Decide what to buy: the Reevoo.com blog

We thought it was about time we carried on our rooms on a budget theme. This week, we’re looking at kitchens on a budget.

We’ve looked at everything you’d need for a kitchen – minus the cabinets themselves – and our budget kitchen comes in at £1114.

Obviously everybody’s kitchen will be different colours so we’ve gone for standard, yet sleek, black and stainless steel.

First up are the essentials, sink, oven, hob and fridge-freezer. 

We’ve gone for the attractive Astracast KO10RS sink. It’s £150, 98 cm wide and has a bowl size of 43 x 50 cm.

Everyone knows that if you want the best control over your cooking, the only way to go is gas. We’ve found this great stainless steel hob and oven pack from Baumatic. It’s £200 and has been rated 9.1/10 on Reevoo.

The top rated and best value for money fridge freezer we could find was the Indesit TA5S. It’s £240, has more fridge room than the large American-style fridges and it’s got some great reviews. Lots of owners are very impressed with its capacity, quality and value for money.

Ok, so far we’ve covered the essentials and we’re up to £590. Not bad for a fridge-freezer, oven, hob and sink?

Let’s move on to appliances.

The Breville JK123 kettle is simple to use and great value for money at £16. The matching Breville TT48 toaster is only £19. It has independent controls for each slice and a digital display.

This £51 Kenwood SJSS25 microwave has been rated 8.5/10 by the people who have bought it. Its capacity is 25 litres and it also has a grill function. One review reads “Easy to use, attractive, cost effective, efficient, fast, easy to wipe clean and maintain”.

For a dishwasher, we’ve gone for the Hotpoint FDL570. It’s £215 and it’s only 49 decibels so you won’t annoy the neighbours.

And finally, the washing machine. The A-rated Hotpoint WF321 is £223 and it has a larger than average load capacity of 6kg. Pam  from  Salisbury says “It is easy to use, not too noisy, nice big door and nice looking”.

So there you have it, a stylish kitchen for a little over £1000. Job done.

"the big button dropped off after a couple of days, glue technology obviously not having reached the point in Taiwan where it can be successfully used to stick things together" HTC Touch Dual

"Reversing the doors turned out to be an absolute lesson in self control and anger management" Hotpoint FF187E

"Doesn’t come with a free Nigela Lawson clone : /" LG MS1944JL

"Not overly keen on the ‘jolly’ little jingle it plays when it has finished" SAMSUNG WF7604NAW

Have you ever considered that all of the appliances in your home may have been designed by people who have never had to use them? For example, that your fridge was designed by someone who still kept things underground to keep them cold? It would certainly seem so, going by some of the reviews we’ve been reading.

As we’re on the subject of fridges, we’ll start there. The Bosch KGU30605 fridge has been designed by a genius who thought an egg tray with space for five eggs was revolutionary. The unfortunate sixth egg that almost certainly is included when you buy a standard pack of half a dozen eggs, will have to find its own home amongst the jungle of jars and leftovers.

How about the Elba C96DF 90 gas oven that gets nice and hot on the inside but feels the need to heat up its surrounding area by getting dangerously hot on the outside too? I guess we could all start frying our eggs on oven doors to save energy. Maybe that’s what the designer had in mind here.

We talked about the amount of energy you can save by not leaving your appliances on standby last week but what if your TV wouldn’t turn off at all? The LG 37LF66 can only be turned off by switching it off at the mains. And there’s even a washing machine that insists on washing cotton and synthetics at 60 degrees - all in all, just great for your energy bills.

If you feel your life isn’t inconvenient enough, why not purchase a couple of dishwashers? One won’t fit standard sized cups on the top shelf and one won’t fit standard sized plates on the bottom but by buying them both, you can be sure that your crockery will be squeaky clean…one way or another.

And for those of you looking for something to amuse the kids over the summer, you might want to check out the reviews for the Easy Store Large Slide. It seems to be multipurpose - a slide and a bug collector. It’s all kitted out in bright yellow so that hundreds of insects are attracted to it as soon as you set it up. I wouldn’t advise sliding on it but it could be great for a wildlife project.

These are just a few of the dodgy designs we found by reading through reviews. We’ve compiled a list of the top ten so that you can take a look. If you’ve got something that you think must have been designed by wild monkeys, let me know and we’ll add it to the list.

1. Bosch KGU30605 Fridge - the egg tray which only holds five eggs instead of the standard six.
2. Zanussi ZWF14581 Washing Machine - The default temperature when you choose cotton or synthetics is always 60 degrees. But almost all synthetics are labelled 40 degrees or less.
3. LG 37LF66 Television - that doesn’t turn off. You have to pull the plug out of the wall to turn the TV off.
4. Easy Store Large Slide - the bright yellow colour attracts thousands of bugs in summertime.
5. Kenwood DW12CFE Dishwasher - Normal sized plates stacked as design suggests in the bottom tray stop the spray arm spinning, and thus the top layer does not get washed. Trays are non removable so the dishwasher won’t run without the top tray in. Hard to fit standard sized dinner plates.
6. LM Tech Battery Powered Heated Gloves - the heating element doesn’t get warm, and doesn’t cover the fingers.
7. Carlton CTD1W Table Top Dishwasher - doesn’t fit standard mugs on the shelf
8. Elba C96DF 90 Gas Oven - the knobs heat up when the grill is turned on
9. Hotpoint RLA21 4.6 Cu.ft. Larder Fridge - there is no light inside so it is impossible to see all the food at the back.
10. UNI MEDIA 22/1 IDTVDVD 22” HD Ready digital television - It is impossible to adjust the picture when the picture adjustment box pops up in the middle of the screen and covers most of the picture.

Another bank holiday to look forward to! Here’s some more reviews that have made us chuckle.

"Definitely need two people to fit it and keep the children out of the way as the language can get a bit colourful." Zanussi ZDT6053

"They suit my life style and wants. (But I am very boring)" Rod Glasses

"Sometimes my clothes are quite creased when I take them out after a wash dry cycle- I think that is probably more down to me being a mong though." Hotpoint WD640P

"Henry is sometimes a little clumsy. He likes to hide around doors, when you are pulling him along." Henry Numatic

"Impossible to assemble…we had to ask our friend who has a PhD in mechanical engineering to come round and have a go, it took him over 3 hours…" Alphason ABR1100-B

It’s nearly wind-down time. Here’s some funny reviews to help you out…

"Does not withstand being washed and tumble dried" Sony Ericsson Z530i

"My fridge magnets keep sliding down the smooth exterior"  FRIGIDAIRE FVE2199C

"I don’t quite see the point of all of the different
levels of ‘dry’ it offers (i.e. ‘bone’ or ‘cupboard’ etc.) I mean,
maybe it’s just me, but if I stick something in a dryer, it’s because I
want it dry" HOOVER HNC382T

"its not wide enough for  anyone bigger than a  uk size 10 to use as a sunbed" Folding Lounger

"I dont know that much about washing machines, and to be honest I dont
ever really want to. It basically washes and then drys my
clothes which is what I wanted and therfore is good" HOTPOINT WD640P

It’s spring time and lots of people are having improvements made to their houses. If you’re looking to get a new kitchen, we’ve put together all the top kitchen appliances, rated by people who’ ve bought and used them, so that you can be sure you’re spending your money wisely.

We’ve concentrated on products with 30 reviews or more and have included even the little essentials like the all important kettle and food processor.

Let’s start off with the big stuff:

You can’t have a kitchen without an oven. We’ve gone for the top freestanding one which happens to be the Cannon C60DHK with 9.1/10. Purchasers love its value for money and performance. Richard from Surrey keeps things concise when he says: “Dual fuel, easy to keep clean, well built, quality materials, efficient.”

Reviewers name the Beko AB910s the best fridge/freezer. It gets 9.1/10 and a load of very positive comments. One review reads, “Excellent capacity. Very quiet. Attractive and functional.”

Miele have done pretty well with reviewers, they get top spots in the washing machine and dishwasher categories. Their W 3922 WPS SOFTRONIC washing machine not only scores an A-rating for energy efficiency, it also scores highly with consumers, one of whom says it “delivers the best wash I have ever seen.” Other purchasers hardly have a bad word to say about it and as a result, its overall score is 9.5/10.

With positive comments like “This is a high quality machine and is built to last”, and very few negative comments, Miele can also be proud of the G1222SC dishwasher’s 9/10 score.

As temperatures are getting hotter, you want to spend less time labouring over a hot stove, nuke your grub instead with the Panasonic NNCT766M BPQ. It apparently “has everything you could want from a multi-function microwave”, according to Alan in Whitley Bay. It scores 8.8/10 with particularly high scores in the performance category.

Treat your rosey lea to some top quality treatment with the Breville JK121 kettle. It gets 8.7/10 from its fans.

Mixing stuff has never been so fun and reliable…if you use the Kenwood FP 920, that is. With 8.9/10 and attachments and gadgets aplenty, you’ll ask yourself why you never invested in one before.

Hope you got all that. If you didn’t, here’s a recap:

Freestanding Oven – Cannon C60DHK
Fridge/freezer – Beko AB910s
Washing machine - Miele W 3922 WPS SOFTRONIC
Dishwasher – Miele G1222SC
Microwave – Panasonic NNCT766M BPQ
Kettle – Breville JK121
Food processor – Kenwood FP 920

This week I’ve been looking for green products you can use with appliances you already have and I’ve come across these two gems that will help you to lower your personal emissions and save you some cash too.

The first one is something you can use in your fridge. On average, fridges use 10 kilowatt-hours a week, that’s enough to keep an average kettle on for five hours continuously - you’d certainly get a lot of use out the the Wash-Up with all those cups of tea you could make! The e-cube can change all that. It’s a small, black cube that fits over your fridge’s temperature gauge. The temperature gauge usually measures the air temperature around it and when things are getting a little too hot for it’s liking, it orders things to cool down a bit - cue increased electricity usage.

Food normally takes a lot longer to warm up than air so a lot of that cooling is unnecessary. The e-cube is a plastic box filled with wax which mimics food properties so when it is fitted around your temperature sensor, the sensor will be able to measure the temperature of the actual food, rather than the air, decreasing the amount of time your fridge switches on the cooler. Genius, hey?!

It’s estimated that this super cube can save up to 20% of your energy a year and you can pick one up for £25. According to the Guardian, if one was fitted to each of the 87 million refrigeration units in Britain, carbon dioxide emissions would fall by more than 2 million tonnes a year.

If you’ve got a fridge that’s over 15 years old, chances are that it’s guzzling way more energy than it should be and using harmful CFCs. You might want to upgrade pretty sharpish so that you can drastically reduce your energy bills and your effect on the environment - go all energy efficient and find out what shoppers are saying about A-rated fridges and A-rated fridge freezers to help you decide which would be best for you.

The next product is one you’ve probably all heard about but I thought I’d mention it anyway. It’s for use in those energy eating tumble dryers. Dryer balls can be put in the dryer with your washing to soften fabrics so you can save a few quid on fabric softener and dryer sheets and help save the environment from harmful chemicals at the same time.

In the reviews from Reevoo, Jane from Leicester says "I can use them for tumble drying my baby’s
clothes without worry as they have no chemicals which was a concern
with the tumble dryer sheets. They don’t dry out either"

On top of all that, they also get more
water out of your clothes quicker which means the dryer doesn’t need to be on so long. Another saving for you - less electricity - and for the environment - less greenhouse gas emissions. Bonus.

If you’re in the market for washing machines, tumble dryers or washer-dryers, make sure you read some reviews before you buy anything so that you don’t waste any more money getting the wrong one. Try and get the most energy efficient one you can by looking at the efficiency rating. Still confused by all this energy efficiency labeling malarkey? Find out more here.

We’ve had a funny old week trawling through some of the reviews on Reevoo. Here are a few that made us smile…

"Setting up is a bit technical especially for someone like myself who thinks a woofer is a dog" Sony DAVDZ531W

"Great pick up qualities - Like Miss World in a bikini at Wembley after the Fa Cup Final!!!!Moves around better than John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever!!!!" Dyson DC16

"My only problem with it is the navigation button on the keypad. One false move, and you’ve sent the text meant for your boyfriend to your Dad" K750I 

"There’s a BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP when it ends a cycle. I should read the manual, I think you can stop that…" Bosch WAE 2416

"I wish the phone would ring more than 3 times before the fax/answer phone cuts in, maybe there is a way of changing this but we can’t find it, I have learnt to run faster!" Brother Fax-T106