STAY safe and get an early warning of a fire by installing a smoke detector – there’s one for every budget.
Fire and rescue services attended over 150,000 fires last year in England alone.
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And whilst the number of fatalities dropped to their lowest figure ever, 240 people still lost their lives.
Buying a smoke alarm is one of the best things you can do to protect your home, your life and the lives of your family and friends.
An alarm gives you the best chance of getting everyone safely out of the house.
But which alarm is best and easiest to use?
We asked mum-of-three Lynsey Hope, 41, from West Malling, Kent, to rate some best-sellers.
Fire Angel Pro Connected Smoke Alarm
- £64, wickes.co.uk
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Quite a pricey alarm but it detected smoke really well.
You can connect this to other alarms, and when one sounds they all go off so there is no chance of you not hearing it, which is a fancy but useful feature.
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The alarm itself was loud and clear.
It was also straightforward to fit and easily connected to another at the press of a couple of buttons.
Not cheap but I’d recommend it, and the battery should last 10 years so you don’t need to worry about changing it.
- Ease of use: 9/10
- Noise factor: 10/10
- Value for money: 8/10
- Overall score: 9/10
Status Smoke Alarm
- £6, dunelm.com
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Easy to install and at £6, this seems to be pretty good value for money. It’s very loud.
It looks a bit flimsier than others and I doubt it will stand the test of time, but for a quick cheap fix, it’s ok.
The design is plain and less attractive than others, but it will definitely detect smoke if there’s a fire.
- Ease of use: 9/10
- Noise factor: 9/10
- Value for money: 6/10
- Overall score: 8/10
Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector
- £22.99, amazon.co.uk
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Easy to use and install. It needs 3AA batteries that don’t come with it so you will need to purchase those separately.
It’s good quality and a nice design. Quite small but very loud and would definitely wake you if it went off in the night.
Great that it also detects carbon monoxide so you don’t need a separate alarm.
The main drawback is that you can get cheaper ones that are just as effective.
- Ease of use: 8/10
- Noise factor: 9/10
- Value for money: 5/10
- Overall score: 7/10
Spreadtron Mini Smoke Alarm
- £15.99, amazon.co.uk
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I liked that this wasn’t too sensitive and didn’t get set off by dust or burnt toast.
It’s an ultra compact design and takes up less ceiling space than all the others, though it does poke out a bit further.
It’s very easy to install, simply stick it wherever you want it.
Even though it’s very small it is very loud at 85db so it would definitely wake you even if you are in a deep sleep.
I thought it was good value for money and good quality.
- Ease of use: 6/10
- Noise factor: 7/10
- Value for money: 6/10
- Overall score: 6/10
Firechief FBSD1 9V Photoelectric Smoke Alarm
- £8.84, amazon.co.uk
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Optical or photoelectric alarms are light sensors.
They contain an infrared LED which pulses a beam of light every few seconds to check for smoke particles.
Smoke will trigger the alarm and these are great for detecting particles from slower, smouldering fires.
I found this great in the kitchen and I didn’t get so many false alarms with this whilst cooking.
The last thing anyone wants is the alarm going off every time you cook fish fingers.
But when I used it in the hallway near the bathroom it did keep going off, which may caused by the steam.
It was easy to install, simply secure the base plate to the ceiling then attach the alarm.
- Ease of use: 4/10
- Noise factor: 6/10
- Value for money: 5/10
- Overall score: 5/10
Fire Angel Optimal Smoke Sensor Alarm
- £16.91, diy.com
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Super easy to install and looks smart.
It has a hush button which enables you to easily silence a false alarm and I’ve already used this several times whilst cooking.
The battery is included and will last you ten years so no need to faff about always changing it.
The alarm comes with a five-year warranty and is good value.
- Ease of use: 10/10
- Noise factor: 10/10
- Value for money: 10/10
- Overall score: 10/10
