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Kinja Deals

Thursday's Best Deals: Networking and Storage Sale, Robotic Vacuum, Reader-Favorite Pillow

By
Erica Offutt

Pick up deals on networking and storage gear from Amazon’s one day sale, a robotic vacuum for pet owners, our readers’ favorite pillows, and more.

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TOP TECH DEALS

It’s been awhile since Amazon ran a storage and networking Gold Box, but today’s sale appears to be worth the wait.

There aren’t a ton of deals on the storage side of the equation, but highlights include a 1TB portable hard drive for $41, and a 3TB drive for $76. Be sure to head over to Amazon for more options though.

Networking gear is where this sale shines, with a ton of deals on routers, range extenders, ethernet switches, modems, and more. A few highlights in the post, but again, you’ll want to visit Amazon’s sale page to see the full list.

Note: This TP-Link Archer C9 actually has an additional $10 clippable coupon on the page, bringing it down to just $70. That probably won’t last long.

Curved TVs are kind of pointless, but curved monitors, which are much closer to your eyes, might actually have some merit, and a bunch of different options from Samsung are on sale today from Woot. Everything here is refurbished, but there’s a wide range of prices and features to pick from, plus, Amazon Prime members get free shipping.

If you’ve got the cash for it, my pick is this 32" QLED model, which has black levels that rival OLED screens. It goes for $550 new, but today’s deal brings that down to $430.

The trusty Brother HL2380DW laser printer has long been a hit with our readers, but it was recently replaced by the HL2395DW, and the new model is back on sale.

Compared to the 2380, the new one is slightly faster (36 ppm vs. 32), uses less electricity, and has NFC for direct printing from compatible Android phones. All the basics that have made Brother printers a hit are still there too, including duplex printing, AirPrint and Google Cloud Print support, relatively inexpensive and long lasting toner, and a complete lack of the carriage jams and destroyed paper you’ve come to expect from inkjet printers.

If you aren’t satisfied with your current printer (which is a pretty safe bet if it’s not a Brother), this is a great buy at $100.

If you really need to print in color, one of Brother’s color CDW models is also on sale for $69 more, which is a nice deal too.

$6 is an amazing price for a dual port car charger with Quick Charge 2.0, but it’s especially noteworthy when it comes with a microUSB and USB-C cable too. Just use promo code EYMVBFUL to save 50% at checkout.

We don’t all treat our smartphones with the care they deserve, but RhinoShield’s CrashGuard bumpers can protect your device from most falls without adding a ton of bulk, and they’re just $17 each in today’s Gold Box.

The sale includes models for the iPhone 7/8 and 7+/8+, plus the new Google Pixels, and the Galaxy S8. They normally sell for $25, and today’s deal is an all-time low.

What were they thinking inventing this surge protector and not calling it the Power Tower? Missed marketing opportunities aside, it comes with 10 outlets, four USB ports, and its own 6ft retractable power cord. Plus, it rotates for optimum space-saving. Use promo code TX6FMY6B at checkout to get it for $18.

These days, you probably charge as many things over USB as you do over standard AC outlets, so it only makes sense to add some permanent USB ports to your home.

We’ve seen USB outlet receptacles for slightly less in the past, but this model boasts 4.8A of power shared between the two USB ports, compared to 4A on most alternatives, meaning high-draw devices like tablets will charge up faster. Just be sure to use promo code 15TGUSBDN at checkout to save about a few bucks.

Dell’s P2715Q 4K monitor has always been one of the most affordable 27” 4K IPS display on the market, but today, it’s all the way down to $400, within $20 of the best price we’ve seen.

If you aren’t familiar, IPS displays boast superior color accuracy and viewing angles compared to the TN panels you’ll find in most inexpensive 4K monitors. I own the 24” model of this exact monitor, and I absolutely love it, just make sure your computer is powerful enough to drive it.

Whether you’re looking to start a podcast, or just want your Skype calls to sound better, the Blue Snowball is one of the most popular affordable USB microphones you can buy, and Amazon’s offering the murdered out black version for for $40 today, or about $10 less than usual.

It’s not hard to find good deals on VPN subscriptions, but our readers’ favorite service, Private Internet Access, is notable for hardly ever running sales. Just for our readers though, they’re opening back up their holiday offer of two years for $60, down from the usual $70. That’s just $2.50 per month to protect your browsing data, get around video geoblocks, circumvent proxy filters, and more.

The recent release of Qi-compatible iPhones means that wireless charging pads are flying off the shelves, and you can score Anker’s 10W model for $8 off today with promo code ANKER253.

While it’ll only charge iPhones at 5W (which is fine for overnight charging), this 10W pad can fast-charge compatible Android phones as well. I bought it for myself late last year, and use it with my iPhone X every night. I love that the edges of the pad light up temporarily when you set your phone down, so I can be sure I placed it correctly even when I’m groggy and not wearing my glasses.

Giant plugs that cover up half the outlets on your power strip should be outlawed, but until that day arrives, these short extension cords will have to do. $15 gets you a pack of 10 (with code ZT9MSNYF), which should be enough for even the most advanced home theater setups.

Anker makes a smart plug now, because Anker makes everything, and today it’s discounted to just $14, $6 less than it was for Cyber Monday. Like pretty much all of these things, you can control or schedule it with both your phone and with Alexa, and its built-in energy monitoring is a great feature at this price.

 

TOP HOME DEALS

Life’s too short for vacuuming, so outsource the chore to the robots with Anker’s newest robot vacuum, the RoboVac 11c Pet Edition. Already makers of one of our readers’ favorite and best-selling robot vacuum, Anker added even more suction power and barrier strips, which tell the vacuum to avoid certain areas, like the often-wet area around a dog’s water bowl. This model also connects to Wi-Fi, and can be controlled with your phone, Alexa, or Google Home.

As a parent of two dogs and a cat, I’m constantly fighting against the pet hair tumbleweeds. I’ve tested this vacuum and have so far been amazed about how much hair it’s picked up, especially in hard-to-reach places under furniture, which this low-profile vacuum has no trouble navigating.

If you’ve been eyeing a robot vacuum, today is a great day to suck in a deal. Use promo code MJQ9HTQX, and you’ll get the vacuum for $240, a $60 discount. But if you want a really good deal, add the vacuum and a Eufy Genie to your cart, and enter the promo code above and 66DWJHE9, to save the $60 plus get the Genie for free (a $35 value).

Time to get comfy, because Urban Outfitters is having a home sale. Take an extra 40% off every home good that’s already on sale. That includes decor, furniture, bedding, even flatware. Just try not to go overboard because you may never want to leave your newly redecorated apartment (though, I don’t blame you).

Update: The promo code is working again, if you couldn’t get this yesterday.

You may not think you need one of these portable jump starters, and at this very moment, you probably don’t. But there will come a time where you’re late for an appointment or stuck in the middle of nowhere, and waiting around for a good samaritan to come jump your battery just isn’t a viable option.

This model from iClever puts out a whopping 600A, which is far more than most similar products, and enough to start just about any car.

Beef jerky is delicious, and relatively healthy as snacks go, but damn is it expensive. Today on Amazon though, you can grab a pound of Jack Link’s hickory smoked jerky for under $12 after clipping the 20% coupon on the page. I’d recommend spending your savings on floss.

You’ve heard of Automatic’s smart driving assistant, but if ~$100 is too rich for your blood, this cheap OBD2 dongle connects to any iPhone or Android device over Wi-Fi, and can fulfill many of the same functions using various third party apps.

The most obvious use case here is understanding and clearing check engine codes, but these things give you access to pretty much all of the sensor data in your vehicle, at a much more granular level than you’d get from all of the symbols in your instrument cluster. Just use promo code V7UY5UF7 at checkout to get it for $12.

These Iris pet food containers aren’t exactly exciting, but they’ll keep bugs away while keeping your pet’s food fresher. There are two sizes, one that holds up 25 pounds, and one that holds up to 54 pounds. Both are matching Amazon’s all-time-low prices, so don’t let this deal roll away from you!

Pick up this 40-pack of extra thick magic erasers for $15 on Woot today, and you’ll spend just 38 cents per eraser. These aren’t the well-known Mr. Clean brand, but these erasers do have a 4.2-star rating on Amazon, so I’d say they’re worth a try, especially for Prime members, who will get free shipping.

But even if you’re not a Prime member, you’ll save $4 off the usual 40-pack price.

Update: Woot is now selling these pillows individually through Amazon’s Gold Box for $37-$39 each, depending on the size. You can still pick between two different firmness levels.

My Pillow makes our readers’ favorite pillows, and Woot is offering a rare deal today that should help your wallet rest easy.

For between $37 and $39, you’ll get a My Pillow in the sizes of your choice, with either medium or firm fill. These aren’t exactly the same as the pillows that won our Co-op—they’re gusseted, meaning there’s a piece of fabric stretching around the edge of the pillow, rather than the top and bottom being sewn into each other—but the patented fill is the same.

You don’t necessarily need to buy a new mattress to get a better night’s sleep: Sometimes, a mattress pad will do, and you can save $30 on a popular one today on Amazon.

Unlike most mattress pads, these are stuffed with Revoloft synthetic fill, which should feel a lot like down, but without the associated allergies and poking feathers. They also feature a hypoallergenic bamboo cover. Prices range from just $70-$100 today after you clip the $30 coupon, depending on the size, which are only a few dollars more than prices we’ve seen during one-day Gold Box deals.

Our readers voted end grain cutting boards as their favorite by a wide margin. If you’re looking to get a new one, this large (24" x 18") end grain butcher block board is down to $75 today on Woot, which is about $40 less than its Amazon’s price.

It’s made from responsibly-sourced teak wood, and if taken care of, this board will last a very long time.

Update: The $255 grill is sold out on Amazon, but Jet has a blue one for $267.

If you want a Big Green Egg charcoal grill, but don’t want to cash in your 401(k) to buy one, this Char-Griller alternative is down to $255 on Amazon today, the best price in months.

The Char-Griller Akorn Kamado Kooker features a 306 square inch cast iron cooking surface (which is most similar to the $829 large Big Green Egg), and traps heat inside a heavily-insulated stainless steel body. For those of you that follow Drew Magary’s culinary adventures, this is the grill he used to become a big bad smokeboy.

Obviously, this isn’t the “real thing,” but the consensus among Amazon reviewers is that it’s at least nearly as good, which sounds like a decent compromise considering it’s less than 1/4 of the price, and comes with a stable cart and folding shelves, both of which you’d need to buy separately with the Egg.

Instead of getting out your regular blender, pouring in the contents, and therefore dirtying more dishes, stick blenders allow you blend right in the container you were already using, whether that be a giant mixing bowl or single-serve cup.

This Braun Multiquick hand blender includes all the attachments you could need, like a mini food processor for chopping nuts or herbs, a whisk, and a masher. Plus, today’s price is the best we’ve ever seen. So, go ahead and save yourself a little money and from washing unnecessary dishes.

We’ve all had to throw away leftovers or cuts of meat and cheese that spent a little too much time in the fridge or freezer, but vacuum sealing your foods can keep them safe from freezer burn pretty much indefinitely, and dramatically extend their shelf life everywhere else.

It sounds like an expensive proposition, but today, Amazon’s selling this well-reviewed FoodSaver FM2435 starter kit for $80. Unlike lower end FoodSavers, the 2435 includes a retractable vacuum sealing hose, allowing it to vacuum seal specially designed zipper bags, in addition to the usual heat-seal bags.

Of course you can use this to store meats in the freezer for a long time, but it can also keep cheese from molding, lettuce from wilting, or cookies from going stale, just to name a few examples. Think about how much food you throw away, and you’ll get a sense of just how quickly this purchase could pay for itself.

GrowlerWerks’ uKeg keeps your favorite craft beer perfectly carbonated (with the help of CO2 cartridges), pressurizes it so you can pour from an integrated tap, and even lets you swap out the tap handle if you get your hands on one from a local brewery. Basically, it’s the perfect gift for any beer lover. And even when it’s not holding beer, it’ll look like a prop from a steampunk movie sitting on your kitchen shelf, which might just be its best feature.

For a limited time, the 128 oz. model is down to an all-time low $144 on Amazon, down from its usual $199. That’s $55 you’ll have left over to spend on beer to put in it.

Throw away a little less plastic with these reusable food-safe, airtight bags. Both the snack size and storage size are $5 today, and can be washed and reused countless times.

If you’re sick of stubbing your toes on the way to the bathroom (or fridge, not judging) at night, Anker will sell you a 6-pack of night lights for $15 right now. These include an ambient light sensor, so they’ll only come on when it’s dark enough to make them useful.

Olive Oil Squeeze Bottles
Vremi Olive Oil Dispenser | $14 | Amazon

When you cook with olive oil, you have three choices: You can pour imprecisely, you can make a measuring spoon dirty, or you can use Vremi’s $14 olive oil dispenser, which measures out a precise amount of oil before you pour it. I know which one I would choose. Needless to say, this would also make a great gift for the home cook in your life.

If you shop at Amazon with any frequency and have Amazon Prime, you should probably already have the Amazon Prime Visa card, which offers 5% back on all Amazon purchases, as well as 2% at restaurants, gas stations, and drug stores, and 1% everywhere else.

But if those perks weren’t enough to tempt you in the past, Amazon just added Whole Foods to the 5% tier too. If you happen to do a lot of your shopping there anyway, that’s one of the best cash back offers we’ve ever seen on groceries, assuming you pay off the card every month.

If, like me, you only use your Amazon card for Amazon.com purchases, and thus don’t carry it with you in your physical wallet, remember that all Whole Foods locations accept Apple Pay and Google Pay, so you can add the Amazon card to your mobile wallet and still enjoy this new perk.

If a vacation to Africa has been on your radar, but you weren’t sure where to start planning, this travel package includes just about everything you need for a reasonable price, including flights.

Gate 1 Travel (in partnership with Travelzoo) will fly you from the US to Nairobi, Kenya, which will serve as your home base for a five night wildlife sightseeing tour through the country, including two nights spent in the Masai Mara National Reserve. Your tours are included, as are your hotels, and most of your meals, and even restaurant tips. You will, however, have to provide your own camera.

Prices start under $2,000 per person with promo code TZWESK, and tours are priced from New York, though you can leave from pretty much any US airport for an additional fee. Dates are available from now through November, so there’s plenty of flexibility here.

There are few things more horrifying than running out of deodorant and realizing you don’t have a spare in your bathroom cabinet, but that won’t be an issue for quite awhile if you buy this 6-pack of Degree for just over $9. Be sure to clip the $2.50 coupon, and you’ll see the discount at checkout.

Magnetic smartphone vent mounts are the sleekest and easiest way to prop up your phone in the car, and you can get two mounts from Aukey for $8 today with code AUKEY007. Even if you already have these in your own car (a pretty safe bet!), it’s worth keeping spares in your luggage for rental cars, or on your desk to use as a makeshift phone stand.

It’s February, so you probably aren’t thinking about how you’re going to keep the mosquitos at bay... but you should be.

I had been waiting to get some mosquito-free time with the Thermacell Radius since summer 2017, and unfortunately now that we finally have it, we’re still going to have to wait a few more months to test.

That said, this is still the first EPA-approved, rechargeable mosquito repeller, and if you know you’re going to be spending time in enemy territory when things get warm, this is a great time to save some money with a preorder.

TOP LIFESTYLE DEALS

The weather wants to be nice, I feel it. If you’re cabin fever has ramped up after the nice days that have popped up lately, Mountain Hardwear’s Winter Sale is for you. Everything you could need gear-wise for getting (and staying) outside is 30% off, from jackets and outerwear, to sleeping bags and tents. Seriously, there are over 250 items marked down.

Note: if you sign up for the Elevated Members program, you’ll get an extra 10% off.

Timex makes one of your favorite affordable watch, the Weekender. And, it’s that about time you got yourself a decent timepiece that you aren’t afraid to wear every day. Timex is knocking an extra 25% off their sale styles for men and women, Weekender included, when you use the code WATCH25 at checkout.

Beach weather will be here before you know it, and bar none, Sport-Brella is the umbrella you want to take with you to the shore. Amazon’s discounting the blue and red model to just $43 today. That’s the best price since September for the blue one, but the red has been as low as $40 recently.

Unlike a regular umbrella, Sport-Brella leans backwards and attaches to the sand with stakes, creating a kind of semi-private cocoon with enough space for a couple of chairs and a cooler. Best of all, it sets up in about five minutes (once you know what you’re doing), and can provide a full day’s worth of privacy and sun protection.

Dorco, the best deal in razor blades, and the only company crazy enough to make a 7-blade razor, will sell you their take on the safety razor complete with a mirror and 30 blades for $13 today with promo code KINJA221A. That’s an all-time low, and you’ll even get free shipping.

Safety razors require more skill and patience, but you will get a better shave if you use them correctly. They’re also cheaper in the long run, with replacement blades available for just a few pennies each.

Anker’s BodySense Smart Scale has been a hit since its release last year, and if it’s been on your wish list (and you’re not afraid to use it after Thanksgiving), you can pick it up for $33, one of the best prices we’ve seen.

In addition to functioning as a normal digital bathroom scale, the BodySense can measure metrics such as body fat percentage and body water, and sync all of that data over Bluetooth to your iOS or Android smartphone. You can see my impressions here, but it’s the most seamless and reliable smart scale I’ve ever personally used, and a great deal at $33.

Preorder Bryker Hyde Quick Draw Wallet | $30 | Kickstarter

Kickstarter’s a veritable design playground for wallet makers, and Bryker Hyde’s new Quick Draw wallet offers great features for minimalists, card hoarders, and self-hating, card-hoarding, wannabe minimalists like myself.

You would technically consider this wallet a bifold, since it does fold in the middle, but since the spine of the wallet doubles as a money clip, it doesn’t have the added bulk of a cash pocket. And unlike most bifolds, this one makes full use of its outside face, with two quick draw card slots on either side of the spine. Three of those pockets block RFID signals, but one purposely lets them through, so you can use a hotel room key without taking it out of your wallet.

Inside, you’ll find two more slots for cards, a transparent ID holder, and the aforementioned money clip. The whole package is exceptionally thin when empty, probably the thinnest folding wallet I’ve ever seen, but it was still totally usable after I stuffed nine cards plus an ID in there.

The Quick Draw is already fully funded on Kickstarter with two weeks to go, and you can put a preorder in for $30, or get two of them for $50.

We sort through the noise of Kickstarter to find you preorder discounts worth taking advantage of. Someone on our team has tested a prototype (or final version) of every Kickstarter we cover.

Patagonia’s Web Specials section is always full of amazing discounts on gear you’ll actually want to use. For their huge Winter 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.

Nordstrom has only a couple large sales each year and today marks the beginning of their Winter Sale. Nordstrom is taking up to 40% off a boatload of styles for basically the rest of February. It’ll take time to look through all the stuff, so maybe pencil it in as a meeting at work or pretend you’re in the bathroom and avoid your family or something.

TOP MEDIA DEALS

A lot of our readers bought this illustrated Die Hard Christmas book before the holidays last year, but if you missed out, it just dropped back down to $13, so welcome to the party, pal.

Amazon’s FreeTime Unlimited is a subscription service offering up a ton of kid-friendly content for Kindles, Fire tablets, Android devices, and the Fire TV, and you can try three months for just $4 right now.

Normally, a family subscription (for up to four children) costs $7 per month for Prime members, or $10 for non-members, but this deal is open to all. Just note that after your first three months, you’ll be charged the regular monthly rate going forward, but you can always cancel or change to a prepaid membership if you wish.

Once you’re signed up, you’ll have access to over 13,000 apps, games, movies, TV shows, and books, divided into different age group buckets to make it easy to find the right content to keep your kids quiet for a few minutes enrich your kids’ minds.

Good thing you’ve been hoarding all those soy sauce packets and wooden chopsticks for years, because now you can start preparing your favorite Chinese takeout dishes at home with this $2 Kindle book. The meals will cost a fraction of the price, and you won’t have to be judged by the delivery boy for eating 3 portions by yourself.

Once again, Amazon is discounting a bunch of Kindle books down to $5 or less. This sale doesn’t really have a theme at all, but it does have some interesting reads, like an Agatha Christie murder mystery, Don Quixote, Most Dangerous, a book about the secret history of the Vietnam War, and a few books focused around Olympians. There are dozens of books to pick from, so I’m sure you’ll find something worth downloading.

Today on Amazon, $30 gets you nine popular Mel Brooks films on Blu-ray, including Blazing Saddles, Robin Hood: Men In Tights, and Spaceballs, plus a ton of special features. It was cheaper around the holiday shopping season, but otherwise, $30 is a really good price for this set.

 

TOP GAMING DEALS

Mario is getting the Zelda treatment this year with his own hardcover encyclopedia, and preorders on Amazon are currently marked down to $24, from the MSRP of $40. The book doesn’t come out until October, but if you preorder now, you’ll automatically get the best price Amazon lists between the moment you order and the day it’s released.

Titanfall 2 just never really caught on, but it’s a really terrific shooter, and it’s certainly worth $5 on PC, even if you only ever play the single player campaign.

If you have kids or a President whose hands are too small to use a proper DualShock 4 controller, Hori makes a wired gamepad that’s 40% smaller, and 50% cheaper. It normally sells for $30, but today on Amazon, you can grab it for $20, matching an all-time low.

If you never got around to playing Far Cry 4 when it came out a few years ago, it’s absolutely worth picking up for $12. This digital download deal is only available for PS4 though, unfortunately.

Preorder Subatomic | $29 | Kickstarter

Particle physics might not sound like the most engaging theme for a board game, but our deal researcher Corey had a ton of fun playing the upcoming Subatomic with his daughters, all while teaching them a useful science lesson.

Subatomic’s Kickstarter is already fully funded, but you can still preorder the game for $29, down from its expected $40 MSRP, or spring for a Collector’s Edition with premium game pieces for $39.

I currently own five Funko POP! Figures, all Star Wars, most sitting on my desk at work. They’re adorable, and highly accurate, and ThinkGeek has them on sale right now for up to 70% off. POP! Figures are the perfect desk accessories for showing off your allegiance to pop culture, whether it’s action movies or video games or Bob Ross.

I’m Commander Shep, and this is my favorite deal on Amazon.

While you can often find better per-month prices on Xbox Live Gold by buying 12 months at a time, if you’ve got commitment issues, Amazon’s discounting three-month membership cards to $15, down from their usual $25.

It’s not quite as exciting as Civilization VI and Owlboy (and eventually Life Is Strange and Tacoma) like last month, but Dark Souls III and its Ashes of Ariandel DLC are a solid start to next month’s Humble Monthly.

If you aren’t familiar, Humble Monthly is a $12/month subscription (or less if you purchase multiple months in advance) that unlocks a handful of games at the beginning of the month, plus more mystery games at the end of it. Even if you cancel, every game you’ve downloaded is yours to keep forever, making this one of the best deals in PC gaming.

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