Buying Advice reviews
← All reviews5 productswe've bought, tested and scored by hand.
Premium HDMI Cables
For a working HDMI connection, an expensive cable and a cheap certified one deliver the identical picture — digital data doesn't get 'more vivid' through fancier copper. Buy a certified cable at commodity price, spend the difference on literally anything else in your system.
Audiophile USB Cables
A USB cable's job is delivering bits and modest power, and any competent cable does it perfectly — 'audiophile' USB cables sell reassurance, not sound. The kindest thing we can say is that the sleeving is often pretty.
Extended Warranties on Electronics
For most electronics, the extended warranty is the most profitable thing the store sells you — which tells you who it's really for. Self-insure by default; consider coverage only for accident-prone portables where accidental-damage protection is the actual product.
Screen Protectors
Tempered glass protectors are a commodity that works — and the multi-pack from an unglamorous brand protects exactly as well as the boutique single at several times the price. Buy cheap glass, budget for replacement, and let the protector die so your screen doesn't.
Gaming Chairs vs Office Chairs
For the hours real desk workers and gamers actually sit, ergonomic office seating beats the racing-bucket gaming chair at comparable spend — the gaming category sells aesthetics and sponsorship, the office category sells adjustability. Buy the boring chair; your back doesn't know what a livery stripe is.