Best Deals on Home and Kitchen Products

This AGLucky icemaker is the third-highest-rated icemaker we’ve tested. It produces bullet ice and is among the most efficient in our tests. Its good score for speed is slightly slower than the winner from GE, and it’s slightly noisier than the winner and the runner-up. The company claims it can produce up to 26.5 pounds of ice per day. It has a self-cleaning function and, depending on where you purchase it, comes in up to five colorways (black, green, gray, red, and white). It measures 12.6 inches high, 8.7 inches wide, and 12.3 inches deep, making it countertop-friendly, and its tank capacity is comparable to the other models except for the winner.

Cooklee is a newcomer to our stand mixer category, but the Cooklee SM-1551 holds its own against better-known competitors. And the price is right. Whipping time and mixing cookie dough are top-notch, and it kneads bread dough well and quietly. Our testers found it convenient to use. It’s lighter than any of our other top contenders, and the bowl is almost 10 quarts vs. 5 for most other stand mixers. Whether you need that much volume is your call. Keep in mind that this mixer has a tilt head.

The Vivohome Electric Portable Icemaker is second in our ratings. It produces bullet ice but not as quickly as the GE Opal icemaker. It’s one of only three models that score highest for efficiency, and it isn’t very noisy, scoring the same as the top model. The company claims it can make up to 26 pounds of ice per day. Weighing 17 pounds and measuring 12.59 inches high, 9.64 inches wide, and 12.59 inches deep, it requires less of your precious counter space than the Opal. This model comes in seven colorways—black, red, silver, light green, blue, white, and copper—and has a top-open design like all other models except the Opal.

If you’re looking for a no-frills rice cooker that works well and isn’t too pricey, this model from Hamilton Beach could be a great option. It got above-average marks in CR’s tests for cooking both 1 and 3 cups of rice, as well as for use of controls and convenience. It has a 4-cup capacity for dry rice, and there are programmed settings for cooking food. You’ll also get a steamer basket, measuring cup, and rice paddle.

The Coop Sleep Goods Premium Adjustable Loft Pillow, which doesn’t go on sale often, is made of shredded memory foam and excels in our tests for support, no matter your size or sleep position. The Coop also keeps its shape well, showing little to no change in height or fluffiness in our resilience tests. Each pillow comes with extra foam, so you can adjust the filling to your liking. The only area where this pillow falls a bit short is in breathability—it sleeps slightly warm.

This set of two microfiber pillows offers very good support for side sleepers but earns just middling scores in our back support tests. And resilience is just so-so. But if you sleep a bit warm, you can find comfort in knowing that these pillows have maximum breathability.

The JALL Wake Up Light Sunrise Alarm Clock came out on top in our evaluations from an ease-of-use standpoint. It has two independent alarms (so you can set them for different times depending on your routine), seven alarm tones (including “wind bells” and birds chirping), an FM radio, and a fall-asleep mode that simulates a sunset (though no white noise option). It’s relatively easy to set up and use. According to the manufacturer, it emits a maximum light intensity of 240 lux. Tapping the snooze button will temporarily shut off both the light and the sound. (The advantage: You’re more likely to fall back asleep in the dark. The disadvantage? You’re more likely to fall back asleep in the dark.)

The Kaqinu 12.6-inch carbon steel wok is flat-bottomed, has a hammered texture, and comes seasoned. It aced our cooking evenness test, its speed of heating was very good, and we found it easy to use. Cleaning, however, was a bit of a challenge. The metal section of its handle is short so it’s less likely to be grabbed by unwary cooks. And it’s harder to move when full. This wok comes with a wooden lid and a variety of stainless steel utensils.

This Leidawn 12.8" carbon steel wok is flat-bottomed, has a hammered texture and comes pre-seasoned. Like some other woks we tested, the metal section of its handle is short, and so is less likely to be grabbbed by unwary cooks, and it also lacks an extra handle that would make it easier to move when full. This pan comes with a wooden lid and a variety of stainless steel utensils as well

The 6-quart Ayesha Curry Dutch oven is a great option if you’re considering adding a Dutch oven to your kitchen arsenal. It’s among the easiest to clean, garnering an excellent rating on that test. But weighing 15 pounds, this Dutch oven is the heaviest of the group we evaluated, and the cooking surface measures only 7 inches in diameter.

The nonstick cast-aluminum Swiss Diamond frying pan earns an excellent rating for cooking evenness, and our fried eggs didn’t stick. It also earns our top rating for durability, withstanding the punishment of our steel-wool abrasion test. Construction is sturdy, and the handle stays cool to the touch during cooking. You won’t be able to use it on your induction cooktop, however.

The Keurig K-Mini Plus is a great little Keurig brewer that’s ideal for small kitchens with limited counter space. In our tests, it receives strong scores for temperature and size consistency between cups, as well as how easy it is to use and clean. It features a removable reservoir, a height-adjustable drip tray, and auto-shutoff.

This large-capacity Zojirushi drip coffee maker is the non-programmable version of one we’ve tested in our labs—though we haven’t tested this one, we expect its performance to be about the same. It has a shower-style mechanism to dispense water over the coffee grounds for even coverage, and our testers found the carafe easy to use. However, it didn’t quite meet our standards in our brew test in terms of bringing the coffee to a temperature of 195 to 205 degrees and maintaining it for five to six minutes. But Zojirushi as a brand does have top scores for reliability and owner satisfaction for its drip coffee makers.

If you’re looking for a pod coffee maker that’s versatile but not too fussy, the Keurig K-Elite is a strong option. It brews five cup sizes (and features a height-adjustable drip tray), has an iced coffee setting, a strong-brew button, and a hot-water button. In our tests, the first cup took a little while to brew, but subsequent cups went faster. It’s also pretty intuitive to operate and clean. Its large water reservoir means you can brew up to 8 cups before you need to refill it.

The Lerekam Solar Spot Lights are among the priciest outdoor solar lights, but you get unrivaled performance. In our tests, they earned top marks for light duration and ease of use. They can be angled, installed with included ground spikes, or screwed to other surfaces. They boast an on/off button and can be recharged with an included USB cable. Each of the lights in the six-pack has 40 LEDs, resulting in intense white light that shines wide over an area, not unlike a flashlight. That makes them ideal as spot lights—they’d be great for drawing attention to a water feature, or an ornamental tree, but they can also be pointed down to illuminate a path or walkway.

The Harbor Breeze Solar Black Indoor Outdoor String Lights have a longer cord and wider spacing than many string lights, and they boast Edison-style bulbs. In our tests, they earned above-average marks for light duration and can be recharged with an included USB cord. Each of the 10 lights has a single LED filament (which has multiple LEDs), and our tester found the light to be bright. In addition to the ability to charge these lights, they also have two light settings and an on/off switch. 

The Levoit LV-H132 Air Purifier isn’t a top performer. It earns subpar ratings for dust, pollen, and smoke removal on both high and low speeds, which is why CR testers suggest it’s best for smaller rooms (we’re talking office-sized spaces). But it’s pretty quiet, which is great when you have a day of Zoom calls, it has a fairly inexpensive annual operating cost, it’s easy to use, and it can fit neatly on your desk without taking up too much space.

The portable Blue Pure 211i Max features an indicator light to alert you when you need to change or clean the filter. It also has a dirt sensor and four speeds. On its higher setting, it’s terrific at removing dust, pollen, and smoke, but expect a bit of noise. Try it on low and you’ll have more quiet while still experiencing top-notch results. This model is designed for use in a large space of 350 to 650 square feet and costs about $109 a year to maintain—just more than half that of the Pure 211+. It also weighs just 17 pounds, making it easy to move around. CR members found Blueair air purifiers highly reliable and were quite satisfied with their purchase.

The Levoit PlasmaPro 600S, just $10 more than the typical low price, is a solid performer all-around, clearing the air of dust, pollen, and smoke at both higher and lower settings with great results. It’s noisy while running at a high speed, but it’s relatively quiet at low speeds. That makes it an ideal choice for an office or bedroom. And you don’t have to worry about keeping track of filter changes; an indicator light alerts you when it’s time. This machine also has a dust sensor and a programmable timer.

Loud but effective at removing dust, pollen, and smoke when running at its highest speed, this Airdog portable air purifier misses the mark in a key area: Its air purifying performance at low speed is only fair, CR’s tests found. Note that at about 25 pounds, it’s also relatively heavy.

The C Crest glass food storage set is a great option, especially at this sale price. It gets top marks for storage, seal quality, and durability, making it one of the highest-ranking sets CR has tested. And it comes with five large containers and five small ones, all with matching lids that seal tightly thanks to clamps on each side.

Rachel Rosenthal, organizing expert and owner of Rachel and Company, swears by clear pantry bins and prefers to use them beyond the kitchen, including in the linen closet and even the bathroom. “While the name says ‘pantry,’ it does so much more!” she says. “I love that they allow you to easily create categories, see what is inside, and can be adapted to just about any space.” Rosenthal’s favorites are the iDesign Linus Pantry Bins, which come in a multitude of shapes and sizes for optimal versatility.

This powerful, high-end Dyson vac features a laser light on its soft roller powerhead that reveals the dust in its path. The laser feature works best in low light or on dark flooring. A sensor detects the sizes of particles that are picked up and a chart on the display shows the particle count size. In CR runtime tests, the vacuum runs for about 70 minutes per charge on low mode and 8 minutes on high mode.

If you’re after the maximum pickup that a robotic vacuum can offer, the Roomba S9+ should be on your short list. The big upgrade here is the cleaning power. Thanks to stronger suction and wider brushes, it receives top scores in most of our tests, from cleaning bare floors, pet hair, and edges to navigation and noise. And even on carpets, the Roomba S9+ receives a very good score. 

Another selling point: Once the vacuum is docked, a vacuum in the docking station automatically sucks the contents from the bin into an enclosed disposable bag in the base. (But you’ll want to make room for extra bags in your budget because they’re not reusable.) The Roomba S9+ is voice-controllable with Amazon Alexa integration, and it has excellent data security, but data privacy leaves a bit to be desired. It still doesn’t clean rugs anywhere near as thoroughly as a traditional vacuum cleaner, but if you’re looking for a great robotic vacuum, this is one to consider.

The Shark Rocket HV322 corded vacuum is back down to its best price. It excels in pet-hair pickup but is only so-so at cleaning carpet. It converts to a hand vacuum and comes with a bare-floor tool and a motorized small-brush accessory. This model can be stored compactly, and the dirt chamber can be emptied in just one step. Plus, surveyed owners gave the brand high marks for reliability and satisfaction.

The Premio was the Goldilocks of the eight knives we tested, and it was the only one with a positive review from all four of our panelists. The handle is contoured, with no sharp edges, resulting in an exceptionally comfortable knife. It also excelled at force transmission from handle to blade, so you don’t need to exert as much effort when cutting.

The Mueller is virtually a clone of the RüK we also tested (or vice-versa), save that you get more accessories with the RüK. The same five rubberized feet of the basin in exactly the same layout make the Mueller feel very steady during use. But the hinges are, likewise, a little under-built, allowing lid flex, and that can lead to less-precise chopping. 

It also has extra inserts for chopping, grating, and mandoline work. The extra tools fit directly into a swappable lid. Pop out the chopping lid for the grating/mandoline/julienne one and slide in the blade you want to use and the working surface remains relatively low and easy to stabilize with one hand while you cut across the top with the other. That matters because the whole device stays a little more stable and safer to use. 

Professional chefs rely on multitasking cotton side towels like these for everything from cleaning counters to doubling as oven mitts (the kind that fit every hand). The absorbent towels feature a classic Herringbone design, are conveniently machine washable, and come in a pack of 15, so you’ll always have several on hand. Choose from several colors and striped options. 

This Hopopro showerhead was the single best fixed showerhead in our most recent tests. We found it provided a great-feeling shower while getting top marks for its modest consumption of water. It has five settings and uses 1.8 gallons of water per minute.

The Hopopro 6-function showerhead is an easy-to-use handheld shower with variable settings for different users. In our tests, it provided a nice-feeling shower while using minimal water. We tested it with a 1.8-gallon-per-minute (GPM) flow restrictor in place, but it comes with a 2.5GPM restrictor if you want more pressure.

The Midea MAD50C1ZWS checks all the key boxes for keeping your basement and other damp areas dry. Water removal: excellent. Humidistat accuracy at detecting humidity levels: also stellar. Noise and energy efficiency: near top-level. Indeed, this large-capacity dehumidifier’s only drawback is its relatively small 15-pint tank, which contributes to its mediocre convenience score. To remove the 50 pints the unit is designed to handle in the course of a day, you’ll have to empty the tank several times or buy and attach a hose to divert the water to a drain. As a dehumidifier brand, Midea received a very favorable rating for reliability and a midlevel rating for owner satisfaction in CR’s member surveys.

The competitively priced ultrasonic Aqua Oasis AO-101 handles humidifying small rooms with ease. It passes almost every performance test with flying colors: moisture output, convenience, noise, and energy efficiency. It also earns a respectable score for output using hard water. We can’t judge humidistat performance because this unit has none; it also can’t be programmed. But for a small outlay, you get an empty-tank indicator and automatic shutoff, both pluses.

On just about every measure, including moisture output and noise, the Crane Owl humidifier soars. It’s convenient to use, though not being able to get a hand into the tank for cleaning is a drawback. The 250-square-foot claimed coverage area is on the high end for a small-room model. Other animal figures in this Crane series are Wyatt the Fox, Puffington the Penguin, Misty the Unicorn, Sidney the Sheep, the Crane Train, Hello Kitty, Freddy the Frog, Mya the Monkey, Violet the Hippo, and Elliot the Elephant. They all perform similarly and may be on sale for similar prices. This humidifier has been at this sale price for a long time, so it’s not a rare deal, but you definitely should never pay more than this.