Tag: underscored-travel-gear

The AirPods Pro 2 are as good as it gets for Apple users, with the best sound, controls and active noise cancellation you can find . Existing AirPods Pro owners don’t need to rush out and upgrade, but everyone else willing to invest the money is in for a treat.

Sony’s XB13 is the first piece of tech we’d throw in our bag this summer. This compact speaker pushes out sound much larger than its size, and the built-in cloth strap lets you securely attach it to a backpack, bike handlebars, or anywhere you want music.

Now priced less stratospherically, the great-sounding AirPods flagship headphones integrate seamlessly with your Mac and iPhone, let you access Apple’s nifty Spatial Audio pseudo-surround format and boast impressive noise cancellation and great controls, making these solid all-day companions.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 improve on the XM4, with a slimmer design and refined noise-canceling microphones — it’s the best over-ear Bluetooth headphone you can buy right now. XM4 owners have little reason to upgrade, but for anybody else, the XM5 are the high-end headphones to get.

The 1More SonoFlow wireless over-ear headphone sounds better and has more effective noise-canceling than anything we’ve tested at its low price. If you want all of these features on a budget, look no further.

We’ll make this really simple for you: If you want to spend less than $100 on wireless earbuds, you won’t find a better pair than the EarFun Air.

Perfect for commuting, the office, long flights or just around the house, the Bose 700 combine Bose’s industry-leading active noise cancellation with great sound and a new, more comfortable and stylish slimmed-down design.

With everything you need including a high-quality cartridge and helpful setup tools, the Fluance RT82 can get you started on the path to audiophile vinyl listening without breaking the bank.

The Streambar Pro sounds as good as soundbars costing twice as much, and offers more convenience along with it, with simple setup and Roku’s great streaming platform built in.

The Sony LinkBuds S offer excellent sound, strong noise cancellation and Sony’s actually smart Adaptive Sound Control to tailor performance to your surroundings. The LinkBuds S are a good buy for Android users, with support for LDAC high-res audio, and they work well with iOS, too.

The Bose Quiet Comfort Earbuds 2 offer the best noise cancellation you can get in earbuds, along with great sound, so if you’re looking to tune out the world around you for travel, office or home without resorting to a big over-ear headphone, this is the way to go.

The Remington Smart Beard Trimmer delivers a consistent, quick trim, can take a beating, and is packed with tons of useful technology that prioritizes convenience, making every trim as easy as possible.

The DryBar Detox Dry Shampoo was the best at absorbing oil, aptly removed sweat and dirt and had the most pleasing scent, leaving our panelists’ hair feeling cleaner and smelling better than any other dry shampoo we tried.

This is an all-around reliable moisturizer if you’re looking for a product to have in your vanity year-round, or want to test a low-risk option.

The Dyson Supersonic is expensive. Like, $430 expensive. But, man, does it live up to its hype. It dries hair at warp speed, blasts out heat at a whopping 70 mph, is much, much quieter than other models we tested, and is just futuristic and cool all around.

We found the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner requires little to no effort to create a precise wing, the liner has superior staying power and it didn’t irritate those of us with sensitive skin after full days of wear. As an added bonus, it’s available in a whopping 12 shades.

Heralded by beauty editors as the GOAT, the Beautyblender Original Makeup Sponge has lived up to its hype. While it’s slightly expensive, its quality (it didn’t disintegrate like others did over time) and effectiveness (it led to the cleanest application of the bunch) make it worth the money.

The Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick has thousands of 5-star ratings across the internet, and it’s easy to see why. True to its name, this product clings to your lips for hours upon hours, burritos and messy breakfast sandwiches be damned. It’s also surprisingly moisturizing for such a superior stay-put formula, a combo that’s rare to come by.

The Gillette SkinGuard stood out above all the other razors we tested, thanks to its extremely comfortable and easy shave. Its guarded razor made shaving a breeze, and we experienced zero tugging or irritation when using it. Along with its durability, ease of cleaning and additional precision blade, it was easily the best men’s razor we tried.

Billie The Razor Starter Kit came out on top for its user-friendly design, close shave and overall durability. With built-in charcoal soap for easy lubrication and a rubbery grip for easy handling, it made for a quick, comfortable shaving experience.

If you want to make real espresso drinks at home but you’re on a budget, the De’Longhi Stilosa will give you great coffee and steamed milk with a little practice.

With 40 settings for grind size, from super fine (espresso) to super coarse (French press), the Virtuoso+ gives you a consistent grind every time. Its sleek look and simple, intuitive controls, including a digital timer, allow for optimal convenience.

Blue Bottle’s coffee subscription won us over with its balance of variety, customizability and, most importantly, taste. The flavors are complex and bold, but unmistakably delicious. Beyond its coffee, Blue Bottle’s subscription is simple and easy to use, with tons of options to tailor to your caffeine needs.

Overall, the Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot scored highest. This sleek, sophisticated and streamlined carafe produces 1 liter (about 4 1/4 cups) of rich, robust brew in just eight hours. It was among the simplest to assemble, it executed an exemplary brew in about the shortest time span and it looked snazzy doing it. Plus, it rang up as the second most affordable of our inventory.

The Braun KF6050WH BrewSense Drip Coffee Maker produced consistently delicious, hot cups of coffee, brewed efficiently and cleanly, from sleek, relatively compact hardware that is turnkey to operate, and all for a reasonable price.

We found the flat-bottom, three-hole design of the Kalita Wave 185 Pour-Over Coffee Dripper allowed for the most even and consistent brewing of all models tested. The Kalita produced the most robust coffee, maintained spot-on temperature, and the most even saturation of the grounds.

The Breville-Nespresso VertuoPlus, uses pods that deliver both espresso and “regular” coffee, could simply not be beat for its convenience. Intuitive and a snap to use right out of the box, it looks sleek on the counter, contains a detached 60-ounce water reservoir so you don’t have to refill it with each use and delivers perfectly hot, delicious coffee with a simple tap of a lever and press of a button.

With easy-to-use alerts, four charging options, a bright LCD screen, a powerful flashlight and straightforward controls, the Midland ER310 outperformed the other radios we tested in every area and makes a valuable addition to your household emergency kit.

An easy-to-use ring-binder-style design, high-quality products and all the essentials recommended by the Red Cross means you’ll be sure to have everything you need and be able to find it when you need it.

Don’t let the rock-bottom price of this kit fool you — it provides a useful collection of name-brand items packed securely in an easy-to-transport case.

Easy to use, packed with the most up-to-date features and battery technology, and expandable enough to serve as a whole-house emergency generator, the EcoFlow Delta Pro beat impressive competitors in our testing, emerging as the best large solar generator.

This water bottle is so versatile we think every traveler and camper should have it. It boasts a built-in filter, so you can fill it up and drink water from basically anywhere, whether it’s a river or a bathroom sink. And since it’s collapsible, you can always find space to bring it along.

The Peloton Bike+ came out on top (but honestly, just barely) due to its sturdy construction, variety of knowledgeable, inspiring instructors and many high-quality off-the-bike classes. It’s a great something-for-everyone buy.

We used the Beats Fit Pro in the gym and all day for work, play and commutes, and found their secure, sweat-resistant design and superb audio make them a perfect fit for anyone’s workout, no matter whether you’re an Apple or Android user.

Featuring, as its name suggests, pockets big enough to stash things like your phone or wallet, we loved this pair for its comfort during workouts and everyday activities alike, high-quality construction, secure waistband and chic aesthetic.

The Patagonia Torrentshell outperformed all the other jackets we tested in key areas. It’s ridiculously waterproof and will keep you bone-dry in the worst rain, not to mention it’s extremely breathable, durable and comes with Patagonia’s lifetime Ironclad Guarantee.

Pulling this thin, elegant glass scale out of the box, we were immediately sold on its simple good looks. The design of this scale is on par with several we tested that were far more expensive. It’s sleek and lightweight, and it fits in places most people like to stash a scale — like under the bed, a dresser or a very slim bathroom vanity.

The Hawaiian Tropic Island Sport Sunscreen Spray scored miles above every other sunscreen we tested. An SPF 30, broad-spectrum, chemical formulation, this spray sunscreen applied super-light, rubbed into the skin right away and smelled deliciously of coconut.

The Yeti Rambler came out on top during our testing thanks to its stellar thermoregulation, amazing durability and fantastic chug cap that gives you a comfortable and quick drinking experience while maintaining easy access to the superwide mouth.

Functional, breathable and incredibly comfortable, the Geox New Aneko B Abx Woman kept our feet dry through puddles, rainfall and spills. We ordered a half size up for a great fit.

If you’re looking for a sweat-wicking, breathable legging that’ll move with you no matter how brutal your workout is, and a pair that’s so comfortable you’ll nearly forget you’re wearing it at all, the Lululemon Align Pant is an investment we can get behind.

Hands down our favorite feature of the mat is the fact that it’s dual-sided, with a smooth and sticky polyurethane-coated top side and a textured natural rubber bottom side that provides loads of traction. Beyond that, though, we also loved that the mat is slightly oversized and provides ample cushion given its 5-millimeter thickness.

The Shokz OpenRun Pro bone conduction headphones don’t sound as good as sealed earbuds like the Beats Fit Pro, but we loved them for running and hiking, since they let you hear your surroundings as clearly as you would without wearing headphones at all.

All of our testers — even those with 38G and 36DD chest sizes — found the ultra-supportive Nike Dri-Fit Swoosh to be the most comfortable sports bra they’d ever worn. The soft, breathable, sweat-wicking fabric and simple zip-front design kept everyone comfortable even in high-octane workouts.

For under $50, the Razer Kraken X delivers some of the best comfort and sound quality out of all of the affordable wired headsets we tested. It also works well with nearly every platform, thanks to its versatile 3.5mm wired headphone connection.

The Acer XF243Y is an inexpensive way to get in on HDR gaming. With a 1080p IPS display and 144Hz refresh rate, it performs outside its weight class while still being affordable for most budgets.

Asus’ top-of-the-line 4K monitor has the best picture quality we tested along with incredibly low input lag — it’s expensive, but it’s the best gaming monitor we’ve found, and for serious gamers who can make the investment, it’s the one to get.

When it comes to a keyboard that checks all of the possible boxes and then some, the Apex Pro shines bright, delivering extreme value with adjustable switches, individual key lighting and an OLED display that makes quickly changing settings a breeze.

The Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition offers the best combination of performance, battery life and features for the price, all packed into an attractive and highly customizable design.

The Corsair Dark Core RGB does it all. It’s a gaming mouse that offers wired and wireless connectivity, a comfortable and adjustable grip and eight programmable buttons.

The MSI Aegis RS delivers high-end performance in blockbuster games for an affordable price, and has plenty of space for future upgrades.

If you’re a bidet beginner and don’t want to spend too much money, the Tushy Classic mounts under your existing toilet seat and gives you a comfortable stream with just enough adjustability.

Affordable, full-featured, effective and compatible with many varieties of replacement brush heads from Philips and third parties, the Sonicare 4100 is a great way to improve your oral hygiene routine. A gentle mode makes it easy for beginners to get used to high-tech brushing.

The gas-fueled Ooni Koda 16 had the most even heat distribution of the gas ovens we tested, making for fuss-free operation and perfectly charred and blistered artisanal pizza crust.

The Ooni Karu 16 was the simplest-to-use multi-fuel oven we tested, with straightforward switching between wood and gas and easy fuel loading — plus it made great artisanal pizzas with either fuel source.

The Brooklinen sheets are soft and light, wicking heat away effectively for people who sleep warm, but still regulating heat nicely in cooler climates. Simultaneously high-end and already perfectly worn in, these were delightful from the first touch.

Fresh out of the box, Frontgate’s Resort Cotton Bath Towel was among the most luxurious-feeling in our testing pool. Thick, soft and snuggly, this product truly feels like a fine hotel bathing experience. At a generous 58 inches by 30 inches, it looks the part too, with a lush surface punctuated by a nice 2-inch-long trim near each towel end.

The Alpha JX bidet seat features an instantaneous and endless supply of warm water along with a fully adjustable stream, dryer, remote and heated seat, making it the best bidet on the market, especially for the price.

The Proven’s Mosquito and Tick Spray proved to be a winner during our user testing. Proven was nice and light to the point we barely felt it on our skin. While you might forget you’re wearing it, though, bugs won’t.

Ring Alarm Pro wasn’t just the most seamless to set up and customize with a range of add-ons, but it offers features that other systems can’t match.

The TaoTronics Cool Mist Humidifier was a breeze to use from the start. It was packaged so that the unit was easy to remove and assemble, and it was filled and misting quickly. The bulk of this humidifier is the tank, so it takes up minimal space, which is just one reason this humidifier ranked as our top choice. It was also a standout when it came to cleaning, which is huge if you’ve ever dealt with a gross, moldy humidifier filter or tank.

The Honeywell Quietset Whole Room tower fan is well built, quiet and affordable, with a solid, stable build and a beautiful, colorfully laid out control panel that was simpler to figure out and use than the competition. It was easier to assemble than the other tower fans we tested, with tool-free construction and a simple connection to the base that was a lot easier to deal with than the other tower models we looked at.

The Frigidaire dehumidifier was among the best performers in our testing, plus i has a superior interface and is easier to use than the competition.

Lightweight, super-steamy, able to get rid of even the stubbornest of wrinkles and priced affordably, Maytag’s M400 practically had us looking forward to laundry day. Heating up in a lightning-fast 39 seconds, the quickest of all irons we tested, it also features a handy indicator light that turns green to alert you it’s ready.

The Happy Light Luxe by Verilux is sleek, slim, packable and stable, and its well-thought-out controls — which were missing from almost every other light that we tested — made customizing the experience a pleasure.

We loved the Kohler Forte Shower Head’s three spray settings: There’s the drenching, full-coverage rain shower, the pulsating massage and the “silk spray” setting that is basically a super-dense mist.

With accurate readings and a positioning sensor that shines a light on your forehead, plus a silent option and an easy to read LED display, the Braun No-Touch thermometer offers everything you need in a thermometer.

Ring’s Video Doorbell 2 Pro uses radar to give you highly accurate motion alerts, has stellar looking video with a wide, tall field of view and crisp audio, and can even show you on a map the route someone took as they made their way to your door.

Midea’s U-shaped design makes installation a cinch and keeps the compressor outside, making it quieter than other ACs. It cooled the room more quickly and more effectively thanks to a motorized vent that effectively moves to waft cold air throughout the room.

This full-featured cordless flosser takes up little space on the counter, but has a big reservoir that keeps you flossing — plus it was a pleasure to use in our testing.

Easy to use, with a built in-timer, multiple modes and a simple app that guides kids through the brushing session. The Philips Sonicare for Kids makes brushing effective and fun.

Arlo’s Essential Indoor Security Camera is built with privacy in mind, easy to set up and inexpensive, with a monthly storage plan. The video quality is top-notch, motion alerts are prompt and audio sounds great.

The Logitech Circle View has a wide viewing angle, sharp video and solid built-in privacy features. It’s been around for a couple of years, but is still the best camera for Apple households.

The only electric pizza oven we tested, the Breville Pizzaiolo was our favorite oven overall because of its predictable, consistent results and even cooking.

Easier to operate than the competition, self-propelled and, best of all, great at cutting grass, the Ego Power+ Select Cut electric lawn mower packs plenty of power to get through mowing a standard lawn on a single charge and almost makes the chore fun.

With a range of steam settings and attachments that let you take care of any type of clothing, and a stable, simple-to-use design, the Conair Turbo Extreme Steam Handheld Fabric Steamer combines ease of use with maximum functionality.

Its heavy-duty feel, combined with the reasonable price tag, convenient controls and standout cooking results, made it easy to declare this fryer the best overall.

This fryer was extremely easy to use and allows you to air fry, bake, reheat or roast just about anything, thanks especially to its comparatively large fryer basket.

The Breville Super Q features a slew of preset buttons, comes in multiple colors, includes key accessories and is quieter than other models. It does carry a steep price tag, but for those who can’t imagine a smoothie-less morning, what breaks down to about $1.30 a day over a year seems like a bargain.

The KitchenAid 5-Quart Artisan Series Tilt-Head Stand Mixer delivered the best performance of the mixers we tested. With more than 20 available colors and a classic profile, you’ll want to keep this tilt-head mixer on display in your kitchen.

The GE Smart Countertop Microwave provides steady performance in a compact package with an intuitive interface, and the smart features make setup simple.

If you prefer a bowl-lift mixer because it feels sturdier, the KitchenAid Professional 600 Series is a solid upgrade option from the Artisan series. It has a bigger stainless steel bowl and a more powerful motor that can handle bigger batches and recipes.

The Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy consistently had the best results in all of our cooking tests. It cooks perfectly fluffy rice every time and has handy features that make it a must for people who cook and eat rice regularly.

Nutribullet’s inexpensive take on the hand blender is simple to operate, has many of the features of its much pricier counterparts, and produces fab results.

Besides doing an admirable job at blending up creamy soups and smoothies, the Ninja Professional Plus Blender comes with a number of presets, as well as low, medium and high manual settings. It doesn’t have the heft or quality materials of the high-performance blenders we tested, but for casual users, it won’t disappoint.

The Lodge Chef Collection 12-Inch Skillet rose to the top of our rankings for not only delivering great results across all of our testing criteria but also for its affordable price. Weighing just 6.5 pounds, the Chef Collection comes pre-seasoned with 100% natural vegetable oil and has two slightly larger pour spouts that allowed us to deftly remove oil from the pan without a dribble in sight. It outperformed most of its much higher-priced competitors at nearly every test we threw at it.

The Zojirushi Virtuoso Plus is expensive for sure, but in this case, you get what you pay for. Each loaf we baked turned out beautifully, as if it came straight from our favorite bakery, with a crisp, golden-brown crust; soft, even crumb; perfect rise; airy, fluffy texture; and delicious taste.

The Teakhaus Professional is a cutting board made from teak, a wood that stands up to heavy use, is resistant to stains and knife cuts, cleans up easily, is heavy enough to stay in place while you work and is reasonably priced compared to other wooden cutting boards of similar quality. Plus, it’s beautiful enough to earn a permanent spot on your kitchen countertop.

The Lodge Enameled 6-Quart Cast-Iron Dutch Oven’s shiny, smooth finish had zero flaws out of the box, and the ombre blue hue was just plain pretty. Its 6-quart size was just right for all sorts of tasks. Its large handles and the lid’s amply sized metal knob are both features that make using a heavy pan easier. And its slightly sloped sides allowed a spatula to scrape up everything along the edges.

The 22-inch Weber was the easiest to control temperature on during our testing, making it easy to cook hamburgers medium rare and juicy chicken with a solid sear. The large enclosed ash pan makes for easy cleanup, and it also boasts a built-in thermometer and lid hook.

The Kona BBQ Grill Brush features a durable, stainless steel brush head that, according to the manufacturer, works best when dipped in water. This proved true in our testing, and the wet brush melts away any leftover food or gunk on the grill. The solid brush head ensures that no bristles, wire bits, food or residue from the tool is left behind on your grill.

This Cuisinart mixer caught our eye right out of the box, with a sleek design and sturdy build that felt stable in the hand. Testing confirmed our initial impression, with the appliance scoring top marks across the board for function — easily mixing, whisking, beating and kneading — as well as ease of use and storage.

The Cuisinart 1.5-Quart Frozen Yogurt ICE-21P1 is incredibly easy to use, and made one of the smoothest ice creams, with only a little iciness, of all the ice cream makers we tested. While it was one of the loudest machines we tested, it also churned ice cream faster than many of its competitors (it only took about 15 minutes for both of the recipes we tested), so you won’t have to suffer through the noise for too long.

The price of the ThermoWorks Thermapen One may make you raise an eyebrow, but based on our testing, it’s worth every penny. The backlit display is easy to read, and the digits automatically adjust their orientation when holding the thermometer vertically — something that was exclusive to this model.

This knife block set lets you easily take on almost any cutting jobl. Not only did the core knives included (chef’s, paring, utility and serrated) perform admirably, but the set included a bevy of extras, including a full set of steak knives. We were blown away by their solid construction and reliable execution for such an incredible value. The knives stayed sharp through our multitude of tests, and we were big fans of the cushion-grip handles that kept them from slipping.

Simplicity and reliability is what you’ll get with this scale. It can measure grams, pounds, ounces and milliliters, all the way up to 11.24 pounds. Of all the options we tested under $20, this one handled the most weight. When measuring the same item several times and/or comparing it to other scales, its accuracy was dependable.

If you’re a minimalist and prefer to have just a single pan in your kitchen, then you’d be set with the T-fal E76597. This pan’s depth gives it multipurpose functionality: It cooks standard frying pan foods like eggs and meats, and its 2.5-inch sides are tall enough to prepare recipes you’d usually reserve for pots, like rices and stews. It’s a high-quality and affordable pan that outperformed some of the more expensive ones in our testing field.

The Spiralizer 7-Blade Spiral Slicer impressed us with the fact that every veggie we tested — on all seven provided blades — turned out perfect spirals, with almost all requiring barely any exertion on our part. There are blades for vermicelli, spaghetti, fettuccine, curly fry, chips/ribbons, fine groovy chips and coarse groovy chips, and they’re all clearly labeled by name. The spiralizer is dishwasher-safe and comes with a lifetime warranty.

The Cuisinart 3-in-1 Cook Central Multicooker gave us perfectly cooked meals, and while it’s very easy to use, it offers the best range of useful functions — browning, sautéing and steaming — of all the slow cookers we tested.

If you need a machine that makes great waffles, doesn’t take up too much of your precious counter space and still lets you make multiple waffles per batch, then this waffle maker may be the perfect waffle maker for you. This model goes a step beyond most flip waffle makers, featuring two sets of waffle grills, one on each side of the flip mechanism, so you can make two rounds of waffles at once — a real bonus for a hungry breakfast crowd.

The Brita Standard Everyday Water Filter Pitcher was a cinch to set up, left water free of any odd flavoring, features a simple pouring mechanism and is ideally designed for storage within a fridge.

Lever-style wine openers are meant to be stable and easy to use, and the Rabbit Wine Corkscrew With Foil Cutter satisfies this most important requirement. During our testing, we got the cork out of our bottle in three seconds, as advertised. There was no setup or assembly required prior to use, and the silicone-lined exterior of this opener felt immediately comfortable in-hand upon unboxing.

The understated, well-built Toshiba EM131A5C-BS Countertop Microwave outshone more expensive models and delivered even heat and consistent results.

The simple, functional Cuisinart 4-Slice Compact Toaster outperformed more expensive models and produced crispy toast with even browning. With two sets of controls to tailor toast for the whole family, it’s a no-brainer for your counter.

The stunning Dualit NewGen 2-Slice Toaster is a kitchen obsessive’s dream. Assembled by hand (and priced accordingly), its manual controls let you peek at your toast without interrupting the heating cycle.

Large enough to fit nine slices of toast, easy to use and with even heat distribution, this toaster oven features a variety of cooking functions, comes with handy accessories and produces premium results.

Sleek and stylish, KitchenAid’s countertop oven adds air fryer to the mix, is a cinch to operate and performs as great as it looks.

The durable, affordable Nordic Ware uncoated aluminum pan performed as well as more expensive sheet pans in our testing and remained flat without warping even above its rated temperatures.

The attractive Willams-Sonoma has a true non-stick coating, the heft to avoid warping even at high temperatures and is dishwasher safe for easy cleanup.

Our favorite thing about this mask is its adjustable nose wire, which lets you get the perfect light-blocking, lock-in-place fit. Many masks we tested had a slight crack of light around the nose bridge. This mask, though, formed the best seal around the edges, blocking out more light than any other mask we tested.

With the Brooklinen Down Comforter, we truly felt like we were sleeping on a cloud and never wanted to get out of bed. Between the softness of the outer material and the fluffiness of the fill, it’s one of those comforters that make you want to stay in bed all day, 12 months a year.

Made from crisp, luxe percale, the Brooklinen Classic Duvet Cover is light and airy, with large, easy-to-fasten buttons, and comes in tons of colors to suit any style.

Marlow’s cooling memory foam pillow is prepared to meet the needs of all sleepers providing comfort and support all while taking the guesswork out of the pillow shopping process.

The Eden pillow from Coop Home Goods is supportive and plush, and lets you adjust its fill to accommodate your preferences for height and firmness, making it the best, most versatile pillow we tested.

The Parachute down alternative pillow has a soft and squishy fill that never got lumpy, even after multiple nights of sleeping and washing. We found the medium firmness pillow soft and supportive for both back and side sleeping, and firmer and softer versions are available for those needing more or less support.

The plush, cloud-like Garnet Hill Heirloom pillow is 100% down, making for a silent and extra-comfortable sleeping experience. Unlike some other down pillows we tested, it keeps its shape through the night, with no flattening, and it comes in soft, medium and firm densities to suit your needs for support.

The crispest set we tested, Casper’s percale sheets were the best we tried for hot sleepers. They are light and airy while wicking away sweat, and feel ultra-smooth to slip into at night.

Brooklinen’s gauzy percale material manages to be softer than others we tried, while still effectively cooling. Available in more fun patterns and colors than any other set we tried, they’re ideal for people tired of neutrals or wanting to take their bedroom decor up a notch.

Luxurious without feeling overly thick or too weighty, Garnet Hill offers a delectably comfortable flannel sheet at a mid- to high-end price point, starting at $197 for a queen set (which includes two pillowcases, a fitted sheet and a flat sheet). These flannels come in lots of varieties of color and size, and instill confidence you’re getting a quality product that’ll last for years to come.

Very close to our overall favorite because it is both supremely cozy and the most lightweight of all the sets we tested is West Elm’s organic flannel sheet, which starts at $135 for a full set. These sheets didn’t come out on top because they’re available in only two colors and cannot be ordered à la carte like Garnet Hill’s sheets.

Luxurious without feeling overly thick or too weighty, Garnet Hill offers a delectably comfortable flannel sheet at a mid- to high-end price point, from $197 for a Queen set (which includes two pillowcases, a fitted sheet and a flat sheet). These flannels come in lots of varieties of color and size, and instill confidence you’re getting a quality product that’ll last for years to come.

Well made, luxurious to the touch and with the most versatile shopping options (six sizes, nine colors and the ability to order individual sheets), these linen sheets from Parachute were, by a narrow margin, our favorite set. From the satisfying unboxing to a sumptuous sleep, with a la carte availability, Parachute set the gold standard in linen luxury.

Fishers Finery — made from the finest silk available — felt luxuriously silky, fit our pillows perfectly, offered beautiful nights of sleep and were easy to wash and dry both by hand and in the machine.

The Jall Wooden Digital Alarm Clock looks great and has everything you need in an alarm clock. It’s simple to set, read and use, and can wake you dependably with multiple alarms.

The Sound+Sleep Mini contains 48 different sounds, like rain, brooks, fans, ocean sounds, white noise, and many more. The other devices we tested feature some of these soundscapes, but the Mini is one of the only ones that has them all.

In addition to providing the most comfortable night’s sleep during testing, the King Koil Luxury Air Mattress uses a built-in pump for quick and convenient inflation, and features a raised pillow that helps mimic the feel of a real bed.

The Saatva pillow was a favorite, supportive enough while squishy and malleable in the best way. The outer layer is filled with down-alternative fibers and a removable inner core made of shredded latex is completely encased so the fill doesn’t spill out.

The supportive Eli & Elm Side Sleeper pillow has a U-shaped cutout that makes room for your shoulder when sleeping on your side. It also cradled our necks well when we slept on our backs, so it’s great for anyone who shifts positions.

The Sony A90J has the best picture quality we’ve ever tested, with superb detail and hyper accurate colors. It’s one of the brightest OLED TVs we’ve seen, supports all the standards videophiles demand and lets you access everything easily.

The Oral-B iO Series 9 offers more features and modes than any electric toothbrush we tested, from multiple modes to suit any brushing goal to a connected app that really provides useful feedback. It’s pricey, but a 60-day guarantee makes it easy to see if it will work for you.

The Wyze Bulb Color ticks all the boxes you want from a smart bulb, outpacing all other bulbs we tested — no matter their price point. If you prefer a white light, you have the option to adjust the temperature, changing the resulting light from warmer, orange glows to cooler, more natural white light.

The Echo Show 8 is the best smart display we tested, with a versatile 8-inch screen in a build that really fits anywhere. It can do everything you’d expect from a smart display, and Alexa can respond to your queries both vocally and visually.

The Chamberlain MyQ can manage up to two garage doors, and the wireless hub makes it easy to install. With a price tag of only $29.99, it’s also an excellent value for a basic smart garage controller.

The Wyze Plug has everything a smart plug needs —- a plug to go into your current outlet, an outlet on the front to plug other devices in and connectivity to make it controllable —- and excels at the overall experience.

The Nest Learning Thermostat studies your habits and controls the temperature in your home automatically. These smarts, along with the simple interface, make it best in class.

Amazon’s fourth-gen Echo is the biggest redesign to the original smart speaker; Amazon swapped the tall cylinder design for a spherical one. Not only does this give it a more appealing aesthetic than most competing speakers, but the form factor also aids in delivering richer and clearer sound with ample access to Alexa smarts.

The Govee Wi-Fi RGBIC Strip Lights perform brilliantly and give you longer lengths and more coverage for less money than the competition. The easy-to-use app lets you create warm ambiances and color-changing special effects for entertaining or everyday use.

If you own a Pixel phone or want a smartwatch with the full fitness capabilities of a Fitbit, the Pixel Watch is for you. Just note that its battery life falls behind the Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch.

The Apple Watch Series 8 is the new Apple smartwatch to get for first-time buyers or anyone coming from a Series 4 or older. Everyone else can hold out for a more meaningful upgrade.

If you’re a serious athlete or adventurer — or simply willing to pay up for the most advanced Apple Watch experience out there — the Apple Watch Ultra is worth the money. For everyone else, the Apple Watch Series 8 remains a great pick.

If you prefer Android, then the Galaxy S22 (or the larger S22+) is the way to go. These phones offer beautiful displays, long battery life, superb cameras and some of the best performance we’ve ever gotten out of a smartphone. Plus, these phones look great, with a glass-and-metal build that comes in four attractive colors.

If you’re looking to spend less than $500 on an Android phone, it doesn’t get much better than the Google Pixel 6a.

The Galaxy Watch 5 is the best Android smartwatch for most people, offering long battery life, good performance and plenty of fitness tracking capabilities.

The iPhone 14 is the best new iPhone for most people, particularly if you’re coming from an iPhone 12 or older. Those willing to invest in a more significant upgrade should go with the iPhone 14 Pro.

The sleek, waterproof Kindle Paperwhite features a large 6.8-inch screen and warmth adjustment, and most of the features we like from the more expensive Oasis, making it the best e-reader for the money.

With access to Amazon’s vast library, a display that’s adjustable enough to let you read without fatigue in almost any light, easy-to-use controls and a comfortable design, the Kindle Oasis is the best e-reader we’ve tested. While you don’t technically need an Amazon account to use the Kindle Oasis, you’ll probably want to register in order to have access to the millions of Kindle books available from the Kindle library.

The Away Carry-On has thoughtful organization, smart features and chic design, all at a fair price. It’s durable too, standing up to our abuse and featuring smooth YKK zippers, an aluminum telescopic handle and four easy-glide double Hinomoto spinner wheels.

With fantastic internal organization and compression, a durable exterior and comfortable handles, the Away Medium suitcase was the most well-rounded bag we tested, with a great combination of maneuverability, capacity, durability and style.

The Anker PowerCore 13000 packs a ton of value. You can quickly charge a lot with the PowerCore 13000; it can bring an iPhone 11 to full charge two and a half times, or two Samsung Galaxy S20s from empty to more than 90%. And you won’t be sitting by idly for too long, either, as the PowerCore 13000 takes just 41 minutes to charge an iPhone 11 to 50%, tying for fastest charging in our testing.

The Cabeau Evolution S3 updates the standard U-shaped travel pillow design with raised sides that gently cradled our head and neck when we used it. The S3’s flat back also rested relatively flush against our seat, preventing our head from uncomfortably jutting forward, while an adjustable front clasp let us slightly tighten or loosen the neck opening to our liking, which makes it possible to tailor the pillow to travelers of different sizes.

A dual-channel camera that includes front and rear video cameras, this Nextbase unit was the easiest to use and delivered the most impressive image quality in our testing.

Although it doesn’t have a screen, the budget-friendly Scosche camera has by far the easiest mobile app to use, and promises quick and easy video playback whenever you need it.

A big battery and reservoir, along with fully waterproof construction, make this a perfect travel companion. It’s easy to use and maneuver, and just as easy to pack away.

A solid, heavy-duty cooler that’s built to last, this Yeti model kept things cold for two full days in our testing, is durable enough to stand up to serious abuse and has enough room to hold 28 cans with plenty of ice.

Designed for maximum portability, this 4-pound RTIC soft cooler features multiple convenient carrying options and a heavy-duty nylon shell is durable enough for any outdoor adventure.

The iRobot j7+ is the best robot vacuum you can buy right now. It beat out all the others in mapping, creating virtual boundaries and detecting and avoiding obstacles, which means it’s the best “set it and forget it” smart robot vacuum — and it even empties itself. More importantly, it picks up dust and debris and cat litter from hardwood floors and low-pile carpeting better than the others we tested.

The Eufy 11s may not be smart, but its brute force approach covered our test area almost as well as the connected robots, plus it’s quiet, slim enough to reach under most furniture and does a great job cleaning.

The budget-priced iLife V3S Pro uses a suction tube like a traditional vacuum cleaner rather than the roller brushes employed by other robot vacuums, and does a better job picking up pet hair without clogging.

If you want the convenience of a self-emptying vacuum but want to save a couple of hundred dollars over an iRobot or Samsung, the Shark IQ XL cleans and performs almost as well for a lot less.

The Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni offers the best hands-off cleaning experience and fast and accurate mapping, and won’t mop your carpeting. The cleaning station empties the robot’s dustbin, cleans its mop and refills the water tank.

The Miele Classic C1 Turbo Team PowerLine is a powerful, maneuverable and built-to-last canister vacuum. It has six suction speeds and is great to use on hard floors and upholstery. Its suction-powered turbo brush is also excellent for dislodging hair and dust out of low-pile carpets and rugs.

With great cleaning power and maneuverability, the Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away NV501 was a standout in all of our testing. It was one of the easiest vacuum cleaners to maneuver, thanks to its swivel head and fairly light weight. It comes with an upholstery tool, a dusting brush and a crevice tool, which all worked well. An extra bonus was how neatly the attachments fit onto the machine. They’re easy to grab and remove, and they don’t get in the way when you’re using other features.

With impressive power and the ability to tackle cleaning tasks on surfaces ranging from high-pile carpet to hard floors, the Dyson V11 Animal is the most capable cordless stick vacuum we tested.

No matter what content you’re watching, the 55-inch TCL 6-Series TV makes it look good. It zooms past the 5-Series with better color accuracy and holds up better at various viewing angles. The 6-Series features Mini LEDs, meaning it packs more LEDs behind the panel to allow the TV to illuminate more specific details when creating an image. The result is a strong image with vibrant colors and strong contrast points.

The Roku Ultra is fast, responsive, delivers the widest variety of streaming services through up-to-date apps and lets you find everything easily with universal search, for a reasonable price.

The Fire TV Omni QLED has a decent picture for a 4K TV at its price. But it integrates Alexa better than other TVs, making it a powerhouse for managing your smart home. Ambient Experience turns your TV into an always-on display — for better or worse.

The Dell XPS 13 packs a gorgeous, lightweight, slim and highly portable design for working anywhere, a nearly borderless display that makes content pop and a powerful 11th Gen Intel processor that can burn through most workloads with ease.

The Surface Pro 8 delivers fast performance, a vivid display and an excellent keyboard within a versatile, detachable design.

The MacBook Air M2 is the best Apple laptop for most people, perfect for everyday multitasking and able to handle a good amount of gaming and video editing. It’s the fastest laptop you can get for the money, and an especially big upgrade if you’re coming from an Intel-powered Mac.

The Dell XPS 13 is the best Windows laptop you can buy, offering a stunning display, a great keyboard and long battery life within an attractive, slim design that’s easy to take anywhere.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro offers beastly performance for serious power users, as well as the best ports, display and speakers you can find on a MacBook.

The ninth-gen iPad stood out as the best overall option in our testing, thanks to a faster processor that crushes everyday tasks with ease. It mixes performance and value in a way that no other tablet can, and tosses in support for core iPad accessories.

The iPhone 12 and 13 can charge twice as fast via MagSafe as they can over standard wireless charging, and the magnets built into the phones and charger ensure perfect alignment every time. Too bad the cable’s so short, though.

The latest Amazon Fire 7 tablet is a great and affordable option for kids or anyone who just wants a basic device for reading and watching shows. It’s also an ideal content consumption device for younger kids, when you need an extra device in the house or when you’re taking a car trip or vacation.

The Galaxy Tab S8+ impresses with a vibrant, clear display that’s great for play and has plenty of power for nearly any task. If you’re already invested in Samsung’s ecosystem of products, this tab slots in nicely with the rest of the company’s Galaxy products. It’s perfect for using as a secondary computer — that is, a tool for drawing, video calls and responding to emails or Slack messages.

If you’re looking for a compact charger with modern fast-charging support to go with a new phone that ships without one, the PowerPort Nano Pro 511 does a great job at an affordable price.

Quiet, stable and simple to customize and configure, the Keychron Q1 was the best built and most comfortable to type on out of all the keyboards we tested.

If you prefer a low-profile model, the comfortable, feature-packed, wireless Keychron K3 Version 2 is a vast improvement in feel over membrane keyboards and fits into any desktop setup.

The compact, portable K380 offers a typing experience that compares to keyboards twice its price, plus two years of battery life and pairing with three devices.

Without question, PocketGuard is our favorite budget app. It’s easy to set up an account and straightforward to use. The app is available from the Apple Store and Google Play, and there’s a desktop version if you get sick of the tiny screen on your phone.

The Yeti consistently delivered warm, bright voice recordings, preserving every detail of our voice without any distortion or crackling. It sounded nearly identical to its more expensive sibling (the $169 Yeti X, which offers more sound customization and LED lighting), and was richer and crisper sounding than premium rivals like the HyperX QuadCast S.

After many hours of testing with a multitude of content and workflows, the 23.8-inch L24q-30 monitor stood out The super-slim bezels don’t distract the eye from its vibrant panel, and the small footprint will fit into any workspace. A blue-light filter helps decrease eye strain, making it ideal for longer workdays.

The updated Logitech MX Master 3S is comfortable to use, has tons of controls, and connects to three devices over Bluetooth; you can switch between them with a button, or even control and drag and drop files from one to another — even cross-platform — with Logitech’s Flow software.

The Logitech Z407 computer speakers leverage the company’s years of experience in building computer peripherals, delivering a versatile, high-quality pair of speakers that doesn’t break the bank. Perhaps the best thing about these speakers is how great they sound for the price, boasting relatively crisp highs with a well-tuned mid range.

We found the Logitech Ergo K860’s wave-like split keyboard to be phenomenally comfortable. It allows your shoulders and hands to rest in a more natural position. Add the cozy palm rest along the bottom edge and you’ll find yourself sitting pretty comfortably.

The WD My Passport solid-state drive is not the cheapest external drive, but you do get what you pay for. Files transfer quickly: We were able to back up Word documents in just a few seconds, full photo albums in less than 20 seconds and even large video files in under a minute.

The full-size, full featured Logitech MX Keys offers a terrific typing experience, easy device switching, and simple customization.

Anker’s Powerline II is a basic cable that does everything well. Our stress testing (and long-term use of this cable) leads us to suspect it will hold up well over time. It’s available in 3- and 6-foot lengths and white, black or gray colors.

Eero continues to make Wi-Fi easier and better for the masses with a streamlined setup, wide-ranging coverage, high speeds and affordability combined with easy-to-manage parental controls, ad blocking and network security.

Branch’s standing desk is simple, affordable and easy to use, and has a sturdy build and a design that doesn’t distract. You can also opt for white or black legs, and tops in white, gray or woodgrain finishes.

The Steelcase Series 1 stood out as one of the most customizable, high-quality, comfortable office chairs we tested, beating out chairs double the price — making it the best bang for the buck.

1Password offers the total package: security, usability, features and pricing. After signing up for your account, which includes the option for a free 14-day trial, you can download an app or a browser extension. The apps and extensions are used to create, fill and store your complex passwords so you don’t have to remember them.

The UE Boom 3 gives you robust, 360-degree sound in a waterproof, dust-proof canister that you can take everywhere. It’s pretty much everything you could want in a Bluetooth speaker for the price.

The HP Envy Pro 6455e is a feature-filled and reliable unit that proves you don’t need to spend a ton for great performance. As an all-in-one unit it offers quality prints across text and visually heavy tasks alike, while also being able to scan and copy with ease.

The Emart 10-Inch Standing Ring Light comes with a tripod that’s fully adjustable — from 19 inches to 50 inches — making it a great option whether you’re using a computer webcam, phone or camera. Three light modes (warm, cool and a nice mix of the two) and 11 brightness levels ensure you’re always framed in the right light.

Throughout the entire process, TurboTax is the easiest to use, helping you figure out which forms you need in a customer-friendly way and offering live customer support whenever you need it. From the moment you arrive at the TurboTax website, the company holds your hand to help you figure out the right software version to use for your specific taxes.

Anker’s Powerline + II USB-C cable is the latest version of our favorite cable; it’s durable and functional, with a braided jacket, robust connectors, and handles up to 60 watts of power for fast charging. And it’s backed by a lifetime warranty.

Like the rest of the company’s recent chargers, the Anker PowerPort Atom III Slim is based on GaN (Gallium Nitride) rather than silicon, which conducts electricity more efficiently, stays cooler, and thus allows for smaller, lighter electronics. With 45 watts of power, support for all the major fast-charging standards, cool-running GaN circuitry and a slim design that makes it easy to plug in anywhere, the PowerPort Atom III was the most versatile single-port charger we tested.

If you’re looking to expand the functionality of a 13-inch laptop (such as a MacBook Air or Dell XPS 13), the Satechi Multi-Port Adapter V2 is the best hub of its kind we tested in terms of overall speed and reliability. Satechi’s sleek “Space Gray” hub stands out against the rest of our testing pool, having one of the sleekest designs and some of the fastest data transfer speeds.

The Logitech C920S is the best webcam overall, delivering excellent picture quality in both bright and dim lighting conditions. Its design is sturdy and versatile, and it has some handy companion software for customizing your shots.

We were blown away by the performance of TP-Link’s RE605X, a Wi-Fi 6 extender that does everything it needs to do without any extra fuss or software bloat. During our testing, it gave us consistent, high performance across 90 percent of our benchmarks. Easy to configure and use, the Wi-Fi 6-compatible TP-Link RE605X provided the best wireless signal over the widest area of all the extenders we tested.