Do Supermarket Own Brands Cut it in the Electrical Department?

I completely admit it – I often fall for brand names. As while my hand might hover for a second over the lesser-priced own brand and one part of my brain says but look at the money you will be saving, it’s almost as though it has been programmed into me that own brands taste worse, don’t last and are just not up to par.

So when I was contacted by Debt Free Direct to take part in an experiment to see if buying own-brand electronics could really help save you money. Or do they just end up sitting in a corner as they are about as useful as blowing a raspberry? I wanted to take part for the sake of my own pocket.

I was sent three products from Sainsbury’s own range of home electricals to try out. And I have to admit I’m really surprised by the results and just how much I am using one particular item I received.

Sainsbury’s Stainless Steel Sandwich Toaster

I have a small addiction to toasted cheese sandwiches. So when I moved out of home over 10 years ago, one of my first purchases was a sandwich toaster.

For some reason though, once it stopped working, I never got around to replacing it. Perhaps it was because I could always melt the cheese in the microwave so why shell out pennies on another appliance?

Of course, I didn’t realise you could pick up an own brand for under £10 and perhaps even if I did, I wouldn’t have grabbed one. Due to assuming it would take forever to heat up and cook my much-wanted toastie.

However, I can say with a very well tested toastie belly – this one gets a thumbs up from me. It takes a few minutes to toast your cheese sandwich to perfection. While a microwave can do it quicker, you aren’t treated to the toastie goodness that a sandwich toaster offers.

This own-brand sandwich toaster costs just £9.87 and for that price, you are getting a double toaster. Which includes non-stick plates and has a thermostat to help you get the right temperature to make your perfect snack.

Sainsbury’s 8.5L 3-tier Steamer

This is another appliance that I’ve just thought about buying, but then put off. As I was left thinking, would it be worth shelling out so much money on something that I may not use that often? Of course, unlike the branded options, a supermarkets own version comes in at a much more pocket-friendly £19.99.

Again, as with the sandwich toaster, my main worry was it just not cooking well, taking hours to do something a much pricier branded one could do in minutes. To give it a real test we decided to do a 3 person meal of salmon, broccoli and potatoes. We set up an hour for cooking but were pleasantly surprised when it was done in just 20 minutes.

As for the food? Well, that tasted delicious and was finished by all very quickly. In fact, as well as just how quickly the steamer got things cooked. I was also impressed with just how tasty the food from it was, perhaps I had been putting off getting that steamer for just a bit too long.

Sainsbury’s V8715 Handheld Vacuum Cleaner

I said at the beginning there was one item that I was using so much more than I would have expected. This is it! It’s a handheld vacuum. It’s the most expensive item on the own-brand run down coming in at £29.99. However, that’s still around 1/2 the price of some of the own brands.

This own brands vacuum is made to clean up both dry dust as well as liquids. While I have yet to try it with liquids, for sawdust, hay and dog fur it has become a daily tool in my cleaning arsenal. The only time I have found suction has gone down is either when it needs emptying or the battery is dying. Of course, it’s not going to suck up as much as a normal vacuum. However for, just spilled items or quick dust bunny clean-ups it is brilliant.

Conclusion on Own Brand Products.

So what has this foray into own brands taught me? Well definitely that I shouldn’t keep putting buying items off. If I think they could be useful, they most probably will be. But more importantly, I have learnt that own brand doesn’t necessarily mean bad. In fact, they can work just as well. Plus by saving some money buying an electrical appliance, well I can save for something more important.

The one thing of course I can’t give testament to with this post is the longevity of these products. Which in the long term is of course a very important factor in choosing the right appliance for you. However, this trial has definitely made me more likely to look into an own-brand product.

What do you do when it comes to buying products? Do you go for brand names or are supermarkets own brands a-ok with you?

*The products included in this post were a gift from Debt Free Direct as an experiment on money-saving.