The Best Light Therapy Lamp

Shifts in the number of daylight hours—due to changing seasons or long-distance travel—can have varying effects on people. For some, limited daylight hours can sap energy. For others, the effects can be more serious. After putting in 33 hours of research—including reading two books and five comprehensive studies on the subject and interviewing one of the scientists who discovered seasonal affective disorder (SAD)—we’ve concluded that the Carex Day-Light Classic Plus is the best light therapy lamp to treat SAD symptoms.

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The Best Waterproof Tough Camera

If you plan to bring a camera with you when you go rock climbing, skiing, or snorkeling, it makes the most sense to have a waterproof tough camera that can withstand modest falls and can work while completely submerged underwater.

After putting in 20 hours of research and testing, and subjecting our test cameras to rough handling and a swim in a pool, we’ve concluded that the OM System Tough TG-7 is the best choice. It’s tough, it captures 4K high-definition video, and it takes good-looking photos without any futzing on your part.

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The Best Nonalcoholic Drinks

I don’t drink alcohol, but I love to drink—you can catch me guzzling green apple Gatorade, swirling homemade kombucha, and squirreling away cans (not bottles!) of Coke from the corner store every chance I get. I live a very satisfying beverage life sans booze, but soda doesn’t always cut it when I want to feel included in a toast, bring drinks to share at a picnic, or sit and sip on something that is itself the main event.

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When Is the Best Time to Buy a TV?

Quality TVs now come at a lower everyday price than ever. One example: Our pick for the best budget 4K TV, the Hisense U6K Series Google TV, sells for under $500 in the 55-inch size. Just a few years ago, a similar-size TV of comparable picture and sound quality would cost hundreds more.

But there are key times throughout the year when you can save even more, and with a big enough discount, you might even be able to spring for a higher-tier model equipped with features such as a brighter display, deeper black levels, and—important if you’re a serious gamer—faster refresh rates.

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The Best Flashlight

The smartphone in your pocket probably has a flashlight, and it’s probably pretty good at shining about 3 feet in front of you. But you can get far better illumination, versatility, ergonomics, and durability with the ThruNite Archer 2A V3, a flashlight that has a lot in common with its costlier competitors. We settled on this model after spending four weeks in the New Hampshire woods with 26 flashlights, draining almost 80 batteries, researching the topic for over 55 hours, reading through countless threads at a number of flashlight enthusiast forums, and speaking to a man who has personally reviewed almost 200 flashlights.

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I Was a Professional Carpenter for 10 Years. Here's the Screwdriver I Use at Home.

The Megapro 13-in-1 is the ultimate kitchen-drawer tool.

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The Best Humidifier

The best humidifier releases gradual, consistent moisture throughout a room, making you feel healthier and more comfortable. And it doesn’t require constant maintenance or leave dank puddles of dew to dapple everything you own. Sounds simple, right? You’d be surprised how hard it is to find.

After testing dozens of humidifiers over the years, we think the Wi-Fi–enabled Levoit LV600S Smart Hybrid Ultrasonic Humidifier is close to that ideal: It’s quiet, durable, and easier to deal with overall than any other humidifier we’ve tested, with a 1.5-gallon tank that will last all day.

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The Best Over-Ear Headphones

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.

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The Best Pen

If you’ve ever had a pen mysteriously wander away from your desk, and then you 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 it is to have a quality pen.

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The Best Pubic Hair Trimmer

The hair down there: Grooming it has been a struggle and a source of anxiety for people since before the building of the pyramids.

To get a clean shave, consider using a manual razor. But if you’d like to remove some—not all—of your pubic hair, a dedicated trimmer can be helpful. We researched dozens of “body hair” trimmers, consulted experts, polled incredulous dates, and recruited four people (two with vulvas, two with penises) to conduct 40 test trims.

Our conclusion: You can use a beard trimmer for the task, but if you want a dedicated device for grooming pubes, the Panasonic Electric Body Hair Trimmer and Groomer for Men ER-GK60-S is overall the best tool, regardless of your genitalia.

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The Best Mobile Scanning Apps

Smartphones are the Swiss Army knives of the digital world, and mobile scanning apps are one of the best examples of why. Using your phone’s camera, these apps can scan and extract text from virtually any document—plus whiteboards, books, and more—while automatically correcting for distortion and skew. After spending more than 50 hours researching 22 scanning apps and testing 13 of them, our favorite is the lean, efficient, and free-to-use Adobe Scan (for Android and iOS). It’s simple to use, capable of beautiful scan quality, and equipped with excellent text-recognition capabilities.

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7 Cheap(ish) Things to Step Up Your Meal Prep

Preparing key ingredients for a meal—or making entire dishes in advance, usually in bulk—can often save you time throughout the week. Lunches can be packed ahead, and dinner can be ready for you to heat up when you come home from work. The web is awash with recipes, plans, and hacks, and #mealprep has nearly 18 billion views on TikTok.

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The Best Indoor Security Camera

It’s said you can’t put a price on peace of mind. Well, we’re doing it anyway—and it’s pretty reasonable.

An indoor security camera lets you keep tabs on the things at home that matter most, whether that’s your kids, your pets, or your prized vinyl collection.

We recommend the Eufy Indoor Cam C120, which is typically available for $35. It provides sharp 2K video, has four options for video storage, distinguishes between people and pets, and even detects the sound of crying. If you want to integrate it with other smart devices, it includes support for Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit.

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The Best USB Microphone

The built-in microphones on most computers don’t do your voice justice—they pick up too much room noise, add too much fuzz, and dull your warm and natural speaking tone. A standalone mic connected via USB will help you sound your best, whether you frequently sit in on conference calls or record podcasts. After testing more than 30 USB microphones over the past eight years with the help of audio professionals, we’ve found that the Blue Yeti is still the best microphone for most people.

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The Best 4K Monitors

When people shop for a TV these days, a high-resolution, 4K screen is practically a given. But 4K computer monitors are still a luxury, unless you’re editing photos or videos professionally, or if you specifically want to watch 4K content.

The Dell UltraSharp U2723QE is our favorite 4K monitor because it’s a quality, color-accurate display that can charge your laptop over USB-C, and it has superior contrast compared with the competition.

For a cheaper option, we recommend the Dell S2722QC.

If you want a larger 4K display that has the same contrast as our top pick and also supports Thunderbolt 4, the HP Z32k G3 is an excellent option. And if you don’t need 4K, you can find all kinds of great monitors and pay less.

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This Lovely Lego Set Helps My Family Invite Good Luck for Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year is around the corner, which means that it’s time to take out the trash—literally and figuratively.

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The Best Space Heaters

Whether you need to offset the chill in a drafty bedroom or give your home’s heating system a little boost, it’s always good to have a space heater on hand. We’ve researched over 100 models and tested 75 since 2011, and we think the Vornado VH200 is the best space heater for most people. A lot of space heaters can make you feel as if you’re sitting in front of a hair dryer. But our picks can warm an entire room faster and more comfortably than other models, while still offering plenty of reliable safety features, just in case.

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The Best Slippers

Nothing soothes cold feet like a cozy pair of slippers. The best ones offer comfortable support and lasting value while warming your body from the ground up. We spent 120 hours researching slippers for this guide before testing 39 men’s and women’s styles.

After years of continual wear and feedback, we still love our three longtime picks: a pair of toasty sheepskin shearling moccasins that are tough enough to venture outside in, handsome and durable felted-wool slippers that don’t make your feet overheat, and fleece-lined vegan scuffs that are a bargain at less than $50.

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Dave the Diver Review: Teach a Man to Fish, and He’ll Take Over Your Restaurant

I used to believe that it was my life’s purpose to become a scuba diver, and I completed my open-water scuba certification years ago. But my expectations were quickly obliterated when reality hit—I’m far too claustrophobic to scuba-dive, and I found most of my dives terrifying. Fortunately, I can now live vicariously through Dave the Diver, a peaceful yet captivating game for PC and the Nintendo Switch that fulfills a few of my aquatic dreams.

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The Cora Menstrual Cup Eliminated My Monthly Period Stress. It Also Helped Me Save More Than $500 (So Far).

My life as a menstrual cup devotee started as a crunchy-granola, hiking cliché, but I quickly realized how convenient a cup is both on and off the trail.

I was heading out on a long wilderness hiking trip, where the nearest pack of tampons on a store shelf would be 80 miles away. I needed something that would never run out, that I could wash, and that wouldn’t stuff the trash bag I had to carry back out of the mountains.

Enter the classic DivaCup.

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The Best Home Security System

Achieving peace of mind for your home doesn’t have to be pricey or difficult.

Traditional home security systems often require long contracts and expensive professional installation, but most smart DIY security systems are affordable and easy to install, and they allow you to pay for a monitoring plan only when you want it.

Ring offers two of the best-performing and easy-to-use DIY home security systems we’ve tested: the Ring Alarm Pro and the original Ring Alarm. You can set up and control either system using the same simple smartphone app, and you can customize yours to suit your preferences with a wide range of add-on accessories. Ring also offers more camera and video-doorbell options than any of our other picks, and its monitoring plan is the most comprehensive and one of the least expensive.

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The 25 Best Valentine’s Day Gifts for Him

Whether you’re celebrating a long-term romance, a treasured friendship, or just a flirtation with the barista at your usual café, Valentine’s Day is the time to treat the special guy in your life. We’ve pulled together the best Valentine’s Day gifts to show your boyfriend, husband, or that promising Hinge swipe just how much you care. Most (but definitely not all) of our picks are also great for dads, brothers, and sons.

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The Best VR Headset

Virtual reality can be an arresting way to step into engaging virtual worlds, even if it’s still a new technology that remains far from being a “most people” purchase. We think the Meta (formerly Oculus) Quest 3 is the best headset for most people because it’s the easiest to use and offers access to the widest range of games and experiences.

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The 31 Best Valentine’s Day Gifts for Her

Whatever you celebrate on February 14—Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day, or the birthday of illustrious suffragette Anna Howard Shaw—it’s an opportunity to show the lady in your life some love. Of course, you could get her flowers delivered from your favorite local shop or, if there’s nothing of note in her area, our favorite online flower delivery service.

But we’ve also gathered a list of considered and unexpected gifts for celebrating your relationship, whether it’s romantic, platonic, or something in between.

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The Best of CES 2024: What We’re Looking Forward to Most

You may not have been able to join the 100,000-plus visitors to the Consumer Electronics Show this year, but rest assured: We brought more than a dozen of our writers and editors to Las Vegas to find the coolest things on the horizon.

Make no mistake—most of the stuff at CES is overhyped nonsense that most people don’t need. But we did notice some genuinely exciting things this year, including the one item almost all of us were talking about: a TV that becomes completely see-through.

Here’s more about that, and a baker’s dozen other things that we’re looking forward to in 2024:

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The Best Ergonomic Keyboard

If you feel like you’re forcing your hands, wrists, elbows, or shoulders into an uncomfortable or unnatural position while typing, an ergonomic keyboard might help. These keyboards trade the traditional straight rows of keys for sweeping curves and obtuse angles, which allow your hands to rest more naturally on the keyboard and support better posture.

Every person is different and finds different things comfortable, so there’s no one-size-fits-all ergonomic keyboard. But the Logitech Wave Keys strikes a good compromise between affordability and an ergonomic design that should work for many. And if you need more customization, our upgrade pick, the ErgoDox EZ, allows for nearly unlimited configurations and adjustment.

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If I Could Only Own One Style of Drinking Glass, It Would Be This Bistro-Style Duralex

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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