Hey there! Welcome to What Tom's Guide tested. This is part of a regular column where our writers round up the winners and losers from that week's product reviews. All of these products have passed through the scrutinizing gaze of our expert reviewers, and have been judged. Some are worth buying, others maybe not...
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Here at Tom's Guide, our job is to help you find the tech you want at the best price. I'm Pete Wolinski, and I'm the reviews editor here at Tom's Guide, leading a team of expert reviewers testing products all week long, from the best microphones through to the best mechanical keyboards, evaluating whether they're worth your hard-earned cash.
Each weekend we round up the best and worst from our week of in-depth testing and reviewing, to help you see what we see. Maybe you'll find something here you've been pondering over, and this article will help you make up your mind to take the plunge or give it a miss.
This week, without doubt, our favorite product was the new Shure MV7i microphone, which we awarded a full five stars. Despite being pricey and coming without a stand, the MV7i is a pro mic through-and-through, wowing our writer (and microphone expert) Erin Bashford.
Luckily, there were no real howlers this week, with no products earning below 3.5 stars (that means it's a decent product, but there are better alternatives for the money). The Corsair K65 Plus, reviewed by Nikita Achanta, therefore takes the unfortunate spot in our roundup of things we didn't love. It's an OK keyboard, but doesn't justify its high price with ABS keycaps and limited customzation, especially versus the competition.
Those aren't all, though, so read on to see what our writers and editors thought of this week's standout reviews.
What Tom's Guide tested this week: What we loved
Shure MV7i ★★★★★
Brand new this week, the MV7i from Shure is perhaps the most versatile option out there. The MV7i is an upgraded version of the already-great Shure MV7+ microphone. What are those upgrades, I hear you ask? I hope you’re sitting down, because this is a big one. The MV7i isn’t just a microphone, it’s also a virtual audio interface. So not only can you use the MV7i as a bog-standard podcast mic, content creation mic, or music mic, you can also use it with a secondary microphone or instrument.
The Shure MV7i has an XLR and ¼” TRS input so you can plug in compatible instruments and mics, completely negating the need for a physical audio interface. The MV7i connects to your laptop with a USB-C cable, and with that laptop you can access Motiv Mix. What makes this application software so good is that as soon as you think you’ve found all its features, you discover heaps more. Shure’s proprietary features like the ‘Real-Time Denoiser’ and ‘Digital Popper Stopper’ are second-to-none at minimizing ambient noise and curbing your plosive pops. Not only do you get access to these excellent features, you get the brand-new ‘SmartGate’ technology, which intelligently listens for crosstalk and increases or decreases the volume of the respective mics.
All in all, the MV7i is a one-of-a-kind mic with patented software and classic perfect Shure sound.
By Erin Bashford — Read Erin’s full Shure MV7i review.
Kodak Ektar H35 film camera ★★★★½
Film photography has been all the rage for a few years now, and most people I know own either a disposable or reusable film camera. I’ve reviewed some great products this week but the Kodak Ektar H35 Half Frame takes the cake. It’s one of the best film cameras out there, and it costs less than $50 too.
I love how stupidly easy the Ektar H35 is to use — it’s basically foolproof — which makes it perfect for those just starting out in film photography. But I’d recommend every film photographer to keep this reusable camera in their arsenal. It uses just half a frame which means it essentially doubles the shot-count. If you’re using a 24-exposure roll, you get 48 exposures (and 36 becomes 72). This means film and processing costs aren’t very high either.
One of the best aspects of the Ektar H35 is that you can create diptychs with it. Tell a story in two photos and you’ve got yourself a visual storytelling tool. The photos turn out fantastic with plenty of detail, and you get a built-in flash to aid you in dimly lit environments, making the Ektar H35 easily my favorite film camera yet.
By Nikita Achanta — Read Nikita’s full Kodak Ektar H35 review.
Wooting 80HE ★★★★
The Wooting 80HE is the most powerful keyboard on the market — at least that I can think of, and it's my job to review keyboards all day! There are a lot of great Hall Effect keyboards out there, offering many of the features you'll find on the 80HE, but no rivals tie everything together like this board.
Adjustable actuation; quad actuations per key; rapid trigger; numerous customizable SOCD resolutions such as 'Snap Tap', 'Rappy Snappy' and 'Mod Tap' (if these silly names mean nothing, check out my review linked below where I explain them); 8K polling; and a gamepad mode. The list of features is unparalleled.
This board is also a dream to type on, sounds great, is well-crafted with premium packaging, and comes with a fantastic (I'd even say 'best-in-class') companion app for granular levels of customization.
So why only four stars and not five? Well, it ain't perfect. It uses an odd 80% layout and its Lekker V2 switches come in only two flavours, and there is currently limited compatibility between various magnetic switches and sockets in the wider market (that's not just Wooting's problem), so customization options are limited if you want to do some serious modding. It's wired-only, so not the most portable, and while I think it justifies its price well, you can get almost all the gaming features (save a Gamepad mode) from the NuPhy Field75 HE or Air60 HE for cheaper.
Still, the Wooting 80HE is an epic board, and definitely one to consider if you need a high performance gaming deck.
By Pete Wolinski — Read Pete's full Wooting 80HE review.
SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds ★★★★½
I’m an avid gamer and you can usually find me sinking hours into RPGs on my PS5. But you know what makes gaming even better? A fantastic pair of gaming earbuds that creates immersive soundscapes — and the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds do just that. These earbuds are super comfy. Each bud weighs just 0.18 ounces so you don’t even feel them in your ears, and they’re great for long sessions.
Their biggest selling point, though, is the 100+ game-tailored presets you get via the companion app and the neodymium magnetic drivers that make gaming more immersive. They also feature 360° spatial audio which is amplified further on the PS5 as it supports Sony’s Tempest 3D Audio. This means that you can select the Ghost of Tsushima preset, for instance, and you’ll be engulfed in the sound of the wind and running water behind you. Want to use them for music? No problem, vocals sound crystal clear and you can truly appreciate heavy basslines.
Not a lot of gaming headsets feature ANC but the Arctis GameBuds do, and it’s mighty effective. The earbuds have a great seal and combined with ANC, they block out most sounds. I love these so much — if there’s just one pair of gaming buds you’ll need, it’s the Arctis GameBuds.
By Nikita Achanta — Read Nikita’s full SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds review.
What Tom's Guide tested this week: What we didn't love
Corsair K65 Plus (Mac) ★★★½
When I unboxed the Corsair K65 Plus for Mac, I loved the design and gorgeous new glacier blue colorway — but don’t judge a book by its cover, as they say. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few things this keyboard does very well. It’s fitted with Corsair MLX linear switches which are highly responsive and contribute to a beautiful typing experience. I could use this keyboard for typing for days and not get tired of the sound and feel. These switches also deliver a great gaming performance.
But an aspect of this keyboard that struck me was its harrowing price. It costs $179 and is available in the U.S. only. For a keyboard that costs a premium, the least I expected were PBT keycaps, but the K65 Plus uses ABS keycaps. These tend to get shiny over time, and I noticed my fingerprints an hour into testing. You could pick up a fantastic magnetic keyboard for less, one that works like a charm with macOS — like the Keychron K2 HE.
Another let down is the iCue companion software which hasn’t added any new features since we tested the original K65 Plus. It was just one thing after another that led me to giving this keyboard three stars only.
By Nikita Achanta — Read Nikita’s full Corsair K65 Plus (Mac) review.
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