Buffalo vs. Hamoki – Catering Equipment on a Budget

When you’re setting up a kitchen—whether it’s for a café, takeaway, mobile food business, or small restaurant—getting the right equipment without blowing the budget is a big deal. Two notable names you’ll often come across are Buffalo and Hamoki. But which one is right for you?

Let’s take a look at both brands, what they stand for, and how they stack up when it comes to key bits of kit like fryers, blenders, soup kettles, grills, and meat slicers.

Buffalo is a long-standing name in the catering industry. Buffalo products have a solid reputation for being sturdy, reliable, and practical. You’ll often find them in busy commercial kitchens because they’re made to handle pressure.

Buffalo catering equipment is all about durability, performance, ease of use and affordability. They’re not trying to be flashy—they’re focused on solid engineering that gets the job done, day in, day out. Manufactured using quality materials, the wide range of product allows businesses to find almost everything they need under one brand.

Buffalo is known for its budget-friendly pricing, making it an appealing choice for new catering businesses or those looking to minimise costs. To keep costs low, Buffalo keeps their equipment simple, so while it is fully capable of getting the job done, it won't offer the additional features found with some premium brands.

Hamoki catering equipment is a newer face in the game, but they’re quickly gaining ground. Previously iMettos, the rebranded Hamoki is known for offering affordable, entry-level catering equipment. Hamoki is ideal for startups or businesses watching their spend. While they may not have the same brand legacy as Buffalo, they’re making a name for themselves by offering value-packed equipment that covers all the basics.

Hamoki aims to make catering equipment accessible and budget-friendly, without sacrificing the features you actually need in a working kitchen. The brands in-house experience and technical know-how allows them to design and implement innovative features to increase performance and efficiency but without the high price tag.

With an ever-increasing range of products, commercial kitchens can find everything they need to operate from a single brand.

Now we've heard about what the brands offer, let's break it down and compare five key pieces of catering equipment.

Buffalo fryers are made with a quality stainless steel housing that can withstand tough commercial conditions, come with adjustable thermostats, and have safety cut-outs.

They’re suitable for daily use and offer options of single or double tank, countertop or freestanding designs with electric power.

Expect total capacities from 3 litres to 16 litres. Prices range anywhere from £150 to £1190 inc. VAT.

Hamoki fryers also have a durable stainless steel manufacture and come in countertop versions and freestanding layouts with options for one, two, three or four tanks.

Alongside standard commercial fryers, Hamoki also offer more advanced fryers with computer controls and auto basket lifts. Sizes range from 16 litre to 52 litre total tank capacities, making them perfect for larger kitchens.

With larger capacity and additional technology available mean that prices can range from £290 to £4000 inc. VAT. 

Verdict: Buffalo is a great option for smaller businesses, however Hamoki gets a big tick for its increased product range and larger capacities.

All blenders are commercial-grade, strong and durable for use in professional kitchens. With stick blenders (or immersion blenders) and countertop bar blenders with and without sound enclosure, Buffalo blenders offer the increased power required for commercial use.

Perfect for smoothies, sauces, soups. With a range of sizes, attachments and power options, kitchens can find the perfect model for every operation.

Prices start from £230 inc. VAT for stick blenders and £236 inc. VAT for Buffalo blenders for kitchens and bars.

Hamoki blenders include simple yet effective models with solid features. With only one bar blender, options are limited however it features everything you'd expect from a commercial bit of kit.

Their stick blenders have a choice of shaft sizes and multiple motor units, each offering increasing power options.

The bar blender is available from £292 inc. VAT while Hamoki hand blenders start from £395 inc. VAT.

Verdict: Buffalo wins on mixing capacity, while Hamoki offers a greater number of power options.

With classic design with simple temperature control and solid insulation. With a generous 10 litre capacity, Buffalo soup kettles are available with black, stainless steel or graphite finishes.

This versatile product is suitable for a range of foods, not just soup making it a great addition for mobile catering and busy cafes or self-serve stations.

Prices start from around £56 inc. VAT.

Hamoki's product offering has similar features to Buffalo soup kettles, also with a 10 litre capacity, choice of finishes and suitable for variety of dishes.

Prices start from around £75 inc. VAT.

Verdict: Pretty close here. Both Hamoki and Buffalo soup kettles are evenly matched on performance, but Buffalo just nicks the win with a lower price tag.

The range of Buffalo grills and griddles includes ribbed, flat and mixed plate contact grills, with single and double plates to accommodate all levels of business. Also offering salamander grills with optional quartz feature, and griddles, Buffalo have got the demands of many commercial kitchens covered.

Built to withstand the frequent use experienced in catering kitchens, the materials used for manufacture are strong, durable and provide good temperature distribution.

Prices start from £225 for contact grills, £246 for salamander grills and £249 for griddles. All prices are inclusive of VAT.

Hamoki grills and griddles include single and double contact grills with ribbed, smooth and mixed plates, adjustable height salamander grills,  gas and electric griddles and a full range of charbroilers and chargrills.

Manufactured with durability and functionality at its core, the massive range of Hamoki grills and griddles means that any sized kitchen can get equipment that gets the job done, all with an attractive price tag.

Prices start from £210 for contact grills, £258 for griddles, £440 for salamander grills and £554 for charbroilers. All prices include VAT. 

Verdict: On average across the wide range of products, Buffalo is slightly more competitive on price, although Hamoki is cheaper on contact grills. Hamoki, however has a huge range to ensure that all catering requirements can be met from a single brand.

The range of Buffalo meat slicers delivers solid construction with anodised aluminium body. With a choice of blade diameters from 220mm - 300mm, each model offers adjustable thickness cutting, integral blade sharpener and necessary safety features.

Ideal for delis or sandwich shops prices start from £496 inc. VAT.

A greater choice of blade diameters from 195mm - 300mm, are available from the Hamoki meat slicers, giving greater choice for butchers, sandwich shops, restaurants and delis where precision is essential.

The heavy duty anodised aluminium- magnesium alloy body is robust and with adjustable thickness settings, easy to use controls and the required safety features, staff can effortlessly handle the machine.

Prices available from £271 inc. VAT.

Verdict: Both ranges of meat slicer offer powerful performance and robust build quality. While Buffalo has the advantage of integral blade sharpener, Hamoki can offer a greater range of sizes to accommodate all business requirements.

So, who comes out on top—Buffalo or Hamoki?

Well, it depends on your specific kitchen needs and your budget. Both brands, Buffalo and Hamoki, offer a great range of products that are more than capable of performing to commercial standards and that aren't going to blow the budget. Buffalo prove more cost effective on certain products however Hamoki are more competitive on others. With a similar level of features and build quality, there isn't much in it between the brands when taking everything into consideration. There are two distinguishable features that set these two apart: 

Buffalo = more comprehensive warranty cover

Hamoki = bigger product range

Both brands have their strengths. The key is knowing what kind of kitchen you're running and picking the catering equipment that fits your operation. Whichever you pick, you'll be getting capable appliances while remaining in budget.

Need help picking the right setup? Get in touch with the team—we’re always happy to help you find the best option for your budget.

Please note that prices are correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.