We may earn a commission if you make a purchase through one of our links. The LA Times editorial staff was not involved in the creation of this content. Learn more

Featured
A new component is quickly emerging as a must-have addition for blenders — the travel jar. Travel jars offer the convenience of blending and enjoying your favorite drinks on the go. With their compact size and secure lids, these portable containers make it easier than ever to maintain a healthy lifestyle while keeping up with your busy schedule.
April 01, 2024
Bestcovery has tested several blenders over the past few weeks to help you find the best one for your home. If you still don't know which one to get, we’ve got another comparison for you! Below is my honest review and comparison of the Blendtec GO Travel Bottle and Base and the Beastmode blender by Beast. Whether you’re looking for convenience, versatility, or durability, we’ll break down the features of both options to help you make the right choice.
March 22, 2024
When it comes to finding the right blender for your needs, there are many options to choose from. From small compact blenders to high-powered, professional-grade models, every blender has its own features and capabilities. To help you find the perfect blender, Bestcovery put popular ones to the test! Below is my honest review of the Beast Blender, including what I liked, what could be improved, and whether or not I’d recommend it.
March 12, 2024
Most Popular
  • Are you on the hunt for a new blender but having a hard time making a decision? Feeling overwhelmed with choices? If so, you’ve come to the right place! Vitamix and Blendtec stand as major contenders in the blender market, so Bestcovery put them to the test. Check out my honest review and comparison below to determine which one truly reigns supreme in this ultimate blender showdown.
    February 23, 2024
  • In today's fast-paced world full of busy schedules, even essential tasks like oral hygiene can sometimes get rushed or overlooked. The Y-Brush Electric Toothbrush offers a promising solution to this common problem. Unlike traditional toothbrushes that recommend a full two-minute brushing session, the Y-Brush only takes 20 seconds to do the job.
    December 01, 2023
  • There's nothing quite like the feeling of a new pair of leggings, especially when you find one that fits just right. Athleta and Lululemon, two major companies in the athletic apparel industry, claim to have the best leggings. They're both popular brands with thousands of good reviews, but which one is better? We decided to settle the debate ourselves! We tested a pair of leggings from both brands to help you decide which one is worth investing in.
    October 13, 2023
  • The world of adhesive is vast and sprawling, but the king of the hill has to be epoxy. There is a special kind of epoxy for every application from simple, wooden joinery to plugging leaks in boat hulls. Choose the right one and the end result will be a joint or repair that is both strong and astoundingly long lived.We've narrowed down our selections to the most commonly-encountered types of epoxy, though this is not meant to be an exhaustive list of every type of epoxy that exists. Our recommendations take into consideration the overall effectiveness of each best epoxy in 2022, value for money, availability both off- and online, user reviews, and personal experiences with each.The following categories are represented below:Best All-Purpose EpoxyBest Wood EpoxyBest Metal EpoxyBest Plastic EpoxyBest Putty EpoxyBest Waterproof EpoxyWhere applicable, we've included multiple recommendations for your convenience. All of the epoxies selected here are great products, so it ultimately comes down to personal preference.
    February 03, 2016
Home
  • Staple guns are way useful to have around the home and garage because of how versatile they are. They can be used with everything from insulation, wiring and upholstery to hanging holiday decorations. I like to think of staple guns as an essential part of every toolbox, right alongside a hammer and a good socket set. Staple guns have a bit of infamy for being hard to use (in terms of the amount of strength it takes to pull the trigger and shoot a staple). Repeatedly using a staple gun can cause some serious hand fatigue. To help cut back on hand fatigue, every staple gun I have included below is very easy to use either by having an easy squeeze feature or eliminating a squeeze trigger. Furthermore, because staple guns are so versatile and can be used for so many different jobs, they need to be able to use a wide variety of different kinds of staples. For this reason, every staple gun I have included on this list can be used with a range of differently sized staples. Finally, best staple guns in 2022 come in electric, pneumatic and manual varieties. For the purposes of this list (and to keep costs down) I will be focusing on manual ones. This makes them easy to use and as cheap as possible.
    September 10, 2013
  • Traditionally, sharpening a chainsaw is long and tedious. It involves using a sharpening file and moving from tooth to tooth. It’s a great skill to have because it makes your chainsaw razor sharp, but only those with years of experience are able to have the patience to pull off such a task. If you’re not an expert technician at sharpening by hand, you could potentially ruin your saw. To successfully sharpen your chainsaw, you need to get the pitch and depth right on every single tooth. If you don’t do this, it makes your saw unsafe to use because it could possibly pull to the left or right during use, may become dull far too quickly or even not cut at all. Thankfully, there are a wealth of more modernized devices that help everyone get that razor sharp chain sharpening without the expert skill that comes from using a file. These devices save you tons of time, and most importantly, money (unless you don't mind paying someone to do it for you). First off, every chainsaw sharpener I have included below are not manual in some way, shape or form (whether you plug it in, use a battery, or otherwise). This is to ensure that every chain you sharpen gets done as quickly and efficiently as possible. Furthermore, price is a big issue when it comes to buying chainsaw sharpeners. There are models out there can be bought for upwards of $500. For fewer than $50, you can get a very long lasting, top quality best chain saw sharpeners in 2022 that doesn't break the bank. So, for the sake of this list, every sharpener can be bought for fewer than $50.
    September 04, 2013
  • Mechanics and equipment repair technicians often need to be able to take their tools with them, right to the vehicle or piece of equipment that they are working on. The mechanic’s roll around tool chest was created with this in mind, allowing the mechanic to park his toolbox right next to the vehicle he’s working on. Of course, with some of the larger tool chests, that might be a little hard to do, unless the mechanic has a team of oxen to help them move their toolbox.Best Tool carts in 2022 provide the same flexibility, without having the cost or weight of a full-blown roll around tool chest. They can vary from very simple units, which just consist of a work surface on wheels, where tools can be placed, to multi-drawer units, which provide both a place to set tools and some storage as well. Generally speaking, the ones with drawers are much more flexible, as they do have some on-board tool storage.Of course, having a tool cart won’t eliminate the need for the mechanic’s roll-around. These are designed for those things that are being used at the moment, whereas a roll-around, especially the larger ones, is designed to store all of a mechanic’s tools in a secure, organized fashion.The nice thing about tool carts is their flexibility and portability. The few drawers that they do have can be used to store the most commonly used tools, leaving the rest in the main tool chest. Having a way to lock them up when going off for lunch or break is nice as well, although not all have that capability. The other thing that a tool cart can do very well is provide an easy way to take parts along. Instead of using the drawers for tools, common parts can be stored in them. In that way, between the roll-around tool chest and the tool cart, everything is right at hand.In this list, I’ve included all units with drawers, as I feel that the added storage space is definitely worth having. I’ve always said that you can’t have too much tool storage, as my personal workshop can attest to. Even with all the tool storage I have, I never have enough.These are also all steel carts, although there are several plastic ones available. The plastic ones I’ve seen are all sturdy units, which will provide excellent service and carry quite a load. However, the best units I could find were all metal ones. My one concern with plastic tool carts is that lubricants are usually petroleum products, which could possibly be damaging to some plastics. I’m sure that the manufacturers have taken this into account in their materials selection, but I still tend to be suspicious.A few of the tool carts I’ve looked at had problems with hardware. These pretty much all require some assembly by the purchaser. If the hardware that comes with the cart doesn’t’ work with the design of the cart, then all you’ve done is buy a box of headaches. None of these units have that problem, although some others that I’ve seen do.
    September 03, 2013
  • In our world of fancy power tools and high-tech, digital equipment, there is still a place for the humble sawhorse. Having something that will hold up a piece of wood while you are cutting it or doing other machining operations is essential, especially if you are working somewhere that you don’t have access to your workbench. Even when your workbench is available, best sawhorses in 2022 can multiply your effective working space, by providing you with an alternate work or cutting area.One of the great things about sawhorses is that they don’t take up a lot of room, but still provide you with a big enough work area that you can work on a full sheet of plywood. If you buy collapsible sawhorses, they take up even less room, while still giving you lots of room to work.While many carpenters still make their own sawhorses out of 2-by-4s and some scrap plywood, the commercially available ones do have some definite advantages, especially for the do-it-yourselfer. More than anything, they’re collapsible, saving valuable space in your workshop. At the same time, they save you the time of having to build your sawhorses, which isn’t really all that hard. Even so, I’ve seen a lot of wobbly sawhorses made by people who decided to do their own. When you look at the cost of materials to make your own and compare it to the cost of buying, there really isn’t that much different.There are a fairly large number of commercially available sawhorses on the market, plus a number of other work holding devices, such as the Black & Decker Workmate or the Rockwell Jawhorse. We feature these on our list for Best Portable Workbench, so you may want to take a look at them before making your decision. While not technically sawhorses, they do perform the same function, plus more.There are about three basic options in manufactured sawhorse. The first one is to buy an actual finished sawhorse. These are usually made of plastic, so they won’t knick your saw blades. The second is to buy folding legs to use with a 2-by-4 top. The third option is to buy brackets which allow you to make sawhorses out of 2-by-4s. All three have their place, depending upon your need and the money you have available to work with.Most sawhorses have a plastic or wood top member, so that you won’t knick your saw blades when you hit it (which invariably happens). However, there are a few around which are all metal construction. While these work fine, you need to be extra careful with them, so that you don’t accidentally hit them with your saw. Not only would that tend to dull your saw blade, but it’s rather hard to fix the sawhorse when it happens.This problem can be solved on metal sawhorses by putting a wood top on it. Most will have screw holes in the top member to allow for this, making it easy to protect your tools and giving longer life to your sawhorse.
    September 03, 2013
  • Hand-held best spotlights in 2022 are useful for a wide variety of activities; from outdoor sports, to changing a flat tire, to looking for the dog that jumped the fence in the middle of the night. Anytime you’re out in a vehicle and you might need light, a handheld spotlight is a nice thing to have.In most cases, hand-held spotlights take over where flashlights leave off. Most flashlights are limited to providing 100 lumens of illumination. Today’s tactical lights can provide more, with some that are topping 600 lumens. Handheld spotlights generally provide more illumination than that, with a larger reflector that focuses the light into a relatively tight beam for providing high intensity illumination in a smaller area.These spotlights come in two basic varieties, cordless ones and those that run off the vehicle’s power. The ones that run off vehicle power will usually plug into a cigarette lighter socket, while the cordless ones are usually rechargeable. Both have their advantages, depending upon how they will be used.Many of the newer spotlights on the market, like many of the newer flashlights, use high intensity LEDs to provide illumination. There are several advantages to LEDs over other types of light bulbs: Longer lasting – LEDs are typically rated at 60,000 hours of life Lower power consumption – With an LED light, batteries last much longer Shock resistance – LEDs don’t have a filament to break from shock like incandescent light bulbs do. Nor do they have a glass bulb to break like halogen and other gas filled bulbs. When looking at a spotlight, normally the most important factor is how bright it is. Besides that, you want one that is durable, so that you don’t have to worry about it breaking when you use it. Battery life is another major consideration when looking at cordless spotlights. For the corded ones, you’ll want a nice long cord. Finally, you want something that is going to be easy to work with.These units can either be rated in lumens or candlepower. The difference is that candlepower describes the light radiance at its source, while lumens describes the light intensity in a particular direction. It is usually measured over a one square foot area, one foot away from the source. While it is possible to covert from one to the other, the conversion isn’t very accurate, as they are measuring different things.There are a lot of different models of spotlights on the market, being manufactured by a lot of different companies. With all the models to choose from, it’s almost impossible to pick out five best ones. However, I’ve made my best stab at it. There are a lot of other good ones out there, but these stood out to me as having something special to offer.
    August 29, 2013
Health & Beauty
  • When it’s time for baby’s bath, not just any old soap will do. Choosing a mild formulation, which is gentle on baby’s delicate skin, is key. Baby bar soap is made especially for infants and won't strip or irritate their skin. Additionally, bar soap is typically less expensive than baby wash, and will frequently last longer as well. The following best baby soaps in 2022 made this list based on their mild, natural ingredients, moisturizing formulas, and positive online parent reviews found on Amazon and other manufacturer websites.
    January 23, 2015
  • Keeping the face soft and smooth can be difficult. It naturally picks up toxins, dirt, and debris while also harboring its own dead skin cells…yuck! Luckily, a good face peel can help solve this dilemma by literally peeling away unwanted dry skin and hidden dirt. The following five best face peels in 2022 were chosen for their powerful exfoliating ingredients that go deep down to clean pores, as well as for their smoothing qualities that leave the complexion looking even and healthy. Additionally, all of these products are powerful enough to provide lasting results without irritating sensitive skin.
    January 07, 2015
  • The bathroom scale is one of those items that you never really think about until you desperately need it. Maybe that person looking back at you in the mirror is someone you don't recognize anymore, getting soft in the midsection with a few curves that weren't there in your 20's. For those who have become more fitness conscious now, or always were from a young age, the bathroom scale can be a powerful tool in helping you reach your personal body goals. These days they couldn't be easier to use; merely step onto the device and it will give you an almost instantaneous display of your current weight. Digital scales will do this and more, like track your weight loss progress, store data for multiple users, and offer weight capacities up to 400 pounds. Body fat scales go a step or two further, offering other measurements like body fat percentage, hydration levels, even muscle mass and bone density readings in addition to your weight. Then there are the mechanical scales, just like those you may find in the doctor's office using nothing more than a simple spring and gear system that's been deemed accurate for decades, though may require repeated calibration to keep the scale in check. There's a wealth of great options out there, no matter what your personal fitness needs may require. We have found some of the best bathroom scales in 2022 you can buy on our lists below.
    November 21, 2014
  • Shaving cream is a necessity if you want to get the best results from your shave. Not only does it protect the skin as you shave and prevent rashes and breakouts, it adds moisture and keeps skin healthy and hydrated. Dry and sensitive skin types will love how moisturizing these formulas are, and will find some great products specifically for you. Normal skin will find these beneficial as well. All will enjoy the results of hydrated skin long after you have finished shaving. For more information on what to look at in selecting the best shaving cream in 2022, we have listed below to help you decide what is the best to buy.
    November 21, 2014
  • As mammals we have hair on our skin— as humans, there are places where it grows that we just don’t want it. As for the bikini area, well that's a whole topic unto itself. No matter where you have unwanted hair, shaving it constantly is a struggle. So, how do we rid ourselves of this unwanted hair? Well, shaving is the most common option, but the hair typically grows back within a day. For longer-lasting hair removal, some people choose waxing or even laser hair removal. However, the best epilator in 2022 has become one of the top choices for long-lasting hair-free skin. Epilators work similarly to waxing, where multiple hair strands are pulled from the root at one time. To get smooth, hair-free skin, check out our top picks below.
    November 11, 2014