Everyday Tech You’ll Actually Use

The backbone of his budget carry setup: light, well-pocketed and roomy, with very few flaws.

The best wallet he has tried, at about half the price of others, with only a slightly fiddly middle card.

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

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

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

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

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

Tested against the Anker Liberty 4 NC and lost out because they created more pressure in his ears.

The next best option and cheaper, but with weaker noise cancelling than the Anker.

His favourite plug to travel with, combining charger, travel adapter and USB sockets, with 70-100W the sweet spot.

Costs about four times a basic 20,000 mAh bank but is worth it for efficiency, 200W output and useful software.

He likes its built-in cables, but chose the plain power bank since you need your own cables anyway.

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

A fancier optional retractable 100W cable that saves space and avoids tangles but adds weight and cost.

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

One of his final two speakers, but it lost the blind test to the Anker.

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

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

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

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

A cheap black pen that glides well on paper and suits most documents.

A surprisingly polished budget smartwatch with a great screen and 7-day battery, which he thinks beats Fitbit and Xiaomi bands.

Not a brave choice but one of the best, with an unmatched mix of battery life, screen, build and trackpad for most people.