Which? Deals experts: meet the team bringing you Black Friday bargains

There’s a lot more to finding a great deal than looking for the biggest discount. At Which?, every deal we recommend is backed by our independent testing, in-depth pricing research and the combined expertise of people who know those discounted products inside out.

To help you sort the bargains from the duds, our deals team works closely with product experts, editors, researchers and scientists. We also buy the products we test, rather than accepting freebies from manufacturers, so our recommendations remain independent.

With Amazon's Black Friday event fast approaching, we’re shining the spotlight on some of the talented people behind our deals coverage. Below, they explain how they uncover genuine bargains and share top tips for shopping the sales.

Black Friday 2026: Prepare for the sales event with our expert advice

Meet our deals experts

Faith Strickland, senior consumer editor

Over a 10-year journalism career spanning The Times, Condé Nast Traveller and DesignMyNight, Faith Strickland has worked on deals at Which? for four years. She manages a stellar team to ensure only the best deals make it into our pages.

My top tip for the sale: Check the price history. Retailers have a raft of tactics to make your purchase seem urgent or like a brilliant bargain. Our research, however, has shown plenty of instances where products have been cheaper at other times of the year. If you're buying on Amazon, try CamelCamelCamel. If you're shopping elsewhere, Price Spy. And of course, our deals pages track prices to give you visibility on the quality of the deal. See more of my tips here.

Tom Morgan, senior consumer writer

With more than a decade of experience at Which?, Tom Morgan has manually sifted through thousands of Amazon deals during Prime Day events and Black Friday sales to find genuine bargains. He uses specialist pricing tools to spot products at historically low prices and check whether advertised savings are really as impressive as they seem. As a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast, Tom feels right at home hunting for discounts on Amazon's own-brand gadgets, including Echo smart speakers, Fire tablets and Ring security cameras.

My top tip for the sale: It’s all about preparation. Make a list of the products you’ve got your eye on before the sale starts and, where possible, save or bookmark them on the retailer’s website. That way, when the discounts finally land, you can quickly check what’s dropped in price rather than getting distracted by hundreds of other offers.

Yasmine Crossland, senior consumer writer

With more than seven years’ experience writing about consumer products for Good Housekeeping, Good Food and T3, Yasmine Crossland knows how to separate a genuinely good deal from a tempting discount. For more than a year, she’s been helping Which? readers find the right products at the right prices, regularly covering major sales events including Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day.

My top tip for the sale: Plan what you want to buy in advance, make a list and stick to it. It will help you avoid being swayed by discounts on products you don’t actually need.

Natalie Turner, consumer writer

With five years of experience at Which?, Natalie Turner has covered everything from trending products and cleaning advice to money-saving tips during major sales events. Before joining Which?, she worked as a professional cleaner while completing her degree in English Language and Linguistics. That hands-on experience gives her first-hand knowledge to draw on when researching household products and sharing practical advice with readers.

My top tip for the sale: Use cashback sites wherever possible. The amount you earn on each purchase might seem small, but those savings can quickly add up, particularly if you’re buying several Christmas presents. It’s a simple way to make your spending go a little further and build up some extra cash to put towards other purchases.

Find out more about the Amazon Prime Day sale, John Lewis Black Friday sale and the Currys Black Friday sale.

Meet our product experts

Humairaa Habib, Which? vacuum cleaners expert

With a master’s degree in magazine journalism, Humairaa Habib has previously worked as a senior content specialist, producing articles, investigations and data-led campaigns across sectors including home improvement and technology. She joined Which? in 2026 and now leads our dishwasher, headphone and vacuum cleaner coverage.

As part of her role, she reviews close to 50 vacuum cleaners a year, using results from specialist lab testing to assess everything from suction to cleaning performance. She also works on our vacuum cleaner deals coverage, comparing offers from major retailers to help shoppers find products worth considering.

My top tip for shopping for a vacuum cleaner in the sales: Don’t panic buy. Retailers often use messages such as ‘buy now’ or ‘don’t miss out’ to create a sense of urgency, but take your time before making a purchase. Research the product and compare prices across retailers, as you may find it cheaper elsewhere. To see the models we recommend, consult our guide to the best vacuum cleaners.

See also: Humairaa's pick of the best vacuum cleaner deals.

Martin Pratt, Which? TVs expert

Following a stint reviewing video games and managing a CeX store, Martin Pratt joined Which? 10 years ago and has spent most of that time testing TVs. He’s reviewed close to 2,000 models, writing about two novels’ worth of TV reviews in the process.

After testing so many TVs, Martin knows that improvements from one year to the next aren’t always dramatic enough to justify upgrading regularly. His own Best Buy OLED TV was released five years ago and is still going strong. Newer models handle reflections better and display smoother colour gradients, but by waiting to upgrade, those improvements should be far more noticeable when he eventually makes the switch.

My top tip for shopping for a TV in the sales: Don’t feel pressured into buying a new telly just because it’s Black Friday. Prices will drop during the sales, but they often fall even further in the new year. If you’re happy to wait a few more months, you could get a better price. For our expert recommendations, see our guide to the best TVs.

See also: Martin's pick of the best TV deals.

Lisa Galliers, Which? mattresses expert

From kettles and toasters to boilers, baby products and mattresses, Lisa Galliers has covered a huge range of products during her more than 20 years at Which?. She's led our mattress testing since 2020, overseeing detailed lab assessments that measure spinal support, pressure distribution and durability, including simulations of eight to 10 years of use.

She's also spent years scrutinising mattress pricing, helping to expose potentially misleading discounts and promotional offers that last longer than advertised.

My top tip for shopping for a mattress in the sales: Don't feel pressured into making a quick decision. We see mattresses of all types and prices discounted throughout the year, so there's rarely a need to rush. Take your time, compare prices and make sure you're getting a genuinely good deal. For our expert recommendations, see our guide tothe best mattresses.

See also: Lisa's pick of the best mattress deals.

Oliver Trebilcock, Which? laptops expert

Starting out in audio products and motoring news, Oliver Trebilcock joined Which? in 2017 before moving into printers and laptops. He now helps oversee our laptop testing programme, which will assess around 80 models in 2026. With new laptops tested twice a month, he keeps a close eye on the latest releases, assessing everything from everyday performance to whether cheaper models offer genuine value.

My top tip for shopping for a laptop in the sales: With laptop prices rising, don't delay buying one if you need it. Look for discounts on older models while stocks last, but avoid paying extra for specifications you won't use. We'd generally recommend 16GB of Ram for a Windows 11 laptop, although 8GB can be sufficient for lighter users. It's also worth checking manufacturers' websites directly, as some offer competitive prices and let you customise the specifications to suit your needs. For our expert recommendations, see our guide to the best laptops.

See also: Oliver's pick of the best laptop deals.

Jamie Darlow, Which? tablets expert

Over the past 20 years, Jamie Darlow has built up extensive experience reviewing consumer products, covering everything from bikes and money to cooking and tech. In the past year, he’s passed judgement on dozens of cooking appliances, putting them through their paces and helping readers separate the Which? Best Buys from the rest.

My top tip for shopping for a tablet in the sales: When shopping for a tablet, don’t assume spending more will automatically get you a better device. In fact, our tests have found cheaper models that perform well, while some pricier tablets underwhelm with poor battery life and screen quality. Think about what you’ll actually use yours for, as most people won’t need the power of a top-end model. For more help choosing, check our guide to the best tablets.

See also: Jamie's pick of the best tablet deals.

Jamie Mayne, Which? air fryers expert

As the Which? cooking appliance expert, Jamie Mayne works with scientists and market analysts to give ovens, air fryers, microwaves and more a good grilling. She helps shoppers get the most for their money with trustworthy, science-backed advice.

My top tip for shopping for an air fryer in the sales: Make sure you're not tempted into deals that aren't appropriate for you. Air fryers come in lots of different sizes, so avoid buying one that's too small or too large for your needs, as either will end up wasting energy.

Prioritise your pick based on what you'll be cooking in your air fryer most often – our reviews give star ratings for different food types cooked in the air fryers we test, so if you know you will regularly be cooking chips, pick an air fryer that got four or five stars for that specifically. To find the right size and see the models that impressed in our tests, see our guide to the best air fryers.

See also: Jamie's pick of the best air fryer deals.

Patrick Gallagher, Which? dehumidifers expert

From spotting genuine bargains to helping consumers choose the right products, Patrick Gallagher has spent more than a decade sharing expert advice at Which?. Before joining Which?, he worked as a personal trainer and club dancer while completing a Master’s in Sociology, then moved into digital content. Today, he spends much of his time analysing dehumidifier lab data, looking closely at extraction rates and how different models perform in cold, damp British homes.

My top tip for shopping for a dehumidifier in the sales: Don’t pay extra for a dedicated ‘Laundry Mode’. On most models, this simply runs the dehumidifier continuously at its highest fan speed, which you can often select yourself without paying a premium for an extra button. For models that impressed in our tests, see our guide to the best dehumidifiers.

See also: Patrick's picks of the best dehumidifier deals.

Ellie Simmonds, Which? senior researcher & writer

Over a journalism career spanning more than two decades, Ellie Simmonds has written for newspapers and magazines, specialising in investigative reporting. At Which?, she has used undercover filming, data journalism, mystery shopping and expert analysis to expose companies and practices that leave consumers out of pocket.

Her investigations have helped change access to supermarket loyalty schemes, sparked new laws on pricing and exposed illegal practices at a number of retailers, catching the attention of business leaders, regulators and even the Prime Minister.

My top tip for shopping the sales: Focus on the price you're actually paying, rather than how much a retailer says you're saving. Those higher 'was' or RRP prices should often be taken with a pinch of salt, and a deal that looks unmissable today may well appear again. For more on choosing where to shop, see our guide to the best tech and appliance shops.