Don't fall for these bogus Black Friday projector deals – this 5-star Sony saving is the only one worth considering

(Image credit: Future)

Black Friday always brings with it a wealth of great deals, especially for home cinema fans. This year we’ve already seen fantastic savings on everything from cutting-edge OLED TVs to premium AVRs.

But, having spent the past 48 hours hunting for the best home cinema deals currently available, I have one word of caution – be very careful when shopping for projectors.

To date, the only really good deal I’ve spotted is the current discount running on the Sony VPL-XW5000ES, which lets you grab it for £4399 (save £700) at Sevenoaks Sound and Vision.

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Why that deal? First, because it’s an awesome projector. We gave it a perfect five-star rating thanks to its stellar native 4K performance and solid motion handling. Our reviewers’ conclusion says as much:

“Despite being Sony’s cheapest 4K laser projector, the XW5000ES still delivers gorgeously cinematic and detailed pictures.”

Second, because it’s an actual deal and the cheapest we’ve ever seen the unit sell for.

But what about all the other big deals I’m seeing on projectors, such as this £900 saving on the Epson EH-LS11000W, you ask?

It’s not actually a fantastic deal if you check the price history. While that’s not a terrible price for the unit, which we awarded a four-star rating when we reviewed it, the Epson EH-LS11000W has retailed for less in the past. I’ve attached the below graph from PriceSpy showing its history to show you what I mean.

Epson projector price.JPG — (Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

If you jump over to our Epson EH-LS11000W review, you’ll also see it was cheaper in January when we tested it. The same is true if you look at the current £500 deal on its five-star sibling, the Epson EH-LS12000B.

This is systematic of a general trend I’m seeing with proper home cinema projectors not getting many meaty deals. Just look at this stellar £1 saving as further proof…

Which is why I’m penning this piece urging any home cinema fan looking for a projector deal to make sure they price-check the product they’re considering before hitting the checkout button.

If that sounds like too much effort you can also stay apprised of the latest actual savings we’ve spotted in our main home cinema deals live hub. Any deal flagged there will be on a product we’ve reviewed and price-checked to make sure it has had an actual discount.

Of course, just because a projector hasn’t had a big new discount doesn’t mean it’s a bad buy. It just means it’s not a fresh deal so you need not push a granny out of the way to get your hands on it right now.

MORE:

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Our picks of the best TV deals

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Alastair is What Hi-Fi?’s editor in chief. He has well over a decade’s experience as a journalist working in both B2C and B2B press. During this time he’s covered everything from the launch of the first Amazon Echo to government cyber security policy. Prior to joining What Hi-Fi? he served as Trusted Reviews’ editor-in-chief. Outside of tech, he has a Masters from King’s College London in Ethics and the Philosophy of Religion, is an enthusiastic, but untalented, guitar player and runs a webcomic in his spare time.