full explanation of the safety failures and Kmart’s full response are both detailed in the Kmart Anko Compact Stroller review. (See below for Kmart’s responses to our safety test results.)
Since we tested the compact stroller, several more Anko strollers have been released, but we can’t comment on their safety as we haven’t yet tested them.
We alerted Kmart to the results of our testing for the products that failed our key safety tests. Here’s what they said:
Stroller:
In response to our findings about the Kmart Anko Compact Stroller, Kmart said: “When designing our products we place a strong emphasis on safety, ensuring that we are providing safe products that comply to all the applicable standards and legislation. This product has undergone regular routine testing by an accredited independent laboratory and has been found to be compliant under the relevant Australian standard on each occasion. We welcome customers visiting us in store or online to contact our customer service team with any queries or concerns, and we are always happy to assist.”
Bassinet:
Kmart says that the Anko Bassinet with Canopy “is designed, constructed and tested to meet the European Standard, the EN 1130:2019 Children’s furniture Cribs Safety requirements and test methods… We note your comments on non-breathable material. We have incorporated in our design to have as much breathable zone as possible without impacting the structural strength of the bassinet. We are keen to understand more about testing conducted by Choice, as it may assist in informing product assessments along with future product iterations.”
Portable cots:
Of the Kmart Anko Travel Portacot 42-001-409, Kmart said its cot complies with relevant standards and that it is “confident that the mattress supplied with the folding cot is firm”.
Note: CHOICE stands by its test results for all of these products.
Definitely one to avoid: this bassinet failed our safety tests.
Bassinet
Worth buying? – No
A cheap bassinet can be a tempting buy, but our expert testing reveals that many bassinets fail on basic safety features and can pose serious risks to little ones.
Until recently, there hasn’t been an Australian safety standard for bassinets that manufacturers must adhere to, so our expert testers had to create CHOICE safety tests based on established Australian standards for cots and portacots. These tests are what our current results are based on.
Thankfully, a new mandatory standard that covers bassinets has been released. It came into effect in January 2026.
Unfortunately the Kmart Anko Bassinet with Canopy didn’t impressive our testers from a safety perspective – it scored a CHOICE Expert Rating of just 49% due to the lack of continuous breathable zones around the edge of the bassinet, which could be a suffocation risk, and the mattress thickness not matching with safety recommendations.
There are more newly released Anko bassinet and co-sleeper products on the market, but we’re yet to test them for safety.
See our full bassinet reviews for all the risks we found in our testing.
You (and hopefully your baby) can sleep soundly knowing that this cot passes our safety tests.
Cots
Worth buying? – Yes
We’ve tested the $139 Anko White Wooden cot and the $259 Anko 2-in-1 wooden cot, which both passed our safety tests and are recommended by our experts, so you can save money and be confident that your baby is safe in one of these cots.
If you’re considering another brand, check our expert cot reviews before you shop to make sure you’re buying a safe product for your baby.
High chairs
Worth buying? – Yes
The $29 Anko Prandium High Low Chair passed our key safety tests with flying colours and is recommended by our experts.
The $45 Flat Fold High Chair also passed key safety tests, but didn’t score quite well enough for our experts to recommend it, as it’s a bit difficult to clean.
You’ll have more holiday spending money if you buy this $99 Kmart case.
Luggage
Worth buying? – Yes
There are only two Anko carry-on suitcases in our current review, but they’re both pretty good buys for the money.
At just $39, the Anko Carry-on Hard Case 4 Wheels ranked alongside premium brands such as Samsonite, American Tourister and Antler, some of which cost hundreds of dollars.
“You could buy the $39 Anko carry-on plus return flights from Sydney to Melbourne, and you still wouldn’t have spent as much as if you’d bought the most expensive suitcases in our test,” says CHOICE luggage tester Matthew Tung.
Carrying too much for carry-on? The $99 Anko Premium Hard Case 72cm 8 Wheels is a decent option for check-in luggage. It didn’t score quite as well as its smaller sibling, but for the price it’s a durable suitcase that performed as well as other suitcases costing nearly 10 times as much.
The Anko suitcase range has expanded and we haven’t had the chance to test them all yet, but they’ve typically performed well in our previous tests, with more hits than misses.
Pru Engel is the Audience and Engagement editor at CHOICE. Her job is to ensure as many Australians as possible know about the great work we do at CHOICE.
She works closely with our testers and experts to find the gems of information in our data and research that will resonate with Australian consumers and help them make the best decisions, whether they're purchasing an air fryer, looking for a new mattress or trying to find the cheapest car insurance. She also helps to drive meaningful change for consumers by collaborating with our Campaigns team on content covering issues such as grocery pricing, product safety and scams.
Prior to CHOICE, Pru worked as an editor at many of Australia's leading food and lifestyle titles.
Pru has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology, Sydney.
LinkedIn
Pru Engel is the Audience and Engagement editor at CHOICE. Her job is to ensure as many Australians as possible know about the great work we do at CHOICE.
She works closely with our testers and experts to find the gems of information in our data and research that will resonate with Australian consumers and help them make the best decisions, whether they're purchasing an air fryer, looking for a new mattress or trying to find the cheapest car insurance. She also helps to drive meaningful change for consumers by collaborating with our Campaigns team on content covering issues such as grocery pricing, product safety and scams.
Prior to CHOICE, Pru worked as an editor at many of Australia's leading food and lifestyle titles.
Pru has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology, Sydney.
LinkedIn
Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid.
Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.
Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland.
Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid.
Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.
Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland.
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