A Bunch of Our 2026 Home Innovation Award Winners Are on Sale for Prime Day

5 min readEarlier this week we published our Home Innovation Awards, the annual compendium of the products we’ve tested in the past year that have the most potential to help you get more enjoyment out of your space. And of those 65 outdoor power tools, grills, vacuums, and appliances, nearly a third are on sale this week during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days. We already highly recommend these products, and we recommend getting them at a discount even more.Vacuums and Carpet CleanersReviews Editor Amber Joglar picked both the Dyson V16 Animal stick vacuum and the Bissell Little Green Mini carpet cleaner. She appreciates how the Dyson sucks up pet hair without that hair winding around the roller or struggling on hardwood floors. And she found the Bissell is easy to use, just as good on chairs and upholstery as it is rugs.Best Vacuum for Pet OwnersBest Portable Carpet CleanerKitchen AppliancesContributor Nick Hilden reviewed the Euhomy Smart Nugget Ice Maker. The ease of setup (it doesn’t need a direct water hookup) and the turnaround time are impressive; this machine made the first batch of ice in five minutes during her testing.Reviews Editor Tom Price likes the Ninja Foodi Indoor Grill for how it lets him replicate that backyard BBQ vibe in his kitchen. His steaks emerged just as he wanted, without being rubbery or dry. And the grill pulls extra duty as an air fryer, oven, broiler, and dehydrator.TechThere are plenty of gadgets and TVs on sale this week. But of our recommended tech products, the steepest discounts are on Logitech’s Ergo K860 Ergonomic Keyboard and Netgear’s RS150 Nighthawk WiFi Router.The Logitech Ergo was familiar enough for Joglar—an entry-level ergonomic keyboard that felt comfortable without demanding a huge learning curve by forcing her hands into an awkward position. And in his testing of the Nighthawk router, contributor Matt Jancer liked how it looks good enough that you shouldn’t feel the need to hide it away yet provides six streams (in a variety of 2.4- and 5-gigahertz frequencies) to support plenty of devices with varying bandwidth needs. I’ve linked to the RS150 here: It’s a step down in terms of bandwidth from the RS200 Jancer originally reviewed, but that version is currently only available in used condition.Generators and Power StationsReviews Editor David Dritsas and Test Editor Bradley Ford are the brains behind our generator and power station testing. Ford likes the Generac below for how steady its current frequency was, making it a good pick if you’re running or charging sensitive electronics off of it. It was also impressively quiet.Dritsas complimented the Bluetti’s capacity. “In a practical test of this, I powered a refrigerator by itself for an impressive 29.5 hours—10 more than the Anker Solix,” he wrote. “Its 2,400 watts of output power is plenty enough to run up to four 120-volt devices at the same time, and a 120-volt, 30-amp outlet can power a small RV or camper, too.”He liked how the Anker straddles the line between being portable and a fixture. “This power station sits in a sweet spot between being a capable portable power station and a home station that can power a few appliances during an emergency,” he said. “With its 2,400 watts of output, 2,048 watt-hours of battery capacity, and five AC outlets, you could confidently run a refrigerator, TV, a few lights, and a computer for a couple of hours.”Best Portable/Solar Power StationGrills and SmokersDritsas also spearheads our grill testing, and these two impressed him most this year, not least of all for their accessible prices. “If the Pit Boss Navigator 1600 proves anything, it’s that a quality pellet grill-cum-smoker doesn’t have to come at a premium price,” he wrote. “When I reviewed it, I was impressed with the quality of the build and the design details, particularly the sturdy frame and solid hood that’s lined with a thick, heat-retaining seal. Pellet grills are still a niche method of outdoor cooking, but the Navigator is simple and intuitive to learn and use—you’ll be up and running in no time.”“Despite its lower cost (around $300), my testing of this grill revealed some great features, including a large, lower front door that makes it easy to adjust coals while smoking food, a three-position coal tray that comes in handy when controlling heat, and an easy-to-read thermometer,” he said of the Laredo. “It also doesn’t skimp on total cooking area. With 940 square inches available, you can easily cook enough food for a small party.”Best Charcoal Grill and SmokerOutdoor Power ToolsThis Husqvarna hedge trimmer earned a Home Innovation Award but is also our recommendation for most people looking for a little machine-assisted help. Deputy Editor Colin Aylesworth credits the power and ease of use.“The power obviously serves to enable the trimmer to make quick work of overgrown bushes and shrubs,” he said. “The smooth operation means this machine is fairly quiet and doesn’t transmit a lot of vibration, minimizing fatigue for the user. And the rotating handle lets you position the secondary handle on top or either side of the machine to give you better control and comfort while cutting at different positions on the shrub.”Air Purifiers, Air Conditioners, and FansIf you’re determined to score an air conditioner this late in the year, you’re a savvy shopper or in desperate need. “This budget-friendly portable air conditioner from Dreo became our favorite among the many we’ve tested this year,” wrote Senior Reviews Editor Xavier Piedra. “That’s largely due to its variety of features, including drainage-free cooling, app and voice control, and quiet operation. Rarely does a portable air conditioner have all of those without being expensive.”Senior Commerce Editor Mike Epstein’s favorite feature of the Coway AirMega was the easy-to-read sensor. “It tracks three sizes and types of air impurities, and it’s helpful that I can walk over and quickly check how well the purifier is working,” he wrote.And Deals and Trends Editor Tim Kohut dubbed the Dreame MF10 “the closest I’ve seen a fan come to a portable air conditioner, and it has a lot of A/C-adjacent features: a removable (and washable) filter, 270-degree coverage up to almost 540 square feet, and three dynamic airflow modes that auto-adjust for even, natural cooling.”Storage and OrganizationTest Editor Paul Smith likes the FastTrack, he wrote, “for the things that don’t really need modular storage—ladders, rakes, shovels, extension cords, hoses, and other everyday gear that just needs a permanent, easy-to-reach home.”“I also like that FastTrack is an adaptable space-saving solution that complements larger garage storage systems. It’s simple and relatively inexpensive, proving that getting organized needn’t be complicated.”Best Garage Storage SystemWill Egensteiner has been reviewing products for 10 years, testing and writing about everything from climbing gear to video game consoles to cars. He began his career as an intern at Popular Mechanics, then worked as an editor at Outside, spearheading the magazine's gear coverage and biannual Buyer's Guide. Now that he's back, he leads product reviews for PopMech, as well as Runner's World, Best Products, and Biography. His favorite stuff to review is still outdoors equipment, and he can tell you from memory what ePTFE stands for.