In this current financial climate, many of us can’t afford to waste our hard-earned money on dud products. So, while Kmart offers budget-friendly shopping solutions, it CAN be a cruel reminder of you get what you pay for.
So wondering what Kmart brand products are a hit and which are a miss? Australia’s leading consumer advocacy group, CHOICE, put the below Kmart Anko products through their paces and you might be pretty surprised at the outcome!
Just a word of warning: there might be some heartbreak ahead – but also, prepare for your mind to be blown on peak performers out-performing their big-brand competitors!
The best and worst Kmart brand product performers, as tested by CHOICE
Kmart Branded Pedestal Fans
CHOICE RECOMMENDED? YES
Fans – they just push the air around, right? Simples. The price is right (especially if buying multiple fans for kids’ rooms) with prices starting at $17 for the Kmart Anko 40cm Pedestal Fan. The better the model, the slightly better the performance but for the most part, it’s neat for beating the heat!
Kmart Branded Heaters
CHOICE RECOMMENDED? NO
Choice has tested plenty of Kmart brand heaters over the years, and the Kmart Anko DL03L Convection Heater (no longer available) in 2020 received a CHOICE Expert Rating of just 45%. This makes it a clear loser in the heater department and the worst heater they’d tested since 2014.
The Kmart Anko Oil Colum Heater, Kmart Anko Ceramic Fan Heater and Kmart Digital Oil Heater also didn’t rank, barely lifting the room thermostat when tested. CHOICE director of testing and reviews says:
“Some of the poorest performing electric heaters we’ve ever seen at CHOICE have come from Kmart.”
Ouch.
Perhaps shop for your heating appliances elsewhere!
Kmart Branded Top Mount Fridge
CHOICE RECOMMENDED? NO
Kmart’s new and flashy white goods range might be all dazzling white lights and not much substance, according to Choice. The first fridge launched in the range, the 203L Top Mount Fridge Freezer is currently on clearance for $299 but it’s TINY. Even a single-person household is recommended to have a 250L to 380L capacity fridge for optimum freshness.
The new model, a 314L Top Mount Fridge and Freezer in stainless steel ($699) is an online exclusive and excludes free delivery, so expect to be stung in the hip pocket. Fridges are best shopped elsewhere where you can haggle yourself a decent price (and possibly get the free delivery thrown in)!
Kmart Branded Washing Machines
CHOICE RECOMMENDED? NO
Again, the Kmart brand isn’t winning in the white goods department. Tempting as it is with Kmart’s 8kg Top Loader Washing Machine priced at just $419, they’re all better left behind with the quality of parts and materials questioned as well as water usage. CHOICE said:
“Kmart’s 8kg-capacity top loader may be cheap to buy but wastes a huge amount of water when the normal cycle is used, which means it will likely cost you more in electricity bills than another model over its lifetime.”
Kmart Branded Vacuum Cleaners
CHOICE RECOMMENDED? NO
It’s an easy trap to get sucked in with Kmart’s vacuum cleaners priced between just $32 and $160. I’ve personally fallen for this one before and bought a Kmart brand vacuum cleaner. For the most part, it was great while it lasted, which wasn’t long with three kids, lots of carpets and a golden retriever.
The Choice testing team echo this sentiment, declaring the upright, bagged and bagless models recently tested were among the lowest scoring when it came to giving your carpet a proper clean. That sucks.
Kmart Branded Irons
CHOICE RECOMMENDED? YES
Hooray, we’re back in the game, Kmart! They certainly do come up trumps with their range of irons steaming through and performing well in the laundry-tackling task. If you only iron when you absolutely have to, we don’t blame you for not wanting to invest heavily in the flat plate. The good news is, Kmart brand irons are priced from $7.50 for the basic model up to $39 for the fancypants Cordless Steam Iron model. So cheap!
Kmart Branded Twin Air Fryer
CHOICE RECOMMENDED? NO (Wait, what!?)
Prepare for debate here guys, for many of us (myself included) LOVE our Kmart Air Fryer. Most likely because they’re significantly cheaper than the ‘big brands’ – and they get the job done. CHOICE reported that they weren’t impressed by the Kmart 9L Twin Air Fryer ($129), when testing it, giving it a CHOICE Expert Rating of just 58%.
“Not only did it receive a low score in our testing, but the Kmart Anko air fryer is also fairly large and heavy, and not very easy to use,” said a CHOICE kitchen expert.
That’s a burn for the Kmart brand if ever I felt one!
Kmart Branded Rice Cooker
CHOICE RECOMMENDED? YES
Forget the super expensive rice cookers, the Kmart Rice Cooker ($14) cooks grains to near perfection. It’s a basic, no bells and whistles model (and you’d expect no less for the price point), but it scored a solid overall 81% in CHOICE testing, leaving some much, much more expensive models for dust. Now that’s a score for Kmart!
Kmart Branded Microwaves
CHOICE RECOMMENDED? YES
If you’re in the market for a microwave to defrost, reheat and cook some veggies, this Kmart Anko 20L Microwave ($52) is a terrific purchase. Rating it as excellent for cooking performance and giving it perfect scores for cooking vegetables and defrosting mince, this is an excellent no-frills microwave.
The only drawbacks are its compact size (so some containers might not fit) and its power. Being a 700W microwave, it’s a little slower to reheat than more powerful models.
Kmart Branded Kettles
CHOICE RECOMMENDED? MAYBE
The point of a kettle is to boil water, right? It was said that the Kmart kettles won’t rip your socks off with fancy features or sleek aesthetics, but they will make a simple cup of tea and overall they are cheap and cheerful. In summary, Kmart brand kettles are ok value for money, so put the kettle on!
Kmart Branded Toasters
CHOICE RECOMMENDED? NO
Unlike the kettles, Kmart’s toasters turn out to be crummy when compared to other brands at a similar or slightly higher price point than Kmart’s cheap-as-chips prices.
Kmart Branded Blender and Food Processor
CHOICE RECOMMENDED? YES
It’s a pleasant surprise to see the Kmart Anko Food Processor ($79) hitting chopping, slicing, mixing and emulsifying performance goals and leaving the biggest impression. Perfect for all your coleslaw, cheesecake and baby food-making needs, head to Kmart today!
“It is a compact unit so it’s easier to store, and all the blades are stored in the unit. It is however relatively noisy in operation.”
The Kmart blender range had testers in a spin, receiving big fat approval to buy ticks. The models originally tested are no longer listed online but the user reviews for the Kmart High Power Blender ($69) are glowing – and it’s well below a Vitamix price tag. PHEW. That’s a feather in Kmart’s cap, for sure.
Kmart Branded Cookware
CHOICE RECOMMENDED? YES
If you need a new frying pan or Dutch oven, you’re in luck because Kmart’s versions definitely rate. The Kmart 24cm frypan ($20) and Kmart 4L Cast Iron Pot ($30) were right up there with big-name brands such as Tefal, Scanpan, Chasseur and Le Creuset. Amazing!
The Kmart Pie Maker ($39) started as a fun novelty kitchen gadget but it’s clearly here to stay with its popularity not waning at all. So it’s great news that it rates up there with the bigger brands. Fifteen minutes for six perfectly golden pies, shut up and take my money Kmart.
For under $50, you can get a great performing 6.5L Slow Cooker ($45). Sure its functions are basic compared to other brands, but based on the performance, the Kmart brand price can’t be beaten!
Kmart Brand Kids Playpen
CHOICE RECOMMENDED? YES
Perfect for babies, toddlers and puppies, the Kmart Playpen ($145) is one of only a few playpens that actually passed key safety requirements when tested. It’s easy to put up and pack down and the gate feature will save your back. Winner!
Kmart Branded Period Underwear
CHOICE RECOMMENDED? YES
If you’ve been putting off trying period underwear because it’s cost prohibitive, you’ll score bargain pairs at Kmart, with the leak-free Kmart Period Full Brief ($12) being the top pick for the undies drawer.
Kmart Branded Baby Bassinet
CHOICE RECOMMENDED? NO
Unlike other baby products, there are no Australian safety standards for bassinets. The crew at CHOICE gave the Kmart Anko Stand-Alone Bassinet (no longer online) a thumbs down and a 40% rating. This was partly due to a lack of continuous breathable zones around the bassinet. Err on the side of caution with your child’s sleep safety and shop for reputable baby brands for bassinets and cots.
So there you have it, now you know what to head straight for at Kmart and what to avoid. Of course, it always pays to read reviews before making a purchase and luckily, Kmart generally have quite a good returns policy so if you’re genuinely unhappy with a product you could potentially return it!
