Best Early Black Friday Deals Under $50
Great products that won't break the bank—and they're already on sale
By Samantha B Gordon
The early Black Friday sales have officially begun, which means you can find some great offers on lower-cost items. The first wave of sitewide retailer sales is over, but there are still plenty of deals at or near their lowest prices of the year. And if you’re looking to shop without spending too much, we’ve put together all the best deals for $50 or less.
With so many products out there, it can be hard to know if a sale is actually worth it. That’s why we go searching through low-cost options for the most promising deals on items including bedding, cookware, headphones, and more. We’ll keep you updated on the latest offers this holiday season, so check back often and go to our Deals hub, where you’ll find the best offers on everything Consumer Reports tests.
Looking for something that isn’t listed here? Check out more discounts on electronics and home and kitchen products. We’re also tracking everything that’s on sale for under $100 if you want to expand your search.
Viewing on a mobile device? Click on the links below to skip to each section.
• Kitchen Products
• Headphones
• Bluetooth and Smart Speakers
• Sports Bras
• More Deals
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Kitchen Products
Hamilton Beach 70730
If you grate cheese for pizza, shred potatoes for hash browns, or dice veggies for salads, you’ll like the 450-watt Hamilton Beach 70730 Food Processor and Vegetable Chopper. It has two speeds and a 10-cup capacity, and it’s dishwasher-safe. It also comes with reversible blades, a bowl scraper, cord storage, and a 1-year motor warranty. Our tests find that it can be a little noisy, however.
Why it’s a good deal: This model typically sells for over $50, but Walmart has a solid discount.
Chef's Choice Knife Sharpener
The Chef’s Choice 4643 knife sharpener looks like the analog version of the brand’s electric sharpener, but it works a bit differently. It has two basic sharpening settings, one for sharpening knives to 15 degrees and another to 20. A third stage polishes the edge of any knife no matter which sharpening angle you choose. Like the brand’s electric sharpener, the 4643 feels well-designed, with grooves that hold the knife at the perfect angle as you slowly draw it through.
Why it’s a good deal: This sale price is on par with the best price we’ve seen all year.
Gorilla Grip Durable Cutting Board (3-pack)
Even at its everyday price, this trio of plastic cutting boards from Gorilla Grip could be considered a steal. Our assessment found that these boards stayed all but glued to kitchen countertops while we prepped everything from parsley to poultry. They’re reversible, easy to transport, and dishwasher-safe.
Why it’s a good deal: At more than half off, you’re hardly paying more than $5 per board. This price dropped $5 from yesterday, making this an extra sweet discount.
Stasher Stand-Up Reusable Bag
Stasher bags fared well in our at-home evaluation of five silicone food storage bag brands. This one protects food from freezer burn, has a strong seal that prevents leaks, and makes food stains easy to wipe away, something most other bags can’t do. The weight of the bag is printed on it, so grocers can easily subtract it from the weight of your bulk foods at checkout. Stasher bags come in a variety of sizes and colors, and others may be on sale.
Why it’s a good deal: These reusable bags are an affordable and sustainable way to prep healthy snacks to grab on the go.
Headphones
1MORE ColorBuds 2
httThere are lots of great choices if you’re looking for budget noise-canceling headphones. One of our top picks is 1More ColorBuds 2, which offer the convenience of true wireless headphones, great sound quality, and superb noise cancellation, all for less than $100. 1More advertises a 6-hour battery life backed by a charging case that holds enough power for two full cycles.
Why it’s a good deal: This is a pretty big discount. We have seen them for $10 less recently, though, so you may want to keep an eye out for a price drop as we approach Black Friday.
Sennheiser HD 250BT
The Sennheiser HD 250BT headphones are a relative newcomer but make a mark for providing very good sound at a bargain price. The HD 250BT is an over-ear set with a sleek appearance and a price that often dips below $70, making this one of the best values among Bluetooth headphones in our ratings.
It has controls for volume, calls, and playback, a smartphone app for equalizer adjustments, and an advertised 25-hour battery life. It also charges over USB-C, the same cable that powers newer Mac laptops and tons of other devices. Sennheiser is a winner for reliability and owner satisfaction, too, earning superb ratings in both categories.
Why it’s a good deal: This is the sale price we’ve seen for months. Amazon had them for $5 less recently, so the price may drop again if you want to wait.
Bluetooth and Smart Speakers
Amazon Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen)
The Echo Show 5 is Amazon’s smallest smart screen. Our testers report that the sound is subpar for a music-listening device, but there are reasons you should consider this device. It’s a utility machine that works well on a night table or desk. And you get all the Amazon Alexa functionality you’d have in other Echo devices, including the super-cheap Dot, and some added value thanks to the small screen and camera.
Why it’s a good deal: This speaker is back down to its lowest price right now.
Sony SRS-XB13
For less than $50, the pocket-sized Sony SRS-XB13 is a solid deal. It’s a take-anywhere speaker that can go to the park or the beach without fear of an expensive piece of electronics getting lost, stolen, or destroyed. The Sony’s bass isn’t very strong, and it lacks the smoothness and detail of more expensive speakers, but the speaker’s sound can fill a small room.
Why it’s a good deal: This is a great value for the quality and portability, but this model was $10 less during the Prime Early Access sale so the price may drop again for Black Friday.
Sports Bras
Outdoor Voices Sports Bra
If you’re in the market for a supportive, comfortable full-coverage sports bra for medium-impact activities, the Outdoor Voices Circuit Bra might be the pick for you. This highly adjustable bra supports a wide range of bust sizes. Breasts will be secure when cycling, kickboxing, or dancing, and will remain in place in inverted yoga poses, with no spillage. It has the benefit of looking cute beneath a T-shirt, too.
Why it’s a good deal: This bra has been on sale for $47 for a long time, but the recently available 65 percent discount cuts that price nearly in half. But some sizes may be sold out.
Champion Everyday Sports Bra
This adjustable Champion sports bra is almost like a T-shirt bra with its defined, lightly padded cups, and indeed, it can double as a T-shirt bra if desired. It has adjustable, convertible straps and three sets of hooks in the band, and comes in sizes XS to 2XL. It’s on the plain side stylewise, but it’s an affordable, versatile bra.
Why it’s a good deal: This is the best price we’ve seen for this sports bra.
Smart Home
TP-Link Kasa Cam KC120
The TP-Link Kasa Cam KC120 offers great performance at a very affordable price. It earns high scores in our video quality, response time, and data security tests, but its data privacy could be better. It doesn’t offer many features, but you’ll get monitoring zones and voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. With a Kasa Care plan, you’ll get 30 days of video storage.
Why it’s a good deal: This camera is about $10 more than it was during Prime sales, but it’s $3 less than it has been in recent weeks.
Cync by GE Lighting Indoor Smart Camera
If the idea of buying a security camera from a lighting company gives you pause, know that GE Lighting was recently acquired by the high-end home automation company Savant, so it knows a thing or two about security cameras. This Cync indoor-only model offers great video quality, strong data security, and speedy response time in our tests. It also features a microSD card slot for local video storage and a manual privacy shutter, which you can close if you don’t want the camera watching you while you’re home. Other features include voice and app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home/Assistant, person detection, and monitoring zones.
Why it’s a good deal: This camera is about 33 percent off its usual list price.
TP-Link Kasa Smart KL125
The TP-Link Kasa Smart KL125 smart bulb offers the best bang for your buck among the 10 smart lightbulbs we evaluated. It retails for $15 per bulb and offers a great array of colors and dimming performance that comes very close to the pricier Philips Hue. The bulb also works with Amazon Alexa, Google Home/Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings for voice and/or app control.
Why it’s a good deal: Amazon is discounting this two-pack of the TP-Link bulbs to $18, essentially getting you a second bulb for just $3 more than the price of one. This is only $1 more than the deal we saw during Prime Day.
TP-Link Kasa Smart KD110
The TP-Link Kasa Smart KD110 is a great video doorbell for the money, with strong data security, fast response times, and decent video quality. It comes with a plug-in doorbell chime and features monitoring zones, voice and app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home/Assistant, person detection, and local video storage using a microSD card (sold separately). Video clips can also be stored in the cloud by subscribing to a Kasa Care plan.
Why it’s a good deal: This is within a few dollars of the lowest price we’ve seen in months.
More Deals
Phomemo D30 Label Maker
The Phomemo D30 Label Maker was the choice label maker in our evaluations. Using an app, you can produce labels in under 10 seconds or connect it to your printer for more elaborate jobs. The Phomemo offers extensive font options and a preview of what they will look like as well. The lithium battery comes charged and ready to print, and you can even print pictures, bar codes, and date and time stamps. The easy-tear labels can be separated with just one hand, and the device is smart enough to calibrate the paper roll to the proper position if you don’t align it perfectly.
Why it’s a good deal: This is close to the best price we’ve seen for this label maker.
Nimalist Slim Wallet
The Nimalist AirTag Wallet accommodates Apple products by incorporating Apple’s puck-shaped, rounded-top tracking device, sold separately, into its design. AirTags aren’t the greatest shape for slim wallets, and the indent is noticeable when the wallet is put in the front or back pocket. But this is an otherwise great option, with soft leather and seven very thin pockets that hold up to 12 cards.
Why it’s a good deal: This is the standard sale price, and we haven’t seen it drop lower.
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