The 14 best things we've ever bought on Amazon

I am not a fan of Black Friday. The idea of interrupting time spent with family only to score the best deals on things I will buy for them seems counterproductive. Not to mention the horror that has become of the doorbuster lines—or mosh pits, I should say. Nope, no thank you. If I can shop on my couch in my robe eating a leftover turkey sandwich, then that is exactly what I am going to do.

It's me. Thanks to Amazon, I don’t have to be a fan of Black Friday. In fact, Amazon offers fantastic deals well before Black Friday—and they’ve successfully turned Cyber Monday into Cyber weekend, offering doorbuster deals all weekend long. With this, holiday shopping has become a lot more tolerable—especially for people like me, who hate the stress of crowds, parking lots, and competitive deal hunting. With Amazon, everything is at my fingertips. I’ve found some incredible things on Amazon, products that have seriously improved my daily routine, that have made my life easier, and even more enjoyable. When I scroll through my past orders, there are items in there that I would turn to again and again (except the nonsense I orders in 2011—what the heck was I thinking?!). I wanted to find out what the editorial staff at Reviewed had to say about their favorite purchases from Amazon as well. Hopefully something on this list will inspire a gift idea or two, and steer you away from the Black Friday chaos. _These are the best things we’ve ever bought on Amazon._ ##1. This French Press coffee maker

“I use my French Press to make coffee every day and it has never let me down. My favorite part about this classic model from Bodum is that everything is replaceable, so if the glass breaks or if you lose the filter, you can buy replacement parts instead of buying a whole new pot. It also looks great, it's small enough to store in a cupboard, and it can be used to make tea as well as coffee.” - Jeremy Stamas

Buy the Bodum 4-cup French Press for

2. These magnetic car mounts for smartphones

“My sister and I are always going on adventures together in her car—she is typically driving and I am her co-pilot. She used to make me hold her phone out toward the dashboard so she could see the GPS while driving, which proved annoying after about 5 minutes. The car mount she was using (with a suction cup) kept falling off the windshield with her phone in it. Fed up, I bought her these magnetic car mounts, and she was absolutely thrilled. Our road trips have significantly improved since this extremely handy purchase.” - Patricia Camerota

Buy the WizGear magnetic mount (2 pack) for $8.99 on Amazon

3. This incredible cookbook

“This isn’t your traditional book of recipes. In fact, you’re not gonna find any recipes in here at all. Instead, The Flavor Bible is a compendium of just about every ingredient you can imagine with lists of complementary flavors and why these pairings tend to work. I love The Flavor Bible because of how it encourages me to engage with my food rather than work my way passively through a basic recipe. It’s like kindling for culinary inspiration; while most cookbooks ask me politely to stay on the trail, The Flavor Bible invites me to stray off the beaten path and take risks. After all, isn’t that what cooking is all about?” - Michael Desjardin

Buy the Flavor Bible on Amazon for $21.93

4. The SoundAsleep Air Mattress

“I was invited last minute to a friends for the weekend and needed a place to sleep. That's when I bought the highly-rated SoundAsleep mattress. It's almost as comfortable as my own bed, and it doesn't hurt my back (and I have a bad back). I slept on it for a week when on vacation this past summer because it was more comfortable than the bed at the house we rented, and it never deflated. Friends who have slept on it at my apartment approve too.” - Samantha Matt

Buy the SoundAsleep Air Mattress on Amazon for $119.95

5. This Osprey Travel Backpack

“One of the best things I've ever bought on Amazon (I mean, besides books) is my Osprey Farpoint 40 Travel Backpack. I like the portability of a backpack when traveling, but traditional backpacking packs can be bulky and hard to rummage through. This one has a real suspension system but conveniently opens like a suitcase, rather than forcing you to load and unload from the top. It's big enough to fit the essentials, but small enough to carry onto most planes—plus the more compact size forces you not to overpack. I carried it for two weeks in Europe this summer, where it stowed nicely in trains, planes, and hostel lockers (and did not hurt my back).” - Kori Perten

Get the Osprey Farpoint 40 Travel Backpack on Amazon for $119.49 - $160.00

6. The Instant Pot DUO60 7-in-1

“I love cooking, but I'm also busy as all heck these days and don't always want to spend my free time in front of a stove. The Instant Pot lets me make an obscene number of meals and dishes with almost no leg work. I wasn't sure I'd use a pressure cooker for anything more than soups when I first got it, but now it's the #1 staple in my kitchen. We're talking full meals that should take hours done in less than one, with nothing but prep to do and one pot to clean.” - Samantha Gordon

Get the Instant Pot DUO60 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker on Amazon for $97.50

7. This wood-carved glasses holder

"I bought this little statue that holds your glasses for my dad because he constantly misplaces his glasses, along with his wallet and keys.” - Ashley Barry-Biancuzzo

Buy this wood-carved spectacle holder on Amazon for $6.24

8. This inexpensive, stylish futon

“The best thing I ever bought on Amazon was this charcoal gray futon couch for my 20-something son's birthday. It is super inexpensive, and it was delivered for free with Prime. It gives my son and his roommate a place to sit and watch TV in their apartment." - Cindy Bailen

Buy this convertible futon couch bed on Amazon for $129.99

9. This deep tissue massage ball

“Post workout or just after a long day, I like to use my Pro-Tech massage orb. I find it an essential tool for relaxation.” - Jon Chan

Buy this Pro-Tech deep tissue massage ball on Amazon for $14.95

10. This Hydro Flask water bottle

“I drink a lot of water at my desk every day. In order to make this easy, I like to have a large bottle so I don’t have to run back and forth to the faucet. I have gone through a ton of water bottles, but I haven’t been happy until I got this Hydro Flask. It holds a ton of water, and more important than anything else, it keeps water cold for hours.” - Sunil Doshi

Buy this Hydro Flask water bottle on Amazon for $42.95

11. This home gym machine

“I think the most surprisingly great thing I ever bought on Amazon was the Weider Ultimate Body Works home gym machine. For being $130 and shipped disassembled in a box, it was surprisingly easy to put together, and it's small/portable enough to fit right behind my love seat. It's not exactly a replacement for a full gym facility, but the resistance/body weight-based exercises are still quite effective.” - Lee Neikirk

Buy this home gym machine on Amazon for $129.99

12. This magical unicorn pool float

“For $20, my summer became a lot better with the addition of this whimsical dude—enabled lots of New England lake floating! Pro tip: Blow it up quickly with an air mattress pump!” - Jessica Teich Buy this unicorn pool float for $19.99 on Amazon

13. This portable propane grill

“I bought this portable grill to take on road trips and to tailgate at football games. It was easy to put together, it folds down to fit in a car easily, and you can wheel it around, too. Once I used it in 30-degree weather and it had no problem firing up. I'm a big fan of this grill, and so far it has successfully lasted an entire football season.” - Connor Whooley

Buy this portable propane grill on Amazon for $149.99

14. These trusty Swiffer dusters

“I don't buy much on Amazon, but when I do I buy Swiffer Dusters. I personally think they are the best dusters you can buy. I'm a neat freak and I hate when my things collect dust at home, so I always have a supply of these laying around. They’re replaceable, so it's easy to toss the old, dirty duster and replace it with a brand new, clean one. I order these again and again.” - Kyle Hamilton Buy these Swiffer Dusters (5 pack) on Amazon for $4.97)

Prices are accurate at the time of publication, but may change over time.