Buying Guide

Honorable Mentions Photograph: Parker Hall There are a lot of great soundbars out there, and we don’t have room to feature them all. Here are some others you might want to consider. LG’s S95TR for $1,000-1,500: LG’s 9.1.5-channel soundbar (8/10, WIRED Recommends) doesn’t perform as well as Samsung’s flagship Q990 …

Others We Tested Photograph: Molly Higgins Petkit Eversweet Solo 2 for $50: I love three key features of this fountain: The bowl sits on top of a wireless charging base, so you don’t have to fiddle with cables, it is super easy to clean, and it’s very quiet at around …

From citizens of ancient civilizations rubbing clay powder into their hair to the first commercially available dry shampoo hitting the market in the 1940s, people have spent their entire lives trying to bridge the gap between dirty hair and busy lifestyles. I remember vividly my mom using baby powder in …

There is a lot to think about when shopping for or using a carpet cleaner, such as how much space you’ll need for storage and whether you should rent or buy. Here are some tips to keep in mind. Carpet cleaners are heavy and bulky, especially when filled with water. …

Forget the spendy flagship smartphone. Every year, I test a dozen or more devices to find the best cheap phones that perform where it counts and aren’t annoyingly slow. Wireless carriers in the US go out of their way to make expensive smartphones seem affordable. AT&T will advertise a Samsung …

Previous-Generation Cards Not everyone wants to spend $1,000 or more on a GPU, and you have a few options if you’re working on a tighter overall budget. Normally, I’d recommend a previous generation card, but the RTX 40 Series and AMD 7000 cards are almost entirely out of stock or …

Not all knives are created equal, and a chef’s knife is given that name for a reason. Like the proverbial dog to man, a chef needs their knife. Arguably the most important multipurpose tool you can find in a kitchen, it’s the chef’s main weapon—it can slice, dice, and chop …

The Best Cold brew coffee makers are a little like kindergarten art teachers for coffee. Cold brew mostly requires a whole lot of patience—and really the point is to let the coffee just express itself. The result is a refreshing and low-acidity brew that’s gentle on both the stomach and …

Day hiking packs come in a nearly endless array of shapes and sizes, with everything from ultra-minimalist frameless packs to 35-liter monsters with separate sleeping bag compartments. The best day hiking backpack for you will depend on what you’re doing, but after thousands of trail hours, here are some things …

My only gripe with the plush version is that it doesn’t have straps (the standard does, but I haven’t tested that). While it won’t slide off—it stays in place, thanks to the cotton cover—the corners do sometimes get bunched up when you’re changing sheets and need to be smoothed out. …