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I’m Wirecutter’s Style Expert. These Are My Go-To Spring Sneakers.

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In this edition of The Recommendation, our style expert dishes on how she’s wearing three fashionable sneakers this spring. Plus: 8 perfect white tees. This past winter — frigid, slushy, and seemingly interminable — didn’t present the ideal conditions for testing sneakers. But as a style writer, I do a lot of wacky things in service of fashion. So when I wasn’t tromping around in ugly, outfit-ruining snow boots, I spent this freezing February pacing my Brooklyn apartment (and occasionally venturing outside) in more than a dozen pairs of totally weather-inappropriate shoes. Sustained by visions of springtime, I was looking for chic, wear-anywhere styles that paired well with both casual and polished ensembles. I gravitated toward low and lean silhouettes, stuck to classic designs, and avoided microtrends (sorry, freaky toe shoes ). In the end, I found eight stylish-yet-practical pairs to feature in our brand-new guide . Now that the grass is finally poking through and the air is wa...

The Best Hiking Boots

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Whether you’re going on a day hike with friends or tackling an ambitious backpacking route, you need a good pair of hiking boots to protect your feet and stabilize your ankles. Over nine years, we’ve worn 61 pairs of hiking boots while trekking more than 1,650 miles and taking some 2 million steps across all types of terrain. We chose the Salomon Quest 4 Gore-Tex Hiking Boots ( men’s and women’s ) as the best hiking boots. They are breathable and waterproof, and they provide solid traction and support. These boots also have several essential features—including a wide toe box, sturdy heel protection, and a gusseted tongue—that allowed us to hike comfortably for miles. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/w8F4WYB via IFTTT

The Best Beach Bag

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Even the lightest of packers needs to bring a few things for a day on the beach: towel, water bottle, sunscreen. And that means you also need something to carry them in. After 10 hours of research, extensive consultation with lifelong beachgoers on staff, and an afternoon hauling loads of towels and snacks around in our eight top contenders, we’ve concluded that the L.L.Bean Boat and Tote is the best bag for lugging all your stuff to and from the beach. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/Ju5xRmD via IFTTT

The Best Ebike for Commuters

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Thanks to ebikes, the health benefits of cycling — getting fresh air and exercise while you’re commuting or doing your errands — are open to almost everyone. Live at the top of a steep hill? No problem. Legs not as strong as they once were? No worries. Need to tote a toddler or a week’s worth of groceries home? The bike’s electric motor adds that little boost you need. And you can handle all of that while keeping one more car off the road. However, as we discovered over four years of researching ebikes for commuters — before even beginning to test them — anyone shopping for an ebike faces some serious considerations. First, there’s the cost, which for a safe, reliable bike is a few thousand dollars. Then, there’s the question of maintenance and how long parts will remain available. (We get into all of that in great detail below.) That said, we do now recommend the Specialized Globe Haul ST for most commuters or errand-runners. It’s a bike that seasoned riders as well as people n...

The Best Picnic Blanket

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Staging a picnic requires little more than the union of a blanket and a patch of grass. Yet, when combined, those humble elements can elevate a mundane meal to an alfresco fete. Not all picnic blankets are equal, though: We considered 55 and tested 19 before choosing the Nemo Victory Picnic Blanket as our favorite. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/1NMt8B7 via IFTTT

The Best Android Phones

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Android phones are available in various sizes and at assorted prices, ranging from cheap handsets with modest screens to expensive foldable models that can turn from a tablet into a phone. After spending hundreds of hours testing Android smartphones, we’ve found that the Google Pixel 10 is the best Android phone for most people. It offers a bright screen, long-lasting battery life, one of the best cameras we’ve seen on an Android phone (plus some useful AI photography features), and guaranteed software updates for seven years. But like the previous-generation Pixel, the latest model costs as much as the entry-level flagships made by Samsung and Apple, so buying one of Google’s phones is no longer the deal it once was. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/1mq5b2M via IFTTT

Our Ultimate Guide to Cleaning a Bathroom

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In this edition of Clean Everything, we share the absolute best way to clean a bathroom, including how to brighten grout and our advice to get your sink sparkling. Cleaning a toilet or tub will never be glamorous, but the right tools and techniques can make it significantly easier — and less gross. Below, we’re sharing our very best advice and favorite gear, built on years of testing and a lot of porcelain-scrubbing, to get every nook and cranny sparkling. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/dpFxSEH via IFTTT