London - All of us are occasionally tempted by impulse buys of shiny toys. Spending on household gadgets, from ice cream makers to melon ballers, costs us dearly, but we rarely use them, a survey has shown.
Top of the list of faddy gadgets, or “fadgets”, which languish unused in kitchen cupboards, is the fondue set, which is used just once or even never at all by 56 percent of owners. The next gadget we love to own but never use is the soda stream fizzy drink maker, which is typically used less than once a year or never by four in 10 owners.
At three is the melon baller which is used never or less than once a year by 35 percent of owners.
Fourth is a pedometer – a keep-fit device which measures walking distance – that is rarely used by 44 percent of owners. And at five – and most expensive – is the ice cream maker which is typically used just once every three to six months by four in 10 owners.
The research, based on 2 000 shoppers by British website PriceRunner, set out to find which gadgets are good investments and which are best left on the shop shelf.
The most cost-effective items were a tablet computer like an iPad, espresso maker, smartphone speakers, spaghetti measurer and garlic press. Other useful gadgets included the paper shredder, used at least once a month by six in 10 people keen prevent identity fraud, along with the the smoothie drink maker, and the toasted sandwich grill.
Alison Guise, of PriceRunner, said: “In the current economy shoppers are on the lookout for ways to save money, such as investing in an espresso machine to make coffee at home rather than buying a takeaway cup, but our study shows that many of the items we think will save us money turn out to be fads that are rarely used.
“Before making an investment, think realistically about your lifestyle and if it will make a difference: will it save you time and money? If you think yes – then make sure you look around for the best deals to keep that cost per use low.” – Daily Mail
TOP 5 UNUSED GADGETS
Fondue set
Fizzy drink maker
Melon baller
Pedometer keep-fit device
Ice cream maker