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Shortlist · Garden

Before you buy, read the maker's own numbers.

A small editorial desk that reads the manufacturers' manuals, specification sheets and support pages so that you do not have to, and says plainly who each product suits and who should look elsewhere.

Best cordless lawn mowers for a small garden: six 18 to 48 V mowers compared on cut, box, battery and weight

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Review · Car

Garmin Dash Cam Mini 3 review: the camera you cannot see from outside, and the evidence it leaves out

Garmin's smallest dash cam: 1080p at 30 frames with Clarity HDR through a 140-degree lens with a polariser built in, voice control, incident detection and Wi-Fi to the phone, in a body that hides behind the mirror. No screen, no GPS. This review is about what the size buys, what missing GPS means for a claim, how the supercapacitor copes with a hot windscreen, and what parking cover costs.

Updated 9 November 2026

Review · Bathroom

Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 review: four modes, a charging case and the app, and who needs them

Philips' upper-middle sonic brush: 62,000 movements a minute, four modes at three intensities, a pressure light at the base, BrushSync head recognition, Bluetooth to the Sonicare app, and a travel case that charges the brush from USB. This review is about what twelve settings are for, what the light and the app tell you, why the battery is shorter than the 5300's, and what the case changes.

Updated 8 November 2026

Comparison · Pets

PetSafe Simply Feed vs Petlibro Air: two dry-food feeders with no app, on meals, portions and power

Two hopper feeders programmed on the unit, with no Wi-Fi and nothing to pair. PetSafe's Simply Feed holds 24 cups, serves up to 12 meals a day from a tablespoon to nearly a litre and can slow a gulper down. Petlibro's Air holds 2 litres, serves six meals and stands 19 cm square. The decision is the size of the animal, how many meals it needs, and how you want to power it.

Updated 7 November 2026

Review · Sleep

Lumie Bodyclock Rise 100 review: the simplest Bodyclock, its fixed half-hour dawn and what you give up

The entry Bodyclock: a 30-minute dawn through red, orange and warm white LEDs, the same 30 minutes as a sunset at night, a beep you can switch off, a tap-top snooze, a nightlight, and Lumie's three-year warranty, in the same dome as the Glow 150. This review is about what a fixed 30 minutes means, what the missing sounds and radio cost, and who should buy the Glow or the Shine.

Updated 6 November 2026

Review · Garden

Gtech CLM50 review: the 42 cm cordless mower, its 50 litre bin and the forty minutes Gtech promises

The widest mower on our cordless shortlist: a 42 cm cut, a 50 litre bin with a fill flap, ten heights from 30 to 80 mm and a 48 V battery that Gtech rates for up to 40 minutes and recharges in an hour. This review is about what the extra width saves, why Gtech quotes minutes rather than square metres, what 13.5 kg means at the back step, and the battery nothing else in the shed will use.

Updated 5 November 2026

Comparison · Bathroom

Salter Digital Analyser (grey) vs Matte Black Analyser: two body-fat scales with no app, and the feature between them

Two Salter analyser scales for people who want body-fat readings without an account, a phone or Wi-Fi. Both weigh to 180 kg, give the same seven measurements and remember eight or nine people. The grey one publishes 100 g steps and a backlit display; the matte black one adds an athlete mode and frosted glass. The decision is who in the house trains, and whether a number on the glass is enough.

Updated 4 November 2026

Review · Car

Nextbase 622GW review: 4K, stabilisation and what3words, and what the flagship asks you to add

Nextbase's top front camera: 4K at 30 frames, 1440p at 60 and 1080p at 120 through a 140-degree f/1.3 lens with a polarising filter built in, a 3-inch touchscreen, 10 Hz GPS with what3words, Emergency SOS and Alexa. This review is about which recording mode to use, what the stabilisation costs, what the rear module adds, and the memory card question Nextbase leaves to retailers.

Updated 3 November 2026

Shortlist · Fitness

Best adjustable dumbbells: six sets from a 12 kg beginner pair to the Bowflex 552i, on range, steps and length

An adjustable dumbbell replaces a rack you have no room for. The figures that matter are the weight range, how many settings sit inside it and how far apart they are, how the weight is changed, how long the dumbbell is at its lightest setting, and whether the listing is one dumbbell or two. Six sets from Bowflex and five smaller makers, from a 12 kg beginner pair to a 24 kg dial dumbbell.

Updated 23 October 2026

Shortlist · Pets

Best automatic pet feeders: six feeders from a two-bowl timer to a microchip lock, by what each actually does

Automatic feeder is one name for four machines: a lidded bowl on a timer for wet food, a tray that turns to the next meal, a hopper that drops measured kibble, and a lid that opens only for the right cat. Which you need depends on the food, how long you are away and how many animals eat. Six feeders from Catit, Cat Mate, PetSafe, Petlibro and Sure Petcare, on the makers' figures.

Updated 23 October 2026

Comparison · Fitness

Bowflex SelectTech 552i vs Hakeno 2 × 24 kg: the brand dial dumbbell against the budget pair

The same idea at two prices: a dumbbell that picks up plates from a tray by a dial or a twist, 15 settings to 24 kilograms. Bowflex sells one dumbbell with a manual and every figure published; Hakeno sells two with a listing and a three-year warranty claim. The decision is one or a pair, how much a checkable maker is worth, and what happens when something breaks.

Updated 23 October 2026

Comparison · Pets

Catit Flower Fountain vs Catit PIXI Fountain: the two Catit cat fountains, on capacity, power and cleaning

Catit sells the two fountains most UK cats drink from. They share a filter and a price bracket and differ in everything else: three litres against two and a half, a mains pump against USB, a flower top with three flows against a cat face with a level window and a light. The choice comes down to how many cats, where the socket is, and whether you want to see the level from the door.

Updated 23 October 2026

Topics

Six areas of the home, each with shortlists, guides, a review and a comparison.

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Guide · Car

Dash cams explained: resolution and frame rate, field of view, sensors at night, parking mode and the UK rules

Dash cams are sold on a pixel count, and the pixel count is the least reliable predictor of whether a plate will be readable in the clip you hand to your insurer. This guide explains what resolution and frame rate buy, why field of view is a trade, what the sensor does at night, what GPS adds, what parking mode requires, and where a camera may legally sit on a UK windscreen.

Updated 23 October 2026

Shortlist · Car

Best dash cams: six front and front-and-rear cameras compared on resolution, GPS, screen and parking mode

A dash cam is insurance evidence. What makes it useful is whether a plate can be read, which is resolution, frame rate and the sensor at night; whether speed and location are stamped on it, which is GPS; whether it records when parked; and whether the back of the car is covered. Six cameras from Nextbase, Garmin, Viofo and 70mai, from a 1080p pocket camera to 4K front and rear.

Updated 23 October 2026

Shortlist · Bathroom

Best electric toothbrushes: six Oral-B and Sonicare models compared on sensors, modes and battery

An electric toothbrush is bought on a price tier and sold on a plaque percentage. What changes your brushing is plainer: a warning when you press too hard, how many days the battery lasts, a two-minute timer, and what the heads cost. Six brushes from the two makers that publish those figures, Oral-B and Philips Sonicare, from the cheapest round-head Oral-B to the DiamondClean with an app.

Updated 23 October 2026

The City Bits desk

How we choose

Every model we name is a specific, current product with a real listing. Its figures come from the manufacturer's own documents and are cited beneath each article; where a maker publishes two numbers, we say so. We do not run lab tests, we do not quote prices, and we never invent awards or reviews.

Our method