Benjamin Hayes

I keep three cables on my nightstand for my iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods, and every morning at least one falls off the desk. After testing 10 of the most popular 3-in-1 charging stations for Apple devices over the past 60 days, I finally have a single dock that does the job without the spaghetti … Read more

I still remember the morning I finished a full face of makeup in my dim bathroom, walked outside, and looked like a completely different person. Orange foundation, patchy blush, the works. That day I started my hunt for the best LED vanity mirrors for makeup, and after months of daily testing, swapping, and reviewing, I … Read more

I spent the last six weeks living with eight different smart mirrors in my bathroom, switching them out one at a time. I timed how fast each anti-fog system cleared up after a hot shower, ran my color-accuracy card under each LED strip, and even tried shaving with the dimming at its lowest setting. After … Read more

I used to drop my wallet, keys, and watch on the dresser every night and wonder why I could never find my charging cable in the morning. Then I started testing dresser valets seriously, rotating 12 different models across my nightstand and entryway for 60 days. What I learned surprised me: the right valet tray … Read more

I learned the hard way that tossing cufflinks into a dresser drawer is a recipe for scratched faces, lost pairs, and wasted money. After my grandfather’s silver pair got scratched by a stray belt buckle, I started hunting for a proper cufflink box. Our team then spent six weeks comparing 30+ models, testing velvet linings, … Read more

I started collecting sunglasses the way most people do: one good pair, then another, then a third “just because.” Three years later I had 23 pairs stuffed into original cases on my nightstand, half of them scratched because I could never find the right pair without dumping the whole pile out. That mess sent me … Read more

I tested the best leather catchall trays for entryways over six weeks, dropping keys, phones, wallets, and coins on each one to see which actually held up to daily use. The first thing I noticed: not all leather trays deserve their price tag. An entryway catchall does more than hold your keys. It sets the … Read more

I learned this lesson the hard way on a 14-hour flight to Tokyo: my phone died halfway through the movie, I had no map for the train transfer, and my portable charger was buried under three layers of carry-on. After that trip, I started testing travel power banks seriously. Our team has now tested 50+ … Read more

After spending three months testing 24 different models in our homes and offices, we narrowed our picks down to the 12 best smart plugs for home automation available right now. Our top recommendation is the Kasa Smart Plug Ultra Mini EP10P2 because it combines reliable 2.4GHz WiFi performance, UL certification, seamless Alexa and Google Home … Read more

I have spent the last three months testing Bluetooth speakers in my own bedroom, in my sister’s apartment, and in a friend guest room, and I have learned one hard truth: a bedroom speaker is held to a different standard than a backyard boombox. It has to sound great at whisper volume so it does … Read more