Best Small Appliances for $50 or Less

The Dash Digital Tasti-Crisp is small but mighty. With a measured capacity of 1.9 quarts and an overall size of less than a square foot, this 6-pound model is one of the most compact air fryers in our ratings. Still, it ranks among the best. It earns high marks for its controls and ease of cleaning, and excels in our noise test.

For more options: Best Air Fryers

Cuisinart’s 3-cup Mini Prep Plus wasn’t quite as impressive as other models in our ratings at puréeing peas and carrots. But it’s a good value if you’re using it primarily as a chopper. This machine was particularly adept at chopping almonds and onions in our tests, and it was terrific at grating hard Parmesan cheese, too.

For more options: Best Food Processors and Choppers

This 12-cup drip Hamilton Beach coffee maker delivers great value and an even better cup of joe. The automatic drip machine gets the water hot enough to bring out the coffee’s full flavor, and we found it fairly easy to set up, operate, and clean in our coffee maker tests.

This Primula Burke cold brew coffee maker is one of the most inexpensive models in our ratings, yet also one of the best. It receives top marks for convenience and comes with a glass carafe. Better yet, most of its parts are dishwasher-safe.

For more options: Best Coffee Makers

What it lacks in features and accessories, this Bissell corded hand vacuum makes up for in power. The suction it generated was among the strongest of the hand vacuums we tested. The result? Clean carpets, even without a power-brush attachment. (It’s not great at squeezing into tight spaces, though.)

This Black+Decker DustBuster vacuum cleaner is top-notch at cleaning bare floors, carpets, and pet hair. Just one catch: There’s no indicator light, so it’s difficult to know whether it’s fully charged when plugged in or about to die when you’re using it.

For more options: Best Handheld Vacuums

If you have a small room in your home that feels too dry, the Lasko UH200 is a smart choice. Designed for spaces up to 320 square feet, it earns top marks in almost every performance test we could throw at it, missing out only on humidistat accuracy, only because it doesn’t have one. An indicator lets you know when the tank runs dry, and there’s also auto-shutoff, a nightlight, and the option to diffuse aromas throughout a room.

This Vicks humidifier snags a top score in overall performance in our lab tests. Intended to humidify areas up to 250 square feet, it’s easy to use, operates quietly on a high setting, and even offers the option to diffuse aromas.

For more options: Best Humidifiers

This Instant Zest rice cooker offers user-friendly controls and delivers nicely cooked-through rice. It comes with a steam setting (and steamer insert), plus programs for making quinoa and oatmeal. It also has a handy delayed-start function for planning ahead or soaking grains, and indicators to let you know how much cooking time is left. Note that the 8 cups in its name refers to cooked rice; it has a 4-cup capacity for dry rice.

For more options: Best Rice Cookers

This Toastmaster toaster is among the more impressive models in our ratings, earning top marks in the batch test, which measures how evenly slices of bread toast up at once. It’s easy to use and comes with dial and push-button controls as well as cord storage.

For more options: Best Toasters

The Chefman Anti-Overflow Belgian waffle maker earns impressive ratings for its color-range settings, meaning there’s a visible difference between waffles made on the darkest setting (brown and crispy) and the lightest setting (blonde and fluffy). An indicator alerts you when your waffles are ready, and a batter cup is included. The handle and latch get uncomfortably warm during cooking, so you may want to use an oven mitt when opening and closing the lid.

For more options: Best Waffle Makers