Black Friday: Small appliances for small change

A $3.00 toaster, an $8.00 slow cooker, and a $10 coffeemaker are some of the deals in Black Friday circulars from Target, J.C. Penney and Walmart. Small appliances are a bright spot in the still-struggling appliance industry and higher sales and profits allow more margin for discounting.  J.C. Penney and Jarden Corp. (which makes Crock-Pot, Mr. Coffee, Oster, Sunbeam and other brands) recently reported strong third-quarter earnings, and Target and Walmart will do the same over the next two days.
 
Of course, the list of sale items merely tells you which appliances retailers are pushing. You'll need Consumer Reports' Ratings to see the models that deliver proven performance at those prices. Here's what to keep in mind:
 
Toasters and toaster ovens  (Buying guide and Ratings)
More toaster ovens are being used to cook small meals. The best in our tests delivered impressive baking and broiling. They were also very good at making toast—though the best toaster-only machines were a notch better.

• Chefmate 2-slice toaster,  $3.00 (Target)
• Black & Decker TRO490B 4-slice toaster, $19 (Target)
• Sunbeam 4-slice toaster, $9.88 (J.C. Penney)
• Cooks 6-slice toaster oven, $39.88 (J.C. Penney)

Coffeemakers (Buying guide and Ratings)
Our tests show that lower-cost coffeemakers can brew as well as or better than pricier models. A few models sold at J.C. Penney also did well in our latest Ratings.

• Black & Decker 5-quart coffeemaker, $9.88 (Target)
• Mr. Coffee 12-Cup programmable stainless steel coffeemaker, $28.00 (Target)
• Cooks 12-cup coffeemaker, $9.88 (J.C. Penney)
• Cuisinart Flavorbrew 12-cup coffemaker, $29.99 after $10 mail-in rebate (J.C. Penney)
• Hamilton Beach 12-cup programmable coffeemaker, $9.97 (Walmart)

Mixers (Buying guide and Ratings)
Some hand mixers proved effective even at kneading dough in our tests (which included some models sold only at J.C. Penney).

• Chefmate 5-speed electric hand mixer, $3.00 (Target)
• Sunbeam convertible hand/stand mixer, $24.99 (Target)
• Kitchen Aid Ultra stand mixer, $199 (Target)
• Cooks hand mixer, $14.88 (J.C. Penney)
• Sunbeam stand mixer, $99.88 after $50 mail-in rebate (J.C. Penney)
• Rival hand mixer, $2.97 (Walmart)
• KitchenAid K45WSSWH stand mixer, $149 (Walmart)

Slow cookers (Overview and Ratings)
Recommended models in Consumer Reports' Ratings start at $40. But check the cost of replacement lids and inserts, which can be expensive.

• Cooks 1.5-quart slow cooker, $7.88 (J.C. Penney)
• Cooks 6-quart slow cooker, $9.88 (J.C. Penney)
• Hamilton Beach 3-quart slow cooker, $8.99 (Target)
• Hamilton Beach 5-quart oval slow cooker, $9.97 (Walmart)

Cookware (Buying guide and Ratings)
Several low-cost cookware sets beat more expensive, celebrity chef-endorsed sets in Consumer Reports' Ratings.

• Paula Deen's 10-Piece cookware set with 6-piece bonus, $87.44 (Walmart)
• Circulon hard anodized 10-piece cookware set, $99.88 (J.C. Penney)

Vacuum cleaners (Buying guide and Ratings)
You'll find loads of Dyson vacuums in Black Friday sales, so you can compare these offers from Target with Home Depot's and others. Dyson has proven reliable in Consumer Reports' repair surveys but middling at carpet cleaning in our tests.

• Dyson DC17 All Floors vacuum, $269 (Target)
• Dyson DC24 All Floors vacuum, $269 (Target)
• Dyson DC35 Animal vacuum, $399 (Target)
• Dirt Devil Versa Power Stick Vac, $9.00 (Target)
• Dirt Devil Easy Lite Cyclonic Quick Vac, $28 (Target)
• Bissell 3-In-1 Stick Vac, $8.62 (Walmart)
• Bissell Easy Vac, $23.88 (Walmart)

Steam mops (Overview and Ratings)
Take note: Only two of 10 steam mops we tested were worth recommending.

• Shark Steam Mop, $36 (Walmart)
• Shark Steam Mop, $49.99 (Target)

More deals and discounts

• Target
• Oster 0.7-cubic-foot microwave oven, $33 (Microwave oven Ratings)
• Waring Pro Professional Bar Blender, $29 (Blender Ratings)
• Emerson 12-bottle wine cooler, $69 (Wine cooler Ratings)
• George Foreman Jumbo indoor grill for $28.
• J.C. Penney
• Faberware 20-piece kitchen-knife set, $29.99 (Kitchen knives Ratings)
• Walmart
• Brother Limited Edition Project Runway sewing machine, $50 (Sewing machine Ratings)

  —Gian Trotta

Ratings on-the-go. You can also use our mobile service (free to subscribers) and new Mobile Shopper iPhone mobile app (available on iTunes for $9.99) to get Ratings and other info while you're shopping.