Attention appliance bargain hunters, here's a juicy tidbit for you. For Black Friday, Walmart will cut prices on select models of fancy Dyson upright vacuums, automated vacuum cleaners built by Neato robotics, along with Ninja personal blenders.
A word to the wise, however, because like many Black Friday sales promotions these products are near the end of their life cycle and not what you'd call cutting edge. That said, while clearly a way for Walmart to create shelf space for new inventory, some of the gadgets the retail giant plans to tout are actually compelling.
First up is the Neato XV-21 robot vacuum, which has a list price of $430 but is on Walmart's Black Friday roster for $269. Of course if you do a little digging you can find the XV-21 for as low as $289 from various online sources. Even so, for $20 below what it typically costs at other locations, this gizmo provides proven performance especially with eliminating hard-to-clean pet hair. That makes it a viable iRobot Roomba alternative for a heck of a lot less.
The other vacuum Walmart is pushing has a similar story. The Dyson DC33 is an older model that has been replaced by the fresher $400 Dyson DC40 . Despite the DC40's updated appearance, lighter weight (14.6 pounds compared with 17.6 pounds), and ultramaneuverable ball joint, on paper the older DC33 has more suction (according to Dyson, 240 a/w to the DC40's 200 a/w) and a larger duct bin (0.61-gallon as opposed to 0.42-gallon). All this along with the special low $199 price Walmart is asking makes the Dyson DC33 certainly worth a look.
Shifting over to blenders, Walmart also has the Ninja Single Serve System Pulse listed at a budget $35 (half the usual $69). While this might sound like a deal you can't refuse given Ninja's growing reputation for making quality machines, the specific device hawked here is a bit underpowered. Indeed, this kitchen gadget sports a motor rated at 600 watts, where its new sibling the Nutri Ninja ($99) boasts a full 900 watts of slicing muscle. Another low-cost option is the $40 Hamilton Beach Stay or Go which features a 650-watt motor, a greater range of accessories, plus similar travel blending abilities.
Walmart's Black Friday sale runs from November 27 through November 28 with the added disclaimer "while supplies last." Another caveat is that the offer is only available in stores during local location business hours, so do your homework ahead of time.