Productopia | Scott Nyerges

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.

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.

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.

If you grew up in the 1960s, '70s or '80s, the sound of a Polaroid camera is probably one of your fond (or not-so-fond) holiday memories. Although Polaroid instant cameras are a thing of the past, you can still have some instant-photo fun this holiday season thanks to Fuji's Instax instant cameras.

In the latest update to the ConsumerSearch report on ebook readers, the Amazon.com Kindle 2 (*Est. $260) retains its title as the best ebook reader. But the competition is getting fierce. The Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600 (*Est. $300) is a viable alternative to the Kindle, many reviewers say. Once you look past the Kindle and the Sony, you're faced with a large number of also-rans like the  iRex Digital Reader DR800SG (*Est. $400), the Astak EZ Reader Pocket Pro (*Est. $200), the Cool-er ebook reader (*Est. $250) and the BeBook (*Est. $250)

Among the early-bird Black Friday specials at Kohl's is the Shift3 Slide Mini Digital Video Camera (*Est. $40), a pocket-sized camcorder. Much like the Jazz T20 (*Est. $20) that Kmart is enticing Black Friday shoppers with (discussed in a blog post last week), the Shift3 is a budget alternative to the best-selling Pure Digital Flip Mino (*Est. $130).

Humidifiers can be useful appliances, particularly as the weather turns colder and heaters dry out the air. Used occasionally, they can also be soothing for people with colds or upper respiratory infections that dry out the sinuses or throat. As described in ConsumerSearch's full report on humidifiers, most models are designed to be used in large spaces like a bedroom or family room.

That said, if you need something for a very small space like an office cubicle, or if you're a frequent traveler and want something you can easily pack, these humidifiers are too big for the job. In that case, you might want to consider two mini cool-mist humidifiers, both of which are about the size of a squat hardcover book and use plastic water bottles (like you'd find in any convenience store) instead of a reservoir: the Air-O-Swiss 7146 Travel Ultrasonic Humidifier (*Est. $50) and the Sunpentown SU-1051 Mini-Humidifier (*Est. $50).

Among the two-day sale items featured in the Kmart Black Friday circular is the Jazz T20 camcorder for $20. Given that similar pocket-sized camcorders like the Pure Digital Flip Mino (*Est. $130) and Creative Vado (*Est. $90) sell for far more, the Jazz seems like a bargain in comparison. Unlike most full-sized camcorders, pocket-sized models like these lack many features and functions that make for more polished video, like manual focus and a microphone jack. They're designed to produce point-and-shoot video that can be quickly uploaded to Facebook and YouTube, or for people who just want to record on the go. For more information about these mini camcorders, check out our full report on digital camcorders.

You'll have to move fast if you want to save some money on a slow cooker during Sears' Black Friday sale. Two slow cookers are among the doorbuster deals that are advertised in Sears' leaked circular (remember, items and prices contained therein have not been officially confirmed): the Euro-Pro 6-quart Slow Cooker (*Est. $18) and the Hamilton Beach 4-quart Slow Cooker (*Est. $10). If you'd rather sleep in, Sears is also advertising sale prices on two other slow cookers all day Friday and Saturday: the Rival 5-quart Slow Cooker (*Est. $20) and the Kenmore Black Slow Cooker (*Est. $30).

Are any of these prices worth braving the crowds?

If you cook frequently, you might want to check out our new ConsumerSearch report on the best kitchen mandoline slicers. Most mandolines look like flat graters, but many have feet that hold the slicing plane, or runway, at a 45-degree angle. The bottom half of the mandoline is usually fixed, while the top half pivots to allow for slices of varying thickness. Some can also make crinkle and waffle cuts, dice and julienne. The best mandolines are simple to operate, and they allow you to make dozens of uniform slices in a matter of minutes, cutting down the time it takes to prepare gratins, stir-fried meals, ratatouille, apple tarts and other dishes.