Buying Guides

Buying guides

The shortlist for each category: what to buy, who it's for, what you trade off. Updated as prices move.

Electronics & Tech

Buying Guide

The Best Portable Monitors

A second screen you can pack comes down to weight, panel quality, and how it gets power. These are the ones worth carrying, and the corner each one cuts.

4 picks

Buying Guide

The Best Portable Power Banks

Capacity, charge speed, and weight pull against each other; you can't max all three. These are the power banks we'd carry, and the tradeoff each one asks you to accept.

4 picks

Buying Guide

Streaming Devices: Roku vs. Fire TV vs. Apple TV

All three play 4K smoothly. The right streaming box depends less on raw power than on whose ecosystem and ads you can live with. Here's the head-to-head.

3 picks

Home & Kitchen

Buying Guide

The Best Air Fryers

Capacity, footprint, and how easy the basket is to clean matter more than peak temperature. These are the air fryers worth counter space, and the catch with each.

4 picks

Crafts & Hobby

Buying Guide

The Best Cutting Machines

What a craft cutter can cut, and how much software lock-in it carries, decide the right machine far more than the brand name does.

3 picks

Beauty & Personal Care

Buying Guide

The Best Hair Dryers

Drying speed, weight in the hand, and heat control matter more than headline wattage. These are the dryers worth the money, and the compromise behind each price.

3 picks