How to Use Your Smart Lock Better

To the uninitiated, a smart lock may seem like a trifling extravagance—a high-tech toy for gadget hounds. And if I’m honest, that’s not totally wrong! But that’s only if you think a smart lock is just a battery-powered regular lock and ignore all the excellent smart stuff it can do. After living with a rotating cast of a dozen or so smart locks in my home over the past five years, I’m convinced they provide such an upgrade in capabilities, convenience, and security that they ought to be installed in every home (you can check out our top picks here). If you’re curious about taking the plunge—or you already have and are wondering why I’m so irrationally exuberant about smart locks—here are a few of the smartest things a smart lock can do.

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The Best Wi-Fi Mesh-Networking Kits

There may be spots in your home where the Wi-Fi sucks, which is often more frustrating than no Wi-Fi at all. If you have a larger space, a mesh-networking kit may be the solution. Instead of using a single router, mesh-networking kits use multiple access points spread around your house to improve the range and performance of your Wi-Fi. After spending more than 200 hours evaluating and testing 24 mesh Wi-Fi networking kits in home and lab environments, we’re confident the Asus ZenWiFi AC (CT8) set is the best mesh-router choice for most people who need one.

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The Best Refrigerators

Almost any refrigerator will do what you expect it to do: preserve your food and keep it cold. So when you pick a new fridge, it’s a matter of finding something that suits your style, space, and budget. We have recommendations for a few of the most-popular types of fridges, including the best-selling type of all: big French-door refrigerators. If that’s what you’re after, our pick is the Whirlpool WRF535SMHZ.

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What to Know About Mattress Types

Even with a deluge of new offerings from startups and old-school mattress companies, all touting game-changing tech and the promise of a perfect night’s sleep, most mattresses fall into three simple categories: spring (aka innerspring), foam, and hybrid. We go into more depth about what to look for in our mattress buying guide, but if you’re shopping for a new mattress, you should try out at least a couple of each—you might be surprised by what you find comfortable.

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Saatva Mattress Reviews: An Honest Assessment

In the crowded field of online mattresses, Saatva stands apart in fundamental ways. It delivers its mattresses via truck, instead of in a box. And even though, like other online sellers, it has rapidly expanded its line, Saatva remains focused on a range of “luxury” designs, all costing more than $1,000 (for a queen).

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/saatva-mattress/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Innerspring Mattresses

If foam mattresses leave you feeling hot and bothered or simply stuck, a traditional innerspring mattress—inherently more breathable and resilient—may be your dream bed. Today’s innerspring options are worlds beyond the austere, creaky, or overly springy kind you likely slept on growing up. And you can order one online nowadays, often at a price similar to that of a foam mattress. The key is to know what you’re getting. That’s why we visited more than a dozen mattress showrooms and stores, interviewed experts, and pored over spec sheets to zero in on 12 contenders—which we then evaluated in our office with nearly 40 testers and slept on at home. Here are the seven we recommend.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-innerspring-mattress/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

Great Sleep Deals for Your Memorial Day Bedroom Makeover

Your relationship with your bed might be feeling a bit fraught these days. Since you’ve spent so many months at home, perhaps your sleeping quarters have unintentionally morphed into being your workspace/Zoom spot/snacking quarters as well. Or, with so many weighty issues at top of mind lately, maybe drifting off to dreamland has become more difficult than ever before.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/money/memorial-day-mattress-deals-2021/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

Why We Love the Vornado Air Circulator

The Vornado 630 Medium Air Circulator is simply the most powerful home fan you can find.

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The Best Hybrid Mattresses

Mattress companies pitch hybrids (which are part coil and part foam) as being the Goldilocks of beds: not too springy, not too foamy. But that middle range is vast. A few coils sandwiched between thick cuts of foam won’t add much resilience. A sliver of memory foam deep below the surface can’t tame the jiggle of a thousand springs.

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5 Deals to Avoid on Amazon Prime Day 2021

Amazon Prime Day is scheduled to launch sometime in June 2021, and there will be more deals than ever this year. Although some of those deals will certainly live up to the hype, it’s advisable to be wary of many advertised discounts and promotions. The Wirecutter Deals team will hunt in real time to find you the real Prime Day deals on our picks from Amazon (as well as from other stores hoping to capitalize on Prime Day fever, such as Best Buy, Target, and Walmart), but here are some deals and promos you should avoid from the outset.

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The Best Portable Bluetooth Speaker

Portable Bluetooth speakers are the easiest, most affordable way to spread the sound from your phone or tablet across a room, backyard, or beach blanket. Because Bluetooth speakers come in a variety of designs and sizes, it’s impossible to proclaim any one model perfect for every situation. But we think the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 will appeal to almost everyone. Its full, clear sound and its ultra-rugged, compact design make it a perfect travel companion.

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The Best Dog Nail Grinders

You probably need to trim your dog’s nails every four to six weeks, and—if your pet will tolerate the sound and feel—using a nail grinder is a method that makes it all but impossible to accidentally cut your dog. After testing six options, we like the Dremel 7300-PT 4.8V Pet Nail Grooming Tool because it is safe, cordless, and quiet, and lets you swap out grinding and polishing tips as needed.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-dog-nail-grinders/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Toilet Brush

Let’s face it, there’s nothing glamorous about a toilet brush—but there’s also no need for it to be an embarrassing eyesore. That’s why we like the clean, bristle-hiding design of the OXO Good Grips Compact Toilet Brush and Canister. After we spent more than 40 hours researching toilet cleaning, comparing 45 brushes, and interviewing a nationally renowned researcher of household germs, the OXO is the brush we’d choose to make scrubbing the toilet less of a chore.

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The Best USB-C Cables and Adapters

If you have a device with a USB-C port—such as a MacBook or other compatible laptop, an iPad Pro, a Nintendo Switch, or an Android phone—you need a cable to charge it and to transfer data to and from other devices. Unfortunately, when it comes to USB-C, even cables that look identical can behave very differently—for instance, a cable that charges your phone at top speed might be sluggish at transferring music files, or vice versa. We’ve tested 78 cables and 16 adapters to help you find the right one for your needs without overspending.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-usb-c-cables/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Standing Desks

No matter how great your office chair is, sitting in it all day isn't doing your body any favors. But being on your feet constantly isn’t good for your comfort or health, either. An electric, height-adjustable standing desk gives you the best of both worlds. Want a productivity and energy boost? Push a button to raise the desk so you can move a little while working. Feel like leaning back in your chair for some deep focus time? Push another button to lower the desk. After reevaluating our top picks and spending nearly three months testing four of the top standing desks, we’ve determined that the Uplift V2 is the best standing desk for most people. It accommodates a wide range of heights, it’s stable at even its tallest setting, and it features a greater variety of attractive customization options than you’ll find on any competitor.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-standing-desk/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Blue-Light Glasses

If you believe the hype, blue-light-blocking glasses will prevent headaches, decrease eye strain, and help you sleep like a baby. But most light sources (including the sun) produce blue light naturally and always have, so why are we suddenly trying to block it? And do these glasses do what they claim? The answer is murky, but we can tell you what scientists actually know about the dangers of blue light—and suggest some sturdy and stylish pairs of blue-light glasses you may want to try.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-blue-light-blocking-glasses/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Robes

A great robe can help you stay warm, cover up, or make your morning routine a bit more pleasant. It’s a little something to splurge on, a small luxury. After spending 100 hours researching robes and wearing 39 of them in half a dozen different materials, we’ve picked nine that we love for their softness, style, comfort, and practicality. We think most people will be able to find a great match here.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-robes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Gear for Making Pour-Over Coffee

There’s a reason pour-over is the preferred brewing method at high-end cafés: It’s a simple way to make coffee with intricate flavors that you might not get from a machine. For the best results, start with a good dripper. After brewing more than 150 cups, we found the Kalita Wave 185 Dripper to be the most consistent and easy to master. If you want to brew a truly great cup, we also recommend a grinder, kettle, and scale.

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The Best Mattresses for Side Sleepers

If you’re a side-sleeper, you need a cushy mattress to relieve pressure on your shoulders and hips. But it shouldn’t be too cushy because the gravitational pull will strain your spine. For most side-sleepers, that means choosing a medium-soft to medium mattress.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-mattresses-for-side-sleepers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Memory Foam Mattresses You Can Buy Online

Weeding through the endless foam-mattress options online can feel as exhausting as suffering through a bad night’s sleep. But we’ve tested dozens of mattresses since 2016 so you don’t have to.

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The Best Mattresses for 2021

Choosing the right mattress is one of the most important steps to getting a restful night’s sleep. It’s also one of the most challenging, because a perfect match is highly individual. We can’t pick a single best mattress. What our guides can do, however, is report on objective features, such as durability and construction, and provide unbiased first-hand impressions.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-mattress/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Adjustable Dumbbells

We lifted thousands of pounds of weight for hundreds of reps over four cumulative years, before the pandemic, to find the best set of adjustable dumbbells for at-home use. We think Core Home Fitness’s Adjustable Dumbbell Set—with a lightning-fast adjustment mechanism, a compact footprint, and a 5-to-50-pound load range—is the set that will work best for most exercisers. If it is unavailable, we continue to recommend the Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells, which have been a pick in this guide since 2016.

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How to Clean Area Rugs

Messes happen. Often where you least want them to. Whether the mess is caused by a pet having an accident, kids (or adults) spilling snacks, or someone tracking in mud, the area rugs in your home are especially primed for the messy parts of life. Some stains will be more stubborn than others, but the sooner you tackle them, the better your chances are of removing them. In addition to our own experience with cleaning up messes while testing dozens of rugs, we also spoke with Lisa Wagner, a second-generation rug cleaner and blogger at Rug Chick.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/guides/how-to-clean-rugs/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Bluetooth Transmitters for Home and Portable Use

Wireless headphones are great—until you want to use them with a source that lacks Bluetooth, such as an in-flight entertainment system, a Nintendo Switch, or an older TV. A Bluetooth transmitter solves this problem by making anything with an optical audio output or 3.5 mm/headphone jack Bluetooth-compatible. The best Bluetooth transmitter you can buy for use on the go is Mpow’s BH259A, while our favorite for connecting to your TV is Avantree’s Oasis Plus.

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The Best Chicken Coop and Accessories

Raising chickens is a joy. Hens lay colorful, delicious eggs, they’re delightful to be around, and they’re very photogenic. I often have a few hens surrounding me while I garden, and my daughter’s favorite likes to be picked up for cuddles. But my husband is less charmed. “I’ve spent some of the most disgusting moments of my life in that chicken coop,” he told me recently. Behind every glossy photo of a fluffy hen in a spotless designer coop, there are gritty realities that usually involve poop. Anyone considering a small backyard flock needs to understand the good, the bad, and the smelly before committing.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/guides/best-chicken-coops/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Charcoal Grill

Grilling with charcoal takes a little more time and attention than grilling with gas, but the payoff is that delicious smokey flavor you just can’t get from a propane flame. After spending two days cooking 40 pounds of burgers, BBQ, and whole chickens, we recommend the Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill 22″. Thanks to more than six decades of continuous refinement, it’s the most versatile, most user-friendly, and best-performing charcoal grill we’ve tested.

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The Best Smartphones

There’s no one smartphone that is best for everyone, but we’ve spent hundreds of hours testing scores of phones so that you can find the best one for you. The phone you buy will depend on your budget, your wireless carrier, and which of the major smartphone platforms—Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android—you’re already invested in. But whether you want a top-of-the-line phone or something more affordable, we have recommendations for iPhone and Android, and all of our picks are available for all the major US carriers.

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The Best Bathroom Scales

Bathroom scales need to do one thing: consistently give you a weight measurement that you can trust. After stepping on and off a total of 23 scales since 2015 (accounting for more than 750 weigh-ins), we’re confident that the compact, easy-to-read Etekcity EB9380H is the most accurate and precise basic digital bathroom scale under $50 (though, as with the vast majority of bathroom scales in its price range, the Etekcity is not perfect on those counts).

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/the-best-bathroom-scales/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Laptops

Smartphones and tablets may have taken over much of people’s screen time, but there’s still a need for a real computer sometimes—and for most people, that means a laptop. For school and office work and tasks like creating spreadsheets and editing video, there’s no good substitute for a decent keyboard and a big screen. But exactly which laptop you should get depends on how often you’ll use it, what you’ll use it for, and (of course) how much money you can afford to spend on it.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-laptops/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

How to Shop for a Used Laptop or Desktop PC

In the best of times, it’s hard to find a cheap computer with a screen that’s nice to look at, a keyboard and trackpad that are comfortable to use—or just not terrible—and fast-enough performance that won’t leave you waiting for apps and tabs to open. Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and a worldwide silicon chip shortage, the task is almost impossible.

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How to Revive an Old Computer for Your Kid—or Decide on a New One

More students and parents are attending school and work from home—either part time or full time—than ever before. But due to increased demand and supply-chain issues, new laptops are in short supply. So what should you do if you need a laptop for your kid right now?

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/buy-revive-laptop-for-kid/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Pellet Grill

If you dream of making slow-smoked meats from home but have little experience, a pellet grill might be right for you. Think of it as a smoky outdoor oven that cooks tender and moist brisket without constant babysitting. After testing three pellet grills and smoking 100 pounds of beef brisket, pork shoulder, and chicken, we think the Traeger Pro 575 is worth its admittedly high price: It’s the most precise, fuel-efficient, and well-built pellet grill we tried.

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The Best Monitors

Whether you’re buying a first or second monitor for your desktop computer or buying a big screen to use with your laptop at home, a good monitor is a wise investment. There’s no single monitor that will work best for everyone, but our monitor guides cover all kinds of different sizes, uses, and prices, from basic 24-inch budget models to big 4K screens to high-refresh-rate gaming monitors. Here are the best ones we can find, and what kinds of things they’re good for.

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Where to Buy N95s, KN95s, and Surgical-Style Masks You Can Trust

While vaccinations are now widely available, masks will likely remain some part of our lives for some time. And while medical-style masks were all but impossible to find early on in the pandemic (when most were reserved for front-line workers), they’re now much easier to get—and, in cases, your best bet for the most-protective face coverings. Still, separating the good options from the bad can be tough. In the past several months, we’ve tried 33 models (and counting) and confirmed their filtration claims with government agencies or our own lab testing performed in collaboration with Colorado State University. Here we recommend legitimate N95, KN95, and surgical masks you can buy from trusted retailers now.

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The Best Portable Power Strips and Surge Protectors With USB Charging

Wall outlets are in short supply on planes and busses and in airports and hotels, so packing a portable power strip is a must for frequent travelers. After researching dozens of models and testing the top contenders, we think the best power strip for North American travel is a product sold under two different brands: You can find it as either the Accell Home or Away Surge Protector or Tripp Lite Protect It 3-Outlet Surge Protector. They’re functionally identical, so just pick the one that’s cheaper when you’re ready to order. Both sell for about $20, have three outlets and two USB-A charging ports with adequate spacing for bulkier plugs, and are smaller and lighter than any other travel model we’ve tested.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-travel-power-strip-with-usb/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Cold-Brew Coffee Maker

You don’t have to go to a coffee shop to get a good cup of cold-brew coffee. We’ve found that the OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker offers the best way to make smooth, delicious iced coffee at home. It makes cold coffee with balanced acidity, a stronger aroma, and a cleaner finish than the 16 other coffee makers we’ve tested. On top of that, it’s the easiest to use and clean.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-cold-brew-coffee-maker/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed