Multi-cookers

Splurge vs save: The cheaper air fryers that rival expensive ones

Our tests show some budget buys can outperform models more than twice their price.
splurge vs save airfryers tefal dual vs anko twin

Need to know

  • Our testers reviewed more than 30 popular models for ease of use and cooking performance of various foods
  • We highlight cheaper air fryers that perform similarly or better than pricier products
  • Exclusively for members, we reveal the cheaper air fryers that are better buys than their pricier competitors

Buying an expensive appliance that turns out to be a flop is frustrating: not only have you wasted your money, you’re now stuck with something you feel you should use because of how much you spent on it.

And when you do use it, it delivers disappointing results – reminding you yet again of your poor decision.

That’s why you should check CHOICE’s reviews every time you buy a new appliance. Not only could it prevent you from making a costly mistake, it’ll also give you the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve spent your money well.

Here, we reveal two air fryers that both disappointed in our testing, despite an almost $400 price difference – showing that spending more doesn’t always buy you more. 

And exclusively for CHOICE members, we’ll show you which cheaper models are better buys than ones costing hundreds of dollars more.

If you just want to get straight to the best products, you can jump to the results now.

Splurge vs save: The cheap-as-chips Kmart fryer vs a $500 big-name brand

With a price difference of nearly $400, these two twin air fryers are worlds apart in terms of price and features, but they have one thing in common: they’re both flops.

If you dropped $500 on a benchtop appliance, you’d expect it to be a winner, right? Well, the only thing you should expect with the Tefal Dual is to be disappointed.

Our experts rated it as only ‘OK’ on a number of key air fryer tests, such as cooking crumbed chicken and frozen chips. If a $500 fryer can’t even do air fryer staples like chicken nuggets and chips, what’s the point?

Sadly, the Anko air fryer isn’t much better – but if you’d only spent $119 on it, you’d be less frustrated than if you’d paid $500 for the same sub-par performance.

Surprisingly, despite their inability to handle the basics, both machines did well at cooking marinated chicken wings and roast pork, both scoring a very respectable 80%. (That’s classified as “Very Good” in our books.)

But most of us are hardly likely to buy an air fryer for those two tasks alone.

Regardless of how you plan to use an air fryer, these models’ results in our testing highlight just how irrelevant price is to performance, and why checking our air fryer reviews before you buy can help you avoid spending $500 on a mediocre machine.

Splurge vs save air fryers: The best cheaper buys that outperform expensive models

We independently test and review dozens of new air fryers each year in our onsite kitchen lab, and our experts know exactly what to look for to help you find the best product.

Our detailed air fryer testing data is available exclusively for CHOICE members. If you’re not yet a member, join CHOICE to get instant access to all of our expert, independent reviews, from fridges and freezers, toasters and TVs, kettles and cots, and more.

Or log in to unlock this article and find out which cheaper air fryers outperformed expensive models in our expert testing.


I'm a content creator and marketer here at CHOICE – which basically just means that I write stuff. CHOICE's testing is so comprehensive that we publish vast amounts of data on all the products we test. We know that not everyone likes to wade through numbers to find the best product, so my job is to take the data and translate it into something more easily digestible for readers who are time-poor or just want to know the best products to buy – and which to avoid. I also get to dream up fun ways of taste-testing products, like the Tim Tam challenge and the Democracy Sausage taste test. I write about all kinds of things, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, so each day is different and I'm lucky that I get to learn about all the different things CHOICE does to help consumers.

I'm a content creator and marketer here at CHOICE – which basically just means that I write stuff. CHOICE's testing is so comprehensive that we publish vast amounts of data on all the products we test. We know that not everyone likes to wade through numbers to find the best product, so my job is to take the data and translate it into something more easily digestible for readers who are time-poor or just want to know the best products to buy – and which to avoid. I also get to dream up fun ways of taste-testing products, like the Tim Tam challenge and the Democracy Sausage taste test. I write about all kinds of things, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, so each day is different and I'm lucky that I get to learn about all the different things CHOICE does to help consumers.