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The Best Socks

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 17:06:24 +0000

If you want to get people talking, ask ’em about socks: You’ll be rewarded with a veritable laundry heap of deeply held opinions. I know this because, when I started working on this guide, I asked my colleagues to share their thoughts on the subject. And — within minutes — more than 70 responses tumbled in.

It’s no surprise that socks elicit strong feelings. Lousy ones tap into a host of pet peeves and sensory ickiness (think: itchy fabric, too-tight bands, and bunching seams.)

But an excellent pair can spark real delight — serving as the runaway star of an outfit or as a soft landing at the end of a long day. Some socks even have the power to bring stinky feet to heel.

I put more than 90 pairs to the test, with help from two Wirecutter style editors, nine additional co-workers, and seven paid testers. We landed on 35 winners that will suit a wide variety of preferences, climates, and budgets. (While we made sure to find lower-priced options, we recognize that many socks out there — including some that emerged as our testers’ favorites — are surprisingly spendy.)

Read on to find out which socks we’ll be wearing, gifting, and passionately gabbing about for seasons to come.

The Best Cheap Coffee Maker

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 17:05:18 +0000

When it comes to brewing good coffee, even an inexpensive coffee maker can get the job done. Since 2016, we’ve tested 18 promising cheap coffee makers, and we think the Ninja CE251 is your best option. In addition to brewing better-tasting, hotter coffee than the rest of the models we've tested, it’s easy to program and use, plus it looks great on the counter.

The 42 Absolute Best White Elephant Gifts Under $25

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 17:03:39 +0000

Arguably, the point of a white-elephant exchange (known in some parts as a Yankee swap) is not the gift you take home, but the chaos, competition, and camaraderie of the game. Of course, to get the party going, you need the right gifts — the guffaw-inducing, the ridiculous, the appealingly useful, and the purely delightful. From pickle bandages to a puzzle of pooping puppies (yes, that’s right), below you will find a wide range of affordable ideas that are sure to spark an inspired gift-grabbing spirit.

If you’re looking for more wallet-friendly gifts, check out our guides for gifts under $10, under $50, and under $100, as well as stocking stuffers and Secret Santa gifts.

24 Great Hanukkah Gift Ideas

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 16:22:32 +0000

So you’ve been invited to eat sufganiyot (Jewish jelly donuts) at a friend’s house. Or maybe you have family members expecting a little something on at least one of the eight nights of Hanukkah. Whether you’re a guest or a host, a Jew or Jewish-adjacent, these Hanukkah gifts will make your loved ones kvell.

While kids might get one big present for Hanukkah, the holiday is generally more low-key gift-wise than that other big December holiday — a gift is just a little something to add some excitement and joy. We’ve picked out these gifts with that in mind. And many of them — delicious chocolate gelt, a build-you-own menorah, and excellent smoked salmon — are the kinds of things you can stock up on if you have a lot of latke parties in your future.

Looking for more gifts to bring to a host or a party? Check out our collections of host and hostess gifts, the best gifts under $25, and the absolute best white elephant gifts under $25.

I Bricked My Phone for 2 Weeks. My Brain Feels Much Better.

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 15:35:31 +0000

Once I turned 30, I started carrying around an aching nostalgia for the way the internet was when I was a teenager, and how “being online” meant sitting in front of the shared family computer. Now that everyone carries devices that can do more than those kids could even dream of, it feels nearly impossible to log out.

These days, I’m so appalled by my recent screen-time reports that I’m embarrassed to share the stats. But I will anyway: almost eight hours a day. (Yikes.) I’m worried I’m wasting years of my life staring at the stupid screen in my hand. I spend hours at night swiping through videos of moms meal-prepping and strangers getting engaged without absorbing any of it. I can barely watch a 20-minute episode of television without simultaneously playing a mindless game on my phone.

I’ve tried to wean myself off my phone before. I’ve set up screen time limits, downloaded app blockers, turned my bedroom into a phone-free zone, and even went as far as locking my phone in a box. Those tactics worked for a while, but eventually I learned how to sneak around all the defenses I had set up for myself, rendering them ineffective.

The only thing I hadn’t tried, until now, was the Brick, an app-blocking device that I’ve seen ads for during my hours of daily scrolling. It’s a physical device that fits in the palm of your hand and works with a corresponding app to restrict access to the most addictive parts of your phone. The only way to regain access is to tap your phone against the device, which you can do only while you’re right beside it.

When I set out to try the Brick for an article (boss’s orders), I learned that it’s not so much a product but a way to live. After just two weeks, I feel my attention span regenerating, and it has given me hope that I can actually break my phone addiction.

Fake Flowers Are a Perfect Gift. I Said What I Said.

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 14:14:12 +0000

In this edition of The Gift, we’ve got six gorgeous blooms that will last forever. Plus: great drinking glasses and an adorable butter warmer.

The first gift I ever gave was probably the first one you ever gave, too.

On chilly spring mornings in elementary school, my mom would trim daffodils from our garden, wrap the gooey stems in a damp paper towel and tinfoil, and load me onto the bus. I don’t remember the exact moment of exchange, but I do remember beholding them on my teacher’s desk afterward with newfound smugness. I did that!

Flowers, in all their frivolous, fetching ephemerality, are the perfect gift, one I’ve never been disappointed to give or to receive. But the exact qualities that make them so lovely — their uniqueness, their aliveness — make them very tricky to reliably buy online. Which is how I got into what I’m going to call alternative flowers. Alternative flowers don’t aspire to look real. That’s not the point. But they evoke just as much magic as the real thing. And like a beautiful vase (and unlike a real bouquet), they can last forever.

My love affair started when I peeped a cheery, generous paper pop-up flower bouquet in the principal’s office of my daughter’s school. It turned out to be a fold-flat card she’d received from a student a few years back, but loved so much she kept it around. These ones from Paper Love are both intricate and surprising. The small size is great for a kid, too.
Next came Lego flowers. You’ll have to trust me that acrylonitrile butadiene styrene bricks fashioned into blooms can feel romantic or even chic. The roses are a classic, and I’m dying to give someone the poinsettia this holiday.
I am quite besotted with these wood flowers. They won’t sway in the wind or droop when they need water, but you’d be surprised how realistic and lovely they look in the right vase.
But my very favorites are these handmade paper flowers. They are gauzy, detailed, and pliant, and nearly always sold out, so if you can score even a single stem, go forth. We sent a bouquet to a colleague last year after a surgery, on a day when she’d received several real flower deliveries, too. Our alternative flower arrangement was her favorite — and of course the only one she still has today.
And, lastly, I’ll leave you with a few fiber crafts. These felt flowers are exquisite in person — especially the spring blooms. May I suggest a sprig of lily of the valley, a cherry blossom, or a forsythia branch? They’re a touch larger than life, so you only need a few stems. For something more abstract, I love these pop art pompom bouquets, which are made from deadstock yarn.

The Best Sleeper Sofas

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 14:09:21 +0000

When someone says “sleeper sofa,” I hear springs creaking and feel a metal bar gouging into my back. I smell the scent of musty basement. I see gaping maws filled with vicious mechanics straight out of a Saw movie, flanked by a landscape of muted plaid.

Aesthetically, sleeper sofas have come a long way since what I remember from childhood, and some of them even look stylish. But after researching scores of models online, trying many in-store and in our offices, and speaking with experts, we found that with sleeper sofas, as with people, it’s what’s inside that truly counts.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t changed much over the decades. The classic sleeper sofas most of us are familiar with—first sold during the Great Depression—are still often janky at best and dangerous at worst.

But our picks are a bright exception—and all three are models with a pull-out mechanism from American Leather. Our favorite is the Gaines Comfort Sleeper.

The Best Outdoor Projector

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 13:15:24 +0000

Any modestly sized, freestanding projector can work well outdoors for the occasional backyard movie night, provided that you can run power and video to it. But if you’re specifically looking for a more rugged, battery-powered projector to take camping, RVing, and the like, the Nebula Mars 3 stands out for its good brightness, long battery life, and ease of use.

A traditional, non-battery-powered projector like the similarly priced BenQ HT2060 delivers better picture quality and can get brighter overall, so you can pair it with a larger outdoor screen. But its design doesn’t exactly scream “road trip!” like the Mars 3 does.

The 35 Best Host and Hostess Gifts

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 04:00:08 +0000

A host or hostess gift is a lovely way to say thanks for a good time. Of course, a bottle of vino is always appreciated, especially for a dinner party, but some hosts either don’t imbibe or already have their wine pairings on deck. And if you’re staying for longer than an evening, say, for a full weekend, it’s nice to bring something slightly more substantial.

We’ve gathered beautiful, unexpected treasures — such as a handsome enamelware jug and a set of perfect cocktail recipes — that your hosts can enjoy with you or long after the dishes are done.

If you’re looking for more gifts, we also have thoughtful ideas for the best housewarming gifts, cocktail-themed gifts, and stellar gift baskets.

The Best Gear for a Roadside Emergency

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 22:53:04 +0000

A breakdown or flat tire can happen to anyone at any time. And what you have in your car can make the difference between getting back on the road quickly and enduring a long, trying, even dangerous ordeal by the side of the road.

We spent more than 60 hours researching emergency gear and common roadside problems, and we talked with safety experts and mechanics to get their advice. Whether the challenge is a flat tire, a dead battery, or traveling safely during a blizzard—or a pandemic—here are the things you shouldn’t leave home without.

The Best Bluetooth and Wireless Keyboards

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 20:51:32 +0000

A great wireless keyboard can reduce clutter on your desk and help you type faster and more comfortably — on your computer as well as on your tablet, your phone, or even your TV.

After testing more than 100 wireless and Bluetooth keyboards over the years, we’ve found the Logitech Pop Icon Keys to be the best wireless keyboard because it’s enjoyable to type on, it’s versatile, and it has years-long battery life.

The Dutch Oven That Won My Heart

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 18:56:45 +0000

“You have to be aligned on your core ingredients.”

That’s what my therapist advised years ago when I asked her the key to a successful romantic relationship.

She was surely referring to the big stuff — you know, kids, money, faith, values. But as a food writer, my mind went straight to the kitchen. Clearly, I should only commit to a lifelong partner who shared my unquenchable passion for food.

But years later, here I am, somehow betrothed to a guy who had the audacity to order a salad — just a salad! — at a swanky sushi restaurant on our very first date. Even worse: His cooking repertoire consisted solely of scrambled eggs and boxed mac and cheese.

And yet, our core ingredients are aligned. I knew this for sure when he gave me a Le Creuset Signature Round Dutch Oven on our first Christmas together nearly six years ago.

It was more than just a pot. It was symbolic of the everlasting relationship we would build, centered around food.

Upgrade pick

A buy-it-for-life Dutch oven

Le Creuset Round Dutch Oven (5.5 quarts)

People pass this durable, high-quality Dutch oven down for generations.

Buy from Amazon
(price varies by color)

$435 from Wayfair

$435 from Nordstrom

The Best Smart Smoke Alarm

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 18:23:20 +0000

If you buy only one smart device for your home, make it a smart smoke detector. The best ones don’t just warn you of possible fire or the presence of carbon monoxide—they also have a bevy of useful features that come from being internet-connected. They send you a smartphone alert in the case of an emergency, they alert you to a malfunction or low batteries (without chirping), and they are easily silenced with an app (so you don’t have to hoist a broom).

We continue to recommend the Google Nest Protect as the best choice for most people. It sends speedy alerts of smoke or carbon monoxide to your phone. A voice warning precedes the siren, so you can stop it from sounding if you know it’s a false alarm (burnt toast again?). The Nest Protect constantly self-tests to ensure its sensors are accurate, and it has a motion-activated path light. Also, as smart devices go, it’s a good-looking device.

The Best Notebooks and Notepads

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 18:23:17 +0000

A notebook is more than just a practical tool. It can be a source of joy, a covetable item that turns an ordinary, everyday task — note-taking, journaling, task-planning, brainstorming, or doodling — into a sublime experience.

Upgrading from a cheap notebook to a high-quality one usually costs just a couple more cents per page (or about $2 to $5 overall), and you’re worth it.

After interviewing experts, researching over 100 notebooks, and writing zealously in 34 of them side by side over several weeks, we have picks in a number of sizes and styles, priced from about $9 to $40 (at this writing). Any of these notebooks will provide an appreciably better writing experience than what you can get from a generic, off-the-shelf-at-Walgreens notebook.

We mention price per page when it’s notable, but our picks average 11 cents per page (at this writing). We also mention paper weight or thickness when that spec is important, but most of these high-quality pages are 80 to 90 grams per square meter (gsm); thicker isn’t always better, but all of the paper in our picks felt substantial and satisfying for us to write on. And most of the notebooks we tested had 7 mm lined ruling (close to college rule), but we note the exceptions below.

13 Spooky Video Games We Love for Halloween

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 17:49:13 +0000

What better way to celebrate spooky season than with a terrifying video game?

Here’s a list of our favorite scary (or just plain autumnal) video games for pretty much everyone — from grown-ups looking for over-the-top action horror to families seeking cute, seasonally appropriate, and kid-friendly games.

The Best Mayonnaise

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 17:14:17 +0000

Mayonnaise is perhaps the most polarizing condiment humanity has yet to whip up. But love it or hate it, it’s an undeniable culinary marvel. Just a few basic ingredients — eggs, oil, salt, and vinegar — can be whisked together into a delicately balanced emulsion that’s held in suspension like a tightrope walker on a high wire.

In culinary school, I learned to make mayonnaise by hand with a chef instructor breathing down my neck, which was glistening with sweat. I remember his eagle eye watching over me, silently waiting to see if I whisked too much oil into the egg yolks too quickly. This would cause the precarious emulsion to break, resulting in an unappetizing mess and a major blow to my ego. But with steadfast determination and a little muscle, all of the ingredients came together to form a smooth, spreadable sauce. The chef moved on to intimidate his next pupil, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, you don’t need to don a chef’s toque or give your arm an unwanted workout to enjoy good mayonnaise. After testing 25 jars, we’ve found three options that come close to (and may even rival) what you can make in your own kitchen.

Airplane Foot Hammocks Work Surprisingly Well. But Only Sometimes.

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 16:57:16 +0000

The first dozen or so times I saw the foot hammock on social media, I wrote it off as a gimmick. But for years now it has been rising in my social media feed like the undead. And after reading a slew of positive reviews, I had to wonder if my instincts were wrong.

Let’s face it: Sitting in an airplane seat has never felt comfortable. After a long flight, I find stretching out my legs on a long walk and stretching out in bed for a long nap to be equally enticing. If a market saturated in neck pillows and other in-flight accoutrements is any indication, the people are desperate for solutions. They’re so desperate, in fact, that they’re willing to try an astronaut-helmet–like pod pillow or a foot hammock — a hanging foot rest that attaches to your tray table. This thing packs down into its own little bag and costs only about $15.

To find out whether the foot hammock actually makes a difference, I talked to foot-hammock lovers and haters. And I sent best-selling Basic Concepts foot hammocks to a panel of three testers to try on long-haul flights. I also spoke with a physical therapist. In some cases, it turns out that the foot hammock actually lives up to the hype — but your height might make a difference in whether or not you'll be a fan.

The Best 32-Inch TV

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 04:00:36 +0000

“Bigger is better” may be the television industry’s motto, but not everyone is on the hunt for a massive TV. If a 32-inch screen size is your “just right,” we recommend the Samsung UN32F6000F for most people because it delivers the best performance under $200. But if you’re willing to pay more for a step up in all respects, consider the Samsung QN32Q8F instead.

Wirecutter’s Guide to Navigating Tariffs This Holiday Season

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 04:00:20 +0000

All year, American shoppers have feared seemingly inevitable price spikes caused by President Trump’s ever-changing tariff orders.

Early on, companies scrambled to import extra goods and stockpile them stateside to keep prices relatively stable before the extra taxes took effect.

Now, those buttresses have begun to erode — just in time for the holidays.

“We’ve seen a steady march of incremental increases, with a few violent surges in price on the thousands of products we monitor at Wirecutter,” said editor Nathan Burrow.

Nathan leads Wirecutter Deals, a group of seven journalists who track prices on our product recommendations every day of the year. For the past six months, his team has put particular focus on monitoring every single price change on 40 Wirecutter picks with the intention of seeing how tariffs would affect pricing.

During our initial 60-day tracking experiment this spring, nothing much changed on the items we were watching. Some prices, particularly on car seats and mattresses, jumped around a bit. But the manufacturer’s suggested retail prices, or MSRP, were mostly steady, and many items followed their regular on-sale cycle.

As we’ve continued logging these prices, that stability across the 40-product set has pretty much continued to hold true. But beyond those 40 products, price changes are more apparent among individual products than across categories.

“From a manufacturer perspective, it’s just been a wild year. Couldn’t plan the year. Couldn’t forecast the year,” said John T. Shae, head of commerce at the marketing agency PMG. “It’s had huge implications, way more profound than you’d expect.” (While some of PMG’s clients make Wirecutter-recommended products, my conversation with Shae focused on general shopping data and overall sales figures for deal events, rather than the performance of specific brands.)

Similar to how we followed prices on Wirecutter picks, PMG tracked the selling price, year-over-year, of products in various categories, but on a much larger scale — to the tune of a few million products. PMG’s findings were surprisingly similar to ours, as things still haven’t shifted quite as significantly as one might expect.

There are a few reasons. Some companies, like Apple, successfully lobbied for a tariff exemption. Other large companies absorbed cost increases. And others raised their prices but subsequently offset those increases with deals.

So while it might not be true that everything is getting more expensive across the board, price increases are real, and we’ve observed many of them on Wirecutter picks.

Some are relatively modest. The Yoto Player, an audio device for kids that uses proprietary cards to play music and audiobooks, announced an average price increase of less than 10% on many of its products starting June 2. That typically works out to a few dollars.

Other increases are steeper. The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus, for example, launched at $500 in October 2023 and stayed that way until around April 2025, when it jumped to $600. The price fluctuated around Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale event, but generally tech gets cheaper as it ages, not more expensive.

If history is an indicator, price increases like these are unlikely to be reversed.

“We can assume that 99% of price hikes that have already occurred will be permanent,” said Nathan. “That doesn’t extend to additional costs in the form of actual tariff bills, but recent history, like the COVID-driven logistical-cost increases, followed by price increases, has shown us that companies rarely ever lower prices again after raising them.”

Many things are simply more expensive than they once were. But they are still potentially less expensive than they will be in the future.

So what’s a savvy shopper to do?

I consulted with Nathan and other Wirecutter experts to help you navigate this tariff-plagued holiday-shopping season. Here’s their advice.

The Best Memory Foam Mattresses You Can Buy Online

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 04:00:19 +0000

Waking up with aches and pains — particularly in your lower back, hips, or shoulders — is no way to start your day. If you want or need a pressure-relieving mattress that cradles you all night, you may be a good candidate for a memory-foam mattress. We’ve weeded through dozens of memory-foam mattress options to recommend three that will work for most people.

For a traditional coil mattress or one that combines springs and foam, see our reviews of the best innerspring mattresses and the best hybrid mattresses. If you’re on a tighter budget, check out our guide to the best cheap mattresses (under $500).

The 44 Best Gifts for 5-Year-Olds

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 04:00:10 +0000

Learning is at the center of a 5-year-old’s life. Many of them are starting kindergarten, and they’re developing skills and more-specific interests that open up new gift-giving possibilities.

But that doesn’t mean kids this age need so-called educational toys.

When shopping this holiday season, look for gifts that complement a child’s natural curiosities, whether they love to create art, grow stuff, play sports, make music, or get up close and personal with insects. Books to build their library are wonderful choices — Mo Willems’s Elephant and Piggie series, recommended by writer and former school librarian Jackie Reeve, has been a hit in many Wirecutter households — as are board games, especially cooperative ones that require working together as a group.

Twenty parents, with 39 kids among us, contributed to this list of toys, games, and more goodies that our 5-year-olds loved — at that age and, in most cases, for much longer.

I tested everything from simple card and board games to a backyard obstacle course kit with my daughter in Austin, Texas. Editor Tracy Vence evaluated multiple sets of tempura paint sticks with her two boys in Atlanta. Writer Laura Motley tested seven popular kid umbrellas in Portland, Maine. And contributor Jessica Bernhard compared three mini-charm kits with her pre-schooler in Seattle — and they came away with a clear favorite.

As parents, we know that the most loved and enjoyed toys are rarely for just one age but instead grow with a child. You can find more gift suggestions that might be right for the always-on-the-go, imaginative 5-year-old in your life in our guides to the best gifts for 4-year-olds, the best gifts for 6-year-olds, and the best first pedal bikes. Or see all our kid gift ideas here.

21 Great Gifts for Book Lovers

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 04:00:07 +0000

Although it may seem counterintuitive, buying books for your favorite book lover can be a sticky proposition. They’ve usually got that part covered with a teetering TBR (to be read) pile. But still, one aims to support this noble pastime. Our favorite gifts make no assumptions about preferred genre or taste: There’s a lap blanket for linguaphiles, a collection of indie bookstore swag, and prompt cards to get book club conversations going. Here’s to inspiring, supporting, and enhancing the joy of turning the page.

Need more gift ideas for book lovers? Check out our guide to the best reading lights, our favorite book subscription boxes, and a DIY-memoir service, Storyworth, that our editors love.

The Best Hand Warmer

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 19:47:09 +0000

Ever heard the saying, “There’s no such thing as bad weather—just bad clothes”? This most definitely applies to hand warmers too.

With the right hand warmer, you can pleasantly recreate in virtually any cold-weather setting and still enjoy toasty-warm digits.

After putting 11 warmers through their paces, taking long, chilly walks and spending longer, snowy days in the mountains, we concluded that the Zippo HeatBank 9s Plus Rechargeable Hand Warmer is the best hand warmer to carry in your pocket.

If you need a slimmer hand warmer to tuck into a glove, we have a recommendation for that as well.

The Best Binoculars for Birds, Nature, and the Outdoors

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 19:07:24 +0000

A great pair of binoculars expands your horizons, bringing far-away birds, plants, and landscapes into view.

To find the best binoculars, I spent nearly 200 hours field-testing 25 pairs against my own $2,500 Leica Ultravids. (I’m a professional ornithologist.)

After using those test pairs in the mountains and hills of Southern California, and then on research trips to the rainforests of southern Mexico and Costa Rica, I found that the Athlon Optics Midas ED 8x42 pair was the best of the group.

The Midas pair offered performance comparable to my Leica binoculars, for a fraction of the price, and had the widest field of view of all the binoculars tested. This means you’ll see more, and it will look better.

The Best Laptops for Video and Photo Editing

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 18:34:16 +0000

Videographers and photographers on the move need a laptop that can keep up with quick deadlines and handle any task from color grading to rendering 4K video. We recommend the Asus ProArt P16, which has an accurate 4K OLED display and fast processors that handle big 4K exports better than the competition. If you prefer Macs, the Apple MacBook Pro with Apple’s M4 Pro processor was a bit slower in some of our video-editing tests and weighs about a pound more, but its M4 Pro chip is quiet and energy-efficient, and it has a display that you can use outside on a sunny day.

The more budget-friendly 15-inch M4 Apple MacBook Air has a superb display for a laptop of its price, as well as a processor that’s easily capable of editing 1080p footage.

The Best Pro Tablets

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 18:07:34 +0000

For artists, photographers, vigorous note-takers, productivity die-hards, and other creative professionals, a tablet can be a handy second device for getting work done.

Apple’s 2024 11-inch iPad Pro, with its fast M4 processor and impressive OLED display, is the best pro tablet we’ve tested. Apple’s updated Magic Keyboard and Pencil Pro accessories, designed to complement the newest iPad Pro, are also noticeable upgrades compared with past versions. But if you decide to splurge for the iPad Pro and both accessories, you’ll spend at least $1,400.

If you don’t want to pay iPad Pro prices, we also recommend the Apple M3 iPad Air. You miss out on only a few “pro” features while saving hundreds of dollars—the 11-inch iPad Air is $400 less than the comparable iPad Pro model and offers a similar experience.

The Best Photo Book Service

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 17:38:43 +0000

We live in a digital world overflowing with images and screens. By creating a tangible photo book, you can reconnect with your images and those moments in time. Photo books also make sharing memories with family and friends so much easier.

After conducting more than 120 hours of research and testing (which included creating 29 photo books and consulting with a master printer on the results), we recommend Mixbook as the best online photo-book service. We also have recommendations for a premium album for capturing truly special life events, as well as a great budget option.

The Best MacBooks

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 17:02:29 +0000

The best Mac laptop for most people is the 13-inch MacBook Air with Apple’s M4 processor.

The 13-inch Air is fantastic for browsing the web, working on documents, coding, and light photo and video editing. If you’re seeking a large screen, better speakers, and slightly improved thermal performance, we recommend the 15-inch MacBook Air with Apple’s latest processor, the M4, as our upgrade pick.

We still recommend the M1 MacBook Air as a budget MacBook pick. This fast, reliable laptop now has a reduced price of $600, which makes it the most affordable MacBook.

The Best Fast Chargers for Every Device

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 16:31:06 +0000

The outdated USB chargers clogging store shelves and online listings won’t charge your latest gear as fast as possible. New fast chargers are safe, affordable, and up to three times faster than the old ones many people have had lying around for years.

We’ve tested the best fast chargers and collected our recommendations — no matter what phone, tablet, or computer you use — on this page.

The Best Mattresses for Side Sleepers

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 16:23:29 +0000

If you’re a side-sleeper, congratulations! According to the Mayo Clinic, side-sleeping is ideal compared to back or stomach sleeping for reducing snoring and keeping the airway open.

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

After hundreds of hours of testing, we have five to recommend.

We’ve also included descriptions of a few slightly firmer mattresses for side-sleepers who frequently shift onto their back and stomach or those who simply prefer a more-supportive feel.

You can read more about these picks and others in our guides to the best foam mattresses, the best hybrid mattresses, the best innerspring mattresses, and the best cheap mattresses.

Know Someone Who’s Impossible to Shop For? Tell Us All About It.

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 16:01:33 +0000

Shopping for — and deciding on — a great gift can be stressful. And that’s especially true if your gift recipient is hard to shop for or seemingly already has everything.

That’s where Wirecutter’s gifts experts come in: They are constantly scouring the internet looking for the most unexpected and well-made gifts out there — so you don’t have to. Once a week in our newsletter, The Gift, they’ll help answer readers’ biggest gifting conundrums. Tell our editors a bit about your gift recipient for a chance to have them handpick gifts for you.

The Best Mattresses for Stomach Sleepers

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 16:00:38 +0000

If you turn in for the night by belly-flopping onto your bed, you should consider a firmer mattress that supports and cushions your midsection while keeping your spine aligned. This is crucial: sleeping on your stomach on an unsupportive mattress can lead to increased back, neck, and shoulder pain.

We’ve tested dozens of mattresses, and we recommend six specifically for stomach-sleepers.

Firmness levels are subjective, so consider this guide a starting point. Below, we start with the firmest picks (ideal for stomach-sleepers or stomach- and back-sleepers) and move on to increasingly more cushioned, though still supportive, options (most suitable for stomach-sleepers who sometimes roll onto their side). You can read about other mattresses in our foam, innerspring, and hybrid mattress guides.

The Best Screw You’ve Never Used

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 15:12:55 +0000

When I took on my first significant DIY carpentry project earlier this year (a shed-sized playhouse for my daughter), I was let in on a secret: Pros swear by Torx-head screws, an all-around better alternative to the formerly ubiquitous but flawed, finicky Phillips head.

If, like me, you’ve ever felt like you’re fighting your drill or screwdriver, allow me to let you in on another secret: Your beef was actually with Phillips-head screws.

The cross-headed design of the Phillips screw is notoriously slippery and easy to damage. That’s why most of the rest of the world moved on from Phillips screws years ago, if they even adopted this miserable standard in the first place.

This isn’t a problem with Torx because the star-shaped head provides much better grip and stability. Torx screws usually stay put on the end of your tools without being held in place, so it’s easier to work with just one hand on your tool, even at weird angles. And all that extra contact between the screw and the drill bit makes it much less likely that you’ll strip the head (or ruin your bit) even if you’re blasting your tools at full speed.

Over the course of my project, I sank more than 100 Torx screws into all types of wood without rounding out a single head. And I only occasionally fumbled a screw off the tip of my driver. Torx saved me at least an hour of work and untold frustration.

I’m a Torx convert. I even look for excuses to swap out old Phillips screws for their star-drive cousins, like I did when I shored up some loose screws on a door hinge.

The Best Electronic Cutting Machines From Cricut and Silhouette

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 15:12:06 +0000

Electronic cutting machines carve images out of vinyl, cardstock, and iron-on transfers — some can even cut leather and wood. They’re powerful tools for all crafters, whether you DIY everything or you just want to make a few stickers.

We’ve recommended Cricut craft cutters since 2017 because they do a lot, the software is easy to learn, the blade is precise, and Cricut’s image library is huge. The latest Cricut machine, the Cricut Explore 4, is no exception.

The Best Tabletop Party Games

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 14:50:45 +0000

Planning board game nights can be a Sisyphean task. Aligning schedules is tough enough, but once you do, getting the right number of people for the right game is even harder. If too many people show up, someone has to spectate. Not enough, and game night is on shaky ground before it’s even begun.

That’s where party games come in.

Although they’re generally a bit simpler (and sillier) than other tabletop games, they’re designed to be flexible in accommodating large groups of people and to encourage spirited social interactions rather than imposing arcane rule sets and complicated game mechanics.

The best thing about party games is that they are both simple to learn and to teach, which makes getting newbies started quick and easy (and gives that friend who always teaches the games a bit of a break). It also makes them an enjoyable on-ramp for folks who may not consider themselves “gamers.”

How to Know What’s In Your Drinking Water

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 09:00:37 +0000

Listen and follow The Wirecutter Show:

If you’ve ever wondered whether you should filter your drinking water, this is the episode for you. Wirecutter senior staff writer Tim Heffernan, who covers air and water filtration, shares practical steps for deciding whether to filter your water.

Tim discusses the most common contaminants you should watch out for, how municipalities filter your drinking water, and when it might be worth ponying up for a water test.

This episode covers:

Why you should look up your annual drinking water quality report: Tim explains how every utility must publish an annual water-quality/consumer confidence report (CCR)-- a free first step toward understanding the quality of your drinking water. You can also look it up via the EPA site.
When you may want to test your water for contaminants: If you’re concerned about what’s coming out of your tap, Tim recommends getting your water tested using a send-away lab kit. He’d skip at-home color-strip tests, which are often hard to read.
Why living near a polluted area doesn’t mean your water will be polluted: The pressure in the pipes should help keep contaminants out. Contaminants in the water are more about your water source and how that water is treated.
The pros and cons of different filters: Pitchers are cheap and convenient, but they clog and have short lifespans. Faucet and under-sink units use household water pressure for denser filtration and often remove more contaminants–but they can be more expensive overall.

Products we recommend:

Comprehensive test, clear results

Tap Score Advanced City Water Test

This send-away kit delivers lab-tested measurements of more than 100 contaminants, and it explains what they mean and what to do if there’s a problem.

~~$285~~ $228 from Amazon

You save $57 (20%)

$290 from Tap Score

For testing well water

Tap Score Advanced Well Water Test

Private wells—used by about 15% of US homes—have unique contamination concerns that this test is tailored for.

$485 from Tap Score

A classy, easy-to-clean design

Brita Standard Everyday Pitcher

Brita’s iconic pitcher in many ways defines the filter-pitcher category, and it’s easier to operate and keep clean than Brita’s many other models.

$41 from Amazon

$40 from Walmart

$41 from The Home Depot

Exceptional, affordable under-sink filtration

Aquasana AQ-5200

Certified for the most contaminants, widely available, affordable, and compact.

$140 from Amazon

$140 from Walmart

13 Great Gifts for Listening to Music

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 04:00:12 +0000

Music is one of life’s essential joys. And we all know someone who is especially passionate (or obsessive) about the equipment they use to listen to it. Of course, it’s easy to live in fear of gifting the wrong tech. Happily, our audio experts have spent hundreds of hours vetting headphones, speakers, and more so you can choose the best audio gifts for the audiophile in your life.

Looking for other techy or thoughtful gifts? Check out our best gift ideas for photographers, gadget lovers, and people who have everything.

The 22 Best Engagement Gifts

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 04:00:11 +0000

It could be argued that an engagement is the most joyful nuptial event — full of giddy love and anticipation, before the stress and logistics of the actual wedding. And, as giving goes, it’s much less prescribed. Though gifts aren’t traditionally obligatory at engagement parties, a good bottle or an inexpensive, thoughtful token are still welcome gestures. The finds here span from fun-loving to traditional, with options to suit any budget — from an exceptional ring holder to a cheeky toy caricature.

If you’re looking for other wedding gifts, consider our guides for wedding registry and off-registry ideas, as well as for bridesmaids, groomsmen, and anniversaries.

The 43 Best Gifts for 2-Year-Olds

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 21:34:40 +0000

Keeping up with the developing skills and interests of a 2-year-old can feel like a sprint (sometimes literally) — or a guessing game.

The most engaging toys for 2-year-olds offer different options for hands-on, manipulative play. Balls, vehicles, and puzzles are popular at this age as kids learn to use their fine motor skills in more-precise ways, such as for stacking, fitting, and twisting smaller pieces.

Some 2-year-olds are still engaging primarily in “parallel play,” while others are interested in playing with others, so simple board games may help them practice sharing and taking turns. Toys that let a 2-year-old slide, wiggle, scoot, bounce, or otherwise expend some of their boundless energy are also likely to be a hit, especially during the holidays.

To help compile this list, I assembled giant puzzles, zoomed toy cars, and played a variety of toddler-friendly games with my kids in Austin, Texas. Editor Amy Miller Kravetz and her two kids compared three ball pits from their basement in Princeton, New Jersey. And Wirecutter contributors Julie Kim and Jessica Bernhard tested dozens of dolls and mix-and-match fridge magnets in New York City and Seattle, respectively. Altogether, 19 moms and dads with a total of 39 kiddos among us collaborated to assemble this list of toys and games that we’ve found entertain kids at 2, and, often, for many more years to come.

You can find even more gift suggestions that might be just right for your energetic 2-year-old in our guides to the best gifts for 1-year-olds, the best gifts for 3-year-olds, and the best trikes and balance bikes. Or see all our kid gift ideas here.

19 Gag Gifts (That They Might Actually Use)

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 20:54:15 +0000

For people who are anti-junk — pretty much everyone at Wirecutter — gag gifts can be a tricky undertaking. They are undeniably fun, and they’re perfect for certain situations (white elephant or Secret Santa parties) and for certain people (your jokey uncle, curmudgeonly brother, or Michael Scott–like boss). Yet they can also be one-trick wonders with the staying power of an ice cream cone.

The Best Colored Pencils

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 19:47:03 +0000

After considering dozens of colored-pencil sets and spending six hours testing 13 popular sets, including one marathon two-hour session with about 60 kids and parents, we’ve decided that our top pick for someone shopping for their first colored-pencil set is Prismacolor’s Premier Colored Pencils (24-count or 72-count).

In our tests, these pencils were among the best at color application, blending, and durability. They lay down rich, vibrant color and are as fun to draw with as pencils from sets twice the price. We recommend these pencils for any beginning colored-pencil artist or coloring-book enthusiast, or even for a serious child artist.

The Best Sweatshirts and Sweatpants

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 19:10:07 +0000

Once upon a time, donning a sweatsuit in public was like hanging a sign around your neck that said: “I’ve given up.” But those days are long gone. To the relief of many (and the horror of a few), we’re now living in a golden age of comfort, when sweats aren’t just acceptable — they’re actually stylish. Wear ’em for a city stroll, a casual lunch, or a long-haul flight, and savor their cushy, elasticized ease without sacrificing an ounce of dignity.

Not just any sweats will do, however. Lousy ones will still look tragic (and pill, shed, shrink, and rip at the seams). We tested nearly 80 women’s, men’s, and unisex sweatshirts and sweatpants to find standout sets for a range of tastes, bodies, and budgets. Whether you’re in the mood for plush fleece, bouncy terry, fluid jersey, or luxe cashmere, our 24 picks offer an array of terrific options for cozying up — or venturing out.

Our 10 Favorite Travel Gadgets (That Actually Work)

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 19:08:09 +0000

If your TikTok algorithm strays toward travel, you’ve probably seen plenty of influencers touting their in-flight “essentials,” like silicone bottle covers, plastic makeup boxes, and collapsible suitcases.

Here at Wirecutter, we try to strike a delicate balance. We’re generally skeptical of gadgets but love discovering well-built, quality gear that solves specific problems or — in the case of travel — makes you feel more at home on the road.

While you probably don’t need most of the hundreds of travel gadgets you’ve seen online, we have found some that actually work.

All of the products below have been either thoroughly tested by our experts or are personally beloved by our staff. You don’t need everything in this list, but that one special item just might solve your most pressing travel woe.

How to Pick the Best Chess Set

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 18:48:36 +0000

Chess is an intimidating game. Its lingo is opaque to newbies — high-level players talk about the “Ruy López Opening” or the “Trompowsky Attack” — and pop culture has an unfortunate habit of casting aficionados as either massive dweebs or troubled savants who have a hard time relating to other people.

But luckily, that’s changing. Resources like Chess.com and Twitch streams from grandmasters and the wild popularity of Netflix’s 2020 show The Queen’s Gambit have created legions of new players. But many of those newbies may be wondering: Which chess set is best to start out with?

Be a Neighborhood Legend With These 5 Halloween Tricks From a Wirecutter Gadget Expert

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 18:29:04 +0000

If you’ve been to a Lowe’s or one of those Spirit Halloween stores lately (and I know you have, because they’re every 500 feet or so), you’ve experienced the new generation of outrageous automated Halloween decorations — and their several-hundred-dollar price tags. Now that’s terrifying!

If you don’t have room in your house (or budget) for a creepy grandma, a maniacal cymbal-clanging monkey, or the dog-like ghoul from Ghostbusters (my favorite), you can still create fun and kid-safe Halloween frights using a few common and inexpensive smart-home devices.

For a few of these scenarios, you’ll need an Amazon Echo smart speaker (any one of them will do) and a nearby power outlet. Most of these take just a few minutes to set up and require using the Alexa app to link your smart devices together and to create a Routine that tells your smart devices to act a certain way when they are triggered.

The First Canon RF-Mount Mirrorless Lenses You Should Buy

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 17:07:04 +0000

The kit lens that came with your new mirrorless Canon camera will only take you so far. When you’re ready to amp your photography skills up to the next level, investing in better quality lenses will boost your photography prowess and show you what your camera is really capable of.

Canon’s RF-mount lens library is sparse compared with those of its rivals, thanks primarily to years spent working on the ill-fated EOS-M system. This situation is compounded by the fact that it only recently allowed third-party brands to make RF lenses. However, the catalog has been growing more quickly over the past year, providing plenty of choices for shooters new to the system.

If you’re new to Canon mirrorless cameras, we recommend starting with a fast prime lens, and then considering what kinds of photography pique your interest. Depending on what you want to shoot, you may want to upgrade the kit lens that came with your camera or add an everyday zoom, a telephoto zoom, a wide-angle zoom, a superzoom, a portrait lens, or a macro lens.

If you’re still considering your mirrorless camera options and which lenses to start with, take a peek at our lens guides for Nikon Z-mount, Fujifilm X-mount, and Sony E-mount cameras.

The Best Bluetooth Audio Receivers and Transmitters

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 16:17:38 +0000

These days, most mainstream audio electronics have Bluetooth connectivity built in. But if you own older or specialty AV products — such as a beloved set of wired headphones or powered speakers or maybe a plasma TV — there’s a good chance it either lacks Bluetooth connectivity or relies on an older, less-capable version of Bluetooth.

So what do you do if you want to use that product with a newer, Bluetooth-capable device? You don’t have to scrap your gear. You just need to get yourself a good Bluetooth audio adapter that’s reliable and user-friendly.

Whether you need a headphone adapter, a Bluetooth receiver for your home-audio setup, or a Bluetooth transmitter for your TV, we’ve tested them and have recommendations.

The Best Massage Guns

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 15:41:33 +0000

If the ability to give yourself a muscle-pummeling massage sounds appealing, a massage gun might be for you.

These devices are meant to soothe your body by melting away knots, increasing circulation, decreasing muscle pain and soreness, and reducing inflammation, among other claims. Scientific evidence of their efficacy is scarce, and they can be noisy and expensive. But many people find massage guns to be useful for post-workout recovery or simply after a long day.

We’ve tested 26 massage guns over the last four years. Instead of choosing a singular best pick, we recommend four models that are likely to deliver a satisfying experience for people with different priorities.

5 Little Treats for a Cozier Fall

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 13:42:52 +0000

In this edition of The Recommendation, some Wirecutter journalists share the mainstays in their cozy routines, from a perfect sweater to quenching skin care.

Fall temperatures finally hit New York City this past week. If you squint at the very tops of trees, errant leaves here and there are starting to burst into vibrant oranges and reds. Also: Q4 deadlines and kids homework both loom and pile up. It’s somehow already time to start holiday shopping (yes, really).

Perhaps all of this is why it is a time of year most Wirecutter journalists gravitate toward a “little treat” — something that grounds them in slowing down or offers a chance to cozy up in the changing temps. Here are a few tips, tricks, and small upgrades we swear by this time of year to get us through to the holidays:

A perfect sweater: Last year (well ahead of the TikTok girlies), style expert Hannah Frye declared J.Crew’s ’80s-style roll-neck sweater the “perfect sweater.” It’s slightly oversized but breathable, making it virtually seasonless and ideal for transitional temps. “It reminds me of what an old-school fisherman might wear on a crisp, peaceful morning boating along waves,” she writes.
The best candles: If you do nothing else, a foolproof way to instantly cozy up any room is to dim the lights and burn a scented candle. Newsletters editor Brittney Ho is partial to the moody, pretty jars from P.F. Candle Co., a favorite in our guide to the best candles. She especially likes the Amber & Moss scent, which she says captures all the warm, woodsy notes of fall without any of the cloying, cliché scents of fake vanilla and pumpkin spice. Or take a page out of editorial director Leta Shy’s book, who says “nothing helps her focus” quite like this lovely sage candle from Flamingo Estate.
Crank up the (portable) heat: “This space heater is the epitome of comfort,” says writer Brooklyn White. “It’s perfect for unwinding with a knit blanket, a mug of tea, and a movie on a crisp night. Texas doles out fall moments sparingly, but when it does, I’m ready.” Just make sure you’re safe: Here’s how to not burn your house down when using a space heater.
Swap out your skin care for something more hydrating: Before newsletters coordinator Isoke Samuel’s self-proclaimed alligator elbows and crackly hands get too dry, she trades in her lightweight summer lotion for a heavy-duty moisturizing cream. “It keeps my skin hydrated all day and doesn’t leave behind a greasy residue. I’ve even started using it as a face lotion, and I’m happy to report it works great under makeup and doesn’t cause my super sensitive skin to break out.”
It’s slow-cooker season, baby: “It’s time to make chilis! Soups! Stews! I bought this slow cooker a few years ago and love it,” says writer Maria Adelmann. “It’s so fun that in the morning you do a little work, all day you get to smell your food cooking, and by dinner, it’s almost like someone else made you a warm, cozy meal.”

The 35 Best Gifts for 1-Year-Olds

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 04:00:35 +0000

When it comes to gifts, many 1-year-olds aren’t picky. In fact, if they’re anything like my kids, they may be as excited by the packaging as by what’s inside. (Save those boxes!) But some kids this age have already begun to develop their own unique preferences, personalities, and abilities. With the right toys and gifts, you can set your child up for years of fun.

Look for toys that are open-ended, like blocks and stacking sets that can be played with in more than one way. To help with sensory exploration and motor development, toys with different textures that invite small hands (and, of course, mouths) to grab and investigate are good choices, as are starter ride-on toys, which give little ones the opportunity to roam. This age is also the perfect time to invest in keepsake items — like the personalized book Amy Miller Kravetz, editor on the baby and kid team, has been gifting for almost 20 years — that will remain special as a child grows up.

I mined the gift-giving knowledge of more than a dozen Wirecutter parents to compile this list of toys that brought joy to our collective 32 kids when they were 1 year old and, often, beyond. Wirecutter contributor Kerry Davis McGuinness tested six play doctor kits to find the best one (the forehead-scanning thermometer put her pick over the top). Along with the personalized book Amy recommends, she also tested bubble machines and building blocks, while in my house, we played with magnetic foam, bath-friendly tubes, and shape-sorting cubes — plus a silky-soft bunny that was so beloved, we ultimately needed three.

As parents, we know that the best toys are rarely for just one age, but grow with a child. You can find even more gift suggestions that might be right for your 1-year-old in our guides to the best gifts for infants, the best gifts for 2-year-olds, and the best balance bikes and tricycles. Or see all our kid gift ideas here.