Michael Zhao
The Wirecutter
New York, NY, United States
Contact Michael
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Michael:
The Men’s Travel Clothes I Pack No Matter Where I’m Going
These are the basic wardrobe elements—tee, pants, shorts, jacket, socks, and underwear—that keep our traveler comfortable regardless of his destination. → Read More
Dear Wirecutter: Should I Upgrade My Grinder or Coffee Maker First?
The key to a good cup of coffee is even extraction, which means a grinder is the most important piece of gear to splurge on. → Read More
The Best Home-Office Furniture and Supplies
Your home office should be a place where you feel comfortable doing your best work day after day. A team of work-from-home veterans spent more than 150 hours researching and testing equipment for a… → Read More
The Best Gifts for Travelers
Enjoying travel means different things to different people depending on the purpose of the trip. Over the course of the year, we’ve spent hundreds of hours picking these items that we think would make great gifts for the people in your life who view their time at home as the interstitial space between trips to far-flung places. → Read More
The Best Coffee Maker
After two months surveying readers, interviewing experts, researching coffee makers, and testing with a 10-person tasting panel, the $190 Bonavita 1900TS is still the best. Its brew is about 90 percent as good as pour-over every single time you use it, but the process takes much less time and patience. Plus, it has a dead-simple one-button interface. → Read More
The Best Slippers
After 40 hours of research and walking around in 14 different slippers, we’d recommend the $90 Haflinger AT to keep your feet warm and sweat-free. Not only are they more comfortable, warm, and supportive than competitors, but they actually get better and better the more you wear them in. → Read More
The Best Slippers
After 40 hours of research and walking around in 14 different slippers, we’d recommend the $90 Haflinger AT to keep your feet warm and sweat-free. Not only are they more comfortable, warm, and supportive than competitors, but they actually get better and better the more you wear them in. → Read More
Best Smart Thermostat
The $250 Nest thermostat easily earns our recommendation for its optional web-based controls, smartphones apps, data visualization, and its ability to make adjustments without manual input. If you need a set-it-and-forget-it solution to home heating then the Nest is it. → Read More
Rickshaw Commuter 2.1
Laptop bags in this price range tend to fall into one of two categories: functional but ugly; or stylish at the cost of key features like a handle, bottle holders and protective padding. The Rickshaw Commuter 2.1 is among the few bags that manages to strike a balance. → Read More
Great Gear for Parties 2014
Whether you’re having people over for a candlelit dinner or a BYOB, call-the-cops dance party, you’ll probably need a few supplies before, during, and after your gathering. Our team put several hundred hours of research and testing into choosing these updated picks for 2014, which include everything from napkins and champagne glasses to stain removers and garbage bags. → Read More
All the new Apple stuff (October 2014)
During Thursday's event, Apple updated pretty much everything they didn’t get to in September: a new iPad Air and iPad mini, a Retina iMac, a surprise appearance of an updated Mac mini, and the launch of Mac OS X Yosemite. → Read More
Apple’s Summer 2014 News (in brief)
Apple continues to refocus its annual Worldwide Developer Conference to be more about the developers (gasp!) and less about user-facing announcements. This year → Read More
The Best Skillet
Universally loved by professionals, enthusiasts, and home cooks, the $140 All-Clad 12-inch fry pan is the best skillet available. The thick base ensures an even heating surface that won't burn or take forever to heat up and its durability can't be rivaled. → Read More