By India Lopez
Editorial & Production Manager
Nothing turns you into a savvy shopper like working at Consumer NZ. Here are eight things we bought recently – after consulting our own test results, of course.
Frank’s air fryer
“I bought each of my parents our top-rated air fryer for their respective birthdays. They went from air fryer sceptics to fanatics overnight.” Frank Ramsden Bradley, digital experience manager
Jessica’s dehumidifier
“I bought a dehumidifier that’s been a game changer. It no longer takes me a week to get washing dry in winter. I read a Consumer tip to run a dehumidifier by the clotheshorse to get washing dry – this is perfect for clothes that can’t go in the dryer. I switched power provider to one that offers free electricity on Sundays, and I’ve fashioned a drying room where I get all my stuff dry.” Jessica Walker, communications & campaigns manager
Kate’s dishwasher
“A couple of weeks ago, the dishwasher that came with our house and had always annoyed me packed up. I found a cheap dishwasher that Consumer recommends. Harvey Norman kept trying to upsell me more modern ones, but I stuck to my guns. I love it so much. It just does the job! Even when I stack way too much in and think it’ll never get that clean, it somehow manages to.” Kate Harvey, journalist
Jon’s vacuum cleaner
“I bought a vacuum cleaner in February that’s ranked highly for cleaning up pet hair. It is amazing. But then Barbara, my cat, died. Now I’m worried my vacuum cleaner is too powerful for the reduced amount of fluff to clean up.” Jon Duffy, chief executive
Belinda’s coffee machine
“I’m the only coffee drinker in my family, so we chose this model because, for its price, it makes good coffee. It can froth milk, but that feature wasn’t as important to me. It’s compact, so it doesn’t take up too much room on the bench, and it’s easy to use. The temperature consistency isn’t great, but I was aware of that because of Consumer’s review. It was helpful having the pricing information online to check if we were getting a good deal – it was on special at the time we bought it.” Belinda Castles, researcher
Maggie’s mobile phone
“I needed to upgrade my six-year-old phone for work, to access the Microsoft Authenticator app. As it turns out, I would have needed to upgrade it this year anyway, when 3G shut down in March. Now I use my old phone for the photos and as a kitchen timer.” Maggie Edwards, consumer advisor
Amy’s washing machine
“I bought a washing machine in December based on our test results. It’s no longer available, so I can’t recommend the model specifically (unless you’re buying secondhand). But I can speak to the experience of using our website to choose a model. It was great to be able to set the filters for type of machine, size, price and with our Consumer recommendation. I found a machine that was within my budget and available locally within a couple of days. It gets a proper workout, with daily cycles for exercise gear and muddy dog towels. But it’s handling it like a champ – as I expected, being Consumer recommended.” Amy McNabb, test data analyst
Paul’s over-ear headphones
“When it came time to replace my headphones, I picked a model that’s rated highly by Consumer. They weren’t the most expensive option on the market, but they’ve been outstanding. Nick [Gelling, our resident tech expert] gave them the thumbs-up. I use them every day, and they haven’t missed a beat. That was three years ago, and they’re still going strong.” Paul Fuge, Powerswitch manager
Jyoti's in-ear headphones
“I bought in-ear headphones for my partner after comparing our test results. I was looking for earbuds with good sound quality, effective noise cancellation and strong durability. This model was ranked in our top three and also fit within my budget. They’ve been working really well. My partner uses them daily, and the battery life has been excellent.” Jyoti Ankur Mishra, digital marketing specialist
