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If you’re a streamer, a vlogger, or someone who’s on video calls a lot for work, good lighting is essential. Without it, you can look grainy, out of focus, or even shadowy—like an anonymous witness in a true-crime show. A ring light is a simple tool whose diffuse glow can bring you out of the dark and make you look more professional. Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/3g8htmV via the wire cutter

The wire cutter

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’Tis the season of deals, and Target is feeling the holiday spirit. This year, it’s hosting a holiday deals event from December 12 to December 18. Although Target carries a wide selection of Wirecutter picks, we’ve seen few deals worth noting in this sale—in fact, only six discounts match the best pricing we saw over Black Friday. If you’re still searching for a few last-minute gifts, check out what we’ve found below. Keep in mind that RedCard holders get an additional 5 percent off and free shipping on some deals. Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/3IIlvQx via the wire cutter

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You can find plenty of phone apps to help you keep track of your life, but stationery lovers know the power of writing it all down on paper. You can’t beat the satisfaction of crossing something off your to-do list with a sharp pencil or a smooth pen, and shouldn’t everybody use their phone less anyway? There are so many good planners that we can’t recommend one standout for most people, but we have found eight, in a range of styles, that we love. Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/3aFhfR5 via the wire cutter

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We spent more than four weeks testing 17 diffusers, and our favorite is the Urpower 2nd Gen 300ml Aroma Essential Oil Diffuser . It puts out a strong stream of mist, has a larger capacity and smaller footprint than much of the competition, and, while affordable, has a clean design that looks better than others at its price. Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/3mee4Ea via the wire cutter

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Life can be unpredictable, overwhelming, and just plain difficult. It’s often hard to find balance and easy to lose focus. That’s when a good meditation app can help. After talking with three experts, researching 21 apps, and testing 18 of them, we think Headspace offers the best experience. Its courses are organized and simple to navigate. And Headspace offers a daily personalized to-do list and group sessions, to create a wider sense of community and connection. Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/3beS6xl via the wire cutter

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A good set of flannel sheets should be so warm and inviting that it’s hard to leave them on a cold morning. If you don’t want to stay in bed all day, they’re just not doing their job. After five years of long-term use, 150-plus hours of research and testing, and 16 flannel sets we’ve tried since 2016, our favorite is still L.L.Bean’s Ultrasoft Comfort Flannel Sheet Set . They’re one of the softest, sturdiest, and coziest flannel sets around. Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/3jC2Wje via the wire cutter

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I’m lazy. It’s not that I find it particularly tough to plug a cable into my phone when it’s time to charge, but if I can shave a millisecond off the process or do it with even a hair less thought, I’d like to. That’s why I appreciate Apple’s MagSafe system. Introduced as part of the iPhone 12 lineup in late 2020, MagSafe uses hidden magnets embedded in the phone to align it with compatible wireless chargers, stands, and other accessories. So now when I sit down at my desk, I can simply slap my phone onto a MagSafe charging stand. And when I head to bed and it’s dark, I don’t have to fiddle with a Lightning cable. MagSafe doesn’t do anything you can’t do without magnets, but it does make those things a little more convenient and foolproof. Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/3tFnQ5Z via the wire cutter

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Whether you’re on a day hike with friends or tackling an ambitious backpacking route, you need a good pair of hiking boots to protect your feet and stabilize your ankles. After trekking over 1,200 miles and taking more than 2 million steps across all types of terrain in 43 pairs of hiking boots over the course of three years, we’ve chosen the Salomon Quest 4 Gore-Tex Hiking Boots ( men’s and women’s ) as the best hiking boots because of their solid traction and support, breathable and waterproof materials, and a mix of features that let us hike comfortably for miles, including a wide toe box, sturdy heel protection, and a gusseted tongue. Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/3ictQ1I via the wire cutter

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The best touchscreen gloves are ones that can differentiate between “texting” and “textjngZ.” And after testing 20 more pairs this year, we think the newly redesigned Moshi Digits Touchscreen Gloves are some of the best we’ve seen of the 80 we’ve tried overall. They’re warm enough, accurate, and can fit a wide range of hand sizes. Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/3ohGE9c via the wire cutter

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Even seasoned cooks can scorch a pan, whether they’re searing meat at high temperatures or fiddling with a delicate sauce. And if you have the right gear, cleaning those tough stains isn’t as much of a pain as it would seem. Based on our years of experience cooking at home and in professional kitchens, here are the techniques we use to keep our cookware gleaming. Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/31zG8xK via the wire cutter

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An increasing array of exciting non-alcoholic beverage options—balanced, complex drinks that you can sip and savor—are in line to replace the Shirley Temple. We tried 24 different bottles to find the most unique, mature, and delicious ones, and we made detailed tasting notes to help you choose based on what you like. Whatever your preferences, these drinks are foolproof to serve and stunning to look at. Hundreds of beverages, from imitation spirits to near-beers to simple seltzers, fall under the non-alcoholic umbrella. If we missed one of your favorites, add suggestions to the comments section below. Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/39aGADA via the wire cutter

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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 . Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/3rEzxMZ via the wire cutter

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Smartphones and tablets may have taken over much of people’s screen time, but there’s still a need for a real computer sometimes—and for most people, that means a laptop. For school and office work and tasks like creating spreadsheets and editing video, there’s no good substitute for a decent keyboard and a big screen. But exactly which laptop you should get depends on how often you’ll use it, what you’ll use it for, and (of course) how much money you can afford to spend on it. Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/3hrDXhO via the wire cutter

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After hundreds of hours of research and testing over the past seven years, we think Apple’s 9th-generation iPad is the best all-around tablet, with all the performance and features most people need for watching video, browsing the Internet, and staying on top of email and social media feeds. But we also have recommendations for people who want an Android tablet; a basic ebook reader; or a more powerful tablet for gaming, design and creative tasks, or for replacing a laptop computer. Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/3pvYiqR via the wire cutter

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An immersion blender (also called a hand blender or a stick blender) isn’t as powerful as a countertop blender, but it can be more convenient. You can use it to puree a soup directly in the pot or make a quick and easy mayonnaise, and throw it in a drawer when you’re done. We’ve blended gallons of soup, smoothies, and sauces with more than a dozen immersion blenders since 2013, and the Breville Control Grip has always come out on top. It produces smoother textures, has a design that’s more comfortable to use, and comes with whipping and chopping attachments that actually work. Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/3oGecic via the wire cutter

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If you spend most of your day typing, you shouldn’t be stuck with the mushy keyboard on your laptop or a cheap, uncomfortable desktop keyboard. Mechanical keyboards allow you to customize their looks with different keycaps and get the typing feel you prefer by choosing different switches under the keys. And compact keyboards—which nearly match the size and layout of a laptop keyboard—take up less space on your desk. Of the dozens of keyboards we’ve tested, we think the Ducky One 2 SF is the best compact mechanical keyboard for most people’s needs. Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/3746jL5 via the wire cutter

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If you’re lucky, the $30 you spend on a Bluetooth tracker will be wasted money. These tags are helpful only when you need to find your stuff—if you never lose things, they’re just ornamental. But if you’re often scrambling to locate your keys or bag as you’re heading out the door, a Bluetooth tracker can be a lifesaver. iPhone users should choose Apple’s AirTag , which employs a huge network of Apple devices to passively search for lost goods and enable precision finding features, making it more likely that you’ll recover what you’ve misplaced. If you use an Android phone, go with Tile trackers, including the Tile Mate (2022) . With the second-largest crowd-finding network, Tile is the best option for those who don’t use Apple’s phones. Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/2OwvscA via the wire cutter

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There was once a time when buying a new laptop charger was difficult and expensive, but computers with USB-C charging have made replacements easier to get and more affordable than ever. The best choice for almost any modern tablet or laptop is Nekteck’s 60W USB-C GaN Charger . This adapter is just as powerful and reliable as a replacement from your laptop’s manufacturer, and it’s smaller than almost any other we’ve seen. It’s safety-tested and certified, and it comes with its own USB-C charging cable, making it a particularly great value at its very low price. Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/3nxZPv3 via the wire cutter

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A good humidifier creates a comforting indoor condensation level that can soothe your cracked skin and help you breathe more easily. But even the best ones still require more maintenance and attention than you’d expect from such a seemingly simple device. We recommend the Wi-Fi–enabled Levoit Classic 300S Ultrasonic Smart Humidifier because it’s quieter, more durable, and easier to deal with overall than any other humidifier we’ve tested, with a 1½-gallon tank that will last all day. Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/30T1kel via the wire cutter

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A wearable fitness tracker can help you monitor your steps, strides, sleep, and more. It can also dole out doses of motivation along the way, which might nudge you toward a specific goal. Since 2015, we’ve spent more than two total months running, walking, swimming, cycling, sleeping, and, in short, living with 35 different fitness trackers day and night to assess their accuracy, ease of use, and comfort. Although no tracker perfectly recorded every metric it attempted to (including distance traveled, step counts , sleep quality, calories burned, and heart rate ), we’re confident that the easy-to-use, feature-packed Fitbit Charge 5 is the best option for most people who want to use a fitness tracker to monitor their movements and take steps toward improving their health. Dismiss from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/3oY7LY4 via the wire cutter