Cheaper THE better; BUDGET PRODUCTS OUTPERFORM THEIR EXPENSIVE RIVALS.

Byline: By MATT ROPER

YOU can give the January sales a miss this year - it's just as easy to save a fortune and a lot of heartache by buying the el cheapo alternative to that fancy top-of-the range model.

A consumer watchdog test recently found that a toaster costing just pounds 4 worked far better than its upmarket rivals, which were priced at up to 10 times more.

The Proline PT2S toaster got a 67 per cent performance rating in the Which? trials, higher than the all-bells-and-whistles Breville, De'Longhi and Morphy Richards models costing up to pounds 50.

And it isn't the only product for which consumers are paying over the odds, when they could get better quality for a fraction of the price.

Here we look at some of the others...

VACUUM CLEANER

MIELE S380, pounds 96, vs DYSON DC15, pounds 250

IT may lack the style of some other brands, but Miele's basic cylinder vac ticked all the right boxes, with a charcoal filter to get rid of bad smells, turbo brushes to pick up pet hair and a silent setting.

The Dyson had trouble on stairs, struggled to retain allergycausing dust and had reliability issues, a Which? study found.

SKIN CARE

OLAY REGENERIST SERUM, pounds 16.87, vs LA PRAIRIE CELLULAR, pounds 229

TEN of the leading anti-ageing creams were tested and researchers found that most didn't make any real difference. The American Consumer Associat ion examined women aged 30 to 70 and discovered that even the best creams reduced the average depth of their wrinkles by less than 10 per cent.

The one that did best was the Olay brand at just over pounds 16.

SAT NAV 

GARMIN NUVI 300, pounds 270, vs TRAFFICMASTER SMART NAV, pounds 499

At nearly twice the price, you'd expect to get home quicker with the Trafficmaster sat-nav.

But instead of tapping in where you want to go like the cheaper model, users have to call an operator, who sends directions to the box.

This month's Which? survey found the Garmin simpler and easier to use, and you can even play music on it.

CHAMPAGNE

SAINSBURY'S PREMIER CRU VINTAGE 2000, pounds 17.99, vs MOET & CHANDON BRUT IMPERIAL, pounds 23.94

IN a blind taste test of 32 bottles, Which? experts put the UK's top-selling big name brand 20th, behind six supermarket- own labels all costing less.

Which? magazine editor Neil Fowler said: "Champagne is still seen as a luxury drink, but the real luxury now is being able to afford much more of it, as there's not necessarily any link between price and quality."

TUMBLE DRYER

BOSCH WTA 4007GB Classixx, pounds 199, vs AEG-ELECTROLUX T57800 Lavatherm, pounds 451

THERE's more than pounds 250 between these two tumble dryer brands - but a Which? study last month found the cheaper model took 82 minutes to dry a full load of cot tons, while the more expensive took half an hour longer. The Electrolux was also found to dry less evenly than its cheaper rival.

BREAKDOWN COVER

AA OPTION 100, pounds 51, vs GREEN FLAG RESCUE PLUS, pounds 85

AA MECHANICS top the class in roadside repairs, fixing 70 per cent of breakdowns there and then. The more expensive Green Flag service polled lower in a Which? survey. It carried out on-the-spot repairs in just over half of its call-outs.

PAIN KILLERS

SUPERDRUG IBUPROFEN TABLETS (24X200MG), pounds 1.15, vs NUROFEN TABLETS (24X200MG), pounds 3.19

THE next time you take a pill for a headache, remember that the cheapest brands can be just as good as the most expensive.

The active ingredient in Nurofen tablets is ibuprofen which is found in exactly the same quantities in own-brand products, which can be less than half the price.

COMBINATION MICROWAVES

HINARI ELLIPSE EMX 918, pounds 100, vs PANASONIC INVERTER NNA725M, pounds 200

THE Hinari wiped the floor with its more expensive rival during a Which? test. It was praised for heating ready meals quickly and evenly and earned a big thumbs up for its ability to roast a chicken.

Despite scoring points for baking and roasting, the Panasonic was said to grill unevenly.

DIGITAL CAMERA

NIKON COOLPIX S6, pounds 203.46, vs KODAK EASYSHARE V610, pounds 280

WHILE Kodak's six-megapixel camera was praised last month by the Good Housekeeping Institute for its ease of use and zoom abilities, it was trounced by the cheaper Nikon model.

The Nikon scored extra for its ability to capture close-ups and its built-in wireless connection.

CURLING TONGS

BABYLISS ADEE AND PAUL PRO SPIRALL 2290AU, pounds 22, vs MORPHY RICHARDS MARK HILL PROFESSIONAL, pounds 39.99

QUICK to heat and producing gorgeous long, loopy curls, the BaByliss tongs came top in a product test carried out by the Good Housekeeping Institute in 2005.

They beat the Morphy Richards' model - costing almost twice as much - into third place.

GAS COOKER

INDECIT KD643G up to, pounds 480, vs CANNON PEMBROKE 106998G, up to pounds 759

DESPITE being pounds 300 more expensive, Cannon's model wasn't a patch on its much cheaper rival, according to a consumer test.

Criticised for poor browning ability, it scored 73 per cent in a study by the Good Housekeeping Institute, compared to 77 per cent awarded to the Indecit.

AIR BED

AEROBED CLASSIC, pounds 89.99, vs BEAN2BED, pounds 150

THE Aerobed topped a consumer poll in November with its electric pump, puncture repair kit and comfort control all making it a hit with testers.

Researchers from the Good Housekeeping Institute were less impressed with the Bean2Bed which cost pounds 60 more but scored just 76 against the Aerobeds 89 points.

CAPTION(S):

RATED: Proline toaster' SAVE pounds 15 4' SAVE pounds 212' SAVE pounds 229' SAVE pounds 6' SAVE pounds 252' SAVE pounds 3 4' SAVE pounds 2' SAVE pounds 100' SAVE pounds 76' SAVE pounds 18' SAVE pounds 279' SAVE pounds 60