9 Products on Deep Discount in January
CR's lab tests and shopping tips will help you find what you want and let you know what you might want to avoid
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With a little planning and patience, you may never have to pay full price for anything. Sales take place throughout the year, but some months and holidays are better for finding deep discounts on certain items. Coming on the heels of the holiday season, January tends to be a great time to find a good price on fitness equipment, from big investments like treadmills and ellipticals to fitness accessories like smartwatches and fitness trackers.
And if you happen to be in the market for new sheets, a soundbar, a wireless router, or a humidifier, January is the perfect time to keep an eye out for the lowest prices. You may also see more sales around Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, especially when it comes to bigger purchases, such as mattresses and large appliances. But because January follows two months of heavy holiday sales, discounts tend to be a bit sparser overall. So if you’re looking for big savings on something other than what’s on this list, it may be better to hold off until a later date if you can. If you want to learn more about the best time to buy other products, check out our calendar of deals.
Smartwatches
January is often a good time to start shopping around for a smartwatch, according to our data. Look for New Year’s resolution-related sales that are likely to crop up at many online retailers, and you can finally take the plunge on some high-tech jewelry without overspending.
You’ll want to make sure the smartwatch you choose is going to fit your lifestyle. First and foremost, it should be compatible with your smartphone. But do you want one that has its own network connectivity? How about a heart rate monitor? Or the ability to pay for purchases? You should also take into account things like size, battery life, and replacement bands.
Read CR’s buying guide to learn more, then check out our ratings to find the best smartwatch for you.
The generation-old Garmin Fenix 7 is a top-of-the-line sports watch intended for those who are tackling more intense training programs or want more advanced navigation tools, like the ability to create turn-by-turn hiking courses. It also has an impressive 18-day claimed battery life.
The Versa 4 is a great fit for fans of the Fitbit app who want a sleeker-looking smartwatch than the options of yore. You get a good-sized display and all the basics, like GPS-enabled workout tracking and heart rate monitoring. The new holistic Daily Readiness Score, which suggests when to ramp up your activity or take a break, is also handy.
Like the original Samsung Galaxy Watch6, the generation-old Watch6 Classic does everything you’d want a high-end smartwatch to do—from logging workouts to tracking your heart rate—but comes with the fan-favorite rotating bezel. If you opt for the Watch6 Classic LTE (which is also on sale for $300 at Best Buy), you can make calls right from your wrist, without having your phone nearby.
This rugged-looking (and high-performing) Samsung smartwatch is aimed at outdoors enthusiasts—and anyone who wants the latest premium health- and fitness-tracking features. Just note that Galaxy Watches work only with Android devices.
Fitness Trackers
Much like smartwatches, fitness trackers are often discounted in January as retailers target shoppers with New Year’s resolutions that focus on health and wellness. Fitness trackers range from simple to sophisticated, with corresponding prices. Some simply count your steps while others use GPS to map your workouts, and many also measure your heart rate and can even monitor your sleeping patterns.
With so many different options, there’s sure to be a fitness tracker that fits your new lifestyle and your budget, especially if you find one on sale. Take a look at CR’s buying guide if you want a little more guidance to find the right tracker for you.
If you want a slim fitness tracker that keeps tabs on the basics—like your sleep, step count, heart rate—the Fitbit Inspire 3 is a good buy at this price. It also has a convenient 10-day claimed battery life.
Ellipticals
Elliptical exercisers are part stair climber, part cross-country ski machine. Unlike a treadmill, which allows you to move free-form, an elliptical limits your movement. That’s why it’s especially important to test out machines in a store before you buy one.
High-end ellipticals cost upward of $3,000, but you can get a good machine for less than half that price. More expensive machines are often heavier and have a larger footprint because of their beefier frames. The number of features also tends to increase with the price.
Our elliptical buying guide and elliptical ratings will help you select a machine with the quality and features you want. Once you’ve selected a model, you can shop around for the best discounts. As with treadmills, you’ll have the most luck scoring a deal at major retailers or buying directly from manufacturers.
The Sole E95S features a large, easy-to-read display, a motorized adjustable stride-length and ancillary incline, and resistance controls on the multigrip moving handgrips. The layout is easy to understand and intuitive. There’s a strong flywheel effect making it harder to accelerate and decelerate, but pedaling is comfortable, with smooth transitions around the elliptical path and good foot support throughout the pedaling cycle. Equipped with Bluetooth, this elliptical can communicate with the Sole Fitness App via a compatible mobile device. An included chest-strap heart rate monitor allows for convenient use of the two heart rate programs.
Treadmills
Treadmills are the most popular workout machines in the U.S., and there’s an option for almost every budget and fitness goal. That can make choosing one complicated. While a top-of-the-line treadmill can cost $4,000 or more—our highest-rated machine comes in at $2,700—our recommended models start at just $1,500. If you’re looking to save a bit more, you can get a reasonably well-rated foldable treadmill for $1,000.
The key is to find a machine that’s durable, comfortable, and easy to use. Try one out in a store before making a purchase, and read our treadmill buying guide to familiarize yourself with the available options. To learn more about the ones we consider top notch, check out our treadmill ratings.
Look to online and big-box retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart and sporting goods stores like Dick’s Sporting Goods for sales on fitness equipment. And be sure to see whether manufacturers are offering other ways to save as well.
The Peloton Tread comes with dials that can be spun to quickly change the speed or incline, and a large console that can be used for a wide array of live and prerecorded workouts, exercise classes, and runs offered through Peloton’s subscription service. For these reasons, it’s the top-rated model in our ratings. The base model doesn’t include a heart rate monitor, but optional upgrades include that, as well as other accessories, such as dumbbells for strength workouts.
The folding Sole F80 earns excellent ratings across the board in CR’s tests. It has a large gray-on-white, backlit LCD that clearly presents metrics in large characters. Equipped with Bluetooth, this treadmill can sync with the Sole Fitness App on a mobile device. In addition, it has custom and heart-rate-controlled programs and includes a chest-strap heart rate monitor.
Sheets
The new year is a chance to start fresh, and many retailers will hold white sales where they offer big discounts on bedding, including sheets and pillows. These winter sales, made famous by the department store owner John Wanamaker, have been used since the turn of the last century as a way to boost sales.
These sales provide a great chance to replace worn-out bedding. Check out our sheet buying guide to determine what material and thread count you should look for.
Brushed microfiber isn’t as breathable as cotton, but for those who don’t find synthetic fibers to be a hang-up, this Mellanni sheet set is a top-notch pick. It offers a softer feel than most cotton options and is pretty resistant to wrinkling, and you can expect a great fit even after a year of laundering. You can also expect to have this set in rotation for a while, because it does pretty well in our strength test. The one area where these bedsheets miss the mark a bit is in our fit test. Though the packaging claims “deep pockets,” this set is best suited for mattresses with a depth of 10 inches or less.
This Brooklinen set is at its typical 15 percent discount for first-time buyers. It will fit a mattress up to 14 inches thick. Our testers note that these sheets don’t shrink as much as some other cotton sheets we tested. They earn above-average scores for both fit and shrinkage, which means that although they do tend to get smaller after washing, they don’t change all that much over time. Luxe Core sheets are on the softer side, based on our sensory test. Labels along each side that read “short side” and “long side” make clear which way to make a bed.
If you’re looking for a solid budget pick, this lightweight set from Amazon Basics could be just the right fit. These microfiber sheets earn good scores in our ratings for strength and wrinkling, but they really stand out when it comes to maintaining their fit, acing CR’s shrinkage tests.
Soundbars
Whether you’re buying a new TV or you want to make the one you have sound better, soundbars offer a great upgrade option. They’re much easier to set up than traditional surround-sound systems with three or more speakers, and you can add more speakers to many models if you want to expand later.
January is a great time to save on these increasingly popular devices as retailers make room for new inventory. You may be able to find discounts at major retailers like Amazon, Target, and Walmart or member-exclusive deals at BJ’s, Costco, and Sam’s Club.
Most soundbars are long, thin enclosures that are mounted on a wall or placed on a shelf above or below the TV. There are also pedestal-style devices called sound bases that can serve as a base for a TV.
To help you decide which is the right one for you, check out our soundbar buying guide and see which models we recommend.
Anyone looking to save some space—or cut down on items to plug into their TV—should consider the Roku Streambar SE, a soundbar that includes a built-in Roku streaming player. Given its small footprint, it probably works best for smaller TVs, not that jumbo-sized set you’ve been eyeing.
This basic Yamaha 2.0-channel speaker can add a separate subwoofer to boost bass performance. It can decode Dolby Atmos immersive sound but uses it to create a virtual experience, because it lacks the extra speakers to create a true Dolby Atmos experience. It has built-in Bluetooth for streaming audio from a portable device.
This full-featured 5.1.2-channel model, which has decent overall sound, includes both a dedicated center channel and upfiring drivers in the main enclosure for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive sound. You can add rear speakers via an optional Polk rear satellite speaker kit. The model comes with a wireless subwoofer, three HDMI inputs so that you can switch devices, and support for both Bluetooth and WiFi.
Humidifiers
As the temperatures drop and we crank up the heat at home, the air we breathe becomes drier, which can lead to chapped skin, nosebleeds, and sore throats. Thankfully, this is a good time of year to find a humidifier at a deep discount.
When shopping for a humidifier, you can choose between two types: warm mist and cool mist. Warm-mist humidifiers essentially boil water and emit a warm vapor into the air. Cool-mist humidifiers use a variety of methods to create a cool vapor without boiling water.
In addition to deciding on the type of humidifier to buy, there are a few other things to consider. For instance, you’ll probably want to look for a model that’s easy to move and clean. And if you want to run the unit for long periods, you might need one with a shutoff timer or a humidistat that turns it off if the humidity gets too high (otherwise, your windows could fog up).
Make sure to check our buying guide, ratings, and recommendations before you start shopping so that you have the information you need to make the best choice.
Wireless Routers
A good wireless router can help boost your WiFi signal, eliminate any dead spots in your home, and ensure that everyone in the family can stream, play, and otherwise spend time online uninterrupted. January can be a great month to find a new router for less, according to Consumer Reports’ data.
There’s a lot to consider when choosing a new router, including the size of your home and cybersecurity protections. Start with CR’s buying guide, which walks you through all the factors to consider.
Bathroom Scales
Today’s digital scales track more than just your weight; they also offer additional information, such as your body fat percentage or body mass index (BMI). Some even connect to your phone, fitness tracker, and other smart devices for easier data tracking. You’ll often pay more for such features, so it’s important to decide what you want before you start shopping.
Check out our buying guide to see whether extra features are worth the added cost. According to our testers, weight measurements are consistent and accurate across most digital scales, but body-fat measurements aren’t.
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