End of financial year sales are a heady time. With the promise of a tax return in coming weeks it's easy to justify the purchase of big-ticket items.
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But not all discounted electronics and appliances are bargains, warns Australian consumer advocacy group Choice.
Their experts evaluated a range of products from fridges, washing machines, mattresses and TVs to dishwashers, coffee machines, dryers, air fryers and stick vacuums to discern what is worth buying.
"It's hard to pass up a bargain, but these products just aren't worth it, no matter how tempting the sale price may be," a Choice spokesperson Alice Richard said.
Fridges
Fridges are already expensive to buy but an appliance with a poor energy rating could compound the price.
"If you shop without researching, you could end up with a fridge that'll cost you more in the long term in the form of big power bills and food that's gone off too quickly," Ms Richard said.
The worst rating went to the Haier HRF420BEC fridge, priced at $1199. It received a Choice expert rating of 37 per cent.
![Haier HRF420BEC fridge. Picture by Choice Haier HRF420BEC fridge. Picture by Choice](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/6e3afb57-42f1-4a34-8f47-68e5b0a40f0f.jpg/r0_0_1500_843_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Experts were disappointed by the $3990 Smeg FAB32RPB5AU fridge. It was rated 43 per cent overall and had a "shocking" 0 per cent on temperature stability.
The Haier HRF420BHC fridge, priced at $1299, also received the low score of 43 per cent.
Also scoring 43 per cent was the Bosch KFN96VPEAA fridge, costing $3099. This fridge had a temperature stability score of just 13 per cent.
Washing machines
The lowest scoring washing machine, at 59 per cent, was the Westinghouse WWT8084J7WA priced at $1149.
![Westinghouse WWT8084J7WA. Picture by Choice Westinghouse WWT8084J7WA. Picture by Choice](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/3157e2c4-cb8d-4af6-9e9a-a2ee07832ff4.jpg/r0_0_1500_843_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
It was followed by the Speed Queen AWNA62 washing machine which scored 59 per cent. It costs $3295.
The Fisher & Paykel WA7060G2 washing machine scored just 60 per cent and is priced at $1099.
The Samsung WA90T6250BW scored a 61 per cent rating and costs $849.
Also scoring 61 per cent was the Haier HWT60AA1 which sells for $609 before discounts.
Mattresses
Choice said a mattress should last for eight to 10 years. This means most people spend more than 29,000 hours with their mattress over the course of its life.
"Some of them cost as much as $6000. This is one purchase you definitely don't want to mess up," Ms Richard said.
The Art & Science Night & Day Adjustable Pillow Top mattress scored just 60 per cent in the Choice expert rating. At full price the mattress costs $1349.
![Art & Science Night & Day Adjustable Pillow Top mattress. Picture by Choice Art & Science Night & Day Adjustable Pillow Top mattress. Picture by Choice](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/5a943aad-8663-48aa-8ff8-42bb18280f4f.jpg/r0_0_1440_810_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Sealy's Back Support Harmony mattress scored 62 per cent and costs $999.
Also from Sealy, the Atlanta mattress, which costs $599 scored 62 per cent.
A top end mattress, the Original Mattress Factory Refresh, costs $2946 and was rated at 62 per cent by the experts.
"It just goes to show there's no correlation between price and performance," Ms Richard said.
TVs
The experts were judging TVs for sound quality and high-definition picture quality among other factors.
Choice said their lowest scoring TVs were the Bauhn (Aldi with WebOS) ATV40UHDW-0124 with a rating of 61 per cent for a $329 price tag.
![Bauhn (Aldi with WebOS) ATV40UHDW-0124 TV. Picture by Choice Bauhn (Aldi with WebOS) ATV40UHDW-0124 TV. Picture by Choice](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/23530e4b-1982-4c29-9f10-e23e28acdc5f.jpg/r0_0_1500_843_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The TCL 65P745, which costs $795, scored 67 per cent.
Another Aldi brand TV made the list of the three lowest rated with the Bauhn (Aldi) ATV50UHD-1120 for $1899 scoring 67 per cent.
Dishwashers
The Choice experts tested dishwashers side-by-side to determine which was best at removing tough foods including egg yolk, spinach, butter, oats, rice starch and more.
The Omega ODW101W was the worst performer with a Choice expert rating of 58 per cent for a $699 price tag.
![Omega ODW101W. Picture by Choice Omega ODW101W. Picture by Choice](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/306e78d1-0d71-44f2-ac85-7cff797bb8d5.jpg/r0_0_1024_576_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Haier HDW15F2S1 also had an average performance with a score of 64 per cent for the $899 appliance.
The $1099 Fisher & Paykel DW60FC2X2 dishwasher got a score of 67 per cent from the experts.
The Inalto IDW604S dishwasher scored 68 per cent and costs $499.
Coffee machines
Which home coffee machine tastes most like a barista-made brew?
"When we test coffee machines, we enlist industry experts to blind taste test coffee from each machine, and we also assess ease of use, milk frothing and temperature consistency in our testing labs," Ms Richard said.
The inexpensive Nescafe Dolce Gusto Piccolo XS 9781 at $89 received an expert rating of just 41 per cent.
![Nescafe Dolce Gusto Piccolo XS 9781. Picture by Choice Nescafe Dolce Gusto Piccolo XS 9781. Picture by Choice](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/b0e4cd39-f54e-422e-9b0d-8982efe2151f.jpg/r0_0_1024_576_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Scoring 46 per cent, the Breville Nescafe Dolce Gusto Genio S Plus costs $149.
At $299, double the price of the Breville, the Sunbeam Café Barista EM5000 scored 47 per cent.
Dryers
Looking for a dryer that offers low energy consumption and quick drying time?
Choice's whitegoods expert Ashley Iredale said "don't splurge on an expensive heat pump dryer if you don't use your dryer very often - they're more energy efficient than a vented dryer so they cost a lot less to run".
"But because they cost so much more to buy, unless you're using it regularly you may be better off overall buying a cheap and cheery vented number, as you might never make back the initial outlay."
The Bosch WQG24200AU dryer, which costs $1499, was the lowest scorer at 57 per cent.
![Bosch WQG24200AU dryer. Picture by Choice Bosch WQG24200AU dryer. Picture by Choice](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/5959b98a-1a55-46b5-9756-c94bdb0dc905.jpg/r0_0_1500_843_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Fisher & Paykel DE7060G2 was rated 66 per cent by Choice experts and carries a $659 price tag.
Haier's HDV70E1 dryer followed closely behind the Fisher & Paykel with a rating of 67 per cent for $799.
Air fryers
Choice said that not all air fryers "live up to the hype" of the appliance in recent years.
Among the list of air fryers to avoid was the Kitchen Couture 3.4L Air Fryer 301465, costing $149, rated at 66 per cent.
![Kitchen Couture 3.4L Air Fryer 301465. Picture by Choice Kitchen Couture 3.4L Air Fryer 301465. Picture by Choice](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/ec59981b-6244-42c0-a6e3-7d7079ad5ba2.jpg/r0_0_1024_576_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
It was followed by Kmart's Anko 9L Twin Air Fryer AFD2906 for $129. This air fryer received a 67 per cent rating from choice experts.
For more than double the price, at $299, the Sunbeam 22L Multi Function Oven + Air Fryer BT7200 scored just 69 per cent.
Stick vacuums
The convenience of stick vacuums has made it a popular option particularly for those in confined living spaces.
With an expert score of 50 per cent, the Dirt Devil Cordless Vacuum DSV22G2 EC223602245, $99, was the lowest scoring stick vacuum for Choice.
![Dirt Devil Cordless Vacuum DSV22G2 EC223602245. Picture by Choice Dirt Devil Cordless Vacuum DSV22G2 EC223602245. Picture by Choice](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/642efb92-8ab7-47f5-942e-5dc590f9caae.jpg/r0_0_1500_843_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
This was followed, controversially, by the market leader Dyson. The $749 Dyson Omni-Glide for hard floors only rated 55 per cent due to poor performance on carpets as well as hard floors.
For $229, Makita's 18V Mobile Vacuum Cleaner Kit DCL180 scored just 57 per cent from the experts.
Two Kmart vacuums were among the lowest ranked. The $149 Kmart Anko Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner received a score of 59 per cent.
While the $129 Kmart Anko Cordless Stick Cleaner 42923558 was rated 63 per cent.