Welcome to the Product Notes 2021 Black Friday deal guide. I’ll keep this post updated with some of my favorite deals. If there’s something worth adding, leave a comment below.
As a reminder I’d recommend taking a look at our post about Shopping Smarter on Black Friday. The post is a few years old, but just as relevant as ever.
How to use this thread
We’ve organized this topic into various sections. use the table of contents to the right (if you’re on desktop) to jump to that section. If it’s a deal on a previous product we’ve featured, We’ll also post a link to that. That way you can see any previous commentary about the product.
I will be updating this post with the best Black Friday deals I can find. But what happens when you find an awesome deal? Reply to this topic instead of creating a new one. We’ll be monitoring this thread and make sure that the good ones end up in the list.
Kitchen deals
Given the shortages. I am a little suspect about the deals we’ll see for kitchen items—especially small appliances. It could be a great time to upgrade from a Kurieg to a Nespresso. Make sure to check out our guide to the best Nespresso machine .
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Kitchen Aid Professional 500 Series Mixer | Best Buy | $219 (Usually $499)
An excellent 5-quart mixer available at a steep discount. Applies to all colors including red and matte blue -
Vitamix A2500 Ascent Series Blender | Amazon
I was very close to purchasing the Vitimix A2500 this year. I think I am going to stick with my Breville Boss-to-Go for a little longer though. I think the A2500 model is the one to get because it includes presets and has more physical knobs than the more expensive A3000 series. Touch buttons are not ideal for something that vibrates as much as a blender.
Home deals
The most common home item on sale will likely be vacuums. If you haven’t picked up a robot vacuum yet, they are a miracle. Sure we don’t have flying cars, but robot vacuums are one of those things that became a reality. iRobot and Eufy both make excellent robot vacuums.
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iRobot Roomba i3 and Roomba i3+ | Amazon
These are probably the best value robot vacuums on the market right now. I’ve personally owned one for about a year and think it has been fantastic. The only difference between the i3 and i3+ is one comes with the self-emptying dock and the other just has the vacuum.
Related: iRobot Roomba i3 Review -
Tulo Comfort Mattresses | Tulo | $340 (Usually $699)
Tulo mattresses are probably the best value foam mattresses on the market—it’s what I’ve slept on the last two years and think it has been excellent. With this discount a Queen costs around $340, it’s an amazing deal. -
Airmega 250 | Amazon
This is one of the newer models of the Airmega lineup. I appreciate the retro aesthetics. The Airmega 250 is more powerful than the Mighty/200M, but less powerful than the Airmega 300. -
Jarvis Standing Desk | Fully | Starting at $458 (Usually $539)
I’m a big fan of my Jarvis Standing Desk. It’s an incredibly durable desk that has received daily use now that I’m working from home. My only issue is the lackluster wire management out of the box. I’ve found a good solution, but it took a while to figure out.
Related: Fully Jarvis Desk showing ASR error. How can I fix it?
Board game deals
Board games are one of those strange categories that has some great deals on Black Friday. Last year we found deals for both Ticket to Ride and Catan. If Catan looks interesting, check out our buying guide.
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Catan and the 5-6 Player Extension | Amazon
An excellent price on one of our all-time favorite board games. We love the easy to learn, difficult to master gameplay. The tile and number variability makes every play through just a little difficult. If you haven’t, this is a must have game for holiday game nights.
Related: Which Settlers of Catan expansions can be played with each other? - #4 by Aero_Engineer, Catan Portable Edition Review: A Joy for Any Catan Fan -
Ticket to Ride and Ticket to Ride Europe | Amazon
Two excellent board games that we highly recommend. Ticket to ride is a train game where you take gambles and try to fulfill routes. Ticket to Ride Europe is a similar game, but includes some additional variables such as ferries.
Electronic deals
Historically, electronics have been some of the top discounted items on Prime Day. Last year we saw great discounts for low-to-mid range televisions, batteries, a few phones and, of course Amazon devices.
There was a significant discount on Samsung’s portable 1TB SSD hard drive and Anker’s PowerCore external battery. We saw good deals on Google’s Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL as well. However, I wouldn’t expect to see that for the Pixel 5 considering they are still taking pre-orders.
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Apple Macbook Air (M1) | Best Buy | $850 (Usually $999)
A rare deal on the new Macbook Air. If you’re wondering what’s special about this Macbook, it’s among the first Macs to use Apples own M1 chip instead of Intel chips. Early benchmarks show that this chip outperforms equivalent chips, while being more energy efficient. -
VIZIO OLED 55 Television | Best Buy | $999 (Usually $1,299)
VIZIO makes excellent quality televisions. This OLED tv is, perhaps, the best deal you’ll find on any OLED TV. If you’ve been looking for one, this is your opportunity.
Related: Free Vizio Remote Control Upgrade for Smartcast TVs -
Roku Streaming Stick+ | Amazon
If you’re looking to provide a smart-tv experience to an older TV, getting a Roku is an excellent option. Amazon has a great price on the Roku Streaming Stick+ right now.
Headphone and audio deals
If you’re in the market for a new set of earbuds or headphones, Black Friday is a great time to consider making a purchase. Last year we didn’t list a ton of items here, but the ones we found were excellent.
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Jabra Elite 85h Over-Ear Headphones | Best Buy | $149 (Usually $249)
The Elite 85h Headphones are my daily driver for work. They are comfortable, have excellent sound quality and battery life. Active noise cancelling is fine for white noise, but does leave a lot to be desired. -
Jabra Elite Active 75t True Wireless Earbuds | Best Buy | $79 (Usually $149)
An exceptional deal on my favorite pair of wireless earbuds. I use these all the time and recommend them to Android (and even iOS) users. They are comfortable and do an excellent job staying in my ears—even when running. If you want to know a little more, make sure to read our Jabra Elite Active 75t review . -
Klipsch The One II Bluetooth Speaker | Walmart | $179 (Usually $248)
This top-rated bluetooth speaker is small and produces great sound. It has a great retro look that would look great on any shelf.
Outdoor and camping deals
Whether you’re looking for camping gear or ways to improve your backyard. Black Friday is an excellent time to make a purchase.
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Solo Stove Yukon Fire Pit | Solo Stove | $399 (Usually $599)
Solo Stove fire pits are known for their sturdy built and clever airflow management. By managing air flow the fire-pit keeps the flame centered, while reducing the amount of smoke produced. At 27-inches, the Yukon is the largest fire put Solo Stove manufactures.
Related: Solo Stove Yukon Fire Pit $399 (Usually $599) -
Leatherman Skeletool CX | Amazon
The Leatherman Skeletool CX is a top-rated multi-tool. The only difference between them is that the Skeletool CX has better blade quality. I personally own the CX model and its quality blade and lightweight have made it a perfect pocket knife replacement for camping and hiking. You can read more about it in our Car Camping Essentials Checklist.
Related: Leatherman Skeletool Multi-Tool Sale -
Granite Gear Blaze 60L Men’s Backpack and Women’s Backpack | Backcountry | $203 (Usually $270)
The Granite Gear Blaze is Outdoor Gear Lab’s top pick for best backpacking backpack. It’s light-weight, comfortable and has the perfect pocket arrangement. This is the best deal we’ve seen on these bags all year.
Related: Granite Gear Blaze 60L Backpack Sale
Video game geals
Black Friday tends to be favorable for video game deals. We expect a fair number of game sales. However, given the chip shortage we don’t expect to see a lot of deals on consoles.
No console deals yet.
Travel and Suitcase Deals
It’s a strange time to be looking for travel accessories, but that may make it one of the best times to purchase a new suitcase or battery pack. We’ll see if that theory holds. On the other hand, supply lines have been strained and people will still travel somewhat for the holidays—even if that means they won’t be flying.
- Away Expandable Carry-on | Away | $330 (Usually $445)
Away’s luggage is rarely discounted. The popular hardshell bags are not on sale. However, there are a handful of the soft, expandable bags that are on sale.
Related: Away Aluminum Bigger Carry-on Review , $20 Off Away Luggage with Promo Code
Subscription Deals
Often overlooked, Black Friday can be a great time to renew or start new subscriptions. Some will give you discounts up front, while others will give you money off every month.
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Quip Starter Bundles | Up to 40% off
Quip is currently having a big sale on their starter bundles. While I can’t vouch for their floss, I’m a huge fan of their toothbrushes. I love that they are easy to clean and don’t come with any sort of dock.
Related: Quip Toothbrush Review: An Upgrade for Manual Brushers -
Hello Fresh Meal Kit | $90 off
Of all the meal kits we’ve tested, Hello Fresh has consistently been the best option. It has the widest variety of meals, the best quality recipies and I’ve only had one issue with shipping—an item missing—and Hello Fresh refunded me the entire box. That was 3 free meals. -
Kiwi Crate Craft Subscription |$10 with Code MERRY (Usually $20)
Kiwi Crates are little boxes full of crafts and are perfect for kids. These are ideal for kids 5-to-8 and tend to have a theme—science, technology, engineering, art or mathematics.
Past Black Friday Threads
This topic will be updated with more information as the event draws closer. If you’re interested, check out our past Black Friday threads.