4 Worthwhile Deals on Gaming Essentials

Between the release of FromSoftware’s newest title, Elden Ring, and the arrival of the second installment in Guerrilla Games’s Horizon series, Forbidden West, it’s a good month to be a gamer. If you want to step up your setup before jumping into one of these exciting and punishing new worlds, we have a few deals to help. Below are four discounts on gaming essentials that can help you get the most out of your hobby. Even better: They’re all available for the lowest prices we’ve seen.

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10 of Our Staff’s Favorite Products From Black-Owned Businesses

Black-owned companies are a vital piece of the business ecosystem, and supporting them helps to address disparities in the racial wealth gap, build entrepreneurial opportunities, and offer support and resources to local communities. If you’re looking to shop from more Black-owned businesses, our Wirecutter experts have got you covered. Whether you’re in need of candles, conditioner, or card games, you can find some of our favorite products through these Black-owned companies.

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The Best Hex Wrenches

For installing towel bars, tightening door handles, or assembling IKEA furniture, a home toolbox should have a good selection of hex wrenches (commonly known by the trademarked name Allen wrenches). We had three carpenters test 11 top models, and our favorite set is the TEKTON 25282 26-piece Long Arm Ball Hex Key Wrench Set.

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Why We Love Duralex Picardie Drinking Glasses

Tumblers are probably the most-used glasses in your cupboard, whether you’re drinking juice or a smoothie in the morning or just a cold glass of water on a hot day. I believe the items I use daily should be beautiful, which is why I’ve been using the Duralex Picardie glasses for years.

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The Best Dishwashers

Any dishwasher—even a cheap one—can clean your breakfast bowls and dinner plates, as long as you use a decent detergent. But the best dishwashers can handle the tough jobs and are also quiet, reliable, and easy to load. After digging through thousands of customer reviews and stress-testing 17 models with seriously crusty dishes, we’ve concluded that the Bosch 300 Series is the first one you should consider.

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The Best Memory Foam Pillows

If your current down or down-alternative pillow seems comfortable at first but sinks too low while you sleep, or if you wake up with pain in your head, neck, and shoulders, you might like a memory-foam pillow instead—they’re firmer, and they keep their shape. These generally come in four types of foam: shredded, single slab, layered, and contoured. We tried 18 memory-foam pillows and picked our favorite of each type, but the one most popular with our testers was the adjustable shredded-foam Nest Bedding Easy Breather Pillow.

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The Best Air Mattress

You’ll quickly know when you’ve got a crappy air mattress—whether it has a slow, steady sink from a leak or a sputtering pump that calls it quits before the job is done. After researching dozens of air mattresses and testing seven, we think the SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress won’t let you down. Its robust built-in pump, bed-like sleep surface, and reliable warranty make it the one to choose for guests.

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How to Choose the Best Running Shoes for You

Good running shoes can make the difference between a run realized and a run refused. And even though zeroing in on the right pair for your feet and goals can involve some trial and error, the payoff is real: You’ll have shoes that lay the groundwork for a comfortable, rewarding, and enduring pursuit—whether you’re running primarily for your health or for personal bests.

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The Best Refrigerators

Most refrigerators work fine. And fridges come in so many different looks and layouts that we can’t pick the “best” ones. But based on a survey of more than 5,000 Wirecutter readers and an AI-assisted analysis of 28,000 customer reviews, we can give you guidance on how to find the fridge that’s right for you.

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How to Reduce Your Energy Bill (in Any Season) With a Single Smart Home Device

No matter where in the country you live, opening your monthly energy bill can feel like a crapshoot. What will the damage be? To improve your chances in this financial roulette game, consider a smart Wi-Fi thermostat. Smart thermostats can’t work miracles, but they can save you real money—for example, Google says that Nest owners typically save 10 to 15 percent on their energy bill, and Ecobee claims savings as high as 26 percent for someone whose home is always set at 72.

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The Best Water Fountain for Cats and Dogs

A source of clean running water encourages pets to drink—which can play an important role in long-term health, especially for cats. After three years of testing, we still think that the Catit Flower Fountain is easier to maintain and easier for pets to drink out of than any other electric fountain we found.

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4 Small Smart Devices That Can Prevent Major Home Damage

I don’t like surprises, especially the kind that cost me money. Our sump pump failed one winter during a flash thaw, but I didn’t find out about it until several inches of water ruined the electronics, books, and furniture in our basement. I could have avoided that damage with a simple smart water-leak sensor, which would have alerted me to the problem early. If you’re the kind of person who loses sleep worrying about home catastrophes, you can ease your anxiety with fairly inexpensive smart-home sensors that can detect small problems before they become big expensive ones.

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4 Budget-Friendly Deals Under $40

At Wirecutter, we prioritize value. That means the best tool for the job may not always be the cheapest but instead the best suited to your needs. Unfortunately, budgets don’t always align with that principle—and that’s when the Deals team steps in. We round up all of the Wirecutter-approved favorites and find the best deals available. Who said you can’t have your cake and eat it, too?

Today, we’ve found four deals under $40, so you can get what you need without going over your budget.

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The Best Cashmere Sweaters

Nothing can soothe the sharp chills of cold weather quite like a soft, snuggly cashmere sweater. Once a prohibitively priced luxury, cashmere now seems to be sold almost everywhere, often at suspiciously low prices. But the differences between a $50 sweater and a $500 one are still mostly (and purposely) shrouded in mystery. So we set out to discover exactly how to buy a good cashmere sweater, and to learn whether pricier brands are really worth the money. Then we tested 22 cashmere sweaters for men and women to find our six favorite sweater-weather must-haves.

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The Best Electric Toothbrush for Kids

Dental cavities are the most common chronic disease of childhood, and one in five kids will develop a cavity by around the time they enter kindergarten. Though an electric toothbrush isn’t guaranteed to eliminate dental issues, experts say an electric brush can make it easier for some kids to achieve good brushing habits. After 16 hours of research and testing, we think the Quip Kids Electric Toothbrush is an effective, kid-friendly choice.

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The Best Electric Toothbrush

If you find an automated two-minute timer helpful or simply prefer the feeling of brushing with a powered assist, you may find upgrading to an electric toothbrush worthwhile. After more than 100 total hours of research, interviewing experts, evaluating nearly every model available, and testing 36 toothbrushes ourselves in hundreds of trials at the bathroom sink, we’ve found that the Oral-B Pro 1000 is the best electric toothbrush for most people. It has the fewest fancy features of the models we tested, but it does have the most important things experts recommend—a built-in two-minute timer and access to one of the most extensive and affordable lines of replaceable toothbrush heads available—for the lowest price.

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How to Clean Electric Razors, Trimmers, and Clippers

Electric razors are an efficient way to get a clean-cut face without risking razor nicks or having to deal with shaving cream. But keeping them clean isn’t quite as straightforward.

Many newer razors come with “self-cleaning stations” (which boast all-in-one charging, sanitizing, and lubricating), but they often cost more than $100 and take up valuable space on a bathroom counter. Fortunately, it’s easy to keep your razor clean without this fancy piece of bathroom tech. And many of the tools and techniques for an electric razor also apply to trimmers or clippers, too.

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The Best Vacuum Cleaners

If you want an affordable, versatile vacuum cleaner—nothing fancy, but something dependably solid—look for a bagless upright vacuum that costs about $150. It will work well for most people in most homes. (The Shark Navigator line has been our favorite for this style for many years.) But if you’re looking for something different, we’ve also rounded up the best of the rest—from cordless sticks and long-lasting canisters to cheap handhelds and even robots—for all types of homes.

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Here Are 7 of Our Favorite DIY Lifehacks

Here at Wirecutter, we aim to provide quality recommendations of products worth spending your money on. But our knowledge goes well beyond items you can purchase. Wirecutter’s experts are well versed in hacks that transform everyday items you likely already have sitting around—no purchase necessary.

Whether you’re in need of a cat bed or a bottle warmer, these DIY alternatives will save you money while revealing some unexpected uses for common household items.

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The Best Drip Coffee Maker

Although even a cheap drip coffee maker can fulfill your basic need for a big, hot pot of coffee first thing in the morning, only a great machine will ensure that your pot consistently tastes delicious. To start the day off on the right foot—or with the right cup—we recommend the OXO Brew 9 Cup Coffee Maker. It’s fast and convenient, with a programmable start time and a well-insulated carafe, and it makes great coffee.

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The Best Office Chair

Many cheap office chairs make you feel like you’ve been crammed into a torturous economy seat on a cross-country flight, but quality office chairs upgrade you to first class—they’re designed to support your body comfortably for the long haul. We’ve researched dozens of office chairs, interviewed four ergonomics experts, and asked test panelists with a variety of body types to sit in deliberation for over 175 collective hours. And since 2015, we’ve found that the Steelcase Gesture is the best office chair for most people.

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Our Favorite Lego Sets for Adults

For some people, those grimy old Lego bricks stuffed into the closet of their childhood bedroom feel like relics from a past lifetime. Others of us have (proudly!) never let them go. From an ice cream truck to the Batmobile to a 9,000-piece replica of the Titanic or a miniature version of the Seinfeld set, there’s a ton of variety to appeal to Adult Fans of Lego, better known as AFOLs.

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Lego Isn’t Just for Kids. Here’s How to Become an Adult Lego Master.

Like many Gen Xers, I rediscovered my childhood love of Lego when the company began releasing Star Wars–themed sets back in 1999.¹ That specific licensing, combined with the soothing nature of building the sets, was a double dopamine hit of nostalgia for this ’80s kid. And from then on I’d pick up a couple of new releases each year for the memory trip.

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The Best Bluetooth Headphone Adapter

If you’re still attached to a favorite pair of wired headphones but you want to mate it with a Bluetooth device (like a newer phone that lacks a headphone jack), we think the FiiO μBTR is the best Bluetooth receiver/headphone adapter for the job. It sounds good, its design is small but intuitive, and a convenient clip makes it easier to use on the move than competitors. But the best option for most people who want to listen wirelessly to their phone, tablet, or computer is to buy a set of good Bluetooth headphones, which generally offer easier-to-use controls and a better-placed microphone for improved call quality.

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The Cold-Weather Running Gear You Need This Winter

Running in the cold, whether you consider it invigorating or torturous, takes guts—and preparation.

“It makes me feel like a badass,” said Minnesota-based Verna Volker, founder of Native Women Running. “I grew up in the southwest and never thought I would ever run in Minnesota winters, but I am hooked.”

Mild temperatures of 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit allow for the most efficient transfer of heat out of the body, wilderness-medicine expert Dr. Richard Ingebretsen told us—which explains why that range often feels so terrific to run in. (Research on the relationship between air temperature and marathon performance, however, has found wider optimum spans.) But as temperatures drop, and as heat loss accelerates, the body can’t compensate fast enough. Dressing strategically can mean the difference between embracing outdoor winter exercise and sticking with the treadmill.

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The Best Electric Stoves and Ranges

A good electric stove (or range, whatever you call them) should allow you to easily cook a full-size meal and keep it warm—on the stove or in the oven. Over the years, we’ve researched and reviewed different electric freestanding stoves in person and online. The GE JB735 stood out from the pack. It comes in five different finishes, and it has as complete a set of cooking features as you’ll find in a range that costs less than $1,000.

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