Best Early Prime Big Deal Days Sales Under $50

Kate Spade’s 2-Slice Toaster nabbed an excellent score in our lab tests for color range and toasting time. That means it evenly browns your slices—no matter whether you like ’em light or dark—and it does it quickly, so you’re not drooling into those toaster wells (which happen to be big enough for bagels).

The yellow version was only $36 during early Prime Day sales, but this is the lowest price on offer right now.

The Cosori Lite CAF-LI211 is perfect for anyone with limited counter space. This measured 1.7-quart air fryer is packed with appealing features such as a dishwasher-safe basket, preprogrammed settings, and a digital display, but with a footprint of just 9x11 inches, it comes in a small package (and a fairly small price tag, too). What’s more, this model was a standout in our tests, receiving high marks for being easy to use and to clean and remaining at a low volume while cooking. The Cosori Lite comes with a two-year warranty.

The unassuming, inexpensive Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Programmable 49465R might be easy to miss, but it can brew a mean cup of joe at a fantastic price. It has all the essentials in a basic black-plastic finish. It’s programmable and has auto-shutoff. What’s more, it does a superb job in our brewing test and can make a fresh pot in just 10 minutes. This model also performs strongly for convenience and carafe handling in CR’s lab tests. But it’s worth mentioning that this model is more prone to overflow, unlike some other models we’ve tested.

The programmable 12-Cup Capresso SG220 is a great choice for those seeking a coffee maker that’s very easy to operate and clean, and Sam’s Club has it for $10 less than any other retailer. It’s a simple machine with a large capacity and a 9-minute brew time, and CR’s testers rate it excellent for convenience. It also does well in terms of brew performance. Though it lacks small-batch settings, it includes brew-strength controls and basic features, such as a drip stop. In our latest survey, CR members gave Capresso drip coffee makers an average score for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction.

The Babish 14-inch carbon steel wok has a flat bottom, making it usable on all types of cooktops, including electric and induction. In our tests, cooking evenness in this wok was top-notch, and it showed very good heating speed. In addition to its main handle, there’s a metal helper handle, making it easier to lift when full. Our testers found it easy to clean and use. This wok comes pre-seasoned, which is handy because seasoning a wok manually can be a time-consuming process.

Snake River Farms is CR’s top choice for mail-order steaks, and their Black-grade filet mignon is discounted right now. The company specializes in American Wagyu, and thanks to above-par marbling, its steaks achieve scores above USDA Prime. The steaks are shipped in a reusable insulated cooler alongside dry ice, and our testers found the filet and rib-eye they cooked up to both be rich and full of flavor.

The Pebble Premium whetstone is a double-sided sharpening stone with a coarse side and a fine side on the same stone. If the sharpening process is something you enjoy, this might be the way to go. You can sharpen any knife to the exact angle you want; a tool called a bevel gauge (sold at hardware stores) can help you find the angle. It put an edge on both of the knives our tester used to evaluate the sharpeners, which none of the electric or manual sharpeners could match.

ThermoPro’s SmartBT Meat Thermometer TP920 is one of the lower-priced leave-in two-probe wireless thermometers. It sends instant temperature readings to your smartphone via Bluetooth, offering excellent response time and accuracy. The easy-to-use app estimates the remaining cooking time for nearly all cuts and varieties of meat based on guidelines from the Department of Agriculture.

If you want a reliable pair of noise-canceling headphones under $50, this Soundcore model could be right for you. Soundcore Q20i Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling headphones performed admirably in our tests for noise reduction and sound quality, and they come with a detachable audio cable and a USB-A to USB-C charging cable.

Despite its small size and low price, the sphere-shaped Dot offers the same smart speaker functionality as its far more expensive brethren. It can also serve as an inexpensive way to introduce smart speaker functionality throughout your home in an Alexa-based multiroom system. You can even pair an Echo to a Bluetooth speaker you already own to lend that one smart speaker functionality. The Dot provides an inexpensive way to test the smart speaker waters, and the price makes it a reasonable gift even if you’re on a budget. We’ve seen it sell for under $25 during Black Friday last year, so it might be worth holding out if you’re thinking of giving it as a gift.

For simply listening to your favorite playlist, the JBL Tune 510 hits the value button. These on-ear headphones don’t have active noise cancellation and offer only modest physical isolation. But they sound a lot better than they should for under $30, comparing favorably to headphones that cost hundreds of dollars more.

The Guohaoi Cooling Blanket was the second most cooling blanket we tested. When wearing it for an hour, the evaluator reported it felt very cool and didn’t retain heat. The front of this blanket is constructed with nylon and polyester and feels like smooth, cool swimsuit material. The back is made from Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified cotton. The stitching isn’t the neatest and feels a little inexpensive, and the two layers aren’t attached, but you can often expect some shortcomings for lower-priced items, and the important thing is that this blanket has a cooling effect as advertised.

The Labigo Electric Spin Scrubber comes with four different cleaning heads (large flat, small flat, pointed corner, and large round). It has a single speed and weighs 26 ounces with its extension handle. The unit’s battery is located in the handle, and its head is fixed at 45 degrees, so this unit may not fit into tighter spaces.

This handheld steamer is a great option if you need something for travel because it’s lightweight, about the size and shape of a flat iron (great for packing), and you can use regular old tap water. It offers 8 minutes of steaming with a manual steam button on the handle, and it was the fastest steamer to heat up in our lab test, ready to go after 40 seconds. Our evaluator recommended using a spray bottle to dampen any especially deep wrinkles to help the steamer get the job done. It was $5 less recently, but this is still a good price for the convenience.

The Phomemo M110 is the bigger, bulkier version of the Phomemo D30, which we also evaluated and liked. The M110 offers a bit more flexibility with the size of the label you’re creating. It uses the same app, and has a wide variety of fonts, styles, and images, with quick creation and easy label cutting. Its size, compared with the smaller Phomemo, makes it a bit less portable, and its alignment isn’t as precise when it comes to cutting the label exactly on the cut line compared with other label printers. But it’s still a solid option.

The Frida 3-in-1 with Diffuser and Nightlight cool-mist humidifier is quiet, efficient, and works well even when filled with hard water. It’s also fairly convenient; for instance, it shuts off automatically when empty and glows in the dark. You can also add essential oils for the unit to diffuse. However, we found it didn’t live up to the manufacturer’s claim that it could humidify areas up to 320 square feet—say, a room of about 18x18 feet. So, it’s better off being used in a smaller area.

The Bedsure Electric Heated Flannel Blanket Throw might be a worthwhile purchase if you like to keep your home cold in the summer, but someone in the household prefers to stay warm. This blanket is thin and light. Though it’s cozy, it resembles an inexpensive fleece blanket you’d find at a grocery store. One side is striped flannel and the other is linty fleece. The flannel isn’t the best quality, but it does get hot. And it has the lightest wires of the blankets we evaluated. Prices vary by color, and the option shown here is the lowest price available.

The JALL Wake Up Light Sunrise Alarm Clock is a budget-friendly pick that is easy to use and set up. It has two independent alarms (so you can set them for different times depending on your routine), seven alarm tones (including “wind bells” and birds chirping), an FM radio, and a fall-asleep mode that simulates a sunset (though no white-noise option). According to the manufacturer, it emits a maximum light intensity of 240 lux. Tapping the snooze button will temporarily shut off both the light and the sound. (The advantage: You’re more likely to fall back asleep in the dark. The disadvantage? You’re more likely to fall back asleep in the dark.)

The Panergy bladeless neck fan is the same delightful shade of pink as its handheld fan (it also comes in white and black). Our tester found that it performs its basic function just fine, with the added perk of being super flexible: Its pliable silicone back allows it to be nearly as wide or as narrow as desired.

The Tymo Ring Straightening Comb is just $5 more than its best price (so it will probably fall back to that low price again for the big sale). CR writer and product tester Jodhaira Rodriguez was impressed with how well and how quickly this comb straightened her frizzy, dry hair. It’s shaped like a traditional hair comb with smooth, horizontal teeth. Because of the smoothness of the bristles, hair isn’t gripped as it passes through the comb; it glides smoothly just like a comb does, as long as the hair is detangled. It has five temperature settings that range from 266° F to 410° F, and an auto-shutoff feature that turns the straightening comb off after 30 minutes.

Stainless steel litter boxes have grown popular recently, thanks largely to the nonstick material that is much easier to clean than other traditional litter boxes. I personally own a stainless box for my cats, and it really is a simpler process to get everything disinfected when I change out the litter. And our evaluator had a similar experience, saying it only took a few swipes with soap and water and a generous rinsing to get it shining like new again. The one thing I will say is the sound of your cats digging around is much different (and much louder) when they’re scratching metal versus plastic.

This automatic feeder allows pet owners to schedule up to three meals a day, in any desired quantity, says Amanda Arnold, senior manager of business analytics at CR. The device has a maximum capacity of 26 cups and can be programmed to give out meals as small as 2 teaspoons. Psst! Act fast, this one’s currently on sale for 60 percent off its original price.

The Arlo Essential 2K (VMC3050-100NAS) is one of Arlo’s more budget-friendly security cameras, and we’ve never seen the price dip so low for this three-camera bundle. It performs well in our tests and features a built-in spotlight, a siren, and voice/app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Additional features, such as activity zones, person detection, and cloud video storage, require an Arlo Secure subscription.

The Aqara Camera E1 is a strong performer, especially for video quality and alert response time. It can store footage on a microSD card (up to 512GB; sold separately) and offers plenty of features, including person detection, motorized pan-and-tilt so you can remotely change the camera’s view, and a privacy mode that will point the camera at a wall or ceiling.

The TP-Link Tapo C120 is an affordable outdoor security camera that offers impeccable performance for its price. It also offers a ton of features and doesn’t require a subscription to take advantage of them. Those features include activity zones, AI alerts (for people, pets, and vehicles), color night vision, two-way audio, built-in spotlights, and local video storage using up to a 512GB microSD card (not included).

If you want to monitor a handful of trouble spots in your home, the X-Sense Wi-Fi Water Leak Detector SWS54 provides the best bang for your buck. You get a hub with a siren and three wireless sensors you can place throughout your home. The sensors are unique in that they can detect both water standing on the floor and water that drips on them from exposed pipes or other sources. Each sensor has a siren, too, allowing you to easily identify the source of an alert without checking the X-Sense app. This is $5 more than the best price.