Mason Hayes

Last summer I set out to find the best kamado ceramic grills for grilling because I was tired of my old gas grill producing flat, lifeless burgers. The kamado had always intrigued me with claims of charcoal flavor, fuel efficiency, and the ability to hold 225F for hours without babysitting. After 90 days of testing … Read more

I spent eight weekends flipping smash burgers, frying eggs, and searing steaks on eight different flat top gas griddles. Some cooked like restaurant-grade equipment, others struggled to brown a pancake evenly. The difference between the best and worst models came down to heat distribution, build quality, and how easy they were to clean. If you’re … Read more

After burning through more than 80 pounds of propane and flipping close to 1,000 burgers, chicken thighs, and breakfast skillets, I can tell you exactly which portable tabletop propane grill earns a spot in your trunk. My team spent 12 weekends testing every model in this guide across campsite picnic tables, tailgates, and a fourth-floor … Read more

I spent the last three months testing 10 of the top-rated outdoor kitchen storage islands on my own patio, grilling through rain, sun, and a few accidental drops of BBQ sauce. What I found surprised me. Some budget carts outperformed premium models, and one mid-range pick nearly dethroned my old $2,000 built-in setup. An outdoor … Read more

Looking for the best built-in gas grill heads for your outdoor kitchen project? You came to the right place. After spending 60+ hours comparing specs, reading 600+ verified buyer reviews, and digging into installation forums, our team put together this definitive roundup. A built-in gas grill head is a permanent outdoor cooking appliance designed to … Read more

Finding the best wood pellet flavors for pellet grills completely changed how my barbecue tastes. I spent years thinking all hardwood pellets were basically the same compressed sawdust, until I lined up ten bags side by side and ran a blind taste test on pork butt, chicken thighs, and brisket. The difference between a generic … Read more

Nothing beats the smoky flavor of food cooked over real charcoal. After three summers of testing charcoal grills in my backyard — from $55 portable kettles to $1,400 ceramic kamados — I can tell you the difference between an okay grill and a great one comes down to airflow, build quality, and how easy it … Read more

I wasted an entire summer dumping lighter fluid on charcoal, dodging flare-ups, and tasting petrochemicals on every burger I grilled. Then I bought my first chimney starter, and the entire backyard cooking routine changed. A charcoal chimney starter is a simple cylindrical metal device that uses convection to light briquettes or lump charcoal evenly, without … Read more

I still remember the first time I fried a turkey outdoors. The wind carried that golden, crispy smell across the backyard, and I realized my indoor fryer had been holding me back for years. After that cookout, I went down a rabbit hole testing outdoor deep fryers for months. I burned through gallons of oil, … Read more

When winter dumps 12+ inches of heavy, wet snow on your driveway, a single-stage blower or a plastic snow shovel just won’t cut it. Our team has spent the past several winters testing gas-powered snow blowers in brutal nor’easter conditions, and we can tell you firsthand: the right two-stage gas snow blower turns an exhausting … Read more

I spent the last three months testing lawn edgers on my own property, my neighbor’s yard, and a community garden plot to find the best lawn edgers for clean borders. After edging roughly 2,400 linear feet of sidewalk, driveway, and flower bed edges, I learned that not every edger handles thick Bermuda grass the same … Read more

I spent the last three months testing every type of lawn aerator I could find on stubborn clay soil in my backyard, and the results surprised me. The spike aerators I’d relied on for years were actually making parts of the lawn worse, the cheapest rolling spike model outperformed a premium push roller, and a … Read more

Last spring I hauled six yards of mulch across my half-acre garden with a borrowed single-wheel wheelbarrow. By the end of the day my back hurt, the wheel kept wobbling into the fence, and half the mulch ended up scattered along the path. That weekend I started researching the best wheelbarrows for gardening so I … Read more

Last spring I moved 4 cubic yards of river rock by hand. Two weekends and a thrown-out lower back later, I bought my first serious garden cart. That decision saved me hundreds of trips and about a dozen Advil. The best garden carts for hauling are not all created equal. Some hold 600 lb but … Read more

Looking for the best rowing machines for home gyms without wasting money on the wrong model? I have been testing indoor rowers for our team since 2019, and the gap between a $100 hydraulic rower and a $990 Concept2 RowErg is something you feel within the first five strokes. Our team recently spent six weeks … Read more

The drop zone by the front door is the most chaotic square foot in any home. Shoes pile up, bags migrate to the floor, and the whole entry starts to feel like a closet explosion. After helping our team test 17 entryway benches across three months, I learned that the right storage bench quietly fixes … Read more

I still remember the day my dad tried to mount my old upright stationary bike after his hip surgery. He wobbled, grabbed the handlebars, and almost took a tumble. That moment made me realize why the best recumbent exercise bikes for seniors are a completely different category from regular fitness bikes. Recumbent bikes put you … Read more

Building a serious home gym used to mean shelling out for a gym membership on top of equipment. Now the best power racks for home gyms put commercial-grade strength training right in your garage, basement, or spare room. I have spent the last three months testing 12 different power racks, swapping them in and out … Read more

Building a home gym used to mean buying a dozen separate machines and clearing out your garage. I spent three months testing 12 of the most popular home gym systems on the market to see which ones actually deliver full-body workouts without needing a commercial gym membership. Home gym systems have come a long way … Read more

Choosing the best all-in-one printers for families used to be straightforward. You grabbed whatever was on sale and hoped the ink lasted through the school year. After watching three families struggle with dried-out cartridges, mysterious Wi-Fi dropouts, and surprise ink bills, our team decided to dig deeper. Over the past 90 days, our team tested … Read more