Do you ever wonder why we’re still calling it Presidents’ Day? Me too. We’re here to check out discounts on killer gear and get in on those post-winter clearance sales, not to ruminate on rich men in powdered wigs. We’ve sorted through hundreds of sales this weekend to bring you the best deals on home and kitchen gear that we, the WIRED Gear team, have personally tested and vetted.
Be sure to read our Best Presidents’ Day Deals and mattress deals roundups for more great sales, and we’ve got discounted routers and mesh systems too.
Special offer for Gear readers: Get WIRED for just $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com, full Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.
Kitchen Deals
It’s not our top pick, but at this discounted price, the Barista Express Impress is a pretty good deal. It’s a full-featured, all-around espresso machine with a built-in grinder, so you can save on counter space. It even offers a tamping lever to help you make sure you’re getting your grounds packed just right.
Enter code FRESH20 at checkout to see the deal. This is just one of many Partners coffee roasts that are on sale for Presidents’ Day, but this is my most recent favorite. With notes of dark chocolate and dates, the Flatiron blend is perfect for those crisp mornings when chilly fog still clings to the treetops. I suggest pairing it with a little bitter dark chocolate to bring out some of its earthier notes. For more, read our Best Coffee Subscriptions guide.
I’ve never been a huge fan of automated espresso machines. Not because I’m particularly hard to please as a coffee drinker, but they’re often clunky and feel like they give you a lot more things you have to clean. The Affetto is the first automated espresso machine I’ve ever used that truly delivered on the promise of delivering a killer cup of coffee with one touch of a button. During my time with it, I got a lot of mileage out of that Americano button. All of the internal components you need to keep clean are easy to access via side panels without needing any tools.
This is our favorite kitchen thermometer. It’s quick, accurate, and problem-free. Seriously, you’ll get your measurements in about a second! What else do you need?
Personal Care Deals
Only select colors are on sale. This is one of our top picks from our Best Slippers guide, and they’re a fave of WIRED senior reviews editor Julian Chokkattu. He bought these for his wife in 2020, and they’ve held up exceptionally well. These slippers are cozy and warm but breathable enough that they never feel sweaty or too warm. They’re even robust enough to go on short walks outside, thanks to the rubber outsole.
Manitobah is an Indigenous-owned brand, staffed with Indigenous designers, and its slippers, clogs, boots, and moccasins are all made to last. Over the years I’ve acquired a small collection of Manitobah footwear, and a lot of my favorites are on sale this weekend. The Faux Fur Street Suede Moccasins are comfortable to wear indoors and outdoors, and the fur is such a convincing fake that I had to triple-check it was faux fur. I also really like the Cabin Slides for $45 ($45 off) These are the slippers I practically lived in when I was in hotels for two months during my apartment hunt. The thick soles are durable enough for running around doing errands outside the house but comfy enough that you never feel like you’re wearing shoes when you’re just lounging around inside. If you want a version with more ankle coverage, the Cabin Clogs for $50 ($70 off) are the same as the Cabin Slides but with higher ankle support.
The Drybar Buttercup is one of the top picks in our Best Hair Dryers and Diffusers guide, lauded by WIRED contributor Victoria Woollaston-Webber for its gentle drying. During testing, Victoria found its lightweight design never tired her arms out or made it a headache to maneuver. The best part is that it doesn’t over-dry your hair which can leave you looking and feeling a little frizzy—and that means it doesn’t sear your scalp, which is always a plus. This has dipped as low as $119 before, but the price tends to fluctuate.
We’ve seen this dip to $349 before but this is a solid price. The RevAir isn’t so much a blow dryer as it is a vacuum dryer. Instead of blowing air at your head, the RevAir does the exact opposite: It sucks. In a good way. WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano, known around the office for her luxurious curls, says this hair dryer changed the way she dries and styles her hair for life. During testing, Medea found the RevAir to dramatically cut down on styling time and reduce the damage hot blow drying can do to curly hair. She still uses a flat iron when she wants to wear her hair straight, but the RevAir almost gets the job done on its own. You should have no trouble straightening out looser curls or straight hair with the RevAir.
The Volo Go is a cordless hair dryer, so you can blow dry your hair anywhere in your home without being tethered to a wall outlet. WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano says it does a great job drying her curly hair without disrupting her curl pattern. It doesn’t have as many settings as some of the hair dryers we’ve tested, but even with just three (Hot, Cold, and Smart), it mostly gets the job done. The battery lasts about 25 minutes, which might not be enough time for your hair to dry depending on your hair texture.
The Zuvi Halo Hair Dryer uses infrared heat to dry your hair. WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano says it did a great job of drying her hair at a lower temperature than other hair dryers she’s tested. That’s good news for anyone’s hair, but especially if you have a curly or sensitive hair texture.
This isn’t the most fully featured home bidet you’ll find, but it does its job well. It’s nonelectric, so it doesn’t require an outlet, but that also means it doesn’t warm the water before it fires it at your backside. If that’s not a dealbreaker, it’s worth checking out. WIRED reviewer Nena Farrell says it’s showing some cosmetic wear and tear after a year of testing, but other than that it still works great.
Sofa and Office Chair Deals
Benchmade Modern offers quite a few couches in a mid-century-modern style, but the Modern Tyler Sofa caught the eye of WIRED senior writer Scott Gilbertson. But it wasn’t just the lounging experience that snagged the Modern Tyler Sofa a spot on our Best Couches guide; the buying and delivery process was seamless. Easy and breezy aren’t the first things that come to mind when you think about furniture shopping but during the ordering and delivery process, Scott found Benchmade Modern’s online store and delivery process to offer options you just can’t find elsewhere. The online store lets you browse colors, and resize the couch with a slider to see how the cushions change in the couch’s layout. You can also order a book of fabric swatches which comes with a full-size printout of your sofa to make sizing it for your living space even easier.
Most of the WIRED gear team works remotely, which means we have strong opinions on office chairs. We’ve put this expertise to good use in our Best Office Chairs guide, and the Branch Ergonomic Chair is one of the picks off of that list. WIRED senior reviews editor Julian Chokkattu says the Branch Ergonomic Chair is easy to assemble with clear instructions, but most importantly, it’s adjustable and comfy. The armrests move back and forth, the seat can move forward and back, you can adjust the lumbar support, and the nylon mesh backrest keeps you nice and cool during those long workdays.
This is the best price we’ve ever tracked on our favorite budget office chair. The Hyken is breathable thanks to its mesh design, with a sturdy body and reliable lumbar support. It’s not the best option if you need a wider seat or if you like to pull your legs up on your chair, but for most home offices, this might be the most affordable good office chair you can find.
The Branch Verve is an upgrade over the Branch Ergonomic Chair. It comes in a few more interesting colors, has a more elegant design, and does a better job of keeping your back upright. WIRED senior reviews editor Julian Chokkattu says the Verve has most of the same adjustment options the Ergonomic offers, but the armrests only go up and down not forward and back. This might not be a dealbreaker for most of you but it’s important to note, because office chairs should be comfortable, and if you need to move the arms forward and back to get comfy, you should look at the Ergonomic instead of the Verve.
If you’re looking for an office chair with a wider seat than the ones above, the Autonomous Ergochair Pro might be a good pick. I love a wider seat; I like to sit like a goblin in just about any office chair, so I need that extra room for my feet. WIRED senior editor Julian Chokkattu tested the Autonomous Ergochair Pro and noted that the mesh back helps keep you cool, but the foam seat (though comfy) can get pretty warm after a while. It’s adjustable in all the ways an office chair should be, but the knobs and levers under the seat aren’t exactly intuitive to use. Julian recommends checking out this video from Autonomous to figure out exactly which lever does what.
The Steelcase’s Gesture is comfortable no matter how you sit in it. That’s high praise coming from the WIRED gear team. It’s not as breathable as some of the other chairs we’ve tested, but you can climb on this thing however you want and it’ll find a way to make sure you’re supported while you do it. The fabric has shown some wear and tear over time, but it has one of the best warranties you’re likely to find on an office chair: 12 years. This thing will outlast your computer.
You’ll need to choose certain customizations to see the lowest price (graphite frame, medley fabric). This is as luxe as office chairs come, but the Embody is a chair often imitated but rarely surpassed. WIRED senior reviews editor Julian Chokkattu says the Embody is the chair against which he tests all other chairs. Sitting down in it feels like taking a breath of fresh air. The mechanical supports kept his back well-rested and even soothed some chronic back pain. At full price it’s a great chair, and at a discount it’s a great deal.
The Herman Miller Aeron is the other office chair you’ll see other companies trying to imitate. it has an iconic design, emphasizing airy breathability, minimal bulk, and stylish modernism. On our office chairs buying guide, we recommend most buyers shop for a used Aeron—they’ve been around for a long time, and they hold up well. But with a decent discount for this weekend, getting a factory-fresh Herman Miller Aeron is a pretty good deal. Even if you aren’t as lucky as WIRED senior editor Michael Calore, who managed to snag one for free when a San Francisco startup closed one of its offices.
