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What should Which? test this Christmas?

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Profile photo of Matt Knight Matt Knight Principal Researcher/Writer
Comments 8

Summer’s not over yet, but the Which? Product Testing team is already thinking about Christmas. What do you think we should be testing this year?

A few weeks ago, a small team of researchers got together and identified some new product areas that we’ll be testing this Christmas.

We based these areas on products that have typically trended in recent years around Christmas, looking at feedback from our members on areas they’d like us to test, and by anticipating what types of products, including toys, might be popular this year.

We can reveal that this Christmas our members can look forward to new product reviews on: 

🎁 Advent calendars

🎁 Meat thermometers

🎁 Christmas crackers

🎁 Salt and pepper grinders

🎁 Remote control cars for less than £100

🎁 Kids drones for less than £100

🎁 Electric carving knives

🎁 Polaroid cameras

🎁 Kids cameras

🎁 Gingerbread house kits

🎁 Christmas table sauces

Which of the new product areas are you most interested in?

View Results

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There will also be a few more that we’ll keep under wraps until closer to the time.

These new review areas will be in addition to the steady stream of core lab based tests on products such as vacuum cleaners, TVs and ovens that you’ll already be very familiar with. 

But which extra product areas would you like us to test? Have you ever been disappointed by the quality of a Christmas present? Underwhelmed by the contents of an advent calendar?

Or is there anything else Christmas-related you would like us to look into?

If so, we’d love to hear about it – let us know in the comments and we’ll consider it for testing before Christmas this year.

Comments
8
malcolm r says:
25 August 2021

I’d like to see gifts for smaller children that are well made and have purpose – help their development and give more than just brief use. I struggle to find much in shops that is not just plastic junk but with a little effort find wooden walkers, musical instruments, talking books and construction kits. My 2 1/2 year old grand daughter has a crane lorry kit, large pieces held together with large nuts and screws; she enjoys taking it apart and reassembling it with the battery operated nut and screw driver that came with it.

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Wendy Ellis says:
25 August 2021

Agree with Malcom

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Cocker says:
25 August 2021

Rather than Champagne and mince pies (again), how about suggestions for alternatives to the turkey for Christmas dinner? Producers are already warning of shortages for this season. I’m not looking forward to paying even more than sirloin steak for an inflated chicken, as already happens every year.

Maybe from your trade contacts, you could predict the “must have” toys that need to be in Santa’s sack this year to help members beat the price scalpers and inevitable shortages they cause.

I’m not a great fan of buying goods because its Christmas or January “sales” – when prices are actually higher – so please go easy on the tests of consumer durables.

I’ll be interested in the Polaroid camera review; only because I don’t see how that could ever be a “Best Buy” in the digital age. Bulky, expensive to buy and expensive to run. Even if you can affort it, are film supplies now assured for years to come and are third parties able to compete, or will it become a born-again white elephant? I think Polaroid film prices will knock spots off anything Which? have to say about the high cost of inkjet printer cartridges.

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Chris Bend says:
25 August 2021

Totally agree with the above comments. Toys made sustainably for my slightly older grandchildren too – 6+. No plastic and preferably no batteries.

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Kevin says:
25 August 2021

Perhaps the time has come for Which? to test Which?

There are many longstanding regular contributors here who could provide a framework for such an examination

Having recently cancelled my decades long subscription upon discovering I’d been paying about twice the best rate, I then received emails offering various inducements to return. At no time during my membership was any effort expended to inform me of cheaper subscription options, and trying to determine what was available on the Which? website (which I had done several times) was an exercise in futility. Strangely although anyone can sign up online, cancelling requires a trip down technology memory lane with a phone call, since it’s not possible to unsubscribe online.

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Jon Stricklin-Coutinho says:
26 August 2021

As this discussion is about product testing rather than membership, let’s shift any replies on this one over to the Which? Membership section: https://conversation.which.co.uk/which-membership/which-discussion/

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Kevin says:
26 August 2021

Jon
I used membership as an example, I felt let down by Which because it seemed to be engaging in subscription practises which it is meant to campaign against.

There are lots of other topics relating to subscriber engagement, test methodology, product selection, attribute selection and weighting etc which, from reading some of the regular comments here, would make a nice Christmas present to your regulars should they be formally acknowledged and perhaps even acted upon by Which?

So early happy Christmas and thank you to the entertaining and informative regulars.

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Dan Holden says:
30 August 2021

I’d be interested to see the best Christmas Wreaths, especially as a keen gardener. It would be interesting to see the difference between shop brought ones and perhaps home made ones using natural material you might find out walking.

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