A wireless multiroom speaker system is the easiest way to listen to music, podcasts, and other audio entertainment in more than one room at a time, and Sonos is the best option. It supports the widest variety of streaming services, the speakers sound great, and it’s easier to set up and use than most multiroom systems. The competition is catching up, but Sonos still offers the most complete and reliable package overall.
Over the years, we’ve tried nearly every method of making coffee, from cold-brew coffee makers and the Chemex to moka pots and Moccamasters. For people who want pour-over-quality coffee as well as the convenience of a one-button machine, we recommend the OXO Brew 9 Cup Coffee Maker. Of all the methods we’ve tested, we think the OXO Brew offers the best ratio of flavor to effort—at a good value. But if you’re looking for an espresso machine, a coffee grinder, pour-over gear, and more, we have other recommendations, too.
Part of the fun of a cocktail is the ritual of crafting it yourself. Arguably, though, it’s even more fun to drink a cocktail and bask in its hazy afterglow. Ready-to-drink cocktails are perfect for when you can’t or don’t want to make your own drinks. After all, summer is all about spontaneity and lightness. Being able to grab a can or bottle of a perfectly mixed beverage means you can take full advantage of those bright, sunny days with little more thought than “where’s the liquor store?” and “where’s the recycling bin?”
Savoring the first bite of a particularly juicy peach, dipping your toes in cold water on a warm day, belly laughing with friends over fizzy cocktails—“soft girl summer” is one of the latest crazes dominating social media, but it’s more than just a trending hashtag.
A white T-shirt is a blank canvas. You can wear it solo, cover it with a sweater, or—if you’re the protagonist of a certain André Aciman novel—toss it on the dock while you go for an impromptu swim in Italy circa 1983.
Gift baskets get a bad rap, and many deserve it for their uninspired or mismatched components: stale crackers, gritty chocolate, Red Delicious apples that are anything but. We wanted to find the standout choices, gift baskets that would be delicious, beautiful, delightful, and comforting any time of year.
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If you’re looking for a truly special box of luxurious chocolates to give someone, you can’t go wrong with the 16-piece Recchiuti Confections Black Box. Over the years, we’ve enlisted food experts and staffers to evaluate 36 brands of chocolate in taste tests. And we’ve found Recchiuti’s flavors, craftsmanship, and packaging to be nothing short of sophisticated—and, for the right occasion, maybe even a little seductive.
The best headphones not only sound great but also do everything else you need, whether that means fitting in your pocket, blocking out noise on your subway commute, or remaining secure in your ears during workouts.
We’ve tested hundreds of headphones for a variety of uses and at a variety of prices. This article provides some shopping guidance, as well as an overview of all our top headphone and earbud picks, with links to the full guides.
Not everyone can or wants to spend a lot of money on headphones, but $100 or less can get you a lot if you know where to look. We’ve reviewed hundreds of headphones under $100—including wireless, wired, over-ear, and earbud designs—to find the best ones for every need. This article provides an overview of all the $100-and-less picks across our different headphone guides, with links to our full coverage.
The top pick in a Wirecutter guide offers an exceptional blend of features and function that puts it head and shoulders above similar models.
Every top pick that our experts choose has been rigorously tested for real-world usability and performance, and while not every top pick is the most expensive option, quality usually comes at a cost. With the Wirecutter Deals team by your side, you never have to worry about paying too much or getting scammed by an untrustworthy seller. Here, we’ve sifted through hundreds of mediocre discounts to find the real deals—giving you seven chances to save on top picks.
A dedicated ebook reader puts an entire library of books in the palm of your hand, without the distractions of a phone or tablet. E-readers are smaller than a paperback, last for weeks on a single charge, and give you an excellent reading experience. After testing every competitive ebook reader available in the US, we can say that Amazon’s cheapest Kindle is the best for almost everyone.
After researching 33 options and spending several weeks cleaning grease splatters, grubby fingerprints, and sticky cereal milk with eight cleaning sprays, we concluded that our favorite is Biokleen Spray & Wipe All Purpose Cleaner.
A few years ago I was diagnosed with Lyme disease, and I was put on the antibiotic doxycycline, which caused my skin to become photosensitive—it would start turning red after just a few minutes in direct sunlight. I pictured myself wearing wide-brimmed Carmen Sandiego hats and flowing caftans to keep the sun’s rays at bay. But in reality, I sweated through a hooded anorak and jeans as I searched for more-lightweight options that would allow me to spend time outdoors without becoming burnt toast.
Over-ear headphones are for people who want to totally immerse themselves in their listening or don’t like the feeling of earbuds in their ears. The larger drivers, compared with those in earbuds, generally allow over-ear pairs to produce better sound than comparably priced in-ear models.
We’ve tested hundreds of over-ear headphones, including wireless Bluetooth, traditional wired, and noise-cancelling sets. This article provides an overview of our top over-ear picks across our different headphone guides, with links to our full coverage.
Ask Wirecutter, an advice column written by Annemarie Conte, explores the best approaches to buying, using, and maintaining stuff. Email your biggest product-related problems to askwirecutter@wirecutter.com.
If you’ve ever had a pen mysteriously wander away from your desk and then had to write with a poor substitute (the kind you might find at a bank or with some company’s phone number on it), you know how important a quality pen is.
We may be in the thick of summer, but it won’t be long before it’s time to trade those flip-flops and beach chairs for backpacks, new clothes, laptops, and other back-to-school essentials.
Some states have already kicked off their tax-free shopping holidays, while others are slated to start in the coming months. Our deals hunters have combed through early back-to-school sales to find the best discounts on grade-A, expert-recommended products that’ll last you through the school year and beyond.
There’s no shortage of good wireless earbuds on the market, but the best pair should offer a level of performance, reliability, and comfort that elevates it above the pack.
In our most recent round of tests, no pair exceeded our expectations like the Soundcore Space A40.
With excellent noise cancellation, customizable sound, a compact size, good microphone quality, wireless charging, and a comfortable fit, the Soundcore Space A40 performs so well that it’s hard to believe this true wireless pair is priced around $100.
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, 2023) 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 9530 is the best option right now due to its processing power and OLED screen. And the more budget-friendly 15-inch M2 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
If you’re worried about your home’s water quality—as many Americans justifiably are, in the wake of water scares in Flint, Michigan, and Newark, New Jersey—a home water quality test can ease your fears. After 50 hours of reporting, and after testing 11 different home water quality test kits, we’ve found that the Tap Score Advanced City Water Test is the best water quality test kit for your home. It measures a wide range of more than 100 potential contaminants and delivers the results in an easy-to-read, richly detailed report. If you’re worried only about lead, we recommend the much cheaper Safe Home Do-It-Yourself Lead in Drinking Water Test Kit.
To a college student, a backpack is akin to a third arm. For the majority of my undergraduate career, my appendage of choice was the Herschel Classic Backpack XL. I’ve dragged this affordable Wirecutter pick on the floors of lecture halls, thrown it haphazardly around dorm rooms, and soaked it with countless spilled beverages. Despite my abuse, it has held its shape and good looks while reliably carrying all of my grown-up school supplies.
Whether you’re building a stereo audio system with a brand-new pair of bookshelf speakers or an old set salvaged from a relative’s attic, you need a stereo amplifier to power them.
Stereo amps come in several configurations, with different names attached. This guide covers affordable integrated amps and receivers priced under $300. Though the connection options, features, and forms vary for these amps, our tests confirmed that all of our recommendations here have the power to effectively drive a typical set of bookshelf speakers to satisfying levels.
If you haven’t looked at what your cell phone bill might be under a new plan or on a new service, you should check now. In recent years prices have come down and data allocations have gone up, especially among the dozens of smaller carriers reselling services from the big three. But as always, most deals come with a catch.
There isn’t one carrier or plan that we can recommend for everyone, but we do have recommendations for the most common needs, as well as advice for people with more unusual requirements.
No professional wardrobe is complete without a great-looking bag to carry all of your gear. For people who have to lug around a computer, laptop bags are a more polished, grown-up option than a backpack, and they offer more storage space than a briefcase.
After years of testing, we’ve landed on six favorites: a water-repellant polyester tote with clever pockets, a well-padded tote that can also be used as a cross-body messenger bag, a refined leather tote with a zippered laptop compartment, a splurge-worthy leather bag with internal organization that you'll have forever, a minimalist vegan tote that's extra roomy, and a budget faux leather bag with a dedicated laptop compartment.
If you’re on your computer only once or twice a day to check email and read the news, you don’t need to buy any of the monitors in this guide—our budget monitor picks are great for the basics and cost half as much.
But if you spend hours every day staring at a screen for work (or for fun), a 27-inch monitor’s extra size and usable space are worth the money. The Asus ProArt Display PA278CV offers the best all-around combination of picture quality, ports, and price, along with a fully adjustable stand and a great three-year warranty.
All the things that most of us love about summer—bright sunshine, dips in the pool, and long days at the beach—are rough on our swimsuits.
Heat, chlorine, and salt cause colors to fade and reduce the material’s resilience over time, while sunscreen and body oils can leave tricky stains.
On top of that, synthetic swim fabrics are prone to a number of other woes, including pilling and persistent odors.
Luckily, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep your suit in great shape season after season, said textile expert Preeti Arya, an assistant professor at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology.
To extend the life of your swimwear—and avoid the embarrassment of a stinky, stretched-out suit—we’ve rounded up some prevention-focused tips and tricks.
Earbuds are discreet and convenient to use, but if you want to get the best wireless sound for the money, choose over-ear Bluetooth headphones.
Although no single headphones set is a perfect match for everyone, the JBL Tour One M2 comes darn close. We love this pair’s customizable sound, stellar call clarity, and days-long battery life—plus it includes some bonus features usually reserved for pricier headphones.
The parent who labels their kids’ lunch boxes and water bottles is the parent who can change the world—or, at least, their world. For a one-time, nominal cost, labels can bring needed organization to cluttered corners of the kitchen, help your kid and their teacher spot objects with ease, and ensure often-pricey goods don’t end up in the lost and found.
After sticking, washing, and wearing down 11 kinds of printed labels and one write-on label, we found that the Name Bubbles Custom School Supply Labels are the best printed labels to put on kids gear while the Avery No-Iron Fabric Labels are the best for kids clothes.
