Five questions to ask before any "which is better" purchase

Most "which is better" questions have no answer. They have a better answer for you. The product that wins a review may lose in your kitchen, your bag or your week.

So we ask five plain questions before we say anything about features. They take about a minute. They tend to end the debate before the spec sheet starts.

1. How often will I use it?

Be honest, then cut the number in half. People buy for the person they plan to be, not the person they are.

Say you are choosing between a gadget you will use daily and one you will use twice a month. A small gap in price or quality matters a lot for the daily one. For the monthly one, it hardly matters. The more you use a thing, the more you should care about comfort, speed and build. The less you use it, the more you should care about price and size.

If your honest answer is "rarely", the right buy is often the cheapest one that works, or none at all.

2. Where will it live?

Every product needs a home. Count the cupboard, the shelf, the counter, the charging socket.

A tool that sits in a back cupboard gets used less. One that sits out gets used more, but costs you space and needs wiping. A small flat can turn a good product into a bad one in a week.

Walk to the spot where it would go. Measure it. If you have to move three things to reach it, you have already answered question one.

3. What does it cost to keep?

The price tag is only the first bill. Many products add refills, filters, bags, batteries, power, water or subscriptions.

Write a short list for each option: what runs out, what wears out, what you have to buy again. Then compare the lists, not the prices. A cheap machine with expensive refills can cost more over a few years than a dearer one that needs nothing. Running costs often depend on local prices, so use your own bills, not a review.

4. What happens when it breaks?

Everything breaks. What matters is what happens next.

Can you repair it, or do you replace it? Are parts easy to find? Is there a warranty, and does it cover the part that usually fails? A product that is cheap to replace can be fine to lose. One that is costly and sealed is a bigger risk.

Look at the warranty and the repair options before you buy. Both are on the maker's page.

5. What will I stop doing?

This is the question most people skip. A new product often replaces something else. A robot vacuum replaces some sweeping. A dishwasher replaces some washing up. A second gadget may replace nothing and just add to the pile.

Name the thing you will stop doing. If you can, the product has a job. If you cannot, you are buying an idea. Ask what you will give back, whether that is time, a chore, an old machine or a habit.

How the five fit together

Run the questions in order. Often the first two decide it. A rare job and a tiny space point to the simple option. A daily job and room to spare point to the better one.

You can see this in dishwasher vs hand washing, where the number of dishes you make decides more than any feature. You can see it in robot vacuum vs cordless vacuum, where stairs and rugs answer the question before the sales page does.

None of this needs a lab. It needs a pen and a few honest minutes. Comparison sites rarely ask any of these, because they are about the product, not about you. If you want to know why, read how comparison sites mislead.

Next time you face a "which is better" choice, write the five questions down and answer them in one line each. If the answers all point one way, you have your ruling. If they do not, you have found what you need to find out. Either way, you will know more than the review can tell you.