Buying guides
Better choices,
explained.
30 practical guides that translate specifications, marketing claims and trade-offs into useful buying questions.
Showing 12 of 30 guides
Air fryers, explained.
Six quarts is 346.5 cubic inches of volume, and no federal test procedure measures it: the basket floor in inches is the figure that decides.
Air purifiers, explained.
CADR is three numbers measured under ANSI/AHAM AC-1, and the sizing rule is two-thirds of the room's area — 80 cfm of smoke CADR for 120 square feet.
Binoculars, explained.
Exit pupil is the objective divided by the magnification: Celestron publishes 5.25 mm for its 8x42 and 4.2 mm for the 10x42 on the same 42 mm lens.
Blenders, explained.
Vitamix rates the A2300 at 12 amps and 120 volts, which is 1,440 watts. Its 2.2-peak horsepower figure is 1,641 watts: a motor number, not a plug one.
Camping stoves, explained.
MSR publishes 3.5 minutes to boil a liter on the PocketRocket 2 and 16 liters per 227 g canister; the second figure is what sizes the fuel for a trip.
Camping tents, explained.
A tent carries two ratings: MSR states 1200 mm for the Hubba Hubba LT 2 fly and 1800 mm for its floor, because a sleeping body presses water through.
Cookware sets, explained.
A ten-piece set is six pans and four lids: at All-Clad's $1,149.99 suggested price that is $191.67 a pan, not $115.00 a piece.
Dash cams, explained.
Your car's event data recorder already logs 20 seconds of speed at 10 samples a second. A dash cam buys pixels, and the card is the consumable.
Dehumidifiers, explained.
The pint rating is measured at 65 °F and 60 percent humidity; a machine once sold as 70 pints now reads 40 to 45. ENERGY STAR V6.0 sets the L/kWh floor.
Drinking-water filters, explained.
Lead reduction means an NSF/ANSI 53 claim tested from 150 ppb down to 5 ppb or less — ten times the EPA's 15 ppb action level. Stages count for nothing.
E-bikes, explained.
Federal law sets 750 watts and a 20 mph motor-only limit; Class 3's 28 mph is a state pedal-assist cutoff. Battery capacity is volts times amp-hours.
Electric toothbrushes, explained.
The ADA's figure is two minutes twice a day with soft bristles, and a brush head replaced every three to four months. The Seal runs five years.