Not worth it at any price: Black Friday ‘deals’ that are definitely duds

By AJ Dellinger Published November 26, 2014

Black Friday is the perfect time to get a grab price on gadgets you’ve been waiting all year to buy … and also the perfect time to get talked into buying things you don’t need. Sure, stores mark down the good stuff to reel you in the door, but they keep limited quantities of that around. There are plenty of deals on things these stores just don’t want to have to stock anymore, and they’re ready to pawn it all off on you. If you’re going to go out into the madness that is Black Friday, don’t come home with one of these mistakes to show for it.

For the Black Friday deals actually worth trudging out into the cold for, check out our Black Friday guide.

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Worst Black Friday Deals:

iPad Mini 1st Generation ($200)

iPadMini — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apple’s tablets are great, but this one is outdated and just can’t keep up on newer version of iOS.

E Fun Windows 8.1 Tablet ($100)

EFun81Tablet — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Have you heard of E Fun? Neither have we, and Windows 8.1 doesn’t have a great reputation for running on low-end hardware like this. If you come across it at Walmart, avoid it.

RCA 7-inch Google Play tablet ($30)

RCATablet7 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It has all of a 2.5-star rating on Amazon. Probably makes for a nice, heavy frisbee?

7-inch Dual Screen Portable DVD Player ($50)

DVDPlayer7inch — Image used with permission by copyright holder

This is a great deal if you live in the year 2005.

32-inch Class LED HDTV ($100)

OffBrandTV — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Walmart’s ad says the brand will vary on this deal. That means “it’s going to be one of the off-brand TVs we can’t give away.”

Element 29″ HDTV ($80)

ElementTV — Image used with permission by copyright holder

This is exactly the kind of brand you fear getting with that “brand may vary” deal.

Xbox 360 4GB Kinect Bundle ($180)

Xbox360Bundle — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s a generation behind, it only has a 4GB hard drive, and it comes with the Kinect. Three strikes.

Off-Brand Xbox and PlayStation controllers ($40)

OffBrandXbox — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Walmart has these on sale. This will seem like a significantly worse deal when the controller gives out in the middle of your game.

SmartWatch G2 Pro ($55)

SmartWatchg2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Even the best smartwatches still have a ways to go, so off-brand ones aren’t going to live on your wrist for long.

Mach Speed Trio 7-inch tablet ($80)

MachSpeedTrio — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It runs Android 4.4 for the half hour it works. Spend a little more and get a reliable tablet.

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Contributor

AJ Dellinger is a freelance reporter from Madison, Wisconsin with an affinity for all things tech. He has been published by…

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