Visit the Wirecutter for Recommendations on the Best Electronics, Gadgets and Gear.

When it comes to purchasing things, I will admit that I tend to be a tad on the anal side. I always spend a ton of time researching the available options. This has been a lifelong issue for me.
In the old days (read pre-Internet), one of my favourite sources of information and reviews was Consumer Reports Magazine. It is still a go to resource for me and now also has extensive online information (mostly behind a subscriber wall), and there are now many more online sources of similar information. The trick now is finding information you can rely on.
Thanks to a tweet by Rick Klau, a few days ago I stumbled across an amazing site: The Wirecutter. It is aimed at people who don’t want to take a lot of time figuring out what electronics, gadgets or gear to get. They have a top recommendation in different categories for just about every kind of device or gear you can think of. They also have a bunch of holiday gift guides and some cool collections like The Wirecutter’s Best Everyday Things for $50, $100, $200. Sister site The Sweethome takes a similar approach for home goods like bedsheets, blenders, duct tape, screwdrivers, etc.
I reviewed a bunch of their recommendations and was pleased to see my final choices on some recent and upcoming purchases were the same as their top recommendation (called “Our pick”) or some the options that they considered decent alternatives to their top pick. The reasoning behind each top pick is explained, as are the strengths and weaknesses of close alternatives. The explanations they give will help you in making a purchase decision, whether or not you go with one of their recommendations.
The recommendations they make come from weeks or months of research and testing by their team, including interviews and data from the best editorial and user sources around, and the help of other engineers, scientists, and experts. Most of their recommendations aren’t for top-of-the-line models that are loaded up with junk features or overpriced; rather they are typically of the “good enough” variety because this is generally where common needs and more reasonable prices come together.
Yes I will still do my research, but for future purchases I think my starting point will be The Wirecutter. Consider visiting this site if you have any gadgets or gear on your holiday gift list.