Best Deals on Grills, Patio Umbrellas, and More Outdoor Essentials

This top-of-the-line midsized Weber gas grill might give you sticker shock from the price, but you get an enormous amount for the money. It has a built-in thermometer, an infrared burner for searing, and even a retractable rotisserie. It’s perfectly suited for smoking, too, with a built-in smoke tray (so you don’t need to buy a separate smoker box) and very good ratings for both indirect cooking and temperature range—so you can slow-cook ribs, brisket, and whatever else you have in mind.

The Weber Genesis S-335 35400001 grill really shines as far as convenience goes. It comes with a handy electronic igniter and stainless steel grates. It has great indirect cooking performance and does a capable job of heating evenly and reproducing a variety of temperatures across its range. However, it receives only adequate marks in preheat performance and sturdiness.

The Weber Genesis E-325s is a midsized gas grill with three main burners that performs very well in our tests, from evenness and temperature range to convenience. It also has tons of shelf space at 745 square inches. It also receives an excellent mark for indirect cooking, plus Weber, the brand, has stellar owner satisfaction and reliability scores.

The Dyna-Glo Signature Series DGSS700BPW-D-Kit is indeed a dynamite performer. This pellet grill aces our indirect cooking test and earns near-top-level marks for heating evenness, cleaning, and convenience. With a temperature range of just 100° F to 450° F, it doesn’t get as hot as some other top-rated models, but that doesn’t take away from its strong performance overall. This model is equipped with four casters for easier moving.

The Coleman RoadTrip 285 has everything you need (sans propane) for an all-in-one grilling experience. This totable gas grill’s integrated stand folds up like an ironing board with wheels, so you can roll it to your ideal cooking location with ease. There are also collapsible side tables to keep tools and condiments within reach. All these factors add to its unbeatable convenience. As for grill performance, it heats evenly enough in CR tests for a competent cooking experience, and with three burners (20,000 BTU overall), you can dial in the perfect temperature with more than acceptable accuracy.

For the money, it’s tough to beat the Nexgrill 820-0033. It has two burners and a rotary igniter, as well as two fold-down legs. Performance is strong; it earns a top rating for both preheating and heating evenness. The lone drawback is its indirect cooking performance. In that test, it receives a lower rating, making it better suited for burgers and hot dogs than, say, ribs.

The Cuisinart CGG-306 is a tabletop propane gas grill with two separate 10,000-Btu burners that offer a wide range of temperatures. It preheats faster than most of its kind, and it’s quite solid at spreading heat evenly across the surface. Weighing just 24 pounds, this compact grill easily fits in a car, making it great for camping trips and picnics. Cuisinart offers a generous three-year warranty.

Cuisinart’s Cleanburn lives up to its name, beating out some of the better-known options from brands like Breeo and Solo Stove in our tests. It proved equally strong when we built small or large fires, and its rounded bottom helped ensure one of the most efficient burns from any model, with minimal clean-up.

The Inno Stage differs from most smokeless fire pits because it’s designed to burn wood pellets, not logs. When we tested it, we found that using pellets with additives to accelerate lighting—sold at most home centers and hardware stores—worked particularly well, resulting in robust small or large fires with minimal smoke. Results weren’t as good when we used plain wood pellets, which tended to smoke quite a bit. It’s only about half as deep as the Cuisinart above and has considerably less capacity. We found that the Inno Stage burned pellets thoroughly, with minimal ash and unburned pellets left behind. The ash collects in a tray on its stand, making for easy removal. This model is a great choice if you want a modest pellet fire and prefer to avoid the hassle and labor of moving and lighting logs. 

The Bluu Banyan 10’ Offset Umbrella is a budget-friendly octagonal umbrella that’s usually $140, but it’s a bit less with the coupon right now (a price which may vary by color and size). It’s made from Outtra, a polyester fabric, and is removable for easy spot cleaning with mild soap and warm water. It also has fabric fasteners at the tip of each umbrella rib that you can decorate with things like wind chimes and string lights. One flaw: Our testers found the umbrella stable only when it was fully vertical or horizontal.

The Lerekam Solar Spot Lights are among the priciest outdoor ones, but you get unrivaled performance. In our tests, they earned top marks for light duration and ease of use. They can be angled, installed with ground spikes (included), or screwed to other surfaces. They have an on/off button and can be recharged with a USB cable (also included). Each of the lights in the six-pack has 40 LEDs, resulting in intense white light that shines wide over an area, not unlike a flashlight. That makes them ideal as spotlights. They’d be great for drawing attention to a water feature or an ornamental tree, but they can also be pointed down to illuminate a path or walkway.

It’s hard to contend with the value offered by the Gigalumi Grid Solar Pathway Lights. Their cost is lower (on a per-light basis) than just about any other path light we’ve seen, and yet they earn solid marks for both light duration and ease of use. The light cast comes from a single LED in each of the lights—casting a dimmer glow than the other products we tested.

That may not be a dealbreaker if you’ve got supplemental lighting elsewhere or if you’re using these strictly to create ambience. There’s a single setting, an on/off button, and a removable battery, but the lights can’t be charged or angled.

The JSOT Outdoor Solar Deck Lights topped our test as the only deck light that earned top marks for light duration. Designed to be mounted to a stair riser or other solid surface and attached with screws, it emits a medium-bright light, and each light contains 3 LEDs. While the lights can’t be charged with a cable, they have an on/off switch, so you can turn them off to build up power if you’re concerned about their charge.

The Brightech Pro Solar Powered Outdoor String Lights are the best in class in our test, with above-average marks for light duration and a top score for ease of use. Long with widely spaced lights, its design provides more flexibility—you can run the strand as is for more subtle lighting, or double up the cord to concentrate more of the light in a tighter space. Each of its 12 separate Edison-style oval-shaped bulbs has 24 LEDs, resulting in exceptionally bright light. The lights can’t be manually charged, but they do have replaceable batteries and an on/off button to preserve power.

The Harbor Breeze Solar Black Indoor Outdoor String Lights have a longer cord and wider spacing than many string lights, and they boast Edison-style bulbs. In our tests, they earned above-average marks for light duration and can be recharged with a USB cord (included). Each of the 10 lights has a single LED filament (which has multiple LEDs), and our tester found the light to be bright. These lights can be charged, and they also have two light settings and an on/off switch. 

ThermoPro’s SmartBT Meat Thermometer TP920 is one of the lower-priced leave-in two-probe wireless thermometers. It sends instant temperature readings to your smartphone via Bluetooth, offering excellent response time and accuracy. The easy-to-use app estimates the remaining cook time for nearly all cuts and varieties of meat based on built-in Department of Agriculture guidelines.

The InkBird IBT-4DXS BT is the highest-rated digital meat thermometer in CR’s tests. It offers app connectivity with estimated cook times, four separate probes, built-in alarms, and the ability to charge the device while actively monitoring temperatures. InkBird boasts a decent range in outdoor environments, up to 150 feet. 

Made by one of the most trustworthy thermometer companies in the grilling industry, the ThermoPro TP19H instant-read meat thermometer offers handheld temperature readings with a single stowable probe. There’s a built-in LED and rotation lock for the display, and a magnetic backing allows you to store it on your refrigerator between meals. Perfect for checking meats, this simple thermometer delivers reliably accurate readings within seconds.

The Ryobi RY401210US has one of the longest run times of any self-propelled mower in our tests: about 75 minutes when accounting for the extra battery, enough to handle one-third of an acre or more. That mowing time should be a pleasure, too, because this 21-inch self-propelled unit excels at every one of our tests except bagging. (In that test, it earns a satisfying rating.) This unit allows for upright storage and has a generous five-year warranty; the warranty for the battery is a more standard three years. Ryobi’s self-propelled battery mowers earned a passable score for predicted reliability and scored at the top for owner satisfaction.

The 21-inch Ego LM2156SP self-propelled battery mower, a CR Green Choice, aces our tests for cutting evenness, mulching, handling, and side discharging. It also gets top marks in our noise tests, meaning it’s among the quietest for both users and their neighbors. Its bagging performance lags those other scores a bit, though. Its high wheels make navigating uneven terrain easier, and it can be stored upright to save space in your garage. Run time is outstanding: With the included batteries, this model ran longer than most. Owner satisfaction with this mower is top-notch, but its predicted reliability is unexceptional.

The 21-inch Ryobi RY401150US is a winner in many respects. It performs superbly in our tests of cutting evenness, side discharging, mulching, and handling, and earns a respectable score for bagging. Designated a Green Choice model by CR, it also has a fairly generous hourlong run time. But this model is on the noisy side for a battery mower. The mower warranty is a long five years. Perhaps that’s a good thing because the brand earns an undistinguished score for predicted reliability. On the other hand, it earns exemplary marks for owner satisfaction. For about $100 less, the Ryobi RY401140US offers similar performance and a run time that’s 10 minutes shorter. That less costly model also lacks the extra cutting blade that the RY401150US has, but our testers found that feature didn’t lead to better cutting performance.

Your neighbors will thank you for using an Ego LM2135SP because it’s very quiet at 25 feet away and at the ear of the user. While this unit is often a bit expensive as far as push mowers go, its performance rates highly for mulching, cut evenness, and handling. It also earns nearly as impressive ratings in bagging and side discharging. Run time is as long as 50 minutes, enough to cover about a quarter of an acre in one go. What’s more, the battery can be fully charged in just over an hour.

The zero-turn Ego ZT4204L is pricey but impressive. It earns excellent scores for side discharging, mulching, and handling. It’s also quieter than a standard gas-riding mower. The ZT4204L runs for about 80 minutes on one charge, enough to potentially get through an acre depending on the terrain. Charge time is a relatively short 3 hours. This model sports a high-backed seat and reverse cutting, and has a washout port. But the relatively narrow 42-inch deck means longer mowing times. Battery-powered zero-turn mowers haven’t been on the market long enough for CR to score them for owner satisfaction or reliability. This one has a five-year warranty.

For a competitive price, the spartan Ego LM2114 performs commendably, with a respectable run time of almost an hour on one battery. Cutting evenness, noise, and handling are excellent, and it does a solid job mulching, bagging, and side discharging. This 21-inch-wide push mower doesn’t have high wheels for better maneuvering and doesn’t include a second battery. The battery takes about an hour and a half to charge. It has a three-year warranty, which is fairly standard among the higher-rated battery push mowers in our ratings. Ego battery mower predicted reliability is very good and owner satisfaction is excellent.

The electric-powered Greenworks pressure washer is very easy to use and relatively quiet while operating. Our tests found its cleaning performance and power to be midlevel, but Greenworks earned a top predicted reliability rating in our surveys, meaning that the brand’s pressure washers tend to last a long time. This model comes with five nozzle tips and solid wheels, and the cleaning tip is replaceable.

This Greenworks pressure washer gets solid ratings in CR’s tests, especially when it comes to ease of use, where it got top marks. It also scored above average for cleaning and noise. It gets a middling score for power. Our testers also noted that it has a manual trigger lock, a small spray angle, and a shorter hose than most models, all of which are less than ideal. On the flip side, we found that it’s very effective at removing stains, and it’s easy to move and operate.

It’s that time of year: Your lawn needs a little love to get ready for the warmer months. A CR lawn tool expert, Paul Hope, says this string trimmer is highly rated.

“It’s rare to get a deal on a string trimmer at the start of the season, and rarer still to get a deal on such a stellar model,” he says. “I actually own this tool myself and paid $80 more in the summer of 2023. It essentially ties its lowest price over the last year. It offers stellar performance and boasts one of the easiest-to-load trimmer heads I’ve ever seen. For me, that alone is worth the price of admission.”

The Ego ST1502SA battery string trimmer edges and trims as well as the best gas models, and it does a solid job of clearing through tall grass and weeds. At 10 pounds, it’s extremely light. It will go anywhere a gas model can, but its run time was limited to about a half-hour in our tests. If you splurge on the top-rated Ego LM2135 battery push mower, you can use the batteries interchangeably and always have one charging. The Ego is your best bet if you want to buy into a brand of high-scoring outdoor lawn tools that use interchangeable batteries.

The Black+Decker LSW40C comes with all the essential functionality you need to get started with your yard work. It’s a little weak compared to other leaf blowers with 125mph blowing speed, so it might take you a few passes to sweep your entire grounds. But this cordless leaf blower is lightweight (4 pounds) and perfectly suitable for beginners with easy handling and controls. You’ll get a 3-year warranty with your purchase.

The Husqvarna 360BT is reasonably priced even without this sale, which is the biggest discount we’ve ever seen. This powerful gas backpack blower is ideal for tackling large yards. It earns excellent ratings for loosening embedded leaves as well as for sweeping, which means it’s extremely fast to move a large pile. It’s also easy to start and adjust the speed of the blower. As a brand, Husqvarna makes some of the most reliable gas-powered backpack blowers, with an above-average rating for predicted reliability, as well as scoring the highest owner satisfaction rating in CR’s member surveys.

The Ego LB7654 delivers all-star performance across the board, proving adept at loosening and sweeping, all in an easy-to-handle package despite weighing 9.9 pounds. In addition, this electric blower comes with a generous five-year warranty; many battery models have only a one-year warranty. As a brand, Ego battery leaf blowers are reliable and earn top marks for owner satisfaction.

The Generac XT8500EFI is at a good discount but was $150 less last week. If you don’t need it right away, you may want to keep an eye on it for now and wait in case the price dips back down. It’s unmatched among generators of its size in terms of performance and output. It offers an impressive 8,500 watts of power, more than any other portable model in our ratings. And it excels in our crucial tests, earning excellent ratings for power delivery and power quality. It has five outlets and an electric start, as well as an automatic CO safety shut-off.