The Wirecutter
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Logitech Harmony 650
Street price: $55; MSRP: $80; Deal price: $40
This is a very nice discount on this universal remote. At $40 (silver color only), it now matches the lowest price we've seen at any point in the past few years. While this model has been on the market for a couple years, it hasn't seen significant or consistent price drops, so it's still a tremendous value at this price if you have components that accept an infrared signal. Shipping is free.
The Logitech Harmony 650 is our pick for the best universal remote. Darryl Wilkinson and Grant Clauser write, "The Harmony 650 remains the best universal remote for the typical AV system of a TV, receiver, cable DVR, and Blu-ray player. It's cable of controlling up to eight components, which leaves plenty of room for a few extra gadgets as long as they're controlled via infrared (IR) signals; most gear is."
Wilkinson and Clauser continue, "Two of the key features that put the Harmony 650 above the competitors are an easy-to-read, backlit, color display and a built-in Remote Assistant function for troubleshooting. The display tells you what activity mode you're in (such as Watch TV, Watch Blu-ray, and Listen to CD) and also displays icons for your favorite channels, so you don't have to remember the channel number every time you want to watch SyFy. The Remote Assistant feature is like a built-in help desk. If the remote fails to perform a task you expect it to (such as turn up the TV's volume), you can follow the Remote Assistant's guided suggestions to quickly resolve the problem. Usually that's a matter of answering yes or no to questions about which components are correctly powered up."
Eagle Creek Specter Packing Cubes
Street price: $38; MSRP: $40; Deal price: $28
This is the lowest price we've seen on these packing cubes. We've only seen them go below $30 twice in the past, so this is a great price to pick them up. The few times we've seen deals near this price point in the past have been very short-lived, so it's unlikely that this deal will be around for long. Luckily this deal is available in a much more reasonable and less fluorescent color than last time.
The Eagle Creek Pack-It Specter Cube Set is the lighter packing cubes pick in our guide to the best gear for travel. Wirecutter Staff writes, "If you value lightness over the ability to easily access your contents, Eagle Creek's Specter packing cubes ($40 for three) are about 40 percent lighter than similarly sized competitors (62.1 grams for a medium cube, compared to 106.6 grams for non-Specter Eagle Creek medium cube). You can still use them to organize your garments, and they stack like cubes, but you still need to take everything out if you want to access what's at the bottom of the cube."
Oculus Rift + Touch Bundle + $100 Oculus store credit
Street price: $600; MSRP: $600; Deal price: $600
Here's a great deal on our top pick for VR headset. This is the first deal we've featured since the Oculus Rift + Touch had a $200 drop in price down to $600. While the price of the bundle itself hasn't dropped yet, it's currently available with a very nice deal that gets you 6 free games and a $100 in Oculus store credit. You'll receive the promotional code via email within two days of your order.
The Oculus Rift headset is our top pick in our guide to the best VR headsets for PC and PS4. Signe Brewster writes, "The Oculus Rift + Touch strikes a compromise between the PSVR and the Vive with a high-end VR experience that doesn't require much fuss. It's clear Oculus put a lot of thought into building a headset that will appeal to gaming veterans and newcomers alike with a comfy fit, quick startup process, and wide range of content. If you get the Rift, you should also spend the extra $100 for the Touch controllers, which greatly increase your immersion and completely change the way you can use the Rift. We tested the Rift with the Touch controllers and don't recommend it without them."
Brewster elaborates, "It was the lightest and most comfortable of the bunch (so you can wear it for longer), had the most well-balanced and capable controllers, and was the easiest to set up. The Rift has only three cords, and its on-ear headphones require zero thought compared with the earbuds bundled with other kits. Additionally, Oculus currently has the widest selection of SteamVR compatible content. In short, it's the most complete package you can get right now."
Travelpro Platinum Magna 2 22-Inch Express Spinner Suiter
Street price: $250; MSRP: $580; Deal price: $185
While we recently featured a deal on this carry-on luggage, it went out of stock quickly. Luckily it's back, below our previous deal price and over $50 below the street price. We have seen it for less than $180 before, but those deals usually only last a few hours. This is still a great price to pick up the Magna 2 and a great opportunity to pick it up if you missed the deal last week.
The Travelpro Platinum Magna 2 22-Inch Luggage is our top pick in our guide for the best carry-on luggage. Kit Dillon and Brent Rose write, "The Magna 2 is better balanced and less prone to tipping, and it has a sleeker, higher-end aesthetic. A new built-in garment folder with a removable folding board (similar to the one in our Briggs & Riley upgrade pick) increases the bag's overall packing flexibility but doesn't protect a suit from creases quite as well as the removable garment bag in the old version. But if your main priority is keeping your dress clothes in great shape, we have a pick for that below."
Because great deals don't just happen on Thursdays, sign up for our daily deals email and we'll send you the best deals we find every weekday. Also, deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go to The Wirecutter.com.