Why You Should Read Past the Picks of a Wirecutter Guide

There’s more to a Wirecutter guide than the main picks. To find the things that work the best for the most people, we do tons of research and testing. But there are times when you might be looking for something a little more specific. Maybe you want a sleeker-looking rice cooker or earbuds that are better at canceling noise. Take a page from Wirecutter fanatics—and members of our staff—by looking beyond the top recommendations to find choices that might better suit your needs. We highlight these options in our “Other good” section. And sometimes you will find the item you want in the Competition section. This is where we list all of the contenders we considered that didn’t rise to the level of a pick (though we don’t like Competition items quite as much as we do “Other good” options). Here’s why both of these sections can still be useful to you.