Value picks under £100

The most cost-effective way to be able to recover a lost bag, and category-leading despite being affordable.

A $45 band that rivals the Apple Watch Ultra 3 for health tracking and gets 10 out of 10, plus the Hall of Fame.

A $9 magnetic motion light with double the range of rivals; he would buy one for every bedroom.

An impressive sub-$80 Android TV projector with fast auto keystone correction, a strong 9.

A smart blower-and-vacuum cleaner that worked brilliantly on his keyboard; an easy nine.

A $4 shower head with filter that delivers very strong water pressure and was an easy treasure.

An all-in-one karaoke mic with an AI vocal-stripping feature that earned a 10 out of 10.

Fiddly to set up, but comfy and secure, and the best product of the whole video.

A conveyor-belt pizza peel that transferred the pizza perfectly and also cleaned up sauce spills.

A well-thought-out build box with a disc launcher that impressed him; he gave it 9/10 and the Hall of Fame.

The clear winner after testing every rival in the $40-$70 range, with good noise cancelling and sound.

A packing cube holding several days of clothes that lets the backpack double as a suitcase, a game changer for travel.

A flashlight with a seat belt cutter and window breaker that he rates 9.5 out of 10 for around $30.

A thin RFID-blocking card wallet he uses daily, and the best wallet he has seen.

His favourite Simplehuman product, going two months without needing a recharge or refill.

A $25 copy that feels the same as the real thing, with USB-C charging and replaceable batteries.

The cheapest key organiser that still feels well made, and it stops keys rattling and scratching.

Matches that stay lit when wet and are great for the price, though they were dropped in favour of the Pyro Putty lighter.

A soft, adjustable phone light that is a big step up from a phone torch, held back only by short battery life.

Best budget phone: prioritises the right hardware, with a good chipset, flagship-feeling screen and a respectable 108MP camera.

A rechargeable, shielded upgrade to the nightlight 2 that he calls a fuss-free gadget and scores 9 out of 10.

He put them all over his house and counts them among the best tech products he has bought.

The perfect water bottle he has searched for years to find, a 2L glass bottle with silicone and measurement markings.

Perfect hangers that keep outfits together while letting you take one piece off.

Keep clothing evenly spaced and cabinets tidy without effort.

He liked it enough to put one in every bedroom.

A tiny hot-swappable macro pad that works really well for copy, paste and volume at $7.

Unusually well-made case that is soft, fits perfectly and has matching metal buttons.

The effect is as impressive as far pricier versions, with a dimmer light and slightly warped mirrors.

A slightly better version of the Buds 2 with better noise cancellation and up to 61.5 hours of battery life.

Impressed that the stormproof match keeps burning through blowing, spraying and a bucket of water, saying it feels like magic.

Most recommendable $99 headphones, with huge battery life and satisfying physical controls, despite plastic build and only decent noise can…

Basic-looking, plasticky earbuds that sound surprisingly good, earning a 9.5 out of 10.

A thick, reliable Thunderbolt 4 USB-C cable that is one of his staples.

A fun, leak-proof bottle with sip and chug options that survives being shoved into luggage.

A shockingly realistic Apple Watch lookalike for $15 with great straps and screen but poor step tracking, rated 9.

Chosen over the JBL Go 4 in blind tests: sounds a fraction better, costs less and lasts about 50% longer.

A recent discovery he loves for carrying a holiday-sized portion of perfume in a quarter of the volume.

Its 0.3 mm nib lets him write far smaller than a normal pen.

A fake that sounds as clear, is louder and bassier, has a built-in battery and brighter lighting, for a quarter of the price.

The best razor he has used because it moves on two axes and has an exfoliating bar.

A bendable phone stand for plane seats that works so well he calls it a must have.

The $50 Japanese carbon steel knife has a good rosewood handle and slices with almost no effort.

Cheap AirPods-style earbuds that sound surprisingly good and last 40 hours, held back only by a fiddly setup.

Even better than the bin, a clever bundle of paper towel holder and spray bottle.

A strainer that keeps pasta upright so you can pour away water without leaking, which he calls a game changer.

Impressed by how thin and capable Apple's last iPod Nano is, with a headphone jack and long battery life, and wishes phones were still made…

He loves the phone case with a custom window that holds a Pokémon card securely.

A cheap neoprene gap blocker that works well and that he plans to buy for himself.

The cheapest Bluetooth speaker he has used, loud and functional for a barbecue, rated 9.5 for what it is.

A surprisingly quick and cool aluminium ice stamp that he rates 9 out of 10.

A tiny, satisfying 1.5m tape measure whose mechanism is more reliable than a pricier titanium alternative.

A leak-proof 250ml folding flask that shrinks to a quarter of its size, and is his favourite right now.

A small waterproof case for pills, gum or coins that is easy to open and clips onto things.

Self-watering pots mean watering about once a month, and now every plant in the house uses them.

Instant screen mirroring that lets him use his phone's rear cameras for selfies, and he calls it needed.

The upgraded AirTag has better precision finding and louder speakers, and was already the most reliable tracker in his testing.

Named as the best case for hiding an AirTag in this jokey list.

Impressed by the tiny 1,200x microscope that sticks to a phone camera and shows remarkable detail, though it needs to be very close to focu…

Tiny, cheap speaker that sounds far better than expected, though it is only an okay bottle opener.

Chosen over RGB and console-matching alternatives for look, feel and quality.

A cute tiny CD that starts music playing on your phone via NFC.

A properly strong foot massager with washable covers; he would want one at home.

Impressed by the $30 Frisbee with 108 LEDs, which senses movement and weighs no more than a normal one.

Simple piece of engineering that stops tea foaming over so you can leave it on high heat.

A situational but must-have for frequent flyers, adding Bluetooth to plane screens and supporting two sets of earphones.

Best speaker you could get for around $30 and he would pick it over the flame speaker.

A creative £15 glass bowl that doubles as phone charger and light, which he finds delightful.

A weighty, balanced-sounding speaker for under $20, rated 8 out of 10, with sound from only one side.

The cheapest reliable USB-IF certified cable he has used, with charging and data fast enough for this setup.

Metal chassis and satisfying keys make this affordable combo a pleasant surprise.

Chosen as the multitool because it is as small as you can go without feeling like a toy and doesn't overlap with other gear.

A tiny nanofibre towel that soaked up all the water, impressive for something so thin.

An affordable, flexible phone stand that works on flights, trains, cars and even a chair back.

A far cheaper DJI Mic 2 lookalike whose audio is not as far behind as expected, rated 8 out of 10.

A cost-effective way to play new games, beating retail if you play at least one new game a month.

Protective case with a built-in stand and magnets that give his Samsung MagSafe-style charging.

A convincing watch with a hidden 1080p camera and infrared night vision that impressed him.

A clever fix for people who get headaches from 3D films that works properly and costs only $10; he scored it 8/10.

His favourite of the IKEA bunch, a playful lamp with detachable light and auto-off.

A keyring cable with 240W and 10Gbps support that is hard to beat for always having a full-speed USB-C cable.

A very good value lookalike with seven bands, though its blood oxygen app is clearly fake.

Non-Matter light strip at £13 that becomes configurable when paired with a Matter plug, great for the money.

He finds the Lego-style keycap incredible because you can build whatever you like on top of it.

It survived a soak in ginger ale where a normal card died, but cracked from the door slam, so it's tough but not invincible.

A gadget that records both sides of an iPhone call using vibrations, with surprisingly good results, rated 8.

A gun-shaped bottle opener that works as he expected, with magnets keeping the cap in the chamber.

Cheap zip-tie stitches that close small wounds without skill and were kept for minor cuts.

Sturdy, strong phone mount, though he was unsure about its sticky pad on leather.

A cheap, unremarkable tech bag that avoids wasted space and has just the right number of dividers.

A clear, maximum-size liquids bag that passes security without unpacking and suits vertical packing.

Surprisingly well-made and comfortable fake trainers, though they were too small for him.

Cheap and cheerful lamp, fan, clock and pen holder in one, though the thermometer isn't accurate.

Not especially bright, but a print, frame and LEDs for under $11 is a treasure.

Keeps his face dry and hands free, with no shame about wearing it.

A free app that does everything The Brick does and more.

A £2 motion-sensing night light that works as well as Xiaomi's £12 one.

A £9 MagSafe charger that is light and wobbly but insane value if stuck down.

USB-C docking tea lights that really do last the claimed 35 hours.

Cleans screens well and sticks to the back of a phone, though they pick up grime and lose stickiness.

Cleaned the shoes to about 97% and he would use them from now on.

A magnetic band that is a step up from his $1 band and cheaper than Apple's.

A flat, refillable hand sanitiser that slips into a front pocket and is more convenient than travel soap sheets.

He loves his Torras case with stand on the iPhone; the Oppo alternative was terrible.

The best electrolyte sachets he has found, making water less boring and quite clean.

Press-to-cycle underwater light modes that impressed him.

A bit less polished than the original Loop Lasso but just as fun at a fraction of the price.

The small plasma ball works surprisingly like a full-size one.

A leak-proof insulated bottle with a comfortable lip and rubber base.

He has paid for One Sec and found it useful, though Google's copy will make it less necessary.

Faster, double the storage and includes an adapter for just $2 more.

Woven finish feels more durable and it has far more reviews than the Amazon version.

A plasticky but comfortable $10 handheld with 520 retro games, rated 8.5 for sheer bonkers value.

Flint wheel and wind-resistant flame make it noticeably more satisfying and powerful.

Surprisingly comfortable, well made and left him feeling warm and alert.

A bargain 20,000mAh power bank with a display and bright torch, though slow charging.

Impressed by the $10 kit, where charge travels through the metal frame so you can build it however you like.

A tiny replica of the Henry Hoover that is grim-looking but has surprisingly good suction.

A quiet, more sophisticated near-fully transparent mouse that earns a place on the shelf.

More watchable than expected on a modern bright phone, despite edge distortion.

A tiny desktop-computer-style speaker that sounds better than its size suggests.

The tiniest pen he could see himself using, strong and smooth, though the spiky end baffles him.

Instincts say not to put a foot in them, but they work and his feet stayed dry.

Looks like rubbish and is pricey, but smells exactly like KFC, burns well and earns an A.

A sharp, well-built and cheap utility knife handle, marred by an awkward closing mechanism; 6.5/10.

Cheap £1.50 cabinet lights with motion sensors that are nice and bright.

A £5 Matter-over-Thread sensor that makes him wonder how IKEA turns a profit.

Not technologically groundbreaking but sticky, squishy and comfortable.

Works like an AirTag but its card shape suits a wallet far better.

He has recently come round to key organisers and likes how the keys swivel out.

An affordable smart rope that counts reps fairly accurately and works cordless without the app.

A £7 door sensor that works well in his gaming cabinet automation.

A cheap, clever wired pair that sounds about as good as Apple EarPods, though discontinued and ranked low.

An easy win that protects buttons and adds a lot of grip.

A novelty double pizza cutter that works, and cuts better than a normal single wheel.

A handy fabric shaver they are glad to have when needed, rated seven out of ten.

Looks like rubbish but the lid does keep a drink hot.

Cheap add-ons that add resistance for subtler joystick control, rated seven out of ten.