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Written and fact-checked by Jacob Whitmore · Published 23 Oct 2026 · How we work

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Prices and specs last checked by Look Into on 23 October 2026 · next check 18 December 2026 · how we picked

The short answer

Prices checked at Argos on 23 October 2026.

  • Best value: Tower T18008BLK, £49.99 (Argos sale price; was £60). Its listing states 2 litres of liquid working capacity, so it costs £25.00 per usable litre, the lowest of the 17 machines we priced. It also carries a 3-year guarantee.
  • Best named-brand value: Bosch MCM3100WGB MultiTalent 3, £59.99 (was £85). 2.3 litres of working capacity at £26.08 a litre, with a 2-year guarantee.
  • Best for family batches: Kenwood FDP65.180SI MultiPro Express, £100. The joint-largest stated working capacity in the pool at 3 litres, so £33.33 a litre.
  • Built to last: Magimix 4200XL, £320. The worst figure per litre on its Argos listing, but the only machine with a 30-year limited motor repair guarantee. That is £10.67 for each year of motor cover.
  • Electricity is not the cost. Running a 1,000W machine flat out for two minutes uses at most 0.033kWh, or 0.88p at 26.32p/kWh. Three uses a week comes to about £1.37 a year. The purchase price is the number that matters.

The number most listings bury: the working-capacity gap

A food processor's bowl size and what it can safely process are different figures. Argos lists a field called "main bowl liquid working capacity" on every food processor we checked, and it is the only capacity figure stated the same way across brands. We call the difference between the advertised bowl and that figure the working-capacity gap.

Four of the 17 Argos listings state both a bowl size and a working capacity. In all four the working capacity is smaller:

Machine (Argos listing, 23 Oct 2026)Bowl statedLiquid working capacity statedWorking capacity as share of bowl
Kenwood FP120A Compact1.5L0.8L53%
Kenwood FDP22.130GY MultiPro Go1.3L0.75L58%
Russell Hobbs Desire 271112.3L1.5L65%
Ninja PrecisionPro2.1L1.9L (max fill)90%

The Magimix 4200XL shows the same pattern across two retailers. AO.com sells it as a 3 litre food processor (read 23 October 2026), while Argos lists 1.3 litres of main bowl liquid working capacity, which is 43% of 3 litres.

Liquid working capacity is a cautious measure. Dry jobs such as grating cheese or slicing carrots can usually fill more of the bowl. But because it is stated on every listing, it is the fairest figure for comparing machines, so it is the one we rank on.

How we picked and ranked these

We read every food processor on the first page of Argos's own range for "food processor" on 23 October 2026 and kept the 17 that have a main bowl and a slicing or grating attachment. Stand mixers, travel blenders and a 450ml blender-chopper were left out.

For each machine we recorded the price on the page, the stated wattage, the stated liquid working capacity and the guarantee term as written on the listing. The ranking metric is price divided by litres of liquid working capacity. Guarantee length is shown alongside because it is the only written commitment a maker gives about how long a machine should last.

We did not handle, use or test any of these machines.

At a glance

MachineArgos price, 23 Oct 2026Working capacityCost per usable litreGuarantee as listedMax cost per 2-minute use
Tower T18008BLK£49.99 (was £60)2.0L£25.003 years0.66p
Bosch MCM3100WGB£59.99 (was £85)2.3L£26.082 years0.61p
Kenwood All-In-1 MultiPro Compact£64.00 (was £90)2.1L£30.481 year0.70p
Cookworks FP9076-GS£45.001.4L£32.141 year0.44p
Kenwood FDP65.180SI£100.003.0L£33.332 years0.88p
Russell Hobbs Go Create 27530£45.001.3L£34.623 years if registered0.53p
Bosch MCM3501MGB£100.002.3L£43.482 years0.70p
Russell Hobbs Desire 27111£66.991.5L£44.663 years if registered0.53p
Ninja PrecisionPro£84.991.9L£44.732 years if registered0.75p
Kenwood FDP65.860WH£150.003.0L£50.001 year0.88p
Kenwood FP120A£50.000.8L£62.502 years0.35p
Electrolux SDA2838ELGRY£149.992.0L£75.005 years0.88p
Kenwood MultiPro Go£60.000.75L£80.001 year0.57p
nutribullet Magic Bullet Kitchen Express£70.000.83L£84.341 year0.22p
Ninja BN800UK£159.99 (was £199.99)1.8L£88.882 years if registered1.05p
Kenwood FDM73.850SS OneTouch£200.001.2L£166.672 years (parts)0.88p
Magimix 4200XL£320.001.3L£246.1530 years motor, 3 years parts0.83p

Use cost is the listed wattage × 2 minutes × 26.32p/kWh (Ofgem cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026, direct debit, standing charge excluded). Listed wattage is a maximum draw, so real use will usually cost less.

The six we would shortlist

1. Tower T18008BLK: best value per litre

£49.99 at Argos on 23 October 2026 (was £60). £25.00 per usable litre. 3-year guarantee.

750W, a 2 litre working capacity and a 1.8 litre blender jug, with a chopping blade, dough blade, emulsifying disc and slicing/grating disc. No other machine in the pool costs less per usable litre, and only the Electrolux and Magimix carry a longer guarantee.

The catch: the £49.99 is a sale price. At the £60 it was listed against, it works out at £30.00 a litre, which would drop it below the Bosch. It has one slicing/grating disc, so there is no choice of slice thickness.

Best for: most households who want one machine for slicing, grating, dough and the odd smoothie.

2. Bosch MCM3100WGB MultiTalent 3: best named-brand value

£59.99 at Argos on 23 October 2026 (was £85). £26.08 per usable litre. 2-year guarantee.

700W with a 2.3 litre working capacity, a reversible slicing and grating disc, a dough tool and a beating disc, and built-in accessory storage. Bosch's own UK warranty page states a 2-year warranty as standard on its home appliances, which matches the listing.

The catch: at the £85 it was listed against, it costs £36.96 a litre. There is no blender jug; for that you need the MCM3501MGB at £100, which is £43.48 a litre for the same 2.3 litres.

Best for: anyone who wants a large bowl from a mainstream brand and does not need a blender.

3. Kenwood FDP65.180SI MultiPro Express: best for big batches

£100.00 at Argos on 23 October 2026. £33.33 per usable litre. Guarantee: 2 years on the Argos listing (see the catch).

1,000W and a 3 litre working capacity, the largest stated in the pool alongside its sibling the FDP65.860WH. It comes with a blender bottle, a 2-in-1 baking tool and a 4mm slicing and grating disc.

The catch: Argos lists a 2-year guarantee, but Kenwood's own UK guarantee page says its products carry "a minimum guarantee period of one year" and names only a few food processors with longer terms. This model is not one of them. Ask the retailer to confirm the term in writing at purchase.

Best for: batch cooks and families of four or more.

Not worth the upgrade: the FDP65.860WH has the same 3 litre working capacity for £150, with extra attachments (a 1.5 litre blender, multi-mill and dicing kit) but a 1-year guarantee on its listing. That is £50 more for half the stated cover.

4. Russell Hobbs Go Create 27530: best for a small kitchen

£45.00 at Argos on 23 October 2026. £34.62 per usable litre. 3-year guarantee if registered online.

600W, 1.3 litres of working capacity, an S-blade, a reversible slicing and shredding disc and a whisk. At £45 it is joint-cheapest in the pool, and its guarantee matches the Tower's for the longest of any machine under £50.

The catch: the 3 years depends on registering online; without that the listing does not state a fallback term. 1.3 litres suits two or three people, not batch cooking.

Best for: couples and anyone short of cupboard space.

5. Magimix 4200XL: built for the long haul

£320.00 at Argos on 23 October 2026. £246.15 per usable litre on the Argos figure. 30-year limited motor repair guarantee, 3 years on parts.

950W, three bowls (main, midi and mini), 2mm and 4mm discs, a dough blade and an egg whisk. Measured on working capacity it is the dearest machine in the pool. Measured on written commitment it is the cheapest: £320 over 30 years of motor cover is £10.67 a year, against £16.66 a year for the Tower over its 3 years.

The catch: the 30 years covers motor repair only; parts are covered for 3. The Argos listing states 1.3 litres of liquid working capacity even though the machine is sold elsewhere as a 3 litre processor. If you mainly make soup, that 1.3 litre limit is the one that matters.

Best for: people who cook from scratch most days and would rather buy once.

6. Ninja BN800UK: only if you want a blender too

£159.99 at Argos on 23 October 2026 (was £199.99). £88.88 per usable litre. 2 years if registered.

1,200W, a 1.8 litre processor bowl, a 2.1 litre blender jug and a 700ml single-serve cup, with five automatic programmes. Judged as a food processor it is poor value. Judged as a food processor plus a full-size blender, it replaces two appliances.

The catch: if you would not use the jug and cup, you are paying about £110 more than the Tower for 0.2 litres less working capacity.

Best for: smoothie drinkers who also want a processor and have room for one large base.

Live Amazon prices

The table below pulls live prices from Amazon's own feed, which can differ from the Amazon buy box and from the retailer prices we ranked on above. Not in it: the Tower T18008BLK and Bosch MCM3100WGB, which we could not match to an Amazon listing for the same model, and the Russell Hobbs Go Create 27530, which Amazon's product feed does not return.

Prices in this table come from Amazon and are refreshed at least once a day, with the date of the last update under the table. The cost-per-use and running-cost figures on this page use prices Look Into read on 23 October 2026, so they can differ from today's price.

As an Amazon Associate, Look Into earns from qualifying purchases. Product prices and availability are accurate as of 23 October 2026 and are subject to change.

Not worth buying at these prices

  • Kenwood FDM73.850SS MultiPro OneTouch, £200: a 1.2 litre working capacity makes it £166.67 a litre, and the listing's 2-year term is described as a parts guarantee.
  • Kenwood MultiPro Go, £60: £80.00 a litre and a 1-year guarantee. The Tower costs £10 less and holds more than twice as much.
  • nutribullet Magic Bullet Kitchen Express, £70: 250W and 0.83 litres, so £84.34 a litre with a 1-year guarantee.

Do you need a food processor at all?

  • If you mainly chop onions and garlic: a mini chopper does that for £15 to £30. See our vegetable chopper guide.
  • If you mainly make soup or purée: a hand blender works in the pan and costs from £15. See our hand blender guide.
  • If you bake bread and cakes more than you slice veg: compare our stand mixer guide, which audits watt claims the same way.

What it costs to run

Every figure below is listed wattage × minutes ÷ 60 × 26.32p/kWh.

Use pattern700W (Bosch MCM3100)1,000W (Kenwood FDP65)1,200W (Ninja BN800)
One 2-minute job0.61p0.88p1.05p
3 jobs a week for a year (156 jobs)£0.96£1.37£1.64

Even the most powerful machine here costs less than £2 a year to run at three jobs a week. Over a 3-year guarantee that is under £5, against a purchase price of £45 to £320. Choose on capacity and guarantee, not wattage.

Questions people ask

What size food processor do I need? Go by the liquid working capacity, not the bowl size. In our pool the compact machines state 0.75 to 1.4 litres and the larger family machines 2 to 3 litres.

Is a more powerful food processor better? Not necessarily. Wattage is the maximum the motor draws, not how well it slices. The 700W Bosch MCM3100 has a larger working capacity than the 1,200W Ninja BN800.

How long should a food processor last? We cannot say from listings. What you can compare is the written guarantee, which ranged from 1 year to 30 years (motor only) across the 17 machines.

Does the guarantee replace my legal rights? No. A maker's guarantee is extra. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 your rights are against the retailer, and Which? notes you can take a claim for faulty goods to the small claims court for up to six years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and five in Scotland.

Sources

Popular guides

lookinto.co.uk publishes dated UK household cost research: what things cost to buy, install and run across home energy, mobility, later-life care and home improvement. The only quote form on the site is for stairlifts and home lifts. Every index states its method, capture date and sources on the page it appears on.