Diffusers: Expensive v. Reasonable Priced

[irridium]

Posting on here for more traffic (mods: hope you don't mind).

How can I choose a decent one without breaking the bank?

I've always have had bad luck choosing them as the ones in the past were only £20 but when I get them home they are always not so nice as they smell too chemically and astringent. I've heard that Dalesford Organics, Neom and Diptique do really nice ones that smell luxurious, but they're a bit on the spendy side. Or do I have to resign to buying the high end ones in order to get something really nice?

Scent-wise, I like: musky, vertiver, vanilla, patchouli, sandalwood. Not keen on sporty, citrusy and fruity smells

Since contracting covid 3 times, my sense of smell has gone funny in the past year and I don't wear perfume anymore due to this. (Previously worn: Chanel, Guerlain, D&G, Tom Ford...)

What are your faves and how long do they last?

Have a look at Valentte. They're very good value and their scents last well and have a strong throw.

I was at my friends' house last weekend and they had an Ortigia Zagara reed diffuser in their downstairs bathroom which honestly scented the whole downstairs. Pricey but it's the only one I've ever been able to properly smell outside of its direct vicinity.

I got an offer pack from Valentte and while I like the scents, this was the first time ever I've had reeds go mouldy. I don't know if it was down to the reeds themselves or the ingredients in the scented oil.

Bamford Incense. The 250ml on lasts about nine months. Liberty is usually the cheapest place to order from.

I love the Bahia de Miel one from Beauty Pie. You need to sign up for a subscription though to get it for about £20 but think it's free for a while and you then just cancel again if you want to. It's called a refill but looks exactly like a normal diffuser so not sure why it's called that

I have Valentte ones, they are very good & often on offer. I didn't think much of the candles, but the liquid hand washes are fabulous.

Id love a neom diffuser but they have very mixed reviews

I had a neom reed diffuser. Was very excited as had smelt the scent at my brothers when he was using an oil diffuser and really liked it.

The reed diffuser was so disappointing. It didn't lay long and the scent was weak. Waste of money.

Have you tried Rituals? I was bought one as a gift and have re-purchased myself.

Lidl ones are surprisingly lovely.

I've just bought valentte this week. Very disappointed I have a small lounge and can't smell it at all. Won't be buying again.

The Essence Vault reed diffusers are 24.95 at the moment - I'm about to order another to replace the one that's been filling my sitting room with a delicious scent for over a year but starting to fade now. I like their copy of Jo Malone's Pomegranate Noir, which they call "142".

I bought the Valentte ones after seeing a Facebook advert 🙄 and they were crap.

Rituals make a lovely one -

www.rituals.com/en-gb/royal-tea-fragrance-sticks-1118711.html

How weird. I've never had that problem with any reed diffusers. I was really happy with the Valentte ones as the scent was long lasting (by contrast with my much more expensive Tom Dixon diffuser that you can only smell if you stick your nose in it).

I've moved on to using wireless electric diffusers now (either Neom or Lintro) as it works out much more economical after the initial outlay and I like having one in my car.

Nor me in over 10 years of using them. The reeds had a bloom of mould at the ends not in the diffuser. The new reeds are the foam type. Any sign of mould on these I'll throw the whole thing away.

Prices do one that actually helps remove smells or so it says. You can get it in tesco

Thank you for this. I smelled some in our local John Lewis and they smelled so fantastic I was planning on getting some as Christmas Presents (Neom do a Black Friday discount) But the whole area was scented by those steamy diffusers too so it was hard to know if the reed diffusers were any good. They are very pricey if they turn out to be weak and short lived!

I once had a beautiful one from rituals that scented the whole of our downstairs with a really uplifting citrus lemongrass fragrance, it was bought for me as a gift to cheer me up when I put my back out years ago. I never found the same one again and I always reminisce about it 😂
otherwise though I’m not really a fan, someone bought me a fired Earth one for my birthday and it smells of nothing, even turning the sticks daily. I think there is an aroma works one that’s similar to the rituals one that was okay and had a good projection but it was very pricey considering it only lasted a couple of weeks.

Whenever these threads pop up I always see loads of posts recommending Vallente but have never heard of them irl.

I really like Neom, Parks and Neptune diffusers, I find they have a good scent throw compared to others, but are only properly effective in smaller rooms tbh. Our rooms are quite large and I find with most you can only smell when you’re near them. I’d probably say Parks are the strongest I’ve tried but have only seen them in TK Maxx.

I have 2 Diptyque Reed diffusers and they are £££ and have less scent throw than the glade £9 reed diffusers. Gorgeous bottle but not worth the money in my opinion.

Edit- also agree Tom Dixon absolutely not worth it. I’ve the one with the singular stick, it never soaked up the oil or whatever it is and you got a whiff when you walked by, other than that you wouldn’t know it was in the room

I think the quality of Neom has gone downhill which is a shame. I personally love Aery which last for ages. Also White Company good too.

I agree re Neom. White company are nice. Rituals do a small size that has good throw and longevity but there is the whole cultural appropriation thing with them.

Thanks for your replies everyone. I don't think I'll go with Neom nor Valentte due to some thoughts on here. I will definitely not buy from Price's or Lidl. I don't like any of the brands that TK MAXX has either as they smell cheap. I've not tried Rituals but have smelt them in JL but due to testing so many in there, the fragrances got mixed up and left without a purchase.

I agree about neom. Jo Malone is also disappointing now, i used to adore Red Roses

@Isitfridayyetsophie Brand Alley has Parks diffusers. I was actually eyeing them as I was wondering if they are ok. Same as OP,would like to have one but not for ££££’s

@TangerinePlate thanks, I’ve just looked and found them, I think I’ll do an order or ask for Christmas as they’re a good price on there. I think I have an older fragrance as I can’t see it for sale atm, I have freesia in my en-suite, the family bathroom and in our home office, they’re our smaller rooms and you can definitely smell them, a clean scent and not that sort of nauseatingly fake smell. I would 💯 go for these over Tom Ford and Diptyque which are both about £130 each.

I have also tried making my own with a carrier oil and essential oils but I don’t know if I did something wrong, as they were really dreadful!

Edit to add, I see other pps commenting on jo Malone and would agree their diffusers aren’t great, all the jo Malone products I find incredibly underwhelming for the price, though I’ve not tried any of her jo loves brand yet.