• It can be very handy to have an inflatable air mattress for a camping trip or when guests visit your home.
• The SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress with ComfortCoil Technology & Internal High Capacity Pump is our top pick because it's comfortable, easy to inflate, and big enough for two to sleep comfortably.

Air mattresses come in handy when your in-laws drop by for an impromptu weekend visit, or when your kids develop a tendency to bring friends home for sleepovers. But air mattresses can also be great in case of emergencies, or if you're a camper or hiker who needs a comfortable way to sleep in the great outdoors. No matter how your air mattress helps your life, we've found a perfect pick for you.

There are a number of factors that go into finding the perfect air mattress: comfort, ease and time to inflate/deflate, height, firmness, air pressure and retention, manufacturing materials, and portability, to name a few. Great air mattresses vary widely in price, as well, so we've kept that in mind as we've scoured expert consumer lists and real live user reviews to bring you this Insider Picks Guide to the perfect air mattress for any purpose.

Here are the best air mattresses you can buy:

• Best air mattress overall: SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress
• Best quick-inflate air mattress: Insta-Bed Raised Air Mattress
• Best budget air mattress: Intex Pillow Rest Raised Airbed
• Best air mattress for kids: AeroBed Mattress for Kids

Updated on 10/17/2019 by Caitlin Petreycik: Updated prices, links, and formatting. Added related guides. 

SEE ALSO: The best mattress toppers you can buy

The best air mattress overall

The SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress tops the charts for comfort and performance, and the satisfaction guarantee means you'll get the most out of your investment.

The SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress has gotten rave reviews for comfort and performance. The company's ComfortCoil Technology means the mattress is packed with 40 internal air coils so it stays firm and supportive without drooping or sagging throughout the night. SoundAsleep's built-in pump means it's easy to inflate and deflate the Dream Series Air Mattress, but it does take about four minutes to complete a cycle.

The Queen size mattress is big enough for two house guests to sleep comfortably, and the raised dual-chamber 19-inch height makes it easier to climb in and out of bed without having to climb all the way down to the floor. There is a Sure-Grip textured layer lining the bottom of the mattress to prevent late-night slipping and sliding on hardwood and glossy floors.

On the other side, the mattress' surface layer is extra thick and waterproof to avoid mildew and bacteria caused by night sweats and to prevent punctures, nicks, and tears.

Best Products and the Wirecutter both hold the SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress as one of their top picks.

Since the SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress is meant specifically for in-home use, it's not the most portable option on the market. It weighs about 20 pounds, but it does come with a convenient carrying case for toting the deflated mattress around your house or from room to room. Best of all, SoundAsleep's year-long satisfaction guarantee and great reputation for customer service mean that your air mattress investment will be well-spent and protected.

Pros: A year-long satisfaction guarantee and great customer service back up this comfortable, durable, top-ranked air mattress

Cons: The higher price tag and 20-pound product weight make this air mattress less than ideal for customers on the go or looking for a camping bed

The best quick-inflating air mattress

With a lower price tag and lower height profile, the Insta-Bed Raised Air Mattress is still comfortable, durable, and easy to use.

Insta-Bed's Raised Air Mattress may be a bit of a misnomer, only because the main downside to the mattress is its lower height profile. It's only about a foot off the ground when fully inflated, which could make nights difficult for anyone whose priority is accessibility. Other than height, Insta-Bed nails all the expected features of an inflatable air mattress. The built-in Insta III AC pump is billed as 20% quieter than other popular air bed pumps, and it inflates and deflates quickly and easily in about four minutes.

The top layer is made of flocked PVC material just like our top pick, providing water resistance, damage resistance, long-term durability, and a soft, comfortable surface for a good night's sleep. Construction on Insta-Bed's Queen-sized bed includes 35 circular air coils, which is only slightly lower than the SoundAsleep's 40. Beneath the bed, the bottom layer is protected with Sure-Grip texturing so your guests won't slide around their room in the night.

Insta-Bed's is considerably lighter than our top pick, weighing about 13 pounds, and it still comes with an easy carrying case. Although the Insta-Bed Raised Air Mattress is more than $30 cheaper than the SoundAsleep, it is still protected by a one-year warranty and reportedly great customer service. 

Pros: More affordable without compromising comfort and durability, this air mattress is still guarantee-protected and built to last

Cons: The lower height profile means this air bed is harder to get in and out of, especially for grandparents and anyone with injuries

The best budget air mattress

For a budget option, the Intex Pillow Rest Raised Airbed doesn't sacrifice comfort or reliability and even includes a built-in pillow.

The most appealing thing about the Intex Pillow Rest Raised Airbed is the price tag. The queen size mattress measures 60 by 80 inches, and it does stay pretty low to the ground at 16.5 inches high. It offers the same style of flocked top PVC surface as comparable air mattresses at much higher price points.

The integrated electric pump takes the standard four minutes or so to inflate and deflate, and users say that the Intex air mattress stays firm and well-inflated without losing air throughout the night.

A nice and unexpected addition to this affordable air mattress is the built-in pillow, which raises the surface of the mattress just slightly where your guests will rest their heads. Water- and puncture-resistant materials keep the mattress comfortable and clean, and the bed still comes with an easy carrying case despite its serious affordability. Some people find the raised pillow area uncomfortable, including one Wirecutter tester.

There's no warranty and no customer satisfaction guarantee with the Intex air mattress, making it a bit of a gamble. But, at this price, you can hardly expect it to last a lifetime. 

Pros: Built-in pillows, all the comfort and durability of a name brand air mattress without the high price tag

Cons: Low height profile is less than ideal, no warranty or customer satisfaction promise means this air mattress isn't guaranteed to last

The best air mattress for kids

The AeroBed Mattress for Kids comes with a washable fleece covering layer that's good for kid messes.

Size is the first thing that makes this air mattress perfect for kids: the AeroBed mattress measures 50 by 25 inches. It's also specifically designed to keep younger children from rolling out of the bed with a 4-inch safety cushion raised around the mattress' perimeter.

The heavy-duty PVC material is designed to withstand the ups and downs of energetic youngsters, and the thick, washable mattress pad makes kid-sized messes easier to handle without ruining the mattress itself.

The included electric air pump inflates the bed in under a minute, although its much smaller size means that timing shouldn't be compared with the longer inflation times on queen-sized adult beds. Aerobed includes a handy carrying case, and although the price tag may seem high for a kid-sized mattress, users suggest that their small children and toddlers have slept on the Aerobed Mattress for years without any deflation, damage, or size concerns.

Pros: Safety cushion protects younger kids, and durability and comfort last for years, even as kids grow

Cons: Kids will grow out of the smaller size eventually, so it's not the best option unless you start young

Check out our other buying guides for sleeping soundly

The best pillows you can buy for your bed

A good pillow means a good night's sleep. We reviewed dozens of pillows to narrow down the choices to the ones you'll love best. Here are our top picks:

• Best overall:Coop Home Goods Adjustable Shredded Memory Foam Pillow
• Best hybrid pillow: Leesa Hybrid Pillow
• Best down pillow:Royal Hotel Goose Down Pillow
• Best buckwheat hull pillow:Zen Chi Buckwheat Hull Pillow
• Best memory foam pillow: Sleep Innovations Cool Contour Memory Foam Pillow
• Best bolster pillow: Half-Moon Bolster Pillow
• Best latex pillow: Beautyrest Latex Foam Pillow
• Best gel pillow: Beckham Hotel Collection Gel Pillow
• Best body pillow: Moonlight Slumber's Comfort-U Total Body Support Pillow

The best sheets you can buy

After reviewing dozens of contenders, our top pick for bed sheets are these 280-thread-count Pima Cotton Percale Sheets from L.L. Bean. Crisp, cool, and comfortable against your skin, these sheets make bedtime a treat. Here are some other sheets we love: 

• Best sheets overall: L.L. Bean 280-thread-count Pima Cotton Percale Sheets
• Best sateen cotton sheets: Brooklinen Luxe Sheets
• Best sheets with patterns and colors: Crane & Canopy Sheet Sets
• Best flannel sheets:Pinzon Velvet Flannel Sheets
• Best organic cotton sheets: Boll & Branch Signature Soft Hemmed Sheet Set
• Best modal sheets: Pure Beech Modal Sateen Sheets
• Best microfiber sheets: Brooklyn Bedding Microfiber Sheets

The best mattresses you can buy

• You can easily remove an email account from your iPhone— from the Mail app and any other apps it's connected to — through your iPhone's Settings app.
• Apple's Mail app is a convenient location to view all of your email accounts, but you can remove an account from the app in a few steps. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Apple Mail app is a versatile app that allows you to view all of your email accounts in one place. When you find yourself no longer using an account, however, you can simply remove it through the Settings app on your iPhone.

Most people have multiple email accounts, and at the bare minimum have a personal account and a work account. Apple's Mail app allows you to sync these together — which you can also do on Outlook or Gmail — instead of downloading the separate apps for each.

To remove an email address, you can access account details in your Settings app. From there, you can also choose what data you'd like to sync the account with — including your calendars and contacts. 

If you ever want to add an email account back, you can easily do so from youriPhone. You can also do this from your iPad. 

Here's how to remove an account.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

iPhone 11 (From $699.99 at Best Buy)

How to remove an email account from your iPhone

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

2. Scroll down and tap on "Passwords & Accounts" from the fifth list of tabs.

3. Here you'll find your account details, including a list of linked email accounts that you can sync with your Mail, Contacts, and Calendar apps.

4. Tap the account you'd like to delete from the "Accounts" tabs list. This will bring you to the email account's details page, where you can choose to sign out or sync it with other devices.

5. Toggle off the Mail button to remove the account from your Mail app, or tap the red "Delete Account" text at the bottom of the list and cofirm the deletion in the pop-up window to remove the account from your device altogether.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• How to search for an email on your iPhone, in the Mail or Gmail app

• How to set up an Outlook email account on your iPhone in the Mail app

• How to log into iCloud on your iPhone with an Apple ID, to access and manage your iCloud account

• How to search your browsing history on an iPhone, in Safari or Google Chrome

SEE ALSO: The best iPhone for every type of person and budget

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Facebook's scandals aren't enough for people to stop using it. Here's how the company has held up through data hacks, lawsuits, and massive security threats.

• As 2019 moves along, we've looked at all the new and existing credit cards available this year, and picked a few of our favorites.
• If you own a small business — whether it's a personal side gig, a sole proprietorship, or something with multiple employees — it's important to keep your business and personal expenses separate from each other.
• Our top picks include points-earning cards like the Business Platinum® Card from American Express as well as cash-back options like the Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card.
• Take a look below at our picks for best small business credit cards of 2019, and don't miss our guide to the best personal rewards credit cards of 2019.

Whether you're a freelancer, someone with a side gig, or you run a business with 15 employees, an HR team, and a brick-and-mortar store or office, keeping your personal and business finances separate is vital. Even if you're a sole proprietor using your personal checking account, things can get muddy quickly when you're cutting personal and business checks from the same account, or charging drinks with friends and your monthly Microsoft Office subscription to the same credit card.

To make your own day-to-day life easier, and to save yourself a tremendous number of headaches when it comes time to file taxes, you're best keeping business purchases separate — I learned this quickly when I started to do some freelance work on the side.

Keep in mind that we're focusing on the rewards and perks that make these credit cards great options, not things like interest rates and late fees, which will far outweigh the value of any points or miles. It's important to practice financial discipline when using credit cards by paying your balances in full each month, making payments on time, and only spending what you can afford to pay back. 

Why you need a business credit card

There are a few other reasons to use a business card, though. 

Your personal card might not facilitate the kind of spending your company does. Business cards can have higher credit limits, and in most cases, the activity on a business card won't affect your personal credit report (although if you default on the business card, the card issuer can still come after you personally).

If you're a "sole proprietor" business, where you work solo and work under your own name and social security number (rather than a business name), getting a business card is more about the convenience of keeping your expenses separate, and protecting your own credit profile and assets — even the smallest of businesses are eligible, such as freelancers, individuals with side gigs, or even people who resell things on eBay.

If you're a bigger business, though — or aspire to grow into one, with employees and more resources, having a business card is a must — not only to separate expenses, but also to establish business credit, so that you have flexibility later on with loans and leases. Plus, you can get additional authorized cards for employees as needed.

These are the best business credit cards to open in 2019

• Ink Business Preferred Credit Card: Best for sign-up bonus
• The Business Platinum Card from American Express: Best for premium business travel benefits

• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express: Best for points earning with no annual fee

• Capital One Spark Miles for Business: Best for flexible redemption options with a reasonable annual fee
• Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card: Best for a flat earning rate when paired with another Chase card
• American Express® Business Gold Card: Best for 4x bonus categories
• Ink Business Cash Credit Card: Best for cash-back bonus categories
• Capital One Spark Cash for Business: Best for simplicity
• Brex Corporate Card for Startups and the Brex Corporate Card for Ecommerce: Best if you only use one business credit card
• Airline business credit cards: Best for frequent business travel if you're loyal to one airline
• Hotel business credit cards: Best if you're loyal to one hotel

1. Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

Welcome offer: 80,000 Ultimate Rewards points when you spend $5,000 on the card in the first three months.

Annual fee: $95

Earning rates: 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 your business spends on combined purchases each cardmember year on travel, shipping, internet/cable/phone, and advertising on social media sites or with search engines. Purchases after you reach $150,000, or in any other category, earn 1 point per dollar.

Standout benefits: Cell phone protection, primary car rental insurance

If you're looking to earn valuable, flexible rewards points on your small business spending, the Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) ecosystem is among the best options. If you already have one of Chase's popular personal rewards cards — like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve— the Ink Business Preferred is an ideal business card companion.

Like those cards, the Ink Preferred earns UR points, and while you can keep them on that card and separate from the rest of your stash, you can also combine them with the rest of your points. These points can be traded for cash back, transferred to frequent flyer and hotel loyalty partners, or used to purchase travel with a 25% bonus (or a 50% bonus if you move your points over to your Chase Sapphire Reserve). 

The Ink Business Preferred card also earns bonus points in some of the most common expense categories for businesses, from travel to shipping to advertising on social media sites like Facebook and search engines such as Google Ads. That earning rate, plus the card's 80,000 point sign-up bonus — the highest bonus currently offered by Chase — should make for a nice stash of Ultimate Reward points.

Among other benefits, the Ink Business Preferred offers cell phone protections. When you use the Ink Preferred to pay your cell phone bill, you're covered for up to $600 for damage, loss, or theft of your cell phone — or your employees' work-provided phones, if you provide them. You're limited to three claims per rolling 12-month period, but this can save you a fortune. That insurance alone makes up for the $95 annual fee.

Click here to learn more about the Ink Business Preferred card.

2. The Business Platinum® Card from American Express

Welcome offer: Up to 100,000 Membership Rewards points (50,000 points after you spend $10,000 in the first three months, and another 50,000 if you spend an additional $15,000 in that same time frame). This limited-time offer is available until December 4.

Annual fee: $595

Earning rates: 5 points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels booked at amextravel.com, 1.5 points per dollar on purchases of $5,000 or more (up to 1 million additional points per year), 1 point per dollar on everything else

Standout benefits: 

• $200 annual airline fee credit
• Access to airport lounges include Centurion lounges, Priority Pass lounges, and Delta Sky Clubs (when you're flying Delta)
• Up to $200 in Dell statement credits annually (divided into up to $100 between January and June and up to $100 between July and December)
• One year of WeWork Platinum Global Access if you enroll by December 31, 2019
• Get 35% of your points back when you use Pay With Points to book an economy flight with your selected airline or a business- or first-class flight with any airline

The small business version of American Express's famed Platinum Card used to be our pick for the top business card, but in the past year the annual fee has increased and it's become a bit more of a niche product — potentially useful for mid-sized businesses that spend a lot on flights and travel, but less valuable for sole proprieters and very small operations.

Card holders can now receive a complimentary year of WeWork Platinum Global Access, allowing them to use any of WeWork's 300-plus facilities, which are spread across more than 75 cities throughout the world. The benefit is worth $2,700, according to Amex.

Business Platinum card holders also get up to $200 of annual statement credits to use when shopping at Dell and $200 in airline fee credits each calendar year, essentially rebating part of the annual fee. Plus, because the airline fee credit is valid each calendar year, not cardmember year, you could get it twice in your first 12 months of having the card.

Other travel benefits include access to more than 1,200 airport lounges, 10 complimentary Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi passes each year, and complimentary Gold elite status with Hilton and Marriott.

Click here to learn more about the Business Platinum Card.

3. The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express

Welcome offer: N/A

Annual fee: $0

Earning rates: 2 Amex Membership Rewards points per dollar on the first $50,000 in spending every year (after that, it's 1x point).

Standout benefits: No annual fee, 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 months (then a variable rate of 15.24%-21.24%)

The Blue Business Plus Card doesn't usually have a welcome offer, and that might be enough to turn many people away from it. However, it's the rare points-earning business card that doesn't charge an annual fee; you'll earn 2 points per dollar on the first $50,000 you spend each year, with no bonus categories to keep track of. According to travel website The Points Guy, Amex points are worth 2 cents apiece, so you're getting a 4% return on all your business spending up to $50,000 each year.

There's also a 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers. While funding your startup with a credit card may not be the best idea, the introductory APR can help if you have a few larger purchases coming up and are still working to get cash flow regular. 

Click here to learn more about the Blue Business Plus.

4. Capital One Spark Miles for Business

Welcome offer: 50,000 miles after you spend $4,500 in the first three months

Annual fee: $0 the first year; $95 after that

Earning rate: 2x miles on all purchases

Standout benefits: Transfer miles to Capital One's airline partners including Air Canada and Emirates or redeem miles to cover travel purchases on your statement, up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck

The Spark Miles for Business is a great option if you want choices in how you redeem your miles. You can transfer them to more than 10 airline partners or you can use miles to "wipe" your business' travel expenses from your credit card statement. Beyond that, you can redeem miles for cash back or gift cards. So if you don't want to be locked into just one way to use your rewards, this card could make sense.

You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on all purchases with no cap. Transferring miles to airline partners like Air Canada, Avianca, and Singapore Airlines will usually get you the most value, but you'll have to do a bit of work to uncover the best uses with each program.

Click here to learn more about the Capital One Spark Miles for Business.

5. Chase Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card

Welcome offer: $500 (or 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points) after you spend $3,000 in the first three months

Annual fee: $0

Earning rate: 1.5% cash back on all purchases

Standout benefits: If you also have a card that earns Ultimate Rewards points, you can redeem cash back as points with travel partners and get more than 1.5% back per, 0% introductory APR on purchases for the first 12 months (then a variable rate of 15.49%-21.49%)

The newest card in Chase's business portfolio, the Ink Business Unlimited is a simple one at first — earn unlimited 1.5% cash back.

However, just like the consumer Chase Freedom and Chase Freedom Unlimited cards, the Ink Business Unlimited has a trick up its sleeve. Although the card is marketed as "cash back," it actually earns Ultimate Rewards points that you can redeem for cash (1 point = $0.01).

That means that you can combine the points earned from the Ink Business Unlimited with the ones you earn from cards like the Ink Preferred, or the personal Sapphire Reserve, and either earn a bonus when you redeem them for travel through Chase, or transfer them to travel partners. Combined with an Ink Preferred, you'll get a guaranteed 1.5–3 points per dollar spent.

The card offers a 0% introductory APR for 12 months and has no annual fee, making it a no-brainer for every small business owner, freelancer, or side-gig hustler.

Click here to learn more about the Chase Ink Business Unlimited.

6. American Express Business Gold Card

Welcome offer: Earn up to $500 back as statement credits by purchasing qualifying services at FedEx within the first three months. This is only available until November 6, 2019.

Annual fee: $295

Earning rates: 4x points on your top two spending categories each billing cycle on up to $150,000 in combined purchases each year from the following list: airfare purchased directly from airlines, US purchases for advertising in select media, US purchases at gas stations, US purchases made directly from select technology providers, US purchase at restaurants, and US purchases for shipping; 1x point on everything else

Standout benefits: 25% of your points back when you pay with points to book first or business-class airfare with American Express Travel (or any class of flight with your selected qualifying airline), up to 250,000 points back per calendar year.

If you don't want to pay the higher annual fee of the Business Platinum Card, the Business Gold Card is a good alternative. And depending on your spending habits, the Business Gold could actually be a more rewarding choice, thanks to the ability to earn 4x points on popular business spending categories. 

And if you spend a lot at FedEx, now's a perfect time to open the card, since you can get up to $500 back on qualifying FedEx purchases made in the first three months. Just note that this welcome offer is only available until November 6, 2019.

Click here to learn more about the American Express Business Gold Card.

7. Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card

Welcome offer: $500 (or 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points) after you spend $3,000 in the first three months

Annual fee: $0

Earning rates: 5% cash back (or 5x points) on the first $25,000 in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services each card holder year, 2% back (or 2x points) on the first $25,000 in purchases at gas stations and restaurants each year, and 1% (or 1x point) on everything else with no cap.

Standout benefits: If you also have a card that earns Ultimate Rewards points, you can redeem cash back as points with travel partners and get a higher return on your spending, 0% introductory APR on purchases for the first 12 months (then a variable rate of 15.49%-21.49%)

The Ink Cash is another solid Chase entry, and just like with the Ink Unlimited, you can pool the "cash" you earn with points from a points-earning card, effectively converting your cash into (potentially) more valuable points.

The Ink Cash is an especially good option if you can maximize its bonus categories, including office supply stores, internet, cable, and restaurants, among others.

Click here to learn more about the Chase Ink Business Cash.

8. Capital One Spark Cash for Business

Welcome offer: $500 after you spend $4,500 in the first three months

Annual fee: $0 for the first year; $95 after that

Earning rate: 2% on all purchases 

Standout benefits: Free employee cards that also earn 2% back on everything,

This is probably the easiest-to-use card on this list, but simple doesn't mean bad — this can be a fantastically rewarding card.

The Capital One Spark Cash earns unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases. That's it. No categories, no points values or conversions, no redemption minimums. Rewards won't expire for the life of the account, and you can redeem any amount of cash back. The card has a $95 annual fee, waived the first year.

At first glance, the Amex Blue Business Plus might seem like a better option, since it earns 2x points and doesn't have an annual fee. However, keep in mind that while 2x points may be more valuable than 2% cash if you redeem strategically for travel by transferring to partners, Membership Rewards points can't be redeemed outright for cash. You can redeem them for a statement credit, but they'll only be worth 0.6 cents each. That means that effectively, the Amex card only offers 1.2% "cash" back, compared to the no-strings-attached 2% from the Capital One Spark Cash.

Click here to learn more about the Spark Cash.

9. Brex Corporate Card

Welcome offer: 75,000 Brex points upon sign-up (available until October 31)

Brex offers two versions of its unique business credit card: the Brex Corporate Card for Startups, and the Brex Corporate Card for Ecommerce. The card stands out because it doesn't require any personal guarantees, and it offers strong rewards for customers who make Brex their exclusive corporate card (7x points on rideshare and 3x points at restaurants and coffee shops, for example).

The Brex Corporate Card for Ecommerce offers a credit limit of 5o% to 100% of your projected monthly sales, up to $5 million, while Brex says the Brex Corporate Card for Startups offers up to 20 times higher credit limits than competing cards. 

You can transfer Brex points to seven airline partners, including JetBlue, which was the most recent addition.

Click here to learn more about the Brex Corporate Card for Startups.

Click here to learn more about the Brex Corporate Card for Ecommerce.

10. Airline business credit cards

Welcome offer: Varies

If you fly often for work, and you're loyal to one particular airline, then it could be worth getting an airline's business credit card. In addition to earning frequent flyer miles on every purchase, you'll get a variety of perks like free checked bags and priority boarding. 

Each airline card's terms and benefits are slightly different, but these are some of the best options to consider for your business.

Delta

• Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express
• Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express
• Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card

United Airlines

• United Explorer Business Card

American Airlines

• CitiBusiness /AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard

Southwest Airlines

• Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

Alaska Airlines

• Alaska Airlines Visa Business credit card

11. Hotel business credit cards

Welcome offer: Varies

If you frequently travel for business, a hotel business credit card could also make sense. You'll earn hotel points on all your spending, and some cards offer complimentary elite status and annual free reward nights.

The benefits and bonuses vary, but here are some top options to consider:

Hilton

Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

Marriott 

Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card

More credit card coverage

• What's the best airline credit card?
• The best cash-back credit cards
• Southwest credit card review
• Best credit card reward programs

Join the conversation about this story »

• If your Apple Watch isn't charging, first check all hardware connections and then force the watch to restart and try again. 
• An Apple Watch that's working properly should give you 18 hours of battery life and will require about two hours to fully charge.
• When your Apple Watch is charging properly, a small green lightning bolt icon will be visible on its screen. A red lightning bolt indicates low battery.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Even with regular use during the day, your Apple Watch's battery should last 18 hours, and will fully recharge in just two hours. 

That long battery life and fast charge time means you can count on your trusty digital sidekick all day and almost all night too, as long as you can get it to charge in the first place. 

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Apple Watch Series 5 (From $399.99 at Best Buy)

SEE ALSO: The best Apple, Google, and Samsung smart watches

How to troubleshoot your Apple Watch if it isn't charging

If you rest the watch on its magnetic charging dock and don't see that trusty green lightning bolt on its screen, you have a problem on your hands. 

But there are multiple ways to troubleshoot the charging issue, so don't panic yet.

Reposition the Apple Watch and check connections

1. Try picking up and then reconnecting your watch and charging dock. 

2. Also, try laying the watch down flat instead of charging it at a 90-degree angle.

3. Then, check the charging dock cable and make sure it is properly inserted into the adapter and that the adapter is fully plugged into the outlet.

4. Also make sure the back of the watch and the surface of the charger are clean and free of plastic film or any other physical objects.

Force the watch to restart

1. Hold down both the Digital Crown, the disc on the right side of the watch, and the side button of your Apple Watch for 10 seconds. 

2. Once the Apple logo appears, you can release and the watch will restart. 

3. Repeat step two if you need to.

Try different hardware

If possible, try a new charger with your watch to see if the issue is with the charging hardware rather than the device itself. And finally, if accessible, try a different watch with your charger or chargers.

By now, it will be clear if the issue is quickly fixable or if you need help from Apple.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• How to turn Power Reserve on an Apple Watch on or off, to conserve battery or control features

• How to turn off the passcode on an Apple Watch in 2 different ways

• How to stop a workout on your Apple Watch automatically or manually

• 'Why does my Apple Watch keep locking?': How to stop your Apple Watch from locking when it shouldn't

• You can put a song on repeat on your iPhone in just a few steps with Apple Music or Spotify.  
• In either app, tap the song that's currently playing and tap the Repeat button until it shows a small "1" above it. 
• To stop playing a song on repeat, tap the repeat button again, or tap the Next Track button to skip to another song.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Even though playing music on your iPhone is such a common activity, it can be difficult to find the control to repeat a song – both in Apple Music and Spotify. 

For both apps, you'll have to enable the repeat button in single song mode (the repeat button has two modes). Ordinarily, it will repeat the entire queue, but when it displays a "1," it will only repeat the selected song. 

Here's how to put a single song on repeat in both apps. 

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

iPhone 11 (From $699.99 at Best Buy)

How to put a song on repeat on your iPhone in Apple Music

1. Start the Music app and select a song to play.

2. Tap the song bar at the bottom of the screen. It should open the Now Playing screen, showing the current song and the next tracks in the queue. 

3. Tap the Repeat button until it lights up with a small "1" above it. The song will now repeat until you manually stop playing it.

How to put a song on repeat on your iPhone in Spotify

1. Start the Spotify app and select a song to play.

2. Tap the song bar at the bottom of the screen to see the song details.

3. Tap the Repeat button until it lights up with a small "1" above it. The song will now repeat until you manually stop playing it.

How to stop repeating a song on your iPhone

When you're done playing the song on repeat, you can easily get out of repeat mode in two ways:

• Tap the Repeat button to turn it off.
• Use the Previous or Next track buttons to skip to another song.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• The best apps for downloading and listening to free music on your iPhone

• How to redownload music on your iPhone in 2 different ways

• How to delete music from your iPhone, with an easy method for deleting all of it at once

• 'What is Sound Check on an iPhone?': How to protect your ears from downloaded songs with higher volume

SEE ALSO: The best iPhone for every type of person and budget

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Facebook's scandals aren't enough for people to stop using it. Here's how the company has held up through data hacks, lawsuits, and massive security threats.

• For wealthy families wanting to save on taxes, these 15 cities in Washington, Texas, Florida, and Indiana are the best, according to data from GOBankingRates. 
• The data considers state and local taxes, the costs of homes, median incomes, and community factors like crime rates and school quality. 
• Suburbs near cities in Florida, Texas, and Washington dominate the list, especially since these states have no state income taxes. 
• Most of the cities on the list are suburbs of cities like Houston and Dallas. By living just outside of cities, the data shows that wealthy families can avoid paying high city taxes, and enjoy lower crime rates, better schools, and bigger homes for less.
• Read more personal finance coverage.

Wealthy families live all over the US, but they aren't always paying the same amount of taxes.

GOBankingRates looked at the cities that offered the best tax benefits for wealthy citizens, along with the median household income, price of a top-tier home, and the quality of schools and crime rates. It found that while there were opportunities across the country in Alabama, Massachussetts, and Indiana for families to take advantage of low taxes, the best places for wealthy families were overwhelmingly suburbs in Texas. 

There are a few reasons why suburbs and Texas made the list so frequently. Texas is one of nine states in the US that doesn't impose income taxes on residents, along with Florida and Washington (states which also had suburbs on the list). In the suburbs, it's far easier to find better home values and lower taxes than inside the city limits. 

These suburbs were ranked based on the factors above, with taxes being the No. 1 factor. Here are the 15 places in the US where wealthy families pay the least in taxes: 

15. Hoover, Alabama

Just outside of Birmingham is Hoover, Alabama, a small town where nearly a third of families earn more than $125,000 per year and the tax rates are low. And in the deep south, a large income will go a long way. 

Average median household income: $81,038

Tax rate for the typical family: 5%

State and local taxes for the top 1% of families: 5%

14. Round Rock, Texas

North of Austin, this affluent town has median value top-tier homes selling for less than $500,000, and is in a state with no income tax. 

Average median household income: $76,295

Tax rate for the typical family: 0%

State and local taxes for the top 1% of families: 3.1%

13. Fishers, Indiana

Just outside of Indianapolis, Fishers offers top tier homes under $400,000 and median six-figure incomes in a state where the cost of living is low. Even though Indiana does have state income tax, it's fairly low.

Average median household income: $101,469

Income tax rate for the typical family: 3.23%

State and local taxes for the top 1% of families: 6.8%

12. Boca Raton, Florida

Boca Raton is full of top tier homes and high incomes. Couple that with no state income tax in Florida, and it's a great place for affluent families to live comfortably. 

Average median household income: $76,218

Income tax rate for the typical family: 0%

State and local taxes for the top 1% of families: 2.3%

11. Newton, Massachusetts

Newton, a suburb of Boston, Massachussetts, has low taxes and about 50% of families make more than $125,000 per year. But, a nice home will cost well over $1,200,000 here. 

Average median household income: $133,853

Income tax rate for the typical family: 5.05%

State and local taxes for the top 1% of families: 6.5%

10. Carmel, Indiana

Very near other affluent Indianapolis suburb Fishers, Carmel, Indiana is another town where residents can make their dollar stretch and buy a top-tier home for less and live well affordably. 

Average median household income: $109,201

Income tax rate for the typical family: 3.23%

State and local taxes for the top 1% of families: 6.8%

9. McKinney, Texas

McKinney, Texas offers nice homes and low income taxes, and about a third of families earn $125,000 per year or more. 

Average median household income: $87,608

Income tax rate for the typical family: 0%

State and local taxes for the top 1% of families: 3.1%

8. Kirkland, Washington

Just across Lake Washington from Seattle, Kirkland is a suburb of affluent families in a state with no income taxes. But, it's not necessarily as affordable as other places on this list, with a median nice home costing over $1,200,000.

Average median household income: $104,319

Income tax rate for the typical family: 0%

State and local taxes for the top 1% of families: 3%

7. Bellevue, Washington

South of Kirkland and west of Seattle, Bellevue is another city with high incomes and high home prices — but affordable taxes, even for the wealthy. 

Average median household income: $105,402

Income tax rate for the typical family: 0%

State and local taxes for the top 1% of families: 3%

6. Plano, Texas

This suburb of Dallas offers affordable homes and living, easy access to the city, and high median salaries on top of no state income tax. 

Average median household income: $88,579

Income tax rate for the typical family: 0%

State and local taxes for the top 1% of families: 3.1%

5. League City, Texas

Outside of Houston, this affluent suburb on the bay is ideal for high-income families. Over a third of families make more than $125,000 per year, and top-tier homes go for less than $400,000.

Average median household income: $100,996

Income tax rate for the typical family: 0%

State and local taxes for the top 1% of families: 3.1%

4. Pearland, Texas

Pearland, Texas is another Houston suburb with high incomes and affordable living for wealthy families.

Average median household income: $102,224

Income tax rate for the typical family: 0%

State and local taxes for the top 1% of families: 3.1%

3. Allen, Texas

Another Dallas suburb makes the list, with Allen, Texas in the top three. This is another Texas town with high incomes, low top-tier home prices, and over a third of residents earning more than $125,000 or more. 

Average median household income: $104,132

Income tax rate for the typical family: 0%

State and local taxes for the top 1% of families: 3.1%

2. Sugar Land, Texas

This Houston suburb is an ideal place for high-earning families to enjoy low taxes, great home values, and many other families just like them — about 45% of families here make more than $125,000 per year. 

Average median household income: $108,994

Income tax rate for the typical family: 0%

State and local taxes for the top 1% of families: 3.1%

1. Frisco, Texas

Frisco, Texas is the best place for affluent families for the US, thanks to Texas's no income tax policy and low home prices.

Average median household income: $120,701

Income tax rate for the typical family: 0%

State and local taxes for the top 1% of families: 3.1%

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• The Container Store is hosting a 25%-off sale on kitchen- and pantry-organization items, just in time for the holidays. 
• You can shop the full holiday sale here. Otherwise, head right to your problem area: pantry and cabinet, drawers, fridge or food storage, wine racks, and more. 

Hosting the holidays can be a lot of fun, but it requires pro-level organization and preparation to run smoothly.

Ideally, before you ever spend 30 minutes blind and elbow-deep in a lawless spice cabinet, or your in-laws can ask where the wine openers are, your kitchen setup has already answered. It keeps you from having to balance cooking and small talk, and it makes it easier for you and your visitors to clean up the wreckage of hosting dozens of people in your home.

If you're looking for a cheap way to institute law and order in your kitchen pre-holidays, now is a good time to buy. The Container Store is hosting a sale on kitchen and pantry items right now, with discounts up to 25% off. Without breaking $100 or even $50, you can institute a good system.

You can find up to 25% off discounts on the following areas:

• Pantry and cabinet organizers
• Drawer organizers
• Food storage and canisters
• Fridge organizers
• Dinnerware storage
• Wine racks and barware
• Prep, gadgets, and cleaning

Or, shop inspiration from The Container Store's community. You can take a look at the ultra-well-thought-out layouts of others and shop the products they used directly to save yourself time.

Even if you're not hosting for the holidays, few things feel better than leaving the mess of pots and pans behind to come home to your own immaculate kitchen. 

Shop The Container Store's holiday sale to save up to 25% off kitchen and pantry organization

Join the conversation about this story »

• A rainy day can ruin your plans, your outfit, and your mood, but with a great umbrella in your hands, rain need not put a damper on the day.
• The Repel Windproof Travel Umbrella is our top pick because it's impressively rugged given its small size and affordable price tag.

They were the inspiration for a sensational hit song back in 2007. They have been featured in Japanese woodblock prints and Impressionist paintings. They even played a pivotal role in the classic movie "Mary Poppins." Yet, you probably don't think about umbrellas all that much until the moment you realize that you need one, which is often followed by the realization that you don't have one.

Humans have used umbrellas for more than 2,000 years at least, with evidence of umbrella use found in Ancient China, Ancient Greece, Mesoamerica, and beyond. In the 19th Century, Europeans carried umbrellas for both practical purposes and for style. Modern umbrellas have evolved to be lightweight, sturdy, and quite compact when folded down. With exceptions made for purely ceremonial objects, all umbrellas used in all eras of human history were designed with the same basic purpose in mind: To prevent foul weather or relentless sunshine from causing discomfort.

A good umbrella can keep you dry in a downpour and will keep its shape intact even in high winds. A great umbrella can keep you dry on a rainy, blustery day and then also pack down small enough to be stored in a backpack, handbag, or the glove compartment of your car.

That's why we've sought out a number of compact, lightweight umbrellas perfect for travel or for the commuter. Of course, there are those times in life where bigger is better, which is why our guide also features umbrellas large enough to shelter two or even three people beneath their mighty canopies.

You're sure to find an umbrella or two on our list that will help keep you dry during the next rainstorm. The only issue is whether or not you'll remember to keep one close by. My wife and I keep an umbrella in each car and several in the house, and we have compact folding umbrellas along every time we travel. This is partially for our own comfort, but largely because if there's one thing young kids hate, it's getting soaked in the rain. Lesson learned.

Here are the best umbrellas you can buy:

• Best umbrella overall: Repel Windproof Travel Umbrella
• Best golf umbrella: G4Free Automatic Double Canopy Golf Umbrella
• Best heavy duty umbrella: BLUNT Metro Travel Umbrella
• Best ultra-compact umbrella: LifeTek FX1 Windproof Travel Umbrella

Updated on 10/17/2019 by Les Shu: Updated pricing, links, and formatting.

SEE ALSO: The best women's rain boots you can buy

The best umbrella overall

The Repel Windproof Travel Umbrella sheds water and resists wind gusts better than many umbrellas that are larger and pricier, and it lasts longer, too.

The first thing you need to know about the Repel Windproof Travel Umbrella is that its canopy is supported by nine resin-coated fiberglass ribs. The construction of these ribs lets them flex enough to resist damage yet maintain canopy shape in heavy rains or gusts. The number of ribs is arguably even more important in keeping this umbrella in shape.

Most compact umbrellas have six ribs, while some have seven or eight. This is the only affordable compact umbrella I know of that uses nine, and that extra hardware means extra performance and durability.

As for the canopy itself, it's coated in Teflon, so raindrops, sleet, and snowflakes slide right off, adding no extra weight to your umbrella and never saturating the fabric. The canopy pops open with the press of a button and collapses with another press.

Packed down, the Repel Windproof Travel Umbrella measures less than a foot in length and it weighs less than one pound. That compact storage size does indeed make it good for travel, but its overall quality makes it an overall good umbrella for everyday use.

Pros: Canopy resists wind, durable design, auto open and close functions

Cons: Some users find button hard to press

The best umbrella for travel

When you're far from home, you need to be able to trust the gear you have with you, and the Samsonite Windguard Auto Open Umbrella is compact, capable, and reliable.

The astute reader will note that this umbrella is not the smallest on our list, which might make one wonder why I'm recommending it for travel. Wouldn't the tiniest, most lightweight choice serve better? No, because when you're far afield you need to be able to count on the things you brought with you.

Yes, at 17 inches when collapsed, the Samsonite Windguard Auto Open Umbrella is larger than many choices. But its two-tiered, Teflon-coated canopy is made out of durable polyester supported by rugged steel ribs, so you can trust it to holds its shape even in heavy rains and high winds.

The canopy of this umbrella provides ample coverage for one person and adequate shielding for two, provided they are willing to stay pretty close together. As the name suggests, it pops open at just the press of its button. While the smallest folding umbrella is great for daily commutes, this slightly larger, much tougher choice is ideal for travel.

Good Housekeeping noted this umbrella's "very good water resistance" and "spacious canopy" that provided ample user coverage.

Pros: Durable frame and canopy, impressive wind resistance, ample coverage for single user

Cons: Heavier than comparable models

The best golf umbrella

As you rightly expect from a golf umbrella, the G4Free Automatic Double Canopy Golf Umbrella is big and rugged. 

Here's the thing about a so-called golf umbrella: Most of the time, they're not actually used for golf. But that same large canopy that could indeed keep clubs, caddy, and golfer dry save for at those critical moments of teeing off or driving, can keep you and a couple of other people dry in a downpour.

The G4Free Automatic Double Canopy Golf Umbrella has a 68-inch wide canopy that is supported by hardened steel ribs. It was designed to last a lifetime according to G4Free, and it comes with a lifetime warranty.

Along with that great big size comes a good deal of weight, of course. This umbrella weighs in at almost five pounds, which is five times the weight of many smaller umbrellas. But when you need serious rain protection and an umbrella that won't bend or break in gale force winds, you're going to have to give somewhere, folks.

By the way, this umbrella is so resistant to wind partially just because it's a beast, but also thanks to a double canopy design that wind pass up through it but prevents air from coming down onto you.

Pros: Wide coverage area, great low price, sturdy design

Cons: Quite heavy compared to other choices

The best heavy-duty umbrella

The BLUNT Metro Travel Umbrella can withstand heavy rains and wind gusting at up to 55 miles per hour.

If you've ever stuck your hand out the window of a car traveling at 55 MPH, you know that air moving that fast is pretty powerful stuff. But the BLUNT Metro Travel Umbrella is tough enough to resist flipping out of shape even when the wind blows that hard thanks to a unique radial tensioning system.

The canopy is held in place by ribs much like any other umbrella, but it is reinforced with additional hardware to ensure the umbrella will stay open and in dome shape even in the worst weather. The BLUNT Metro Travel Umbrella is a rather expensive one, but if you're tired of your umbrella flipping itself every time the wind blows and if you want an umbrella that will last for years, this is the one.

The 37-inch wide canopy provides plenty of coverage for one person, and at 14 inches when folded down and weighing less than a pound, this umbrella is ideal for commuters or travelers. Also, as it features no tips that could accidentally poke or scratch, it's a good choice for use in busy areas or around kids.

We tested it and though it's expensive, we found it to be worth the investment. As Insider Picks reporter Connie Chen explained in her review, "[The price] is reasonable when I think about the scores of cheap umbrellas that I've wasted money on that definitely [cost more]. With BLUNT, you won't be throwing your umbrella away within a few uses."

Pros: Great wind resistance, durable construction, available in multiple colors.

Cons: Rather expensive

The best ultra compact umbrella

The LifeTek FX1 Windproof Travel Umbrella packs down to less than a foot and weighs less than a pound.

If your daily commute takes you far from home, you need to be ready for all sorts of conditions. This is all the more true if your commute involves any time spent walking city blocks, waiting for trains or busses, or even just sprinting across a big parking lot. That is, assuming you're sprinting not because you just can't wait to get to work, but because it's pouring.

With the compact, plucky LifeTek FX1 Windproof Travel Umbrella, you can bring along your personal rain shelter everywhere you go, even when rain is only a slight possibility, because at just 11.5 inches when collapsed and 15 ounces in weight, this umbrella will tuck into just about any backpack, handbag, or briefcase.

And while it may be small while packed down, when opened up, the FX1's canopy has a 37-inch diameter with a 42-inch arc, offering you plenty of coverage and enough depth to tuck your head and shoulders into. It pops open fast at the push of a button and collapses easily, the blend of steel, aluminum, and resin reinforced fiberglass hardware ensuring proper function and durability.

Coolest of all, though, is a grace note LifeTek added to the micro-weave fabric of the canopy: it's coated with Teflon. This hydrophobic coating not only helps the umbrella shed rain, but also ensures it will dry out quickly once you're safe inside.

OutdoorGearLab said that while it was "easy to use [and] portable," this LifeTek umbrella did flip its canopy rather easily.

Pros: Very compact when closed, fluid opening mechanism, Teflon coated canopy

Cons: Flips inverted too easily

• Delta's two mainstream credit cards offer discounted one-time access to Delta Sky Club lounges, while its premium card offers complimentary access whenever you fly Delta.
• The Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express offers 60,000 Delta SkyMiles when you spend $2,000 in the first three months. You can also receive a $50 statement credit when you make a Delta purchase in the first three months.
• When you open the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express and spend $3,000 in the first three months, you'll get 75,000 SkyMiles and 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs). You can also receive a $100 statement credit when you make a Delta purchase in the first three months.
• The premium card, the Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express, is offering 75,000 miles and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles after you spend $5,000 in three months.
• These welcome offers are only available until October 30, 2019.

Like the other major US airlines, Delta has its own network of airport lounges, called Delta Sky Clubs. These provide a place to relax before a flight, and Sky Club amenities include Wi-Fi, snacks, and drinks.

One of the benefits of Delta's two mainstream credit cards — the Gold Delta SkyMiles and the Platinum Delta SkyMiles cards from American Express — is the ability to purchase discounted access to Delta's Sky Club airport lounges. And two other credit cards can get you free Delta Sky Club access when you fly Delta.

Keep in mind that we're focusing on the rewards and perks that make these credit cards great options, not things like interest rates and late fees, which will far outweigh the value of any points or miles. It's important to practice financial discipline when using credit cards by paying your balances in full each month, making payments on time, and only spending what you can afford to pay back. 

How can you access Delta Sky Club airport lounges?

You have several options for accessing Delta's Sky Club lounges. If you're traveling in Delta One or in a premium cabin on one of Delta's SkyTeam alliance partners, you're entitled to Sky Club access, and you can also purchase a Delta Sky Club membership outright for $545. You can also get Sky Club access through Delta elite status. 

Finally, having the right credit card can get you complimentary or reduced-price access to a Delta Sky Club. Note that you need to have a same-day Delta boarding pass in order to access one of these lounges. 

Delta Sky Club access with select credit cards

Until recently, anyone could purchase one-time access to Sky Clubs for $59 at any lounge's front desk. However, these day passes were eliminated in November 2018.

Discounted access with the Gold Delta and Platinum Delta cards

Fortunately, single-visit passes are still available for Gold and Platinum Delta SkyMiles cardholders. If you have one of those cards, you can buy access to the Sky Club for just $29 — about half the price of what used to be available to anyone flying Delta. This fee will be increasing to $39 in 2020.

Those discounted lounge passes are great for travelers who occasionally fly Delta, or would only use the lounge access a few times each year — for instance, in case of delays, long connections, or a tendency to arrive for flights a bit early.

Complimentary access with the Delta Reserve

If you can see yourself using the Sky Club more often, you should instead consider Delta's premium card — the Delta Reserve Credit Card from American Express— which gives the cardholder complimentary access to Sky Clubs whenever they're flying Delta. That helps offset the card's $450 annual fee.

The Delta Reserve card comes with a few other perks, including a domestic first-class companion certificate, and higher upgrade priority for Delta Medallion members.

Read more:Delta credit cards are getting tons of new benefits in 2020, and you can earn up to 75,000 miles with elevated welcome bonuses in October

Complimentary Sky Club, Centurion Lounge, and Priority Pass access with the Amex Platinum

An alternative, if you're looking for the widest lounge access you can get from a credit card, the best option is the (not Delta-branded) Platinum Card® from American Express. In addition to Sky Club access whenever flying Delta, that card offers access to Priority Pass lounges, AmEx's own Centurion and International Lounges, and more. That's a network of over 1,200 lounges around the world.

The Amex Platinum has a high $550 annual fee, but it's easy to get more value than that — in my first year with the card, I got over $2,000 in value. Right now, the card offers 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months.

Click here to learn more about the Gold Delta SkyMiles card.

Click here to learn more about the Platinum Delta SkyMiles card.

Click here to learn more about the Delta Reserve card.

Click here to learn more about the Amex Platinum card.

• More credit card coverage
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• The best cash-back credit cards
• Southwest credit card review
• Best rewards credit cards

SEE ALSO: The best current credit card offers

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Super-Earths are real and they could be an even better place to live than Earth

• High-quality bike lights are bright enough to guide the way wherever you may roam, will last you for hours of riding, and you can easily release the light to take it with you.
• The Cygolite Streak 450 Hotshot SL Bike Light Combo Set is our top pick because you get a headlight and taillight that are easy to install, have several lighting modes, and are affordable.

For about a decade, my main mode of transportation to school and to work was my bicycle. During the summer months, the sun would stay out long enough to make a bike light unnecessary, but as the days grew shorter, a light was indispensable.

These days, I mainly cycle for exercise and for trips within a few miles of my house. Proper lighting is still a must to compensate for my terrible night vision and to make it clear to drivers that I'm on the road. 

When choosing a bike light, look at the number of lumens it's capable of producing. This tells you how bright the light is. Many models give you this number right in their name, and from our research, the advertised lumens rating is accurate for the best units, though the brightness may dwindle as the battery loses juice.

For headlights, the number of lumens you need depends on where you will be cycling. For riding trails at night, you need at least 1,000 lumens. For urban roads where there are streetlights, 200 lumens will do. And, taillights should produce between 40 and 100 lumens of output since they are mainly there so others can see you.

Experts warn against using bright flashing headlights while cycling. This can disorient drivers and make it hard for you to see. Also, anything above 300 lumens could potentially blind oncoming traffic. So, consider dropping down to a dimmer setting when cars are coming — much like you might use the high beams on your car. If you are concerned about drivers seeing you from behind, consider installing two rear lights: one that flashes and one that remains steady.

While researching the best bike lights, we examined thousands of expert and buyer reviews and ratings of dozens of models. Our guide features lights that have demonstrated their durability, user-friendliness, and usefulness in a variety of situations.

Here are our picks for the best bike lights you can buy:

• Best bike light overall: Cygolite Streak 450 Hotshot SL Bike Light Combo Set
• Best affordable bike light: TeamObsidian Bike Light Set
• Best strap-mounted bike light: Knog Blinder Mob USB Rechargeable Light
• Best high-end bike light: NiteRider Pro 1800 Race Light
• Best bike light featuring sidelights: Light and Motion Urban 500 Headlight

Updated on 10/17/2019 by Les Shu: Updated prices, links, and formatting.

The best bike light overall

For a reasonable price, the Cygolite Streak 450 Hotshot SL Bike Light Combo Set includes a bright headlight and taillight to make your early morning or late night commutes safer.

The Cygolite Streak 450 Hotshot SL Bike Light Combo Set comes with the Streak 450 Lumen headlight, which lasts for up to 100 hours on a single charge, and the Hotshot SL 50 Lumen taillight, which lasts for 200 hours on a single charge.

The lights charge using a Mini USB cord that you can plug into your computer or a cube. Since many electronics these days rely on Micro USB (not mini), you may want to keep a Mini USB cord with you on your rides so you aren't stranded with dead lights. Or, if you see the low battery indicator turn on, be sure to charge the light before you go out.

The headlight has seven lighting modes: boost, high, medium, low, steady pulse, walking, and day lighting, which consists of powerful flashes that make you stand out in broad daylight. The taillight also has lightning mode as well as five other modes of varying flash tempo and brightness.

The Wirecutter recommends the Cygolite Streak 450 Hotshot SL Bike Light Combo Set because the testers found the headlight put out a beam that was incredibly bright at close range and long distance. And, the reviewer notes the taillight puts out enough light for most bike-path or urban riding while offering a great battery life. Single Geared's reviewer noticed a significant difference in drivers' awareness of him when riding. He also appreciated how effortless the tool-free mounting process was.

About 77% of the people who rated the Cygolite Streak 450 Hotshot SL Bike Light Combo Set on Amazon left a positive review. One customer touted the long battery life and the brightness of the headlight. Yet, he noted that the headlight has hot spots, but he found that useful for avoiding potholes.

Several other buyers were impressed with how bright the headlight is. One buyer warns that the quick-release on the light is tight at first. She ended up cutting her finger trying to get it loose, but it slid off easier over time.

Pros: Incredibly bright, long battery life, easy to mount, several useful lighting modes

Cons: Uses Mini USB (rather than the more common Micro USB)

The best budget bike light

If your funds are limited but you still want to ride safely, consider picking up the surprisingly well-built and bright TeamObsidian Bike Light Set.

One of the benefits you sacrifice with the low cost of the TeamObsidian Bike Light Setis usability out of the box. Batteries aren't included. Despite having to buy five AAA batteries (I recommend getting rechargeable versions), there is a lot to like about this set.

The headlamp produces 200 lumens of light. Both lights have three lighting modes — high, dimmed, and flashing — and are designed to withstand water, snow, heat, and dust. Installation is effortless and tool-free. And, the lights have quick-release mounts so you can take them with you and avoid potential thefts.

TeamObsidian stands behind the quality of their bike lights by offering a "100% no-hassle lifetime guarantee." The company specifically states that they will refund your money if you are dissatisfied for any reason. And, if the lights break, they will send you new ones.

WOM-derful blog recommends the TeamObsidian Bike Light Set because of the powerful headlights with adjustable beam patterns and lack of dead spots. However, the reviewer felt the tail lamp wasn't sturdy, was hard to open, and wasn't impressed with the brightness or beam patterns. Outside Pursuits recommends this light for country roads and urban riding but notes that it isn't designed for trails.

More than 1,300 customers have left positive reviews of the TeamObsidian Bike Light Set on Amazon. Of the of bike lights in this price range and preferred this model. One customer found the metal build quality was better than other bikes lights he tried in the same price range. He also says that the light detaches easily and can be used as a flashlight, and he was impressed by customer service.

There are several other comments regarding how good the customer support is. Other common positives are that the lights are quite bright and the mounts, though they are made of thin plastic, hold the lights solidly.

Pros: Affordable, adjustable beam width, excellent customer service, impressive lifetime guarantee

Cons: Doesn't come with batteries, not designed for trail riding

The best strap-mounted bike light

The Knog Blinder Mob USB Rechargeable Light is available in a variety of styles and is easy to transfer from one bike to another within seconds.

The Knog Blinder Mob USB Rechargeable Light comes in about nine different styles and a few different colors. The lights can be used as headlights and taillights.

The variety allows you to choose a light that is ideal for your purposes. For example, the Mr Chips style casts a broader beam that doesn't go as far. Whereas The Face and Four Eyes produce longer, narrower beams. Each of the lights features a secure strap system that allows you to effortlessly switch the light from one bike to another.

The Wirecutter recommends the Knog Blinder Mob V Kid Grid taillight because the reviewer found it put out a long, wide beam, and it was easy to move between bikes. However, it wasn't her top pick because of the short battery life and hefty price tag. Outdoor Gear Lab tested The Face and appreciated the wide, eye-catching beam. Yet, the reviewer would have liked an easier to press on/off button and more beam distance.

Approximately 77% of the Amazon buyers who reviewed the Knog Blinder Mob USB Rechargeable Light left a rating of 4 or 5 stars. One of the most popular lights is the Mr Chips headlight. Buyers note that the battery tends not to last long unless you use eco-mode. The beam is easy to see from several angles, and people appreciate that the light plugs right into a USB port so there's no need for a cord. One buyer was left without a light mid-ride because there is no low-battery indicator on this unit.

Pros: Several configurations to meet your specific needs, USB rechargeable, can be reinstalled easily on any bike

Cons: Short battery life, no low-battery indicator

The best high-end bike light

If you prefer to take your mountain bike off-road at night and you have a little extra to spend, consider the NiteRider Pro 1800 Race Light.

What sets the NiteRider Pro 1800 Race Light apart from the other lights in our guide is that it gets brighter than your average car headlight. There are five modes: high, medium, low, walk, and flash.

The light is designed to stand up to the elements with Dupont fiberglass reinforced nylon housings and a borosilicate glass lens, which is resistant to extreme temperature changes. The eight-step power gauge tells you how much battery power is left, and you can easily swap out batteries so you aren't left in the dark while you wait for your light to charge.

Outdoor Gear Lab recommends the NiteRider Pro 1800 Race Light because the brightness and beam quality received top scores in their tests. Of the 20 lights it tested, this unit reached the greatest distance (172 meters.) Yet, the reviewer notes that the light is not very portable.

Mountain Bike Action compared the Pro 3600 to the Pro 1800, and the Pro 1800 came out on top. The reviewer found the narrower beam pattern was still enough for aggressive night riding. We Test Lights performed an analysis of the specs, and demonstrated that the light produces 1720 lumens with a 27-degree beam angle and a run-time of 137 minutes.

Around 74% of the buyers who reviewed the NiteRider Pro 1800 on Amazon gave it 5 stars. Several mountain bike riders vouch for the light's ability to truly put out 1800 lumens, which effectively turns night into day according to one buyer.

A rider with more than 30 years of trail-riding experience notes that it works best on the third and fourth settings because the top setting tends to produce wash out that decreases your night vision. Another buyer found the battery didn't last long for him, and when he left the battery charging for multiple days, the blue LED that shows that charging is done actually killed the battery.

Pros: 1800 lumens output, long distance beam that maintains uniformity, excellent for trail riding at night

Cons: Expensive, hard to remove

The best with sidelights

The Light and Motion Urban 500 Headlight keeps you visible from the front and sides with its powerful headlight and helpful side lights.

When mounted just right, the Light and Motion Urban 500 Headlighthas two amber safety side lights that make you visible to drivers on your sides. There are four light modes: high (500 lumens), medium, low, and pulse.

On high, the battery lasts for about 90 minutes, and on pulse, it lasts for up to 12 hours. The light mounts right onto your handlebars and has a quick release feature so you can take your light with you. It charges using a Micro USB charging cable. And, Light and Motion backs the quality of this product with a two-year warranty.

Bike Rumor recommends the Light and Motion Urban 500 Headlight because of its compact, lightweight design, which easily fit in the reviewer's pants pocket when not in use. The Wirecutter rated this the best commuting headlight because it offers better optics than any of the other headlights they tested. However, the reviewer notes that the battery only lasted six hours on the second-lowest setting.

The light registered 494 lumens in We Test Lights' tests, and it had a run-time of 97 minutes on high. The brightness dropped consistently over the course of the runtime until it hit about 260 lumens at 90 minutes and died soon after.

Of the Amazon customers who left reviews, 68% gave the Light and Motion Urban 500 Headlight 4 or 5 stars. Many say that the 500 lumens are plenty bright for road riding at night and that anything more could be disorienting for drivers, other cyclists, or pedestrians.

The biggest complaint has to do with the cover over the Micro USB port. It is not attached to the unit and falls off. And, it's so small that if it falls off during a ride, you are unlikely to find it. One buyer lost the USB cover, which allowed moisture to enter the unit and caused it to malfunction.

Pros: Has side lights, 500 lumens, lightweight and compact, easy to remove, two-year warranty

Cons: USB port cover falls off easily

Check out our other bike gear guides

The best bike helmets you can buy

There are so many bike helmets to choose from that it can seem very overwhelming. That's why we've done the research to find the best bike helmets you can buy. The POC Octal X SPIN is our overall favorite for most people, but we have four other great options for you to consider.

• Best bike helmet overall: POC Octal X SPIN
• Best budget bike helmet:Bern FL1 Trail
• Best high-end bike helmet: Giro Aether MIPS
• Best portable bike helmet for bike-share: Priority Bicycles Stack
• Best bike helmet for commuters: Lumos Kickstart

The best bike locks you can buy

Whether you live out in the country or in a major metropolitan area, there is no bike lock system that will stop a well-equipped thief. However, there are a number of locks that will either slow down or completely discourage a criminal. We've rounded up the best bike locks you can buy.

• Best bike lock overall: Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit Mini Bicycle U-Lock
• Best bike lock on a budget: Titanker Bike Lock Cable
• Best standard-size U-lock bike lock: Kryptonite New York Standard Bicycle U-Lock
• Best U-lock/cable bike lock combo: Kryptonite Kryptolok Standard Bicycle U-Lock w/ 4-foot Flex Cable

• The perfect travel car seat can help your kid stay safe and comfortable on any trip, and finding one that's light and compact makes your life so much easier too. 
• To save weight and space, travel car seats don't have all the bells and whistles of other seats, making it hard to choose which features are most important to you and which you can do without. 
• Our top pick is the Safety 1st Guide 65 because it's a convertible seat that is lightweight and compact yet still comfortable for your baby or toddler. 

I'm not one to buy extra things just to buy them, but I'm okay with spending some extra money on a safe car seat that makes my life easier. When my daughter was born, my husband and I didn't stop traveling, and with Uber, flights, and rental cars, the need for a travel car seat quickly became apparent. They're lighter, less cumbersome, and take up less room. 

Finding the right travel car seat is difficult, though. You need to find the perfect mix of affordability, portability, comfort, and safety. An uncomfortable kid can make for a miserable flight or road trip.  

If you're planning on taking any flights, your car seat must be approved for use by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Otherwise, it will need to be checked, and your child will not be able to sit in it on the plane. Babies and kids don't need to sit in car seats on planes, but it's safer and more comfortable for your child. All of our picks are approved by the FAA, with the exception of our booster seat pick. No booster seats are reviewed by the FAA.

I take car seat safety very seriously; I've tested my fair share of car seats and have returned the ones that didn't meet my standards. To bring you the best travel car seats, I combined my own experience testing seats with thorough research using top consumer product websites and authentic customer reviews.  

Here are the best travel car seats you can buy:

• Best travel car seat overall: Safety 1st Guide 65
• Best booster travel car seat: BubbleBum
• Best infant travel car seat: Doona Infant Car Seat
• Best travel car seat for air travel: Evenflo Tribute LX

The best travel car seat overall

Lightweight, compact, and comfortable for kids up to 65 pounds, the Safety 1st Guide 65 is the ideal travel car seat for road tripping across the country or hopping on a flight. 

If you're already buying an extra car seat for travel, you probably want to buy one and be done for good. The Safety 1st Guide 65 is a convertible car seat that holds babies as small as 5 pounds when rear-facing, and while many other travel car seats are only manufactured for kids up to 40 pounds, the seat is safe for kids up to 65 pounds when forward-facing. 

The Safety 1st Guide 65 is ideal for travel because of its light weight and compact size. It weighs only 12 pounds while many traditional convertible car seats are double that weight. Measuring 20 inches wide, 23.5 inches high, and 18 inches deep, it fits well on airplane seats and can fit three across in most cars. The seat comes with a removable cup holder, which is a nice feature to help keep it compact. I've also found that it is much more cushioned and comfortable than many of the other travel car seat options. 

The seat can be installed with or without the LATCH system, and while this seat is small, light, comfortable, and convenient to use for travel, some reviewers dislike it because it is difficult to install tightly and securely in a car. Other reviewers say that they are able to get a very secure fit, so the fit is likely better in some cars than others. 

The Safety 1st Guide 65 is recommended as one of the top travel seats by CarseatBlog, based on research and tests conducted by Child Passenger Safety Technicians. Car Seats for the Littles, a nonprofit staffed by Child Passenger Safety Technicians, also praises this seat, calling it a "long loved convertible car seat that packs some desirable features into a low price tag."

Pros: Lightweight and compact, safe for kids up to 65 pounds, more cushioned and comfortable than many other travel car seat options

Cons: Difficult to securely install in some cars

The best budget-friendly travel car seat

The Cosco Scenera NEXT is extremely light and compact, and the low price point makes it the perfect option to have as an extra car seat for travel. 

At 10.4 pounds, the Cosco Scenera NEXT is one of the lightest car seats out there, making it easy to carry through the airport, on and off shuttle buses, or anywhere else your travels take you. We also love this one because it's extremely affordable.

The car seat can be used for children weighing 5 to 40 pounds, and it's compact enough to fit on an airplane seat or three across in a car. The seat is 17.63 inches wide, 15.75 inches deep, and 30.25 inches high. This seat can be installed rear- or forward-facing and with or without the LATCH system.

While the Cosco Scenera NEXT is a safe option that is convenient for parents, it might not be the most comfortable seat for your child. It doesn't provide much padding between your child and the plastic shell. 

It also has a machine-washable and dryer-safe cover, so you can easily clean it right up when you're done traveling. A removable cup holder is perfect to keep drinks or snacks within reach of your child while traveling.

Wirecutter named it the best convertible car seat for travel of 2019, saying "it's lightweight, small, inexpensive‚ and yet still safe." Car Seats for the Littles praises it for travel: "It's lightweight, it fits under larger strollers, and it can be hung on the handle of a smaller stroller using the top tether strap."

Pros: Lightweight, fits in small cars and on airplane seats, machine-washable cover

Cons: Hard to install properly, some reviewers note that it seems flimsy and uncomfortable

The best booster travel car seat

BubbleBum is an inflatable booster seat that weighs just over a pound and can be inflated in 20 seconds.

For safety reasons, kids should stay in a car seat with a five-point harness until they outgrow the weight and height recommendations of the seat, so boosters are only for older kids who have completely outgrown car seats. Because no booster seats are approved by the FAA, our top pick is easy to store on an airplane and quick and easy to install in a car.

Hands down, the best travel booster seat is BubbleBum, which is inflatable and made of memory foam. It weighs just over a pound and folds up very small, so you can easily store it in your carry-on, diaper bag, or purse. When ready to use, it can be blown up in 20 seconds and is 11 inches wide, 11 inches deep, and 4.5 inches high. It is suitable for children 4 to 11 years old, weighing 40 to 100 pounds, and up to 59 inches tall.

BubbleBum keeps kids safer in the event of a crash by positioning the seat belt on their legs rather than their stomach, and the memory foam helps kids' bodies stay stable. BubbleBum does not have a high back or head stability, but the lack of these features is what makes it so compact and portable.

Experts widely agree that BubbleBum is the best travel booster. It's rated as a top seat by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Wirecutter, and BabyGearLab. "We like the simplicity of the BubbleBum and think it is tough to beat for children who do a lot of carpooling," BabyGearLab said. IIHS employs engineers to test booster seats and chose BubbleBum as a best bet because it properly positions the seat belt on kids in virtually any vehicle.

Pros: Lightweight, compact, easy to use, stabilizes child's body and positions seatbelt in a safer position in the event of a crash

Cons: No high back or head support

The best infant travel car seat

You won't need to pack or check a stroller with the Doona Infant Car Seat that converts directly to a stroller and is safe for babies 4 to 35 pounds.

We'll come right out and say it — this thing is pricey. But if you can afford it and are looking for something that makes life traveling with a baby a million times easier, the Doona Infant Car Seat will be well worth the investment. Designed with wheels attached, this car seat converts to a stroller literally in seconds with the click of a button.

If you find yourself traveling with an infant, this will save yourself room and hassle by not having to pack or check a stroller. Although the LATCH base makes it easier to transfer the seat in and out of a car, the seat can be safely installed without the base as well.

The Doona car seat measures 23.6 inches wide, 17.3 inches deep, and 26 inches high when folded, and unfolded, it measures 39 inches wide, 17.3 inches deep, and 32.3 inches high. The seat weighs 16.5 pounds, making it heavier than your typical infant car seat, but the majority of the time, you'll be pushing the stroller rather than carrying the seat. 

The Doona is safe for babies 4 to 35 pounds, and it comes with an infant insert to help stabilize and bring comfort to even the smallest baby, and many users report using it well beyond their child's first birthday. Because it is an infant seat, it can only be installed rear-facing.

Wirecutter named the Doona one of the top travel car seats, citing its convenience and ease of use. Car Seats for the Littles gave the Doona a positive review, saying it's pretty easy to install (a must for traveling) and has many comfort features to please even the smallest of babies.

Pros: Stroller and car seat in one, easy to use, saves room when traveling, fits babies 4 to 35 pounds

Cons: Expensive, heavier than many other infant seats

The best travel car seat for air travel

Lightweight to carry through the airport, compact to fit in the plane seats, and comfortable for your baby or toddler, the Evenflo Tribute LX will serve you well on any flight. 

The Evenflo Tribute LX is a lightweight and compact seat at just over 9 pounds. It's suitable for babies and toddlers from 5 to 45 pounds. This seat fits well both on airplanes and in compact cars as it measures 17 inches wide, 25 inches high, and 19 inches deep and weighs 9.29 pounds. It's also a very affordable seat that doesn't skimp on comfort or safety. 

We like that the Tribute LX has more padding and is more comfortable than many other travel seats. Its removable cup holders make it very convenient on long trips. If you have a very snug fit on an airplane or in a car, you can easily return them. The seat can be installed rear- or forward-facing and with or without the LATCH system.

Another great feature is the option to purchase this seat with a travel and storage bag. This makes it easy to store at home when you're not traveling and will help protect your seat if you decide to check it rather than have your child sit in it on the plane. 

Board-certified pediatrician Juliet Spurrier of BabyGearLab praises this seat because it scored very well on their crash tests, and it's inexpensive. That combined with its light weight "makes it a good candidate for parents who frequent taxis or Uber," Spurrier said.

Pros: Lightweight and compact, inexpensive, comfortable padding, option to purchase with a travel bag

Cons: Some reviewers have difficulty getting a proper fit in a car

What else we considered

Finding the perfect car seat isn't an easy task, and especially when you're looking at lightweight travel options, you're always sacrificing one feature in favor of another. Here are the other travel car seats we considered for this guide, and why they didn't make the cut. 

• Evenflo Sonus: The Evenflo Sonus is very similar to the Evenflo Tribute LX and is also a great pick for air travel. We like that it has a higher weight capacity, so it will last you longer, but we ultimately picked the Evenflo Tribute LX because the Sonus is a bit heavier and more expensive than the Tribute LX.  
• CARES Child Safety Device: CARES is the only safety device that is not an actual car seat that is approved by the FAA. It's a five-point harness that is designed to keep your child safe on a plane. We didn't include it in the guide because it's not an actual seat, and it's not approved for use in cars. 
• Baby Trend Yumi: The Baby Trend Yumi is a high-back booster seat with head support, and we like it because it provides more security and protection than a backless booster. It does fold up to fit into an overhead compartment on an airplane, but we chose the BubbleBum instead because it is so much more compact when folded, and it's lighter.

• High-quality sewing machines are pleasant to use for long periods of time, have stitches for whatever projects you want to work on, and can handle a broad range of fabrics.
• The Singer Heavy Duty 4423 Sewing Machine is our top pick because it's ideal for beginners, it's inexpensive and can reach speeds of up to 1,100 stitches per minute.

With the easy accessibility of cheap clothing, linens, and other fabric products just a click away, the sewing machine has lost its once prominent place in American homes. However, for people who like completing projects on their own and reducing their consumption, sewing machines are an indispensable part of the household. Plus, these units serve as an excellent way to bond with youngsters and nurture their self-sufficiency.

For the most part, the sewing machine industry is dominated by Singer, Janome, and Brother, though there are some notable exceptions. Kenmore used to be a major player in the market, but its business has eroded under former parent company Sears.

Singer is the top brand with almost half of sewing machine sales. The company offers features and styles that are designed for all skill levels. Brother holds a quarter of the market share and focuses on balancing easy usability with advanced technology and functions for a variety of experience levels and budgets. Lastly, Janome is known for more expensive and advanced computerized machines.

The two main factors you should consider when purchasing a new sewing machine is your skill level and your budget. In our guide, we note which experience levels will benefit most from each machine, including which ones will continue to serve you well as you develop your abilities.

If you have a limited budget, you need to pay closer attention to the features and extras that you really need. For the most part, added functionality comes with a price, but there are deals to be found if you are willing to live without some accessories. For example, some of the more affordable units don't come with carrying cases and have limited stitch options. This might be fine if you have a dedicated space for your machine and are not interested in monogramming or embroidery.

While researching the best sewing machines, we read through hundreds of buyer and expert ratings and reviews of dozens of models. Our guide features machines that have a track record or performance, durability, and versatility.

Here are the best sewing machines you can buy:

• Best sewing machine overall: Singer Heavy Duty 4423 Sewing Machine
• Best computerized sewing machine: Janome 7330 Magnolia Computerized Sewing Machine
• Best quilting sewing machine: Brother CS6000i Sewing and Quilting Machine
• Best luxury sewing machine: Janome DC5100 Computerized Sewing Machine
• Best portable sewing machine: Brother HC1850 Computerized Sewing and Quilting Machine

Updated on 10/17/2019 by Les Shu: Updated prices, links, and formatting.

SEE ALSO: The best serger sewing machines you can buy

The best sewing machine overall

The Singer Heavy Duty 4423 Sewing Machine is designed with the beginner in mind with its intuitive interface, ability to handle all types of fabrics, and one-step buttonholes.

The Singer Heavy Duty 4423 Sewing Machineonly has 23 stitches — 6 basic, 12 decorative, 4 stretch, and a 1-step buttonhole — but it's a workhorse with its heavy-duty mechanical design.

It has the ability to make 1,100 stitches per minute so you can complete your projects faster. The top drop-in bobbin is easy to insert, and the clear cover allows you to monitor how much thread is left. The built-in needle threader is also convenient for effortless threading with minimal frustration.

The kit comes with a soft-sided dust cover, auxiliary spool pin, spool pin felt, screwdriver, bobbins, needles, quilting guide, seam ripper/lint brush, and all-purpose, zipper, buttonhole, and button sewing feet.

Wirecutter recommends the Singer Heavy Duty 4423 Sewing Machinefor beginners and casual sewers because it's affordable, can handle an array of fabrics, and is easy to use. It found that a beginner could sit down and use this machine without spending much time reading the manual. It also makes excellent buttonholes perfectly sized for your button. However, the reviewer points out that there only appear to be two speeds, fast and slow. And, the machine gets quite noisy.

Sew Orbit and Best Sewing Machine for Beginners Today blogs also recommend this machine.

More than 2,700 Amazon buyers posted positive reviews of the Singer Heavy Duty 4423 Sewing Machine. One customer, at first, initiated a return because he had trouble getting the thread tension right and experienced countless bobbin jams, even though he watched several video tutorials. After some more research, he learned that it works well when he uses the felt bobbin spacer, only uses plastic bobbins, and threads it correctly.

Other buyers were impressed with how durable this machine feels and how it can handle heavy-duty fabrics, such as leather and vinyl.

Pros: Achieves up to 1,100 stitches per minutes, handles heavy-duty fabrics, easy to use, makes great buttonholes, affordable

Cons: Only two speeds and 23 stitches

The best computerized sewing machine

If you are looking for a sewing machine that will keep pace with your improving abilities, the Janome 7330 Magnolia Computerized Sewing Machine is a smart choice with its computerized stitch selection and durable design.

The Janome 7330 Magnolia Computerized Sewing Machine features a small backlit LCD screen that lets you choose from 30 stitches, including 6 one-step buttonholes. Using the touch buttons, you can also see what stitch length and width you've selected. There are convenient buttons for tying off the end of the thread, reversing direction, and starting/stopping.

This machine comes as part of six different kits, and the price is currently the same for all of them. So, before buying, take a moment to find the kit that is best for your needs. For instance, I would recommend going with one of the bundles that has a tote case if you plan on moving your 7330 around regularly.

The Janome 7330 is one of the most highly rated machines on the comprehensive expert site Erin Says Sew. The reviewer appreciates that the bobbin is jam-proof and top-loading. Also, she was impressed with how one can start and stop sewing with the push of a button, rather than relying exclusively on the foot pedal. However, she would have preferred more decorative stitches, a dust cover, and adjustable presser foot pressure.

Grandma Likes to Sew found that this is a terrific unit for sewers of all levels. The reviewer liked the superior stitch-work and how durable and reliable the 7330 is.

About 87% of the people who reviewed the Janome 7330 on Amazon gave it a positive rating (4 or 5 stars). One user said the machine runs quietly, can handle several layers of heavy fabric, and has automatic button sewing. Yet, after five years of use, she was only able to figure out how to use the buttonholer attachment after stumbling upon a YouTube tutorial.

Another buyer commented that she uses the machine on a daily basis, and the 7330 was instrumental in her starting a sewing blog and hobby business.

Pros: Useful for sewers of any skill level, runs quietly, durable, automatic button sewing

Cons: Only 30 stitches

The best quilting sewing machine

The Brother CS6000i Sewing and Quilting Machine comes with a variety of extras that make quilting convenient, including an oversized table attachment.

What makes the Brother CS6000i Sewing and Quilting Machinespecial is the extras and the number of stitches it can handle.

First of all, the oversized table attachment is designed for quilting and other larger projects. There are also eight quilting feet to choose from. You can store your CS6000i in the included hard protective case. There are 60 stitches to choose from on the LCD screen, including 7 buttonholes. Brother backs the quality of this unit with a 25-year limited warranty.

On the sewing blogs, Grandma Likes to Sew recommends this unit as one of the best values for your money. The reviewer noted that the auto-threading, pedal-free sewing, and speed control were easy enough for beginners to use. Sewing from Home suggests buying the CS6000i for quilting projects because the foot holder quilt guide, wide table, and the spring-action quilting foot all lent themselves well to quilting projects.

There are more than 5,900 5-star reviews of the Brother CS6000i on Amazon. Numerous of them use this model for making apparel, handbags, accessories, and other projects as part of their sewing business.

Many buyers were impressed with the number of stitch options they get with such an affordable machine. Another popular feature is the effortless threading of the bobbin and needle. The only common complaint was that the highest speed is not particularly fast.

Pros: 60 stitches, comes with a wide table attachment, easy threading of the needle and bobbin, 25-year limited warranty

Cons: Some complaints about the tension

The best luxury sewing machine

If you are an experienced sewer who needs a unit for daily use and you have a little extra money to spend, the Janome DC5100 Computerized Sewing Machine is your best bet.

The Janome DC5100 Computerized Sewing Machineis great because it has 167 stitches that you can select and edit on the control panel. Among the stitches are five one-step buttonholes and every letter of the alphabet.

This computerized machine also has enough memory to store up to 50 patterns so you can easily duplicate a project. The kit comes with 11 presser feet, extra needles and bobbins, and a carrying case with a handle so you will have everything you need to get started out of the box. You just need to buy some thread.

Wirecutter recommends the Janome DC5100 as the best sewing machine for intermediate sewers. The reviewer found that it can handle everything from delicate clothing projects to heavy curtains and quilts.

Of the dozens of units that the Erin Says Sew blog tested, this machine is one of only three to receive a perfect 5-star rating. She recommends this unit because she found the motor to be incredibly powerful and the array of stitches to be unique and helpful. The only negative she noted is that there is only one font for monogramming, and it isn't particularly exciting.

One Amazon buyer noted that she is able to use the DC5100 while her baby is sleeping, whereas her old machine would inevitably wake the baby up. The main complaint is that the letters are somewhat sloppy looking.

Pros: 167 stitches, powerful motor, handles a broad array of fabrics, well-written user manual

Cons: Expensive, unimpressive and non-adjustable font

The best portable sewing machine

The Brother HC1850 Computerized Sewing and Quilting Machine only weighs about 10 pounds, which makes it ideal for bringing along to sewing circles and classes.

For its price, the Brother HC1850 Computerized Sewing and Quilting Machine has an impressive selection of features. You can use this unit to monogram letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and even some non-standard characters. The stitches include 8 auto-buttonhole styles, 12 heirloom stitches, 94 decorative stitches, 14 quilting stitches, and 42 garment construction stitches.

Like the Brother CS6000i, the HC1850 is great for quilting and comes with a spring-action quilting foot, detachable wide table, and the ability to do free-motion quilting. Plus, the kit includes bobbins, needles, spool caps, a seam ripper, instructional DVD, eight presser feet, and more.

Quilter's Review recommended this unit because it balances affordability and features quite nicely. The reviewer was impressed with how simple it is to thread the needle, but she warned against using it for serious quilting because of the small neck and the presser feet don't rise enough for thicker quilts.

Approximately 83% of the people who reviewed the Brother HC1850 on Amazon gave it 4 or 5 stars. One buyer wrote that it's her third sewing machine and her favorite. She uses it for embroideries, quilting, and sewing. She is disabled and found it fits her needs thanks to the foot pedal-free use and light weight.

Another experienced sewer was impressed with the embroidery stitches this unit produces. The biggest complaint is with the 25-year warranty, which buyers found misleading. One buyer was disappointed when hers stopped working after a year and Brother would not replace it.

Pros: Only weighs about 10 pounds, 130 built-in stitches, comes with an instructional DVD

Cons: Runs slow, misleading warranty, doesn't come with a case or cover

• Everlane recently released ReNew Underwear, which includes minimalist, seamless styles made from 100% regenerated nylon.
• The line includes a $25 Bra, $15 Hipsters, and a $15 thong in three neutral colors. You can also buy 3 pairs of underwear for $33 ($11 each).
• Below, five women review the line, but here's a tiny summary: The ReNew underwear is comfortable, flattering, and stays put throughout the day. We like it more than the Supima cotton collection. The bra is a good fit for some, but probably a miss for shoppers who wear above a C cup. 

Everlane, the internet's unofficial kingpin of minimalism, recently expanded its popular and sustainable ReNew line with new no-frills, seamless underwear. 

The ReNew styles include three options: the Barely There Bra ($25), Barely There Thong ($15), and Barely There Hipster ($15), and come in three neutral colors: black, light tan, and dark tan. Prices are higher than what you'll pay for generic options (though some startups fetch higher), but less so if you're buying in bulk; if you pick up three pairs at once, you'll pay $33 total ($11 per pair). 

Everlane's ReNew underwear was designed with minimal construction in mind, so each piece can lay flat against the skin and fly under the radar even under tight jeans. The material has subtle compression and bonding to ensure each style moves with you without rolling or slipping, and you should — ideally — be able to forget you have these on. 

Like the rest of Everlane's ReNew collection, the Barely There underwear is made from an eco-friendly material. In this instance, that's Econyl, a 100% regenerated nylon that's typically made using a combination of nylon from fishing nets, fabric scraps, and industrial nylon waste. If you've been paying attention to brands like Prada and Burberry, you'll also recognize it as the centerpiece of the brands' new sustainable capsule collections, respectively. For Everlane, it's the latest step towards more ambitious long-term sustainability goals.

We tested the Barely There styles, and while there are some pros and cons to consider, the collection is sleek, breathable, and  forgettable underneath your clothes, for the most part. It's also a welcome step towards more recycled materials used in retail.

Five women on the Insider Picks team tested the new ReNew Barely There underwear to see how it stacks up. Keep reading to see what we recommend and what we don't:

ReNew Barely There Hipster

Barely There Hipster, available in three colors, $15

Everlane debuted its first-ever underwear collection in March 2018, and I immediately gravitated to the High-Rise Hipster, which has a surprisingly flattering fit for a full-coverage silhouette and is made of super-soft and thin Supima cotton with just the right amount of stretch (thanks to a bit of elastane). Now, the High-Rise Hipster is even better. Dubbed the ReNew Barely There Hipster, it has the same high rise and a little bit of compression (according to Everlane's product description), and it's somehow even thinner and less noticeable under clothes thanks to a fabric blend of recycled nylon and elastane.

I love the silky feel of the ReNew Hipster and definitely prefer it to the Supima cotton version. I'm typically a 27 in jeans, which is between a small and a medium on Everlane's size chart, but the small fits me just right. — Ellen Hoffman, director of content strategy

I tried both the Barely There Hipster and Thong, both of which had a high-rise fit that I loved. I agree with Ellen that the ReNew Hipster outdoes Everlane's old Supima cotton version that was once my favorite full-coverage pair.

The material reminds me of my favorite Air Mesh pairs from Tommy John— both are ultra lightweight and breathable, but the Everlane pairs are much cheaper ($15 compared to $26 each). They don't slip or slide around, which is usually my issue with this kind of silky underwear. — Sally Kaplan, editor

ReNew Barely There Thong

Barely There Thong, available in three colors, $15

I was surprised by the Barely There Thong's high waist, but it ended up being my favorite aspect. It maintains the versatility of a thong's zero-panty-line effect while also delivering a relatively unique — and really flattering — high-waist silhouette. Plus, since the material is slightly compressive, it feels more secure. Aside from being seamless, they're also bonded, so they stay put throughout the day.

Overall, I loved the functionality of this pair, as well as the look and functionality of a high-waist cut. The price isn't ideal, but I feel fine paying $33 for three ($11 per pair). 

Like Ellen, I think these Barely There styles dethrone the Supima cotton thongs in comfort and style. They've joined my regular rotation with my other all-star everyday favorite, Tommy John. — Mara Leighton, reporter

I really liked that Everlane chose to give its thong a high rise fit. The best parts about thongs are their light weight and elimination of panty lines, but sometimes I do want that extra support in front for my stomach, so this style provides the perfect balance. The fabric is smooth and soft, and the waistband is stretchy without digging into my skin.— Connie Chen, reporter

ReNew Barely There Bra

Barely There Bra, available in three colors, $25

I wanted to love this bra, but it wasn't a hit for me. I'm a 32 DD, and bralettes without adjustable bands are a total gamble; if the cups are big enough, the band is too loose. In terms of material, the bra is as comfortable and breathable as the rest of the line — and I love the idea of a wide, supportive band in the back. But, I got the large in this to fit my sister size of 34D, and the fit was off for my shape and size; the band was a bit too loose, and the cups ended up pulling too far to the sides to accommodate my breasts. — Mara Leighton, reporter

After putting on the Barely There underwear, I knew the Barely There bralette was going to be a garment I would sing praises to. I really liked the thick band that sat on my ribs and around my back. It didn't roll when I sat down or make me feel constricted like many other underwire bras do. 

I'm a C cup, so I personally feel like I sit right on the cusp of being able to wear a bralette but also needing a supportive bra. I felt that the material was stretchy without lacking support, and the thick band below my breasts attributed to holding somewhat of a shape even though there is no padding in this bralette. On top of that, the recycled material is super soft and silky. After wearing it around, I already plan to take this bralette as my travel bra when I head to Iceland next week!— Francesca Rea, content producer

I'll spare you an in-depth review here and just say: This bra is not meant for large cup sizes. I'm a 36 DD and my boobs literally fell out of the bra from more than once, so it's a no from me. It had little to do with the band size and everything to do with the fact that the cups are cut small and truly just don't have enough material to secure larger cups. — Sally Kaplan, editor

• Fast fashion makes shopping for clothes more affordable, but it comes at an environmental cost.
• The fashion industry produces 10% of all humanity's carbon emissions, is the second-largest consumer of the world's water supply, and pollutes the oceans with microplastics.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Some parts of modern life are, at this point, widely known to cause environmental harm — flying overseas, using disposable plastic items, and even driving to and from work, for example. But when it comes to our clothes, the impacts are less obvious. 

As consumers worldwide buy more clothes, the growing market for cheap items and new styles is taking a toll on the environment. On average, people bought 60% more garments in 2014 than they did in 2000. Fashion production makes up 10% of humanity's carbon emissions, dries up water sources, and pollutes rivers and streams.

What's more, 85% of all textiles go to the dump each year. And washing some types of clothes sends thousands of bits of plastic into the ocean.

Here are the most significant impacts fast fashion has on the planet.

SEE ALSO: 9 things that aren't helping the environment as much as you think they are, from recycling to carbon offsets

DON'T MISS: I quit fast fashion a year ago and discovered 9 reasons to never go back

Clothing production has roughly doubled since 2000.

Source: McKinsey & Company

While people bought 60% more garments in 2014 than in 2000, they only kept the clothes for half as long.

Source: McKinsey & Company, Ellen MacArthur Foundation

In Europe, fashion companies went from an average offering of two collections per year in 2000 to five in 2011.

Source: European Parliament

Some brands offer even more. Zara puts out 24 collections per year, while H&M offers between 12 and 16.

Source: European Parliament

A lot of this clothing ends up in the dump. The equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill every second.

Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

In total, up to 85% of textiles go into landfills each year. That's enough to fill the Sydney harbor annually.

Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), World Resources Institute (WRI)

Washing clothes, meanwhile, releases 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean each year — the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles.

Source: UNEP, Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Many of those fibers are polyester, a plastic found in an estimated 60% of garments. Producing polyester releases two to three times more carbon emissions than cotton, and polyester does not break down in the ocean.

Source: Greenpeace, WRI

A 2017 report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimated that 35% of all microplastics — very small pieces of plastic that never biodegrade — in the ocean came from the laundering of synthetic textiles like polyester.

Source: IUCN

Overall, microplastics are estimated to compose up to 31% of plastic pollution in the ocean.

Source: IUCN

The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of humanity's carbon emissions.

Source: UNEP

That's more emissions than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.

Source: UNEP

If the fashion sector continues on its current trajectory, that share of the carbon budget could jump to 26% by 2050, according to a 2017 report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation

The fashion industry is also the second-largest consumer of water worldwide.

Source: UNECE

Read more:New Mexico faces extreme water scarcity on par with the United Arab Emirates. Experts warn more 'day zeros' are looming.

It takes about 700 gallons of water to produce one cotton shirt. That's enough water for one person to drink at least eight cups per day for three-and-a-half years.

Source: WRI

It takes about 2,000 gallons of water to produce a pair of jeans. That's more than enough for one person to drink eight cups per day for 10 years.

Source: UNEP

That's because both the jeans and the shirt are made from a highly water-intensive plant: cotton.

In Uzbekistan, for example, cotton farming used up so much water from the Aral Sea that it dried up after about 50 years. Once one of the world's four largest lakes, the Aral Sea is now little more than desert and a few small ponds.

Source: Business Insider

Fashion causes water-pollution problems, too. Textile dyeing is the world's second-largest polluter of water, since the water leftover from the dyeing process is often dumped into ditches, streams, or rivers.

Source: UNEP, The New York Times, The Guardian 

The dyeing process uses enough water to fill 2 million Olympic-sized swimming pools each year.

Source: WRI

All in all, the fashion industry is responsible for 20% of all industrial water pollution worldwide.

Source: WRI, UNEP

Some apparel companies are starting to buck these trends by joining initiatives to cut back on textile pollution and grow cotton more sustainably. In March, the UN launched the Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, which will coordinate efforts across agencies to make the industry less harmful.

Source: Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals, Better Cotton Initiative, UNEP

• Mark Hurd, co-CEO of database giant Oracle, died Friday at age 62.
• Hurd's death follows news in September that he was taking a leave of absence "to spend time focused on my health."
• Immediately after news of his passing broke, Oracle employees and other tech workers — including Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff— took to Twitter to mourn the CEO and express their condolences to his friends and family.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Oracle CEO Mark Hurd died on Friday at the age of 62, just over a month after he took a leave of absence from the company to focus on his health.

 Oracle founder and CTO Larry Ellison announced the news in a post on Hurd's personal website.

"Mark was my close and irreplaceable friend, and trusted colleague. Oracle has lost a brilliant and beloved leader who personally touched the lives of so many of us during his decade at Oracle," Ellison wrote. "I know that many of us are inconsolable right now, but we are left with memories and a sense of gratitude…that we had the opportunity to get know Mark, the opportunity to work with him…and become his friend."

Read more:Oracle CEO Mark Hurd has died at the age of 62

Hurd joined Oracle in 2010, and was named co-CEO with Safra Catz after Ellison stepped down from the position in 2014. Previously, Hurd served as CEO of Hewlett-Packard, where his tenure ended amid allegations of sexual harassment (though the company found no evidence of wrongdoing, apart from irregularities in his expense reports.)

After news of Hurd's passing broke, Oracle employees immediately took to social media to mourn.

"Saddened at the loss of our leader, Mark Hurd," Ann Rombach, Oracle's principal talent advisor, wrote on Twitter. "He was blissfully unapologetic about his fierce competitive nature, and drive to win."

Other Oracle employees recounted stories of their experiences interacting with and working alongside him.

Others in the tech industry also took to Twitter to share stories and talk about his legacy in the tech world. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said that Hurd was "always very kind to me," and offered his condolences to friends and family. Tennis legend Chris Evert also offered her well wishes to Hurd's family, praising him for his dedication to the sport.

Join the conversation about this story »

• Logan Paul, one of the most controversial and popular personalities on YouTube, is set to face off in a boxing match next month against KSI, another YouTuber with a massive following.
• The 24-year-old recently told Business Insider about his training regimen ahead of the fight, and even his aspirations to become a professional boxer.
• Beyond boxing, Paul shared that he plans to soon release an album of pop music, hasn't ruled out joining TikTok, and is "obsessed with doing as much as I possibly can before I die."
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Logan Paul has never shied away from making risky and questionable career moves in the past, so it should come as no surprise the 24-year-old isn't ruling out anything now.

The YouTuber recently told Business Insider about his plans for the future, and not once did he mention the platform where he has over 25 million subscribers. His widespread ambitions seem to stem from a proverbial bucket list item: an obsession "with doing as much as I possibly can before I die," Paul said.

First up is becoming a professional boxer, a feat he says he's already achieved ahead of his boxing match next month against fellow YouTuber KSI. The bout is the second time the two YouTubers will face off, following their match last year, which generated an estimated $11 million in revenue but ended in a draw. Paul says that while he only trained for a few short months before the fight last year, he's wholly more prepared this time.

"They're making a machine out of me," Paul told Business Insider, referencing his trainers. "I'm eating 80 pounds a day. I'm drinking the blood of cows, and I'm pushing a lot of weights in the air and putting them down."

Read more:How Logan Paul went from making videos in his backyard to becoming a 24-year-old millionaire and one of the most controversial stars on YouTube

If there's one thing we can be sure Paul doesn't lack ahead of his fight, it's confidence. Paul has challenged Conor McGregor to a fight on at least two separate occasions, and said in a pre-fight press conference that he would kill KSI (along with some poorly placed disses about abortion).

It's the same amount of confidence that Paul brought to a charity track-and-field tournament he hosted earlier this summer, ahead of which he repeatedly claimed that not only was he the fastest YouTuber, but the fastest person in the entire world. Paul put $100,000 on the line behind his claim — which is, admittedly, a drop in the bucket for a guy who brought in an estimated $14.5 million in a single year. However, Paul didn't live up to his claim: He had to be helped off the track after pulling his hamstring halfway through the 100-meter dash.

However, professional athletics isn't the only direction that Paul sees himself taking in the future. And maybe it's for the best he's looking beyond YouTube: The platform is where Paul has found himself embroiled in controversy the most frequently. It's where he's shared videos of himself Tasering dead rats, and filming a dead body in Japan's "suicide forest." Although he hasn't been kicked off of YouTube, he's had his ad revenue suspended there, and hasn't been allowed at VidCon — the biggest convention for online video and online creators — since he incited a mob at the event in 2017.

But YouTube wasn't the first platform that Paul found success on, and it may not be the last. Paul was a star on Vine back when he was a Midwestern high-school student, and he had 9.4 million followers on it before the video-looping app shut down in 2017. His early success led him to drop out of college — where he studied industrial engineering — to pursue his career in entertainment.

Just as the entertainment world has shifted from Vine to YouTube, it's now shifting again. 2019 has been the year of TikTok, and Paul told Business Insider he hasn't ruled out exploring the Generation Z-loved platform. (Paul does have a TikTok account, but he hasn't posted to it since before the app merged with Musical.ly in August 2018.)

"I'll make some TikToks, who knows?" Paul said.

Aside from his upcoming boxing match, Paul told Business Insider he's planning to release an album of pop music "soon."

But his time as a self-proclaimed "weird internet star" isn't likely to sunset anytime soon as he continues to vlog his crazy antics and host episodes of his podcast "Impaulsive." Paul and his younger brother, Jake, are two of the most well-known, headline-grabbing online stars: Jake's recent wedding to YouTuber Tana Mongeau was essentially the YouTube world's version of a royal wedding, and questions over the relationship's legitimacy has only added fuel to the drama surrounding it.

Of course, Logan Paul has been a part of the story, and chimed in with comments to add even more questions about whether the marriage is all just a "publicity stunt." But Paul told Business Insider this week that Mongeau is essentially now a part of the Paul family.

"Tana's incredible. She's like a brother to me, but with boobs," Paul said. "She's adjusting like a finely tuned guitar."

Logan Paul will fight head-to-head with KSI on November 9  at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The boxing match will also be livestreamed exclusively on the app DAZN.

SEE ALSO: Jennifer Aniston joined Instagram, broke it, and set a Guinness World Record — all in less than 6 hours

Join the conversation about this story »

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• You can appear offline on an Xbox One while you're actively online, if you don't want others to see your online status. 
• By adjusting your Xbox Live privacy settings, you can also control who sees your online status, and appear offline for everyone except your friends. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Social interaction has always been a part of gaming, and it's arguably the biggest appeal of online gaming. 

But sometimes, whether you're invested in a single-player game or just aren't in the mood for multiplayer, you might not want others to know that you're online. 

Fortunately, the Xbox One's privacy settings allow you to control who can see when you're online. Here's what you need to know to do it. 

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Xbox One S (From $249.99 at Best Buy)

How to appear offline on an Xbox One

If you want to make your profile appear offline to everyone, the process is quick and easy.

1. From your Xbox One's Home screen, press the Xbox button on your controller. This will open a menu.

2. Navigate to the far left of the menu to the "Sign in" tab. Select your profile and press the A button.

3. At the bottom of the next menu, there is a dropdown menu under "Appear online." Navigate to the dropdown menu and press A.

4. On the dropdown menu, select "Appear offline" and press A. Your profile should now appear offline to both friends and strangers.

How to appear offline on an Xbox One for everyone except your friends 

If you'd like to hide your online status from people you don't know, but still let your friends know when you're online, you'll need to adjust your security and privacy settings.

1. From your Xbox One's Home screen, press the Xbox button on your controller, and navigate to the "System" tab on the far right of the menu. Select "Settings" and press the A button.

2. On the next menu, in the "Account" tab, there is a button labeled "Privacy & online safety." Navigate to this button and press A. 

3. Select "Xbox Live privacy" and press A.

4. On the next menu, navigate to "View details & customize" and press A.

5. Select "Online status & history" and press A.

6. The next menu has a series of categories and corresponding dropdown menus, with options for "Everybody," "Friends," and "Block." To make your profile's online status visible to your friends, but not others, select "Friends" in the first drop-down menu and press A. 

The rest of the options in the menu allow you to adjust other privacy settings in a similar fashion.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• How to connect an Xbox One or Xbox 360 controller to your Mac computer

• How to get free games on your Xbox One through Xbox Live and Game Pass

• How to connect a Xbox One controller to your Xbox One console, with or without a USB cable

• How to delete games on your Xbox One, and reinstall them later

SEE ALSO: 8 affordable Xbox One accessories that'll help you make the most of your console

Join the conversation about this story »

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• Avocados are delicious, but they can be challenging to open, pit, and slice without injuring yourself.
• Instead of whacking on the pit with a knife and nearly slicing your hand open, you can use OXO's 3-in-1 Avocado Slicer ($9.98).
• It has three parts: a plastic blade to cut into the avocado's skin, a pitter to remove the pit inside, and a slicer to evenly slice up the inside of the avocado.
• I use this handy tool every time I make guacamole — which is to say, often — and it makes the entire process much easier.

Like any self-respecting millennial, I love avocados. I eat them a couple times a week, and I plan my meals around their whims. If my avocado is ripe, I'm eating tacos that night. You can't exactly tell a ripe avocado "no" — they tend to rebel and turn stringy and brown when you ignore them.

The only thing I dislike about avocados is opening and pitting them. Without a proper tool, you're stuck using a knife to cut through the skin and take the pit out, which is, frankly, dangerous. I used to make my boyfriend take the pit out every time because I was convinced the knife was going to slip and cut my hand instead of removing the pit.

Luckily, I stumbled upon OXO's 3-in-1 Avocado Slicer at Bed Bath & Beyond one day about eight years ago. Even though I typically laugh at all the weird kitchen tools that have one very specific function and do nothing else (here's looking at you, strawberry hullers), I bought it. And I've been using it to turn avocados into guacamole for years now.

The design is simply ingenious. Every other avocado slicer I've seen doesn't do what I actually need it to do: open and pit the avocado. Just about anyone can slice the interior of an avocado up into neat pieces, but cutting into that tough skin and removing the hard pit with a sharp kitchen knife is difficult and filled with peril. OXO's slicer can take care of every step without putting your hands in harm's way.

At one end, the tool has a plastic blade that's just sharp enough to cut into the avocado's skin, but not sharp enough to cut yours. Then there's the avocado slicer part at the other end that you can use to cut the avocado's flesh into perfect pieces. But the best part is the pitter in the middle.

The pitter is perfectly round with three metal prongs in it. When you whack it on the avocado's pit, the metal prongs dig in and pull the pit out effortlessly — no scary knife skills necessary. The tool also has a grippy, rubbery exterior that's easy to hold and does not slip out of your hands.

With this tool, making guacamole is absurdly easy: I can open, pit, slice, and smash the avocado safely and easily in a few minutes before adding in tomato, onion, olive oil, and seasoning.

Whenever we have dinner guests over and they see me using OXO's Avocado Slicer, they inevitably ask me where I got it and end up with one of their own. After all, it only costs $9.98, so it's not a huge investment, and if you eat avocados as much as my friends and I clearly do, it's worth every penny.

Get OXO's 3-in-1 Avocado Slicer for $9.98 at Amazon and for $9.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond

Join the conversation about this story »

• Target has a ton of Christmas decorations in its holiday Wondershop that cater to all kinds of themes and styles.
• From flocked wreaths to wall signs, you'll find every type of decoration and can even sort by the aesthetic you're going for. 
• To save you time and offer some inspiration, we found 22 unique Christmas decor picks from Target.

If you've ever scoured Target's Christmas Wondershop for decor inspiration, you already know that it features a huge variety of decorations as well as all the basics like tree skirts and stockings.

The best part about the Wondershop is that it can be sorted by the general aesthetic you like most or by the specific type of decor you're looking for. There's tons of inspiration on the Wondershop page, but it also makes shopping for all your holiday decor a more streamlined process. You can even choose to pick up your items from a Target store rather than have them shipped, as long as they're in stock.

To give you a head start and provide some direction, we rounded up 22 of our top picks fo Christmas decor from the Target Wondershop. And if you need more inspiration for tree skirts, tree stands, ornaments, and more, check out some of our Christmas buying guides: 

• Best artificial Christmas trees
• Best Christmas decorations
• Best Christmas tree skirts
• Best Christmas tree stands
• Best Christmas lights
• Best Christmas tree ornaments

Shop all holiday decorations at Target here, or keep reading for our top picks.

A shimmering gold tree figurine

$33.95 on sale (originally $40.99), available at Target [you save $7]

This 17-inch fir-tree figurine makes for a simple metallic accent, whether you place it on the mantle among smaller decorative accents or pair it with candles as a centerpiece on the dinner table.

A wreath that twinkles with LED lights

$45, available at Target

This twinkling 'Joy' wreath is adorned with 40 LED bulbs for extra shine. It's battery-operated, making it the perfect greeting statement for both indoor and outdoor spaces.

A sign that will hopefully bring some heavenly peace to the holiday madness

$5.00, available at Target

This rustic sign can be hung on a wall or set on the mantel — though we all know the holidays are never quite as calm as these lyrics make it seem.

A sparkly 'Merry Christmas' sign that's perfect for tabletops

$15, available at Target

Draw attention to your tabletop, mantel, or bookshelf with this vibrant and glittery "Merry Christmas" sign.

A 6-foot garland that adds a lush feel to your holiday decor

$35, available at Target

This garland is just long enough to drape over a small mantle or over the top of a door frame.

A decorative milk jug with faux tree sprigs

$25, available at Target

With a farmhouse-inspired touch, this milk jug coordinates well with rustic decor.

A cute sign that works for indoor or outdoor decor

$10, available at Target

Whether you set it up outside or in, this sweet sign is sure to conjure up memories of the smell of pine needles and freshly cut trees.

Shop the light-up tabletop tree in this photo for $20 here.

Signs that guide Santa on his way to your home

$10, available at Target

This two-piece set of metal signs adds a light-hearted feel to your holiday decor. Place them outside in the driveway or even on your porch. 

A plush Reindeer figurine that adds height to your decorative vignettes

$15, available at Target

Soft and decorative, this fabric reindeer figurine dons festive red-green and plaid attire for festive charm. It works well for mantels, entryways, and even for your tree as a eye-catching display.

A vintage red truck with rustic charm

$10, available at Target

With frosted trees in tow, this retro red truck captures the spirit of Christmases past while adding some unique rustic charm. 

A gang of festive birds decked out in their Christmas best

$20, available at Target

Dressed up in their best Christmas outfits, these decorative birds add a more playful flair to mantels and tabletops.

A welcome sign that brings the North Pole to your home

$12, available at Target

Greet your guests with this "North Pole" sign, perfect for homes in particularly snowy areas.

A wreath with built-in ornaments

$35, available at Target

This flocked Christmas wreath is decorated with rustic homes, trucks, trees, glossy ornaments, and glittery accents — a unique twist to the traditional.

A letter-board countdown sign that inspires excitement for the holiday season

$10, available at Target

This countdown letter-board could theoretically be hung all year for Christmas enthusiasts, but we think it makes the perfect advent calendar, too.

A reindeer stocking holder that's glittery and elegant

$10, available at Target

This shimmery gold stocking holder may look delicate, but it's strong enough to hang stockings filled to the brim with gifts.

An embroidered "Ho Ho Ho" throw pillow for your couch

$29.99, available at Target

This holiday throw pillow provides comfort while you binge-watch Freeform's carefully-curated 25 Days of Christmas movies.

A 5-foot garland that's perfect for holiday parties

$15, available at Target

Embellish your walls with this 5-foot hanging 'Merry and Bright' banner. It's sleek and modern, and it has integrated loops at both ends that make it easy to hang.

A Christmas tree advent calendar

$20, available at Target

Painted in simple gold and white, this Christmas tree advent calendar doubles as decor. Its wreath lights up, operating on double AA batteries (that are not included). 

A winter scene featuring cut-outs that let candle light in

$20, available at Target

This wooden folding winter scene comes packed with details and even has cut-outs that will let light from flameless candles in (we don't recommend putting this too close to real candles).

A colorful Christmas tree figurine that's completely shatterproof

$20, available at Target

This Christmas tree figurine features multi-colored ornaments to jazz up your dining room table, entryway, or mantel. Plus, its shatterproof design means you won't have to worry about a pet or kid knocking it over.

A 12-piece nativity set with gold accents

$30, available at Target

A simple Nativity scene is decorated with gold accents for an elevated look. You can arrange the set however you see fit, sprawled across tabletops or placed in the middle of your Christmas village.

A quaint village setup

$75, available at Target

With frosted green pine trees and rustic homes, this small and simple set adds a cozy, wintry feel to your Christmas village. 

• Jennifer Aniston joined Instagram this week, causing technical issues on the platform before she broke the world record for the fastest time to 1 million followers on the platform.
• Aniston revealed on Wednesday that before joining, she had a secret "stalker account" on Instagram to "dip my toe into the social media pool."
• However, Aniston isn't the only celebrity who has an under-the-radar account to keep an eye on what's going on. Jennifer Lawrence revealed last year she has at least one "voyeur" social-media account.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Jennifer Aniston publicly joined Instagram this week, but the "Friends" star revealed she's been lurking on the platform for a while now, thanks to a secret account she created.

Aniston appeared on Wednesday night on Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show, where she admitted that she has long had a "stalker account" on Instagram.

"When I was thinking about doing [Instagram], I figured it was time to understand the world and dip my toe into the social-media pool," Aniston told Kimmel.

Read more:Jennifer Aniston joined Instagram, broke it, and set a Guinness World Record — all in less than 6 hours

But Aniston isn't the first celebrity who has admitted to using a secret social-media account not for posting content but solely for keeping an eye on what's happening there.

Jennifer Lawrence revealed in an interview last year that while she doesn't have publicly facing social-media accounts, she is online as a "voyeur": "I watch, I don't speak," Lawrence told InStyle.

It's not clear how many celebrities beyond Lawrence and Aniston use social media this way. It's sort of like a "finsta": a portmanteau for "fake Instagram," a secondary, sometimes-private account where people post photos they don't want to put on their main accounts. There's a whole sect of celebrities who have finsta accounts— including Sophie Turner, Ariana Grande , and Justin Bieber — but they're known to the public.

But the secret accounts belonging to Lawrence and Aniston are completely unknown and not used for posting photos unworthy of their main accounts. I personally have a second Instagram account I use strictly for following influencers and creators that doesn't post or even have a profile photo.

In the same interview where she talked about having a "voyeur" social-media presence, Lawrence also voiced her distaste for the internet, saying that it breeds "backlash" and has "scorned" her in the past. Despite her objections, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Lawrence publicly joining social media in the future. Long before joining Instagram, Aniston frequently made comments about staying off of social media. She told Vogue in 2017 that she hadn't made any social-media accounts in order to maintain her "sanity."

"Now you have social media and you've added this extra pressure of seeing if someone likes or doesn't like something you did," Aniston told Vogue. "We're creating these man-made challenges and it's a such a drag."

With all that buildup, it's no surprise Aniston's Instagram debut on Tuesday was monumental. Her first post was a selfie of herself alongside her "Friends" costars. Almost immediately, news of Aniston's Instagram debut led to an influx of followers, likes, and comments — which spurred technical problems and made it difficult for some users to follow Aniston's account.

Additionally, Aniston's popularity even broke a world record: Guinness World Records said on Wednesday that Aniston had broken the record for the fastest time for an Instagram account to reach 1 million followers, reaching the milestone in just five hours and 16 minutes.

SEE ALSO: Logan Paul reveals his plans to become a professional boxer, release a music album, and try out TikTok in the future

Join the conversation about this story »

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