I've always struggled with tasks around my home that require manual work. I'm much more of a writer than a do-er.

Fortunately, I married a plumber who's not only good at what he does, but he also has the mindset to fix almost anything around our home.

And while he might be fed up of me asking questions, I just can't stop. I've asked him to share his expert insight on 3 costly mistakes you could be making and he's given his advice on whether dish soap can fix your clogged drain, but there's plenty more to tap into.

Recently, after noticing the water wasn't coming out of our shower head as well as it used to, I asked him: "How often should you clean your shower head?" And he had some very interesting things to say about it. Here's his expert advice, shared without the housecall fee.

Why you need to clean your shower head

As I mentioned, I felt compelled to ask this question when I noticed the shower head wasn't expelling water out of all the holes. Or, if it was, some of them were spraying in a totally different direction.

When I asked him why, he explained: "The waterways are small, so they get scaled up easily and water doesn’t come out.”

And, if they're only partially blocked with debris and built-up limescale, that can easily lead to the waterway not working at all, or spraying out incorrectly rather than straight down.

But, while I asked if it was a problem with the actual pressure, he said it was unlikely: "Pressure and flow rate are different. The pressure doesn’t fluctuate like the flow rate does.

"Pressure is the force of the water through the pipe and the flow rate is how much water comes out. If you’ve got a shower head with 100 holes but 50 of them are blocked, your pressure is still the same but your flow rate is half what it should be."

How often should you clean your shower head

With these things in mind, it was clear I needed to clean my shower head thoroughly. After all, it had been a while since I had. So, I asked him, how often should I be doing it?

He advised: "It depends on whether you live in a notoriously hard water area or not as that changes how often you should be cleaning it. If it’s a hard water area, do it more regularly. And if you notice it’s getting blocked up, that’s the best sign to clean it.”

This means the answer can range from every couple of weeks to more like every month or so, but generally if you notice it getting clogged up then it's definitely time to give it a clean.

My plumber husband recommends Viakal or a white vinegar and water solution (which he backed up when I tried out this TikTok shower head cleaning hack) to give your shower head a good clean.

But, that doesn't always mean the problem will be solved, he says: "If you’ve cleaned it and the flow rate is still poor, it could be scaled up inside and will need replacing."

More from Tom's Guide

• This TikTok hack claims vinegar will clean your shower head — I asked my plumber husband if it actually works
• You asked: Can dish soap fix your clogged drain? A plumber explains the facts
• Households urged not to pour boiling water down drains this winter — I asked a plumber what to do instead

When tomato leaves begin yellowing or dropping blossoms, it makes sense to immediately suspect a disease or a watering issue. But often, the problem isn't a lack of nutrients in the dirt, it is an invisible chemical barrier preventing the plant from absorbing them.

Tomatoes thrive in slightly acidic soil, and if your pH drifts too far out of range, root systems lock up. You don't need to wait days for a digital meter or laboratory mail-in kit to figure out if your soil is off.

With two basic kitchen staples, you can run a quick, reliable test in under five minutes to diagnose what is happening beneath the surface.

How kitchen staples expose your soil's chemistry

Before altering your garden bed, you can use simple acid-base reactions to get a clear directional read on your soil's chemistry. Collect two clean containers and gather fresh soil samples from about three inches below the surface near your plant's root zone, removing any stones or mulch.

In the first container, pour half a cup of household white vinegar directly over the soil sample. If it fizzes or bubbles immediately, your soil is alkaline (pH above 7.0), reacting to the acid in the vinegar.

If nothing happens, take your second container, moisten the soil sample with distilled water until it becomes muddy, and sprinkle a tablespoon of baking soda on top. Vigorous bubbling here signals acidic soil (pH below 6.0).

If neither sample reacts, your soil sits comfortably in the neutral range.

Why extreme soil pH starves tomato roots

Tomatoes require a specific pH sweet spot (ideally between 6.0 and 6.8) to efficiently uptake nutrients from the soil. When your baking soda or vinegar test produces an aggressive reaction, it indicates a significant pH imbalance.

Even if your soil is rich in compost or fertilizer, high alkalinity or extreme acidity chemically binds essential elements like nitrogen, phosphorus, and iron. In alkaline soil, for instance, calcium and iron become insoluble, causing young leaves to yellow while leaf veins stay dark.

What looks like a dying, diseased tomato plant is often just a severe nutritional bottleneck caused entirely by the surrounding soil pH.

How to adjust your soil before applying fertilizer

Once your DIY test identifies which way your pH is leaning, you can take the best course of action rather than blindly adding fertilisers that might worsen the problem.

If the vinegar test fizzed, your soil is too alkaline. To pull the pH down toward the ideal range, you will need to work elemental sulphur or acidifying organic matter like pure peat moss into the topsoil. Ordinary leaf compost or straw won't be strong enough to break the alkalinity.

If the baking soda test reacted, your soil is overly acidic. You can safely correct this by mixing in garden lime, which raises the pH gradually without shocking the root zone, though small, careful top-dressings of wood ash can also work in a pinch.

While this kitchen hack provides a yes-or-no signal rather than an exact numerical reading, it gives you an immediate, actionable diagnosis so you can stabilise your root zone before long-term damage sets in.

More from Tom's Guide

• Gardeners swear by this simple tomato plant trick — here's how to save split tomatoes fast
• When to fertilize tomatoes: the 3-step schedule for a bountiful harvest
• How to double your tomato harvest — the 3-step pruning system for massive yields

I’m a firm believer that having one of the best blenders is the easiest way to level up your cooking at home, and squeeze in some extra nutrients. That means you need a blender that can cope with even the toughest ingredients. The Nutribullet Power Core does just that.

The Power Core costs less than $100, yet provides incredibly impressive performance and is easy to use. The large capacity means you can work in large batches, and the maintenance of the blender is really simple too.

Unfortunately, it’s extremely loud, and the motor creates a lot of airflow in your workspace. The limited speed settings could also put some users off, but I think it’s more than enough for home use. To find out more, you can keep reading this full Nutribullet Power core review.

Nutribullet Power Core review: Specs

Nutribullet Power Core review: Price & availability

The Nutribullet Power Core is available from Amazon U.S. for $99 and Amazon U.K. for £99. This is an incredibly affordable blender, but that's not unheard of from Nutribullet. In fact, they make some of the most affordable high-performance blenders, including the Nutribullet Smart Touch for $99 and the Nutribullet Pro 900W for $84.

If you want the option of smaller capacity blends, look at the Ninja Detect Power Pro with BlendSense for $179, which, like the Power Core, holds 72 ounces but comes with a 24-ounce single-serve cup.

For more control over blend speeds, check out the Tribest Backspin for $499, which has 12 speeds, or the Vitamix Ascent X2 for $549 with 10 variable speeds. In short, if you want more control, you need to pay more because you only get three speeds with the Nutribullet Power Core. That said, for everyday use, this is enough.

Nutribullet Power Core review: Design

The Nutribullet Power Core is a blender that will look good in any kitchen. It only comes in matte black, so if color matching all your appliances is a dealbreaker for you, this may not be the one (unless everything you own is black). But for most people, the simplistic design will be a win.

The jug has measurements up the side, so I found it easy to measure my ingredients as I went. The lid also has a small measuring cap that can be removed to add more ingredients, such as seasonings, as you blend. This was great for making things like dips.

Because of the large handle, the jug is very easy to hold and pour even when it’s full and heavy. Also, the spout makes pouring accurate, and I didn’t have any issues with spilled smoothies.

The blender uses a six-point stainless steel blade, and this was very effective even on tough ingredients like dates and seeds.

Controls

The Nutribullet Power Core is very easy to use. All of the button controls are at the front of the machine, and since it’s so cheap, it’s very basic. For me, this is great because I don’t think blending needs to be complicated.

The power button is in the middle, and to the left you’ll find a smoothie preset and a pulse button. To the right, there are three buttons for low, medium, and high-speed blending.

Nutribullet Power Core review: Blending performance

To test the blending performance of the Nutribullet Power Core, I carried out my usual tests and made a smoothie, sorbet, and hummus. When blending, the noise level reached a high of 101 decibels. This is around the volume you can expect from a lawnmower, and according to Hearing Loss USA, “anything above 85 decibels can damage the small hair cells in your ears and affect your hearing health.”

This is very loud, even for a large blender. In comparison, the Vitamix Ascent X2 reaches about 81 decibels. I would seriously recommend using a pair of Loop earplugs if you’re using this blender often.

That’s not the only thing — the motor base also creates a lot of wind. If it wasn’t for the powerful suction cups keeping it stable on my countertop, I’m pretty sure this thing would have taken flight. It blew around containers and papers on my countertop, which was just plain annoying.

Also, since the jug is so big, it would have been great to have a tamper so ingredients could be directed toward the blades when it wasn’t as full. I ended up having to push the sides down with a spoon intermittently.

Smoothie

I added a bag of berry smoothie mix, dates, sunflower seeds and oat milk to the blender and used the smoothie preset for blending. This did a great job of quickly dealing with frozen ingredients and mincing the sunflower seeds finely.

I was most impressed by how the blender handled the dates, as their naturally sticky texture often clogs blender blades and leaves chunks behind. There was some texture from the fruit seeds, but I was left with a smooth drink, and the blades didn’t clog. For $99, this is an extremely impressive blender.

Sorbet

Next, I blended up a sorbet. This allowed me to see how the blender would perform with frozen ingredients without adding liquid. I added a bag of frozen mango that had been thawed for 10 minutes. I used the medium-speed setting, stopping to push the mango down from the sides intermittently.

Since this is a thicker consistency than the smoothie, I spent a lot of time getting the mixture off the side walls of the blender. The mixture was mostly smooth with a few rogue chunks of mango, but it was good enough for what I needed.

Hummus

Finally, I whipped up a quick hummus — and I mean quick. I added two cans of chickpeas, lemon juice and some seasonings to the blender and used the pulse setting as I slowly added extra virgin olive oil. This only took a couple of minutes.

I was very impressed with the results. I had a mostly smooth dip with only a few whole chickpeas. For the price, I couldn’t ask for more.

Nutribullet Power Core review: Storage & maintenance

Taking care of the Nutribullet Power Core couldn’t be simpler. Everything is dishwasher-safe apart from the motor base. This meant I could just pop the whole jug and lid into the dishwasher and give the motor base a quick wipe down with a cloth. To clean the jug by hand, use detergent and a soft sponge, but be very careful with the blades at the bottom.

You need to be prepared for it to take up a lot of space on your countertop, or potentially a whole shelf in your cupboard. It measures 15.5 x 7.8 x 7.5 inches and weighs 7.5 pounds. The 72-ounce jug detaches from the motor base for cleaning and easier storage.

Nutribullet Power Core review: Verdict

The Nutribullet Power Core is an incredibly affordable blender that delivers impressive performance for under $100. This easy-to-use blender made mixing up large batches of my favorite smoothies, sorbets, and dips an absolute breeze. It completely blended even the toughest ingredients like dates, seeds and frozen fruit, leaving no chunks behind. It’s a must if you need a big blender on a budget, and it’s dishwasher-safe, so very easy to maintain.

However, you’ll need to protect your hearing with some earplugs because it gets incredibly noisy. I’d argue it’s louder than should be possible for a blender. The motor also generates a lot of air, making the surrounding workspace insanely windy.

With only three speeds, some users may feel limited, but for casual blenders, this is more than enough. For reliable and impressive results on a budget, this blender is a great choice.

Looking for the best robot vacuum? Don’t worry, I found it. It’s the Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete. I’ve been seriously blown away by this robovac’s impressive vacuuming and mopping capabilities.

It has some of the best features I’ve ever used on a robot vacuum, including extendable mop arms and a side sweeper, climbing technology, plus onboard cameras for enhanced object detection and even pet photography.

My only qualm would be the large size of the base station, which may be problematic if you’re short on space. But to find out more about why I love this fantastic robot vacuum, you can keep reading this full Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete review.

Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete review: Specs

Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete review: Price & availability

The Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete is available for $1,699 from Amazon U.S. or for £1,299 from Amazon U.K., where it’s called the Dreame X60 Pro Ultra Complete. You can pick up this vacuum in Black or White. This is the most expensive robot vacuum cleaner you can buy from Dreame, as it’s the flagship model with the most advanced features.

I’ve also tested a few other robot vacuums from Dreame, including the D10 Plus Gen 2, which is much cheaper at $299, but still offers impressive performance.

In the same price range as the X60 Max, the Roborock Saros 20 costs $1,599 and leaves floors absolutely spotless. For ease of use, I’d recommend the Saros 20, but the X60 Max offers more premium features.

If you’re looking for something a bit smaller than the X60 Max and the Saros 20, consider the Roborock Qrevo Curv, priced at $1,799, which features smart home compatibility and high suction power.

Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete review: Design

The X60 Max has the most futuristic look of any robot vacuum I’ve tested — and I’ve tested a lot. The docking station is large, but that’s a testament to its power. It measures 15.7 x 18.0 x 15.4 inches and weighs 23.4 pounds. It can automatically fill the robot’s water, empty it, and auto-empty the dust collection bin. It also washes the mops after use and dries them with hot air afterwards.

There are many robot vacuums out there with base stations that can take care of themselves. But these are premium models, including the Roborock Saros 20 and the Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 ThermaCharged NeverTouch ($1,199), so you’ll always be paying a premium price for such features.

The X60 Max’s vacuum measures 13.8 x 13.8 x 3.5 inches and weighs 10.4 pounds, which is around the same as most other robot vacuums on the market.

The robot has a detangling rotating brush and two circular mop pads at the back, which clean using hot water. Much like other robovacs, the Dreame has a side-sweeping brush. But it stands out from the crowd because it can extend to 12cm and get into hard-to-reach places. The mop pads also extend to 18cm to hit corners with ease. This is the most thorough mopping I’ve achieved with a robovac.

It also has small wheels that extend underneath to lift it over obstacles. These include stairs or other immovable objects up to 10cm. This was impressive to witness in action.

The vacuum also comes with a small brush. At first, I thought this was to clean the robot vacuum — I pictured Monica in Friends, when she cleans her large vacuum with a handheld one. But alas, I was wrong: it’s for something far cooler. This small brush attaches to the vacuum’s arm to clean baseboards as it moves around the edges of the room. So I no longer have to follow up vacuuming with dusting. A real win.

Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete review: App

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: the DreameHome app is one of my favorites. When you initially set up the device, you get a walkthrough of all the functions — and this vacuum has a lot. But everything felt digestible, and it didn’t overwhelm me at all. With help from the app, this feels like an accessible robot vacuum for all experience levels.

From the app, you can control cleaning routines, patterns, suction power and water flow. Mapping is also set up within the app, and it’s easy to manage rooms by naming them, plus you can have multiple maps for different floors in your house.

The app is free to download from the App Store on Android or iOS.

Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete review: Mapping

Mapping on the X60 Max is very efficient. When setting up the vacuum, I chose the quick mapping option, and it took 10 minutes to draw up detailed maps of my home. This was easy and virtually silent.

I also like the mapping technology you get with Roborock devices, but the Dreame app is more user-friendly.

The Dreame robot uses ultrasonic technology to map the room and could even identify what type of flooring is in each room. This meant it knew where to mop and where to only vacuum, so I didn’t have to set zones manually.

Object detection and avoidance are also impressive. The X60 has a bumper but also uses dual 120º AI cameras to map its surroundings. You can also use the robot vacuum for video calls to check on your pets while you’re away, and it will automatically capture pictures of your pets while cleaning.

Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete review: Cleaning

The Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete performed best on hard floors, but I was very impressed with its performance on carpet too. It has a maximum suction power of 42,000Pa, which is very impressive. For example, the Roborock Saros 20 has a suction power of 36,000Pa. However, it’s worth noting that the 42,000Pa suction power of the Dreame is only active when you manually select the highest suction in the app.

Vacuuming

I tested the vacuuming capabilities of the Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete using our standardized lab testing criteria before testing at home. I was very impressed with its performance throughout — a testament to the 42,000Pa suction power.

Hardwood floor:

The Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete managed to pick up everything I threw at it. From hair to tiny seeds, the powerful suction proved that this vacuum really is worth the price tag.

I think the reason the vacuum was able to get every last bit of debris was the extendable sweeper arm, which made sure everything was rounded up from the edges of the room.

Carpet:

It even performs well on carpeted flooring. It suffered a very small reduction in performance with hair and larger debris, as is to be expected on carpet, but it still makes them look clean.

I was mostly impressed by how well it performed when picking up hair. When I tested the Dreame D10 Plus Gen 2, it only picked up 40% of the hair from the carpet; it’s well worth splurging on the flagship X60 if you have pets who shed a lot of fur.

Mopping

To test the mopping capabilities of the robovac, I put soy sauce, mayonnaise and some mud on the floor and left them to dry. The Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete did an excellent job. I couldn’t see any mess left on the floor, and when I touched the floor, there wasn’t any sort of sticky feeling that some mopping vacuums can leave behind.

The combination of the Dreame multisurface cleaner and the 104ºF water does a great job of cleaning the floor. Using hot water to clean kills more bacteria and makes it a lot easier for the mops to lift grime from the floor.

Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete review: Storage & maintenance

Since the base station of the Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete is on the larger side, you need somewhere for the vacuum to dock that won’t cause a hindrance in your home. But it also needs to be near a power outlet, since the cord is only 3.9 feet long. This wasn’t an issue for me, but if you don’t have an outlet nearby, it will be tricky to set up the vacuum.

The X60 is very easy to maintain and can look after itself with self-emptying, cleaning, and drying for up to 100 days, depending on usage. The top of the base station lifts to reveal a clean and dirty water tank, and the bottom front panel can be removed to reveal the dust bag along with a small pot for detergent. It’s very easy to change the water and refill the detergent, so upkeep was a breeze. The bag is also easy to swap out with a few clicks.

On the robot vacuum, the anti-tangle brush worked well, and I didn’t have to manually clean off any hair from the rotary brush. It’s easy to change the mop pads just by clicking them into place.

The robot vacuum comes with replacement parts, including a rotary brush, sweepers and mops so you can keep the X60 Max looking brand new.

Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete review: Verdict

The Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete has become my new gold standard when it comes to robot vacuums. It provides exceptional vacuum performance and impressive mopping skills that can be modified in the user-friendly app to suit your home’s daily needs and schedule.

The smart features on the robot, like the built-in camera, enhanced object detection, extendable arms, and heated water mopping, make this a worthwhile purchase for anyone who needs an extra pair of hands around the house. My only issue is that the dock is on the larger side, but the size supports up to 100 days of self-maintenance, so it’s a good trade-off.

Where other robot vacuums feel like a useful addition to the home, this one feels like a necessity.

Vinegar is one of the most popular cleaning products. We use it to clean windows, deep clean toilets and appliances, and it even has a place in the garden for killing weeds.

But this versatile product can easily be confused, so I asked cleaning pros what the difference is between cleaning vinegar and white distilled vinegar, and how they should be used.

Cleaning vinegar vs white distilled vinegar

“Cleaning vinegar in its simplest form is a stronger acidic vinegar than white vinegar,” explains Sara Aparacio, resident cleaning expert at Homeaglow.

“Most bottles and descriptions list cleaning vinegar as having around 6% acetic acid and white vinegar as 5%. That 1% might not sound like a whole lot, but when you’re using it, you can really see and feel the 20% increase in concentration.”

Food safe vs non-food safe

But it isn’t just the strength that differs. “White vinegar is often suitable for pickling; cleaning vinegar isn’t made to a food-safe standard and contains impurities and additives that aren’t meant to be consumed,” explains Aparacio.

And that’s why cleaning vinegar should never be placed in your pantry by mistake.

Katie Lambert, owner of Clean Queen of Denver, explains that it has not been through the distillation process, so it still contains impurities that are usually removed from white vinegar.

To reiterate, she says, “Cleaning vinegar cannot be used to cook, because the acidity is too high and there are impurities and additives that make it unsafe for consumption.”

Although there are obvious differences when comparing each vinegar’s label information, Aparacio says the differences are much clearer when it comes to their cleaning power.

Which type of vinegar can be used for cleaning?

Both cleaning vinegar and distilled white vinegar can be used for cleaning, but Lambert warns against using other types. “Apple cider vinegar and wine vinegar can leave stains, rice vinegar leaves a sticky finish, and malt vinegar smells terrible and can stain surfaces.”

How to use cleaning and white vinegar

For cleaning, Lambert recommends mixing one part vinegar with one part water, but adds that cleaning vinegar and white vinegar are best for different jobs.

Cleaning vinegar can handle tougher stains and is best at removing grease, soap scum and mold.

Distilled vinegar can be used for regular cleaning, such as tackling glass, counters and other surfaces, and it can also be used to remove odors.

How to stay safe when using vinegar

“For distilled white vinegar, you really don’t need any extra protection,” says Lambert. “Just try to avoid getting it in your eyes and make sure that the room is ventilated”

However, she says you need to take extra care when using cleaning vinegar. “I highly recommend wearing gloves and long sleeves to protect your skin, because you have to remember you are working with an acid — you want to avoid chemical burns.”

You’ll also need to ensure the room is well-ventilated; unlike distilled vinegar, the higher concentration of acetic acid makes it much more pungent.

You should also consider where you store your vinegars. “I’d always make sure to label it and keep cleaning vinegar away from food preparation areas, or at least keep it separate from other vinegars so they don’t get mixed up,” says Aparacio.

Don't make this toxic mistake

“Absolutely never mix cleaning vinegar, or any vinegar, with bleach!” warns Aparacio.

When bleach and acetic acid mix, a chemical reaction releases chlorine. When inhaled, the toxic gas can cause severe lung, eye and throat damage.

What to avoid cleaning with vinegar

While cleaning vinegar can be used on lots of household surfaces, it should be avoided when cleaning natural stone, grout, cast iron, unpainted wood, rubber, and electrical surfaces. “The acid in vinegar can corrode and damage certain materials, “ explains Lambert.

When is distilled vinegar better than cleaning vinegar?

“You can use the white vinegar for everyday cleaning because it’s non-toxic and safe to consume,” says Lambert, “Especially on places like kitchen counters or to clean the inside of a fridge. ”

It’s also more suitable for cleaning delicate surfaces, such as tile grout or plastic, as the lower acidity makes it less likely to damage the surface.

Lambert also shares that distilled white vinegar is suitable to use as a laundry softener, as it’s less likely to damage fibers in clothes than using cleaning vinegar.

It can also be used to remove some stains on clothing, such as sweat and deodorant marks and light yellowing on white fabrics, but according to Laundry Heap, it doesn’t work well on grease or oil, blood, ink, dye or old or heat-set stains.

Its gentler nature also makes it safe to use around pets. “If you need to clean their play area or neutralize odors, I’d stick to distilled white vinegar in case they lick the area,” she says.

When to use cleaning vinegar

Cleaning vinegar is the powerhouse of vinegars and is suitable for tough chores. Aparacio shares that it really gets to work on bathroom limescale and soap residue.

“You can quickly create a powerful cleaning solution by mixing equal parts cleaning vinegar and water in a spray bottle. This can then be sprayed onto the glass and wiped down,” she says.

Make an all-purpose bathroom cleaner
What’s more, if your bathroom has ceramic tile, porcelain or painted walls, you can use cleaning vinegar as an all-purpose cleaner. She suggests mixing one part cleaning vinegar, one part dish soap, with two parts water into a spray bottle. “The solution can then be sprayed onto surfaces and is amazing at cleaning soap scum and grime,” she says.

Clearing blocked drains
Cleaning vinegar can also be used to clean and freshen clogged drains. Aparacio explains, “Pour at least one quart of boiling water down the drain, then, in a medium bowl, mix together one cup of hot water, one cup of baking soda, and one cup of cleaning vinegar. Pour the mixture down the drain and let it sit and work for about 10 minutes, then flush the system with another quart of boiling water.”

I’ve shared a few cleaning hacks you can try with white vinegar and cleaning vinegar. Let me know in the comments how you use these vinegars to clean around your home.

More from Tom's Guide

• This vinegar steam trick will rid your oven of grease and grime — here's how to do it
• Homeowners warned over vinegar cleaning mistake that could cost up to $3,000 in kitchen repairs — and I’ve been doing this too
• Homeowners urged to avoid using white vinegar on flooring at all costs — here's why

When I tested the original Casabrews Ultra last year, I was perplexed. It has a PID controller and a built-in timer for under $349? And it doesn’t look overly plasticky or feel flimsy? How? Some major boiler issues, that’s how. Thankfully, these issues have been sorted out on its successor, the Casabrews Ultra Pro, released in July 2026.

So is this enough to make it one of the best espresso machines? Hmm — not if you’re serious about your coffee. While it’s a good entry-level model with premium features like a customizable PID controller and has a built-in timer, its weak steam wand and habit of burning espresso holds me back from recommending it fully.

But might it be worth the $349 price tag? To get the full story, keep reading this Casabrews Ultra Pro review.

Casabrews Ultra Pro review: Specs

Casabrews Ultra Pro review: Price & availability

The Casabrews Ultra Pro is $349 from Amazon U.S. At time of writing, it’s not available in the U.K.

For a Casabrews machine, this is a pretty premium price. I mean, you can probably tell from the name, right? They don’t call it the “Ultra Pro” for no reason. I tested the original Ultra last year and liked it, but it had some flaws, like a weak steam wand and boiler issues. More on that later, but I didn’t experience the same boiler problems.

The $349 asking price is a little too steep for this machine. When you can get the $299 Breville Bambino, PID controller and customizable pre-infusion included, or the $499 Breville Bambino Plus, there’s not a lot of wiggle room.

Casabrews Ultra Pro review: Design

The new Casabrews Ultra Pro looks pretty identical to the original Ultra. I liked the original version, so I like the new version. I didn’t notice any tarnishing issues this time around, so I’m glad to see Casabrews has improved on that; however, there’s still no water tank alert on the screen.

Speaking of the screen, I love it, and it’s by far the best feature on this machine. You don’t have to scrabble with a coffee scale timer anymore. Of course, you still need a coffee scale to ensure you’re getting the proper 36g espresso out, but forget that timer function. It’s redundant to you now. The Ultra Pro times your shot for you — and it’s reliable, every single time.

The screen has a few more capabilities: it shows you the double or single shot, hot water, and steam wand functions. That’s it, but I’m not mad about it. All I need is that sweet, sweet timer function, and I’m happy.

Like the previous model, the Ultra Pro utilizes a steam button rather than a dial, which is good if you need a low-effort machine.

Also like the previous machine, there’s a nice little groove on the top so you can store your tamper. I liked this feature as much as I like the 58mm portafilter basket. This is the coffee-snob standard, so is ideal for getting higher-quality aftermarket accessories… which you will need to purchase, as the Ultra Pro doesn’t come with a milk jug. Many Casabrews machines omit the milk jug, which I’m not a fan of. It’s so stingy. It’s literally a milk jug. All Breville machines come with a milk jug, but the $149 De’Longhi Stilosa doesn’t.

Casabrews Ultra Pro review: Espresso

I didn’t experience any boiler issues while using the Ultra Pro. On the previous version, it took ages for the machine to switch between milk and espresso. The Ultra Pro makes strange clicking noises after brewing espresso, but I was always able to get the steam wand up and running in a few seconds.

Despite these successes, I have a few espresso-related qualms with the Casabrews Ultra Pro. Casabrews claim “this espresso machine ensures consistent 9-bar extraction”, which isn’t true. I know it isn’t true because the Ultra Pro has an LCD screen that literally displays the bar pressure during extraction.

Not once did the bar pressure number stay the same. It fluctuated from 3 to 7 to 9 to 15 at one point, and down and up again throughout extraction. I know pressure is supposed to increase from low to 9-bar during infusion, but it’s not supposed to go back down when only 5g has extracted.

This is not a consistent 9-bar extraction. Casabrews kind of shot itself in the foot here. Why include a digital “manometer” (quotation marks necessary there) only for it to tell on itself?

Despite what Casabrews says on its website, there also doesn’t seem to be a solenoid valve, as all my pucks came out wet. Now I’ve grown accustomed to my Bambino Plus’s solenoid valve, I’m not sure I can ever go back. Cleanup is so much easier with dry pucks.

Here’s a photo of an espresso I made on the Casabrews Ultra Pro.

I wasn’t a huge fan of this espresso. It tasted burnt and overextracted, despite extracting in 25 seconds. This is the “ideal” extraction time. It didn’t pour too quickly or too slowly, meaning it wasn’t over- or under-extracted.

However, perhaps I’m simply too picky. I gave my colleagues many coffees made on the Casabrews Ultra Pro, and the feedback ranged from “really nice actually” to “a nice fruitiness”.

There’s also the (customizable) PID controller (temperature controller to prevent burnt or weak brews) to mention. This is better than Breville’s entry-level models, which have a non-programmable PID. You can easily adjust the brew temperature in intervals from 194°F to 204°F. This is great to see on a cheaper machine.

Finally, there’s a cold brew mode. Here’s a photo of said cold brew.

The cold brew was bright and juicy, but quite astringent. It took 101 seconds to brew 160ml. I wouldn’t use this again, but it’s good if you like juicy, sharp flavors and you’re on a time crunch.

If you’re what you’d consider a “coffee snob”, this machine might not be the one for you. In that case, I’d recommend the aforementioned Breville Bambino or Breville Bambino Plus. You may even want to go for the $499 Gaggia Classic E24 Evo Pro, which has no PID controller but is a coffee nerd goldmine.

Casabrews Ultra Pro review: Milk

My biggest issue with the Casabrews Ultra was the weak steam wand. Seeing as Casabrews fixed the boiler issues, I hoped the steam wand weakness would have been fixed, too.

Unfortunately, I was wrong. It still takes a whole minute to steam half a jug of milk, and said milk is unevenly aerated. I found my milk separated into layers immediately after finishing steaming. I also struggled to obtain the ideal “vortex” while steaming, which is the marker of a low-quality steam wand.

As you can see, the latte art is squashed. This is because the foam wasn’t integrated into the milk, so when I poured, it separated into layers. This is not what I’d want to see.

The De’Longhi Stilosa, Breville Bambino, and Breville Bambino Plus don’t suffer from this issue, so I’d recommend grabbing one of those instead if you value latte art. Even the Ninja Luxe Cafe Mini Plus ($499)’s auto steam wand is better, if you can afford the extra $150 (but you get a grinder).

Casabrews Ultra Pro review: Storage & maintenance

The Ultra Pro is just 13 inches deep and 12 inches tall, which makes it a mid-sized espresso machine. While considerably larger than the 7-inch-wide Breville Bambino and the 5-inch wide Casabrews 3700 Essential, it’s nowhere near as massive as the frankly Titanic Breville Oracle Dual Boiler ($3,000, 18 inches tall).

Obviously, still check it will fit in your kitchen, but it’s not a large model, as far as espresso machines go.

In terms of cleaning, well, Casabrews doesn’t provide you with any accessories, unlike Breville and De’Longhi. You’ll need to buy backflush tablets and descaler yourself, which is around $20 for a huge bottle on Amazon.

In terms of warranty, it’s also pretty slim pickings here. Casabrews offers just one year, while Breville, De’Longhi, and Ninja offer two as standard.

Casabrews Ultra Pro review: Verdict

I gave the Casabrews Ultra Pro 3 stars. Yeah, I know. “You gave the Ultra 3.5 stars, so how does that work?” The most egregious issue — the steam wand — has not been fixed. Even though Casabrews has had time to fix this, it didn’t, hence the lower rating this time around. Do I think the Ultra Pro is worth $349? No. No I do not.

When you can get the Casabrews CM5148 Pro for $199 — PID controller included — I really cannot see why the Ultra Pro is so much more expensive. The on-screen timer is a nice addition, but is it worth an extra $150? I think not.

So while I’m sure you won’t be majorly disappointed by the Ultra Pro, I simply can’t recommend it when there are similar machines for cheaper, or much better machines for a little extra. Treat yourself to the $499 Breville Bambino Plus or Gaggia Classic E24 Evo Pro, or save a little and get the Breville Bambino or Casabrews CM5418 Pro. It’s a no-brainer.

The Razer Soma Chroma is the latest gaming chair from Razer, taking up the mid-range mantle between the pricier Razer Iskur and slightly cheaper Razer Enki. The Soma Chroma has one major party trick: not satisfied with its usual black and green motif, Razer has added RGB lighting for maximum elite gamerness. The Soma Chroma also boasts Razer’s usual premium design and build quality, a super thick seat cushion and comfortable arm rests.

Unfortunately, it’s let down by a few glaring omissions. Razer seems to think a slight bend in the backrest constitutes lumbar support, and that neck support isn’t as important as RGB lighting. So while your butt might be comfy, your back and neck certainly won’t be without further purchases. There’s also very limited adjustments on offer. Oh, and the companion software, Synapse, is terrible.

All in all, if you want a gaming chair that’s all about looks, this could be the one. But if you’re planning on spending long hours in the hot seat, I’d advise you look for something with more support and adjustability.

Find out more in my full Razer Soma Chroma review.

Razer Soma Chroma review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A mid-range gaming chair from Razer
• Who is it for? Gamers who want an RGB-clad chair
• What does it cost? $499 / £499
• What do we like? The comfy base and arm rests, premium build, attractive styling and ease of assembly
• What don’t we like? Virtually no lumbar support, no neck support, limited adjustability and an awful companion app

Razer Soma Chroma review: Specs

Razer Soma Chroma review: The ups

The Razer Soma Chroma has a few things in its favor, like premium build quality, a striking aesthetic, a comfy base and squidgy arm rests, plus a mostly cable-free design.

Premium build

There’s no denying the Soma Chroma is built well — unsurprising if you have any experience with Razer products. The fabric used is high quality and soft to the touch; there’s thick foam on the seat pad and arm rests; and there aren’t too many scratchy plastics (with the exception of the arm rest tubes.

The chair’s recline mechanism also operates with a very satisfying mechanical clunk — it feels like there’s some heavyweight machinery in there holding it together. It’s a far cry from the janky mechanism used on my Boulies EP460.

Easy assembly

The Soma Chroma was pretty easy to assemble. My team reviews lots of chairs, and I’m usually the one building them — even when my colleagues are the ones reviewing them (I guess that’s one disadvantage to being handy with a wrench).

The Soma Chroma was in the average difficulty range. It was nowhere near as simple to build as the Boulies OP180, which only took me 10 minutes. There were also some heavier components, like the back rest, which may necessitate a second person to help. Other than that, it’s simply a case of putting the bolts where needed, all of which is detailed in the very thorough included instruction sheet. I built the Soma Chroma on my own in about half an hour.

I love that Razer supplies the Soma Chroma with a set of black gloves to wear when building the chair. I've never seen that from other brands before, and it's a nice touch.

Dashing design

The Soma Chroma looks rather fetching, too. It sports the typical streamlined gamer chair design — not a million miles away from the ubiquitous Secretlab Titan Evo. A cutout near the neck and distinctive contouring on both the back rest and seat give it a sports-car-esque vibe. It looks straight out of an esports competition.

With the lighting disabled, The Soma Chroma boasts Razer’s usual sleek, blacked out aesthetic, with striking green accents. With the lighting turned on, it looks about as sophisticated as RGB lighting ever does. If you’re after that particular aesthetic, I’m sure you’ll think it looks great. It’s not for me, but that’s down to personal preference. And besides, Razer has applied the RGB fairly sparingly around the wings.

Comfy base and arm rests

Sitting on the Soma Chroma for the first time, I was very pleasantly surprised at the seat base. I suffer from a type of immuno-arthritis that affects, among other areas, my coccyx. In short, butt comfiness is high on my agenda.

With other foam-cushioned chairs I’ve used, like the Autonomous ErgoChair Pro, seat pad foam usually compresses, applying too much pressure up into my lower back — I often have to use a special coccyx relief cushion with a cutout to relieve coccyx pressure. It’s for this reason I usually choose full mesh chairs like the Boulies EP460, as mesh seat pads provide the best butt support.

The Soma Chroma, though, has probably the comfiest foam base I’ve sat on. The foam is super thick and very squishy. I haven’t had to use my coccyx cushion at all. Also impressively squishy are the arm rests. So often, manufacturers leave arm rests hard and uncomfortable, causing elbow pain. Not so here. The Soma Chroma has about an inch of foam padding on each rest.

Overall, even after longer gaming/work stints of 8 hours, I’ve had no butt and no elbow pain. Unfortunately, as I’ll cover later, I had other types of pain from the lack of back and neck support.

Not fully wireless, but tidy

If you choose to use its lighting, the Soma Chroma needs to be powered via USB-C as there’s no built-in battery. You can either plug it into a wall socket or your PC, or use one of the best power banks.

The latter is the tidiest method — there’s a zip pocket at the back of the base, which will fit a small-ish power bank like my Iniu Ultra Mini ($31). That means no power banks dangling down or cables getting snagged in the wheels as you move the chair.

The RGB lights aren’t too power hungry either. We ran the RGB for 2-3 hours on our product photoshoot and the charge on my 10,000mAh Iniu only dropped by 1%.

Once powered, the Soma Chroma does have wireless connectivity. It comes with a USB-A Wi-Fi dongle, so you can hook the chair up to your PC and control the RGB via Razer Synapse. There are controls on the chair itself, but these are a little clunky unless you keep the instructions with you. I’m not at all keen on Synapse either, which I’ll get onto below.

Razer Soma Chroma review: The downs

Unfortunately, without buying further accessories, the Soma Chroma is downright uncomfortable thanks to no neck support, minimal lumbar support, no included support accessories and limited adjustment. Then there’s Synapse…

Poor neck and lumbar support

Razer claims the Soma Chroma has lumbar support. What it really means is that the Soma Chroma has a slight arch in the backrest. It provides about as much lumbar support as propping one’s self up against a plank of wood. There’s also no neck rest, and no additional neck cushion included — if you want one of those, you’ll need to pay an extra $50.

After my first testing session — about four hours of gaming — I started noticing a slight pain in my neck and upper shoulders. On day two, after another eight hours, I was experiencing full blown neck pain on both sides, up into the back of my head.

As I mentioned earlier, I have a form of immuno-arthritis, and there’s no way in hell I’d sit in this chair on a daily basis, at least not without some neck support. I have pretty good sitting posture (I have to make sure of it) but without anything to support your neck, it’s very hard to achieve that.

Admittedly, the Soma Chroma isn’t alone here. If you know anything about computing chairs, you’ll know that gaming chairs are usually designed for style over comfort. Most of them use the same flat back shaping, like the Secretlab Titan Evo and DXRacer Craft, for instance — the thing is, those two chairs at least come with a neck pillow for support.

If you want proper support, though, you’re better off looking at the Razer Iskur V2 NewGen, with its much better (i.e. existent) lumbar support and neck pillow. Or, a hybrid mesh chair like the Herman Miller Vantum. Or consider an office chair as, believe it or not, gaming chairs are mostly marketing. You can game just fine and much more comfortably in a mid-range mesh office chair like my Boulies EP460.

Limited adjustability

On top of the discomfort, the Soma Chroma offers very limited adjustability. You can do the bare minimum: recline, seat height, arm rest height and swivel. But there’s no way to slide the seat forward or back; no forward or backward arm rest sliders, and no lumbar adjustment.

You can set the chair into a free recline mode, but the mechanism was so stiff on my chair that I had to push off from a wall to get it to actually recline.

The Soma Chroma is also a little low, with the seat height maxing out at 16-20 inches. My Boulies EP460 maxes out at 23 inches, for comparison. A taller maximum seat height is more comfortable for those with long legs.

Synapse really, really sucks

Razer’s Synapse software is one of two ways to control the Soma Chroma’s RGB, in addition to the onboard button controls, which are a little basic. Given the RGB is such a major feature of the chair, Synapse is therefore a pretty important element.

Now, I’ve used Synapse before, so my expectations were tempered. But man oh man, I’d forgotten quite how much Synapse sucks — like, more than any other mainstream companion software I’ve ever used after testing and using dozens of peripherals. I’d honestly prefer Asus’ Armoury Crate, which is seriously saying something.

Firstly, Synapse is incredibly annoying to set up: you have to download the installer; then download Synapse (fighting off the extra bloatware it tries to download at the same time); then install Synapse; then fire up the installed app… and then download Synapse again. Like, what? I can’t even. It’s so needlessly complicated. It also kept failing to install, getting stuck at 45% three times, though that could’ve been a Windows issue.

When you do get Synapse installed, it’s slow, laggy and often takes ages to recognize the chair after booting up your PC, if it even manages to at all. Every time I rebooted, I had to un/re-plug the Soma Chroma’s 2.4G wireless dongle from/into my PC, otherwise Synapse wouldn’t recognize the chair.

The changes I made in Synapse regularly failed to apply, despite the app saying they did — I switched the lighting to static purple, which it changed to for around 30 seconds before defaulting back to unicorn puke RGB. And to top it all off, the moment you close the Synapse app, the lighting switches back to the default rainbow effect anyway. That means you have to keep that crappy piece of bloatware running while you game, if you want RGB.

Oh, and if you want any advanced effects you then have to download Razer’s Chroma RGB controller anyway. Eurgh. It’s not worth dealing with such terrible software for a couple of measly RGB strips on a mostly uncomfortable chair.

Razer Soma Chroma review: Verdict

I’m pretty disappointed by the Soma Chroma. I’ve awarded credit for its premium design, comfy base and arm rests, and its ease of assembly. Unfortunately, my three pros up top are tempered by four pretty major cons, so half marks for this chair is arguably even a little generous.

The Soma Chroma is really rather uncomfortable thanks to its lack of a neck cushion and only a semblance of lumbar support. Meanwhile, the adjustability is pretty scant and the companion software, Synapse, is nothing short of terrible.

So why bother? Just buy a Secretlab Titan Evo and be slightly less uncomfortable. Or do it properly and buy an ergonomic office chair (guess what: you can game in one of those). Before long, your neck will thank you.

My toilet seat had been sliding for weeks. Every time I sat down, it shifted. I kept thinking I'd get around to fixing it, but it seemed like one of those mysterious plumbing problems that required calling a professional.

Then I realized it was probably just loose bolts. Turns out I was right. Five minutes with a screwdriver and my toilet seat was completely stable again. If yours is sliding around, you can fix it the same way. Here's what's happening and how to solve it.

Why your toilet seat keeps sliding

Every time you sit down and shift your weight, you're putting stress on the bolts connecting the seat to the bowl. Over months and years, this constant movement loosens them gradually. Plastic hardware wears down faster than metal. Older seats develop cracks or warped hinges that prevent them from staying firm.

Sometimes improper installation causes the problem from day one. The bolts were never tightened properly initially. Either way, addressing it quickly matters. A sliding toilet seat is uncomfortable and can actually be a fall risk, especially for elderly people or children.

Common mistakes that make things worse

While it might be tempting to over-tighten the bolts, try to avoid using excessive force. Snapping a bolt will leave you needing extra replacement hardware you didn't plan on buying.

It's also important not to delay the repair, as a seat that constantly slides around can eventually break completely, turning a simple adjustment into a full replacement.

If the existing hardware looks old or worn, consider replacing it entirely rather than just retightening it, since older bolts tend to work themselves loose again quickly.

Finally, make sure to align and center the seat before securing it into place, as an off-center seat feels awkward to sit on and won't close properly.

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From its Bionic FlexFit Backrest made up of eight flexible panels to its cushioned seat wrapped in an elastic fabric outer layer, the LiberNovo Omni immediately stands out. While still relatively new, it’s easily one of the best office chairs you can buy, especially if you value ergonomics and comfort equally.

I first reviewed the original LiberNovo Omni back when it launched at the end of 2025. More recently, I reviewed the more affordable LiberNovo Omni SE. Now, though, I’ve been testing the top-of-the-line LiberNovo Omni Pro. While all three chairs feature a nearly identical design, you might be wondering which is the right pick for your home office.

If you stumbled upon this now-viral office chair and are dead set on picking one up over other premium options like the iconic Herman Miller Aeron or the one-of-a-kind Steelcase Karman, here’s everything you need to know about the full LiberNovo Omni lineup based on their design, features, functionality, and, most importantly, adjustability and comfort.

You can’t go wrong with the LiberNovo Omni, the Omni SE, or the Omni Pro if you’re looking for a supportive yet comfortable chair to spend long hours working or even gaming in. However, now that the lineup has significantly expanded, here’s how to pick the right one for your needs and budget.

LiberNovo Omni Series: Specs

LiberNovo Omni Series: Design

At first glance, all three chairs in the LiberNovo Omni collection look remarkably similar, though subtle material upgrades and structural details set them apart under the hood.

Regardless of which model you pick, you’re getting a deep, multi-density seat filled with high-density foam divided into three distinct zones. The rear section is firm to support your hips, the middle offers a medium density, and the front edge is noticeably softer. This provides firm support under your rear without the front lip digging into the undersides of your thighs or glutes.

The base-level Omni SE and the standard Omni feature seats and backrests wrapped in a breathable elastic fabric. It stretches smoothly around your body as you sit down and offers outstanding comfort for all-day use. However, based on my time testing them, this specific fabric acts like a magnet for pet hair. While a quick vacuum or lint roller brings both chairs back to looking brand new, it is worth keeping in mind if you have pets.

The Omni Pro drops the elastic weave in favor of an upgraded performance fabric across its seat, backrest, and headrest. It's more durable, feels smoother against your clothes, and easily sheds pet hair and debris. The trade-off? You lose just a bit of that plush, immediate surface softness found on the elastic models.

The under-seat housing looks nearly identical across all three units, though the standard Omni and Omni Pro feature a dedicated battery compartment to power their motorized functions. The tilt-tension knob — which controls recline resistance on the right side — also varies slightly. The original Omni uses a slightly thicker control dial, whereas the Omni SE and Omni Pro both opt for a sleeker, thinner design.

Down below, all three models come equipped with floor-safe, dual-wheel casters that handle hardwood, tile, and carpet with ease. The Omni SE sticks to standard black wheels, while the standard Omni upgrades to color-matched hubs in black, gray, or green to match your chosen colorway. The flagship Omni Pro steps things up further, swapping out the reinforced plastic base for a solid metal one paired with quiet-glide casters that are virtually silent on hard floors.

Finally, LiberNovo’s signature Bionic FlexFit Backrest anchors the entire lineup. Built with eight flexible panels, 16 pivot points, and 14 dual-connection points, the structure keeps your lower, mid, and upper back continuously supported. Since the framework is inherently dynamic, it flexes with your spine as you shift or twist side to side.

The multi-angle headrests operate using a similar mechanism, ensuring your neck stays cradled even when you turn your head to look at secondary monitors or someone on the side of your desk.

LiberNovo Omni Series: Adjustability

Just like their design, adjustability remains mostly the same across the entire LiberNovo Omni lineup. To put it simply, you get 12 adjustment points with the Omni SE, 13 with the Omni, and 14 with the Omni Pro.

Those extra adjustment points mainly come down to the motorized controls and climate features on the higher-end models. Even so, the base-level Omni SE delivers more or less the same core ergonomic experience as its more premium siblings.

For starters, all three chairs come equipped with 4D armrests that allow you to adjust their height, width, depth, and rotation angle. The key difference on the Omni SE is the absence of electronic control buttons on the left armrest, as that model is fully mechanical.

Underneath the seat, you’ll find a compartment for the rechargeable battery pack on the left side of the Omni and Omni Pro, while the main manual adjustment levers and knobs are located on the right.

The front lever (positioned horizontally) controls the seat height via a standard pneumatic gas lift. The lever directly behind it (positioned vertically) locks in your recline angle. Each chair offers five built-in recline positions — 105, 115, 125, 135, and 160 degrees — allowing you to lock in your preferred angle whether you're typing upright or relaxing. Below those levers, the tilt-tension knob lets you adjust how much resistance you feel when leaning back.

It’s worth noting that none of these chairs feature a traditional manual seat-depth slider to adjust the position of the seat itself. Instead, the Bionic FlexFit frame and adjustable lumbar support dynamically alter your sitting depth as you sit back in them.

The primary difference between the Omni SE and the two motorized models is how you adjust lower-back support. On the SE, you dial the lumbar mechanism forward or backward using a physical turn-knob behind the backrest. Reaching around to turn it can be a bit awkward, but once you find your sweet spot, you likely won't need to touch it again.

On the Omni and Omni Pro, that manual knob is replaced by a motorized linear actuator controlled via two buttons on the inside of the left armrest. Pressing the front arrow moves the lumbar support forward into your lower back, while the rear arrow retracts it.

To power those motorized adjustments on the Omni and Omni Pro, you’ll need to charge up the included battery pack first. It slides into the under-seat housing effortlessly, and a small built-in handle makes removing it simple. Best of all, LiberNovo uses a standard USB-C port right on the battery itself, so you don't have to worry about losing a proprietary charging cable.

LiberNovo Omni Series: Powered features

Besides using battery power to adjust lumbar depth, the Omni and Omni Pro have a few extra tricks up their sleeves that you won’t find on the fully mechanical Omni SE. The first of these is OmniStretch, a motorized spinal decompression and active stretching mode. While you can activate it at any sitting angle, I prefer using it while fully reclined, as the lower-back pressure relief feels much more pronounced that way.

To engage OmniStretch, you press the designated button sitting directly behind the lumbar adjustment arrows on the left armrest. Doing so utilizes the motorized lumbar mechanism in a completely novel way. Instead of remaining locked in a static position, the actuator slowly extends to its maximum depth and then retracts back, giving your lower back and spine a therapeutic stretch.

The cycle lasts for five minutes, but pressing the button again stops the process early and returns the lumbar support to its original resting position.

If you opt for the top-tier Omni Pro over the standard Omni, you also gain access to a second powered feature: Active AirFlow. While you wouldn't notice it looking at the chair straight on, LiberNovo embedded a high-speed centrifugal cooling fan within the seat frame directly beneath the cushion.

To activate Active AirFlow, you press the rearmost button on the left armrest control pad. The system features two fan speeds: a single press turns it on Low mode (indicated by a blue LED light), while a second press bumps it to High mode (green LED light). A third press turns the fan off completely.

Testing Active AirFlow on the Omni Pro revealed a thoughtful touch: built-in auto-pause sensors detect when you stand up and temporarily shut the fan off to preserve power. As soon as you sit back down though, the fan automatically spins back up.

While leaving Active AirFlow enabled and using OmniStretch regularly will drain the power pack over time, battery life impressed me during testing — I was able to go about two full weeks between charges. If you prefer zero downtime, LiberNovo does sell spare battery packs separately, making it easy to hot-swap a fresh one in while the other recharges via USB-C.

LiberNovo Omni Series: Which should you buy?

As someone who has tested all three LiberNovo Omni chairs and spent almost six months using the original Omni as my daily driver, you really can’t go wrong with any of these ergonomic, highly comfortable office chairs. Deciding which model is right for you ultimately comes down to your budget, how much you value those motorized features, and whether or not you have pets.

If you’re looking for a premium sitting experience that delivers the best value, the LiberNovo Omni SE is the smartest choice. You get almost all of the same baseline adjustability and dynamic support found on the higher-tier models without having to worry about electronics failing over time. While the main frame on all three chairs is backed by a five-year warranty, the electronic components are only covered for two years.

If you’d rather press armrest buttons than reach behind your back to tweak a turn-knob, the standard LiberNovo Omni is a worthwhile upgrade over the SE. It’s also available in more colorways — including black, gray, and moss green. For anyone dealing with lower-back stiffness during long work shifts, the automated OmniStretch cycle is a genuinely useful feature to have on demand.

If you want the absolute best LiberNovo has to offer, the Omni Pro steps up with a far more resilient performance fabric, a solid metal base, and Active AirFlow cooling to keep you sweat-free. While it skips the special colorways for now, it comes in a clean, modern dark gray or white finish that sheds pet hair effortlessly.

One thing to keep in mind across the entire lineup is budgeting for optional accessories. LiberNovo’s StepSync footrest is a fantastic addition for shorter users like myself, and its plushly padded top makes taking advantage of that full 160-degree recline infinitely more comfortable.

While the footrest is pricey on its own, LiberNovo discounts it significantly when you bundle it with a chair, and you can order it color-matched to your setup too.

Finally, if you fall into a larger or taller height/weight bracket, LiberNovo also has its recently launched Maxis series. Those models mirror the SE, standard, and Pro in terms of features, design, and adjustability, but feature wider frames and higher weight capacities.

The original Omni made serious waves in the ergonomic chair market when it debuted, and with these newest additions to its lineup, LiberNovo proves it’s definitely here to stay.

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Ever since my dad got a fancy espresso machine, I’ve dreamed of brewing my own crema-topped coffee at home. But most at-home, coffee makers don’t offer this feature — unless you want to pay hundreds of dollars and sacrifice a large chunk of your kitchen’s counter space.

When I saw that Keurig was coming out with the K-Crema, I wondered if it could be a good lower-cost option to my dad’s top-of-the-line model.

Ultimately, the K-Crema brews a tasty cup of coffee with a layer of foamy crema on top. It might not stack up to an espresso shot from a pricier machine or a coffee shop, but for those of us who want to save money while still enjoying a delicious shot of coffee, the K-Crema is a decent pick.

Read this Keurig K-Crema review to find out how it performed over several weeks in my kitchen, and why I think this is a top pick in the Keurig coffee maker lineup.

Keurig K-Crema review: Price and availability

The Keurig K-Crema is available for $219 at Keurig and Amazon. You can also buy it at Target, Kohl’s, Walmart, and other major retailers. Plus, the machine is available in a single color: Black.

You can use any K-Cup pod in the K-Crema, though mine came with Global Trek medium roast pods. The machine doesn’t come with a reusable pod, but you could buy one and use your own coffee if you prefer. For this review, I stuck with the provided K-Cups.

Keurig K-Crema review: Design

After initially unboxing the Keurig K-Crema, the first thing I noticed was its size. It’s bigger than your basic Keurig machine, like the K-Slim or the K-Mini, yet smaller than most coffee machines.

The K-Crema has a removable water reservoir that sits to the right of the machine, making it wider than some other single-brew coffee machines. But the reservoir was easy to fill: simply pick it up using the handle, fill it with water, and pop it back.

The K-Crema has six size options, from a single shot to a 12-ounce brew. The “Pressure” button brews coffee at five times the pressure of a standard cup, resulting in a silky layer of crema. That’s what sets the machine apart from other Keurigs, but can it justify the higher price tag?

Keurig K-Crema review: Performance

To determine whether or not the Keurig K-Crema is a good buy, I put it to the test in my kitchen over several weeks. I timed each drink setting and took the temperature of multiple cups to gauge the average hotness of a cup of coffee.

Here’s how the Keurig K-Crema performed:

These brew times are comparable to other Keurig machines, though it was interesting to note that the machine brewed faster when I used the pressure setting. Coffee temperature was a little colder than I expected, especially for the shot and double-shot sizes.

I measured brew temps from a low of 163 degrees to a high of 174 degrees. Experts recommend a water temperature of 195 to 205 degrees for the best-testing coffee, but that’s not realistic from a single-serve machine like the Keurig K-Crema.

Noise-wise, I measured a high of 68 decibels for both the Classic and Pressure settings, with an average in the 50 to 60 decibel range. That’s considered to be in the moderate range — and since the machine brews most sizes in under two minutes, it’s unlikely to cause much disruption.

Now for the most important factor: taste. My only prior experience of a crema machine is in my dad’s kitchen, where he has a fancy (and expensive) espresso machine. I didn’t expect the K-Crema to measure up, yet I was still pleasantly surprised by the taste of the resulting cup.

In the past, I’ve found K-Cups to taste too weak or artificial, but the Global Trek pods I tested were just right. I liked the addition of the crema, though it didn’t quite hold up when I mixed in milk and sugar.

Keurig K-Crema review: Comparison

The Keurig K-Crema is a solid single-serve coffee maker, but how does it compare to other Keurig models? I have previously tested the K-Mini Mate, and the K-Crema definitely brews a superior cup. But it comes at a cost: The Keurig K-Mini Mate costs $59.99, compared to $219.99 for the K-Crema.

You might also consider the Keurig K-Cafe, which comes with a milk frother. This machine is ideal if you like coffee drinks, like lattes and cappuccinos. But if you prefer to drink straight shots of espresso, the K-Crema is the right choice.

Ultimately, you’ll want to consider what you want out of your coffee machine. If you’ve always wanted an espresso machine but don’t want to spend the money, the Keurig K-Crema is a good budget-friendly option.

Keurig K-Crema review: Verdict

If you’re looking for an affordable coffee maker that can brew a decent cup of coffee or a shot of creamy espresso, I recommend looking into the Keurig K-Crema. While it doesn’t quite measure up to the expensive espresso machines on the market, it’s available for a fraction of the price, and the resulting coffee is smooth and enjoyable.

It’s the ideal middle ground for someone who wants to brew coffee drinks at home, but isn’t ready to commit to an espresso machine.

There was a time when the prospect of 2K resolution in a security camera would move it to the top of our rankings. Now, it’s the bare minimum, given that many of the best home security cameras record in 4K.

Ring’s newest outdoor camera, the Ring Spotlight Cam (2nd gen) updates its design and sports a new, higher resolution 2K camera that not only delivers a crisper image, but also lets you zoom in closer (somewhat) to view details. It also has improved low-light performance, brighter spotlights, and can accommodate a larger battery than its predecessor.

So is this the best home security camera for those in the Ring ecosystem looking for a spotlight? Yes, but as I found out while testing the Ring Spotlight Cam, there are a few caveats.

Price and availability

The second-generation Spotlight Cam was released on June 3, 2026 for $169. It’s available as either a battery-powered or plug-in model, with solar and wired versions coming soon. Like other Ring cameras, this one also comes in white and black.

Ring launched its second-gen Floodlight Cam ($199) too, which also has a Retinal 2K camera; this model only comes in a wired version for now, but it has two 2000-lumen floods.

What I liked

Design

The 2nd-gen Spotlight Cam looks similar to the first, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s more or less a cylinder, the face of which has a black cutout running the length for the camera, IR sensors, and microphone. Flanking this are two LED light strips.

The bottom of the camera twists off to reveal the battery compartment. The camera ships with one battery, but there’s a compartment for a second. An extra battery costs $50. Each compartment is spring-loaded, and each battery has a metal tab to lock it in place. It’s a neat mechanism, but feels a little over-designed. A single screw secures the battery compartment cover; it’s a traditional Philips head, though.

The rear has two slots to attach the included mounting bracket; below that is a small recess with a USB-C port, which you can use to either recharge the camera, or connect a solar panel.

In all, it’s a sensible-looking camera. It’s perhaps not as sleek as Google’s Nest outdoor camera, but not as ungainly as other devices from, say TP-Link or Eufy, which have multiple, bulbous lenses protruding from their cameras.

Good — but not great — video

The Spotlight Cam’s daytime video was colorful and detailed enough so that I could make out some features of individuals (such as me) walking across my lawn from a distance of about 20 feet away. However, if my face was in shadow — like on a bright day — it was very hard to make out some facial features.

While the Spotlight Cam can record detailed video, it’s not as good as that of Ring’s Floodlight Cam. For example, in a sample video of my backyard and house, I could make out individual roof shingles in the Floodlight cam’s video; in the Spotlight cam’s video, the roof was an undistinguished gray.

Initially, I had both cameras set up near my garage, and about equidistant from my router (a Netgear Orbi). The Floodlight Cam did receive a marginally better signal — rssi -50, as opposed to -59 for the Spotlight Cam (numbers closer to 0 are better).

Ring sent me a second Spotlight Cam to test, but I saw similar results. I also moved the Spotlight Cam much closer to my house (and the router) to see if that would have an effect, but while the video was fine, it wasn’t as crisp as I thought it would be.

The Spotlight Cam only shoots infrared video at night, which to be fair, was of generally good quality, but was lacking the detail you’d get from color night vision. Then again, you can also program the Spotlight Cam to turn on its lights when it detects movement, which illuminates the scene. In my testing, it was able to add color back to objects as far away as 15 feet.

AI descriptions are neat, but not perfect

If you’re willing to pay up, Ring’s AI does have some pretty neat tricks. For starters, it provides detailed descriptions of any movement it sees. For example, I would get notifications such as “a child riding a bike in the driveway”,“a squirrel hopping across the yard,” or “a raccoon walking across the grass.”

Sometimes, it would miscategorize things to hilarious effect. Once, for example, it thought my dog was a goat wandering around my patio, and misidentified my cat as a bobcat. He's big, but not that big.

And, you can also use natural language search to look for specific events. I could just type in “raccoon,” for instance, and every video of a trash panda would appear. What’s more, this isn’t limited to Ring’s newer cameras; it works across all its devices.

However, this feature doesn’t come cheap, as you’ll see in the next section.

What I didn’t

You need a subscription

Like all of Ring’s cameras, the Spotlight Cam requires a subscription if you want to use most of its features, including the most basic, saving video. Ring’s subscriptions start at $5 a month for a single camera, and $10/month for unlimited cameras at one location. With that, you get, among other things, 180 days of video history, which is the most generous among security camera companies. However, there are plenty of equally capable security cameras that don’t require a subscription to save video.

If you want all the fun AI features — such as being able to see descriptions like “child riding a bike in the yard” or “raccoon walking on the driveway” you’ll need to drop $20 per month on Ring’s premium plan. That’s a lot to ask.

To be fair, it’s the same amount that Google charges for its AI features on Nest cams, but there are plenty of other AI-enabled security cameras that charge less.

MicroUSB and Wi-Fi 4? In 2026?

Confoundingly, the batteries still use a micro USB connector, rather than the newer USB-C. This is a small annoyance, to be sure — you can easily recharge the batteries using the USB-C port on the camera itself, and Ring also ships a USB to microUSB cable with the device.

It's also a bit surprising that the Spotlight Cam is still using Wi-Fi 4, and can only operate on the slower 2.4GHz band. The 4K Spotlight Cam Pro uses Wi-Fi 6 and both the 2.4 and 5GHz bands.

How the Spotlight Cam (2nd gen) compares to Ring's outdoor cameras

With the launch of the Spotlight Cam (2nd gen), Ring now has 11 outdoor cameras from which you can choose — including some that have the same name — though I suspect the older models will be slowly discontinued.

Even I, as someone who reviews these things for a living, was a bit confused, so here’s a cheat sheet. I’ve included the list price, though you can often find the older models at a significant discount. To keep things simple, I’ve only listed the spotlight cameras.

Bottom line

There aren’t a lot of outdoor security cameras with spotlights as powerful as Ring’s; most other companies either have much smaller lights, or much bigger floodlight cameras. The Wyze Battery Cam Pro is one of the few exceptions. It too has a 2K camera and supports local storage, but has a smaller field of view, a less powerful spotlight, and only one battery compartment.

The Ring Spotlight Cam (2nd gen) is a clear upgrade over the previous model, in that it offers a higher resolution camera and a wider field of view. But it’s not a huge upgrade over the first-gen Spotlight Cam Pro, which has a 2K camera, dual-band Wi-Fi, 3D motion detection (the newer Spotlight Cam only has customizable motion detection), and two-way talk with audio+.

However, the newer camera has better low-light performance, brighter spotlights, and can use the higher-capacity quick-release battery, so you can go longer between recharges — unless you buy the solar panel.

Ring often offers discounts on both models, especially during holidays and other events. It’s only a matter of time before the 1st gen Spotlight Cam Pro is discontinued, so it might be worth seeing which is on sale for the lower price before you buy.

Summer should mean enjoying your backyard without constantly watching for insects ready to sting. Sweat bees have other ideas. They're attracted to the salt in human perspiration, which is exactly why they're called sweat bees.

Unlike other bees that ignore you, sweat bees actively hunt your scent. They'll land on you, investigate, and sting if they feel threatened. You can, however, make your yard far less appealing to them through five straightforward methods. None of them harm the bees, they just redirect them elsewhere.

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• Tick numbers are surging — here's why a lint roller is my secret weapon this summer
• 5 mistakes you're making that turn your yard into a mosquito breeding ground
• This tiny pest causes the biggest damage to your plants — here's how to stop thrips

There’s nothing quite like picking fresh, homegrown vegetables straight from the vine and bringing them directly to your dining table. Plus, it’s the ultimate way to elevate those crisp, summer salads!

But whether you’re learning how to grow tomatoes from seeds or cultivating tomatoes in pots, you’ll inevitably face one frustrating hurdle — garden pests.

In fact, keeping your plants safe from hungry intruders such as squirrels, birds, or even deer is often the biggest obstacle to achieving that perfect, juicy harvest this season.

And while there are plenty of natural pest repellents or companion plants to help deter pests, there is one unlikely item found in your bathroom that can do just the trick.

So why are gardeners putting a bar of ‘special’ soap by their tomato plants?

Hang a bar of soap near tomato plants

It seems like a simple bar of soap can do so much more than just clean your skin or leave you smelling fresh.

Interestingly, its strong fragrance acts as a powerful deterrent for garden pests. However, it’s not just any standard store-bought brand that will work; you’ll need to use Irish Spring Moisture Blast Deodorant Bar Soap.

According to a research study conducted by the University of Nebraska in 1991, using “bars of fragrant soap will keep deer from crops at critical times.”

This makes it an ideal solution to hang by your tomato crops, acting as a barrier to ensure they’re not devoured or ruined by all types of yard intruders.

Perhaps the only caveat is that once the fragrance starts to wear off, they’ll soon be back. So, it’s best to only use this easy hack alongside other methods to ensure your garden remains a pest-free zone.

How to use soap by tomato plants (and what not to do)

There are a couple of ways you can use soap near your tomato plants. The first is to drill a small hole through the soap, thread some string, and hang it from stakes or a plant trellis. For best results, leave the packaging on before hanging, and experts suggest that a single bar is a sufficient scent barrier for any tomato plants within a 3-foot area.

Another option is to place the bar inside a small, fine-mesh pouch before hanging it near your crops instead. Once the soap fragrance wears off, you can simply replace it with a fresh bar.

Bear in mind that if soap is used incorrectly, it may harm your plants. Since this may contain sodium hydroxide, or contemporary lye, it can scorch foliage and harm plant tissues. So be sure that no soap residue drips onto your tomato plants or soil.

For top tips, check out Tom's Guide to tomatoes for everything you need to know about growing a juicy harvest.

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• How often should you water tomato plants and when should you do it?
• 3 ways to tell that your tomatoes are ready to harvest
• 7 ways to increase the yield from your tomato plants

During summer, our outdoor areas get a lot more use. And while it's wonderful to be enjoying the patio area with friends and family, I know my patio has started to get a little messy. While I cleaned it up in spring, it's desperately asking me to give it another good scrub. But, it turns out, I may have made a common mistake before that I definitely want to avoid.

While I followed 7 simple steps to cleaning my patio without a pressure washer, I then grabbed a household item that, according to an expert, I should be avoiding.

And it turns out there's another item on the 'no-no' list that I should steer clear of too. Here are the patio cleaning mistakes you can avoid this summer when it's time to clean up dirt, spills, and general wear, thanks to expert advice.

Avoid these two household items

Morgan Smith, director at porcelain garden tiles company Pegseo Stone, has advised there are two common products that people use when cleaning the patio that shouldn't be – white vinegar and bleach. While I use white vinegar for 'zero-effort' hacks like cleaning my microwave, it turns out the patio is one place I shouldn't take it.

Smith says: "White vinegar is highly acidic, so using it on certain patio materials can damage the surface itself rather than simply removing dirt." These certain materials include limestone and other calcareous pavers.

But, you should also be careful that you're not causing harm to any grass or flowerbeds nearby, Smith adds: "Any vinegar that runs into nearby borders can also damage grass and plants, meaning it can harm both the patio and the surrounding garden."

The same applies for bleach. As Smith explains, while it may give you a visual improvement, over time it can cause "lasting surface damage and further maintenance costs."

So, next time you head out to clean your patio, think before grabbing the white vinegar or bleach.

What to use instead

Fortunately, there's an even simpler household item that you can use that shouldn't cause any damage to your patio – and that's an easy soap and water solution.

"Using warm water and soap is an effective option for general patio cleaning, particularly when used with a hard-bristled brush," Smith advises. "Start cleaning from the corners of the paving and move gradually inwards, allowing each section to be scrubbed and rinsed before moving on."

You'll want to opt for a soap that's eco-friendly though, meaning it avoids harmful chemicals to any flora, fauna and wildlife nearby.

Plus, if you're lucky enough to have a pressure washer handy, Smith says it's important to watch how forcefully you wash, advising: "too much force can damage the surface of the pavers."

Instead, Smith suggests sticking to a low-pressure setting and angling the pressure washer nozzle at 30-degrees, rather than pointing it directly at the pavers.

And one final tip is is to check the joints between each slab once you've done your cleaning: "Areas that have lost sand or pointing should be repaired to keep the paving secure and limit further deterioration."

More from Tom's Guide

• I'm cleaning my patio furniture with this non-toxic ingredient — and it also works wonders on your grill
• Forget power washing: 5 budget-friendly hacks to get your backyard sparkling this spring
• 5 tips to keep your deck looking great all summer

If, like me, you grew up in the 90s and 00s, you'll no doubt be familiar with 'As Seen On TV' home gadgets. Products whose main selling point was that they'd been demonstrated on TV sales networks or infomercials — because as we all know, that's a guaranteed marque of quality.

Recently, I got thinking about whether or not any of that tech is still knocking around, and whether it still holds up. Turns out the answer is yes! There are still loads of 'As Seen On TV' gadgets you can buy, some of which you can still get new. Surely, that means they're actually pretty good, right? After all, why else would they still be being made?

So, I used up some of the Tom's Guide testing budget (sorry Editors In Chief) to buy a few familiar infomercial fads from the last 20 years. Here's whether they're still worth buying.

1. George Foreman grill

Tagline: "The Lean, Mean, Fat-Reducin' Grillin' Machine"

I mean, come on: there had to be a George Foreman on the list! These grills are an absolute classic infomercial product in the 90s and 00s, and a huge success (reputed to have sold over 100 million units).

These grills were absolutely everywhere when I was growing up in the mid 90s. My parents got one in the late 90s, as they took a little while to blow up in the U.K. (where I live) after initial success in the States. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, you can still buy George Foreman grills new in 2026!

How it holds up in 2026

Back in 1998, I remember our family George Foreman grill felt like a serious piece of cooking gear. Maybe that was because I was 6 years old — I never actually cooked on the George, and wouldn't have known the difference between good and bad kitchen tech anyway.

Still, I was a little disappointed on picking up the 2026 model. It feels rather cheap and flimsy. At $39 (or £49 in the U.K.), our 2026 George Foreman cost $10 less than it would've in the late 90s — but that's at face value. Given inflation though, the $49 it would've cost in 1997 works out at $104 today. That means they've more than halved in adjusted value, so I guess it makes sense for this to feel like a cheap product.

But what about performance? It's much the same as it ever was. In fact, using the Foreman for this test brought up some repressed memories of my childhood that I'd rather have stayed forgotten.

I cooked a strip steak (sirloin in the U.K.) on the grill for 2 minutes, as recommended by the instructions for medium rare. It was undoubtedly the most miserable steak I've eaten since my the steaks my parents used to cook on our family Foreman way back when.

Despite showing it was at temperature, the George didn't get very hot. As such, it managed to undercook the outside while overcooking the inside. Because the fat had no contact with a cooking surface, it didn't render at all. And because the lid was on top of the steak, it got flattened. Yup: this is exactly how I remember steaks growing up. Maybe I became a chef (before becoming a journalist) as a subconscious attempt to exorcise all the awfully grilled meat I ate growing up.

The benefit of Foreman grills was always that they were Lean, Mean, Fat-Reducin' Grillin' Machine(s). You don't need any cooking oil or fat because the grill plates are nonstick. And any fat leaking out of the food drains away thanks to the grill's downward angle.

That's such a 90s/00s way of looking at food. As an ex-chef, I know (as I'm sure you do) that fat is full of nutrients and can be healthy. You don't want it all running off, but you do want it rendered. I also found that caramelized meat juices were running down the grill into the fat tray, pulling frond with them, again wasting flavor.

I suppose it's not a terrible grill if you're on a budget and don't care about developing good sears. But for me, it's a pass. I'll stick to my Field Company No.10 Cast Iron Skillet for steaks, thank you very much.

Score: 2/5

Worth is in 2026? Nah

2. Pocket Hose

Tagline: "The Hose That Grows & Grows"

Pocket Hose launched in the early 2010, but caught on thanks to its high energy informercials and excitable host. Fun fact, he's still doing the Pocket Hose commercials in recent times!

Marketed as "The Hose That Grows & Grows," the benefit of the Pocket Hose is that, when there's no water in it, you can store it much more easily than a conventional rubber hose. As the Pocket Hose is wrapped in fabric, with a soft inner core, it coils up easily and can simply be left in a pile. Then, when you supply it with water, it grows and unkinks — this effectively removes the need for a reel.

How it holds up in 2026

Y'know what, I'm converted (in theory). I ride a motorcycle and need to clean my bike quite a bit. It's a pain constantly having to reel in the hose from my lawn, pass it over the side gate, then reel it back in when I'm done.

The Pocket Hose has genuinely made my life easier. It's way easier to move about the yard and over my gate; it doesn't need reeling in; and it takes up much less space when left on the floor than a rubber hose.

Also, this thing holds pressure. So much that I was able to shoot a jet of water nearly twice the distance as my normal rubber hose, using the same spray nozzle. I was actually kinda worried the Pocket Hose would burst while testing, as you could see the pressure building inside.

My only issue is that I bought an original retro version from the early 2010s, which uses plastic connectors. These really suck and were prone to leaking. I would definitely advise upgrading to the copper models for more security from leaks.

Score: 4/5

Worth it in 2026? Definitely

3. Slap Chop

Tagline: "Making America Skinny, One Slap At A Time"

Oh man. Oh lord. That tagline really hasn't aged well. It's just... I have no words. The 00s was a crazy, crazy time.

Slap Chop featured in some classic TV sales network infomercials with the blue-aproned, Britney-mic'd Vince Offer (A.K.A The ShamWow Guy). "You're gonna be in a great mood all day 'cos you're gonna be slappin' your troubles away with the Slap Chop," promised Vince back in 2008.

It's pretty self-explanatory what the Slap Chop does. Put some stuff inside it, slap the top, and it chops instantly. And the more you slap, the finer the dice. The Slap Chop promised to speed up prep massively.

How it holds up in 2026

Just like that eating-disorder-plus-domestic-violence-loaded tagline, the Slap Chop doesn't stand up today. With certain foods, it made my life easier. It was OK for chopping potatoes, for instance.

Anything remotely moist, though, such as onions, and the slap chop would get stuck at the bottom. The spring underneath the slapping plunger just isn't taught enough. It's messy, too. Bits fly everywhere when you adjust food or lift up the device to get stuff out.

On, and it also cuts unevenly. You can get around this to some extent by slapping repeatedly until everything is more or less minced, but you're still left with some pieces tinier than others. That means your food will cook unevenly.

Food gets stuck in between the blades. And unless you cut stuff to the perfect size, the Slap Chop won't work. The perfect size being pretty tiny — half an onion, a fifth of a potato, etc.

In the end, I had to mess around so much with sizing and cleaning out the blades that it would've just been quicker for me to use a knife.

Now, granted, I am an ex-chef and am very quick at dicing vegetables. If you're completely unaccustomed to knives and chopping techniques, the Slap Chop will probably save you time. However, it cost us $25 / £20. In the U.S. at least, you can pick up a super cheap electric dicer for less than that — that'll be event quicker, less effort and can handle bigger amounts of food.

Score: 2/5

Worth it in 2026? Nah, go electric

4. JML Scrub Buddi

Tagline: "The handheld scrubber that does all the scrubbing for you"

I don't think this one made it to the States, so allow me to introduce the JML Scrub Buddi. For my American readers, JML is a household name in Britain. Imagine every cheap, crappy infomercial/As Seen On TV product was made by a single brand, and you have JML.

The Scrub Buddi is a motorized scrubbing brush from JML, and one of those products they'd show being demonstrated on daytime shopping channels. It's intended for cleaning sinks, bathrooms, kitchen surfaces and even car alloy wheels. Basically, it provides effort free agitation of cleaning products, as well as mild abrasion.

How it holds up in 2026

I absolutely love the Scrub Buddi. It's genuinely really, really useful. My wife and I live near Bath Spa in the South West of the U.K., which is built on top of a limestone seam.

As such, we have some of (if not the) hardest water in Britain. Indeed, Bath has been a spa town since at least Roman times precisely because of the minerals in the water. Little did the Romans know, those minerals are terrible for your hair.

Anyway, all that means we have a limescale problem here. Our appliances die unless they're descaled. Our electric kettles have literal stalagmites growing up inside them before long. And our sinks and bathroom surfaces are usually tainted by limescale residue.

The Scrub Buddi has been absolutely awesome for removing limescale on faucets and chrome surfaces. Even without using limescale remover, it provides enough abrasion to leave metal surfaces sparkly. I'm not sure how long it would've taken me to get the same results by hand.

Admittedly, it's not as effective on glass as on metal. But hey, anything that'll lighten the burden of housework at least a little is fine by me. The Scrub Buddi is also water resistant and these days it's rechargeable via USB-C!

We paid £11 for our Scrub Buddi, and I think that's a bargain. In the U.S., you can pick up an Amazon-special version for like $25 at Amazon.

Score: 4.5/5

Worth it in 2026: Hell yeah!

5. SodaStream

Tagline: "Get Busy With The Fizzy"

OK, this is an oldie! The SodaStream actually launched in the 50s, and I know loads of people who still use these in the U.K. and Europe (my parents included). I'm not sure whether these were a hit in the States, though.

Sodastream had some iconic marketing campaigns in the 80s and 90s, and I remember them having a resurgence in popularity in the 00s here in Britain. If you're unaware, SodaStream uses gas canisters to carbonate your drinks and make them fizzy. Homemade soda.

How it holds up in 2026

Y'know, there's a reason the SodaStream has stuck around since the 1950s. I'd never actually used one before testing for this article, but I'm a convert for sure.

If you don't like sparkling water, the SodaStream isn't worth it. Even when you add flavorings (you can buy big-brand syrups from the likes of Pepsi), you still get that bitter sparkling water taste.

If, like me, you'd rather drink sparkling than normal water, the SodaStream is for you. Why spend money on store-bought fizzy water when you can just make it yourself in seconds? You can also add natural flavorings like sugar, lemon etc, to make your water taste how you like, safe in the knowledge that no artificial additives or flavors have been used.

Best of all, carbonation is an analog process. You simply load in a gas tank and you're ready to connect the bottle and go. That means there's no need to plug the SodaStream into power, so you can put it anywhere. I test a lot of kitchen gadgets for work, so my worktops are already full. I simply stuck the SodaStream on a side stand.

We paid $52 / £59 for our basic SodaStream, which includes a single gas canister that's good for 60 liters of drinks. Each 60L canister costs around $34 / £20. That means each 500ml glass of sparkling water costs you about 28 cents / 16 pence. Goodbye, San Pellegrino.

Score: 5/5

Worth it in 2026? Hell yeah (if you like sparkling water)

What's next?

You tell me! There's no way I could cover all the As Seen On TV products out there. Are there any important ones I've missed? If so, I'd love to hear about them. I know the Ronco Rotisserie is an obvious choice. It's tricky finding one here in the U.K., but that's next on my agenda.

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I ignored my yellowing baseboards for months until the afternoon sun hit them just right, revealing a mix of dust, pet hair, scuffs, and grime. Once you see dirty trim, you really can't unsee it.

Wanting a quick fix without buying a cabinet full of chemical cleaners, I tested a classic household staple: plain white vinegar. Here is how I used plain white vinegar to deep-clean my baseboards in under 30 minutes, without stripping the paint or breaking a sweat.

Why vinegar cuts through baseboard grime

Vinegar works because its acidity breaks down the combination of pet hair, sticky buildup, and grime that normal dusting can't handle, helping you easily wipe the debris away. It does this without leaving chemical residue or a greasy film behind. As baseboards are low to the floor where odors settle, the deodorizing effect becomes particularly useful in homes with pets or heavy traffic.

The critical limitation is moisture. Too much liquid damages baseboards, particularly painted finishes and MDF. You need a damp cloth, not a soaking wet one. Before starting, test the solution on a hidden section. If your baseboards have chips, exposed wood, or delicate finishes, skip vinegar and use mild soap instead.

The cleaning process

Always prep your baseboards for cleaning by dusting with a dry microfiber cloth or duster. This matters more than people think. Removing loose dust first prevents you from turning it into paste with the vinegar solution.

Mix one cup of warm water with one to two tablespoons of white vinegar. The solution should smell like vinegar but not be overwhelmingly strong.

Dip a microfiber cloth in the solution and wring it out thoroughly, so it's damp, not wet. Then wipe from the top edge of the baseboard down, using gentle pressure.

If bending bothers your back, attach a microfiber cloth to a mop handle or extendable duster instead. Dip (or spray) your vinegar solution onto the cloth and glide along the baseboards while standing upright. You won't reach corners as easily, but for general grime removal it works well.

Corners trap the most grime, so I'd suggest wrapping your cloth around your finger to get into those tight spots. For scuff marks that won't budge, try a slightly stronger vinegar solution or add a tiny drop of dish soap to your damp cloth. The grime releases easier when you give it time to break down.

And, as mentioned earlier, don't leave moisture sitting on your baseboards. It causes swelling, streaks, and long-term damage, particularly on MDF. Grab a dry cloth and finish the job.

Keeping them clean without constant effort

Prevention is everything here. A quick monthly dust keeps things manageable, while a deeper vinegar wipe down every three to four months keeps baseboards looking like new. If you have kids or pets, bump that deep clean to once a month. Trust me, spending two minutes on a quick wipe during your normal cleaning routine saves you from an afternoon of heavy scrubbing later.

More from Tom's Guide

• 'I can't remember the last time I cleaned this' — 5 hidden dirt zones in your house and how to clean them
• How to clean mold from bathroom caulk permanently — without using household bleach
• 6 easy tips for removing limescale from your shower door — the simple solution is hiding in your kitchen

Baking soda has become a favored option for household cleaning chores, especially when you want to use natural ingredients.

Not only is it free from harsh chemicals, but it’s cheap and super versatile to use around the home.

From unclogging my drains and getting rid of odors in my fridge to using baking soda in my yard to deter pests, this has become my go-to kitchen essential. And when combined with another favorite of mine — white vinegar — there’s just no end to its cleaning power.

However, I’ve recently stumbled across another powerhouse combo that uses everyday household staples. People are currently mixing up baking soda, liquid detergent, and toothpaste — but why?

Supposedly, this DIY mixture is ideal for cleaning glass, mirrors, and shower screens — making them sparkle again. This combo is particularly useful for tackling those stubborn water marks, grime, and soapy buildup that often take ages to scrub.

And since I’m always looking for ways to make tasks easier, I wanted to see if it actually works. Here's how.

What's special about these common ingredients?

The good news is that these everyday staples are likely already sitting in your cupboards, plus it will save you a small fortune on commercial products. So why are these ingredients so good for cleaning?

Firstly, baking soda is mildly abrasive, which can help to lift off stubborn stains or dirt. It also has deodorizing properties, which will prevent lingering odors in your drains or bathrooms.

Just beware of these 7 things you should never clean with baking soda to avoid damaging delicate surfaces.

Additionally, liquid dish soap is excellent for cutting through oily or greasy residue, whereas toothpaste offers a gentle abrasive quality that leaves behind a brilliant, polished finish.

How to use your DIY glass cleaner

To start, I sprinkled some baking soda into a small bowl (you can use any container), followed by a capful of detergent and a squeeze of toothpaste, blending them well until it formed a paste.

Next, I took a microfiber cloth and dipped it into the homemade paste, applying it directly to my glass patio doors.

I’m constantly dealing with annoying fingerprint smudges and those unsightly streaks that always seem to ruin the finish. And so I was keen to see if this solution could top my trusted glass cleaner.

After targeting the grimy areas, I then started wiping away at the area in circular motions until the glass was completely clear. If needed, you can use a damp, clean cloth to remove any residue.

Not only did this leave me with a crystal-clear finish, this homemade cleaner also saved me a significant amount of elbow grease compared to my usual glass cleaning spray. Honestly, I was quite impressed by the results.

Granted, a little patience is required to make up a fresh solution each time you’ll want to clean, but if you want sparkling results, I’d say it’s worth it.

If you prefer cleaning with natural ingredients, check out how to use these 3 household items to remove limescale instantly.

More from Tom's Guide

• 9 gross things you forget to clean around your home
• I've been using WD-40 all wrong — it's an amazing household cleaner
• How to clean windows and leave them streak-free

As a tea-drinking Brit, I have big opinions on kettles, and the Dualit Design Series Kettle is a good option for most people’s homes. It has an aesthetic stainless steel design which is easy to maintain with regular cleaning. It has good heat retention and is easy and accurate to pour with.

Unfortunately, though, the window design makes it hard to read the measurements when filling the kettle. The boiling is also a little slow when compared to other kettles.

To find out more about the kitchen appliance, you can keep reading this full Dualit Design Series Kettle review.

Dualit Design Series Kettle review: Specs

Dualit Design Series Kettle review: Price & availability

The Dualit Design Series Kettle is available to purchase from Amazon U.S. for $178 or directly from the Dualit online store for $179. You can also purchase the kettle in the U.K., where it’s called the Dualit Architect Kettle.

The kettle has a stainless steel finish, but you can purchase interchangeable panels for the bottom section from the Dualit store to make it your own. These include the colors Shadow, Metallic Silver, Copper, Brass, Evergreen and Eucalyptus.

Dualit also sells the Classic Kettle for $249, which is more of a fashion statement than a standard kettle. Its curved shape is much more interesting than the Design Series — the irony is not lost on me.

But you don’t need to spend the best part of $200 for a good kettle. I have also tested the Cosori Electric Glass Kettle, which, while not as dashing, is a fraction of the price at just $27. And honestly, it does just as good a job as the Design Series Kettle — you just have to be willing to put up with the odd leak while pouring, which isn’t a worry with the Dualit.

While the Dualit has a Pure pour spout to ensure zero leaks when pouring, if you need even more precision for drinks such as pour-over coffee, you may want to consider a gooseneck kettle such as the Fellow Stagg EKG for $165. If you take your brews seriously, I’d recommend the Fellow over the Dualit.

Dualit Design Series Kettle review: Design & features

The Dualit Design Series Kettle is certainly eye-catching. It measures 9.4 x 8.6 x 5.5 inches, weighs 3.2 pounds, and has a reflective surface that will have you checking out your hair while the water boils.

It can boil a maximum capacity of 1.5 liters, enough for six cups. However, you’ll find yourself playing a guessing game when filling it because of the design and positioning of the measurement window. The window has a fish-eye effect, warping the water as you peer through, and it sits directly in line with the handle, so you need to look around that too.

The handle extends down most of the body, making it easy to hold. At the top of the handle there’s a button to release the flat, hinged lid. This means you can open it without touching it, but to close it you’ll need to push it down. If you’ve already boiled the kettle once, be wary as this part can get very hot.

The power switch is just below the handle at the base. This base is very cohesive with the rest of the kettle — it looks like one whole unit with the kettle on top. It has a three-foot power cord, so it is best set up near a power outlet. If you need to make this shorter, you can store the excess in the base.

Dualit Design Series Kettle review: Performance

I have to say, when testing the Dualit Design Series Kettle, I was a little confused. After testing the Dualit Classic Kettle, I was impressed at how fast it boiled the water. It boiled five cups in just two minutes and 35 seconds. The Design Series Kettle took three minutes and 11 seconds — a stark difference.

All of my testing conditions were the same, so if you want an appliance that won’t have you waiting around all day, spring for the more expensive Classic. You may be spending a little extra, but hey, you’ll get to enjoy life with your fresh brew instead of staring into your lifeless eyes in the kettle’s reflection as the water boils for an extra minute. Just me? Well, as a tea-drinking Brit, by the time I’ve made my daily quota, all of those minutes add up.

I measured the temperature of the water immediately after boiling and got a reading of 209.3ºF/98.5ºC. This was very slightly cooler than the 210ºF/99.3ºC reading I got from the Classic Kettle. But the Design Series holds heat pretty well. After an hour, I got a reading of 161.1ºF/71.7ºC. So, if you wanted to reboil the water, you won’t be waiting for the full *checks notes* three minutes and 53 seconds — yikes.

Pouring with the kettle is a dream. If you’re a little shaky when pouring, I would fully recommend this kettle. I encountered no spillages. And the water went exactly where I needed it to. It can be a little heavy when you fill it to the top, so I only ever filled it about halfway so I could still use it with ease.

The kettle isn’t too loud either, and gave me a reading of 76dB on the Decibel X app.

Dualit Design Series Kettle review: Storage & maintenance

The Dualit Design Series is a kettle, and as such, this is a generally straightforward affair. It’s easy to maintain; you’ll just find yourself wiping down the exterior more than your usual kettle given its reflective nature.

If you live in a hard water area, you’ll also need to descale the kettle regularly. You can purchase descaling tablets for this or use natural methods such as lemon juice or baking soda. The spout of the kettle also has a removable limescale filter which is easy to remove, clean, and refit.

Dualit Design Series Kettle review: Verdict

The Dualit Design Series Kettle is undeniably good-looking. The stainless steel finish is slick and will fit in with any kitchen. The kettle is also easy to maintain (if you don’t mind wiping it down a lot). It has good heat retention and is very easy to pour with. There were absolutely zero drips thanks to the Pure pour spout.

Unfortunately, it’s tricky to tell where the water has been filled up to because of the poor window design, and boiling is a little slow. It took a whole minute longer to boil the same volume of water as the Dualit Classic Kettle.

If sleek looks are your priority, this is a great kettle, but $178 is a lot of money to spend on a kettle that takes so long to boil.

The Smeg Retro Coffee Maker is certainly gorgeous enough to be on the catwalk model of coffee machines. As with seemingly everything else made by the Italian coffee brand, the Retro (DCF02) looks sleek, sophisticated, and effortlessly cool.

But is appearance enough to make it one of the best coffee makers? Thankfully, this time, the Smeg Retro Coffee Maker isn’t style over substance. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Smeg ECF02’s performance despite a premium appearance — but the Retro Coffee Maker can walk the walk and talk the talk. It brews clean-tasting, balanced coffee with minimal silt and zero bitterness. And all you have to do is press one button.

So, want to find out more about this gorgeous coffee machine? Spoiler alert: it’s an absolute treat. To get the full story, keep reading this Smeg Retro Coffee Maker review.

Smeg Retro Coffee Maker: Specs

Smeg Retro Coffee Maker review: Price & availability

The Smeg Retro Coffee Maker is $259 from Crate&Barrel in the U.S., regardless of color, and £199-£219 from John Lewis in the U.K. The Moonlight colorway, the model I tested, runs for £20 more than the standard colors: cream, navy, black, pastel blue, pastel green, silver, gray, red, and white.

In the U.S., though, Moonlight is the usual price of $259. Functionally, the “standard” colors and Moonlight are the same, so if you’re looking to save as much as possible, I’d go for the older colors. But isn’t the Moonlight oh so pretty? Just look at it!

In keeping with Smeg’s back catalogue, the Retro Coffee Maker is pretty pricey for what it is. This is a common theme with Smeg, though: you pay a premium for the style.

For $369, you could get the Moccamaster KGBV Select, which has a 5-year warranty and lifetime repairs. For $250, you could get the single-serve Moccamaster Cup-One, complete with the same after-purchase benefits.

I’ve also tested the SCA-accredited $329 Breville Luxe Brewer and the low-plastic $319 Aarke Coffee Maker, alongside the low-plastic Ratio Four ($259), an automated pour-over. Although it’s not available in the U.K., so I haven’t tested it, I can assure you that the budget $90 Ninja 12-Cup Drip Brewer is a crowd pleaser in Tom’s Guide’s New York office.

Bonavita and Braun have also mastered the budget drip coffee maker: Bonavita’s SCA-accredited 8-Cup Brewer is just $189, the 5-Cup is even cheaper, at $149. The 12-Cup Braun Drip Coffee Maker is $129. This is where I’d like to see the Smeg Retro Coffee Maker’s price due to its lack of SCA accreditation and mostly plastic build.

Smeg Retro Coffee Maker review: Design

As with everything else under Smeg’s belt, the Retro Coffee Maker looks really cool. Per the name, it’s certainly retro, and would look at home in either a diner on a cheesy high school drama (I’m thinking Riverdale, anyone?), or in any sleek, sophisticated home kitchen.

I tested the gorgeous Moonlight shade, which has the same muted gray buttons as the rest of the color line. The buttons control power, brew amount, auto start, and flavor intensity. The lever is solely for adjusting the machine’s time display and the auto start timer. At first, I thought this was an unnecessary use of space, but it’s actually really fun to use.

It’s worth noting that the Retro Coffee Maker is bigger than it looks online: it’s 14 inches tall, 10 inches wide, and 10 inches deep. If you’ve got a small kitchen, I’d measure your space before purchasing. Comparatively, the Moccamaster KGBV Select is 6.5 x 12.8 x 14 inches, the Breville Luxe Brewer is 14.7 x 7 x 16.1 inches, and the Ninja 12-Cup is 8 x 10 x 14 inches. The Moccamaster is the narrowest, but it’s longer and the same height as the Smeg.

As for accessories, the Retro Coffee Maker comes with just two: a scoop and a permanent mesh filter. You can use single-use #4 conical filters, but I tested with the reusable filter as provided.

Smeg Retro Coffee Maker review: Performance

The Smeg Retro Coffee Maker is supremely easy to use. All you have to do is put your coffee in the filter, add your water, and press go.

Smeg recommends a recipe of one scoop per cup, so if you’re making a full batch, that would be 10 scoops. A half-batch requires 4 scoops. Of course, you can adjust this recipe to your tastes.

A full batch sometimes took seven minutes, sometimes eight, and a half batch took around three minutes. This is a little slower than the Moccamaster KGBV Select, but not by much at all.

The water tank isn’t removable, so I poured water in using the carafe. I have two qualms with this: one, the carafe is angled in such a way that it’s tricky to get the final dregs of water, and two, the water tank opening is on the right side, so if you’re left-handed like me, this will pose an issue. Alas, this will only irritate 11% of the population, so it’s not enough to knock half a star off (but justice for us devil-worshippers [for legal reasons, this is a joke]).

Here’s how I made delicious coffee on the Smeg Retro Coffee Maker.

My go-to Smeg Retro Coffee Maker routine

Smeg recommends one scoop per cup. One scoop was between 8.5-10 grams depending on if I levelled it or not.

I used 87g of coffee (10 level scoops) for a full carafe, which works out to a ratio of 1:16.

1. Fill the water tank to max.
2. Grind your coffee to a medium size. I used my Mazzer Philos, the best grinder in the world.
3. Put your desired amount of coffee in the filter. I used 87g for a full batch, a 1:16 ratio.
4. Select your desired intensity level. I used level 1.
5. Press the power button to start your brew.
6. Wait 7-8 minutes!

And that’s it!

Here’s a photo of the grounds after brewing. As you can see, there’s very little funnelling here.

The Retro Coffee Maker brews clean, fresh-tasting coffee. You can obviously adjust the intensity using either the on-machine button or increasing the coffee dosage (or grinding finer), but the out-of-the-box flavor is great.

Smeg Retro Coffee Maker review: Storage & maintenance

I was pleasantly surprised to see the Smeg Retro Coffee Maker come with a 2-year warranty. This is better than Ninja’s 1-year warranty, but still not comparable to Moccamaster’s 5-year warranty (and lifetime repairs) or Simply Good Coffee’s new 5-year standard warranty.

To keep your Retro Coffee Maker lasting as long as possible, do not put the carafe in the dishwasher. I put the mesh filter in the dishwasher and it survived, but I’d recommend only washing by hand.

As mentioned earlier, the Retro Coffee Maker is pretty large — so make sure you’ve got enough counter space before buying!

Smeg Retro Coffee Maker review: How does it compare?

The Smeg Retro Coffee Maker looks just as cool as the industrial-chic Moccamaster, so I’d recommend either of these brands if you’re after that vintage vibe. I’d also put Simply Good Coffee’s Plastic-Free Brewer in this category — it looks sleek and effortlessly cool.

The Retro Coffee Maker isn’t as fast as the Breville Luxe Brewer, but it is $70 cheaper, so you win some, you lose some. It’s also considerably cheaper than the $319 Aarke Coffee Maker — but the Aarke is low-plastic, which is what a lot of consumers want these days.

But, and that’s a relatively big but, I would say the Smeg Retro Coffee Maker is a touch overpriced for what it is. The Moccamaster is $369 because it has lifetime repairs and is SCA-accredited. The SGC Plastic-Free Brewer is $469 because it’s made almost entirely from glass and metal. The Breville Luxe Brewer is $329 because it brews in three minutes.

As mentioned earlier, I’d like to see Smeg’s pricing fall more in line with Ninja’s, Bonavita’s, and Braun (or get SCA accreditation or improve the materials/after-purchase care). Ninja’s 12-Cup Drip Brewer is just $89, and Bonavita’s SCA-accredited 8-Cup Brewer is just $189. The 5-Cup is even cheaper — $149. The 12-Cup Braun Drip Coffee Maker is $129.

The Smeg doesn’t really have any USPs other than looking really cool. While I do objectively like this coffee maker, I’ll be the first person to admit it falls into Smeg’s main pitfall: it’s expensive for what it is.

Smeg Retro Coffee Maker review: Verdict

Despite being a little pricey for what it is, the Smeg Retro Coffee Maker gets a big thumbs up from me. I thoroughly enjoyed testing this machine and would recommend it for people who value style and ease of use.

Yes, it’s expensive considering its plastic build and lack of SCA accreditation, and no, it doesn’t have any unique features like a lifetime repairs warranty or an SCA accreditation. The auto-start timer is cool, but the $89 Ninja 12-Cup has this, too. However, just look at it. Doesn’t that speak for itself?

So, if you want a kitchen centrepiece that’ll have guests going “Ooh” and “Aah” and “Where did you get that from?” then you’ll get on just fine with the Smeg Retro Coffee Maker. It’s literally plug-and-play, and tastes as good as it looks.

Getting into coffee can feel impossible at first. But fret not! I'm here to help. I'm an ex-barista and now a professional coffee tester, so I can help you understand the most important parts of your espresso machine.

If you're a total newbie, forget everything you've learned so far. These five key terms are all you need to know right now. Of course, the more your confidence grows, the more you'll absorb and retain, but if you're pulling out your hair and stressing over niche jargon on the daily, you're doing yourself a disservice. You don't need to be perfect on the first try! All you need is an espresso machine and a clear head. I can take care of the rest.

So strap in as I teach you exactly what you need to know to start pulling shots like a professional barista. And, most importantly, have fun! Coffee is all about enjoyment. If you're doing things "wrong" but having fun, go you! That's all that matters.

What's a portafilter?

A portafilter is the handle of the basket. I've also seen this called a group handle.

A portafilter basket is where you put your coffee. This is where the espresso machine will send water to extract your espresso.

That's it! I told you it was easy.

What's a tamper?

The tamper is the circular accessory you use to tamp (press down on) the coffee grounds. If you hear someone say tamp the coffee, this is what they're referring to. You want to apply around 20kg of pressure — which basically means just push hard, but be mindful to keep the coffee level.

This is to flatten and compact the coffee grounds and create an even surface for the water to flow through (preventing channeling).

What's channeling?

Channeling is where water flows through channels in the coffee rather than saturating the entire portafilter. This is caused by an uneven grind, uneven tamp, or an uneven dose. When you put coffee in the portafilter basket, you want to make sure it's flat, evenly distributed, and there are no major clumps.

A channeled espresso will taste sour and bitter and generally unpleasant. Nothing you wouldn't be able to mask with syrups, though!

What's puck prep?

Puck prep is kind of a coffee snob term. It refers to everything you do to prepare your espresso. When people say, "Make sure you do your puck prep right," they're referring to the following:

• Grinding your beans evenly, using one of the best grinders
• Weighing out the right amount of ground coffee, using one of the best coffee scales
• Putting the coffee in your portafilter basket and making sure there are no huge clumps
• Tamping with proper pressure

What's overextraction/underextraction?

Both are bad!

Overextraction is where the coffee has spent too much time with water or pressure, resulting in a burned, bitter coffee. You have probably ground your coffee too coarsely.

Underextraction is where the coffee hasn't spent enough time with water or pressure, making a sour, acidic coffee. You have probably ground your coffee too finely.

If your coffee is coming out really slowly, that's overextraction. This will taste incredibly intense and burned, like charcoal.

If your coffee is coming out quickly, that's underextraction. This will taste like lemon juice. Nasty!

Did I answer all of your jargon-related questions? Let me know in the comments if you want me to explain anything else.

I release new episodes of The Coffee Lab every Friday, so be sure to check back next week for the next coffee adventure.

More from Tom's Guide

• I tried the new Nespresso summer flavors — here's my favorite
• I'm an ex-Starbucks barista — you can make the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso at home for a fraction of the cost
• I tried Lelit's brand-new 'entry-level' espresso machine — and I wish I had $2,000 so I could buy it

A hair straightener hates to see me coming. With thick, fine, curly and bleach-damaged hair, I’ve ruled out straightening my hair for well over a year. Enter the GHD Sculpt: an AI-powered styler that claims to adapt its temperature to the heat of your hair, not the plates.

It sounds a lot like the Goldilocks of straighteners: not too strong, not too weak, just right. I was cautiously optimistic the Sculpt might be able to take this frizzy mane and turn it into something swishable, and after a few weeks of use, I can report this straightener is in a league of its own. Which is why I almost feel bad recommending it: it’s $449 / £369.

How it works

Just like every launch in this past week, month, or even year, GHD has shoehorned the term ‘AI’ into its new tech. Intelligent it may be, but in practice, just means the Sculpt is responsive. That’s why it has no heat settings: just a power button and the same 185°C / 365°F top temperature of other GHD tools.

According to the brand, the device takes 2,900 measurements per second, adjusting power output based on factors like hair thickness and styling speed. Simply put, it adapts depending on the temperature of your hair, not the plates.

This means it's constantly reading your hair as you work and deciding, pass by pass, how much heat it actually needs, instead of blasting every strand at the same setting regardless of thickness or dryness.

GHD uses four measurement systems to track how much hair is loaded between the plates, how much hair there is, how fast you're moving, and the angle you're styling at. So if you like to style in hefty chunks, it’ll give you extra power to account for the added heft.

It’s no ChatGPT, but you can see how the Sculpt performs like an assistant in its own right. All I had to worry about was sectioning and not burning myself, which is a struggle at the best of times, so I appreciated the extra bandwidth.

First impressions

One of the benefits of thick curly hair is that it can be styled any way. It just requires a little extra attention. When it comes to straighteners, a too-powerful tool often zaps my breakage-prone strands until they look coarse and straw-like.

When it’s designed to prevent heat damage, a hair tool’s gentle settings leave me with a layer of flat frizz. Perhaps less heat-damaged, but definitely less sleek. One trip to the gym or ride on public transport later, it’ll jump right back to a tangled mess. Thankfully, because my hair is so tricky to style, the perfect test subject for a souped-up new tool.

My first impression of the Sculpt? It looks… like a normal straightener. Thanks to a hefty (but stylish) plug, the tool itself feels incredibly lightweight, with slim plates.

The styler comes with a heat-resistant nose guard that locks the plates shut, which is ideal for peace of mind when travelling, but did leave me wondering if I could rest the Sculpt on my dressing table without the heat protective mat I’d usually get with a hair tool.

Using the Sculpt couldn’t be easier, due to its single power button. Control freaks, look elsewhere: this thing is the self-driving car of hair straighteners. From first use the tool took 20 seconds to warm up, as claimed. Because the plates are so narrow, I was able to get right to the root, which is usually my biggest struggle.

Because my natural texture is coarse, I know the feeling of my hair snagging as I drag a straightener through it. This didn’t happen with the Sculpt. My hair was left looking frizz-free and shiny, and it still had movement and body, which is something I find lacking from my straightened hair normally.

I did struggle to get the Sculpt to glide through my hair when I attempted a couple of curls. This is likely due to user error. As my hair doesn’t need curling, I rarely do it with a straightener. However, after a few passes and reducing the section size, I got the hang of it. And because I knew the Sculpt was adjusting the temperature to the angle and speed at which I used the tongs, I was less concerned that this learning curve was damaging my hair.

I’ve used this tool for a couple of weeks, and it’s given me heatwave-proof hair every time. I’ve not had to go over and re-straighten any of my lengths, because the Sculpt locks in your style during the first use.

Is it worth the money?

I’ve tested a lot of tech, and brands usually add some feature to prove their AI credentials. Whether that’s the adaptive display on a Dyson fan to prove it can detect particle sizes, or unnecessary apps that let you control your coffee machine from bed. The GHD doesn’t have any of that. It doesn’t even have a temperature display, so the brand is asking you to put faith in these tongs.

Will they live up to their damage-preventing claims? Only time will tell, and I’ll keep this review updated. But one thing’s for sure: if you have impossible hair and $500 to spare, this is the tool I’d be splashing the cash on.

More from Tom's Guide

• Dyson Airstrait review: wet-to-dry straightener delivers frizz-free shine in minutes, at a price
• I cut my curly hair routine from 2 hours to 20 minutes. Here’s the 'lazy girl' method that'll help you do the same
• I tested the Dyson Airwrap i.d. Curly + Coily on my hair — the hype is completely justified

Summer is here and the ideal time to get outdoors and prioritize our yard and lawn maintenance. To make light work of our tasks, it’s easy to get lured into buying expensive gardening gadgets and professional-grade supplies in hopes of making yard work a breeze (I’ve been guilty of that).

However, seasoned pros warn that many of these items are actually a waste of money and offer little real benefit.

So if you’re looking to slash your gardening budget, I asked the experts to reveal the most common yard expenses to avoid — and what you can do to save your cash.

1. Buying fertilizer (without doing a soil test first)

While fertilizer is an essential buy for nurturing plants or achieving a vibrant lawn, homeowners frequently dump cash into bags of fertilizer without first checking their soil's condition. This means that you could be wasting money on fertilizer that won’t benefit your garden.

“One of the biggest things I see that homeowners waste money on is fertilizing a lawn without doing a soil test first,” states Gene Caballero, co-founder of GreenPal.

“Many people apply products that their lawn doesn't actually need, and that wastes money and harms the turf. A simple soil test doesn't cost very much and will tell you exactly which nutrients your lawn is missing and let you know which one to buy.”

You can purchase a soil meter to check the soil pH balance and condition before buying, or you can simply use homemade fertilizer such as mulch.

“One of my favorite money-saving hacks is to mulch your lawn clippings instead of bagging them. The lawn clippings return nutrients to the soil, reduce fertilizer needs, and will help keep the lawn healthier throughout the season.”

For more top tips, here’s how to reuse your lawn clippings around your yard.

2. Cheap plastic gardening tools

Another common money-waster is investing in plastic gardening tools that we think will help us get the job done quickly. From seed-starting trays to cheap soil meters, these can often be a waste of money.

While it may seem like a good idea at the time — or when it was on sale — these tend not to last long or easily get damaged.

“Plastic tools degrade faster than metal ones. As a result, they need to be replaced more often, costing you more money in the long run,” agrees Angelika Zaber, Lawn Care Specialist and Gardening Expert at Online Turf.

“Cheap plastic seed starting trays can be very flimsy, breaking after as little as one or two seasons, but they are also bad for the environment," Zaber says. "Instead, you can use DIY methods, such as toilet rolls or eggshells, to create your own pots, buy better quality, reusable trays, or invest in biodegradable alternatives.”

It’s always worth spending money on tools that you’ll actually use often, and buy high-quality, durable tools that will go the distance.

I’ve often made the mistake of buying cheap gardening tools that would either do a poor job, break easily, or just end up collecting dust at the back of my kit.

What’s more, before you press ‘buy’ on that cheap online deal, always check out the specs or reviews. It may well be too good to be true.

“Homeowners should only buy the tools they will absolutely use, not ones that they think they might need,” adds Charlie Gilbert, Managing Director of Ransom Spares.

“Research the tools that you need to maintain your current garden, and avoid big toolset purchases. Take notice of how often you use the tools you start out with and what they cost you.

Some homeowners might realize that yard upkeep is too taxing or time-consuming and reach out to professional services, who will have their own tools.”

3. Low-quality garden furniture

I’m a sucker for Pinterest, and love looking for inspiration to spruce up my garden with different furniture and decor styles.

And while it’s possible to upgrade your backyard on a budget, avoid buying low-quality garden furniture, because it’s on trend right now.

“Outdoor furniture is expensive, and quality matters most when purchasing it,” states Gilbert. “Low-quality furniture will fade, rust, or crack more quickly than most people think. Those who live in very sunny, humid, or rainy climates will have to replace their furniture more often if they do not buy a weather-durable set.”

Another great money-saving tip is to consider buying used garden items, tools or furniture — but obviously check they are in good condition first.

“Garden furniture sets are not often something people concern themselves with the most when moving to a new house,” agrees Gilbert.

“Furniture can be cumbersome and difficult to move if you have a small vehicle, so check your local online listings and yard sales. Tools can also be purchased secondhand; just check their condition before buying.

“Word of mouth goes a long way as well if you live in a smaller neighborhood. You never know who is trying to get rid of what, so talk to your neighbors and let them know what you are looking for.”

So the next time you visit a thrift store or local market, it might be worth looking out for pre-loved garden furniture that you could rehome — and save a buck.

More from Tom's Guide

• 7 composting tips everyone needs to know
• Homeowners warned as rats may be chewing through yard wires this summer — expert tips to keep them out
• 7 surprising household items to help your plants grow 

Is the Coleman Snap ‘N Go one of the best coolers you can buy? If you don’t have storage space for a massive plastic box during the 50 weeks of the year you’re not using it, then, yes. 100%.

Not only does the Snap ‘N Go fold to just 3 inches thick between uses, but it’s also surprisingly easy to clean thanks to the removable inner lining. True, the lack of a drain plug means you’ll need some muscles to empty it, but at least you won’t have to go to the gym afterwards. My only major qualm with this cooler is that it’s still 20 pounds, which makes it less portable than a traditional cooler with wheels, but, again, as long as you’ve got a muscly friend, this won’t be an issue.

So, would I recommend the Coleman Snap ‘N Go for all camping fanatics? Spoiler alert: yes, but to find out the full story, keep reading this Coleman Snap ‘N Go review.

Coleman Snap 'N Go review: Specs

Coleman Snap 'N Go review: Price & availability

The Coleman Snap ‘N Go starts from $199 at Amazon U.S. and £142 at Amazon U.K. This is for the smallest 35-quart version. The biggest 55-quart model is $240 / £189.

This is much cheaper than Yeti’s line, which can set you back as much as a grand (Yeti Tundra 210-quart, $995), but starts from $200 (Yeti Roadie 15, but I tested the 32 with wheels).

I’ve also tested the Engel Cooler ($89 for 19 quarts) and the Coleman Classic Cooler ($84 for 70 quarts). Both of these are much cheaper than the Snap ‘N Go, but take up a lot of space between uses.

I’d recommend the Snap ‘N Go if you’re short on space and want a functional, relatively affordable cooler, but don’t mind sacrificing style and portability. I’ll get into this more below, but what the Snap ‘N Go has in collapsibility it lacks in transportability.

Coleman Snap 'N Go review: Design & portability

The Coleman Snap ‘N Go is a unique cooler — the clue’s literally in the name. As you might’ve guessed, it’s a collapsible cooler. You can fold it into a 25 x 14 x 3-inch rectangle between uses. If you don’t have a spacious attic or basement, you’d be better off with the Snap ‘N Go or the Engel 19-quart (16.8 x 11 x 12.8 inches) than, say, the Coleman Classic Cooler (31.1 x 16.1 x 17.3 inches).

In terms of looks, the Snap ‘N Go is unassuming and basic. It looks like a cooler, but is there anything wrong with that? If you want something Instagrammable, you’d be better off with a Yeti. People will know how much money you have then, too. Those Yetis don’t come cheap.

Folding and unfolding the cooler was painless and easy. All you have to do is unclip the side pieces and squash it — the cooler does the rest.

However, carrying the cooler might be another issue in and of itself. The cooler is quite heavy, even when empty, at 20 pounds. I struggled to carry it by myself, as it’s still 25 inches long when collapsed. I’d recommend transporting it while empty if possible, or roping in your strongest friend to help lug it around. I wouldn’t be able to carry it alone.

Coleman Snap 'N Go review: Performance

I tested the Coleman Snap ‘N Go as I’d test any other cooler: fill it with cans and ice and start the timer!

Here’s a photo of the Coleman at the beginning of my testing period.

I used around 5 pounds of ice, 24 cans of varying sizes, and a bottle of prosecco. I wanted to reflect real-world usage: in reality, you’re not going to arrange the cans in perfect lines, and you’re going to have different-sized products.

The ice melted in 30 hours, but the cans remained cold for 48 hours. This is a little short of Coleman’s “over two days cold” claim, but not miles behind. When I tested the Coleman Classic Cooler, it fell short of the suggested “5 days chilled” by a full day.

Here’s a photo after the said 30 hours.

As you can see, all the ice has melted, but the water was still cold enough to keep the cans cool. At this point, I wouldn’t necessarily trust this with perishables, though. If I were taking meat, fish, or dairy camping, I’d probably entrust this task to my Yeti Roadie — it managed to keep ice solid for over 72 hours — or Ninja FrostVault, which has a separate section to avoid cross-contamination. The Engel 19-quart cooler kept ice solid for 24 hours and drinks cool for 48.

But none of these can beat the Ninja FrostVault, which kept drinks cool for 8 days. Yes, 8 days. I’d always recommend the Ninja if you want serious performance.

Coleman Snap 'N Go review: Maintenance

After removing all the cans, I was disappointed to see there’s no drain plug. I had to manually pour out the water, which is fine if you’re strong enough to lift a 20-pound cooler, but I’m not. Again, this is where you’d summon your muscled friend (or, if you’re your own muscled friend, this is where you’d summon your inner strength). The Yeti Roadie has a drain plug, as does the Ninja FrostVault ($299).

After emptying the water, I cleaned the Snap ‘N Go by removing the inner liner, washing it, and hanging it up to dry. Once it had dried, I put it back in and folded the cooler down. That’s it. I didn’t need to make space in my attic — I just slotted the cooler between other objects. Again, if you’re short on space, this is a no-brainer. Get the collapsible cooler, not the huge plastic box!

Coleman offers a 3-year warranty as standard, which is nice, but still not as long as Ninja's and Yeti's 5-year warranty. However, it’s better than Engel’s 2 years, so take from that what you will.

Coleman Snap 'N Go review: Verdict

If you’re short on space at home but don’t want to drink nasty warm beer on camping trips, the Coleman Snap ‘N Go is a great cooler. It snaps down to 3 inches thick and can be stored in even the tightest spaces.

While it has a few flaws — no drain plug, still 20 pounds, and isn’t hugely portable for fellow weaklings — the collapsible form and cool time outweigh this.

I would have no reservations about using the Coleman Snap ‘N Go as my drinks cooler on camping trips. It keeps ice solid for 30 hours and drinks cool for 48 hours — definitely good enough for a weekend trip.

A week of brutal heat and your lawn turns brown. It looks fried. Looks dead. Your instinct is to do something: pull out the hose at sunset, grab fertilizer, lower the mower blade. These feel like solutions. They're not.

Most of that browning is dormancy, not death. Your grass is shutting down to survive the heat, which is exactly what it should do. The problem is that three specific mistakes can actually kill what dormancy doesn't. These mistakes are so common that most people don't realize they're doing them.

Here's what's going wrong and how to fix it before you accidentally kill what's still salvageable.

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• How to sharpen a lawn mower blade in 5 simple steps (and save your grass)
• Ant hills multiplying? How to destroy the colony before it takes over your yard
• 7 tips to banish weeds from your lawn that won't harm the grass

It’s often unnerving when you spot a rat scurrying across your property — especially during these summer months, when you want to enjoy the outdoors. Not only are these pests on the hunt for food and shelter, but they may also be causing significant damage to your garden appliances and power cables.

According to an expert, rat activity peaks during warmer months, as rats gnaw to keep their teeth worn down. Since their teeth never stop growing, rats need to constantly chew on hard materials to prevent them from overgrowing — making our outdoor power cables an easy target.

“Rats seem to like chewing on electrical wires, which can be a real nuisance,” states Adam Wilkins, Managing Director of LightingLegends.

“If they gnaw hard enough, they can actually cause some real damage to garden appliances, and you’ll have to replace the wiring or, in some cases, the whole appliance.”

The good news is that you can keep these pests from invading your outdoor space by implementing these expert-approved top tips.

Here are three simple things you can do in your yard to keep rats out and save your yard's electrical appliances from damage.

1. Cover or repair entry points

The first thing is to inspect your yard for holes and gaps in fences, uncovered drain covers, or any other potential entry points that rats can use to enter your property.

"Repair holes in sheds and fences to prevent rats from accessing the garden,” advises Wilkins.

“Since rats often travel through drains, consider repairing any broken drain covers. You can also cover rat burrows with wire mesh to prevent it from reopening.”

Another top tip is to get rid of any yard clutter — including piles of lumber, garden waste, or even old tires. Such things may serve as a nesting site for rodents to hide and seek shelter. So always keep it tidy and well maintained.

Ultimately, the key is to ensure your outdoor environment is highly uninviting, making it difficult for rodents to easily enter your outdoor space.

Also, is your neighbor's cluttered yard attracting rodents to your home? I asked the experts what to do.

2. Remove any food sources

Secondly, remove any potential food sources that will entice rats to keep coming back (and feasting in your yard). Things like fallen fruit, standing water, or even dropped bird food can all attract rodents.

“Rats are usually on the lookout for suitable shelter with food so remove any fallen fruit, nuts or vegetables that they may find enticing,” adds Wilson.

Be sure to pick up any fruit that has dropped from your trees, tidy up scattered bird seed from the patio, and regularly drain any stagnant water or pet dishes to avoid attracting unwanted visitors.

3. Secure your compost bins

Composting is a great way to repurpose kitchen waste and put it back into your yard. However, our compost bins are also a magnet for rats since it provides everything that they need — food and shelter.

"If you have a compost bin be sure to turn the compost regularly and consider installing mesh underneath if it sits on soil,” advises Wilsons. “These bins are hotspots for rats because it provides them with food, warmth and shelter.”

One good solution is to invest in a tumbler compost bin, which is designed to make it easier to turn over. Typically, these feature chambers for adding and removing compost, and aeration holes that allow air in each time you turn it. This is especially useful since composting involves turning it over now and again to allow air to reach all parts.

Things to look out for

Of course, keep an eye out for your electrical equipment. And if you do spot a cable that has been chewed or damaged, be sure to turn off the power and always call in an electrician to repair it.

"Where possible, keep cables off the ground, check them regularly for signs of gnawing, move any electrical appliances indoors overnight and replace any damaged wiring rather than attempting to cover it up," adds Kara Gammell, home insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket

"If you suspect a cable has been chewed, switch off the power and contact a qualified electrician to inspect it, rather than trying to fix it yourself."

You'll want to quickly eliminate the risk of structural damage or worse, electrical fires caused by chewed wires.

What's more, you'll want to enjoy your backyard in peace this summer.

More from Tom's Guide

• 7 composting tips everyone needs to know
• Your peace lily won't survive winter if you don't change these 5 things
• Stop killing your grass: 5 safe de-icing methods you need to know

Whether you’re growing your own tomatoes from seeds or in pots, nothing beats the taste of fresh, homegrown tomatoes.

This is especially true when you can just pick straight from the vine and throw them into your tasty pasta dishes or summer salads.

But when you’re boiling your pasta, don’t be so quick to throw out your leftover water just yet.

I’ve just stumbled upon a surprising benefit from this common kitchen ‘leftover’ that might just help your tomato plants thrive. It’s a great way to provide a natural boost to your crop without the need for expensive fertilizers or the latest viral tomato-growing tips.

However, you’ll need to know the pros and cons first before putting it to good use in your yard. Here’s how pasta water can benefit your tomatoes (and the one drawback).

Why pasta water is good for tomato plants

Essentially, when you boil pasta, the process releases excess starch into the water. This creates a nutrient-rich liquid that can act as an effective fertilizer for your tomato plants and encourage soil microbes.

Plus, certain pasta varieties release essential minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, and iron — which are all great for giving our plants a healthy boost and optimum growth.

However, this will only be effective with unsalted pasta water — or else the salt can dry out the plant or even kill it. What’s more, the salty water can lead to excess sodium in the soil, which will also affect growth.

How to water your tomato plants with pasta water

Simply drain your pasta water into a bowl, and leave it to cool. Once cooled, you can water the soil directly from the bowl or use a watering can or spray bottle to make the process a little easier.

Now you have your starch-rich, plant tonic — which is literally free.

One thing to remember

It is worth noting that there is one drawback. This starchy liquid may potentially attract unwanted pests or harmful bacteria to your garden.

To avoid the risk of mold in your soil or drawing insects, it’s recommended to use pasta water on plants sparingly.

Of course, it’s always best to use the right fertilizer for your tomato varieties, but there’s no harm in using homemade alternatives.

Plus, this is a cost-effective way to reuse your pasta water (until you get fed up of eating pasta dinners).

For more top tips, check out when to fertilize tomatoes: the 3-step schedule for a bountiful harvest.

More from Tom's Guide

• Discover 7 ways to get more fruit from a tomato plant
• And how to grow tomatoes from seeds in 5 easy steps
• Plus, 11 things to do when overwintering tomatoes

A couple of years ago, I reviewed the Schlage Encode Plus, a smart lock where all you had to do was tap your iPhone to unlock the door. Well, Schlage is back with a smarter smart lock where you have to do even less.

The Schlage Sense Pro uses Ultra Wide Band (UWB) technology to detect when you’re actually walking up to your door, and unlocks it automatically — no tapping, pin codes, or fingerprints needed. But is this the new best smart lock for iPhone owners? I tested it out for over two months on my door to find out.

Price and availability

The Schlage Sense Pro went on sale in June 2026, and costs $399. It comes in two finishes: Matte Black or Satin Nickel. The company sells the lock alone, or with a matching lever starting at $449.

Design

There’s nothing overly radical about the look of the Sense Pro. Both halves are rectangular boxes with rounded edges. The exterior portion of the lock measures 2.7 inches wide by 4 inches tall, and is about an inch thick — about the same dimensions as the Yale Assure 2. The Sense Pro only comes in black or silver, and only one design; Schlage’s other smart locks all come in a variety of trims.

The Sense Pro’s number pad sits on the top quarter of the front panel in two rows of five. While it’s easy to use, it feels odd that Schlage didn’t use the whole face to make the numbers even larger, similar to something like the Yale lock.

Inside, it’s also standard fare: A large rectangle with a throw to unlock the door, and a removable panel at the top for the batteries. I like that the batteries are housed in a separate, removable cartridge, which made them easy to install and replace.

Installation

Installing the lock was similar to other smart deadbolts. You have to remove both sides, as well as the bolt itself, and replace it with the one provided by Schlage. One minor difference is that you have to connect two, rather than one wire between the two halves of the lock.

You can connect the lock directly to your smart home system of choice — I used Apple Home — but you’ll also want to download the Schlage app and register the lock there as well, so you can get such things as firmware updates.

You can create access codes using either the Schlage app of the smart home app of your choice, but codes created in one app can’t be managed in the other. For example, I created a code in the Apple Home app, which was visible in the Schlage app, but I couldn’t delete or change it there. Conversely, the codes I created in the Schlage app did not appear in Apple Home.

In the Apple Home app, you can specify whether the Sense Pro should unlock itself if it senses you approaching from the left, right, or center.

Performance and battery life

It’s like magic. With my iPhone in hand (or pocket), I simply walked towards my front door and the Sense Pro unlocked itself when I came within a foot or so. The lock was also smart enough not to unlock if I was merely loitering around the front.

The Sense Pro’s keypad was also responsive, I also liked that, after entering a code, I didn’t need to then press another button for the door to unlock.

While the Sense Pro should last up to six months on a charge, I found its batteries had drained to 51% after just a couple of weeks of use. I then switched my Apple Home hub from an Apple TV that I have in my attic office to an Apple HomePod mini, which was just one room away from the lock, but the battery continued to drain at a precipitous rate.

As it turns out, I had the lock connected to both Apple Home (via Thread) and to the Schlage app (via Wi-Fi), which the company says is not recommended — when you’re setting up the lock, you should pick one or the other. However, if you go the Schlage app route, you can then connect it to your Apple Home system within Schlage’s app.

After resetting the lock and having it connect solely through Thread, the battery drain was much less, and in line with what the company would expect.

The company also recommends against using Lithium and rechargeable batteries, so stick with alkalines. Should you ignore the warnings and the lock runs out of power, there’s a USB-C port on the underside of the exterior part of the lock; plug in a portable charger to give the lock some temporary juice to get it to unlock.

Smart home compatibility

The Schlage Sense Pro is Matter-compatible, so it can be connected to Apple Home, Alexa, and Google Home. Additionally, it will also work with AirBnB and Ring.

At the moment, the UWB-door-unlocking feature only works with iPhones. However, the Schlage Sense Pro is Aliro compatible and, once certified, is expected to support Aliro digital keys in Samsung Wallet and Google Wallet later this year, according to the company.

That means that if you own a Samsung or Google device enabled with UWB, you’ll be able to use hands-free unlock; if you have an NFC-enabled device, you’ll be able to use tap to unlock. However, a specific timeframe for the rollout of these features has not been announced.

Verdict

As the Aliro standard — which will let you use any smartphone to unlock a door just by walking up to it — becomes more common in the coming years, I suspect we’ll see more locks with the same capabilities as the Schlage Sense Pro.

However, even now, the Sense Pro has some competition in the form of the Aqara U400, which also lets you unlock your door via UWB and an iPhone. This Matter-compatible lock worked well in our testing and, in addition to a keypad, it has a fingerprint reader, giving you an extra option to unlock the door — all for $100 less than the Sense Pro.

A sudden heatwave can turn even the healthiest lavender bush completely odorless overnight. When temperatures soar, the plant isn't dying. It is actively venting off its volatile oils to protect its foliage from intense thermal stress.

The natural instinct is to rush out and dump water on the soil at midday, but that only worsens root stress and delays scent production. Rebuilding those lost aromatic compounds requires working with the plant's natural biology rather than fighting it.

With a simple shift in your watering schedule and a deep hydration routine, you can help the plant cool down and start producing fresh scent again in just a few days.

Why high heat drains your plant's oil reserves

Before jumping into a fix, it helps to understand what is happening inside the plant. Lavender stores its fragrance within microscopic, pressurized sacs called glandular trichomes on the surface of its foliage. When temperatures surge, those volatile compounds, linalool specifically, begin to evaporate rapidly under direct sun exposure.

Rather than running an intentional cooling mechanism, the plant simply loses its aromatic oils to high heat faster than it can replace them, leaving it odorless by late afternoon.

Watering during peak afternoon heat creates a stagnant, warm environment around the root zone. This excess moisture suffocates the roots and increases the risk of rot, leaving the plant too stressed to recover and regenerate its oils overnight.

Shift to a deep pre-dawn soak

If your lavender is baking in the sun and has lost its scent, your first instinct is to grab the hose and spray it down. Don't. Midday overhead watering creates a hot, humid environment that suffocates the roots.

Instead, the trick lies in a precise 48-hour hydration window.

First, wait until the sun goes down and the soil cools. Deliver a slow, targeted drink directly to the base of the plant using an open hose on a gentle trickle. This lowers the soil temperature gradually and allows the dry roots to drink without being shocked by midday heat.

The next morning at daybreak, give the base one more deep, deliberate soak. By saturating the lower soil layers before the sun hits the foliage, you create a moisture reserve the roots can safely draw from all day.

By avoiding the midday trap, your lavender's root system stays healthy and stress-free. With its hydration fully restored, the plant stops fighting for survival and restarts oil synthesis, bringing that rich, classic fragrance back to the leaves within 48 hours.

Wait for the fragrance to return

Once your deep-watering routine is in place, give the plant 48 hours to rebuild its resin glands. Avoid the temptation to prune off dead-looking stems during a hot stretch, as fresh cuts force the plant to divert critical energy toward healing.

By day two of consistent early-morning hydration, monitor the foliage during the cooler evening hours. Gently brush your fingers against the stems — not crushing them, but creating light friction. You will find that as root stress subsides, those microscopic oil sacs refill, delivering that signature, intense lavender fragrance right back to your backyard.

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• Gardeners are ditching lavender for this tougher, long-blooming shrub — and it doesn’t go woody
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Founded in 1956, Tefal is a major brand in the kitchen and dining market, renowned for its non-stick pots, pans and home appliances. More recently, though, Tefal has entered into the realm of floorcare with its wet-and-dry vacuums, otherwise known as the X-Clean line.

The latest entry is the Tefal X-Clean 7, which debuted earlier this year. The machine is touted as able to clean hard floors faster with 20,000Pa suction power and weighing just 1.9lbs / 0.9 kg in the hand.

I was particularly intrigued by the brand's foray into floorcare, as it is synonymous with great kitchen appliances and cookware — I swear by my Tefal Non-Stick Fry pan — so the move felt left-of-field. However, there are only so many pans, pots and cooking utensils one company can make, and the brand prides itself on innovation, so it's only fair to switch things up. (And spoiler alert: the X-Clean 7 adds another good impression on the brand's name.)

As someone whose home features predominantly hardwood floors, which are regularly covered in muddy pawprints and kitty litter, I am no stranger to floorwashers. And after reviewing a few floorwashers and consequently ditching my mop bucket for the wet-dry life, I knew I was well placed to take on this review. But could the X-Clean 7 tackle stubborn stains, puppy accidents and everyday maintenance of my hard floors? I tested it for three months to find out.

Tefal X-Clean 7 review: Price and availability

In Australia, where I'm based, the Tefal X-Clean 7 retails at AU$799. At the time of writing, it has been discounted at various retailers to AU$599, including on Tefal's website. In the U.K., it retails for £449. Unfortunately, it is currently not available in the U.S. The Tefal X-Clean 7 sits in the mid-range price bracket for floorwashers, fitting snugly between most Tineco and Dreame models.

Tefal X-Clean 7 review: Design

After reviewing several floorwashers, I can confidently say this is the lightest one I've ever used. Weighing only 1.9lbs / 0.9kg in the hand, the Tefal X-Clean 7 is easy to push around, carry up stairs and get under furniture with its 180° lay-flat design. However, when both water tanks are full (the dirty tank holds 17 fl oz / 500ml and the clean tank holds 22 fl oz / 650ml), the weight does, of course, increase.

Tefal's design mimics newer floorwashers of late, with a flush-sitting clean water tank atop the brush roller and the dirty tank located at the front of the machine. Tefal's machine eliminated a gripe I had while testing the Tineco S9 Artist Pro, as the opening for the clean water tank sits on top, rather than the side. This caused fewer leaks — you'll always have a small leak if the tank is too full when closing — but I had no issues with it leaking on the floor or during transit. Optionally, you can also purchase Tefal's cleaning solution for the clean water tank, but it's not necessary.

There's a round LED screen above the dirty water tank that displays battery life, cleaning modes and system alerts. The screen has an always-on setting and displays charging and battery life when on the dock. There are two accompanying buttons on the handle — the power button and the mode button, which cycle through the cleaning functions — above the LED screen, alongside the self-cleaning button at the very top of the handle. There's also a voice assistant — which can be switched on and off using a button on the back of the device — that provides alerts. I always knew which mode I was using, how much battery was left and when I needed to clean the dirty water tank.

However, I found the voice assistant was a bit limited in its responses (more on that later) and was rather loud during my first few uses. There is a volume button on the side of the device, and if you're sensitive to noise, I'd suggest cranking it down (or turning it off entirely).

There are three modes on the X-Clean 7: Auto, Max and Eco. If you're not sure which one to use, I'd suggest opting for Auto to begin with, as the X-Clean 7 will automatically detect dirt and adjust water flow and suction power to clean your floors. As per the manual, Max mode is for very dirty surfaces, with maximum suction and water flow levels, and Eco mode is for moderately dirty floors, with medium suction and water flow.

While cleaning in any mode, the X-Clean 7 uses 20,000Pa suction power and claims to deliver up to 50 minutes of runtime in Eco mode and up to 27 minutes in Max mode. Both of these claims are pretty standard for floorwashers. The X-Clean 7's roller also comes with an anti-tangle comb, which uses 164 metallic teeth to prevent any tangles.

The X-Clean 7 also offers great maneuverability, thanks to some seriously speedy self-propulsion. It's similar to an electric bike or e-scooter — it won't drive itself, but it can give you noticeable assistance when removing tough stains without overexerting yourself. The wheels are super durable and have a great range of motion for getting under furniture and into all the nooks and crannies of your home. Plus, when completely flat, it measures at 13cm high, so it'll easily fit under most couches or tables. It'll even light up any hidden dust bunnies, thanks to a strip of seriously bright LEDs on the front of the brush head.

Additionally, the box also contains the dock, a cleaning brush, an extra brush roller, and a new filter for the used water tank. You'll need to set up the dock before use, as it charges the device and runs the self-cleaning and drying programs. Do keep in mind that the dock requires a fair amount of floor real estate, so you'll need a dedicated room (or cupboard) for it.

Tefal X-Clean 7 review: Performance

Over the past three months, I've used the Tefal X-Clean 7 daily on my hardwood floors and tiles in my home. It's helped clean up everyday messes in the kitchen, including spilt coffees, as well as the occasional accident of my not-fully-housetrained puppy. The X-Clean 7 has excelled in every situation it faced.

Before the first use, I popped it onto the dock, and it took 3.5 hours to reach a full battery. After charging, I put it to the test with some (inconveniently) spilled coffee in my kitchen after missing my cup while making my morning brew. And sure enough, Auto mode easily sucked it up without worry. It left a slightly damp patch in its wake; however, it was much less damp than grabbing my mop and swirling it around (and making more of a mess).

After a few minutes, the floor was rather dry and fine to walk on, so I cleaned the rest of my kitchen and connected living room floors. These are the most high-traffic areas in my house, and my floors are often covered in muddy pawprints, crumbs and copious amounts of dog hair left behind by my two Border Collies. I easily cleaned the entire area within 15 minutes on Auto mode, and still had plenty of battery life to spare.

Case in point, our puppy, who hasn't fully taken to housetraining just yet, would have the occasional accident inside, and I found Max mode tackled pee puddles with ease. The maximum suction completely vacuumed up puddles without a trace. And if there was any dog hair lying around, the roller didn't tangle or have any blockages, with most stray hairs sitting in between the teeth of the metal comb. Not only that, I could easily take on any spilled liquids in two passes on Max mode and call it a day, which was very much a win in my book.

Sticky messes took some extra pushes, but overall, the Tefal X-Clean 7 could just as easily tackle a stuck sauce stain. It also did a commendable job of collecting kitty litter and smaller wet crumbs in all three modes.

That said, I didn't opt for Eco mode much — I largely used Auto or Max mode depending on what I needed to clean — but I did use it a few times on my tiled bathroom floors and in my shower when I didn't want to break out my mop. I didn't notice any major differences between Eco and Auto modes in this instance, but it's a nice mode to have if you're conscious of conserving the battery life.

I also don't own a mansion — rather a two-bed, two-bath apartment — and I could easily clean my hard floors in 15 minutes on Max mode, if not less. If you're mindful of which mode you use, you could easily clean your entire house on a single charge. That said, I did have to frequently refill the clean water tank after every second clean, as it is considerably smaller than other floorwashers I've used. This isn't a big drawback — even high-end models, like the Dyson Wash G1, have smaller water tanks — but if you have a bigger home, you may need to refill it more regularly.

The X-Clean 7 can leave a bit of streaking on darker floors, but it didn't bother me too much and would easily fade a day or two post-clean.

Tefal X-Clean 7 review: Ease of cleaning

Like other wet-dry vacuums, the Tefal X-Clean 7 requires regular cleaning and emptying of the water tanks to avoid odor and bacteria build-up. If you leave the voice assistant on, it will remind you to empty and clean the dirty water tank after each use and after a self-clean cycle.

However, I found the voice prompts aren't that detailed and will revert to using the same phrase for at least three manual cleaning tasks. In my case, the device would consistently alert me to empty the dirty water tank after emptying/self-cleaning, and wouldn't let me use the device. In most cases, I had emptied the tank, and the clean water tank was full, so in essence, it should have switched on just fine. However, some of these alerts meant I needed to clean the filter or the pipe underneath, rather than just empty the tank.

I'm not sure why the brand hasn't differentiated these tasks via the voice prompt — or at least provided a different alert on the LED screen — as they are completely different and largely separate from emptying the dirty water tank. Regardless, I just made sure to check all variables after each voice prompt from then on, as I couldn't rely on the machine just needing the dirty water tank emptied. However, this could be an issue with my particular unit and not impact all users.

Aside from this inconvenience, the self-cleaning and drying functions were easy enough to do by pressing the self-cleaning button on the handle. The self-clean function lasted about 3 minutes, and the dock rinsed the roller brush. Afterwards, the self-drying function dries the roller, and the whole process lasts around 30 minutes.

Tefal X-Clean 7 review: Verdict

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed by the Tefal X-Clean 7 for its powerful suction modes and lightweight maneuverability. It's easy to use, has speedy self-propulsion, and you won't wait long for your floors to dry after a clean. It can easily clean up spilled liquids, stuck-on stains and the occasional hair or crumb under its roller too, making it perfect for homes with pets or kids.

However, it could benefit from larger water tanks and an intuitive voice assistant with more detailed prompts. But if you regularly clean it and keep maintenance low by doing so, you'll have no trouble washing your hard floors with Tefal's X-Clean 7.

Summer is the best time to get out into your garden and enjoy your outside space. It's also one of the hardest times to keep your lawn in top condition, battling with hot weather, dry soil, and all of that extra use.

While I've been using 3 drought-proofing steps to protect my lawn during heatwaves, I can't help but notice I'm still struggling with specific issues. And I know I'm not the only one.

So, it only felt right to put it to our readers and ask: "What is the biggest problem you have with your lawn?" Over 3,000 of you answered, and here's what came out on top. Even better, I've got tips on how to fix it.

The number one lawn problem, according to readers

There was one resounding answer that came from our poll, far outweighing other issues, and that's bare patches. With a massive 3,079 votes totalling 64% of our readers' answers, it's a patchy lawn that seems to be causing the most bother.

To give you an idea of just how dominant this issue is, the second issue was crabgrass that received 625 votes (13%) followed by dog wee stains at 451 votes (9%) and dandelions at 388 votes (8%).

And I completely agree, struggling with bare patches myself and trying desperately to make sure my grass looks even across my lawn.

Fortunately, there's plenty of solutions to try that we've covered across a range of how-to guides. I'll delve into some of the top tips below and hopefully next time we run a poll, bare patches won't be such a problem.

How to tackle bare patches

From 5-minute quick fixes to step-by-step guides, depending on how much time you've got on your hands, these are the top tips I recommend to try out on that patchy lawn.

1. Try overseeding

It might seem like all hope is lost when your grass suddenly turns into a bare, soil patch on your lawn, but you can reapply seed to help with regrowth. It's called overseeding and it's a method used to block out weeds, cover up bare turf, and ultimately create a lawn that is covered with even grass.

But, you may find that even when you've overseeded it, you're still experiencing patchiness. There's a few reasons for that, but nothing our next step can't try and solve.

2. Reseed if the first go didn't take

Sometimes one overseeding session isn't quite enough and that's a problem answered by Chrissie Handley, lawn care specialist at Online Turf when we spoke with her about yellow patches on lawns: "You tend to lose some seed either from the birds picking some off the ground, or through wind blowing it away, or heavy rain can also wash some away, giving you a sparse regrowth."

The answer for this? Reseed and focus on even distribution across your lawn, in case the way you're applying it by hand is too thinly spread.

3. Add a layer of topsoil

Additionally, to protect the seed, you can add a thin layer of topsoil afterwards. As Handley recommends: "This can help stop the birds from picking it off, and also helps the seed make good contact with the ground, improving your germination rate."

Consider it an extra layer of protection, prompting grass growth and hopefully leading to a less patchy lawn.

4. Try a good fertilizer

Finally, you might want to think about adding some fertilizer to your lawn. Sure, it's hard to know how often you should fertilize your lawn and when to do it, but as advice widely varies it's always a good idea to check the type of fertilizer you're using and what job you want it to do.

If you can nail down some good practice with fertilizer, as well as choosing one that's suitable for the job, you can tackle those patchy areas in no time at all. Or, so I'm trying to do myself.

More from Tom's Guide

• Stop spending a fortune on expensive lawn treatments: These 7 genius budget-friendly hacks will give you a stunning green yard using simple tricks
• 9 tips to revive dead grass and make your lawn green again
• How often should you mow the lawn? We asked the experts

As a kitchen appliance reviewer, some of my favorite and top-rated products hail from KitchenAid. I've owned an Artisan Stand Mixer for years now, and use many KitchenAid appliances and accessories on a daily basis, so it's no surprise that when the opportunity arose to review the brand's new fully automatic coffee machine range, I volunteered immediately.

Now, I'm no stranger to a manual espresso maker — I love my Ninja Luxe Cafe more than anything else — so I really wanted to switch it up to see how a fully automatic machine compares to the manual control I'm used to. After all, these automatic coffee machines claim to deliver the perfect espresso in one touch, without worrying about grinds, milk or the like, so my curiosity was definitely piqued. (And spoiler alert: the KF2 did not disappoint).

Launched earlier this year, KitchenAid's new machines — the KF2, KF3 and KF4 — each have different functions, prices and colorways to suit every kind of one-touch coffee-lover. The machine reviewed here, the KitchenAid KF2, is the most affordable option and offers some hands-on time for hobbyist baristas who want manual control over their milk.

Over the course of a month, I put the KitchenAid KF2 through its paces and used it to make hot, iced and milk-based drinks.

KitchenAid KF2 review: Specs

KitchenAid KF2 review: Price and availability

The KitchenAid KF2 in Australia, where I'm based, is priced at AU$1,099. For those in the UK, it's £699 and in the U.S., it's $799.99. When compared to the other coinciding releases of the KF3 ($999.99 / £749 / AU$1,349) and KF4 ($1,299.99 / £899 / AU$1,599), this is the "budget" or entry-level option in KitchenAid's new fully automatic lineup.

Now the word budget is a bit of a stretch — it's still pretty expensive — and it doesn't quite dazzle compared to similarly priced automatic machines. I’m talking largely about De’Longhi here, as you can often pick up one of the esteemed brand’s machines for less, in return for more extensive features, like one-touch drink presets and automatic milk-foaming systems. That said, the KF2 offers six drink presets and a steam wand (which some 5-star automatic machines neglect entirely). And, I won't lie, the KF2's sleek, matte black design is nice to look at.

KitchenAid KF2 review: Design

KitchenAid's newest fully automatic machines, including the KF2, have a much smaller footprint than their predecessors. Measuring just 14.2" x 7.7" x 18.5" / 36.07cm x 19.56cm x 46.99cm, the KF2 takes up very little counterspace, making it ideal for those with smaller kitchens. The KF2 has five function buttons on the front of its backlit LED screen, as well as a power button on the right side. It also features a 1.8L water tank at the back, a Pannarello steam wand, a drip tray and a concealed 250g bean hopper.

Unlike the KF3 and KF4, which are both available in matte black and KitchenAid's signature Porcelain white, the KF2 is limited to the former. I quite like the simplicity of the black colorway, but it isn't as visually appealing as the white or Juniper green colorways that the KitchenAid KF8 offers, in my opinion. The stainless steel accents in the drip tray and the steam wand are a nice contrast to the matte machine body, but I didn't love the feel of the function buttons.

A fun surprise discovered during set up were two wheels under the machine, making it easy to move around if you needed to fill the water tank. It's also not that heavy, at just 22lbs / 10.1kg, so I could easily lift it and move it into place.

KitchenAid KF2 review: Performance

Grinder

The KF2 uses KitchenAid’s Intelligrind technology, which aims to take the guesswork out of selecting the best grind size for your chosen beans. For most users, it allows for a hands-off approach, just pour your beans into the top-mounted hopper and select a drink. If you do want to make some finer adjustments, you can open the machine's side panel, where you’ll find a slider to make the grind finer (to the left) or coarser (to the right). However, for most users, I don't think any adjustments would need to be made, as the automatic function takes away any manual hand tamping or grinding.

Regardless of whether you make adjustments or not, the KF2's grinder is so quiet. That's largely due to its Quiet Mark certification, meaning it won't make too much noise while you're brewing your early morning coffee.

If you prefer decaf or coffee grounds, the KF2 also has a 250g ground coffee section next to the bean hopper. It is worth noting that when you add in ground coffee, the machine will switch into its ground coffee mode and exclusively use it over any beans in the hopper. To fix this, you'll need to toggle the bean setting before every use.

Espresso

The KF2 can truly customise your coffee to your liking, thanks to its drink, strength and dosage settings. Once you choose your drink recipe — e.g. either an espresso, coffee or over ice — you can make your coffee or espresso shot as weak or strong as you'd like using the strength and dose buttons. If you make adjustments to the strength, the KF2 will grind fewer or more beans, resulting in a dose that’s between 7g and 14g.

Regardless of the strength setting you choose, the KF2 excels at pulling a consistently well-extracted shot of espresso. For the test brew, I used the double strength on the espresso setting to extract a single shot, and it was perfectly balanced. Just look at that crema! This was using medium-dark roast beans with notes of rich caramel, butterscotch and sweet red fruits. I'm not one to drink straight espresso — I prefer iced coffee all year round — but I really enjoyed the deep caramelly notes I achieved with the KF2.

When extracting an americano, I used the coffee setting with double strength, single cup dose, and it was pretty spot on for a black coffee. There was a bit of trial and error — initially, I opted for triple strength, and it was too strong for my liking — but the second time around, it worked a charm.

Milk

If you have milk with your coffee, then you’ll likely want to know how well the KF2 can froth milk. You may also have an opinion as to the best method for foaming milk. For me, the fact that the KF2 uses a conventional steam wand as opposed to a hose system on the KF3 and KF4 is a huge plus point. While it might not be as hands-off as the other KitchenAid models — you have to pour the milk into the jug (sold separately) and then pour it into your mug — the result, in my opinion, is much better milk foam. Conversely, when using the KF3 and KF4, milk was silky in texture and did have some froth, but it paled in comparison to what the KF2 could achieve.

What’s more, having manual control means the KF2 inherently performs better with plant-based milks. This is because you can easily check the temperature whilst milk is heating up and turn it off when it reaches the optimal heat.

I am a big fan of manual control when milk frothing, so I was very eager to try the steam wand, and as a plant-based milk drinker, I preferred the wand to the milk jug/hose set-up. I could easily check the temperature and make sure my almond milk didn't burn, as most plant-based milks will burn at lower temperatures than dairy. The wand also has a side toggle where you can adjust the foam to your liking, so you don't have to second-guess too much when heating milk to your preferred foaminess.

Before using the steam wand, you need to wait a short while for the internal water system to preheat. It’s not a long process, just something to be aware of. When you’ve finished frothing your milk, you’ll want to purge the steam wand to remove any residue. The purge process can get quite messy as the wand is rather powerful and sits an inch or so above the drip tray. I resorted to purging it a few times inside an empty milk jug, just to avoid powerful steam explosions.

My first test was an Aussie staple, a flat white, which is typically made from steamed milk with very little foam. To do this, I flicked the foam setting to ‘less’ and put the wand in just below the surface.

The result clearly speaks for itself, as I made the most perfect flat white to ever exist. Even in my teenage barista days, I've never made glossy steamed milk like this, so it was a true feat to be admired for KitchenAid's steam wand.

Next up was a latte, so I moved the toggle to the highest foam setting and made sure to keep the wand under the surface of the milk. There were some bubbles initially, but after a few attempts, I ended up getting an equally perfect latte with some great microfoam. (My latte art definitely needs work, though.)

Iced coffee

KitchenAid has given its new compact trio of coffee machines the ability to make iced drinks, although the method in which they make them gave me a little cause for concern, as they’re made ‘over ice’. By this, it means you still need to put ice in your cup or glass first, and the KF2 will then pour a shot of espresso over it. The company says it brews at a cooler temperature than a ‘regular’ shot of espresso, but it’s not quite the same as the Ninja Luxe Cafe I use daily, for example, which has dedicated settings for brewing cold shots of espresso.

The results were interesting to say the least. I was a little anxious before making my first iced drink, because I'm picky about iced lattes, and if it's too watery, I don't want it. The fact that an iced latte made with the KF2 has to include a few ice cubes indicated that it may indeed end up being a bit weak.

Fortunately, my worries weren’t necessary, as the KF2 did a commendable job of making an iced coffee. When coupled with cold milk and ice, it was particularly delicious, although it was, admittedly, on the weaker side due to the melted ice.

After the first try, I tweaked the strength higher as the machine automatically selects the lowest setting, and it made a better improvement to the taste. I also opted most days to not brew it immediately over ice to avoid watery shots, and that made the experience much more pleasant.

KitchenAid KF2 review: Storage and maintenance

When it comes to everyday maintenance of the KitchenAid KF2, it was pretty straightforward and I didn't need any handholding to keep the machine running. The drip tray has a handy full alert sign when it needs emptying, and can be easily removed. And if you need to add more coffee beans, the backlit screen will give you a helpful alert.

The KitchenAid KF2 comes with a couple of cleaning tablets for cleaning the brewing group and water filter inside the box. It also comes with a handy water filter insertion tool, which doubles as a ground coffee scoop. As per the manufacturer, the water filters will last two months if using tap water, but could last up to 6 months if you use filtered water. You will need to buy descaling solution separately.

KitchenAid's routine cleaning and maintenance is pretty easy, as the machine rinses itself before and after each use. This also clears the system of any blockages as well as warm the internal pipes to the right temperature before making a coffee.

If you need to descale the machine, clean the steam wand, add beans or water, the screen will give you an alert and guide you through the process if needed. Now, during my review period, I didn't need to descale the machine at all; however, I am certain that the machine would let me know if it needed an extra clean.

KitchenAid does sell additional water filters and brew units if you need more, and offers a 3-year limited warranty.

KitchenAid KF2 review: Verdict

If you prioritise time in the mornings, then the KitchenAid KF2 is something to consider and add to your routine. It's easy-to-use, delivers excellent crema, and offers some hands-on control for your milk. All you need to do is add your preferred beans (or grounds), and you've got the perfect morning brew.

That said, it doesn't offer full one-touch convenience — you'll need to tweak your strength and dose settings with each use — however, that doesn't knock too many marks off for me. And iced lattes could be better, but that won't matter to most non-iced coffee drinkers.

That being said, if you're interested in a fully automatic, low-maintenance coffee machine, the KitchenAid KF2 is hard to beat.

There's a particular kind of satisfaction in tending something small and green that you built with your own hands. A terrarium delivers exactly that — a miniature garden sealed under glass, alive and quietly thriving on your desk or windowsill.

And while the ones lined up in homeware shops carry surprisingly steep price tags, the truth is you can assemble your own for a fraction of the cost in an afternoon.

No garden required, no green-fingered pedigree, no expensive kit. Just a glass container, a few handfuls of the right materials, and plants chosen to suit the world you're creating.

Start with the right container

Almost any clear glass vessel will do, which is where the savings begin. A wide-mouthed jar, a recycled sweet jar, a fishbowl or even a clean pasta sauce jar can all become the walls of your tiny world.

Wide openings make planting easier and suit dry-loving plants, while tall, narrow or lidded containers trap humidity and lean towards a lush, jungle feel. Give whatever you choose a proper wash and let it dry completely before you start, so nothing clouds the glass later.

Choose your style, then your plants

This decision shapes everything else, so make it before you buy a single plant. An open terrarium (no lid, plenty of airflow) suits succulents, cacti and air plants that like things dry and bright. Echeveria, haworthia and small cacti are forgiving and slow-growing.

A closed terrarium traps moisture and recreates a humid, rainforest-like climate that mosses, ferns, fittonia and creeping fig adore, and it's famously low-maintenance because it largely waters itself in a gentle loop.

Whichever you pick, buy small: young plants in the tiniest pots your garden center sells, or cuttings from things you already own, keep the cost down and give the arrangement room to grow into itself rather than bursting out of the glass within weeks.

Just don't mix thirsty and drought-loving species in one jar, because that rarely ends well.

Build your layers from the bottom up

A terrarium is built in layers, each with a job to do. Start with an inch or two of pebbles or gravel at the base for drainage, so roots never sit in water. Add a thin scattering of activated charcoal next, which keeps the whole thing fresh and helps stave off mold.

Some people lay a fine mesh or a layer of moss over that to stop soil sinking into the stones, though it's optional.

Finally, spoon in your potting mix, a good few inches deep, enough for roots to settle. Reach for cactus compost on open builds and a peat-free houseplant mix for closed ones.

Plant, arrange and style

Now the fun part. Make small wells in the soil and lower each plant in, firming it gently — a long spoon, a pencil or a pair of kitchen tongs works beautifully if your container is narrow.