I’m considering buying an eReader. The most well known and obvious of these is the Kindle. The 2018 Paperwhite looks good initially, backlit screen, waterproof, library of Kindle books and also can play back Audible audio books.
However, I was disappointed when I found out the difference between the “with special offers” and “without special offers” versions. Essentially you pay more to have a “without special offers” version and this means you don’t get targeted adverts! Even with those disabled some reviews point out that the software still pushes latest book offers etc. I’m not sure I’d be happy with that, as one benefit of an eReader is it’s isolation and single function. I’d have to trade that off with the large selection of books on Amazon.

Another option is the Kobo, which costs more but seems a bit more “open source” on the material it can read. I don’t know what the book “ecosystem” is like and if the range is as good as Kindle. But it can read multiple file types so perhaps that doesn’t matter so much.

Anyone with experience of either or both, or any other eReaders I can consider?

I have a kindle paper white, had it a few years now and very happy with it. It’s does exactly what I need – downloads books from amazon, has good legibility, good charge life and is well made.

If it broke or I lost it I’d replace with another one.

I have a four year old Kobo. The interface with the book store is clunky but itworks fine for me. I had a whole load of books on an old Sony ereader which I transferred with no problems.

i have an kindle voyage (which they no longer make). Excellent, better than the paperwhite at the time, but I think the features of the voyage are now in the paperwhite
I really couldn’t cope without mine now

the targeted adverts aren’t generally an issue; never notice them. You can – apparently – get in contact with amazon, and complain, and they’ll take them off….

You only get adverts if you buy an advert-subsidised kindle to save ten quid on the purchase price. (do they even still do those?)

My paperwhite is with special offers (it was noticeably cheaper at the time) you get ads on the splash screen and that’s it as far as i can tell. “Swipe to…” Ads gone get on with reading.

They’re less intrusive than any of the notifications on my phone.

I’d happily keep those ads for £10 or whatever the current cost difference is and buy 10 of their £1 books with the saving instead or sign up to kindle unlimited for how ever many months that buys (wait for the special offer on the start screen 😉 )

As above teh addverts are totally unobtrusive, but I still paid for the version without them. What I love now about the kindle/amazon environment is the ability to add the audible book when purchasing the kindle book and to whispersync between them (though not available for all books, but for those you can it is great).

What infuriates me about the kindle is the lack of being able to have any meaningful organisation of the books on the device, I still find it hard to believe that amazon haven’t done something so simple after all these years. If you could do that on a kodi I might be tempted when I need a replacement.

What infuriates me about the kindle is the lack of being able to have any meaningful organisation of the books on the device

What is it you want to do that organising into Collections or sorting by Author or Title won’t achieve?

the Kobo, which costs more but seems a bit more “open source” on the material it can read

Use Calibre to manage your library and you convert any format to read on the Kindle. Fantastic piece of software.

My Kobo aura H2O – has a more comfortable colour back-light than the paper white (or nook)
Battery life not as good as kindle
Can seems slow on ‘graphic novel’ pages – but many readers lack this ability.

I’ve been using ‘calibre’ software to manage libraries and read any format.
You sometimes need to drop into ‘collections’ to add books – as ‘grey’ imports don’t always show up on home screen.

With a cheap magnetic cover – auto on – its now my go to.

Thanks for replies so far. Our local library offers Overdrive, allowing you to “take out” books. The Kobo can use this and so can Kindle tablets, but don’t think the Kindle Paperwhite can?

I have a Kindle Voyage with 3G built in. The 3G is completely free (other than the one-off device cost uplift), works in multiple countries and is a godsend if you travel a lot.

I would love a waterproof kindle for the bath but not enough to buy a new one

I do feel a bit conflicted about giving money to Amazon given their UK tax situation and also not spending in bookshops but the convenience and slickness of the operation wins out for me.

I would love a waterproof kindle for the bath but not enough to buy a new one

Me too, it would save me having to put it in a sandwich bag to save it when I nod off but I’m not prepared to splash out on one until my current 6+ years old Paperwhite dies.

Overdrive … The Kobo can use this and so can Kindle tablets, but don’t think the Kindle Paperwhite can?

My research so far shows that Overdrive providing books in the Kindle format is only available in the US. So that means the Paperwhite can’t use Overdrive in the UK and therefore can’t take out books from the library. The Kobo Aura H20 (Ed. 2) can use Overdrive in the UK.

I compared a fair few titles between the Kindle and Kobo books stores. They’re mostly the same price or Kobo is a few pence more.

Therefore I’m favouring the Kobo at the moment

I have a kobo aura hd, had kobos for a while. Seem good and reliable, and you’re not locked into Amazon, so you can use epubs etc.

you’re not locked into Amazon, so you can use epubs etc.

You are not locked into anything with the Kindle, Calibre lets you load anything on to it. I would dismiss the format type from any decision on what to buy.