Thursday's Best Deals: Surround Sound Speakers, Cordless Vacuum, Plasma Lighter, and More

PublishedNovember 2, 2017

We start off today’s deals with surround sound speakers, a battery-powered lighter, a Hoover cordless vacuum, and much more.

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TOP TECH DEALS

Amazon usually sells certified refurbished Echo Dots for $5 less than new models, but for now at least, that discount has increased to $15. Refurbished Dots still carry the same warranty as new ones, so there’s really no downside to going this route if you want to sprinkle these around your home on a budget.

Sound bars have come to dominate the home theater audio space, but if you prefer the channel separation that you can only get with real speakers, this $199 Onkyo package has everything you need for true 5.1 surround sound. This price is only available today though, and could sell out early.

Working at a coffee shop or in an economy airplane seat doesn’t usually come with the expectation of privacy, but that’s exactly what the Moose laptop bag gives you, and then some.

When it’s closed, the Moose looks like pretty much any compact laptop bag, albeit a very attractive one. Once you open it up though, two panels can fold out and snap to the side of the bag, creating, effectively, a private nook for your laptop with tons of storage space and pockets for accessories. It may look a little silly, but if you don’t want your seat mate peeking at your screen, it’ll definitely get the job done.

My favorite little touch is the Moose’s USB charging port. Stick a USB battery pack into the pocket at the back of the bag and plug in the built-in USB cord, and it’ll pass the power through to a USB port on left flap. It’s not completely necessary, but it is really cool.

A few early bird preorders are available for $109, after which preorders will go up to $140 (sorry, we didn’t get the sample until yesterday evening). It’s expected to retail for $199 when it comes out early next year though, so you’re getting a solid deal either way by preordering.

Anker’s original SoundBuds were our readers’ favorite affordable Bluetooth headphones, but they’ve since spawned an entire line of earbuds to fit every budget and lifestyle.

The SoundBuds Curve are the newest addition to the family, and are designed with active users in mind. Their ear wings ensure they stay put while you exercise, and an internal hydrophobic coating means your sweat won’t fry them. Their best spec though? 12.5 hours of battery life, which is fantastic for Bluetooth earbuds. They normally sell for $36, but you can get them for an all-time low $26 right now, no code necessary.

The color scheme certainly isn’t for everyone, but you can’t beat the $125 price tag on these Bose SoundLink on-ear Bluetooth headphones. That’s nearly $75 less than what Amazon’s charging, and the best deal we’ve ever seen. You’ll also get free expedited shipping.

Apple’s estimates and early reports indicate that the iPhone X’s battery life will site somewhere between the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, so if that’s not going to cut it for you, you can already grab a 4,000mAh battery case for just $30 with promo code YRZQ7IO5.

If you’re one of the <squints at tech blogs and Apple Twitter> 18 or so people who are getting an iPhone X this Friday, or if you already own a phone with Qi charging, Anker’s offering our readers an exclusive discount on their PowerPort 5 charging pad. Just use promo code KINJA556 at checkout to get it for $14.

August Smart Lock lets you lock and unlock your door from anywhere using your phone, it’s even compatible with Siri. Normally selling between $225 -$200, you can get one in dark gray for $172.

Assuming you have your phone with you whenever you leave the house, an August Smart Lock-installed door will auto lock behind you and unlock as you approach. It’s especially useful because you don’t have to necessarily be home to grant or restrict access to people like dog walkers, maintenance workers, or other people who need to come into your house. It even creates a log of when the door has been opened so you monitor comings and goings.

Discounts on this device, especially this ones this big, are pretty rare, so if you’ve been thinking about getting one, I’d lock one in now.

In addition to our exclusive Qi charging pad discount, Anker’s also marking down a few of their Karapax cases for the iPhone X, including one with a built-in kickstand.

If you’re the kind of person who scoffs in the face of warranties and wants to repair their own phone, this $22 tool kit has everything you need to open pretty much any gadget, including a suction cup, spudgers, and of course, tons of tiny screwdrivers. It would also make a great stocking stuffer for the tinkerer in your life.

Hot of the heels of their successful Nebula Mars mobile projector, Anker’s getting set to release an even smaller portable cinema, and our readers can once again save a bunch by preordering, and get some free accessories too.

The Nebula Capsule is about the size of a soda can, but can turn any wall into a 100" display while outputting 360 degree audio. And you won’t be hurting for content, since you can plug in any HDMI video source, mirror your iOS or Android’s screen wirelessly, or use the built-in Android 7.0 OS to pull up your favorite streaming apps.

It’ll run for an industry-best 2.5 hours on a single charge (or 40 hours if you’re just using it as a Bluetooth speaker), but since it charges over USB, you can just bring a power bank with you for essentially unlimited playtime.

Of course, it’s not going to be as bright as a full-sized projector, or the larger Nebula Mars, but its 100 lumens are basically unmatched in the pico projector space. Similarly, its 800x480 resolution is pretty standard at this size and price point, but the picture won’t be as crisp as you’d get from a larger projector, especially at larger sizes.

This time around, our exclusive deal is on the Christmas combo, which includes a limited edition red Capsule projector, a tripod, and a carrying case for $299. That’s the same price as the equivalent black combo (and unfortunately, $30 more than our last deal), but it’s $30 less than everyone else has to pay for the same perk.

We see a lot of deals on jump-starting battery packs, but this $27 model from Aukey is one of the least expensive to date. At 400A, it’s only really designed for engines sized 2L or smaller, but that should cover most sedans and even some smaller SUVs, not to mention things like lawnmowers. And of course, it also works as a 6,000mAh USB battery pack for your phone, so worst case scenario, you can at least call AAA for help.

There’s a nasty new Wi-Fi exploit out in the wild these days, but you can protect yourself from prying eyes (and get around geo-blocked content too) with a VPN subscription.

Lo and behold, PureVPN is offering some pretty stellar discounts right now when you use promo code Privacy20:

24 months for $62.40 ($2.60 per month)
Six months for $42.96 ($7.16 per month)
One month for $8.76

PureVPN encrypts and obscures all of your internet traffic from everyone from malicious hackers to your ISP to the government, and includes some cool features like a kill switch to automatically disconnect your Wi-Fi if the VPN stops working, as well as split tunneling, which can route some of your traffic through the VPN, while letting the rest go through your ISP.

TOP HOME DEALS

Plasma lighters are the lighter, evolved. They can light things on fire while fixing the three biggest problems with traditional lighters:

Fuel - This lighter doesn’t need fuel; you recharge it over USB. How cool is that?
Wind - Since it’s using tiny electrical coils to create heat rather than an open flame, it can’t be blown out.
Orientation - You can use a plasma lighter upside down without burning your fingers, which makes lighting candles a lot easier.

We covered the Sparkr Mini here, and now you can get it for $22 with promo code XJP69HQB. That’s a few bucks more than some other electric lighters we’ve seen, but the Sparkr Mini is one of the most compact models out there, yet it features two criss-crossing arcs for a more reliable spark, and also a built-in flashlight. Needless to say, this would make a fantastic little stocking stuffer for the holidays.

Whether you’re shoveling your driveway, or shoveling your car out of a snowbank, this $15 shovel breaks down to fit into your trunk, so you’ll be prepared for just about anything winter throws your way.

Some people can’t live without their coffee, but for me, it’s fizzy water. While supplies last, you can get a SodaStream Source from Amazon for $75, complete with a small starter CO2 canister, and a mail-in rebate for a free full-sized starter canister. If you regularly buy soda or carbonated water at the store, it’ll pay for itself.

The newly-minted-readers’-favorite cutting board brand, Boos Block, is selling one their edge-grain maple boards for $60, which is only about half as much as the same-sized boards made of other woods.

If taken care of, wood cutting boards can last forever and dull your knives less than most plastic boards, so consider this an investment for your home. Plus, they make nice serving platters.

If you still haven’t upgraded to a smart thermostat, today’s Home Depot deal of the day offers quite an opportunity. Choose from three different models, ranging from a barebones (but still Wi-Fi-enabled) Honeywell for $69, up to the excellent Ecobee3 Lite with a pair of remote temperature sensors.

Update: The smaller smart oven deals have ended, but the Oven Air and Oven Pro are still going.

It’s a great day to buy a Breville Smart Oven. Two of your favorite toaster ovens, the Breville Smart Oven and the Breville Compact Smart Oven, are both around $40 off today, and the Breville Smart Oven Air is down about $80. (See this chart to compare features them all side-by-side.)

Let’s start with the classic Smart Oven. On top of the praise from our readers (they say it basically replaces their normal oven), it boasts a very impressive 4.7-star rating with over 1,000 reviews. At $216, it’s the cheapest it has been since February.

The Breville Smart Oven Air, normally $400, is also being offered at a deep discount today at just $320. In addition to normal toaster oven capabilities, this one also functions as an air-fryer and food dehydrator. Shane reviewed this model earlier this year:

The Smart Oven Mini I’ve had for years is a great alternative to my oven and microwave, but the Smart Oven Air makes me question why I even have a full size oven.

You have to buy laundry detergent anyway, so you might as well buy it on sale. Amazon has a few really good coupons running now on various Tide products. You’ll have to use Subscribe & Save to get the savings, but you can always cancel after your first shipment.

This Hoover Cruise cordless stick vacuum is ideal for cleaning rugs, hardwood floors, car seats, ceilings, shelves...pretty much anything really, and you can get one today for just $95, down from its usual $140.

It’s part of Amazon’s Gold Box today which means this deal will only last day for the day or until it sells out.

If you just can’t start your day without coffee, tea, or, uh, hot chocolate, today’s Amazon Gold Box has you covered. Inside, you’ll find coffee beans, K-Cups, fancy teas, and even some Ghirardelli hot chocolate for great low prices. Don’t let this deal go cold though; it’s only available today.

Before you work yourselves into a froth and unleash fury upon me in the comments, let me make one thing clear: I don’t recommend cooking bacon in the microwave. An oven will be better, or a skillet, or hell, even a waffle iron. That being said, some mornings you just want some damn bacon, and you don’t have time to cook it properly.

The Emson Bacon Wave can nuke up to 14 strips at once in just one minute per slice, and its design allows the grease to drain off, ostensibly leaving you with something resembling crispiness. It’s only $9 right now, and has a surprisingly good review average, so it might be worth trying out.

We’ve posted a lot of deals lately on these coccyx seat cushions, but $15 is one of the best prices we’ve seen to date. These will improve posture and ease back pain in any chair where you spend a lot of time, from the office to the car to a long flight.

Don’t let your old, ratty kitchen towels embarrass you in front of your upcoming holiday house guests. Grab this 3-pack for just $9 today. The blue ones are the best deal, but the other colors are just a few dollars.

If you’ve had your eye on a sous vide machine, today might be your day. This Strata sous vide circulator is just $48, which is a steal. For comparison, this exact model is selling for $80 on Amazon right now and the popular Anova and ChefSteps brands are selling for $150 - $200.

If you aren’t familiar with sous vide, Lifehacker has a great explainer of the process here. Spoiler alert: it’s almost impossible to mess up and makes perfectly cooked meat with minimal effort.

While it’s certainly not as fast as the coin-operated air compressor at a gas station, this glove box-friendly compressor can save your bacon if you have to change a tire, or just can’t be bothered to find a bunch of quarters. One reviewer describes it as slighlty larger than two decks of playing cards, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding somewhere to hide it.

You guys love the Philips Light-Up Alarm clock and you can get this Vansky version for a lot less money - only $20 with promo code SXJIFYAA.

Similar to the Philips, the sunrise simulation feature will slowly brighten starting 30 minutes before your wake-up time, easing you out of sleep so you can gracefully start your day.

This is pretty much as cheap as these kind of alarm clocks get. As the days are getting shorter, we all are going to need a little extra prodding to get out of bed in the mornings.

TOP LIFESTYLE DEALS

It’s not often you can find quality leather shoes for an affordable price, but here we are. Amazon is discounting four styles, and a bunch of colors, of men’s leather shoes from Liberty Footwear. If you need a good pair of boots, or dress shoes that are affordable and look good (except maybe those crocodile ones, but I digress), this Gold Box is for you.

Note: The prices vary by size and color, because Amazon wants us to have nice things, but not that easily.

Sorel is one of your favorite winter boot brands, and the Tofino was the one to beat. But if you were looking for something a little different from Sorel, this Pre-Black Friday sale is for you. Take up to 60% off some of the top selling boot styles, plus some really nice looking outerwear, with promo code SORNOV60.

Patagonia’s Web Specials section is always full of amazing discounts on gear you’ll actually want to use. For their huge Summer Sale, they’re taking to 50% off those Web Specials and past season products. If you were waiting to pick up winter gear until it was discounted, now is your chance.

Everyone needs a big duffle bag for weekend trips. These Gonex duffle bags are water and tear resistant, come in a rainbow of colors, and extra discounted today. Make sure you note the different promo codes.

Typically selling for $11, Amazon’s best-selling 12-piece manicure/pedicure kit is just $9 today. I don’t think these tools are at professional-level of quality, but based on the 4.4-star rating, I think they’d get the job done. Plus, this would make a great stocking stuffer or gift.

First Aid Beauty is the solution to pairing down your skin care, and right now, everything is 20% off with the code FABFF. Their Ultra Repair Cream is at the top of a lot of Best Beauty lists and half my friends use their Coconut Skin Smoothie Primer. Plus, a lot of what they carry is safe for sensitive skin, which is especially important in the summer.

It’s been a stressful year, so if a little self-care is in order, a couple of cordless massaging products are on sale today.

For your shoulders, neck, and back, Mynt’s shiatsu massager with heat is down to $53 with promo code BEST2240. You can make the experience as light or as deep as you want just by pulling on the straps, and since it can run off a built-in battery for up to 90 minutes, you can find your moment of zen wherever you want.

For a more portable massaging experience, you can also score a cordless pillow for $30 with promo code BEST2340. This only has four massage nodes, compared to the larger model’s eight, but it still does heat, and you can take it with you anywhere.

Even if you already have products like these yourself, they’d make great gift ideas for the holidays - who doesn’t like a massage, after all?

Privé Revaux already made some terrific sunglasses for affordable prices, but their new ICON collection raises the bar without raising the price, and they’re offering our readers and exclusive chance to save 25% with promo code GIZMODO25.

Compared to the original styles, Privé’s ICON collection make greater use of acetate plastic (which is derived from renewable sources, rather than petroleum), and have better screws, higher quality lenses, and a proprietary metal alloy. They sent us a few samples, and they do in fact feel sturdier and nicer than our original pairs, and again, they still only cost $30.

And if that low price isn’t enough to entice you, promo code GIZMODO25 will take 25% off a single pair of glasses from the ICON collection when you purchase from Privé Revaux’s site, for a limited time. All orders ship free, but just note that this code is only valid on a single pair of glasses per customer.

If you aren’t yet a Uniqlo HEATTECH convert, $10 tees, turtlenecks, leggings, and more, for both men and women, may do the trick. They will keep you warm throughout the winter and looking like more like an adult who knows how to dress for the weather, rather than Ralphie’s brother in A Christmas Story.

The Philips OneBlade is the electric shaver of choice for pretty much every man on our staff (and tens of thousands of our readers as well), and both the original and the upgraded Pro model are on sale right now.

The OneBlades are notable for their simplicity, versatility, and performance. They work as razors or beard trimmers, you can use them with or without shaving cream, they’re waterproof enough to go into the shower, and they cut through stubble like a hot knife through butter.

Some people balk at the replacement blade cost (a set of two is about $25), but they’re rated to last at least four months each, and I’ve been using mine about three times per week for about seven months now, without issue.

The original model is great, but the Pro has more stubble length settings (three combs vs. a single comb with 14 options), and a battery that lasts longer and charges faster. Honestly, I’d probably buy the original for $24 (about $10 less than usual), but the $70 Pro (down from $80) is a bargain as well.

Strapo Wallet

I like small, front pocket wallets. I also like to carry a lot of cards, plus some cash. These two desires are usually in conflict, but the Strapo wallet (currently on Kickstarter) can satisfy both.

The front of Strapo features two quick-access slots for your most used cards, and the back has a sturdy elastic strap to hold cash, keys, and even coins without fear of them falling out. The star of the show here though is the top, which opens up to hold the rest of your cards. They say it can hold six, but I crammed 10 into the top of my demo unit. I definitely wouldn’t recommend more than that, but I’m a credit card hoarder, so I think most of you should be fine.

But how do you get those cards out, if they’re tucked all the way inside the wallet? With the strap(o), of course. Just pull on the little elastic tab at the top of the wallet, and the entire pile of cards pops out for you to grab.

For a limited time, you can preorder a Strapo for $23, or two for $39 (with some higher reward tiers available as well), with expected delivery in December.

TOP MEDIA DEALS

Amazon’s running a Marvel digital comic sale that’s bigger than any Avengers movie today, with literally thousands of titles marked down to just a few bucks, in most cases. You’ll find everything from the Guardians of the Galaxy to Darth Vader to Deadpool to Captain America in there, and every hero in between, so there’s never been a better time to stock your digital shelves.

The selection is overwhelming (400 Amazon pages, or over 25,000 titles!), so we dropped a few highlights in this post, but definitely leave your own suggestions in the comments.

Amazon has marked down Margaret Atwood’s increasingly-less-fictional The Handmaid’s Tale to just $3 for your Kindle. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.

If you ever use iTunes to buy apps, movies, music, TV shows, iCloud storage space, or anything else, this discounted $50 gift card from Amazon is basically free money. 15% is about as good as iTunes discounts get these days, so stock up.

For better or worse, our lives exist largely in the cloud these days, and that shows no signs of changing. So if you want to understand how it works, and maybe even find gainful employment managing those massive server racks, Humble’s latest book bundle is here to help.

Pay what you want to download DRM-free ebooks that teach you about Azure, AWS, and more. You can get get all 16 titles for as little as $15, or fewer books at two lower price tiers.

TOP GAMING DEALS

Fighting Nazis is so in right now. Call of Duty: WWII releases tomorrow, which means today is your last chance to preorder it with Amazon Prime to save 20% (discount shown at checkout). Preorders also include a multiplayer upgrade with a weapon unlock token and double XP.

Update: Back in stock, if you missed it yesterday!

We thought the days of $40 PlayStation Plus sales were behind us, but lo, here it is at GameStop. If your membership is due to expire soon, or hell, even if it isn’t, you’ll want to take advantage of this.

If yesterday’s family-friendly board game sale wasn’t to your liking, now Amazon’s offering a buy two, get one free discount on a bunch of other games, including several which are more geared towards adults than the likes of Mouse Trap and Sorry!

Strangely enough, we couldn’t find a single link on Amazon that included the B2G1 games, and only the B2G1 games, so we’re including all of the titles we know in this post. If you see any we missed, let us know, and we’ll be sure to add it. Just note that the least expensive game of the three that you choose will become free at checkout, but it’ll only work if all of your selections are shipped and sold by Amazon directly.

Start your own rebellion with this LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar, down to just $35. With 24 different gifts, like Rey’s speeder, an At-ST, a TIE Striker, Kylo Ren’s Command Shuttle, and more. Even reenact The Force Awakens with the Jakku playmat (brooding Luke Skywalker on a cliff, not included). They also somehow made BB-8 even more adorable, by giving him a snowboard and hat, which is reason enough to buy this.