Determining the lines between top, budget, and upgrade picks is a bit of an art. For the top pick, we look for a combination of price and features that provides the most value for the most people, but sometimes you just need the least expensive version possible–or maybe you’re a connoisseur who requires the absolute best, no matter the cost.
You might find some recommendations that fit what you’re looking for in the “Worth considering” section. For example, several of our favorite Bluetooth headphones—such as the JBL Tour One M2 and the Sony LinkBuds Fit pair—function as less expensive noise-canceling headphones worth considering for anyone who doesn’t need the absolute best noise cancellation. And while the $230 upgrade pick in our sheets guide is certainly luxurious, if you’re looking for something even more so, you might miss the $2,000-plus Sferra Giza 45 Sateen sheet set, which our tester absolutely loved, in the “Other good” section. Not every price preference may be represented within the picks themselves, so take the time to read further in the guide to determine what could be worth it for you.
Senior editor Marilyn Ong says that Wirecutter’s kitchen team changes their approach to price limits on picks for every guide. Take, for instance, home espresso machines, which can cost from $150 to $8,000. To narrow down that field, the team decided to focus on what someone buying their first or second espresso machine might feel comfortable paying. That number is generally far less than what a connoisseur would be willing to pay.
The $500 budget pick is the least expensive option that won’t cost more in money, time, or sanity in the long run, while the $2,000 upgrade pick delivers features and value usually found in much more expensive machines. That left the $1,700 Lelit Mara X–which performs only marginally better than our top pick despite the extra cost—relegated to the “Worth considering” section for those “willing to pay for a luxe feel.”
“It’s an expensive, lovely machine that makes great espresso, but compared to our picks, the bump in price was for luxury rather than function,” associate staff writer Ciara Murray Jordan says. “The aesthetics and experience of using it may be well worth the price to someone, but not as broadly as our picks.”
