The festive lights, time off and cute scarfs can only conceal the truth for so long: Winter can be pretty bleak. I don't mean to be a downer, but it's cold all of the time, dark most of the time and this lasts far beyond the most wonderful time of the year. Here at Engadget, we've tried so many tools and products to make winter more bearable from therapy lamps to heaters. We've invested in tea sets, wrapped ourselves in heated blankets and learned to grow herbs indoors — really, anything that will make these three-plus months more bearable, we've tried.
Here, you'll find some of the best winter tech getting us at Engadget through the coldest months, plus a number of recommendations from our other gift guides that will get anyone through the winter warm, comfortable and content.
Best winter tech and gear
A gift anyone can appreciate is the gift of warmth, and a pair of these magnetic hand warmers is one of the cutest (and most convenient) ways to give that. They’re rechargeable little pucks that can be used stuck together or separately to warm up frozen hands during the winter — or really, any time of the year. They heat up super fast (truly, within seconds) and will last up to eight hours each on a single charge. They’ll even be great for those who insist they never get cold because they’re so small and compact that they can use them stealthily in their coat pockets, with no one the wiser. — Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor
Winter really brings out all the classic, nerdy vibes in me. There's the fact that I am always bundled in a heated blanket reading with my big glasses. There's the need to ensure I always take my inhaler and nasal spray to combat the cold, dry air. Then, there's my trusty companion, the 2.5L Levoit Top Fill humidifier.
My home is always dry and it gets painfully worse anytime the heat goes on (shocking, right?) I typically fill up my Levoit humidifier most of the way before I get into bed and then leave it on overnight. A dial allows me to control how intense the cool mist is that comes out — I typically go for just under half power and position it a couple feet away from me. It has an auto shut-off function, but it can run up to 25 hours so it's normally still on when I wake up. I also like that this humidifier has no disruptive light and is quiet. Though, it's worth saying that I like white noise, while my partner finds its noise a bit disruptive.
There are two really annoying things about humidifiers: putting them together after filling, and cleaning them. This humidifier's design improves both of these things. For starters, the top-fill mechanism means I don't have to flip the whole thing over onto the stand just right in order to use it. I can just hold the container upright and guide it into place. Cleaning is always going to be slightly frustrating, especially since you have to do it after almost every use. But, I've found this model's open design makes it a bit easier and the small brush included means I don't need to waste cotton buds to reach its little nooks. — Sarah Fielding, Contributing Reporter
Every home I’ve lived in as an adult gets chilly in the winter, and while I default to living underneath piles of blankets, I still wouldn’t be able to get through a snowy season without my trusty Dyson AM09 Hot + Cool fan. I’ve had this thing for over five years at this point and I think it’s been in Dyson’s lineup for even longer than that — and for good reason. It’s an excellent heater in the winter, and it works as a basic fan in the warmer months. It has a few different levels of heat strength, and the Diffused and Jet Focus modes make it easy to heat an entire (small- to medium-sized) room or just the couch my husband and I are sitting on, respectively.
The portion of the machine that pumps out the air can be tilted up and down depending on where you want to direct its focus, and there’s an oscillation mode that can keep it turning from side to side. And of course, since it’s a Dyson, it’s bladeless and pretty sleek looking. It’s also lightweight so we tote it to whichever room in the house we need it the most, be it upstairs in the bedroom or all the way downstairs in our basement. Combine that with its handy remote that magnetically attaches to the top of the machine and you have an all-year-round staple that gets just as much use in the winter as it does in the summer. – V.P.
While this might not directly keep you warm during the coldest months, it will help do so by reducing the amount of time you have to spend outside cleaning the snow and ice off your car. I've had one of these FrostGuard windshield protectors for years, and the hardest part of using it is remembering to cover my car with it ahead of a snowy blast. The latest model comes in two sizes, so you can pick the right one for the car you have, and it fully covers the windshield, wipers and side mirrors, protecting them from snow and ice. Instead of hacking away at a sheet of ice or laboriously sweeping the snow off your vehicle, you just have to remove the FrostGuard to reveal clean and clear surfaces. — V.P.
You'll want to have a warm drink on hand all the time during the winter, and the Ember Mug 2 can make that easier. It offers up to 80 minutes of heat retention at the temperature you set, or all-day warmth when it's sat on its charging plate. It has sensors that detect when warm liquids are poured into it to turn it on, and the built-in indicator light will let you know when the mug has reached your desired temperature. If you're constantly topping up your coffee or tea because it's gone cold on you, this is the next mug you should get. — V.P.
OXO's spin on the electric kettle is a reminder of why their products tend to be great — it's attractive, extremely practical and easy to use for those of all technical capabilities. While there are tons of cheap electric kettles on the market, and some that even copy OXO's gorgeous glass styling, the company's version elevates the simple act of boiling water. The glass and stainless steel kettle elevates the look of any kitchen, and its slim base makes it easy to adjust the boiling temperature for different types of tea. It also sports a built-in metal filter to make your pours cleaner, as well as a non-slip handle to help avoid any painful accidents. — Devindra Hardawar, Senior Reporter
Miir’s New Standard Carafe is a super-charged Chemex. You get the benefits of a conical pour-over extraction, but the precious brew sits in a double-wall, vacuum insulated stainless steel vessel instead of a glass container. The carafe also comes with a lid that completely closes the spout to keep heat in. This is an easy way to upgrade your pour-over setup and ensure you have warm coffee all season long. — Billy Steele, Deputy Editor
Despite climate change, it can still be quite frigid in the northeast US. Times like these are much easier to tolerate with a good pair of socks, and fortunately I found my absolute favorites a few years ago. The Bombas Merino Wool Blend Calf Sock (though you can get any length you please) manages to be extremely warm without being overly thick and bulky, so shoes still fit as you'd expect.
They're not cheap, but there's definitely something to be said for finding a go-to sock for the winter. I don't wear them every day, but whenever temperatures dip below freezing, I pull them out. I'm even excited to get some as a holiday gift, which the kid version of me would be ashamed of. But hey, maybe if I had socks this nice when I was 10, I would have been more excited by them at Christmas. — Nathan Ingraham, Deputy Editor
Cold feet? No problem. Instead of simply pulling on a pair of fuzzy socks, give your soles a treat by sticking them into a warm foot massager. Now, I'm a bit of a massage snob myself, and generally find massage chairs, belts and neckbands to be too weak or stiff to be comfortable. But when your entire foot is encased by machinery that can use air and rollers to squeeze and knead all your pressure points, it does feel close enough to an actual massage from human hands.
Not only does the simple act of placing your feet in the fabric-lined holes of a box already help warm up your toes, but the stimulation of all the robotic balls and mechanic squeezing results in blood flow that will get you nice and toasty. Throw in the fact that the Nekteck Shiatsu foot massager I recently bought has a heated mode, and even the most reptilian of feet will have an easy time thawing after a 10-minute session. I do have to caution that it takes around three to five cycles to figure out the mode and amount of pressure you like, and that my size 8 feet had enough wiggle room that I could tilt them at angles to get better attention on specific parts of my soles (or avoid getting my tender toes pinched). The larger-footed among us might have a harder time enjoying the Nekteck massager, and those who are generally ticklish or have lower pain thresholds may find the machine too strong, even on the lowest setting.
Still, in the week or so that I've owned it, my Nekteck foot massager has strangely become a sight for my sore eyes and feet, and I relish every opportunity to stick my feet in for a quick warm up and hope to see improvements in my general muscle fatigue in time. — Cherlynn Low, Managing Editor
My alarm is set for 6AM three days a week in the ambitious hope that I’ll make it to a 6:30AM yoga class. In the winter, it is midnight-dark at that hour and the only reason I occasionally find myself doing an early morning vinyasa is the sunrise alarm clock feature in the Hatch Restore 3. I schedule mine to start filling the room with a gradually brightening glow about 20 minutes before the sounds of singing bowls start playing. The light helps my brain wake up before I do and the subtle bongs of the bowl sort of seep into my subconscious — I often find myself awake almost without knowing why.
True, there are lots of sunrise alarm clocks out there. Many are cheaper and don’t have an optional subscription tie-in. But I like the Hatch app, which lets you adjust the duration, colors, brightness, volume, tones and so on of your morning alarm.
You can also set morning meditations, movements or inspirational pep talks to play after your alarm. These are a couple minutes long and are meant to help you get from horizontal to ambulatory. Of course, if you share a bed and the other person is still asleep, playing motivational dispatches is rude. So I get more mileage out of the sleep aids. Sound baths, ambient soundscapes, stories and guided meditations that help with the transition between the overload that is waking life and sleep.
It’s $5 per month for the full library of alarm and sleep sounds and access to all the stories and music. Without it, you only get a selection. I’ve been subscribing for over a year now because anything that gets me up and out to a hellishly early workout in the dark is worth the cash. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter
I’m a city boy with a not-so-green thumb. I also live in Minnesota, home of very bad winters. How do I get my daily salad fix without having to traverse that dangerous wintry mix? I use the Vertefarm Hydroponic Home Garden, which is quite literally idiot proof (I’m the idiot.) This refrigerator-sized contraption is expensive but has space for 48 grow pods and varying types of produce.
It was easy to build, relatively speaking, and works as advertised. I filled the water basin, added nutrients, inserted the seedling pods, set the light timer via an affiliated app and then waited. Lo and behold, seedlings turned to sprouts which, eventually, turned into gargantuan lettuce plants. There was really no way for me to screw it up. The only downside to this thing? Your cats will likely figure out how to pop the pods out and scatter them throughout the house. Keep the felines away until the plants are big enough to fend for themselves. — Lawrence Bonk, Contributing Reporter
