The best Black Friday deals were found by Absolute

WIRED Reviews: Finding the Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024) Using Our Years of Product-Testing Experience in Gadget Science

For a deal, trust our decades of product-testing experience, tool kit, and nose. For Black Friday, we cross-reference our buying guide recommendations with the latest sale prices to find the absolute best Black Friday deals on the gadgetry worth owning. An actual person from the WIRED Reviews team has tested every product we list in our deals coverage, and we don’t recommend anything we don’t like.

We always strive to find deals at their best price ever, or very close to it (some match previous discounts, but we have never seen them lower unless stated).

We test products year-round and handpicked these deals. The discount amounts we show are based on actual street prices at retailers in the past few months. Products that are sold out or no longer discounted are removed. We will update this guide on a regular basis.

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

Bulletproof Walkie-Talkies and the Amazon Echo Speaker: Review of The Leatherman Wave+ and 5 Watt Versions of WIRED and the 4100 Sonicare and Martin Cizmar

The Leatherman Wave+ is our top pick multi-tool. There are two knives with a straight edge and one with a Serrated blade here, along with 16 other tools, including a wood-and-metal file.

The reviewer was for WIRED. So reviewed the 2-watt version of these bulletproof walkie-talkies (8/10, WIRED Review) and I’ve started testing this version, which has more than twice the power and promises a half-mile of carry in even the least advantageous of environments (and up to 35 miles when circumstances are right). They’ve got USB-C charging and IP56 water resistance and the signal has been clear and strong in my testing. The 5-watt version of the talkie radio was never before on sale. Martin Cizmar is a person.

The 4100 Sonicare is the most popular sonic toothbrush we have tried, and it is a little bit less abrasive than your standard toothbrush. We already like the 4100 for all the features it packs at its price point—two intensity levels, a pressure sensor, and a two-minute timer—and those features are an even better deal right now while this toothbrush is on sale. The woman is Nena Farrell.

This was a past budget pick in our electric toothbrush guide, and it’s still a great, affordable toothbrush. It’s cute, thin, and has a gentle cleaning vibration as a sonic toothbrush. It comes with a carrying case, too. ena Farrell is a person.

The cheapest Amazon echo speaker is the Echo Pop which is only $19 on Black Friday. It’s downright adorable, with a half-moon shape and a couple of fun colors you won’t find in other Amazon speakers. It’s not the most impressive speaker, but it’s still a good deal and you can get all the usual features in a smart speaker. ena Farrell

The Fire Max 11 (5/10, WIRED Review) is the most powerful tablet in the Fire lineup, almost like Amazon decided to make a real tablet. Even though it’s fast and capable of hardware, it’s crippled by the Fire OS from Amazon. At full price we don’t recommend this one, however, now that it’s down to $140, it’s a good deal. The bundle with a keyboard is also on sale for $225, so if you want to be more productive with it, you can take advantage of it. The man is Scott Gilbertson.

The best value in the Fire tablet lineup, the HD 8 was updated earlier this year with more RAM (3GB) and a better 5 megapixel camera. It keeps its form factor, but battery life is still rated at 13 hours, although we rarely got over 11 in testing. The storage options are either 32gigabyte or 64gigabyte, but I think you should stick with the cheaper option and add a microSD card, it’s on sale for $27. —Scott Gilbertson

The Fire HD 10 Kid’s Edition is exactly the same, but comes with a protective case and one year of Amazon Kids+, as well as a very few questions about the warranty for when your kids accidentally drop it. Parental controls on Amazon’s tablets are limited, but offer some control over content (see our guide for more details). Scott Gilbertson is a person.

TheKindle Paperwhite is the most popular model of it’s kind. The 12th-generation model (8/10, WIRED Recommends) comes with a larger display (7 inches instead of 6.8), the highest contrast ratio on any Kindle (for sharp text and images), and three months of battery life (an increase from two months on its predecessor). It’s also the thinnest yet. We recommend it to anyone who is buying their very first Kindle. The Signature Edition is also on sale for $155, which comes with double the storage, auto-adjust brightness, and support for wireless charger. —Brenda Stolyar

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The Best AirPods in the World: Bent, Did You Need a High-Performance Pair of High-Defining Earbuds?

The wait for the AirPods Max (8/10, WIRED Recommends) with USB-C is finally over. There’s a lot in common with the Lightning version, such as an updated charging port, noise cancellation, and rich bass. They have a great build quality with a mesh headband and fabric earcups. The new colors of theUSB-C version are orange, purple, blue, and midnight. —Brenda Stolyar

The Beats Fit Pro is still the best workout accessory for your phone. (If it’s not broke, why fix it?) These buds fit perfectly in my tiny ears. The H1 chip is compatible with all Apple products. I have gone running and accidentally put my head under a faucet while wearing these and they still work great. Our guide to the Best of AirPods is an Apple-specific pick. —Adrienne So

Since it was bought by Apple, Beats has released some of the top earbuds in the world. The studio buds + are no different, with noise canceling, good integration with phones and a more comfortable fit than the AirPods Pro. They’re also better for workouts, thanks to built-in earfins that keep the IPX4-rated headphones in your ears. —Parker Hall

Sony’s WH-1000XM5 takes almost everything we loved about the previous model and gives it a different look, with a mix of wonderful features and excellent noise canceling. There are lots of things to see and do in these headphones, from multipoint compatibility to great touch and voice commands. They are great for travel but also good for wearing around the house. They are not as packable as the previous model, but that is the only flaw in an otherwise perfect package. Ryan Waniata.

The AirPods Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends) come with a bunch of useful features including Conversation Awareness (which lowers your music and background noise when you’re having a conversation), Adaptive Transparency mode (that combines noise cancellation and transparency to adjust audio), and support for Find My in case you lose them. They have an excellent sound quality with good noise cancellation, crisp highs, and authoritative bass. There isBrenda Stolyar.

Do you need a cheap pair of earbuds? Look no further than the Go Air Pop, which are utterly usable earbuds that cost less than $20 this Black Friday. When I forget to bring buds with me, I like to keep a pair in my car or gym bag. —Parker Hall

These affordable earbuds from Nothing (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are among my favorite cheap headphones right now. They come in a cool clear plastic case and feature cool yellow accents, and they offer virtually every feature you can expect from high-end buds these days. The sound quality is good, and you get noise canceling, comfortable eartips and decent sound quality overall. You will not find buds that are better than these for nearly double this price. It wasParker Hall.

The top pick in our guide to workout headphones for years is the Jabra Elite series. Unfortunately, the company recently decided to stop making them. Even though the earbuds have a two-year warranty, some of my colleagues wouldn’t recommend them. However, these are still the most comfortable and secure workout headphones that I’ve tried. The case has an unusual feature, that you can use a 3.5mm jack to listen to them on a plane. It’s neat! These are still great for travel! —Adrienne So

Hearing damage isn’t a joke. I carry these cheap earplugs from Earpeace on my keychain for when it gets loud at a concert or other event. They are cheap, and do better with wide frequencies than the foam earplugs you are used to. If you always find yourself wishing you brought a pair, now is a good time to snag them. The man is namedParker Hall.

The WIRED Gear team fights each year over who gets to review the next generation of this cute speaker. A rubber strap is all you need to affix it to everything. It is good for it’s size and rating, too, and you don’t need to worry if it spills. The name isParker Hall.

Ultimate Ears makes some of our favorite speakers, and the Boom series is a standout. The Boom 4 is an update of the old Boom 3 that adds long-awaitedusb-C charging and modestly revised drivers. Its performance offers the same clear, smooth, and balanced presentation we’ve come to expect from the series. You’ll also get up to 15 hours of battery life, the ability to stereo pair with another Boom 4, and plenty of ways to adjust the sound in the app. This isn’t the bassiest speaker for its size, but it has a better sound than cheaper knock-offs. Its primary drawback is its high price, which makes now the right time to strike. —Ryan Waniata

Everyone needs a good pair of computer speakers, especially if you work from a home office. These speakers have front ports that are better for bass, and they connect with wired and wireless networks, as well as Bluetooth. They aren’t the newest model but they’re still our favorite. —Parker Hall

This mid-tier model from Ultimate Ears has a mix of quality, sound, and aesthetic, which is exactly what the best speakers offer. The folks who design these spend a lot of time testing their limits, from drop tests to bleach testing them in the desert sun, and that makes them great for folks who tend to be harder on consumer electronics. If you have a fisherman, hunter, or contractor in your life, UE is the brand for you. The man is namedParker Hall.

Round Bluetooth speakers like this one might seem hard to place, but the built-in leather strap that comes with the Beosound A1 makes it very easy to hang anywhere you might need to. The speaker has a sleek metal exterior that can survive a lot of abuse. The normal downside is the price, which is negated this Black Friday. PARKER HALL.

JBL’s Authentics 200 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) speaks fluent Google and Alexa, letting you pick your smart home poison. That means it can act as a controller for multiple types of smart home products without the need for unifying smart protocols like Matter. The speaker’s stylish retro design provides further appeal, with a chunky foam grille reminiscent of JBL’s ’70s audiophile designs and real knobs for EQ and volume. Most important, the Authentics sounds fantastic, with warm and vibey mids, crisp treble, and wavy bass you can feel through the floor when it gets humming. Sonos models like the Era 100 and Era 300 are top of mind for most seeking an acoustically sound Wi-Fi speaker, but don’t sleep on the 200, especially at this new low price. —Ryan Waniata

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

WIRED: The Fellow Aiden, The Moccamaster, and the Breville Barista Express, all in one espresso and frother

One of the coffee devices that’s been talked about a lot this year is the The Fellow Aiden, according to WIRED. It’s a sleek update on the classic Mr. Coffee from the 1970s: A drip machine to make drip coffee seem kinda cool again. It’s easy to use, it can be customized to each roast or bean with a simple dial twirl, and our reviewer marveled at how good the coffee was. The device is on sale for Black Friday, but only if you also buy a bean grinder. The WIRED Gear team’s favorite overall grinder in existence is the Fellow Opus. —Matthew Korfhage

We have found the Breville Barista Express, an all-in-one espresso maker and frother, to be the lowest priced one in the market and its sturdy machine will compete with big boys. This is a longstanding favorite of the Gear team, and has been kept on the counter for half a decade by the WIRED reviewer. The slightly upgraded Pro version is also on sale this weekend, for about hundred more. —Matthew Korfhage

The Terra Kaffe is a pricey hunk of coffee machinery and has its bugs, but it’s one of few on earth to offer not just quality espresso and macchiato, but also true drip coffee that’s not Americano in disguise. All that is in this package is easy to clean, and it has a smart screen. Using a phone app, you can begin warming the machine up from your bed, just like a remote starter on your car. You can sign on for a coffee subscription and get $500 off till December 15, but you will have to pay an extra $10 per month. —Matthew Korfhage

The MoccaMaster drip coffee maker is big. It’s sturdy. It is in a machine-shop like way. It has been made in Holland since 1968. It’s not on our buy-it-for-life list for nothing. Customers claim their Moccamasters have been kicking around for decades. —Matthew Korfhage

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

Turtle Beach Velocity One Flight: An Upgrade of the Logitech G Extreme 3D Pro USB Joystick for Microsoft Flight Simulator

Looking for a totally souped-up set of flight controls? The Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flight is a complete system for feeling like you’re actually at the controls of your favorite planes. The hall effect sensor means that the yoke will last a long time, while the 180 degree yoke will feel more true to life. This is an excellent upgrade option for anyone who loves to play Microsoft Flight Simulator because it comes with bells and whistles, dedicated controls for the propellers and throttle, as well as a screen on the yoke. BRAD Bourque.

If you’re looking for a simple joystick for gaming, it’s hard to beat the value on the Logitech G Extreme 3D Pro USB Joystick. It isn’t the fanciest, and its plastic construction won’t impress true enthusiasts, but you’ll spend two or three times the price to get anything similar from a manufacturer as reputable as Logitech. It also sports a huge number of buttons, both on the handle and on the base, and a throttle slider that’s not as common on joysticks at this price point. That makes it the perfect joystick for a quick flight in Microsoft Flight Simulator or a few hours of space trucking in Elite Dangerous. —Brad Bourque

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

Anker USB-C Cables, Casio G Shocks, and Smartwatches: The Best Cables Guide to Outdoor Sports

This 10-foot cable is long enough to allow you to place your phone where you want while charging (or continue using it without having to crouch near the outlet). The braided nylon cable from Anker comes with a lifetime warranty. It can deliver up to 100 watts to fast-charge any phone or tablet and comes with a handy cable tie. You can get it in black or white, but I like the red because it stands out, making it less of a tripping hazard. This is the best long cable in our best USB-C cables guide. —Simon Hill

The Series 10 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is the latest model to join Apple’s lineup. It also holds the top spot in our guide to the Best Apple Watches. It is thinner, lighter and packs support for fast charging compared to its predecessor. You can use features like Vitals and Training Load on the watch, which will show how your workouts are impacting your fitness over time. It’s worth noting that it doesn’t pack a blood oxygen sensor, though. —Brenda Stolyar

The Ultra 2 is one of the top picks for outdoor sports. An ultra-wideband chip with enhanced precision finding is contained in an S9 chip. You’ll also have access to dual-frequency GPS, offline maps (that you’ll have to download to your iPhone), and Backtrack for creating virtual breadcrumb trails on the Compass app via the Action button. Coincidentally, someone is namedBrenda Stolyar.

The Casio G Shock is an icon in the watch world for a reason: It’s robust, easy to use, and makes you look and feel tougher. This smart version features the same classic looks you expect from the 1980s models, but is upgraded with a heart rate monitor and fitness tracking. It should be as long as the classics because of its rugged construction and water resistance. * —Parker Hall*

Yes, the price is lower now that the new Oura Ring 4 has been released. But I wore the Oura Ring Gen3 for many years and found it to be accurate, attractive, and comfortable (once all the features it had promised in 2021 became available). Some days, I even find myself missing the three little bump optical sensors on the back of my ring. This is a pretty remarkable deal for a one-of-a-kind fitness tracker that started a whole product category all by itself. —Adrienne So

The best running watch will probably always be a Garmin Forerunner. The Forerunner 65 has everything you need, from the barebones Forerunner 55 to the spendy Forerunner 965 for triathlons. The more you spend, the more sensors you get, and the Forerunner 165 has blood oxygen sensing plus a barometric altimeter, compass, and ambient light sensor, in addition to the now-standard fall detection and multiple satellite positioning systems. —Adrienne So

Samsung tried to make a squircle-shaped Apple Watch Ultra competitor and it’s … OK (7/10, WIRED Review). The company also targeted Apple-like pricing, but the Galaxy Watch Ultra didn’t have complete feature parity and its software isn’t as polished. This is a good deal since it has a few extras over the standard watch, but it is much more reasonable because of the discount that ends December 1. —Julian Chokkattu

The newest Pixel Watch 3 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) comes in two sizes, and I very much recommend you snag the larger 45-mm variant. It doesn’t look that big on small wrists, but you get much better battery life (just a smidge over a full 24 hours). Loss of pulse, a feature on the way in the US that could help alert emergency services in the case of cardiac arrest, is only available in selected countries, but can be used to track health and fitness. —Julian Chokkattu

The OnePlus Watch 2 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) had one job: stand out from other Wear OS smartwatches, and it succeeded. Unlike Samsung’s Galaxy Watch7 or Google’s Pixel Watch 3, OnePlus prioritized battery life over all else, and thanks to a clever dual-processor and dual-operating system hybrid architecture, the Watch 2 can last roughly three days on a single charge. Hooray! The health tracking isn’t its strong suit, but this is a Wear OS smartwatch so you’ll find many rich smart features, though it’s only compatible with Android phones. You can save even more by going with the OnePlus Watch 2R for $170 ($60 off), which has a screen that doesn’t get as bright, no sapphire crystal coating over the glass, and an aluminum build over stainless steel. Julian Chokkattu

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

A Low-Cost Home-Arcade Pac-Man Game Playing Game with Bluetooth and Headphone Accessory Using Logitech Lightspeed

This easy-to-build home arcade cabinet features a 17-inch color LCD screen, a light-up marquee, authentic arcade controls, and runs 14 Namco games, including every version of Pac-Man and a few extras like Galaga and Dig Dug. Whether you grew up in the arcades or not, these games still have a powerful addictive hook, and this Pac-Man arcade machine brought me closer to my teen kids. This discount is decent and brings the price down to the lowest it has ever been. Simon Hill.

This is a good gaming headset because it uses Logitech’s Lightspeed connection system which is important for audio when playing fast-paced games. You can also use Bluetooth if you’d like, or jack in with the 3.5-mm headphone jack. It is more versatile because of that. The boom mic arm is detachable so you can wear this out of the house without feeling like you’re headed to a call center. Our previous top pick was the G Pro X 2’s predecessor, and it’s also on sale for $81 ($19 off). You have less options because that one is a wired headset. Julian is a person.

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The Power of a Small Gamepad: Comparing the PS5 Slim and the Jsaux 7-in-1 Steam Dock Gaming Keyboards

The PlayStation 5 Slim is a slimmed-down version of the PlayStation 5 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) that’s around 30 percent slimmer. It runs the same list of great PS5 games but takes up less space beneath the TV. If you want to learn more about the different PS 5 models, we have a breakdown of this, but only the Slim model is on sale for Black Friday and has a 15 percent discount. —Simon Hill

Compact gaming keyboards like the Razer Huntsman Mini make a lot of sense for gamers with limited desk space. If you don’t mind if the keyboard is small, you will find all the features you would expect in a full size keyboard. That includes Razer’s excellent software support, keycap compatibility, and excellent build quality. All that adds up to a big deal on a small board, and it’s just part of the reason the Razer Huntsman Mini is our favorite small keyboard. —Brad Bourque

With a million mechanical keyboards on the market, it can be tough to stand out, but the Corsair K100 does just that with its built-in control wheel. This knob has the ability to adjust keyboard lighting or other built-in keyboard functions, but more fun is that it can be used to control the media on your system. You’ll also get RGB backlighting, a volume control wheel, and a set of macro keys along the left side, all features we’d expect from a mechanical keyboard at this price point. —Brad Bourque

The Steam Deck might be all about portable handheld gaming, but sometimes you just wanna plug it into a bigger screen, just like a Nintendo Switch, especially if you want to play a game with a keyboard and mouse. The aluminum Jsaux 7-in-1 Steam Deck Dock has everything you need to make your computer run smoothly, with 3USB-A, a DisplayPort, an HDMI, and even an ethernet port. —Julian Chokkattu

This Black Friday, Alienware AW3432DW is on deep discount, and it’s pretty darn good for gaming monitors. This curved screen can reach 175 degrees in less than 15 minutes and will make your current gaming system shake with anticipation. The features on this monitor, which include excellent color gamut and accuracy, should be considered for your battlestation. —Brad Bourque

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

A Life-Simulator for Nintendo Switches and Other Cosmic Consoles: The Classical TKL (Literally) Lightspeed

I didn’t think I’d love Disney Dreamlight Valley when I first installed it, but it quickly became one of my favorite cozy games. On the Nintendo Switch it is fantastic, but it can be found on other consoles. It’s a life sim where you’ll run around collecting items, farming crops, fishing, and decorating, but it also has a surprisingly grown-up storyline that might entice even those of us who don’t have fond memories of Disney movies or shows. The bonus cosmetics are not included with the base game. Pro tip: Plant all the pumpkins. —Louryn Strampe

It’s always nice to see a solid deal on our favorite keyboard. The TKL Lightspeed is as stylish as they come, even though it has a mouthful of a name. It features a bright backlit keys, a standard RGB setup and a high quality design that fits right in on any desk. We like the fact that the G Pro X TKL has the right features and leaves the rest on the cutting room floor. Brad Bourque was there.

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The Galaxy S 24 Ultra, Pixel 9 Pro Fold and XL: Two Mobiles to Recommender for Android Users in the New Millennium

So, brace yourself, as the lineup now contains four phones, including the new Galaxy S 24 FE (8-10). The latter is the cheapest, taking some of the highlights from the flagship lineup and putting it in a more affordable body, lowering the price. At $475, it’s a great smartphone with long software support (seven years), even if it’s a bit drab. You should consider if you want a truly premium phone, the S 24 Ultra for $950 is the best deal on the market. The titanium build has a S Pen stylus built in and a 5X optical zoom. You should wait for the successor to arrive in January if you’re after the latest and greatest. —Julian Chokkattu

There are some quirks, but the Pixel 9 Pro Fold (6/10, WIRED Recommends) is the booklike folding phone I’d buy if I were in the market, and this is a tantalizing price. The external display on the phone is nearly the same size as the one in the Pro model and it feels like a normal phone. It’s possible to open the fold up to reveal an 8-inch internal screen that’s perfect for watching shows on the commute home. —Julian Chokkattu

This is our top Android tablet recommendation for anyone who doesn’t want an iPad. It’s well-priced, especially on sale, and you get a sharp 144-Hz 12.1-inch LCD screen for media watching and even cranking out some work. That’s possible because OnePlus has excellent multitasking software that lets you have three apps side by side simultaneously, or two apps side by side and a third at the bottom (that you scroll down to). If you want to type on the keyboard, I recommend getting a keyboard case. —Julian Chokkattu

The discount is the first major one on the new phones. They have a lot of new features, powered by the large language models of the internet giant, and they are some of the smartest. Voip recordings and phone calls can be transcribed and summaries can be obtained from them. The XL version has the same features with a bigger display (and a bigger battery too). It costs $849 ($250 off). Julian Chokkattu.

The lowest price for our favorite phone has been restored. The WIRED Recommends, the Pixel 8A is everything anyone needs in a phone, from good cameras to smart software features, and a bright display. It has all the accouterments, including wireless charging, an IP67 water resistance rating, and seven years of software support, which is unparalleled in a smartphone that costs this much. You can see all the fun little software tricks in the guide. Julian Chokkattu.

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The Soft Microfiber Cloth: How to Get Your Makeup Eraser Ready and Ready to Remove Makeup, Lips, and Contours

The MakeUp Eraser is of great beauty. The soft microfiber cloth is one of our favorite reusable products. It lives up to its name—simply get it wet with warm water and rub it gently over your face. It is much better for your skin than disposable makeup wipes. I’ve successfully used it to remove smoky eye looks, red liquid lipstick, and heavy contour—all in one fell swoop. You should still cleanse with a traditional cleanser, especially if you want to remove any traces from hard to reach areas like your inner corner or lashes, but micellar water is an excellent way to wash your face. The cloth is machine washable and dries fast as well. —Louryn Strampe

This mascara has been my holy grail for years. There are drugstore dupes, but I think nothing is better than the real thing. In two coats, I might as well be using false eyelashes because my lashes look long, thick, and silky in one coat. I like how dark the black color is. If you want the most dramatic lashes, it’s the way to go. —Louryn Strampe

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The Shark FlexStyle (9/10, WIRED Recommendations): A multi-tool system for the hair straightening, drying and drying of curly and coily hair

It’s hard to find one that works for thick and curly hair and also works well for more wavy hair. As the top pick in our guide to the Best Hair Straighteners, this ceramic iron makes short work of most hair textures—former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano has one she’s been using on her curls since college, and this is the iron I use on my own unruly 3a curls for daily touch-ups. I also like the maneuverability of the smaller plates and the quick one-minute heating time. —Kat Merck

This is the best curling iron for long hair. It’s suitable for all hair types and has a tourmaline ceramic-coated barrel that’ll help your hair stay silky and frizz-free. The curling iron can heat up quickly, which makes it easy to perfect your styling technique, and the long barrel means you have a lot of room to work. The dual voltage makes this model work on international trips. Louryn Strampe was a person.

Some people have hair that will only be affected by a flat iron, and others have more forgiving hair, and they can use a range of tools like the AirWrap from Dyson. Yet another method is via the Tymo Ring, a straightening comb that former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano called in our guide to the Best Hair Straighteners a way to take “the curl right out quickly—I didn’t have to go over sections more than once or twice.” She liked the way that the hot teeth are protected by the outer shell, meaning that users can get close to their roots without burning themselves. Kat Merck.

If you love the idea of a multi-tool system like the Dyson AirWrap but can’t stomach shelling out $600, the Shark FlexStyle (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is for you. Like the AirWrap, there are two sets, one for “straight and wavy” and one for “curly and coily,” and both come with two brushes for drying and two barrels for curling. The Dyson hair dryer has one more heat setting than the wand, but it’s only half the price, and it can be used alone or with one of the brush attachment. WIRED contributor Alanna Martine Kilkeary declared it the Best Multitasking Curler, while former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano deemed it a “near-perfect dupe” of the AirWrap. —Kat Merck

The Series 9 is Braun’s ”professional-grade” beard trimmer for the home set, with a quick and secure front control dial to change cut length, long battery life, and an excellent-quality main clipper attachment. Other attachments of equal quality allow tight detail work, or ruler-straight lines and edgework. It is, in short, our favorite overall beard trimmer—and it’s handsomely on sale. Matthew Korfhage.

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

TheraFace Mask: An Electric Brush for Black Friday (or Why It Is Just $15 During a Black Friday Sale)

The best electric toothbrush is even cheaper on Black Friday. You can usually find it for around $20, but it’s just $15 right now. It does a great job cleaning, has a gentle sonic cleaning style, and even comes with seven (that’s right, seven!) replacement heads. That is just $2 for the toothbrush and each head. It comes in pink as well. The only downside is that the charger is inconvenient, but for how much you get for the low price, it’s worth it. —Nena Farrell

Yes, the TheraFace Mask is one of the pricier LED masks on the market, so if there’s ever a time to indulge, it’s during a sale. It is different from other masks in that it has a vibration therapy that massagepressure points around the eyes, browline, and scalp. Using it feels less like skincare and more like a therapeutic retreat I can experience from the comfort of my bed. There is a person named Buffyna Chokrane.

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The Parker Hall X-ray Player: A Best Value Value for Your Backlit TV, the Roku Plus Series, and any Other Air Quality Monitor

Air quality can have a large effect on how you feel. Might as well know how it’s going, right? It is better to have the QP Pro Air Quality Monitor on your desk or bedside table since it is less visual and prints a bit small. A lot of information is available: particulates, temp, CO2, humidity, volatile compounds, outdoor air quality index, hoo-boy. The device is already cheap despite its flashier competition. —Matthew Korfhage

Hisense’s 65-inch U7N QLED TV (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our choice as the best TV for most people right now, thanks to its impressive performance and features for the money. The TV’s swarm of mini LED backlights serve up fiery brightness and deep black levels with minimal light bleed, meaning the picture looks great in the daylight and the dark. It’s got great gaming features, including VRR (variable refresh rate) for gaming at up to 144 kHz from its high-refresh panel, and an intuitive Google TV smart system to run the show. Videophiles will likely notice some dirty screen effect—this is a value model after all—and like nearly all backlit TVs, its off-axis viewing is just OK. This well-balanced package is great for big 4K thrills at a crazy-low price. Ryan Waniata.

This Panasonic 4K player supports both Dolby Vision andHDR10, which make it very specialized for using your discs. I like that these players are easy to use, but the software is a bit similar to 20 years ago. Discs look better than streaming content, so a solid deal on this player is a must for anyone looking to see their favorite content in the best possible quality. The man is calledParker Hall.

If you’re after a solid screen at a sweet price, Roku’s baseline Plus Series could be right up your alley. It all starts with the fantastic Roku operating system that makes it remarkably simple to call up connected devices, grab any app, and even track down your remote with a built-in chime. Frankly, that last feature is so fundamental I can’t believe it isn’t standard in all modern TVs. The Plus Series’ panel only offers a 60-Hz refresh rate, so it’s not the best option for serious gamers, but it’s a solid performer thanks to good brightness and punchy colors. When the lights are not on, you won’t see patches of blotchy patches. Support for Apple Homekit, Alexa, and Google Assistant rounds out the package for a great budget buy. Ryan Waniata.

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

Logitech Lift for Mac: a vertically oriented mouse for Apple devices of all shapes and sizes (Brenda Stolyar)

The iPad mini comes with several internal upgrades, as recommended by WIRED. The A17 Pro chip is easy to use, as it can handle both graphically demanding games and Apple Intelligence. It is compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro. A tiny build packed with everything is great for traveling, whether you want to play a game or read a book. It wasBrenda Stolyar.

The Macbook Pro with M3 is still a great option despite the recently launched M4 powered versions. It has a bright display with mini-LED and a 1080p webcam built in. You’ll also get a 120-Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling. As usual, it packs plenty of ports, including two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4, an HDMI, a MagSafe charging port, an SD card slot, and a high-impedance headphone jack. We recommend it if you don’t want to spend over $2,000 on a MacBook Pro. —Brenda Stolyar

Having a proper ergonomic mouse can make a huge difference in your daily life, which is why we recommend the Logitech Lift for Mac, a vertically oriented mouse for Apple devices of all shapes and sizes. Some people may find it easier to use a mouse than a vertical orientation, especially if they use your system for long periods of time. It doesn’t cut where it counts, with long battery life, a quiet magnetic scroll wheel, and wide range of options to adjust to your liking. —Brad Bourque

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The M1 MacBook Air ($9/10, WIRED Recommendations) with M1: A Super-Efficient Keyboard Case for the iPad

This MacBook Air (9/10, WIRED Recommends) with M1 is the cheapest MacBook you can buy. Although the M1 came out back in 2020, it’s still a speedy and capable chip for simple tasks and basic activities (like web browsing, sending emails, and word processing) along with light video editing. It can last a day and has a good battery life. It is a good option if you are shopping for a MacBook with no frills. —Brenda Stolyar

The keyboard case for the iPad is our favorite. The first half protects the back of the iPad and also comes with a kickstand while the second half has a detachable keyboard and trackpad. The case is not only durable and sturdy but also feels great to type on. Instead of Bluetooth, it connects using Apple’s Smart Connector If you don’t worry about draining battery life, you will. It’s available for the base iPad (7th, 8th, and 9th Gen) along with the iPad Air (5th Gen and M2) and 11-inch iPad Pro (1st Gen and newer), 12.9-inch iPad Pro (5th and 6th Gen), as well as the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro with M4. —Brenda Stolyar

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

Magna-Tiles: A Fun Card Game with a Cat Cast for the Funniest Families of Cats and Dwarfs

Magna-Tiles may be expensive (a little less expensive now), but the return on investment is just staggering. When our daughter was young, we made ice cream cones or hats with her first set. Now she’s 9 and can make full villages for stuffed animals in the course of an afternoon. There are also a ton of different themed sets (also on sale) if you need more specialized pieces for race courses or jungles. Adrienne So.

This game is perfect for a quick game and easy to pick up. The aim is to avoid exploding kitten cards by wielding a comical cast of cats with special powers. Timing and strategy can be used to help you beat your opponents. This card game is included in our best family games guide. There are many expansion packs worth trying if it is a hit with your family. —Simon Hill

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The Ugreen River 2 pro, LiFeP06, and Other Superpowerful Power Stations for Road Trips, Camping, and School Trips

My house is currently being mapped out to test for an upcoming gift guide update. I can’t wait to get my hands on them, they’ve gone quickly on TikTok. They have got positive reviews on the internet. There are two fineliners and a brush tip in each marker. You will get a carrying case, 120 colors, and a swatch card. They should be accompanied by a coloring book on the way to my house. There will be hours of fun this winter. There is Louryn Strampe.

We like Ugreen’s 145-watt charger for its very fast charge times. It’s compact for the power it provides, though it’s not light at 1.1 pounds. You get two ports for use in computers and one for use with mobile devices. The Ugreen has something that sets it apart from the others, it is able to draw all 145 watt while charging. The second port is at 45 W and the first is at 100 W.

This is a good portable power station for road trips and camping because it is a manageable size. The River 2 pro has a LiFeP06 battery that can power up to 800 watt-hours. It has all the ports you need to charge your phones and other small gadgets, and the X-Boost surge enables it to power small appliances. You can charge it from an outlet or solar panels, though it takes more than an hour, and the fan can get a little noisy. Simon Hill.

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

MagSafe Mount for Triple Wireless Charging: a Prototype for Galaxy Watches and other Android Devices with a Charged And Charged Mount

If you have a device powered by the triple wireless charging option, it is a great place to put it. It can also be used to charge other devices as well, as it is Qi compatible. It also has LEDs that light up quickly when you place your gadgets down on it, and it also comes with a 25-watt wall charger and USB-C cable. However, it is not applicable with all of theGalaxy watches. We found that it was, however, compatible with the Watch4 and older Watch3. —Brenda Stolyar

This is our favorite MagSafe mount and it’s used for the iPhone 12 or later. You can attach it by using a dashboard Pad or a suction cup. The telescopic arm can combine with a ball joint for a wide range of movements, allowing you to find the ideal position. The USB-C charging cable is removable too, so you can store it when it’s not in use. There’s also a built-in fan to help keep you cool when it gets hot outside. Our only gripe is that it tops out at 7.5 watts for charging. —Brenda Stolyar

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The Nutribullet Ultra: A High-Speed Blender for Smoothies and Dips with a Little Help from the Experts at Zojirushi

Long ago, I used to think rice cookers were fundamentally the same. Then I bought my Zojirushi, with its fuzzy logic circuit that measures moisture and adjusts cooking time and temperature accordingly. Now all my rice tastes wonderful. The same goes for coconut rice. This is among Zojirushi’s most basic models, but it has served me so well I’ve become a near-constant ambassador. And this is a terrific deal on it. Matthew Korfhage is related to the one before him.

The Nutribullet Ultra is one of the best blenders we’ve tested. The 1200 watt motor is powerful and easy to use, while the stylish design and simple controls make it ideal for smoothies and dips. The 30-second blend is enough to make it through your ingredients, but if you want the smoothest consistencies, you have to run a second cycle. The five-year warranty is icing on the cake. A smoothie. We’ve seen this blender drop to $90 before, but anything below $110 is a good deal. Louise Strampe is a woman.

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

ThermoPop: The inexpensive and fast thermometer for a steak on a lattice. Source: Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The instant-read thermometer is essential in the kitchen. Can you prod your steak with a finger and accurately temp it? I don’t think so. The Thermapen One will tell you the exact internal temperature in one second; no need for elaborate guesswork. The more expensive Thermapen One is cheaper, but we prefer it for its reliability and speed. The speed is important because the longer that oven door is open, the more unevenly you end up cooking. At this price, why not get the best? —Scott Gilbertson

If you don’t want to spring for the Thermapen above, the ThermoPop is a great budget option. The large, back lit, auto-rotating screen is easy to read even though it is not as fast. It is waterproof and accurate to plus or minus one degree. The person is Scott Gilbertson.

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

Korfhage Aprons: The Real Thing that Makes Smeared Cooktops More Awesome than Breville’s Smart Oven Pro

The new generation of combo ovens we’ve tested don’t have the same feature set as Breville’s Smart Oven Pro. It’ll roast you a 14-pound turkey. It’ll make pounds of less-greasy french fries or wings. It bakes cookies. It does a good job of making pizza in the first place. Matthew Korfhage is related to them.

These aprons from Hedley & Bennett are a lot like professional kitchens, but better, and they can stand up to a lot of spills without leaving you with a wet belly button. They make great gifts, from Star Wars aprons to cutesy bagel aprons. The site is 20 percent off. —Matthew Korfhage

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The Kitchen Aid: A Budget-Friendly Food Processor with a Wooden Handle, Blades and Disc for Efficient Storage

We’ve seen best prices for wine opener, this is one of the best. This deal makes it even more affordable, because it is. JordanMichelman says the opener feels good in the hand and the wood handle is easy to use. The knife is sharp. Everything packs down cleanly for easy storage once that pesky cork is out of the way. Louryn Strampe is related to it.

We have tested a lot of food processing equipment, but the KitchenAid model is the best we have tried. It comes in four colors and has a solid 9-cup capacity which has enough room to make servings for a family of four. The blades and discs can be held in the bowl or base. You will also receive a dual blade, a dough blade, and a julienne disc. This deal matches the best price we’ve tracked. —Louryn Strampe

We think the budget-friendly food dehydrator offers the best bang for your buck out of all the models we tested. The stackable BPA-free plastic rings are a little bulky and awkward to fit in the dishwasher, but everything we dehydrated dried evenly. This is a good model if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a food dehydrator, but you want one that works well. —Louryn Strampe

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

Buying a Soda Maker at the Bottom of the Day: The Enso is a Price-Favorable, Low-Size, and Affordable Overall SODA Maker

The Enso is the WIRED Gear team’s favorite overall soda maker, because it’s so easy to use, durable and easy to use, and it can make soda with one hand. If you use the HOLIDAY40 code on SodaStream’s website, it’s 40 percent off. Matthew Korfhage is a person.

Joe Ray of WIRED wrote that 6 quarts is not enough capacity for a solitary chef in early Instant Pots. Not when there’s lamb ragu, sous vide, or 8 pounds of roasty baby backs to be made. Unfortunately, that model is sold out already, so if you really want an Instant Pot, you’re stuck with 6 quarts. (Or check back later). —Matthew Korfhage

This egg cooker fluctuates in price all the time, but this is one of the lowest prices we’ve seen it. It’s featured in our “Buy It for Life” guide. WIRED reviewer Julian Chokkattu says his wife loves this little countertop appliance, which can cook eggs in a myriad of different ways. Poach, soft-boil, hard-boil, or even whip up an omelet. It will let you know when breakfast is served. It’s available in several cute colors like aqua, powder blue, and red. —Louryn Strampe

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The Philips Soup Maker: It’s a Boy’s Life. If you’re into Protein Powders, Then You Need a Bag of Mikuna

If you—like myself and many I know—rely on protein powders to reach your daily protein goals and regularly hit the wall with certain types (pea, whey, soy), it might be worth throwing a bag of Mikuna into the rotation while it’s on sale. It’s made from powdered chocho, a type of lupin bean only grown in the Andes, and one-third of a cup adds 20 grams of vegan, single-source protein and 8 grams of fiber. It is hard to digest, and tends to settle very quickly if you mix it with just milk or water. It is one of the best ways to make a filling that will last for hours. The name of the person is – “Kat Merck.”

The Philips Soup Maker is a good way to get into soup season. The boy can make a lot of soup. There are also chilis, stew, purées and smoothies. It is similar to an Instant Pot if it was specifically for liquids. Choose your preferred texture, from chunky to creamy and more, and the machine will heat (or cool), blend, and stir the added ingredients to perfection. The machine is built to last. If you want to become a soup enthusiast, this deal is great. Louryn Strampe is a person.

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The Best Robot Vacuums in our Guide to Black Fridays. A Review with Brenda Stolyar, Ariane So, and Kerr Hall

This is one of the cheapest vacuums in our guide to the best vacuums. The Motorbar Cleaner was updated a couple of years ago with hair-detangling and hair screw tools. It has improved filtration too, with the ability to trap 99.99 percent of fine dust. This vacuum turns into a hand vac, and you don’t have to buy a different one. The battery lasts up to 40 minutes and takes about 5 hours to fully charge. Brenda Stolyar is a person.

There’s a good time to buy a robot vacuum. Even as the technology advances by leaps and bounds, many older models remain perfectly capable—and sometimes more than grand cheaper. Over the course of a year, our top pick has been the Q5 Pro+ from Roborock, it is well-loved and still works well today. I have a 6-year-old Roborock on the upper story of my house that is still going strong. A person named Ariane So.

I love my pellet smoker for cooking everything from meat to pizza—as does WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson in our guide to the Best Grills—which is why I highly recommend this Traeger this Black Friday. It can connect to Wi-Fi for easy monitoring of longer cooks, and features the classic easy-to-clean Traeger design that made the brand an icon in the first place. —Parker Hall

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The LifeStraw II: A Super-fast, Extremely Fast LifeStripping Water Straw and a Killing Glimpse

This LifeStraw has been featured in many an iteration of our outdoorsy gift guide (though we’ve replaced it this year). Nevertheless, it’s a good product. This LifeStraw can screw onto a plastic water bottle or be used as a straw to slurp up water from basically anywhere. It filters out at least 99.99 percent of gross particles. If you’re shopping for a prepper this holiday season, or you’re just like me and ill-prepared for the zombie apocalypse, this deal is worth checking out. Ms. Strampe was a person.

This one is made by Western Digital, and it’s very good. The fastest speed recorded by the M.2 2270 was 5,100 Mbps, which is blazing fast. If you’re doing a lot of drive-intensive tasks, like editing video or gaming, this drive is well worth the money. The largest version you can get is 2 TB, but the price is reasonable considering the speed increase. The person is Scott Gilbertson.

The M.2 drives are some of our favorites. They’re plenty fast, durable, and will fit pretty much any motherboard M.2 slot. This one has a read speed of 6,980 MB/s and a write speed of 4,876 MB/s. —Scott Gilbertson

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The SCUF Instinct Pro Controller: An Upgrade for the 14th Generation Intel Core I7-14700K 5.6 GHz Processor

Is this year’s i7 or last year’s i9 the same? If you’re building your own PC, this is a great deal. Intel’s high-end gaming option, the 13th-gen Core i9, was an incredibly versatile performer and still stacks up will in benchmark tests against newer, lower end chips like the 14th-gen i7. Go for it at this price. Scott Gilbertson is a person.

This Intel Core i7-14700K 8-Core 5.6 GHz (LGA 1700 Socket) chip is a very solid performer and will work with any 700-series chipset-based motherboard. It’ll get you through heavy workday tasks like video editing with ease and can handle 4K gaming. Scott Gilbertson was born.

The hardcore console games know that swift reactions can be the difference between total glory and complete failure, so make sure you get every advantage from the SCUFInstinct Pro controller. This upgraded controller features improved materials for grip and comfort, plus a more premium build quality, but the best part is hidden around back. Four programmable paddles allow you to put your most important buttons right at your fingertips for lightning-fast access, giving you the ultimate edge against anyone who has to move their hand to hit the melee button. Brad Bourque is a person.

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The Bar 1300X: A Bose-Bound Soundbar for a Small, But Not So Difficult Home Theater

I have been waiting for the Bar 1300X deal to arrive. If you’ve been after transformative Atmos immersion in a large-and-in-charge soundbar system, your time is now. The 1300X’s standout feature is its removable, battery-powered surrounds that can detach from the main bar as surround speakers when needed, or reattach, charge, and play as part of the larger bar. They’ll even work as standalone Bluetooth speakers. It’s a cool feature, but the 1300X’s Dolby Atmos performance is even cooler. You’ll feel like you’re in a room filled with sound when the speakers start hitting. The included device provides power for everything you play, and music also sounds great. The app is a little lackluster for sound adjustments, but otherwise, I’ve got nothing but kudos for this uniquely versatile setup. Ryan Waniata is the son of Ryan Waniata.

Classic audio brands have had a harder time pivoting to the soundbar world than most, but Polk has managed to make a decent bar and stand behind it for a few years now. This model features integration with other powered Polk speakers and is a good system for slowly building a home theater with. —Parker Hall

The Ray (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is the oddest little soundbar in the Sonos lineup, but at this price, it’s a slam dunk for the right buyer. Unlike its siblings and nearly all modern offerings on our best soundbars list, the Ray doesn’t offer HDMI connection, using optical input instead. That means it won’t automatically work with your TV remote It doesn’t even come with one of its own. That said, it can be programmed to work with most modern remotes. Alternatively, you can control it via the Sonos app, which unlocks tons of other features like Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay 2, and the ability to link up with other Sonos speakers as part of a whole-home system. It’s almost never included in the price level of soundbars. But the Ray’s best feature is its excellent sound, pumping out clear, musical, and surprisingly meaty audio for a bar proportioned more like a Bluetooth speaker. –Ryan Waniata

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The 2023 Tab S9 On-Sale Bundle: A Great Digital Notebook with a Minimal Surface, AMOLED Screen and IP68-rated Screen

Who says you always have to buy the latest and greatest? If you get a tablet from Samsung’s 2023 Tab S9 series, you can save some serious cash and get an equally great experience (7/10, WIRED Recommends). The Tab S9 is the smallest, and next comes the Tab S9+, both of which have AMOLED screens and are IP68-rated for water resistance. Tab S9 Ultra is huge and designed to be travel friendly, which is why it is down to $400 off. The Tab S9 FE and Tab FE+ are available. If you want a cheap slate with smooth performance and a pen in the box, you will love it; they are better than their predecessors. The FE+ has more RAM and a bigger screen than the FE. Julian Chokkattu.

The ReMarkable 2 is a great digital notebook—so great that it’s No. 1 in our Best Digital Notebooks guide. I find myself grabbing it daily to write down all kinds of things—grocery lists! To-do lists! Ideas for novels I’ll never write!—or upload PDFs for me to read and edit. This Black Friday sale is exciting, because it’s pricey. This on-sale bundle includes the Marker Plus, which has an eraser on the end for you to easily edit your notes without needing to switch between your tools on the page. Choose a bundle with the folio of your choice—I love the Type Folio for taking more detailed notes or mixing up my writing screen of the day, but the Book Folio has a better price—to get the sale price. Nena Farrell.

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The Dell XPS Laptops (7/10, WIRED Recommendations) for Those with Macalaholics. Scott Gilbertson: A Person. Intel Core Ultra Family

The Dell’s larger XPS laptops are aimed at people with MacBook jealousy. The design, specs, and sizes align perfectly with Apple’s offerings. The XPS 14 has a gorgeous, sleek design (though it’s thicker than a MacBook), a wonderfully bright and sharp OLED screen (with 120-Hz screen refresh rates), and is plenty speedy for everyday tasks. The MacBook’s benchmarks run around the XPS 14 when they are heavy-duty. Still, with this deal, this is a serious piece of hardware for not a lot of money. Scott Gilbertson is a person.

The Swift Go offers outstanding performance for the price (7/10, WIRED Review). It also has a battery life of 15 hours. The downside is the speakers, which aren’t great, and overall the body feels a little plasticky. If the budget is thin, the Swift Go is worth considering because it’s the least expensive Intel Core Ultra laptop we’ve tested. —Scott Gilbertson

There’s much to love about Samsung’s Galaxy Book4 (7/10, WIRED Review), but let’s be honest, that sticker price is insane. It’s still pricey though this deal brings it down a bit. You get the new Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor and the current top-of-the-line processor in Intel’s Core Ultra family along with an graphics card, along with impressive hardware. The 16-inch AMOLED 2,880 x 1,800 pixels touchscreen is magnificent to work on and performance blew everything else we’ve tested out of the water. Gilbertson.

The Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best-looking Chromebook you can buy. The beautiful white design stands out in a sea of gray slabs. The Core i5 CPU offers plenty of performance to easily handle multiple tabs and app juggling. The webcam is nice too, much crisper than you’d expect for a $500 laptop. There’s no backlit keyboard. —Scott Gilbertson

The 13-inch Surface Laptop (7th Edition) (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor. Our testing was a lot of fun. No matter how many windows, tabs, and apps were thrown at it, it did not take much time. That said, this is not a machine for graphics-intensive tasks, like video editing or gaming (which is a shame because the vivid sharp screen with a 120-Hz screen refresh rate would be great for gaming). —Scott Gilbertson

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

A Super-Low Power Supply: The Corsair’s Best Wi-Fi 6E Router in Our Best Routers Guide

The best Wi-Fi 6E router in our best routers guide, this hexagonal Asus router impressed in my tests. The 6- GHz band is added to the 2.4- and 5- GHz bands. The new band is very fast, though it is relatively low range and doesn’t penetrate through walls very well. There’s ample connectivity with a 2.5-Gbps WAN/LAN port, a second 1-Gbps WAN/LAN, and a further three gigabit LANs. If you need to change settings in the mobile app and browser interface, they offer free security and parental controls. —Simon Hill

If you are looking for a power supply that is upgraded, you should take a look at the Corsair. This full-size PSU can support up to 1,000 watts at 80 plus gold efficiency, which should be more than enough for most systems. It has a fully modular design and sports a 135-mm magnetic fan with a zero mode for almost silent running. It is worth it to system builders who have been waiting for prices to drop because it is not the biggest discount in the world. —Brad Bourque

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The Crucial X9, the MX Mechanical Mini, and Other High-performance External SSDs for Photographers: A New Handle on Laptops and Desktops

Our favorite external SSD for photographers, the Crucial X9 is built to last, easily pocketable, and supports a wide range of devices, from computers to mobile phones. It’s also one of the fastest portable SSDs we’ve tested, breaking its own stated read and write speeds of 1,050 MBps, so you can get back to taking photos. Although there is a faster X10 Pro, the X9 is a better choice due to the limited availability of inputs. It never hurts to stock up on storage since this price has been a bit lower before. Brad Bourque is a person.

Logitech has a long history of great keyboards, and the MX Mechanical Mini is no exception. The wireless keyboard has a backlit keys, wired or wireless connection, and low profile mechanical switches. If you’ve got tons of devices, you should know the MX Min also has wide support for operating systems and devices, including iOS. This keyboards is one of our favorites for tablet users that want to unfold it into a proper workspace. —Brad Bourque

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The PaperMATE InkJoy Gel Pens: Super-Efficient Writing with a High-Throughput Ryzen CPU

The Ryzen 9 7950X is one of AMD’s most powerful CPUs, and is on a steep discount for Black Friday. A 16-core, 32-thread monster will impress anyone looking to upgrade their PC for raw computing power. The 4.5 GHz base clock is already ultra-fast and can be pushed even higher, making it an excellent choice for demanding tasks like video editing or 3D rendering. It’s also the perfect counterpart to a high-end GPU for the best possible experience in any video game. Brad Bourque.

The Plum Paper A5 Planner can be used to create themed pages that complement your life. Plum Paper has it all, whether you desire pages for meal planning, fitness tracking, or to journal your baby’s growth. The add-ons for babies are what makes my paperPlanner pick for parents. (It will cost you extra to add these things on, but it’s around $5-$10 per add-on.) Plum Paper also has a ton of gorgeous sticker packs to order, from seasonal to fitness or baby themes. You can also get custom stickers. You can get a copy for 30 percent off now if you want something that is specific to your life. —Nena Farrell

The smooth 0.7 millimetres of glide on the PaperMATE InkJoy Gel Pens is what makes it so special. With 14 bold colors to choose from, this set is a rainbow of possibilities; whether you’re color-coding, writing in a planner, or doodling, their versatility and flair have earned them a permanent spot in our writing toolkit. —Boutayna Chokrane

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The Branch Verve: An upgrade for a super-compact, adjustable chair and the ultimate home tool kit for DeWalt power drills

If you have an office chair budget that is higher, you should look at the Branch Verve. The arms are fixed and can move up and down but not side to side. That’s my only real gripe with this chair; everything else is a nice upgrade over the Branch Ergonomic Chair, from build quality to back support. It also looks even more elegant, and there’s a headrest add-on if you want to shut your eyes and nap for a bit in between Zoom meetings. —Julian Chokkattu

The home tool kit has a handy little drill. It’s got enough power to handle tasks that need extra torque, and the half-inch chuck will accept basically every drill bit size. This kit includes two batteries and a charger, and the batteries are also compatible with other DeWalt tools. The deal is very close to the best we have seen. The kit we recommend is also on sale. Louryn Strampe is a woman.

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

Supima Cotton: A New Cotton Product for Bath and Body: A Must-See, Must-Have, and Must Must See

The Internet is suddenly full of filtered showerheads whose makers promise all sorts of health benefits if you use their filters. We can’t speak for most of these claims. In addition to being a pleasant, broad-spray shower, our tests showed that this Afina is really effective at removing chlorine from water before it hits hair and skin. It is one of the only brands we tried that reduced chlorine to a level that was invisible to the eye. And for now, it’s available at a sweet discount. If you replace filters every two months you will need them to cost $29 to $40. Matthew Korfhage.

It has been on the top of our Best Sheets guide since we started testing the sheets and it is a star of our new Best Bamboo Sheets guide. The sheets are made of bamboo viscose and feel so soft and cold to the touch that you can feel butter on your skin as you sleep. It’s a sheet set that’s usually a big spend, which is why the sale is the perfect time to buy it. —Nena Farrell

Buffy made a name for itself with its eucalyptus-based sheets and bedding—all of which are fantastic!—but I’m most in love with the brand’s first cotton product, a set of percale sheets. Supima cotton is a longer-staple cotton that makes Buffy’s percale more soft, and still retain the style of percale sheets. It’s a go-to for me, even though I’ve used it before as a per capita hater. If you’ve been shopping for new percale sheets, snag these while they’re on sale. —Nena Farrell

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

AmazonBasics: A Minimal Bed Frame with Extra Space for Storches and Totes? Louryn Strampe and Martin Cizmar

Our favorite budget bed frame, this option from AmazonBasics is great for first-time apartments or people with a ton of stuff. That’s because the 18-inch height leaves enough room under the bed for storage totes. You might still be cramming your shoes and off-season clothes under the bed, but at least you’ll have room to do it in an organized way. The frame folds down for easy transport and storage. And since it’s a platform, you won’t need a box spring either. Louryn Strampe is a woman.

The original bed-in-a-box was the subject of a complete redesign earlier this year. I found the new baseline mattress from Casper to be more supportive and firm than its competitors, as it kept a classic memory foam feel but was more firm and supportive. The queen version is not offered, the other sizes are. Martin Cizmar is a person.

Mattresses are frequently advertised with inflated discounts, and this mattress from Nectar was only $100 more than this earlier in November. However, it’s still a big discount on an all-foam mattress that’s solidly on the soft side despite being advertised as “medium firm.” —Martin Cizmar

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The REOLINK Doorbell and Doorbell Security System for a Crowdsourced Curling Club: Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

I love my REOLINK doorbell, which does everything I need it to without the hassles of a glitchy app that needs to be updated every two weeks or any monthly fee. When a curling club needed a security system, a member of the club suggested we just do a REOLINK system, which is cheaper than pricier options. The REOLINK Altas PT Ultra (on sale for $170, which is $70 off) and the solar-powered REOLINK Argus 4 Pro (on sale for140, which is $80 off) are both running in the parking lot, which has drawn rave reviews. Martin Cizmar is a man.

The cost of the digital photo frame is not a cheap one and we love it, but this is not a great option for beginners. Except for right now, where you can get the touchscreen 10-inch Nixplay for the same price as cheap, crappy frames you’ll find on Amazon. It is comparable to our favorite Aura frames but at a lower price point. Every frame purchased, Nixplay plants a tree. The lady is Nena Farrell.

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The Air Line: A High-Energy Star-Certified, Super Plush Air Purifier for the Main Floor of My House

The “super plush” name is true to the core. This super-soft robe is what I grab after every shower—my towel just has hair duty these days. It’s a cozy robe that can dry you off while you’re doing your hair, and it dries nicely for my next shower. If I was going to buy a new one I would jump at the cute striped option. There are sometimes sales, but 25 percent off this robe is better than you will find. Nena Farrell.

Bosch came out with its Air line of Energy Star- and CARB-certified air purifiers this summer, including small, medium, and large versions. This large version has a cover of 2,745 square feet. The guide includes information about the best air purifications. I have been using it on the main floor of my house, and the smell, dust, and quality of air in my home have been greatly improved. The fan runs on the lowest speed, so it is imperceptibly quiet. The filters need to be replaced every six to nine months. The person is called, KATTY MELFORD.

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The Petlibro Granary Smart Camera Feeder: An Ultra-Favorite App for Changing Scenes and Scenes in the Home

After reviewing literally hundreds of products, the Petlibro Granary Smart Camera Feeder sticks out in my mind as one of my most beloved items I’ve ever tested. This reliable, tech-savvy, and highly customizable automatic feeder is the future helicopter pet parents want. The feeder is controlled via an app with a schedule you create, and the best part is that it has a camera so that you can watch and hear your pet eat even when far away—and you can communicate with them via speaker. —Molly Higgins

Smart plugs are pretty darn cool. Anything becomes a smart device with their help—just plug in and bam—you can remote control it. The Kasa Smart Plug Mini is one of our favorite smart plugs since it’s nice and small, making it easy to use without blocking a neighboring outlet. It is possible to use the app to make routines and scenes like smart lights so that you can act like you are home when you aren’t. Buy one on sale, or score an entire four-pack on sale and deck out the house. —Nena Farrell

There is a lamp that can make a room feel different. All you have to do is plug it in and aim it toward the wall. It produces a halo-like effect with rainbow colors that make the space feel nice and cozy. (For a sunrise, check out our guide to the Best Sunrise Alarm Clocks.) The short cord makes it hard to put it in a specific spot, so you have to plug it into a power strip. I would make sure that it wasn’t placed anywhere that someone could knock it over. —Brenda Stolyar

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

A Down Puffer that’s Light! : Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024) from Branwyn / Merino Wool

I wrote a rave about the Branwyn bra because I liked it so much that it’s in our guide to merino wool. A miracle fiber, meloir wool is odor resistant, regulates your temperature, and is not harmful to the environment, making it a great option for hiking in a river while wearing hiking clothes. Is it not something to like? The things at Branwyn are 25 percent off through Cyber Monday. —Adrienne So

I’ve been testing this down puffer instead of my usual Patagonia puffer so far this winter and have been duly impressed by the perfect trim cuts of the recycled shell fabric, smooth zippers, and how light it is (less than a pound for my XL). —Martin Cizmar

When I found out that this was the bug spray that I had already purchased, I was so happy, even though it was from Amazon. I agree with Kristin’s assessment that the spray feels lightweight and the smell isn’t off-putting. This is a good time to stock up on supplies for your holiday trip. Ariane So.

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

Pickleball paddles: A review of the SLK Evo, Coleman, and other inflatable hot tubs in the WIRED Review, January 24-2024

I’ve now tested more than 50 pickleball paddles to make our guide to the best, but I have a soft spot for the SLK Evo, which was the first nice paddle I bought with my own money. It has a nice neutral feel and a great grip. You won’t be able to get much top spin off the fiberglass face, but it’s fine for anyone below the advanced level. —Martin Cizmar

This inflatable hot tub is nice! The WIRED Review says that the Coleman was easy to set up and user-friendly. It takes a while to heat up, but when it’s rolling, it’s a great place to relax and unwind. The pump module has built-in cupholders and there are optional air jets to bubble away all of your worries. I think there is enough room for four to six people, but six would be too warm. Make sure you have enough room for it before making a purchase. —Louryn Strampe

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The Aer Travel Pack 3: A Walk-On Bag for Trail-Ready Smartphones and Tracking Objects, and an Under-Seat Water Bottle Holder

More movement is in order! WIRED contributor Kristin Canning would have paid even full price for this walking pad. It feels good on the ground. She doesn’t shake her standing desk, walks on it with just socks, and isn’t annoyingly loud. You can control it with both the remote or the app, and Canning prefers the app as the Bluetooth connectivity can get a bit wonky. —Adrienne So

Martin Cizmar was very fond of this travel backpack. Not only can it max out your allotted carry-on space, it’s a real trail-ready backpack that’s comfortable enough to wear for 10 to 20 miles of hiking. The straps are fully adjustable, the pockets are well-considered, and there’s everything from webbing to a padded hip belt. It is very bright and attractive. —Adrienne So

No, a basic Travelpro soft-sided carry-on isn’t going to be the flashiest personal accompaniment when you’re going through the airport. But there’s a reason this is the brand most flight attendants have—you get a tremendous amount of bang for your buck. Our tester found that the handle was sturdy, the wheels rolled smoothly, and it weighs a mere 5.4 pounds. This bag is one of the best you can get for around $100. Adrienne So.

San Francisco-based Aer is known for its travel bags’ durability and minimalist designs, and the Aer Travel Pack 3 combines both of these with an unreal amount of organization. Our favorite work travel pack in our guide to the Best Carry-on Luggage, this bag can be carried as a backpack or a briefcase. It has a pocket in front of the larger compartment that can hold folded clothes or packing cubes and it fits easily under the seat on most airlines. It is the only downside that most larger water bottles can not fit in a weirdly small water bottle holder. The name of the person is: .

If you want to fly with only an underseat item, the wheels on this teeny, tiny carry-on pop off so you can simply slide it under your seat (although I flew with it on Alaska Airlines and it fit without me taking the wheels off). The wheels are easy to pop off and tuck into the seat pocket. It is loud and vibrating when you walk on rough sidewalks. The tiny suitcase is functional for the price if you don’t like it. —Adrienne So

The beis carryon is very popular and has a reason. It’s not only a beautiful bag, coming in an eye-catching array of colors (I’ve got the bag in the light-blue slate, but the warm brown maple color is always calling my name), but also comes with a bunch of great features. There is a built in weight. A bag lock! Two bags that match your bag are available. A soft cushion for your hand on the handle! If I could take this bag everywhere, I would. It is 30% off right now, and you don’t often have sales, so there is no better time to upgrade your carry-on luggage. Nancy Farrell is a person.

Our favorite toiletry bag for women is the Beis Dopp Kit. It has a handful of handy compartments, and WIRED reviewer Boutayna Chokrane says the water-resistant section is a total game changer when packing liquids or fragrances. It’s nice and sturdy, with a wire top that will stay open for you to look through without losing its shape. It is a large Dopp kit and so you can keep everything you need in it. If you need even more space, Beis’ Cosmetic Case, another Gear team favorite, is 30 percent off. —Nena Farrell

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The Owala 40-ounce Tumbler: A Must Have Camera for Staying Hydrated and Interested in Drinking, or What Happens When You’re Not Using Water

Staying hydrated feels almost effortless with the Owala 40-ounce tumbler. There are a couple of reasons we love Owalas. They are free of the harmful substances found in water bottles, so they should be a minimum standard. The 2-in-1 lid makes this tumbler able to drink hot, cold, and carbonated beverages. And Owala’s limited-edition color palettes are dangerously addictive, making it hard not to grab one in every shade. If you are looking at a certain design, there is no time like the present. —Boutayna Chokrane

Sony’s A7 IV is our favorite mirrorless camera because of it’s 33MP full-frame design, superb dynamic range and smaller size, but it’s also our top choice because of its incredibly sharp images. The built-in image stabilization lets it shoot 7K over the 30 frames per second limit. Scott Gilbertson is a person.

The A7R V is the highest-resolution stills camera on the market (unless you opt for medium-format cameras). There’s a 16-shot, high-resolution mode that you can use to create images that are up to 480-MP. The dynamic range is amazing, and the smarts are some of the best we’ve seen. The only down side is the file size; fully uncompressed RAW files from this sensor run around 125 megabytes per image, though there are compressed options that will get them down to about 80 MP per image. Scott Gilbertson is related.

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

Action, Face Recognition, and a Review of the Insta360 Go 3S, 4D Drones, and Hedge-Detectors

Wanna be a YouTube star? The camera is what you need. The equivalent zoom lens of 18- to 50-mm is sharp and wide, and Multi-Face Recognition mode is very clever and effective. In this mode, the ZV-1 II will detect when another face comes into the scene and automatically stops down the aperture to keep everyone in focus. There are limits, but it works surprisingly well. —Scott Gilbertson

The new Hero 13 is a great action camera. The Hero 13 has a new interchangeable lens system and four neutral density filters. The Hero 13 Black can change settings based on which lens is attached. It’s a slick, if expensive, system, but this deal at least saves you some cash on the base camera, which you can put toward an extra lens. The Anamorphic won’t be available until 25 years later. —Scott Gilbertson

The DJI Air 3 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) remains one of our favorite drones, despite the brand new Air 3S. The new Air 3S brings larger sensors, which do improve the video a bit, but the Air 3 is still a fantastic dual-camera drone and, at this price, a better value than the new Air 3S. —Scott Gilbertson

The Action 4 is still a great action camera at this price, even if the new Osmo Action 5 is better. The magnetic mounting system is great, the menu system makes switching between modes a snap, and the resulting photos and video are excellent. —Scott Gilbertson

The Insta360 Go 3S (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is just plain fun. It’s a camera that is portable and different from the traditional action-camera form factor. In action camera mode, it’s much like the Ace Pro above. The rear screen has a flip-up and the image quality isn’t as good but it’s still better than the sensor. The camera is waterproof to 10 meters. The case can also continue to act as a remote monitor even when you pull the camera out. The Go 3 is able to shoot angles and shots that no other action camera can match, due to the strong magnetic mounting system on the camera Pod. —Scott Gilbertson

The X4 has a 1/2inch sensor with 8K video capacity, which is as good as you’ll get in a camera that’s a third the size. The 8K resolution means you can reframe your footage to fit rectangular video formats and still have high-quality clips sharp enough to mix with other sources. It doesn’t reframe to 4K (you’ll have to wait for 12K footage before that’s possible), but it’s good enough for anything you’d put on social media. Scott Gilbertson is a man.

My favorite printer is the Instax Link Wide Printer. I already own a digital camera that I use to take pictures with and the results I get from it are superior to what I get from the Instax cameras. If you already own a good digital camera or a solid smartphone camera, you should buy an instax printer. I like the larger images of the Link Wide and it has fun features like glitter or hearts to add to your designs, as well as the ability to print multiple images in one go. The man is Scott Gilbertson.

The largest thermal camera we’ve tested is the Flir One Gen 3. It’s about 2.6 inches wide and 1.3 inches tall, and it fits a lot into that space, including a built-in battery and two cameras. The first is an 80 x 60-dpi camera that captures 60 images and combines them with a higher-resolution second camera to get a nice 1,560 x 1,080-dpi image. The person is Scott Gilbertson.

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The KQi 300X, Theragun Sense, and the PowerDot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator are All You Need

Niu’s scooters are easy to use and comfortable to ride, which has made them reliable for me. The KQi 300X is a 49 pound escooter with a 16 mile range, tubeless tires, and regenerative brakes, and it’s the same price as the KQi 200X. There are turn signals as well, though they have to be turned off manually. Still, this is one of the lower prices I’ve seen and great value. —Julian Chokkattu

I add the PowerDot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator to my recovery routine. It pairs with a phone to give you personalized strength training and relieve menstrual pains. When I tried it, I expected a sharp zap, but the sensation was more like a prickly massage. The Duo is ideal for multiple or larger areas, and it comes with everything you need: electrode pads, lead cables, a charger, and a carrying case. Online reviews suggest I is not alone in experiencing some connection issues with the app. It is brilliant when it works. —Boutayna Chokrane

Don’t let the size of the Theragun Mini 2 fool you—though she be but little, she is fierce! With three attachments (standard ball, dampener, and thumb) and 150-minute battery life, the Mini 2 is the best for targeting sore spots on the go. It’s not the best for the harder-to-reach areas, but it excels in portability. I have been carrying it in my gym bag for months and did not notice its presence. It also includes a zip-up case and one less pochette. Boulayana Chokrane.

Premium features of higher-end models are also available in the Theragun Sense, which is quietest of all Theraguns. The built-in LCD screen and guided breathwork routines deliver the same luxe factor as the Pro Plus model for $400 less. The Attachments, which were included in the kit, covered all the muscle groups. —Boutayna Chokrane

Source: 202 Absolute Best Black Friday Deals (2024)

The best deals you may want to get before Trump’s tariffs: black friday 2024 best deals as cyber monday

This Coleman folding/rolling grill has a couple nice features, like dual burners for different heat zones on the same grill. Whenever I wasn’t careful, it would pinch my fingers. So long as you’re careful, this one will do everything the more expensive Weber Traveler we recommend does and allow for dual temperature cooking.

There’s no telling exactly what the new year and new administration in the US will bring. But there are likely big changes afoot in the world of tech, especially if President-elect Donald Trump enacts all the tariffs he threatened on the campaign trail. We don’t have a crystal ball that tells us how much a product will cost nor do we have a way to tell if that product is good or not.

Trump said on Monday that he’d put “an additional 10 percent tariff above any additional tariffs” on all products coming in from China, after campaigning on the pledge to implement 60 percent tariffs on Chinese imports. A lot of tech products are imported from China, including components used in products assembled elsewhere.

If you’re already in the market for tech and gadgets like TVs, laptops, or phones, the good news is many great options are currently on sale for Black Friday. If prices go up in the new year, it might be worth moving on that large purchase now so you won’t regret it.

Source: The best Black Friday deals you may want to get before Trump’s tariffs

The ROG Ally X: A Superpowerful Gamma-Ray Burst for Vacuum Cleaning, Dust Removal, and Floor Cleaning

The Mini 3 is great for beginners. 38 minutes of flight time on a standard battery is offered by the lightweight quadcopter, and it has a 4K sensor. It’s also light enough that it doesn’t require a permit — a boon for first-time flyers.

The Dreame X40 is a solution to the problem of vacuuming carpets and mopping hard floors by giving you the ability to remove and replace its mop pads. Its mops can also swing out and under low furniture, getting where most bots can’t reach. An extendable side brush is helpful in getting dirt out of corners and a 12,000 Pa of suction makes this a great vac.

With an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, a 1TB SSD, and 24GB of RAM, the ROG Ally X is one of the most powerful PC gaming handhelds available. It also features a 7-inch 1080p variable refresh rate display and longer battery life than the original Ally. Read our review.

You can save an additional $75.00 when it’s not on sale because of the Nintendo switch OLED model: Mario kart 8 deluxe bundle which comes with a digital copy and Nintendo switch online.