Ethan Walker

I’ve lived in three different apartments since 2018, and every single one taught me the same painful lesson. Counter space disappears fast. My current galley kitchen has about four feet of usable prep surface, which sounds decent until you try to chop an onion while a stand mixer sits on the same counter. That’s why … Read more

I spent the last three months rolling around 8 different kitchen islands in my apartment, dodging my dog, sliding past the fridge, and once accidentally turning a corner too fast into a cabinet corner (no damage, surprisingly). I was looking for the best rolling kitchen islands because my 80-square-foot kitchen has less counter space than … Read more

A storage ottoman is one of the smartest double-duty furniture pieces you can bring into a home, especially when square footage is tight. It pulls triple duty as a footrest, an extra seat for guests, and a hidden compartment for blankets, toys, or anything else that tends to clutter a room. After spending six weeks … Read more

Looking for the best ottomans to anchor your living room, add hidden storage, or replace that wobbly coffee table? I have spent the last few months sitting, stepping, and yes, occasionally napping on ten different ottomans in my own home and a friend’s apartment to find the ones actually worth your money. An ottoman is … Read more

Nothing ruins a summer afternoon faster than jumping into green, cloudy water. When I bought my first above ground pool, I learned the hard way that the pump it shipped with was barely strong enough to keep a kiddie pool clean. After three weeks of fighting algae and skimming leaves by hand, I finally upgraded, … Read more

If you have ever opened your electric bill the month after installing a single speed pool pump, you already know why so many homeowners are searching for the best pool pumps in . The right pump keeps your water crystal clear, your chemicals balanced, and your utility costs under control. Our team spent the last … Read more

After swapping my single-speed pump for a variable speed model last spring, my electric bill dropped by $42 the first month. That one change pushed me down a rabbit hole. I spent three months comparing 10 variable speed pool pumps across every price tier, tested them on pools ranging from 10,000 to 25,000 gallons, and … Read more

After a summer of testing 8 pool cleaners across three backyard pools (a 30 ft inground, a 24 ft above ground, and one saltwater pool I helped my neighbor maintain), I know what separates the best pool cleaners from the rest. Our team pulled 12 candidates into the test, ran them through leaf season and … Read more

I have spent the better part of three pool seasons testing automatic cleaners on two very different pools, a 16×32 gunite in my backyard and a 24-foot above ground at a relative’s place. After running 14 different models through leaves, sand, pollen, and the occasional toy, I am convinced that suction side cleaners are still … Read more

I remember waiting until mid-June one year just to get into my pool because the water was too cold. That’s when I started researching electric pool heaters and realized how much easier modern heat pumps make extending your swim season. The best electric pool heaters use heat pump technology to pull warmth from the surrounding … Read more