Our Favorite Compact Soundbar Is $100 Off
If your current TV speakers aren’t impressing you, the easiest way to upgrade your movie…
Our Favorite Compact Soundbar Is $100 Off
If your current TV speakers aren’t impressing you, the easiest way to upgrade your movie night is with a sound bar. Our favorite compact option, where you might have limited space or a smaller room, is the Bose Smart Soundbar. It’s currently marked down to $400 at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy, a discount…
What’s the Best Hair Straightener for You? It Depends (2025)
Compare Our Top 10 Hair Straighteners Other Straighteners We Tried Photograph: Kat Merck Paul Mitchell Neuro Style+ for $150: The latest in Paul Mitchell’s lineup of otherwise standout hair straighteners, this ceramic iron with Paul Mitchell’s new NeutraHeat temperature-regulating technology goes up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and has dual voltage for travel. However, the body…
How to Save at the Supermarket
A mix of small independent grocers and large regional chain supermarkets is primarily responsible for keeping our cupboards full. But in recent years, a handful of grocers have been expanding their national presence. If one of the stores below isn’t already in your neck of the woods, it may be soon. Aldi has over 2,000…
Best Organic Mattresses (2025): Birch, Avocado, Naturepedic, More
Organic bedding brand Coyuchi recently launched its own organic mattress, combining cotton, wool, and Dunlop latex atop individually wrapped coils. While Coyuchi’s linen sheets are excellent, I was a little nervous to try the company’s first mattress effort. Bedding is not a mattress, after all, and expertise does not always transfer across endeavors. In this…
Best Action Cameras (2025), Tested and Reviewed
Compare Our Top Pick Action Cameras The B-Roll DJI Osmo Action 4 Courtesy of DJI Some of our previous picks remain good cameras, though their features lag behind more recent releases. DJI’s Osmo Action 4 Camera for $225: The Action 4 is a fantastic action camera. The magnetic mounting system is the best we’ve tried,…
5 Best Bike Racks, Tested by Our Experts
We decided on a sampling of hitch-mounted platform racks, including a low-priced option designed with heavy electric bikes in mind and one intended for serious cyclists who anticipate regular use. We also evaluated low- and high-priced hitch-mounted hanging racks. We ordered the racks online, assembled them in the Auto Test Center main garage, and tried…
VOCs and Other Toxic Chemicals in Mattresses: What to Know
In a nationally representative January 2023 CR survey (PDF) of 2,088 U.S. adults, 12 percent said that one of the three most important features for them when buying a mattress is whether it comes with a label stating that its materials are not harmful to humans. But labels about chemicals in mattresses can be confusing,…
The Best TVs We’ve Reviewed in 2025: Sony, Samsung, LG, and More
Honorable Mentions There are so many good TVs available, we can’t add them all to our top list. Here are some great options that either missed the cut or got knocked off our top list by their replacements. Hisense U8QG: The U8QG is a great buy at its lowest price (around $1,000 for a 65-inch…
17 Best Gifts for PC Gamers (2025): Headsets, Desks, Monitors
Shopping for a PC gamer is a perilous endeavor. What might look like a great sale on a GPU or gaming keyboard can turn out to be a bad deal because of some arcane spec that only the most die-hard forum-dwellers understand. If you’re shopping for the gamer in your life who lives that nerd…
Should You Warm Up Your Car Before Driving?
An engine is fully lubricated long before it reaches full operating temperature. When your car sits for an extended period of time, the oil drains down to the bottom of the oil pan. Once you start the engine, the oil pump quickly circulates the oil throughout the motor, lubricating all the necessary moving engine components….
