Many brands have spent an incredible amount of money and time to convince us that we need to spend ridiculous sums to keep a drink cold. It's not true. Coolers aren't complicated, which is a good thing to remember in the face of all that advertising. After many years evaluating more than 40 models of coolers, we've chosen seven that are well-made, well-insulated, and fit a range of outings.
If you’re looking to include a little one in your two-wheeled travels, a kids bike seat is likely the simplest and most affordable way to go. We spent over 100 hours researching more than two-dozen kids bike seats, and we rode 300-plus miles in and around Austin, Texas, with 10 different seats in 2020 and 2021. After all that, we’re confident the Thule Yepp Maxi is the best rear-mount seat, with the Thule Yepp Nexxt Maxi coming in a close second. The Thule Yepp Nexxt Mini is our favorite front-mount seat (kids age out of front-mount seats sooner). If you’re looking for a seat that costs a bit less, we also have a new budget pick: the Burley Dash.
A wearable fitness tracker can help you monitor your steps, strides, sleep, and more. Since 2015, we’ve spent more than two total months running, walking, swimming, cycling, sleeping, and, in short, living with 28 fitness trackers day and night to assess their accuracy, ease of use, and comfort. Although no tracker perfectly recorded every metric it attempted to, we’re confident that the easy-to-use and long-lasting Fitbit Charge 4 is the best option for most people who want to use a fitness tracker to monitor their movements and take steps toward improving their health.
Every year for the past decade, Intel has released a new generation of its Core processors. And every year, we’ve recommended that people buy the newest version they can get—if you’re paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for a computer, you should get one that will feel fast and run all the apps you use for as long as possible. But Intel’s 11th-generation Core processors are a little different, and there are some models we don’t think you should buy.
Specifically, the 11th-generation Core i5, i7, and i9 processors that will be available in many desktop computers in the next couple of months are difficult to recommend because they are only a little faster than the 10th-generation processors they replace, and because they run much hotter and use much more electricity than either those 10th-generation processors or competing AMD Ryzen chips do. Here’s what you need to know about the problems with these processors, what you should look for instead if you’re shopping for a desktop PC, and why, in contrast, we believe Intel’s 11th-generation laptop processors are safe to buy.
After 20 hours of new research and testing, we found that the best external desktop hard drive for most people is Western Digital’s 4 TB My Book. The My Book is reliable, fast, and less expensive than the other desktop drives we tested, plus it has enough space for your future storage needs and a long, three-year warranty.
Resistance bands are versatile strength training tools. They’re lightweight and portable, and they cost less than a month’s membership at most gyms, yet they can significantly enhance strength training workouts. We considered 24 sets of bands and tested 12, and found that the Bodylastics Stackable Tube Resistance Bands are the best—and safest to use—for most people. If you’re looking for superbands for pull-up assistance or mini bands for physical therapy exercises, we have picks for those, too.
I hadn’t looked into the Apple Watch much at all before receiving one as a gift a couple of years ago. I had filed the device (apathetically but neatly) under “sports gadgets that I don’t need to care about” and called it a day. At no point did I pause to consider how such a gadget could be useful outside of a sporting context, or how it could potentially be tailored to assist and accommodate the unique needs of a neurodivergent individual.
A nonstick pan is the best tool for cooking fluffy omelets, whisper-thin crepes, and delicate fish fillets—without the risk of your food sticking to the bottom. After cooking many dozens of eggs, pounds of fish, and countless crepes, we think the Tramontina 10-Inch Professional Restaurant Fry Pan is the best value for the money; in some cases, it outperforms pans that are more than twice the price. We’ve been cooking in ours since 2016, and although it’s not brand-new slick anymore, it still releases fried eggs and omelets without resistance. Apart from its durable coating, the Tramontina pan offers good heat distribution and excellent maneuverability.
Outdoor speakers bring the music, radio, and podcasts we most love to one of the places we most love: the backyard. We think the OSD Audio AP650 is your best choice in an outdoor speaker because it is built to tolerate harsh weather and ward off invasion by dust and bugs, it mounts easily in all sorts of situations, and it can play loudly even when connected to a small, low-powered amplifier.
To keep mosquitoes away from your deck or patio without slathering your skin in bug repellent, get the Thermacell Radius Zone Mosquito Repellent Gen 2.0. After 45 hours researching a category full of marketing hype and debunked methods (including popular options like citronella candles), we found that the Radius stands out by actually being effective. Its rechargeable six-and-a-half-hour battery lasts long enough to odorlessly keep a bedroom-sized area mosquito-free for an entire evening—as long as there’s no breeze.
Garden hoses are unremarkable when they work well, but if they underperform, they’ll drive you insane. After several years of testing—washing cars, gardening, pressure washing driveways, and doing other hosey home chores—we found the Dramm ColorStorm Premium Rubber Hose (50 feet) is the all-purpose garden hose we’d invest in. It’s not perfectly kink-proof—none of them are—but its sturdiness and dependable performance go far beyond that of the twisted, knotted, worthless garbage hoses that probably inspired you to search for something better.
The built-in microphones on most computers don’t do your voice justice—they pick up too much room noise, add too much fuzz, and dull your warm and natural speaking tone. A standalone mic connected via USB will help you sound your best, whether you frequently sit in on conference calls or record podcasts. After testing more than 30 USB microphones over the past eight years with the help of audio professionals, we’ve found that the Blue Yeti is still the best microphone for most people.
Office headsets meet a very specific need: You want to take or make calls from your computer, and you want to hear and be heard over the distracting noise that surrounds you (whether that noise comes from a busy office full of coworkers or a home office full of kids and pets). Wireless headsets can connect to your phone and allow you to talk even when you’re dozens of feet away from your desk. Less expensive wired headsets eliminate battery-life concerns and stress over potential Bluetooth issues. After testing 15 headsets for over four months, we think the Jabra Evolve2 65 is the best wireless headset and the Jabra Evolve2 30 is the best wired headset. Both offer the sound quality, comfort, and noise cancelling that professionals who spend all day on the phone want.
Some people think white sneakers look their best when they’re beaten up and worn in. Others know that you never scuff up a pair of pristine Jordans (video). If you do want to clean your sneakers, the effort required depends on the material of the shoes. But at the very least, you should be able to get them looking a little less grimy.
Rice is one of the world’s most versatile foods: You could eat a different rice dish every day for weeks without getting bored. If that sounds appealing, you might appreciate a great rice cooker, which can turn out perfect, plump grains with almost no effort. After more than 150 hours of research and testing, during which we’ve cooked approximately 275 pounds of rice, we recommend the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy NS-ZCC10. It makes the best white rice across all grain types of any cooker we’ve tested, and it also turns out great brown rice.
A great pair of bookshelf speakers is one of the best investments a music lover can make. It should last for years and deliver better performance than you can get from the majority of all-in-one Bluetooth and Wi-Fi speakers that are all the rage now. The Q Acoustics 3020i is our favorite pair of passive bookshelf speakers to mate with your favorite stereo receiver, while the excellent Edifier S1000MKII pair is a more complete option with built-in amplifiers and Bluetooth.
If you can’t quite fit a full-size washer or dryer in your home, a 24-inch washer and ventless dryer pair will usually work instead. After 25 hours of research into 22 compact washers and 24 dryers, your best bet in this style is probably the Bosch 300 Series WAT28400UC washer and WTG86400UC dryer.
A stylus isn’t a necessary accessory for your iPad, but if you want to draw or take notes, or if you simply prefer a digital pen for navigating, Zagg’s Pro Stylus can significantly improve the experience. We’ve tested every major stylus, and Zagg’s stands above them all with the best combination of accuracy, features, and price.
If you’re not already invested in Android, an iPad is a better tablet in general than any current Android tablet, even for people who need to use Google’s apps and services. But if you absolutely need an Android tablet right now, either to run specific apps or because you really prefer Android, the best option is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite. It isn’t the cheapest or most powerful Android tablet, but it does offer the best combination of speed, display quality, software updates, and affordability.
We’ve tested dozens of food-storage containers over the years, subjecting them to repeated freezing, microwaving, and 3-foot drops onto hard floors. We’ve learned that most containers will break or wear down eventually, but we’re confident that our picks are the best options out there for stashing leftovers, packing lunches, or sharing at potlucks. If you prefer glass (which is odor-resistant and often oven-safe, though heavy), we recommend the durable Pyrex Simply Store 18-Piece Set. For plastic (which is lighter and less likely to shatter), we recommend the leakproof Snapware Total Solution 20-Piece Food Storage Set. Both are affordable options that will provide you with years of use.
Plant parenting can be so much more than a pastime. It’s an opportunity to convene with nature, even inside a cramped apartment. For those who enjoy hobbies with a little ambition built in, houseplants offer the thrill of seeing your babies pop out new shoots and sprout new growth. Depending on which plants you choose, they’re also something green (or pink! or purple!) and gorgeous to look at, to show off, or to act as a room’s centerpiece.
If you play a lot of PC games, a more comfortable mouse with fast response times, a precise sensor, more customizable buttons, and pretty lights can be a worthwhile upgrade over a regular ol’ mouse. We tested 33 gaming mice this year—in addition to the so, so many we’ve tested in past years—to find the best wired and wireless gaming mice for most hand sizes and most grip styles.
We get it. You don’t race in the Tour de France. You don’t ride off cliffs, Ã la Red Bull Rampage. You can’t even do a wheelie. All the same, if you ride a bike—even just to work and back—you should wear a helmet. Slick leaves, loose gravel, wet trolley tracks, they can all bring you down, so protect your noggin. Since 2015, we’ve examined more than 70 helmets and tested 21 in person to determine that the classic Specialized Echelon II is the best bike helmet for commuters.
More than a year into the coronavirus pandemic, there’s still a good deal of confusion over what type of face covering is best and how to effectively wear one. Although medical-style masks are more readily available now than they were early on, and they may provide superior filtration in comparison with cloth masks, issues related to fit, comfort, counterfeits, and cost mean that cloth masks remain a go-to tool for slowing the spread of SARS-CoV-2.
When you’re playing fast-paced first-person shooters and complex strategy games on your PC, you can’t beat the accuracy of a keyboard and mouse. But a gamepad is still a great addition to any gaming PC if you play platforming, puzzle, or retro games, or if you’re more comfortable with a controller. Microsoft’s latest Xbox Wireless Controller—the same one you’d buy for an Xbox Series X or S—is the best controller you can buy for PC gaming because it’s comfortable and supported by most games.
Robot vacuums never get bored or distracted, and they don’t mind working every day. In most homes, they keep the floors tidy with barely any effort—pet hair and crumbs disappear before you even notice a mess. After testing dozens of bots, including pricey machines that can also mop, empty themselves, or try (in vain) to steer around pet waste, we think most people should look first at the simple, tried-and-true iRobot Roomba 600 series.
Handheld vacuums can go where bigger vacuums can’t. They make it easy to ferret out crumbs from between couch cushions, or dirt from under car seats. We’ve looked at 165 different hand vacuums over more than 100 hours of research and testing since 2013, and we think the Black+Decker 20V Max Lithium Pivot BDH2000PL is the best hand vacuum for most people.
Do you need a special backpack to help you stay hydrated during a hike? The short answer: no! But a hydration pack (a backpack with a built-in water reservoir) makes it easier to stay hydrated on the trail. After three months of hiking, we like the Osprey Skarab 18 (for people over 5-foot-8) and the Osprey Skimmer 16 (for those under 5-foot-8) because they’re well made, relatively inexpensive, and big enough to hold the gear and water you’ll need for a three-hour hike.
Unless your carpets are subjected to marathon-levels of foot traffic, you likely don't need to buy an upright carpet cleaner. Aside from spot-cleaning major stains, one wash per year is plenty for most people, so it makes more sense to rent a machine or hire a pro. But if you want fresh-looking rugs at all times, get the Bissell DeepClean Lift-Off 66E1. We tested eight models, and this was the only one that completely cleaned up our mess.
The best sunscreen for your face is the one you’ll be up for using every day. We had four testers with different skin types and complexions test seven sunscreens over several weeks, and we concluded that Supergoop Play Everyday Lotion SPF 50 with Sunflower Extract will fit that bill for many people. All testers agreed that it rubs in easily, isn’t greasy, and has only a slight, inoffensive scent. But sunscreen is personal, so we have other picks that are a bit more moisturizing, play better on dark skin or under makeup, contain no chemical UV filters, and smell differently.
After more than 70 collective hours of research and testing since 2014, we still think the tri-ply All-Clad Stainless 12″ Covered Fry Pan is the best skillet for the money. It’s a durable pan that heats extremely evenly. No other pan gets the kind of raves the All-Clad receives from professionals, enthusiasts, and home cooks alike. Yes, it’s expensive, but we think it’s worth the money considering it will last a lifetime.
Your Android phone likely includes records of everywhere you go alongside most, if not all, of your digital communication and Internet search history. Although it’s impossible to have perfect privacy on any smartphone, there are plenty of settings you can adjust to minimize the amount of data that companies collect about you.
Everyone needs a password manager, but that doesn’t mean getting started with one isn’t intimidating. 1Password has long been one of our favorite password managers, but it can be a bit baffling to use at first. And even if you’ve been using it for years, as I have, you may have never bothered to find uses for all the other little features it offers, including secure notes and documents.
