Productopia

Best Buy is offering two cordless phone systems with significant price reductions:

• The Panasonic KX TG6413T, normally $85, will be marked down to $60.
• The VTech LS6215-2 Expandable Cordless Phone System, originally $60, will be on sale for $45.

So which phone is the better option? It's more expensive, but we think the Panasonic phone is the better deal.

For a lot of the country, grilling season's been over for a while. That hasn't stopped Lowe's and Home Depot from advertising a couple of okay-sounding gas grills in their Black Friday circulars. The former is dangling a dirt-cheap Charbroil Quickset while the latter has a more premium-sounding Brinkmann offering at a middle-of-the-road price. Which is a better bet?

For a laugh, check out our art-house homage, "Une Affaire Humide." While perhaps a tad unrealistic, it does sort of sum up how we feel about product research. We think that "love what you buy" means getting the right product for you - not the most expensive or flashiest gadget, but the one that fits your needs and your budget. See the short YouTube video here.

With Thanksgiving just a few weeks away, many cooks will be breaking out their Dutch ovens. Don't have one? These versatile pots can bake, deep-fry, braise and even boil foods. Many cooks also conveniently use them to whip up soups and stews.

So how do these products differ from stockpots? Popular Dutch oven sizes are in the 5- to 7- quart range, while stockpots are usually 8 or 12 quarts. Unlike stockpots, Dutch ovens can be easily transferred from stovetop to oven, right to the table. Current Dutch ovens consist of uncoated cast iron, enameled cast iron or feature stainless steel construction.

Yes, printers are practical gift, but some people like practical gifts - especially if you set up the printer too. Discounted printers abound at Staples, OfficeMax, Best Buy and Wal-mart - but some are better deals than others. Whether you're in the market for an inkjet printer, laser printer or multifunction printer, there's savings to be had - and this year, it's either at Staples or OfficeMax. Here are our picks for the best printer deals, based on the reviews we've analyzed.

The CHI 1-inch Flat Iron Straightener ($90 on sale) caught our eye in the Target Black Friday circular, because it's one of the Best Reviewed products named in the ConsumerSearch report on flat irons. It's a favorite of professional reviewers, earning kudos from ConsumerReports.org, Cosmo Girl magazine and Pursebuzz.com.

At an eyebrow-raising price of $3 apiece, Chefmate kitchen appliances are among the cheapest doorbusters we've seen in Target's leaked Black Friday circular. The $3 Chefmate specials include a 12-cup coffeemaker, toaster, slow cooker and sandwich maker.

Walmart has a similar Black Friday doorbuster: your choice of $4 appliances, including a mini chopper, a 2-quart slow cooker and a hand mixer.

Theoretically, you could equip your whole kitchen for $17. These gadgets are priced as impulse buys, but we couldn't find reviews for any of them, and several of the pieces aren't very practical.

Given the popularity of mini camcorders like the Pure Digital Flip Mino (*Est. $130) and Pure Digital Flip UltraHD (*Est. $160), it shouldn't be a surprise that many retailers are featuring at least one similar model in their Black Friday circulars. Target, Kmart, Kohl's, Radio Shack, Best Buy and J.C. Penney are all hawking mini camcorders, yet none of these retailers are selling the same one.

Shopping for major appliances doesn't sound that Christmas-y, but if your refrigerator is on its last legs, we spotted some good discounts at Sears, Best Buy and Home Depot. All three are advertising French-door refrigerators as part of their Black Friday sales, with sale prices ranging from $798 to $1,399, but not all of them are good bets.

More and more people are skipping car GPS receivers, The New York Times reports, and getting turn-by-turn directions from smartphones instead.

"More than 40 percent of all smartphone owners use their mobile devices to get turn-by-turn directions, according to data from Compete, a Web analytics firm," reports the Times' Jenna Wortham. "For iPhone users, the figure is even higher, eclipsing 80 percent."

And while smartphone sales keep rising, GPS device sales have plummeted, the Times says. Smartphones now look and perform a lot like traditional car GPS units, thanks to apps from major GPS makers. The Navigon Mobile Navigator (*Est. $90) and TomTom for iPhone (*Est. $100) both get good reviews, as do some cheaper apps like the MotionX GPS Drive by Fullpower (*Est. $3 per month or $25 per year).