Useful, not too personal, and easy to like when you don't know someone well: things for the desk, the commute and the office party. Each pick was recommended by independent reviewers.
Every product below comes from recent independent reviews, and an automated fact check confirmed each detail against its source. We don't test products ourselves. How we pick.
Products last fact-checked .
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Insulated travel mug
A lidded, insulated mug for coffee or tea on the go.
Budget pick
Zojirushi Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Mug
- Comes in 12, 16 and 20 oz sizes. (Taste of Home)
- Locking flip-top lid; reviewers at Taste of Home found it leakproof. (Taste of Home)
- Reviewers at Taste of Home rated it best for hot coffee after a six-hour temperature test. (Taste of Home)
- Gear Patrol notes a five-year warranty on heat retention. (Gear Patrol)
Recommended in: Taste of Home, Gear Patrol
See price on AmazonMid-range pick
Thermos Stainless King Vacuum-Insulated Travel Tumbler, 16 oz
- Holds 16 oz. (Taste of Home)
- Reviewers at Taste of Home found it didn't leak, even when shaken upside down. (Taste of Home)
- Fully dishwasher safe. (Taste of Home)
- Has a built-in tea hook that holds tea bags and most loose-leaf infusers. (Gear Patrol)
Recommended in: Taste of Home, Gear Patrol
See price on AmazonInsulated water bottle
An insulated bottle for hikes, the gym or a desk.
Budget pick
OXO Strive Insulated Water Bottle
- Double-wall insulated, and it can hold hot water as well as cold. (Food Network)
- Slim enough to fit easily in a car cupholder. (Food Network)
- Entirely dishwasher safe. (Food Network)
- Reviewers at Food Network found it passed their drop test. (Food Network)
Recommended in: Food Network
See price on AmazonMid-range pick
Owala FreeSip Sway
- Flip-top lid offers both a straw-style sip spout and a wider opening for chugging. (OutdoorGearLab)
- Comes in 30 oz and 40 oz sizes. (Treeline Review)
- Reviewers at Treeline Review found it fits car cupholders, which is unusual for a large insulated bottle. (Treeline Review)
- Reviewers at Treeline Review found its lid didn't spill or pop open when the bottle was dropped. (Treeline Review)
Recommended in: OutdoorGearLab, Treeline Review
See price on AmazonSplurge pick
YETI Rambler 26 oz Bottle
- Double-walled 18/8 stainless steel bottle. (OutdoorGearLab)
- Reviewers at OutdoorGearLab found the lid completely leakproof in testing. (OutdoorGearLab)
- Reviewers at Treeline Review found no dents or scuffs after two years of drops off kayaks and down hillsides. (Treeline Review)
- Dishwasher safe. (Treeline Review)
Recommended in: OutdoorGearLab, Treeline Review
See price on AmazonParty card game
A card game with quick, silly rounds for groups.
Budget pick
Flip 7
- Flipping seven cards ends the round at once, and the first player to reach 200 points wins. (Meeple Mountain)
- Plays 3 to 18 players in about 20 minutes. (Wargamer)
- Wargamer rated it 10/10 in its list of the best card games. (Wargamer)
Recommended in: Meeple Mountain, Board Game Quest, BuzzFeed
See price on AmazonClip-on book light
Clips onto a book for reading in bed without lighting up the room.
Budget pick
Glocusent Portable Clip-on LED Reading Light
- Offers eight adjustable light settings. (TODAY (Shop TODAY))
- The head tilts and rotates, so you can aim the light and turn pages without re-clipping it. (TODAY (Shop TODAY))
- Reviewers at Shop TODAY found it compact and better suited to smaller books such as paperbacks. (TODAY (Shop TODAY))
Recommended in: TODAY (Shop TODAY)
See price on AmazonBluetooth item tracker
A small tag that helps find keys or a bag with a phone.
Budget pick
Chipolo Pop
- Works with either Apple's Find My network (iPhone) or Google's Find Hub network (Android). (Engadget)
- Engadget lists a replaceable battery that lasts about a year. (Engadget)
- Rated IP55 for splashes and dust, and has a hole for a key ring. (Engadget)
- In Engadget's test, its left-behind alert came when the tester was about 400 feet from their things. (Engadget)
Recommended in: Engadget
See price on AmazonMid-range pick
Pebblebee Clip 5
- Works with Apple's Find My network on an iPhone or Google's Find Hub network on an Android phone. (Engadget)
- Recharges over USB-C and is rated for up to 12 months per charge. (Engadget)
- Engadget measured its ring at 97 decibels, the loudest tag it had tested, and rang it from about 480 feet away with line of sight. (Engadget)
- Rated IP66 and comes with a carabiner-style key ring. (Engadget)
Recommended in: Engadget, Yahoo Tech, Android Authority
See price on AmazonHardcover journal
A hardcover notebook for lists, notes or a daily journal.
Mid-range pick
Leuchtturm1917 Classic Notebook (Medium A5, hardcover)
- An A5-size hardcover notebook that is thread-bound, with numbered pages and an elastic closure band. (Werd.com)
- The paper is 80 g/m² and acid-free. (Werd.com)
- Pages come in blank, lined, squared or dotted versions. (NBC Select (NBC News))
Recommended in: NBC Select (NBC News), Werd.com, Book Riot, Popular Science
See price on AmazonHandheld milk frother
A small whisk that froths milk for lattes at home.
Budget pick
Zulay Kitchen Powerful Milk Frother Wand
- A Kitchn writer also uses it instead of an electric hand mixer to make a quick soft whipped cream. (The Kitchn (via Yahoo Shopping))
Recommended in: The Kitchn (via Yahoo Shopping)
See price on AmazonMid-range pick
Zulay Kitchen Tornado Handheld Milk Frother
- Battery-powered, with one-button control. The batteries aren't included. (Yahoo Shopping)
- Has a triple whisk and comes with a stand for storing it upright on the counter. (Yahoo Shopping)
- It doesn't heat milk, so milk for a hot drink has to be warmed separately. (Yahoo Shopping)
- Yahoo's tester found it frothed dairy and almond milk into a rich foam in about a minute, and it still worked as well after months of use. (Yahoo Shopping)
Recommended in: Yahoo Shopping
See price on AmazonSplurge pick
Rösle Stainless Steel Dual Speed Frother
- Has two speeds: fast for frothing milk and slow for emulsifying vinaigrettes. (Food Network)
- Weighs 0.23 pounds and measures 1.5 by 10.5 inches, so it can be stored in a drawer. (Food Network)
- It doesn't heat milk; Food Network says to heat dairy or almond milk first if you want hot froth. (Food Network)
- Food Network's tester got hot or cold whole milk to three or four times its volume in under two minutes. (Food Network)
Recommended in: Food Network
See price on AmazonPortable power bank
A pocket-sized battery for charging a phone away from an outlet.
Budget pick
OKZU 10000
- Holds 10,000 mAh. (CleverHiker)
- Weighs 6.6 oz on CleverHiker's scale. (CleverHiker)
- Recharged from empty to full in about 2 hours 36 minutes in CleverHiker's test. (CleverHiker)
Recommended in: CleverHiker
See price on AmazonMid-range pick
Nitecore NB Air
- Holds 5,000 mAh. CleverHiker measured about 16 Wh of usable energy. (CleverHiker)
- Weighs about 3.1 oz. (CleverHiker)
- Rated IPX7, meaning it can be submerged to about 1 m for 30 minutes. (Pack Hacker)
- Has a single USB-C port rated at 18W in and out. (Pack Hacker)
Recommended in: CleverHiker, CleverHiker, Pack Hacker
See price on AmazonSplurge pick
FLEXTAIL Zero Power 10000
- Packs 10,000 mAh into about 5 oz. (CleverHiker)
- Has two USB-C ports and no USB-A. (CleverHiker)
- Supports pass-through charging. (CleverHiker)
- Outputs up to 22.5W and is rated IPX4 for splashes, not submersion. (PaddlingLight)
Recommended in: CleverHiker, PaddlingLight, Adventure Alan
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