Best Discounts During the October Walmart Deals Event

The T3 Featherweight Stylemax truly is maxed out. It has four attachments, including two concentrators—one that’s wide, for drying, and another that’s narrow, for styling—plus a diffuser and a comb. 

It has a plethora of settings that you can adjust to your hair texture (fine, medium, or coarse) and match to each attachment for optimal drying and styling. If you prefer to manage your own settings, the Stylemax has three speeds and five heat settings. We found them easy to reach while using the hair dryer, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally turning on the wrong setting or fumbling around to change the temperature.  The Featherweight Stylemax has one of the longest cords we tested—good news for those of us in old bathrooms with too few outlets. Its max heat was right in the middle of all the temps we calculated, hitting 119° F on high. And it’s one of the quieter models we tested, reaching 80 decibels.

The BaBylissPro’s extra-long titanium barrel delivered long-lasting Rapunzel-quality curls in our evaluations. It has variable heat settings and begins to heat up the moment it’s plugged in. (It must be unplugged immediately after use to turn it off.) But the lack of a barrier between the heated barrel and the handle makes it easier to burn your hand.

The Shark SpeedStyle Pro Flex competes with the highly sought-after Dyson models, but at more than half the price. Like the Dyson models, our testers liked how easily the attachments snapped onto the hair dryer, and how you can rotate them without removing them. Its airflow is so strong that when turned on, it has a kickback. 

It has another high-end feature: its IQ Speed Styling & Drying Suite automatically adjusts heat and speed depending on the attachment. The attachments are unique and feature-rich, including the Frizzfighter, which is helpful in making sleek bangs (and flyaways). The diffuser features different prong lengths depending on hair type, and its brush attachment includes boar bristles. Its highest temperature reading in our tests was 115° F.

At 40 percent off, it’s a steal.

This overnight serum combines a retinoid with hyaluronic acid and peptides, ingredients that may help improve the appearance of fine lines, uneven texture, and loss of firmness. The company lists this product as free of denatured alcohol, SLS, SLES, sulfates, and synthetic colors. It also claims the treatment can help retexturize skin in as little as 12 weeks, though, as with most retinoids, results depend on consistent use over time.

The AirPods Pro 3 are Apple’s top-of-the-line earbuds, and they’re packed with features. The new functions include live translation and a workout mode that allows you to leave your Apple Watch at home. They still offer a clinical-grade hearing test and the option of turning your Pro 3s into an over-the-counter hearing aid. They also sound good and offer a better fit and noise cancelling than last year’s Pro 2s. They don’t go on sale very often, so this is an opportunity to get the latest tech at an enticing price.

While Apple claims the AirPods 4 are improved over the AirPods 3, our testers were less impressed. They’re still solid headphones if you prefer not to have eartips stuck in your ear. The fit, despite Apple’s tweaks, is pretty much the same as previous models, as is the sound. This is the best price we’ve seen, beating the previous low by $5.

The AirPods Max sound really good and have superb and flexible noise-canceling tech. They have a high-performing transparency mode for hearing external sound, as well as spatial audio capability. But the biggest selling point might be the distinctive design and premium feel we’ve all come to expect from an Apple product. At their normal street price of $500, they’re hardly a bargain, but subtract $70, and the Maxes become much more attractive (and the best price we’ve seen in well over a year).

Shopping for noise-canceling headphones on a budget doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice performance. Case in point is the SoundCore Life Q20. These over-ear headphones have great sound quality and outstanding noise cancellation. It doesn’t sound quite as good as top-rated models, and you won’t get sought-after features like adjustable levels of noise canceling. But at this price, those may be sacrifices worth making. Anker does include some appealing perks, too, such as the ability to work over either Bluetooth or an audio cable, and a free app that adds features, including a bass boost EQ setting. According to Anker, the headphones have a generous 40-hour battery life when Bluetooth and noise canceling are both turned on.

The Sony WF-1000XM6 replaces the WF-1000XM5, and it’s a worthy successor. Like previous XM models, these earbuds deliver so much musical detail that you simply hear your favorite songs in a different way. Sony has tweaked the shape significantly, too. Whether you like it better or not depends on the shape of your ears, so buy from a retailer with a generous return policy. The new XM6 case is actually a little larger than the prior one, so it leaves a slightly bigger bump in the pocket of your vintage Levi’s.

If you’re afraid of losing an earbud while you’re out running or simply getting off a plane, the Sony WI-C100 is a practical choice. With a wire tethering the two buds together, the odds of losing your headphones diminish greatly. Our testers give the Sony earbuds fine marks for sound quality. They don’t have noise cancellation, but the silicon ear tips will muffle some external noise and limit the amount of sound that escapes from the earpieces. They also have an in-line mic for phone calls.

If you want a pair of noise-canceling earbuds at a budget price, check out the Soundcore Space A40s. The bass packs some wallop, and the overall sound is warm, which makes the A40s pleasant to listen to over a long period of time. The noise cancellation is impressive, too—there’s even a transparency mode that allows you to monitor your surroundings when you’re out running or walking down a busy street. There’s a big gap between their $79 list price and their $54 recent street price, but at less than $50 these headphones are a serious value.

Bose’s Quiet Comfort headphones perform very well with solid, if not stellar, sound quality and noise cancellation that can turn a noisy subway into a reference library. But while these first-gen headphones are very nice, the deal is truly special, especially since Bose headphones rarely go on sale.

The KitchenAid Bowl Lift KSM70 looks good on a counter, and its bowl-lift style fits nicely under upper cabinets. It also operates quietly, excelling in our noise test. Performance-wise, it’s excellent at mixing cake and pancake batter and whipping egg whites to airy peaks. Its kneading performance and results in our whipped cream tests were also very good. It weighs a hefty 26 pounds and is available in blue and 11 other colors. It’s now priced at nearly 20 percent off.

The Ninja DCT821 is an air-frying toaster oven with two separate cavities and a handy interior light to help you monitor your food while it cooks. And if you’re particular about the color of your toast, you’re in luck: We saw impressive results in our color range tests, and a full batch of toast comes out evenly browned. This toaster oven also receives a very good baking score based on tests in which we bake cookies and muffins, aiming to achieve a consistent color without underbaking or burnt edges. Plus, it’s currently at the best price we’ve seen. Like most toaster ovens, it’s not great at reheating foods. It also has a middling score for ease of cleaning.

The Vitamix 67991 immersion blender packs the typical brand power, backed by a three-year warranty. This 14,500-rpm stick has five speeds and blends yogurts better than it pureés soups. It features a black-and-stainless steel wand, easy-twist lock, two blades for smoothie ice crushing, and a scratch-resistant blade guard to protect your pots and pans from scratches.

The Ogednac Electric Salt and Pepper Grinder Set is less powerful than many of the other grinders we tried, with a 20-second lag between starting the mill and dispensing the product. The grind is very smooth, and the finest setting creates fine powder. It’s also quiet and easy to handle, especially for kids. And the LED lights show how charged the battery is and illuminate where the salt and pepper landed. But it’s hard to clean because the reservoir doesn’t detach from the mill.

If you’re a fan of features, this lamp is for you—especially at the best price we’ve seen. It’s got four different brightness settings and different color choices, and you can set three timer shut-offs for 2, 4, and 8 hours. The lamp height is adjustable, but our tester found the base to be a bit unwieldy, so it may not fit every candle. Its metal material also made spilled wax a little annoying to clean.

The petite Clorox 11020 effectively cleans your room’s air of harmful particles, whether at a high or low setting. It can perch on a tabletop or be set on the floor and doesn’t get too noisy. It does lack certain conveniences, though, like app pairing and an auto mode, but otherwise it’s a nice fit for a small space (up to 150 square feet). 

This was just $49.99 earlier this week, so you could get that price again during Black Friday sales.

Ego’s battery-powered outdoor equipment consistently gets top marks from our testers, and this one is now $20 less than it was recently. Consumer Reports has rated the following products from its 56-volt battery platform: string trimmers, leaf blowers, chainsaws, a hedge trimmer, and lawn mowers. This system of tools also includes a highly rated snow blower and a very good pressure washer, though they didn’t factor into the Overall Score. Tools can be bought with and without a battery, and you can buy a charger that takes two batteries at once. Ego also has a three-year warranty for its batteries.

The Flex FX1131-1A is a compact ½-inch drill that delivers very good performance, with a top-tier speed score and enough power even for heavy-duty tasks. Plus, it can last through most projects on a single charge and recharge quickly, so you can get back to work without a long delay.

Walmart doesn’t have this drill marked as on sale, but it’s selling for upward of $169 at all other retailers.

The Cubii Go Under Desk Elliptical is a manual under-desk elliptical (with no motorized features) that has a good exercise range and ergonomics, plus, it’s convenient to use. We had no issues when we tested this model with shoes on, but with socks on, our feet slipped off the pedals; consider wearing footwear for a steadier workout. There’s no remote, and all adjustments had to be made on the Cubii Go’s base.

The Schwinn Loop is a relatively inexpensive folding bike and comes with a handy carrying bag that keeps its not-secured folded parts, such as the handlebar stem and frame half, from swinging around when you’re carrying it. (Many folding bikes we tested didn’t come with a carrying bag.) That said, the Loop is heavy, at 30.2 pounds, and it doesn’t fold as easily or as compactly as some of the more expensive bikes we tested.

The Shark PowerDetect HZ4002 does an admirable job of cleaning bare floors and does almost as well on carpet. It features an auto-detect mode that adjusts the brush roll speed to the surface, transitioning efficiently between the two. It can be pulled apart for compact storage, allowing it to stand on its own and take up minimal space. This model even delivers powerful suction in reverse for more efficient cleaning in both a forward and backward motion. We’ve seen it sell at lower prices this year, but this is still a pretty good discount.

For those looking for a vacuum that cleans carpets well, the bagless Shark Navigator Professional NV360 sucks up dirt and pet hair from carpets better than any other upright vacuum. One of our favorite features of this model is its lift-away functionality. You can detach the vacuum "pod" to make cleaning stairs and the spaces under your furniture easier. As a brand, Shark vacuums get solid ratings in reliability and top-mark scores in owner satisfaction based on our member surveys. It was $20 less for Memorial Day, so it may drop in price later this week.

At 8.1 pounds, the Shark Ultralight PetPro HZ702 is extremely light. It’s outstanding at picking up pet hair, cleaning edges and bare floors—though it does less well vacuuming debris from carpet. One impressive feature is that the vacuum’s top can be detached and attached to the bottom for easy storage. It also comes with an odor neutralizer to prevent bad smells from developing in the machine.

If you’re a pet owner, take notice: the Shark Vertex DuoClean AZ2002 picks up pet hair especially well and has exceptional suction power. It also has a lift-away canister, which makes cleaning hard-to-reach places easier. The self-cleaning brush roll prevents pet hair (and any long hair) from wrapping around it and getting tangled in the vacuum. Right now, this is selling at the lowest price we’ve seen since June’s Prime Day discounts.

The best thing about the Shark PowerBoost BH102 is its run time—averaging 24 minutes, it’s one of the longest among the handheld vacs we tested. It’s very good at cleaning carpets and pet hair, though it’s not as strong at cleaning tight spaces and crevices. We like its convenience, including how easy it is to empty its dustbin. 

The TCL 65QM6K, the entry-level model in the company’s new Precision Dimming Series of step-up models with Mini LED backlights for 2025, does well for overall picture quality, but not as well in our evaluation of HDR performance. It uses the Google TV smart system with built-in Google Assistant.

The 77-inch OLED77C5PUA is LG’s midtier OLED TV for 2025, and it’s among the best sets you can buy, with great picture quality, high dynamic range, and sound. It features numerous gaming capabilities, including a 144Hz refresh rate. 

The latest Google Nest Cam (Battery) is a strong performer in our tests, offering terrific video quality, strong data security, and fast response times. It’s also one of few security cameras to give you monitoring zones, object recognition (of people, packages, animals, and vehicles), and three free hours of cloud video storage without a monthly subscription. The doorbell also works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice and app control. Cloud video storage and additional features (such as facial recognition) require a Google Nest Aware subscription.

The Google Nest Cam with Floodlight is $65 less than it was for Memorial Day. It offers impeccable video quality, strong data security, and speedy response times. Its features include activity zones to control what areas in front of the camera trigger recording, app/voice control (via Amazon Alexa, Google Home/Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings), and free object detection for people, animals, and vehicles. That last feature is a big deal because most competitors charge you a subscription for it. Cloud video storage and additional features require a Nest Aware subscription.

Google’s newest smart thermostat, the Nest Learning Thermostat 4th gen, comes with a remote temperature sensor that you can place in another room to balance heating and cooling. It’s one of just a few Matter-compatible smart thermostats on the market, meaning it works with any major smart home system, including Apple Home.

This smart thermostat was just $215 earlier this week, so the price may drop again for Black Friday.

The Versa 4 is a great fit for Fitbit fans who want a sleeker-looking smartwatch. You get a good-sized display and all the basics, from GPS-enabled workout tracking to heart rate monitoring. Plus, the battery lasted a generous period of time in CR’s testing. The price dipped $14 since the start of the sale before returning to $165 at both Amazon and Walmart but it has sold for $125 before; that price doesn’t seem to be returning at this point.

If what you want is a slim, reliable fitness tracker that keeps tabs on the basics—like your sleep, step count, and heart rate—the Fitbit Inspire 3 is a good buy. It also has a convenient 10-day claimed battery life. It was $67 during the last big sale, so the price may drop later in the week.

The Fitbit Charge has dropped $25 since the start of the sale, making it the only Fitbit whose price has dipped significantly. The Charge line has always featured great general-purpose trackers, and the Charge 6 is no exception. It’s sleek, with a 1.1-inch full-color display, making it suitable for the gym and the office. And some of its health-tracking features—like stress monitoring and an ECG (electrocardiogram) function that can alert you to irregular heart rhythms—are more on a par with a smartwatch. The Charge 6 earns excellent test scores in key categories and has more precise heart rate monitoring than its predecessor, the Charge 5. Claimed battery life for the Fitbit Charge 6 is seven days.

The JBL Flip 7 is a classic do-it-all speaker. It’s small enough to stuff into a bag, but delivers enough sound to provide background music at a barbecue. It’s IP68 water-resistant and dustproof, and the company claims you can drop it from 1 meter onto a concrete floor and it’ll keep working. Also, according to JBL, it delivers 16 hours of music on a single charge.

This Denon model is a 2.1-channel soundbar, though it has built-in bass drivers rather than a separate subwoofer. It supports Dolby Atmos audio but not DTS:X. However, it lacks up-firing drivers, so it relies on audio processing to deliver an impression of height. It has decent overall sound but is a fairly basic model in many ways, not surprising given its price. It has built-in Bluetooth for playing music from a mobile device.

If you often print in color, consider an inkjet model that will save you money in the long run, especially at a sale price like this. The Epson ET-150000 tank printer has a reservoir you can refill with low-cost bottled ink instead of expensive ink cartridges, and those ongoing savings make the purchase price far more palatable. You can count on the ET-150000 to print crisp, colorful photos. Plus, this model scans, copies, faxes, and accommodates wider 13”-by-19” paper.