Productopia

In leaked Black Friday circulars, every retailer seems to be pushing at least one discounted vacuum cleaner. We've taken a look at all of them to figure out whether any are worth the hassle and lines of Black Friday.

Shoppers trying to score a cheap, reliable mixer this Black Friday may be tempted to head to Target. A recently-leaked circular revealed that the store will be offering the Sunbeam Mixmaster Hand/Stand Mixer for only $25. Normally priced at $50, this seems like a great deal. The hitch? We found iffy reviews.

You're heard it all before: Buy the biggest hard drive you can when you buy a computer, so you can store all your digital music, photo and video files. But no matter how big your PC's hard drive, sooner or later, it's going to fill up. Even if you have a massive drive, it's a good idea to have backup, because computers do fail (usually at the worst possible moment).

We've spotted a lot of good discounts on hard drives, but based on the reviews we read, we don't think any of them are better than the Western Digital My Book World Edition reviewed in our report on external hard drives.

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.