Things you're holding off buying because you don't know if they're worth it

[Insidelaurashed]

I've been holding off buying a hand held steam cleaner (I have a chronic pain condition so if it helps make cleaning physically easier, great!) as I'm not sure if they're as good as the Tiktok reviews I keep seeing say they are. I thought Mumsnet would be good to ask as everyone is very honest on here, and then I thought maybe a thread where we post the thing we're unsure of so others can say yeah actually that's decent, buy it-or not-might be a good idea?

Anyone using a steam cleaner, are they decent? Anyone else got things they're unsure if they're worth the cost that they'd like an opinion on?

My Kindle is my favourite thing I own. I've had some version of it on the go since 2011 (currently a touchscreen paper white). I read 100 books a year on Kindle Unlimited.

I have a Shark hairdryer and it's great on my thick curly hair because it causes less damage without drying it too slowly.

The thing I have been holding off on is a Garmin watch for running as I have an ancient Fitbit but I took the plunge today!

Used weekly by DP, almost daily by DD

Yes it does, I am due to change car next year so don’t want to fit a towbar to have to buy another!. Do you find driving towing the van ok?. I’ve had many holidays abroad but have become so fed up of the travel to get there to be unhappy with the room even 5 star ones! Hence considering a van 🤣

Another Kindle fan here, I have two, a Fire that doubles as my tablet and a Paperwhite which I call my "serous reading kindle" as it really is like reading a paper book in the sense that there is no glare/ It is light and compact so I can take it out with me and I love the way I can organise all my books on it into collections. i have Hstory, Thrillers, Poetry, Short Stories, Biography and Trashy Reads (for when I just want to be entertained). I still buy physical books but now focus more on art and cookery for real page turning

A solar panel and battery system. Invest £14-18k and after 12-14 years break even and then have to replace the battery for around £10k (current prices) and you're almost (well.. half way) back to square one.

Can I just ask you about the £8 per month subscription ... do you then have to pay for books on top of that?

A worktop dishwasher, they look like the answer to my prayers, I loathe washing up, have no space to have one that can be plumbed in and have lots of worktop space so it could sit right by my sink. I am at the stage of doing lots of online research and they look almost too good to be true!

Mine would be clothing items... Yes, that Alaia piece looks fantastic and so distinct... But how often will I actually wear a white coat? I don't want to end up with wearable art in the closet where nobody can see it.

What a waste of money! Why didn’t you give it to someone else or sell it ? Might work for them!

I have this too.....works a treat on my long, thick hair. I use it to dry and style, but also for the 'in between' days to de-frizz and stop my hair looking like I have been dragged through a hedge!

I have the Lumea but have never really gotten into using it regularly, however am now inspired from this thread to dig it out and give it a go. Out of interest how long/how many uses before people started to notice a difference (another one with dark hair here)?

I got the Shark Cryoglow mask for Christmas, am only a couple of weeks into using it so the jury is still out on this one. But it's only 6 minutes a day for the anti-aging mode so it's been easy to stick to.

The one thing I couldn't be without is the airfyer, I use it multiple times a day for cooking/reheating. I would say this has been the biggest gamechanger.

I’m seriously considering either a treadmill or exercise bike. But can’t get past whether the reviews are genuine. Some slate it so love it 🤷‍♀️

You get Kindle unlimited books for free (there are thousands) but for big sellers, new releases etc if you want them you need to buy them. I’mm usually quite happy with unlimited selection and if you have prime you get a free prime one every month.

Love my tymo curl pro plus!

I think I replied to wrong message… so sorry

Things I love:
my hairbrush/dryer - I get a good easy blow-dry every day
my window vac - gets rid of the condensation easily
my USB rechargeable mini vacuum - only about £15-20 from Amazon and really powerful and efficient
vacuum bags for packing things away to save space
Things I have bought and don't use:
clothes steamer (I find the iron easier)
water flosser - I get drenched every time I use it
steam mop - it was great when I had a young, fit cleaner, but now that I don't it's too heavy for me to lug around
Dyson rechargeable - just never worked well and gave up as soon as out of guarantee

That’s good to know, he’s beside himself when he see my upright coming out of the utility room! He’s a small Norfolk terrier and we say he’s got small dog syndrome. He’s absolutely perfect in every other way except the vacuum cleaner and lawn mower make an appearance

What a great thread!

Steam cleaner and Kindle are both unused by me. I occasionally remember the Kindle and use it, but I won't buy another. I bought second hand on ebay (there are resellers who will load it with a load of books) and mine is quite an old model, and I've just never found it intuitive to use. I do wonder if I'd get on better with a more modern one. I read magazines and downloaded ebooks (not kindle ones) on my tablet, and to be honest I should probably just remember and use the kindle app on that, more. The steam cleaner, i don't know if it's just a shit one but, well, it's just a bit shit, and as somebody else said, you have to clean up after using it anyway.

I wasn't sure about buying a nutribullet or an airfryer, but i wouldn't be without either of them now. I use both a lot.

Soup maker - I can take or leave, I bought one with the mechanism in the bottom of the jug; it wasn't very easy to clean and it got burnt on stuff that I couldn't remove very early on. It still got a lot of use until it didn't, because using a pan and stick blender ended up just easier, and you can make bigger batches! I replaced the spot in my kitchen where the old soupmaker was with the airfryer, and no regrets there. I did end up buying a new soupmaker, one where the mechanism is suspended from the top not the bottom, to take to my office so I would be more tempted to eat healthy soups as work lunches. It's not bad at that job! It's a lot easier to clean than the last one, and I do love that I can set and forget, as this one will cook, stir and blend all by itself and 25 minutes later, you have soup! It doesn't saute, but to be honest just skipping that step is fine, I'm not aiming for michelin quality!

I will also wax lyrical in praise of my cordless light weight vacuum cleaner (Miele) that can handle pet hair, and hand held dustbuster type vacuum cleaner (can't recall which brand that one is but it's not a fancy one) for little or hard to reach areas. Would buy both again.

Things I would like but am not sure about: a daylight alarm clock, and an SAD lamp. And a robot lawnmower (I can't use a normal lawnmower. I have a gardener, so the robot would replace a few but not all of the gardener's visits.)

This. there are also emerging issues about where batteries are placed and fire risk.

you don't get distracted and look at stuff on your phone instead of reading. I use both as they sync but for reading reading = kindle so long as you get one with a backlight great for reading at night.

Laura Geller baked make up. Is it worth the money or is it all hype?

I think about getting stair carpet on a regular basis. At the moment the stairs are wooden treads with painted risers and look quite smart but anyone going upstairs makes such a noise and they are cold for bare feet and a bit more slippy sometimes. But would carpet be annoying to keep clean? Also what colour would I have? It seems quite a faff.

I heard that they tie you into a particular supplier for starters, which puts me off. Also heard about them providing inaccurate readings. My DM is an 'environment zealot' (did academic research on them), and even she advises against!
Happy you've had a positive experience though.

*DanceWithYourBalloon *
I have a Dyson hairdryer. I bought it on QVC to try it, and I'd have sent it back if l hadn't like it. You can't do that anywhere else!
It's very quick. I can dry my (past shoulder length) hair in about five minutes.

It includes a good range of books, but if you want specific titles, you will likely need to pay for them.

I have the Dry Bar Double Shot hair styling brush, I love it. I used the Babyliss big hair for years but bought the Dry Bar brush on Sali Hughes recommendation. I much prefer it, it's not as bristly as the big hair so it feels firmer. I usually almost dry my hair with my Dyson (which I love btw) and than it takes a matter of minutes to smooth and curl.
Sali Hughes sometimes has a code for Cult beauty and I bought it using that so it was 20% off.