Value for Money

This week Conor Pope looks at kitchen towels

Spar Household Towels 1.29 for two rolls, 1.43 per 100 sheets

Highs: This is a fairly cheap, plain white, distinctly no-nonsense kitchen towel that will be easy for many people to lay their hands on, day or night. It does work at cleaning up spills.

Lows: Well, sort of. Although cleaning up even the smallest of spills might require sheets and sheets of this. Its water-retention abilities are questionable while its propensity to tear at the drop of a glass of water is plain - it rips far too easily and a very poor first impression was created when the simple act of removing it from the roll caused the first piece to fall to pieces like a centuries-old, moth-eaten rag. While it might cost lest than some of the competition, it is anything but good value.

Verdict: Cheap but pretty useless, wet or dry.

Star rating:**

Bounty Fat Roll Fun Prints €2.89 for two rolls, €1.73 per 100 sheets

Highs: The manufacturers promise that two "fat rolls" are equal to three regular rolls and well they might, they certainly are very plump. The individual sheets also feel strong, wet or dry. So confident is Bounty of this that it suggests a test that involves rubbing a wet sheet on a carpet, shoes and a counter top (not in that order) to prove its strength. PriceWatch carried out the test as instructed and was impressed by its sturdiness.

Lows: While it soaks up water well, it doesn't hold on to it as well as it might. And what is the point of the "fun prints"? Clearly they are aimed at children but, really, how important is it that your kids like your brand of kitchen towels?

Verdict: A solid, sturdy towel.

Star rating:****

Disney Movie Magic Kitchen Rolls €3.29 for three rolls, 2.43 per 100 sheets

Highs: Made in Ireland by Kitten Soft, a well-recognised reliable brand, this is another kitchen towel that is clearly aimed at a young audience. When dry they seem sturdy enough. If you're having a child's party where every little detail matters, even the material used to clean up spills, you won't go wrong with this.

Lows: By any definition they are over-priced and the quality is not that great. They are a little flimsy when wet and don't have as much soakage as you might expect, given the manufacturer and the price. The repeat appearance of the three words "I am speed" confused PriceWatch no end and a small child was needed to inform us that it is a quote from the movie Cars and not some class of addled drug reference.

Verdict: High in price, low in quality

Star rating:**

KittenSoft Multi-wipes €3.24 for two rolls, €3.37 per 100 sheets

Highs: This is more like it from Kitten Soft. These very tough, bright blue multi-wipes can be rinsed and reused making them arguably more environmentally sound than a kitchen towel that gets chucked after a single use. Each sheet both soaks up and retains water well so you should find yourself going through fewer of these. As an added bonus, they also come with extra "dust cling action".

Lows: "Dust cling action"? You have to wonder who thinks of these things. These are not suitable for use with food and are the most expensive of all the brands reviewed. (To be fair, Kitten Soft also makes other types of kitchen towel that are considerably cheaper.)

Verdict: High in quality and price

Star rating:***

Tesco Value Kitchen Towel €1.72 for four rolls, €0.95 per 100 sheets

Highs: These "Value" kitchen towels are very, very cheap and seem like pretty good value too. After all the cartoon capers going on on some of the other towels, PriceWatch was relieved by the no-nonsense utilitarian approach adopted here. They are surprisingly sturdy when dry and will go a long way.

Lows: Of course when they are given a proper soaking the individual sheets start to fall apart with an alacrity that really is unbecoming of a kitchen towel. This flimsiness means that a large number of sheets will be required to soak up the smallest of spills, although that may not matter all that much given their low cost.

Verdict: The value option

Star rating:***