As much as we try to REDUCE, Reuse, and recycle, we occasionally need things. But how to shop?
Brick and mortar is largely dead. I could spend hours driving around to stores and not find what I'm after.
Ten years ago, I could shop on the internet, reading plausible reviews.
Now, all of that us buried in a sea of paid advertising. Web searches for "best ___" turn up nothing but auto-generated listicles from fly-by-night sites and links to Amazon.
How can I find a small kitchen appliance, electronic gadget, or other household item that won't end up in the landfill the week after I receive it?
@peterdrake try Wirecutter. Just search for the product you are interested in. They make decent recommendations.
@londubh A good place to start.
Part of what prompted this was replacing a cordless land-line phone. I *tried* to read reviews, ordered a highly-recommended one, and ... it's garbage. Sound quality is awful. It "supports" a bluetooth headset, but the call becomes unintelligibly garbled if you get 20 feet away from the base (not the handset).
Wirecutter recommends this exact phone, saying it "offers plenty of range [and] great sound quality".
Sigh.
