Best Gifts Under $200

A more budget-friendly take on Ninja’s Coffee Bar brewers, the Ninja Specialty CM401 is a terrific all-in-one machine capable of brewing hot and iced coffee, lattes, macchiatos, and other specialty brews. In our tests, it receives an excellent rating for brew performance, and its glass carafe is easy to handle. This model is also packed with features, including an over-ice brew mode for iced coffee, a built-in milk frother, brew-strength control, and brew-size adjustment for everything from travel mugs to full carafes. It’s one of the most versatile coffee makers we’ve tested.

For more options: Best Drip Coffee Makers

The Chefman Accufry RJ38-SQPF-5T2P-W is a standout air fryer for its key features. A viewing window in the basket lets you check on food without disrupting the cooking cycle. It also has a built-in temperature probe, a shake indicator to ensure that food cooks evenly, and plenty of preprogrammed cycles, including hi-fry for adding an extra-crispy finish. Our experts found this model to be among the quietest in our tests, plus it’s easy to clean and has simple controls. It comes with a one-year warranty.

For more options: Best Air Fryers

The 9-cup Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System BN801 is a top performer all-around that’s budget-friendly. In addition to hitting our icy-drinks test out of the park, this full-sized blender is excellent at puréeing. It also has a pulse function so that you can whip up creamy mayonnaise or pancake mix with ease. Ninja full-sized blenders receive favorable scores for reliability and owner satisfaction in CR’s latest member survey.

For more options: Best Blenders for Making Smoothies

The Breville BOV650XL toaster oven earns a very good rating in our baking tests, turning out sugar cookies and corn muffins that were done in the center and golden on top and bottom. Functions include bake, broil, and roast, and there are specific settings for baking pizza and toasting bagels. This toaster oven has three rack positions and offers a temperature range of 120° F to 450° F. Models in our ratings range from 800 to 1,875 watts, so this 1,800-watt machine is near the top in terms of power. (The higher the wattage, the more energy delivered.)

For more options: Best Toaster Ovens

Here’s a mixer that looks great and performs well in our tests. It whips heavy cream and did a pretty good job with cookie dough, too. Use it for your favorite recipes.

If you love the convenience of nonstick cookware but are wary of traditional Teflon coatings, this ceramic frying pan from Caraway may be the answer. In our tests, fried eggs slid out easily and the surface stood up well in our durability test. Another plus: It’s induction-compatible.

At a little over 7 pounds, the Merten & Storck German Enameled Iron 1873 is the lightest Dutch oven in our ratings. That’s because it’s made of enameled iron as opposed to enameled cast iron, like the rest of the models we’ve tested. The advantage is that it’s easier to lift and heats up fast. In our tests, it baked bread like a champ, earning a top-level score, and was a cinch to clean. Its performance in our simmering sauce and cooking evenness tests was on a par with the other pots we tested. And at 10 inches, its cooking surface diameter is larger than most pots in our ratings.

For more options: Best Dutch Ovens

Sleep Number’s ComfortFit Ultimate is made of a blend of memory foam pieces and down alternative fibers. Inside the pillow casing are three layers that can be added or removed to tailor the pillow to the level you need. It earned top support ratings for both side and back sleepers in our tests, and we found it to be very breathable. It’s not as resilient as some other options in our ratings, though, and might not hold its shape as well over time.

For more options: Best Pillows

Looking for a new set of sheets? The Brooklinen Luxe Core delivers impressive results in our tests for both fit and shrinkage, which means that though they do tend to get smaller during washes, they don’t get out of shape all that much over time. They’re also noted for being on the softer side, based on our sensory test.

For more options: Best Sheets

The Oral-B iO 7 is currently our highest-rated electric toothbrush, with excellent ratings in our cleaning and battery performance tests, and very good ratings for both ease of use and noise levels. It has a timer, a pressure sensor, five cleaning modes, and a low-battery indicator, and it connects to a smartphone app.

For more options: Best Electric Toothbrushes

If you prefer Google Assistant to Alexa, the Google Nest Audio may be a good choice. Alexa smart speakers have a wider variety of skills and can be great for shopping on Amazon. But some users like Google’s powerful search function and find Google’s interface to be more natural and easier to use.

Google brags about the Nest Audio’s sonic performance, but our testers found that the gains are more modest. The speaker generates enough volume for a midsized room, but the midrange is a little hazy and there’s some sizzle on the high frequencies. While it’s better than the old Google Home, the Nest Audio still can’t compete with the best-sounding smart speakers. It also doesn’t sound quite as good as the similarly priced fourth-generation Amazon Echo.

The Roam SL is the nonsmart version of the Sonos Roam smart speaker, the smallest and most portable model in the manufacturer’s lineup. Like its sibling, the SL has that Sonos look and feel, but our testers report that you can get similar sound and overall performance in a cheaper speaker like the JBL Flip 5. If you’ve already invested in a Sonos multiroom system, note that the Roam SL allows you to bring Bluetooth functionality to all your Sonos gear. And Sonos devices are rarely discounted, so you probably won’t find a better price for the Roam SL.

Apple has tweaked the shape of the AirPods’ now-classic hard plastic ear tip and added active noise canceling. Without the tight seal from a silicone ear tip, the AP4s can’t achieve the deep silence of the best noise-canceling earbuds, but they still provide a nice compromise for those who like the easy fit of the classic AirPods but want a little help drowning out the engine of an Airbus A320.

Although the original Amazon Echo didn’t perform so great in our lab tests, the company has improved the sonics over its speaker line in recent years—and the Echo Studio is now the best-sounding option of the bunch. Featuring a deep and powerful bass, a clean midrange, and smooth treble, the Studio is in fact one of the very best-sounding smart speakers to pass through our labs. When playing Dolby Atmos and 3D audio content, CR’s testers reported that the model provides a spacious “sound field” that can fill a room. But the speaker’s Stereo Spatial Enhancement setting adds a bit of an echo, so we recommend switching it off.

For more options: Best Smart Speakers

The Fossil Gen 6 is a sleek-looking smartwatch that’s compatible with both Android phones and iPhones. It offers excellent ease of use and versatility, while also performing top-level in our water resistance test. The Gen 6 features stand-alone GPS, which helps runners and cyclists track their workouts, and a blood oxygen sensor that enhances sleep tracking. But its claimed battery life is only one day.

For more options: Best Smartwatches

The Fitbit Inspire 2 is a great option for the budget-conscious consumer. It’s lightweight and slim, and it offers GPS functionality, so you can leave your phone behind when you go out for a run. Our testers report that it’s easy to use and quite accurate at counting steps, but other models do better when it comes to heart rate accuracy. The claimed battery life is respectable at five days. The model also makes good on Fitbit’s claim of water resistance of up to 164 feet.

For more options: Best Fitness Trackers

You can pick up this model for just $60, and our tests show it beats those that cost hundreds more. The Soundcore Life Q20 has great sound quality and outstanding noise cancellation. It doesn’t sound quite as good as top-rated models like the Apple AirPods Max, and you won’t get sought-after features like adjustable levels of noise canceling. But at this price, those may be sacrifices worth making.

For more options: Best Budget Noise-Canceling Headphones