What We Actually Use
Not what we recommend. What we bought with our own money and use every single day. No freebies, no review samples kept. These are the things we would buy again tomorrow.
Senior Hardware Editor
MacBook Air M4 15"
Silent, all-day battery, enough power for testing and writing. The 15" display makes a huge difference for reviewing product photos side by side.
Dell UltraSharp U2725QE
Factory-calibrated 4K, USB-C hub built in. I just plug in one cable and everything works.
Ergotron LX Monitor Arm
Frees up desk space and lets me push the monitor back when testing hardware on the desk.
Anker Prime 100W GaN Charger
Three ports, charges my laptop and phone simultaneously. Small enough for the travel bag.
Audio & Peripherals Editor
Sony WH-1000XM6
Best ANC I have tested. I wear these 6+ hours a day. The multipoint connection between laptop and phone is essential.
Keychron Q1 Pro
Gasket mount, hot-swap, wireless. I have tried dozens of boards and keep coming back to this one.
Logitech MX Master 4
The scroll wheel and thumb button are irreplaceable for my workflow. Nothing else comes close.
Sennheiser Profile USB Mic
Clean audio for calls without looking like a podcaster. The built-in gain knob is underrated.
Networking & Smart Home Editor
eero Max 7 (3-pack)
Covers my entire house including the garage where I test smart home gear. The app is the least annoying of any mesh system.
Synology DS224+
Runs my photo backups, Plex, and Home Assistant. DSM is the reason I recommend Synology to beginners.
Dreame X60 Max Ultra
Actually mops well, empties itself, and the navigation handles furniture legs better than anything else I have tested.
TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug EP25
Reliable, cheap, and the energy monitoring helps me figure out what is actually using power.
Software & AI Editor
Samsung 990 PRO 2TB
Fast enough that I never wait for builds or large model downloads. The thermal performance is genuinely better than the competition.
Anker Nano Power Bank 10K
Built-in USB-C cable means one less thing to forget. I carry this every day.
Sony WF-1000XM5 Earbuds
Great ANC for coffee shops, solid call quality, small enough to forget they are in my pocket.
CalDigit TS4 Dock
Eighteen ports. I connect everything through one Thunderbolt cable. It has never crashed or disconnected.
About this page
Every product on this page was purchased by SolderMag editors with personal funds. We do not keep review samples. Links use Amazon Associates tags, which means we earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you.