AustinEuBanks

I learned the hard way that tossing my artificial tree into a garbage bag in the garage was a terrible idea. After one season, the branches were bent, dust coated every needle, and the box the tree came in was long gone. That’s when I started testing dedicated Christmas tree storage bags, and after months … Read more

My dad turned 68 last winter, and after two back strain incidents from shoveling his front walk, I went looking for something safer. The American Heart Association warns that shoveling heavy snow raises heart attack risk, especially for older adults. That is exactly the problem the best electric snow shovels for seniors solve. These cordless … Read more

Last spring, I watched my neighbor haul her two-year-old patio set to the curb. The wicker had unraveled, the cushions smelled like mildew, and the frame had rusted through. She had spent over a thousand dollars, and it had given up after two seasons. That moment pushed me to spend the next three months researching … Read more

When my sister moved into a fourth-floor apartment last spring, she texted me a photo of her “balcony” — a 51-inch wide concrete strip with a metal railing. She wanted to drink coffee out there. She wanted to read. She wanted to feel like she had a garden. Instead, she had a folding camping chair … Read more

I tested the best solar patio lights for backyards over four months, leaving sets out through snow, rain, and one surprise ice storm. After comparing eight models in real backyard conditions, here is what actually held up and what flopped. Backyard lighting used to mean calling an electrician, running wire, and staring at a bill. … Read more

Last fall, our team set out to answer one of the most common backyard questions we get from readers: are fire pit tables actually worth it, or are they just glorified space heaters with a tabletop? After eight weeks of testing eight of the best fire pit tables for patios across three different climate zones, … Read more

Last fall I dragged my patio chairs out on October 12th for one last outdoor dinner and froze by dessert. Two weekends later I tested eight tabletop patio heaters on my own 10-by-12 foot concrete patio and learned what separates the best tabletop patio heaters for patios from the ones that just look the part. … Read more

Last October, our team set up eight standing patio heaters in three different backyards across two climate zones. We measured heat at the 3-foot, 6-foot, and 9-foot marks with calibrated thermocouples, ran each unit until the propane tank emptied, and tracked every rust spot, wobble, and assembly headache along the way. The result is this … Read more

Last spring I moved into a third-floor apartment with a tiny balcony and immediately ran into the same problem thousands of renters face. My building bans propane tanks on balconies, my lease prohibits drilling, and there is exactly one outdoor outlet near the door. I needed warmth that did not involve an open flame, that … Read more

Last October, I hosted a backyard dinner party on my deck when the temperature dropped to 48 degrees by 8 PM. Half my guests went inside before dessert. That night sent me on a quest to find the best patio heaters for decks, and after testing eight models across two months on my own 16×20 … Read more