Independent reviews
From everyday tech and home products to lifestyle and specialist gear, each review focuses on practical use, strengths, limitations, and who the product suits.
Art Supplies
Two traditional Japanese paint formats from a small Kyoto workshop: a 36-color gansai pan set and pigment sticks you grind into water, explained for non-traditional painters.
Trail Running Shoes
Seven and a half miles on road, gravel and slick forest trails with the Naked TR, a laceless carbon-plated trail racing shoe that divides opinion fast.
Fountain Pens
The Narwhal Eclipse offers a retractable nib activated by squeezing the pen body together, machined aluminum construction, and a $99 price tag. Here is what works and what does not.
Fountain Pens
The Narwhal Schuylkill in Cichlid purple with rose gold trim is a piston-filled fountain pen with an ink window, a home-serviceable piston, and a smooth broad nib for around €50.
Fountain Pens
An affordable acrylic and aluminum vacuum filler with a fun warp-engine inspired design, a well-tuned fine nib, and a few quirks worth knowing about before you buy.
Everyday Carry
Thirteen everyday carry picks across wallets, knives, keys, flashlights, watches, notebooks, and pens, split into a budget kit and a premium nautical-themed kit.
Flashlights
Seven modes, strong magnetic mounting, IPX7 waterproofing and a 1,200-lumen turbo, all wrapped in an anodized aluminum body that makes a few questionable user-interface choices.
Running Shoes
Two of the most popular cushioned daily trainers go head to head on fit, midsole feel, stability, and which one deserves your easy miles.
Running Shoes
The 880 v14 returns with a full Fresh Foam X midsole, durable rubber coverage, and a deliberately traditional ride. Here is how it performs after a first run with strides.
Running Shoes
The 880 v15 moves to a bigger Fresh Foam X stack and carves out its own identity, no longer just a cheaper 1080 v14.
Running Shoes
Two New Balance daily trainers with very different personalities: a softer, roomier cruiser and a snappier, more energetic ride. Here is how to choose.
Running Shoes
Two cushioned daily trainers that do almost the same job at a similar price. We compare fit, ride feel, outsole durability and who each shoe suits best.
Running Shoes
The soft and bouncy Balos meets the lightweight Rebel V4. We compare cushioning, fit, durability, and value to help you pick the right New Balance daily trainer.
Running Shoes
After 100 miles of testing, including a 25-mile double day in peak marathon training, here is what holds up and what does not with New Balance's premium soft trainer.
Running Shoes
A first run in the hills in the New Balance Fresh Foam More V3 reveals a chunky daily trainer that deadens impact, stays stable, and runs lighter than it looks.
Running Shoes
The Fresh Foam More V4 adds more foam, more flexibility and a plusher upper over the Much-loved More V3. Here is how it feels on an easy 10K.
Running Shoes
A reliable, well-padded daily trainer with subtle stability, a firm fresh foam midsole, and a thick grippy outsole built for many miles.
Running Shoes
The Fresh Foam X 860 V13 refines a well-liked moderate stability trainer with a softer midsole, a more responsive forefoot, and wider fit options.
Running Shoes
The Fresh Foam X 880 v15 adds stack height and a softer, more cushioned ride to New Balance's classic daily trainer. Here's what our first miles revealed about fit, comfort, and performance.
Running Shoes
A high-stack, plateless premium daily trainer from New Balance with a Pebble-EVA blend foam, a pronounced rocker, and a do-a-bit-of-everything ride that leans towards easy runs and long sessions.
Running Shoes
A soft, well-priced daily trainer that shines on easy runs but struggles once you pick up the pace. Here is what to know before buying.
Running Shoes
We raced the Comrades Marathon down run in the New Balance FuelCell Rebel V5 to see if this lightweight, cushioned trainer can survive a brutal road ultra.
Running Shoes
A lightweight, wide-based daily trainer with a balanced ride. Here's what the first runs in the Rebel V5 reveal about fit, comfort, and versatility.
Running Shoes
Two lightweight daily trainers at similar prices with very different ride feels. Here is how the Rebel v5 and Evo SL compare and which runner each suits best.
Running Shoes
Two of the most talked-about carbon plate racing shoes go head to head: stack height, ride feel, fit and which one deserves your race day money.
Trail Running Shoes
The Summit Unknown v3 brings New Balance's bouncy FuelCell foam to the trails, delivering a comfortable, lightweight ride best suited to long runs on harder, drier terrain.
Running Shoes
New Balance's new top-tier carbon racing shoe trades some of the old comfort for a firmer, faster ride. Here's what early running shows.
Running Shoes
Lighter, narrower, and more aggressive than the v4, the SC Elite v5 is New Balance's best carbon racing shoe so far. Here is what to know before buying.
Running Shoes
A lightweight, low-stack carbon plate racer built for 5k to 10k speed. Here is how it felt on first runs, at easy pace and when pushed hard.
Running Shoes
A lower-stack carbon racing shoe with full PEBA FuelCell foam and the Energy Arc plate, now with more stack and bounce than its predecessor. Here is how it ran over 10 miles.