Tag: underscored-reviews

An alarm clock may seem outdated, with your smartphone’s endless number of tones and apps to wake you up. But using your phone as your alarm can tempt you to use it before you tuck in, and that can lead to lower-quality sleep. Let’s be honest: Don’t you rely on your phone for enough already? So if you’re looking for deep sleep, rid yourself of the tech temptation, put some distance between your bed and your screen, put an alarm clock on your nightstand and still wake up on time.

To help you replace your phone’s alarm, we put 18 top-rated alarm clocks to the test — from analog tickers to tech-filled wake-up lights. For a whole month, we set alarms, let them ring and snoozed (maybe a bit too often) to find the best of the best. After all our tests, five alarm clocks rose above the others.

A runner-up with a highly visible screen

An easy-to-use alarm clock without any bells and whistles to get in the way, the DreamSky is simple, durable and highly readable, and will get you out of bed in the morning with a loud beep that isn’t too startling.

Best sunrise alarm clock (and best with radio)

Able to wake you gently with lights that gradually brighten to mimic the dawn, the Philips Wake-Up Light HF3520 is a great sunrise alarm clock and one of the best all-around alarm clocks we tested, with intuitive programming, a wide range of alarm tones and a radio.

The Jall Wooden Digital Alarm Clock has everything you need — and more — in an alarm clock. It’s simple to set, easy to read in the dark and has an alarm that is loud but won’t scare you awake. It’s got a polished feel to it, and its wooden design gives it a look unlike any other clocks we tested. Plus, at $25 (or less), the Jall Wooden Alarm Clock is equipped with incredibly useful features, such as the ability to set multiple alarms, humidity and temperature readings and a feature that puts the display to sleep and automatically wakes it back up if it senses movement or sound.

Right out of the box, this clock was easy to use and setup was a breeze. It’s got a 5-foot cord that should reach most outlets comfortably, and comes with a CR2032 battery that backs up your settings (although the small plastic latch that opens the battery door snapped off when we pulled too hard, so be careful when you need to switch the battery). The Jall clock has a panel on the backside that houses all the controls, including three small buttons, four switches and a scrolling wheel. To set the time or alarm, all you have to do is press and hold a button and use the wheel to change the numbers on the screen. Setting the time and alarm took us less than a minute when we first plugged it in, which was refreshingly short compared to other clocks. The scroll wheel was especially useful, allowing you to speed through the numbers for hours and minutes instead of repeatedly pressing a button.

Whenever you set or change your alarm, you have the option to set two other alarms as well, so you can have three different alarms active at once. You can also choose if you want the alarms to go off every day or on weekdays only, which was another pleasant feature that was absent from many of the Jall’s competitors.

Speaking of extra features, this clock can show you the humidity and temperature of your room, which are actually critical factors to getting restful sleep. You can toggle the dimmable display between showing temperature or the date as well as a “Sound Control” mode, which turns off the display and automatically turns it back on when movement or sound is detected.

While there are plenty of fun and helpful features of the Jall, one of the most striking aspects is its design. We tested the “yellow” clock, which looks like a nice pine. But it also comes in three other finishes (black, brown and white), all of which have a clean, almost Japandi look. When the clock isn’t plugged in or the display is off, it looks like a solid wooden block. But when switched on, the time appears in a gentle white light behind the wood. We can imagine one of its colors matching with nearly any interior decor.

The Jall Wooden Digital Alarm Clock looks nice, but we didn’t name it the best alarm clock just because of its looks. First and foremost, the Jall is a solid alarm clock that will comfortably wake you up. It has a tone that isn’t so loud that it makes you jump out of bed, but it also isn’t so quiet that you’ll sleep right through it. The alarm is also adjustable, with five different volume settings, so you can fine-tune the beeps to ensure you roll out of bed every time. And if you want to roll back into bed, you can set the snooze timer for nine minutes by pressing any of the buttons on the back. To turn the alarm fully off, press any button twice.

It didn’t have the best wake-up experience of all the clocks we tested (that title belongs to the sunrise clocks we’ll touch on later), nor did it have a terribly jarring alarm that scared us awake (we’ll talk more about those too). Instead, it was a pretty standard alarm that woke us up without incident, and was easy to turn off even with eyes half open. If you’re the clumsy type (or semiconscious from just waking up) and accidentally knock it off the bedside table, there’s no need to worry, because it made it through our drop test without a scratch, thanks to its sturdy and lightweight build.

The Jall Wooden Digital Alarm Clock rightfully earned its place at the top of our list. Its functionality, simplicity and design really shined.

The DreamSky Compact Digital Alarm Clock isn’t quite as full-featured as the Jall Wooden Clock, but it checks all the boxes of a great alarm clock, and those in need of an alarm clock without any extra bells or whistles will be more than happy. Small but with a big display, for $19.99 you get an easy-to-use clock with an adjustable wake-up tone. It’s a solid pick to get you out of bed in the morning.

This clock doesn’t have the additional features the Jall does, instead touting just one alarm and an extra USB port. The DreamSky clock had a simple setup, and with four buttons and two wheels on the back, along with a snooze button on top, it isn’t too difficult to use. Just plug in the clock with its 5-foot, 2-inch cord, pop in two AAA batteries as a backup and set the time. To do this, you press and hold a button to enter the settings mode, then press the plus (“+”) and minus (“-“) buttons to change the time. While you will be mashing some buttons, your fingers won’t get fatigued since you can toggle between the hour and the minutes and go up and down.

The alarm itself is similar to the Jall’s, providing a nice and loud beep that isn’t too startling. The beeps increase in speed and volume the longer the alarm goes, and you can adjust the volume so you never accidentally sleep through until noon. The snooze button isn’t really a button but rather a sensor on the top of the clock that will allow you another nine minutes of zzz’s until it beeps again.

The DreamSky scored extremely well in nearly all of our tests, including durability, appearance and wake-up experience, but what made it one of the top contenders was its big and bright display. The numbers occupy basically the entire display of the DreamSky instead of just being in a small window like some other clocks we tested. It’s easy to tell what time it is with the DreamSky, even if it’s the middle of the night and you’re as blind as a bat. This large screen easily made it one of the most readable clocks, tied only with the Magnasonic Projection Alarm Clock, which can project the time onto your ceiling. While we loved its ultra-visible display, the DreamSky has a dial on the back that allows you to fine-tune its brightness all the way down to a dark screen that won’t bother you at night.

If you’re looking for a solid alarm clock and don’t need the extra features of the Jall, the DreamSky Compact Digital Alarm Clock could be the one for you.

If you’re simply looking for a clock to replace your phone, then you’ll be more than happy with the Jall or the DreamSky. However, if you want a device that eases you into your mornings with a gradual alarm and can also help you get to sleep, the Loftie is the perfect clock for you.

Waking up to a gradual alarm is a total game changer. Instead of jolting awake, you’re slowly brought out of slumber, which gives your body time to adjust and actually wake up. Normally, these calming alarms are reserved for sunrise alarm clocks (like our winner, the Philips Wake-Up Light HF3520); however, the Loftie was the one non-sunrise clock we tested that had this critical feature.

Loftie’s alarm is so good, we actually enjoyed it more than the alarms on the sunrise clocks. While the sunrise clocks we tested play the soft sounds of a river or birds chirping and slowly increase the volume, Loftie utilizes a two-tone system. The first tone is a quiet and ambient noise that begins to lift you out of sleep. It then automatically snoozes itself for 30 seconds and waits nine minutes until it plays a louder tone to get you up out of bed. The second tone isn’t sudden or surprising, but it’s faster-paced and louder than the first alarm. However, the Loftie alarm doesn’t have any sort of sunrise light, so while the auditory alarm is great, if you want to mimic the sunrise you should opt for the Philips Wake-Up.

One problem we have with all alarm clocks is that no matter how calming the tone may be on the first morning, after about a week it becomes annoying and you end up getting out of bed grumpy anyway. However, the Loftie has tons of options for both its initial “wake-up sound” and its secondary “get-up sound,” with regular updates that add even more tones.

Besides its amazing alarm system, the Loftie has a minimalist design that looks great on any countertop, an elegant and ambient night light that emanates from the bottom of the clock, a bright screen and a simple interface. Setting multiple alarms was a breeze, and after connecting the clock to an app, the Loftie pulled the exact time from the internet, meaning we didn’t have to set it manually.

On top of one of the best wake-up experiences we tested, the Loftie can help you fall asleep too. It’s got a large library of meditations, soundscapes, white noises and even bedtime stories and sound baths to choose from, with regular updates adding even more content. And if you aren’t a fan of any of those options, you can hook it up to your phone and use it as a Bluetooth speaker so you can fall asleep to your favorite podcast.

Besides the price, the biggest downside of the Loftie for us is its display. While its brightness is adjustable, the numbers are a bit too small to easily see if you’re nearsighted and don’t have your glasses on.

If you’re willing to spend $149 on an alarm clock (or $99 on a refurbished one), the Loftie should be your first pick. It’s got the best wake-up experience of any non-sunrise alarm clock we’ve tested, an elegant night light and a wide array of sounds to help you fall asleep. Plus, its simple design means it will look good wherever you put it in your bedroom. So, if you’re ready for an upgraded alarm clock but don’t want a sunrise clock, Loftie is the one for you.

If you want a more soothing and gradual wake-up experience than the standard beep of an alarm clock, the Philips Wake-Up Light HF3520 is the alarm clock for you. Its bulbous display slowly brightens to mimic the morning sun and then plays gentle noises, such as chirping birds, to ease you awake. This sunrise alarm clock gave us one of the most pleasant mornings out of all the clocks we tested, and at $79.95 (cheaper than other sunrise options we tested), it’s a great balance between luxury and price.

If a normal alarm clock just doesn’t do it for you and any beep is too harsh, then a sunrise alarm clock might be the thing you need. Sunrise alarm clocks can help jump-start your circadian system in the morning and can help improve sleep quality. In fact, 92% of Philips Wake-Up Light users say the lights wake them up pleasantly and make it easier to get out of bed.

To see if we felt a difference and to find out how sunrise clocks compared to more traditional options, we tested five of them, including three of Philips’ famed Wake-Up Lights. After our testing, we found that the best sunrise alarm clock — and one of the best all-around alarm clocks — was the Philips Wake-Up Light HF3520.

To be transparent, the title for best sunrise alarm clock was extremely close between the Philips Wake-Up Light HF3520 and its more expensive sibling, the Philips SmartSleep Connected Sleep and Wake-Up Light. The SmartSleep Connected Light was a fantastic alarm clock and almost took the crown. It has all the features of our winner and more, but during our drop tests, the port where you plug in the power cord broke, making it unusable. Even though it scored higher and offers more benefits than the cheaper Philips light, the fact that it broke, not to mention its lofty $199.95 price, make us believe the Philips Wake-Up Light HF3520 is the smarter and better investment.

So let’s get into why this Philips Wake-Up Light really is so great. First and foremost, the wake-up experience was second to none. We live in an apartment lucky enough to get some morning light, so even though it probably didn’t impact us as much as someone who has blackout curtains, the light still eased us into the morning, and the pleasant natural noises were a gentle alarm that was a much better experience than the other clocks we tested.

The natural sounds were truly our favorite part of this clock, with tones including waves, chirping birds and a calming piano that increase in volume as you wake up. There are five options to choose from, so you can pick your favorite, or you can even tune the clock to the radio if you prefer.

Besides the outstanding morning routine, the Philips Wake-Up Light has tons of features that many other clocks didn’t have, such as radio and wake-up profiles that allow you to choose a different experience for weekdays and weekends. Plus, you can use the light as a standard lamp while you’re winding down or reading during the evening.

The setup was also extremely easy, thanks to the small screen at the bottom of the light that has little touch sensors so you can quickly navigate through the menu and change the time and alarm settings. Programming the alarm was simple and intuitive, even though you have to pick several settings, including your time, brightness, sound and volume.

One aspect of the Philips Wake-Up Light that knocked it down a few points, though, is its sheer size. The face and light itself is about 9 inches in diameter, and the base is quite big at about 4.5 inches, so you’ll have to clear out a bit of space to put it next to your bed. And you’ll want to make sure it’s close to your bed, as Philips suggests placing the light 16 to 20 inches from your head.

Since it is such a big alarm clock, it’s also got some weight to it, which made the drop test extra scary. Smaller clocks, such as the Jall and DreamSky, can probably fall off a bedside table dozens of times before anything happens to them, just because they’re so light and the impact is minimal. The Philips, on the other hand, weighs in at about 2.5 pounds, so the drops had a lot of force behind them, so we could see it breaking after a few more falls.

The Philips Wake-Up Light HF3520 is quite an investment for an alarm clock at $79.95, but for the price, you’re getting the best wake-up experience on the market that will make your mornings brighter and happier.

We’re not going to lie: We were terrified of the Sonic Bomb Dual Extra-Loud Alarm Clock. Meant for heavy sleepers who aren’t awakened by average alarm clocks, not only is the Sonic Bomb’s alarm tone incredibly loud and unpleasant — it’s one of the most abrasive we tested — but the device drives the point home with a set of flashing red strobes, and it augments this sensory assault with a “bed shaker,” a vibrating puck that you place under your pillow. When we tested the alarm for the first time on a table, we were shocked to see how violent the buzzing bed shaker actually was. And the manufacturer underscores the clock’s seriousness by offering it in a range of intense designs, including a camo version and one adorned with skulls in addition to a more typical palette of sedate and bright colors.

But after weeks of putting off testing, we finally put the Sonic Bomb on our nightstand and woke up with it — and, in reality, the experience wasn’t as bad as we had feared. Plus, the additional features — especially the bed shaker — should awaken those who haven’t been able to find an alarm clock that does the job.

Average sleepers should know that the beeps don’t start on full blast, and if those manage to awaken you, you have a second to brace yourself before the vibrations start. And the strobes aren’t unreasonably bright — not enough to wake you on their own, though bright enough to act as an added incentive. The alarm does increase in volume and speed, and we don’t know what kind of person could sleep through that bed shaker if they put it underneath their pillow. And you can set how long the alarm goes on, from one minute to 59 minutes, so if you really need to you can make it last a long, long time to really make sure you get up. A battery backup keeps the racket going in case of an outage.

So if you have a bad habit of sleeping through multiple alarms and just can’t count on a normal, everyday alarm clock to awaken you, the Sonic Bomb Dual Extra-Loud Alarm Clock should be enough to wake you up. A couple of caveats: The user interface layout is clunky compared to the other clocks we tested, so setting the time and the alarm is more difficult than we’d like. The bed shaker isn’t wireless (it’s attached with a thin wire), so you’ll have to place it so it doesn’t get tangled if you toss and turn in your sleep. Also, the Sonic Bomb is one of the few alarms that broke during our drop tests, so if your reaction to an alarm going off involves throwing it across the room, you may want to look elsewhere.

We researched and found top-rated alarm clocks and selected a wide-ranging pool that included 18 digital, analog and sunrise alarm clocks. We opened each alarm clock and set the time and alarm, playing with all the settings and testing out any and all extra features. We listened to the alarms during the day, and woke up to each one to get a genuine wake-up experience. Over the duration of one month, here are all the tests we ran:

Performance

Build

X factors

Philips SmartSleep Connected Sleep and Wake-Up Light

Like we said earlier, the Philips SmartSleep Connected Sleep and Wake-Up Light is an outstanding alarm clock. The wake-up experience is just as good as our winner for the best sunrise alarm clock — and this light comes with more features, such as a customizable snooze, more alarms you can set, relaxation exercises and more. Plus, since the SmartSleep is a smart alarm clock, you can control it from an app without any fussing with buttons.

However, on the last drop of our durability test, the clock unfortunately broke. We don’t expect people to be dropping their alarm clocks that often, but accidents do happen, and if you pay so much for something, you want it to last. Even if it didn’t break, the extra $100 you’d have to pay over the Philips Wake-Up Light HF3520 is a lot, and compared to other clocks we tested, which have price tags around $20, it was just too high to justify. But if you have the extra money and want to buy a sunrise clock that helps you not only wake up easily but go to sleep faster and help your entire sleep experience, the Philips SmartSleep Connected Wake-Up Light is an amazing device to have in your home.

The Hatch Restore is a great sunrise alarm clock that gives a gentle and gradual wake-up much like our favorite sunrise alarm, the Philips Wake-Up Light. However, the Restore’s light is smaller, which gave a less immersive feeling than the Philips Wake-Up. While the Hatch couldn’t beat out the Philips Wake-Up Light in our testing, it really shines as a white noise machine. In fact, it was our upgrade pick for the best white noise machine of 2022.

The Loftie, our luxury pick, is a better alarm clock overall, thanks to its amazing wake-up experience, and while it also has plenty of meditations and soundscapes to fall asleep to, these programs fall short of the Hatch’s automatic wind-down routine that pairs different modes of lighting with sounds to help you get ready for bed. You can program the Hatch to shine a bright white light for 30 minutes so you can read, then it can transition to a darker blue hue while queuing up a meditation, then lower the volume and play rain sounds through the night. In short, the Loftie is better at waking you up, and the Hatch is better at helping you get to bed in the first place.

The only drawback to using Hatch as a white noise machine is that while you can get access to a small portion of Hatch’s library of soundscapes and meditations for free, if you want full access you’ll have to pay for a subscription that costs $99 per year. But if you want an all-in-one device that really helps you fall asleep and does a good job of waking you up, the Hatch Restore is second to none.

The Magnasonic alarm clock was a nifty and all-around solid clock that we thoroughly enjoyed testing. It comes with a radio that you can listen to or use as your alarm, an aux cord and a projector that displays the time on your ceiling. While the red digits on the ceiling kind of looked like a doomsday clock at first, it’s actually an extremely useful feature if you tend to get up in the middle of the night and want to know the time. If you like the idea of the projector, definitely consider the Magnasonic alarm clock, as it scored quite well in most of our other tests as well, just not as good as our winners.

This smaller sunrise clock from Philips was nice, but its bigger counterparts really outdid this $49.99 option. This clock doesn’t have the natural sounds, and it’s so light and tall that it can easily be knocked over, especially since you have to tap the top to snooze it. The beeps of the alarm aren’t too harsh, and the alarm-setting process wasn’t terrible, so if you want a sunrise clock but don’t want to spend a ton of money, this could be a great buy.

While this itty-bitty alarm clock didn’t score very high, we think it’s actually a fantastic alarm clock if you travel a lot. It’s so small it can fit in your pocket, plus it unfolds, so you can put it on basically any surface next to your bed. It’s battery-powered, so you can take it anywhere, and it has a standard alarm that’s easy to set. There’s nothing fancy about this clock, but if you need just the bare bones to take with you when you’re traveling or camping, the Travelwey Digital Travel Alarm Clock is a great portable option.

The Homelabs Sunrise Alarm Clock really couldn’t compare with the options from Philips. The numbers on the clock itself were fuzzy and hard to read, and while it’s equipped with natural sounds to wake up to, the audio quality is so bad that it sounds like it’s coming through a tin can. We’d recommend you spend the extra money for one of the nicer options from Philips.

This alarm clock from Sony scored decently well, but none of its features stood out above the pack. It’s got a radio, which is a nice feature, and the design is simple, but the display was hard to see in the dark. Plus, every time you hit the snooze button, the time of the snooze increases, which seems counterintuitive.

This Travelwey alarm clock reminded us of a classic childhood alarm clock, with the bright red numbers and huge snooze button at the top. The snooze button can function as a light, which is a nice feature other digital clocks didn’t have, but setting the time and alarm was a slow and unforgiving experience. You have to hold one button and press another to set the time, and you can only increase the digits. So if you miss your time by one minute, you have to circle around the full 24-hour cycle to get back to your desired time.

Peakeep’s small clock scored the highest out of the analog clocks, which scored lower in general due to their lack of visibility in the dark and other features. This clock is the only analog option we tested to have a snooze button, and it was easy to set the alarm (though not an exact science, since you’re moving an analog hand instead of entering a digit). It has a light, but like other analog options, it’s only on when you hold it.

This large-screened alarm clock is similar to our runner-up, the DreamSky Compact Digital Alarm Clock. The PPLEE has a standard beeping alarm and numbers that aren’t quite as easy to see as the DreamSky’s, so if you’re looking for a simple alarm clock like this we think you’ll be better served by our runner-up.

The RCA alarm clock had one of the harshest alarm tones we tested. It rattled the plastic inside the clock and had a screeching sound that had us jumping out of bed to end our ears’ suffering as soon as we could. It wasn’t incredibly easy to set the alarm, and even if you need an extra-loud alarm to wake you up, we wouldn’t recommend this one. If you are an extremely deep sleeper, check out the Sonic Bomb.

The analog clock from Jall was quite a nice contender; however, since analog clocks had a few key features absent, it didn’t score well overall. The Jall looks cute, comes in five different colors and, most importantly, doesn’t tick, making it a solid analog alarm clock if you want something a bit heftier than the tiny Peakeep clock.

The Peakeep Twin Bell Alarm Clock had an alarm so loud and shocking that it frightened us up out of bed from the other room. We put it outside the bedroom in the first place because the second hand ticked. And even though we live in New York City and we hear cars drive by our apartment pretty regularly, we couldn’t stand the sound of a ticking clock. There wasn’t much good from this clock that could outweigh the ticking and the alarm, so if you want an analog clock, we’d recommend the Jall or the smaller Peakeep.

I love the Huanuo Adjustable Lap Desk because it helped make working from home in the early days of the pandemic more comfortable. It’s simple, cheap and makes it easy to work from bed, which is why it’s one of my favorite pandemic purchases.

When the pandemic hit nearly two years ago, a lot changed when it came to work. We all had to work from our homes at least for a little bit, and for many of us, that brought about a lot of new difficulties. I had the pleasure of working in a nice office in New York City, so swapping out my office’s ergonomic chair and standing desk for the kitchen table from Ikea gave me some serious whiplash.

One of the first things I bought that initial week of working from home was this Huanuo lap desk. I didn’t want some bulky beast that had all sorts of cup holders, phone stands and drawers. All I wanted was a light, comfortable lap desk so I could comfortably work from the bed, couch, kitchen table or anywhere else I could find an outlet. After browsing Amazon, I settled on this desk from Huanuo and I’m so happy I did.

The Huanuo Adjustable Lap Desk is a score because it’s not jam-packed with unnecessary features, but still fills a very important role in my work from home setup. The desk is pretty self explanatory and really only has two main features. Its biggest draw is its adjustability. You might see some lap desks out there that only have one height setting, but let me tell you, the ability to change the angle of your laptop is a game changer. I can have it flat when I’m laying down in bed, slightly higher if I’m sitting up (still in bed) or all the way up at its proudest setting if I’m using it as a laptop stand on my desk.

The other main feature of the desk is its plush cushions. I hate when I have my laptop on my legs and it starts to overheat and get uncomfortable, which is why the cushions on the Huanuo are a lifesaver. Now, don’t get me wrong, they’re not made of memory foam or some revolutionary cooling material, but they’re comfortable and soft enough so you can place the desk basically anywhere.

I’m not going to say the Huanuo is the best lap desk out there, because there are tons of different variations and features in lap desks and it all depends on how you like to work. I personally like to move around a lot, and in the nearly two years I’ve had this lap desk, it’s struck the perfect balance of simplicity, portability and comfort so well that my partner and I fight over it all the time (they usually win).

If you’re in the market for a lap desk (a little late to the party but that’s OK!) and you’re looking for the sweet spot between a fully kitted-out contraption and the old textbook you’re using, the Huanuo Adjustable Lap Desk will serve you well.

The Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020 jumpstarted interest in bidets, and many American households have since made up lost ground in toilet technology. Now that we’ve come to our senses and started to actually washing our butts, we’ve realized that the benefits of bidets go beyond feeling cleaner and fresher — switching to a bidet (and using toilet paper made from recycled fibers) can help you live more sustainably, helping to combat deforestation and offsetting the vast amounts of water that go into paper production.

If you’re one of the many adopting a bidet for the first time, it can be a confusing and intimidating process to find the right one. That’s why we spent more than three months meticulously testing 19 of the most popular bidets on the market to find the very best. Here are four we love.

If you’re looking for a low-cost bidet that’s simple to set up, effective and not overly complicated, the Tushy Classic 3.0 is definitely the bidet for you. While working on this story, we actually tested the Tushy Spa, not the Classic. (We’ve used the Tushy Classic in the past, but we didn’t officially test it again for this story.)

Out of the attachments, the Tushy Classic 3.0 had the most comfortable stream by far, and its adjustable nozzle made it much easier than others to get a thorough clean. While it’s a bare-bones bidet, you still get a solid range of pressure and directional adjustability so you can find what feels right for you. With attachments in general, we found ourselves using low pressures, as their streams felt more aggressive than their electric counterparts.

The Tushy Classic was also relatively easy to install, and the clear instructions are simple to follow, even if you’re not particularly handy. However, when installing any bidet, the most important aspect is making sure it’s compatible with your toilet. You should also find the water connections and try taking off your toilet seat beforehand so you know how everything works. Luckily, the Tushy Classic fits all two-piece toilets and most one-piece toilets (more on this below). If you’re still not sure if the Tushy will fit your specific toilet, you can check out more about Tushy’s compatibility here and even browse through its searchable list of toilets here.

While we love the Tushy attachment, there’s one big caveat: We found that the method used to supply warm water to the Tushy Spa — and all the other bidet attachments we used — wasn’t effective.

Since a toilet only has a cold water supply, to get warm water with a simple attachment like the Tushy, you have to hook it up to your sink’s hot water supply. There’s no internal heater, so your water temperature is completely dependent on how quickly your sink’s water gets hot, and even then you still have to flush out the water that’s been sitting in the hose before you get a warm wash. For that reason, we recommend you get the Tushy Classic over the Tushy Spa and avoid attachments altogether if you want to use warm water. If you do prefer a heated wash, we suggest you upgrade to a full bidet seat, like one of our picks, the Alpha JX or Toto Washlet C2.

The Tushy Classic 3.0 is a fantastic bidet for beginners and a great value at just under $100. No other bidet attachment was as comfortable to use as the Tushy, and it has a gentle yet effective stream, simple installation and easy-to-use controls along with adjustable pressure and direction. However, if you want more features such as warm water, a heated seat or a dryer, then you’ll have to shell out some more cash — but trust us, it’s worth it.

The Alpha JX bidet seat was the best overall bidet seat we tested, featuring the most desirable technologies at the lowest price. However, while the Alpha JX ended up on top, the race between it and our runner-up, the Toto Washlet C2, was incredibly close. Both have plenty of features you expect in a bidet at this price range, including a heated seat, dryer, full control of the stream’s pressure and direction, plus warm water. However, the Alpha JX has an unlimited warm water supply compared to the Toto’s limited one, which is what ended up pushing the Alpha into our winning spot.

Electric bidet seats can give you a warm water wash in two ways. The simpler and cheaper way is with a tank that’s built into the bidet. This tank holds a set amount of water and keeps it warm; however, when the tank is out of hot water, your wash turns cold. It varies from bidet to bidet, but typically these tanks provide about 20 to 30 seconds of warm water, which is enough for a normal wash in most cases. If you want a longer wash or want there to be hot water even if the bidet is used back-to-back, you’ll want a bidet that has a coil heating system. These bidets instantly heat the water as it passes through the bidet so you can sit there and enjoy the warm water for as long as you like.

During our testing, we saw a huge difference between the comfort of an infinite warm water supply and a limited one (if you think your shower getting cold is bad, you don’t want to know what it feels like when your bidet tank runs out). Normally, this coil heating system is reserved for bidets costing upward of $600, but the Alpha JX gives it to you for around $350 — more than $200 cheaper than its competitors.

Besides infinite hot water, the Alpha JX features a heated seat, a dryer and a fully customizable stream, all adjustable from a remote control. With clear buttons that are all labeled, it’s super easy to go through a wash and dry cycle, even if you’ve never used a bidet before. You can adjust the position, strength and temperature of the spray and see what level your settings are at with the small screen. Plus, the Alpha JX has a “Wash & Dry” button that runs through a complete wash and dry cycle with just one press.

The Alpha JX was also quite easy to put on our toilet, and while you have to replace your seat entirely, we were surprised to find that installing electric bidet seats in general isn’t much more complicated than installing bidet attachments like the Tushy. However, since you’re taking off your existing toilet seat, be sure to figure out if your seat is round or elongated, and buy the corresponding bidet (more on this below).

There are plenty of pros and cons between the Alpha JX and the Toto Washlet C2. Both are fantastic bidets that you’ll love having on your toilet. The Alpha JX has endless warm water, but the stream and dryer performance of the Toto C2 is slightly better. If you want that comfortable experience and don’t mind a tank heating system, read on for our full thoughts on the Toto Washlet C2.

If you don’t need endless warm water and want the best deal on the most comfortable wash and dry experience on the market, the Toto Washlet C2 is the bidet seat for you. While it has a limited warm water supply due to its tank, it delivers a luxurious wash and dry cycle and even has extra features like a deodorizer and a pre-mist that sprays your toilet bowl when you sit down.

The Toto Washlet C2’s stream is really its main selling point. It was the most comfortable out of all the bidets we tested, with a thick, aerated spray that gave us the best cleaning experience. The oscillation function on the Toto was a great way to get a fuller, more thorough clean, and it also features a front wash and pulsating feature, although we didn’t find the pulsing function to add much to the experience.

The Toto’s stream was definitely the most comfortable we tested, with a thick but gentle spray that adjusts to specific levels so you can find just the right pressure. Compared to the Alpha JX, the Toto’s stream felt fuller and a tad more comfortable. The adjustability of the Toto’s stream was also better, as the differences between each level were more subtle. The highest pressure on the Alpha felt just right to us, but the other levels were way too soft.

Once you’re done with your wash, the dryer on the Toto C2 — just like its spray — is best in class. It felt the most comfortable, with a wide, even dry that really helped us cut back on toilet paper use. Plus, you can adjust the dryer over three heat settings to find what’s most comfortable for you. It was superior to the drying experience of the Alpha JX (which did the job but took longer).

On top of an extremely comfortable and effective wash, the Toto also has some extra features that aren’t must-haves but definitely make your bathroom experience all the more luxurious. One of these functions is a pre-mist feature, which is only available on Toto bidets. It turns on automatically when it senses someone sitting on the seat and sprays a mist onto your toilet bowl to lubricate the surface, which helps keep it clean. The deodorizer is also automatic, activating once you stand up to help your bathroom stay fresh.

Instead of a remote like the Alpha JX, the Toto C2’s controls are mounted on a sidearm. If you want a remote for the extra convenience, or you’re worried a bidet with an arm won’t fit in your bathroom, the Toto Washlet C5 is basically the same as the C2 but features a remote and added user profiles for about $50 more. However, we actually liked the sidearm better because unlike on the remote, all the buttons are labeled, so there’s no need to decipher and memorize symbols, which means it’s simple to use even if you’ve never sat on a bidet before.

So if you’re looking for a feature-filled bidet that will give you a wash so comfortable and effective you’ll be wondering how you ever just used toilet paper, the Toto Washlet C2 is your bidet. But, if the idea of infinite hot water strikes your fancy, you’ll be better served by the Alpha JX or our luxury pick, the Toto Washlet K300.

If you want the best of the best in a bidet seat, you’re going to love the Toto Washlet K300. This electric bidet seat features the same top-notch spray and dryer of the Toto C2 and C5, but instead of heating water with a tank, the K300 utilizes a coil heating system like the Alpha JX for instantaneous, infinite warm water.

The Toto Washlet K300 has the most features out of all the bidets we tested and, along with the Toto C2 and C5, the most effective and comfortable spray and dryer. If you have the money to spend, we can’t recommend the K300 enough.

Getting the superior spray of the Toto bidets paired with endless warm water results in a truly luxurious wash. Plus, the K300 has all the extra fancy features of the C2 and C5, including an automatic pre-mist and deodorizer, along with the same remote as the C5. In addition to more convenient control, this remote gives you the ability to set user presets. So when you find your perfect seat temperature, water temperature and dry temperature, on top of your preferred pressure and position, you can save it to one of two presets so you can quickly access the perfect wash at the press of a button.

The only real setback of the K300 is that it only comes in an elongated shape, which means if you have a round toilet, you’re out of luck. If you do have a round toilet and still want a luxurious bidet, we loved the Bio Bidet Bliss BB-2000, which is available in round shapes. The BB-2000 had the second-most-comfortable spray experience, and on top of the oscillation stream you’ll find on many bidet seats, it had a fantastic massage function that was our favorite spray pattern of any bidet we tested.

So if you want the best of both worlds and want extravagant features, the best stream and dryer on the market and an endless hot water supply to boot, there’s no doubt you’ll love the Toto Washlet K300.

Bidets have so many features, shapes and technologies that it’s hard to keep everything straight. So if you need a little guidance, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about bidets so you can have a better buying experience.

The simplest bidets are bidet attachments, which install underneath your existing toilet seat. Think of the Tushy Classic 3.0; you’re not replacing your seat, just putting a thin attachment underneath it. These attachments are by far the cheapest option, but you’re sacrificing a lot of comfort. For one, we found the stream in all of the attachments we tried to be much harsher than any of the electric bidet seats we tested. Plus, as we mentioned before, bidet seat attachments don’t have internal electric heaters, rely on hot water from your sink and, in all the options we tested, didn’t actually get noticeably warm during the time we spent washing.

If you want predictable, adjustable heating and more control over the stream, you’ll have to upgrade to an electric bidet seat. Electric bidet seats definitely cost more, but for the investment you get a big upgrade in experience. The streams are gentler and more effective, the water actually gets warm and you get other technologies like a heated seat and — our favorite feature — the dryer.

Electric bidet seats with a good dryer are a great purchase because not only do they give you a better experience on the toilet, but if you use the dryer after your wash, you end up using less toilet paper, which is great both for the earth and your wallet. We were expecting to use less toilet paper with all the bidets we tested but quickly found that bidet attachments leave you needing to pat dry, which often takes just as much toilet paper as you’d normally use. For that reason, if cutting back on toilet paper is a big motivation for your bidet purchase, we’d definitely recommend getting one with a dryer.

Now, electric bidet seats vary a lot in price due to the wide range of features and technologies available. Typically, tankless units (that use a coil heater to provide unlimited hot water) are more expensive than those that use a reserve tank to store enough hot water for a single use. Most bidets with endless hot water will cost you somewhere around $600, though our top pick, the Alpha JX, comes in a couple of hundred dollars cheaper, making it a great buy.

Once you know what sort of bidet you want, you now have to ensure that it fits on your toilet. In general, the first thing you’ll want to check is if you have a one-piece toilet or a two-piece toilet. A one-piece toilet has no separation between the bowl and the tank behind it, whereas a two-piece has a gap between those two elements. Basically all bidets will fit a two-piece toilet (you’ll just have to check bowl shape, but more on that in a second), but some one-piece designs don’t leave enough room to fit an attachment. So if you have a one-piece toilet you’ll want to make sure you don’t have one with a French curve (where the frame of the toilet between the bowl and the tank curves up), and you should always measure the space between the bowl and the tank to make sure it matches your desired bidet’s requirements.

If you want an electric bidet seat, next you’ll have to measure your bowl to see if it’s elongated or round. Most come in varieties to fit both, so you’ll want to ensure the bidet you purchase fits correctly. To see which measurements are which, check out this compatibility guide from BidetKing.

We won’t walk you through bidet installation step by step, as it is surprisingly simple — not much more difficult than installing any replacement toilet seat, plus a little plumbing — and most instruction manuals are quite clear, but it is good to note that for all bidets, you’ll have to remove your existing toilet seat. With attachments you’ll put the seat right back on, but with electric bidet seats you’ll mount the bidet onto your toilet and get rid of your old seat and lid. It’s good to check out how your current seat mounts beforehand, as some lids have a quick-release function, while others screw off, so be sure you know how yours works, as it could affect your installation.

If you go into the shopping experience knowing exactly what kind of toilet you have and what kind of bidet you want, it’s much easier to find the perfect one for you. Plus, installation becomes easier when you know your bidet actually fits.

We tested 19 bidets over the course of three months to find the best ones on the market. To do that, we installed each bidet and used it for at least two days, noting the effectiveness and adjustability of all its features.

We broke up our testing into two main categories: performance, and quality and design. Within each category, we conducted various tests and examined every aspect of each bidet from ease of installation to number of features, spray quality and so much more.

Here’s a breakdown of all the tests we ran:

Quality and design

This bidet attachment had the second-most-comfortable stream behind the Tushy but still wasn’t anywhere near as comfortable. It’s got one knob that controls both the front and rear wash, but you’re unable to adjust the position beyond that.

The Omigo Element+ has a dedicated front and rear wash instead of the general adjustability of the Tushy and isn’t anywhere near as comfortable.

The stream on the Brondell SimpleSpa Thinline felt thin and more aggressive than the other bidet attachments we tried. It wasn’t a comfortable experience and we’d definitely recommend the Tushy if you’re looking for a low-cost bidet.

This bidet is a slight upgrade from our runner-up bidet seat, the Toto Washlet C2, adding a remote control and the ability to set two user presets. It’s a fantastic bidet with an ultra-comfortable stream and dryer.

This bidet is a solid option with a comfortable and effective stream. Its spray wasn’t quite as good as Toto’s, and its dryer didn’t cover the wide area that Toto’s did, but it was comfortable, and in general, we really enjoyed using this bidet.

The LE99 Swash from Brondell is very similar to the LE89, but instead of a sidearm control panel, you can adjust all its settings with a remote control. Just like the LE89, it’s a solid bidet, but it could definitely use some improvements on its dryer.

The spray on the Brondell Swash DS275 wasn’t as good as that on the Toto Washlets. And similar to the other Brondell bidets, we didn’t think the dryer was as effective as the Toto’s. It does come with a massage function and a deodorizer, but we think the oscillation of the Toto C2 and Alpha JX do the job better, and if you want a deodorizer, go with a Toto.

Like the Alpha JX, the Alpha iX Hybrid also utilizes coil heating technology to instantly heat your water, but the iX’s wasn’t as good as its more full-featured sibling. In our testing, the temperature varied a lot and got cold during our wash. The spray also felt thinner and more uncomfortable than a lot of other seats we tested.

The Bidetmega 150’s spray wasn’t nearly as comfortable as the Toto’s or the Alpha JX’s, and the dryer wasn’t as effective as either of our picks either. Plus, installing the Coway bidets was by far the hardest out of all the options we tested. The T-valve you use to connect your bidet to your bathroom’s water line is divided into parts, meaning you have to find the properly sized adapters to attach the bidet. It adds an extra, confusing step and also gives the connection more points where it could leak.

The Bidetmega 200 is the same as the Bidetmega 150, but instead of a sidearm it’s got a remote control. Like the Bidetmega 150, it didn’t have the best stream or dryer and was more of a pain to install than other bidets.

If you want a luxury bidet but can’t find the Toto K300, we’d pick the Bio Bidet BB-2000 Bliss. It didn’t perform quite as well as the Toto K300, but it has a very comfortable spray and dryer, and its massage function was our favorite stream pattern out of all the bidets we tested. The remote is more complicated than the Toto’s, so it takes a while to learn what all the symbols mean and what they do.

The Tushy Ace was another solid luxury contender, but its stream and dryer comfort just couldn’t cut it against the Toto K300. It also doesn’t have the extra features the K300 does like user presets, pre-mist or a deodorizer. But, if you’re a Tushy loyalist, you won’t be let down.

The Coway Bidetmega 400 had a similarly frustrating installation process as the cheaper Coway bidets. The Bidetmega 400 has more features than the 150 and 200, however, its spray wasn’t as comfortable or effective as other top contenders, even though it automatically goes through a four-stage washing cycle unique to Coway bidets. It’s a nice luxury bidet, but if you’re willing to spend a little more we think you’ll be better served by a Toto or the Bio Bidet Bliss BB-2000.

The Brondell Swash 1400 and Omigo Luxury Bidet seemed to be the exact same bidet seat with different branding. The Swash 1400 didn’t have the most comfortable stream, and its dryer felt like it was only hitting half of the area it needed to. If you’re going to spend this much money on a bidet, we’d recommend the Toto K300 or the Bio Bidet Bliss BB-2000.

The Omigo Luxury Bidet felt and looked identical to the Brondell Swash 1400 and had similar problems, with a lackluster spray and ineffective dryer.

Read more from CNN Underscored’s hands-on testing: