Importance Score: 20 / 100 🔵
Staff Picks: Must-Have Tech and Gadgets on Sale for Amazon Big Spring Sale
The Amazon Big Spring Sale is offering significant discounts on a variety of items, including smart home devices, kitchen appliances, and essential tech. The Verge staff members have shared some of their favorite and most-used products that are currently marked down. From practical office tools to helpful kitchen gadgets and beyond, these are staff-approved recommendations spanning years of use and now available at reduced prices.
Home & Kitchen Essentials
Hands-Free Soap Dispenser
$19
An automatic soap dispenser featuring a proximity sensor for touchless operation.
An automatic soap dispenser has become a frequently utilized appliance in our kitchen, especially given our preference for less hands-on cooking methods. While we opted for a budget-friendly $25 model from Amazon with adjustable dispensing volume and lasting battery life, premium brands such as Simplehuman offer more upscale versions, some priced at $80 with brushed metal finishes. The measured soap dispensing reduces waste, and bulk refill purchases are more economical. These dispensers are now installed in every bathroom at home.
11-in-1 Air Fryer & Electric Pressure Cooker
$100
A versatile kitchen appliance offering air frying, steaming, slow cooking, sautéing, dehydrating, and pressure cooking capabilities.
The Instant Pot has become a kitchen mainstay in recent years. Its versatility spans from cooking rice to slow-cooking stews and air frying chicken. Notably, the Instant Pot significantly reduces cooking times compared to conventional ovens or stovetops. For instance, rice cooks in just six minutes (excluding pressure build-up time) without requiring constant monitoring or heat adjustments. Its ease of use makes it a less stressful cooking option.
Food Chopper
$11
An efficient and safe tool for quickly chopping vegetables and other food items.
Acquiring a food chopper was among the first purchases for a new home. Despite potential disagreement from culinary purists, it is an immense time-saver. Preparing dishes like tikka masala, which involves ginger, highlights the tool’s utility. While a previous model broke, a replacement, possibly a higher-end version, is planned.
Parenting & Baby Gear
Portable White Noise Machine
$24
The Hushh Compact offers portability and three white noise options, along with a night light feature.
The Yogasleep Hushh is a straightforward, portable white noise machine prized for its simplicity and effectiveness.
Devoid of smart features or subscriptions, it operates with physical buttons, provides three distinct white noise selections, and boasts a 24-hour battery life rechargeable via USB-C. It includes a ring for easy attachment.
The Hushh is consistently used during baby nap times and bedtimes as a dependable white noise solution.
GraviTrax Interactive Track System
$49
An engaging track system for designing custom racetracks and experimenting with physics principles like gravity, magnetism, and kinetics.
GraviTrax excels at capturing a child’s attention post-screen time, surpassing even Lego in engagement. It facilitates the construction of intricate marble runs using diverse components like ramps, risers, and launchers – features included in the starter set alone. Expansions introduce motorized parts for continuous marble motion. Adults and children alike can appreciate this toy. A GraviTrax Junior line caters to younger children with simpler components and larger marbles.
Musical Penguin Toy
$29
A musical penguin toy designed to entertain and amuse babies.
This musical penguin toy plays upbeat remixes and features high-contrast black-and-white spots on its flapping wings to captivate babies.
Smart Bassinet
$1187
The Snoo smart bassinet utilizes motion and white noise to soothe infants.
The Snoo is a technologically advanced bassinet that employs white noise and rocking motions to soothe infants, intensifying these features if crying persists. While effectiveness varies among babies, it can be exceptionally effective, leading to successful sleep and rested parents. Manual intensity adjustments and sleep data are accessible via its app. However, the parent company, Happiest Baby, faced criticism for introducing a subscription fee for core app features after nine months. Despite this, the product’s sleep-inducing capabilities often outweigh the added cost. Purchasing through retailers like Amazon may offer more lenient return policies compared to Happiest Baby’s restocking fee.
Gardening & Plant Care
Soil Moisture Meter
$8
Gouevn’s affordable meter provides rapid soil moisture readings for both indoor and outdoor plants.
Overwatering can attract fungus gnats, necessitating careful watering practices. A Gouevn soil moisture meter aids in understanding appropriate plant hydration levels. This tool helps prevent pest infestations and ensures proper plant care.
Velcro Garden Ties
$6
Velcro brand garden ties offer secure and gentle support for staking and bundling flowers and plants.
Velcro garden ties, received unexpectedly, proved to be effective plant supports. Softer than traditional plastic ties, they adequately support indoor and outdoor plants. These reusable ties can be cut to desired lengths and adhere to themselves when wrapped around plants.
Travel Accessories
Universal Travel Adapter
$20
Epicka’s universal travel adapter is a comprehensive all-in-one solution with four plug types compatible in over 150 countries.
Forgetting plug adapters on international trips was a common past oversight. Acquiring them upon arrival can be inconvenient. This universal travel adapter eliminates such issues.
Effectively six adapters in one, some models include USB ports for charging multiple devices. While bulkier than individual adapters, its versatility is invaluable for multi-destination travel. The Epicka model includes a spare fuse for voltage fluctuations.
While termed “universal,” it covers the four most prevalent plug types, suitable for many, but not all, countries like Brazil, South Africa, and India. Despite this limitation, it is preferable to overpriced airport purchases or hardware store visits during travel.
Power Cube with Extension Cord
$20
This compact 20W power cube features three AC outlets, two USB-A ports, and a USB-C port for versatile charging.
Carrying power strips on trips is often undesirable, especially in modern accommodations. However, older or more rustic lodgings may have limited and inconveniently placed outlets.
Modern boxy socket extenders can be unstable in older buildings’ loose sockets. This Anker power cube, with a short extension cord, offers a solution. It’s compact, providing multiple outlets and USB ports via a five-foot cable. Though slightly bulky for packing, it solves charging constraints in rooms with few accessible outlets.
Its non-folding prongs ensure stable connection in older sockets. It comfortably serves one person’s device charging needs and can accommodate two with careful arrangement.
For international travel, ensure compatibility with local plug types.
Smart Home & Electronics
Smart Garage Door Opener
$39
Meross offers an add-on to convert various garage door models into smart, remotely accessible doors, compatible with Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and SmartThings.
The Meross Smart Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener for HomeKit stands out for its reliability and broad compatibility across garage door models, both old and new. Its consistent performance is highly valued.
Priced affordably at $30, the Meross adapter installed easily and has functioned reliably since. The convenience of voice-controlled garage door operation via Apple Watch eliminates the need for a physical remote, especially beneficial for cyclists.
Noise-Canceling Headphones
$248
Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones provide excellent active noise cancellation, sound quality, and battery life, remaining a strong value despite newer models.
Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones are used for daily work, appreciated for their noise-canceling capabilities and overall performance.
Electric Screwdriver
$40
Hoto’s electric screwdriver is designed for light to medium repairs, featuring USB-C charging, a magnetic case, and 25 bits.
The Hoto electric screwdriver is a frequently used tool for tasks like furniture assembly and minor repairs. While not suited for heavy-duty projects, it’s ideal for tightening furniture, bike maintenance, and other household tasks. Features include USB-C charging, an LED light, and a 25-bit magnetic case, making it also a practical gift item.
Mechanical Keyboard Switches
$48
Kailh Deep-Sea Silent Pro Islet switches are quiet linear mechanical switches for Cherry MX-compatible keyboards, offering smooth action and tactile feel.
Kailh Deep-Sea Silent Pro Islet switches are favored for their performance, closely resembling high-end switches but at a lower price. These silent linear switches feature a long spring for a unique tactile sensation, upgrading any compatible hot-swappable mechanical keyboard. They are used daily and are preferred over their tactile variant.
Update, March 29th: Pricing and availability has been updated.