The disclosure first
LMB is a Baxi Approved Installer. That is a real relationship with a manufacturer and you should know it exists before reading a word of brand comparison from this site. It means Baxi has approved Lloyd’s installation work, and it is part of why he can offer their stronger warranties. It does not mean he is paid to talk Baxi up, and the proof is below: where another brand is the better answer for your house, this page says so in plain sight.
The other thing worth saying early: the gap between the major brands is smaller than the forums pretend. Every brand named on this page builds a competent modern condensing boiler. The differences that matter to you are warranty length, parts availability, price, and, above all of them, the quality of the installation. A mid-range boiler fitted carefully into a clean, treated system will outlive a premium one slapped onto a sludged system every single time.
Worcester Bosch: the badge everyone asks for
Ask ten homeowners to name a boiler brand and most will say Worcester Bosch, and the reputation is not an accident. The build quality is genuinely excellent, the engineering is tidy to work on, and their flagship combis carry warranties that run up to 12 years with an approved installer. When a customer has their heart set on a Worcester, Lloyd fits Worcester, and happily.
So why is there no Worcester pricing on this page or anywhere on this site? Because LMB only publishes numbers Lloyd has personally confirmed and stands behind, and his published price list currently covers the Baxi and Vaillant models he installs week in, week out. If you want a Worcester Bosch, ask, and it gets quoted properly for your specific job rather than teased with a number that might move. That is a deliberate honesty policy, not a gap.
Baxi: why Lloyd quotes it first
Baxi is the brand Lloyd fits most, and the reasoning is practical rather than romantic. The boilers are compact, reliable and straightforward to service, parts are easy to get across South Wales, and the warranty structure is unusually clear: the 400 series carries 5 years of manufacturer cover, the 800 series carries 10. As a Baxi Approved Installer, Lloyd registers that warranty for you on installation day.
The honest way to read the two Baxi tiers: the 800 series costs more mostly because it buys you five extra years of cover and a higher specification. Spread over the life of the boiler, that gap is small insurance against the years when repairs would otherwise start landing on you.
Vaillant: the strong alternative, with the real numbers
Vaillant sits in the same quality conversation as any premium brand, and the ecoFIT pure range is a lovely machine to fit and to live with: quiet, efficient and backed by 10 years of manufacturer cover on the models below. For plenty of customers the choice between a Baxi 800 and a Vaillant ecoFIT comes down to small differences in output and price rather than any gulf in quality, which is exactly how it should be.
Here are the installed totals customers actually pay, including VAT, standard installation and a magnetic system filter. These are guide prices from the same list the online quote tool uses, so your exact fixed figure takes about 90 seconds to get.
| Boiler | Installed price | Warranty |
|---|---|---|
| Baxi 424 | £2,613 | 5 years |
| Baxi 430 | £2,659 | 5 years |
| Baxi 436 | £2,771 | 5 years |
| Baxi 824 | £3,027 | 10 years |
| Baxi 830 | £3,179 | 10 years |
| Baxi 836 | £3,327 | 10 years |
| Vaillant ecoFIT pure 825 | £3,094 | 10 years |
| Vaillant ecoFIT pure 830 | £3,180 | 10 years |
| Vaillant ecoFIT pure 835 | £3,279 | 10 years |
Installed customer totals including VAT, standard kit and labour, and a magnetic system filter. Guide prices: the exact fixed quote for your home takes about 90 seconds online, and the manufacturer warranty is registered for you on installation day.
So which one should you buy?
The boring, truthful answer: the brand matters less than the match. A smaller house with one bathroom does not need the biggest output in the range, whatever badge is on it. A family running two showers needs the sizing conversation more than the brand conversation. And every one of these boilers will disappoint you if it is dropped onto a dirty system, which is why a flush or inhibitor treatment is part of the quote conversation, not an upsell on the day.
Lloyd’s rule of thumb, stated openly: Baxi 800 or Vaillant ecoFIT for most homes, because ten years of registered cover on a proven boiler is the best value in the list. Baxi 400 when the budget is tight and the house suits it, with the 5 year trade-off explained rather than hidden. And the premium German-engineered option for the customer who wants it and knows why, quoted properly on request. Whichever way you lean, the online quote tool prices the options for your house side by side, and the cost guide explains every line.
