No matter how you do it, feeding a baby is hard work. If you’re using formula, there are the added challenges of deciphering long lists of ingredients and distinguishing among the dozens of brands and types. And formulas can differ drastically in cost, which can create more confusion, not to mention worry.
As you stroll through the sunscreen aisle, you’ll face a dizzying number of choices—from many different SPF levels, active ingredients, and water-resistance ratings to a wide variety of textures and scents. After more than 65 hours of research—and many more hours of wearing sunscreen on our bodies—we’ve found that the best sunscreen is the one you’ll apply liberally and often, so it should be affordable but still feel good on your skin. The physical sunscreen Blue Lizard Sensitive SPF 50+ and the chemical sunscreen Banana Boat Light As Air Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 best suit most bodies and budgets.
The PlayStation 4 era, which started in 2013, is over. Big PlayStation titles such as the next God of War will still launch on the PS4 in 2022 and 2023, but the PS4 is expected to cease production by 2023. In 2022, new-PlayStation shoppers have a better option: the $500 PlayStation 5 and its somewhat slimmer sibling, the $400 PlayStation 5 Digital Edition. Assuming they can find one, that is.
The Nintendo Switch's flexibility is a large part of what makes it great. It's a handheld console. It's a living room console! It has a kickstand! But it doesn't come with everything you need, and a lot of the Switch accessories you can buy are junk. We’ve researched and tested dozens of Switch and Switch Lite accessories across all kinds of categories—cases, controllers, microSD cards, stands, and more—to find the things that are actually worth spending your money on.
College is expensive—including tuition, housing, and textbooks, not to mention food and other miscellaneous costs—so students need a reliable laptop that’ll last for years of taking notes, writing papers at 3 in the morning, and editing slides for a group project. But choosing the right laptop can be more challenging than writing a thousand words on Proust.
After nearly a decade of testing room fans, we’re sure the Vornado 630 Medium Air Circulator is the best choice for most people. It effectively circulates air in a medium- to large-size room without using a lot of energy or having to oscillate. It’s also easy to place and control, with a long track record of reliability backed by a five-year warranty.
The most important thing you can do to increase your online security, alongside using a password manager, is to enable two-factor authentication. After interviewing three experts and testing seven authenticator apps, we think Authy has the best combination of compatibility, usability, security, and reliability.
A smart doorbell camera allows you to see who’s on the other side of your door—even when you aren’t home—so you can weed out guests who don’t come bearing Girl Scout cookies. We recommend the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell Wired because it delivers fewer false alerts than any video doorbell we tested, and it has a subscription plan that lets it distinguish among people, animals, cars, and packages. If you don’t have existing doorbell wiring, the Eufy Security Video Doorbell 2K (Battery-Powered) is an easy-to-use option with a great image, and its battery can deliver about four months of service on a full charge.
Bug zappers kill bugs by the thousands. But there’s a problem: They kill the wrong bugs. They are ineffective against mosquitoes and other biting flies, and their otherwise indiscriminate killing can disrupt pollination and generally throw the environment out of balance. Plus, the force of their electrocution can spew a mist of disease-ridden bug parts out into the air. All of the mosquito experts we spoke with and every relevant university extension office we could find unanimously condemned bug zappers. To keep an area free of bugs or to prevent yourself from getting bitten, there are much better alternatives.
Having a dorm room that feels more like a home than an uninspired dormitory can make a huge difference in helping you settle into your freshman year. That’s why we’ve spent more than 180 hours evaluating the best dorm bedding, appliances, and other essentials to ease the transition from childhood home to college.
Great audio in a video game can draw you into a digital world with bold effects, realistic details, and moving soundtracks. A great gaming headset can make that possible while you chat with your friends and teammates, too. But even the best sound quality won’t do you any good in a headset too uncomfortable to wear for long stretches. After testing more than 50 headsets for this update, we found that the HyperX Cloud Alpha is still the most comfortable, best-sounding gaming headset for the price.
People can usually tell in a few seconds if they like a glass of wine, an article of clothing, or the sound of a speaker. But understanding exactly why people like or dislike these things can take years of study. For Wirecutter’s audio writers, researching the “why” is part of the job. Some readers may just want to know what the best pair of speakers or headphones is, and as a result they may be reluctant to take deep dives into topics like decibels, dynamics, and dispersion. But if you’re as interested in the “why” as we are, keep reading.
If you want the best-looking TV image that money can buy, choose an OLED TV. With perfect blacks, superior viewing angles, infinite contrast ratios, and better motion quality than you can find on other TVs, OLED displays outperform even the best LCD options—but they usually cost more (though the difference is shrinking). We recommend the LG C1 because it strikes a great balance between price and performance and is loaded with all the latest features.
The perfect air conditioner is one that slides gracefully in and out of your window, cooling you quickly and efficiently with nary a peep, and that is also consistently available at an affordable price. In other words, it doesn’t exist. But the U-shaped Midea U MAW08V1QWT is the closest thing we’ve found to that ideal. We’ve been researching, testing, and recommending window ACs since 2012, and this Midea model is quieter and more energy-efficient than any other window AC we’ve ever tested—and as a bonus, it lets you keep using your window through the summer.
No matter what kind of bike you ride—road bike or mountain bike, beach cruiser or hybrid, ebike or unicycle—you need a way to inflate its tires. After testing 35 pumps over the past five years, we believe the Lezyne Classic Floor Drive is the best floor pump for most bike commuters thanks to its sturdy construction, easy-to-read dial, and utterly reliable screw-on head (which fits both Presta and Schrader valves). We also have a pick for a portable pump to use while you’re out on a ride.
“Bigger is better” may be the TV industry’s current motto, but some people simply don’t need a big-screen TV. If you’re searching for a television to fit in a small living room, dorm room, or bedroom—or if you just don’t want to spend very much money on a casual-use TV—we recommend the TCL 32S334. None of the 32-inch TVs we tested deliver the higher-level performance found in our favorite premium and budget 4K TVs, but the 32S334 looks good, is easy to use, and has the best assortment of helpful features.
A backpack is a staple of your school wardrobe—it will accompany you to class, the gym, late-night library marathons, and early-morning coffee runs. So it’s important to find one that will carry all of the supplies you need for a long day, as well as be comfortable, affordable, and stylish. Since our first round of testing, in 2015, we’ve tested dozens of backpacks in a variety of styles. These five bags are some of the best we found for any high school or college student.
Battling cockroaches can make you feel like you’re on the losing end of a full-scale invasion. After all, these insects didn’t survive for hundreds of millions of years because they’re easy to get rid of. But armed with a little know-how and the right products, you can at least keep them out of your kitchen. We spoke with two roach experts, each with more than 40 years of experience. After combining their input with our own firsthand testing, we recommend that you start with some no-cost remedies, and then step up to Terro T500 Multi-Surface Roach Baits as needed.
Ask any professional cook about the “essential” gear they use throughout a hectic day in the kitchen, and you’ll get a laundry list of items that range from expensive and niche (we’re looking at you, plating chopsticks) to cheap and expendable (like plastic deli containers). But too often we see these tools of the trade recommended for everyone when there are options that are better suited to the home cook. As someone with years of restaurant experience, I have knife rolls (yes, plural) full of things I haven’t touched since my last kitchen job, because my weeknight dinners don’t require fish tweezers or a tourné knife. So let’s talk about why some common chef gear isn’t always practical for everybody, and the useful alternatives that are essential to the home cook.
The adage “you get what you pay for” is as true today as ever, but with a few exceptions—one being sleeping bags. You simply don’t need to overpay to get a bag that’s comfortable and functional, whether for car camping, backpacking, or camping with kids. After more than 100 hours of research, considering 150 models, and dragging 34 bags through the wilds of California, Hawaii, and Colorado, we think the REI Co-op Siesta 25 Sleeping Bag is the best for basic camping—and we have picks for the best backpacking and double sleeping bags too.
Lots of laptops cost less than $500, but it’s hard to find a cheap one that doesn’t totally suck. We’ve researched and tested hundreds of cheap Windows laptops and Chromebooks over the years to find decent models, and we also have advice to help you shop smart when prices fluctuate and our picks go out of stock.
A portable movie projector combines the convenience of a phone or tablet with the big-screen appeal of a TV. None of these small, portable projectors rival a good TV or traditional home-theater projector in performance, but the Xgimi MoGo Pro comes the closest of any we’ve tested so far. Plus, the MoGo Pro has Android TV built right in, so you can access a ton of movies without having to connect an external media player.
No matter what kind of bag you carry on your travels, a luggage tag will help you identify it quickly and get it back should it go astray. A good luggage tag will be strong enough to survive airline baggage tossers and distinctive enough to stand out in a sea of black suitcases. We chose several that combine toughness and visual flair and that suit a wide range of budgets and styles.
Videographers and photographers on the move need a laptop that can keep up with quick deadlines and handle any task from color grading to 4K video editing. For professionals who need a laptop that doesn’t compromise on processing power, color accuracy, or battery life, the Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) is our undisputed recommendation. But if you prefer Windows, or if you want a laptop that you can repair and upgrade in the future, the Dell XPS 15 9520 is the best option right now due to its processing power and OLED screen.
With pandemic-related recommendations and regulations continually evolving along with the coronavirus itself, masks will likely remain a part of people’s lives for some time. Nearly two years into the pandemic, the CDC updated its guidance to clarify that medical-style masks, such as N95s, KN95s, and surgical-style masks, are more protective than cloth ones. Fortunately, these disposable masks, made with nonwoven materials, are now much easier to find compared with early on in the pandemic. Assuming the mask fits well and its filtration has been rigorously tested, these masks are some of the most protective face coverings you can buy.
Kids are superheroes for enduring the COVID-19 pandemic, and they have the gear to prove it. Masks remain important in doctors’ offices, in some schools and daycares, and—depending on where you live and other factors—in many other situations. Over the past year and a half, we’ve looked at more than 100 cloth and disposable masks for kids, pored over scientific studies, talked with health experts and researchers, assessed filtration efficiency in independent lab tests, and tested finalists with a panel of 10 kids, ages 2 to 11.
Cheaper laptops are being built with more powerful processors and GPUs all the time, but games are also getting more demanding. It’s difficult to find a cheap laptop that can play the newest games on the highest graphics settings, and it’s even harder to get your hands on one before it goes out of stock. After researching 32 budget gaming laptops and testing seven, we found that the Acer Predator Triton 300 (PT315-53-79FG) is the best value with the fewest compromises for anyone who wants a cheap gaming laptop.
The Big Berkey Water Filter has a strong following. And in the years we’ve spent researching the best water filter pitchers and the best under-sink water filters, we’ve been asked about the Big Berkey several times. Its manufacturer claims the filter can remove far more contaminants than other filters. Yet the Big Berkey is not independently certified to NSF/ANSI standards, like our other filter picks are.
Although many waterfront resorts will lend or rent you snorkeling gear, bringing your own ensures it will fit properly—and eliminate any “was this really cleaned?” ick factor. We spent 30 hours subjecting 11 sets of snorkel gear to chlorine, mud, sand, salt, and pounding waves in Charleston and Folly Beach, South Carolina, and at Florida’s Ichetucknee Springs State Park. After the silt settled, we decided that the Cressi Palau Short Fin Set is the best recreational snorkel set for bigger kids and adults.
What makes a great tabletop radio? Sure, sound quality and reception are important, but our research has found that radio owners and shoppers primarily want something stylish that will look great in their home. With that in mind, we’ve chosen recommendations that cover a variety of tabletop radio styles—from retro designs to colorful, portable options to more modern stereo radios—and they’ve all passed our reception and sound tests, too.
