The Buying Game (Issue 23)
This week's picks include a trash can, smart light, and video game, among other things.
How I’d spend $500: Pulli Bin Step
The Pulli Bin Step trash can has a stainless steel exterior for sturdy construction. Its plastic lid won't show fingerprints. It can be used with the foot pedal or just by grabbing the lid. There are all kinds of niceties to it, but it's stand out feature is that instead of needing to lift a full trash bag out, you just pull it through the front doors.
Price: $250 (link)
Value Score: Poor
I saw this when it first hit crowdfunding, but was reminded of it recently, now that it's shipping. Being able to pull the trash bag through the front may not justify the price, but no kitchen trash cans are exactly cheap. If the company can ever bring the price down, this is a killer feature that a lot of people would love.
How I’d spend $150: Lifx Luna
I picked up the Lifx Luna lamp during a Black Friday sale and this light has been tremendous. It's bright, colorful, and sized perfectly to fit in most rooms. It can stand on its own or be wall-mounted. Best of all, it's Matter compatible, so it works with all smart home platforms.
Price: $78 (link)
Value Score: Fair
I got the lamp for $60, which feels like a steal. But even at $80, it does a good enough job for reading or ambient colors that it would still be worth buying at full price.
How I’d spend $50: Balatro Special Edition
Balatro is a highly addictive poker game that uses special joker cards to completely alter how it's played and your strategy. It will take a few times of playing it to get the hang of it, but then it be hard to stop thinking about. The great thing is that it's easy to play in small bursts and put down when you need to. Plus, there are lots of levels and challenges for plenty of length.
Price: $20 [Nintendo Switch] (link)
Value Score: Good
Balatro is available for most gaming platforms, including iPhone. If you have Apple Arcade, the game is included for free. This special edition comes with physical cards, which is neat, but not needed. Mostly, it's a pick for its $10 discount. A good deal if you have a Nintendo Switch.
The winning pick: Lifx Luna
The Pulli trash can is clever, and Balatro is a lot of fun, but a $250 trash can isn't practical for most people, and not everyone has a Nintendo Switch. I think most people could benefit from the Lifx Luna lamp though. It's a great size for a bedroom or office. It's also bright enough to add valuable light or capable of adding some fun.
Are you looking for even more picks this week? Here are a few things worth considering.
An expensive pick: Wrensilva The Standard
I've had a chance to check out The Standard record player console from Wrensilva in person a couple of times now. Each time, I'm left wondering how I can come up with an extra $10,000 so that it's $12,900 starting price isn't completely out of reach. Still, for anyone who has the means, this is a statement piece. It's not just that everything is handcrafted or luxuriously high-end. It also has the latest technology inside, including a Sonos Port so you can stream music to the 200W (per channel) speakers. I think I might be obsessed with it.
Price: starting at $12,900 (link)
Media pick: Disclosure Day
Steven Spielberg is making another extraterrestrial movie. It looks to be about the reckoning point of Earth, when billions of people come to terms that they're not alone, and aliens are out there. The movie stars Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, and Colin Firth. It comes out in theaters on June 12, 2026.
This week's other interesting deals and product news
- Costco has the newest AirPods Pro 3 (with two years of AppleCare) for $220.
- Maker of consumer home arcade cabinets, Arcade1Up may be going out of business.
- ChatGPT is getting Apple Music integration to make playlists and more.
- This tiny snap-on iPhone game controller is available for pre-order. (Look for a review in the coming weeks.)
- Journey is shipping its laptop sleeve with a pop-up iPhone charger built in.