Best-of buying guides

Every guide below is built from hands-on testing — we rank only what we've actually used.

Boots & Footwear

Welted Boots Head-to-Head: Grant Stone vs Jim Green

Two brands selling properly-made boots at prices the heritage names abandoned. One is a direct-model American maker, the other a South African work-boot company the internet discovered. We'd own both, for different reasons.

3 products ranked

Watches

Microbrand Watches Worth Your Wrist

The microbrand scene is mostly homage watches competing on price. These two aren't — one solved the scratch problem, the other builds for wrists the industry forgot.

2 products ranked

Accessories

The Accessories Worth Buying Once

Belts crack, sunglasses get counterfeited, and rings can cost you a finger. Four accessory purchases where the right decision saves money, hassle or actual injury.

4 products ranked