30 Best Labor Day Sales (2021): Tech, TV, Laptops, Outdoors, Fitness, Etc – WIRED

Labor Day is the informal beginning of fall, and for many of us, it starts with a nice long weekend. What could be better than sleeping in, enjoying a cool breeze, or treating yourself to one of the innumerable pumpkin spice confections at your favorite coffee shop? Deals, that’s what. We found the best Labor Day deals on gear that WIRED reviewers love, from rain jackets to video games. 

For more discounts, we’ve rounded up the best Labor Day Mattress deals here, as well as Labor Day deals on camping and hiking gear. Most of these deals end on Monday night, and we’ll be updating this roundup over the weekend as we find more. 

Updated September 5, 2021: We double-checked pricing, removed expired deals, and added a few new discounts.

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Tech Deals

This is one of the best prices we’ve tracked for our favorite Chromebook. It’s cheaper than it was on Cyber Monday last year. WIRED senior writer Scott Gilbertson says, “Out of all the Chromebooks I’ve tested, the Asus Chromebook Flip C434 strikes the best balance between price, power, and features.” (Scott has tested a lot of Chromebooks.) 

We’ve seen this laptop dip for slightly less before, but this is still a great deal on a powerful laptop with tons of ports. That’s right, you get an HDMI, two USB-A ports, a USB-C that’s Thunderbolt 4 capable, and a headphone jack. We recommend the model linked here with the Intel Core i7, 16 gigabytes of RAM, and a 1-terabyte SSD. 

This deal comes around pretty frequently. Today’s price is a match of the best we’ve tracked outside of Black Friday. In our guide to the Best Roku, we say this is the second-best option for most folks. Thanks to today’s discount, it might temporarily be the first.

Clip the coupon on the page to see the savings at checkout. It’s not an amazing deal, but this is a relatively new Wear OS smartwatch at a pretty good price. It lasts about a day, runs really well thanks to its updated Qualcomm processor, and will get the upcoming Wear OS 3 update next year.  You may see a Lightning Deal that saves you another $10; note that Lightning Deals are quite time-limited.

The LG C1 OLED (8/10, WIRED Recommends) has been dipping to this price for a few months, but it remains one of the lowest we’ve seen. With its deep blacks, intense contrast, and ultrafast response times, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better set around this price point outside of the November shopping season.

Samsung’s Galaxy S21 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our favorite high-end Android smartphone. It has dipped to this price before, but the deal is still excellent. You get everything you could want with this phone, including fantastic performance, a reliable triple-camera array, wireless charging, and a gorgeous design. 

Motorola’s budget phone frequently dips to $220 and has dipped this low before. For the price, you’ll hardly find a better Android phone. It has a battery that can last up to three days, and it runs fairly smoothly. The downside is Motorola only offers one Android OS upgrade, though you do get two years of security updates. It also has no NFC for contactless payments. 

This is our favorite smartphone under $300 (8/10, WIRED Recommends), and this is a spectacular deal. Samsung promises two Android OS upgrades and four years of security updates, a rarity on a cheap phone. Plus, you’ll get all the standard-fare features available on pricier phones, such as NFC, a 90-Hz refresh rate, sub-6 5G support, and surprisingly great performance. The cameras are decent too. 

Outdoor and Fitness Deals

Want more outdoor deals? We’ve rounded up discounts on camping and hiking gear here. 

The Rainier is our top pick for the best affordable rain jacket. Labor Day has made it even cheaper. The jacket features zippered armpit vents, taped seams, and other perks that are usually limited to more expensive raincoats.

Use code LABORDAY to save. If you want a super modern workout at home, the Tempo Studio (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is a sleek and expensive option. It’s basically a big touchscreen tablet on an easel with built-in weights and intelligent features to optimize and personalize your exercise. The full price is outlandish, so if you don’t take advantage of this discount, wait until another shopping holiday—it’ll probably be on sale again.    

We think Swiftwick’s Pursuit are some of the best running socks, but the brand generally makes gear we like. This slight discount is for three other styles—one is cushioned, one is supportive, and one offers ankle stability. All three are probably better than the saggy crew socks you’ve been sweating in since 1994.

This is one of the best portable grills. Ironically, it isn’t the most portable, since it requires electricity. If you don’t have the space for a charcoal grill, it might be a good fit. It’s good on its own and even better with optional accessories, such as a flat top surface. Those are also discounted. Check out our roundup for more.

This is another one of our favorite portable grills. Part grill, part fire pit, this features a built-in battery that can double as a phone charger in a pinch. It can burn both wood and charcoal, and the whole thing stashes down small enough to fit in your trunk if you’re car camping.

Darn Tough makes awesome socks in all sorts of styles to fit various activities. Its Hiker styles are versatile enough to be worn every day, and WIRED reviewers love them—even those of us that hike to the fridge more often than we do outdoors. The socks are backed by a lifetime warranty (and are extremely comfortable.)

In our guide to the best backpacks, we say this is the best for rain, but it’ll work well even if you live in a sunny area. It’s waterproof and has a neat magnetic front pocket for quick access to whatever you reach for most often.

WIRED reviews editor Julian Chokkattu tested this backpack in Iceland, and he loves it. He was able to carry tons of camera gear and easily access it. You can slot in two camera cubes (sold separately), which allows for some excellent organization. It’s well built and can withstand the elements, and it’s very comfortable to carry, even when it’s packed with gear. We recommend adding the two camera cubes, which will cost you $318 ($79 off).

Home Deals

If you’re hunting for a new bed, you might want to spruce up the mattress too. Most of the mattresses we tested and like are on sale, and we’ve rounded ’em up here. 

Use code BREWCREW to save on this kettle (and nearly everything else on Fellow’s site.) The Stagg EKG+ (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is superb. It’s gorgeous, retains heat well, and is easy to clean—a hard-to-find feature when it comes to gooseneck kettles. The price is the obvious downside. But Fellow doesn’t have sales too often, and while this discount isn’t much, it’s rare.

When it comes to portable espresso makers, Flair is our top pick for the model with the best-tasting brews. It doesn’t usually drop much lower than this in price, though it’s still a bit expensive. The whole contraption folds flat for easy storage.

We’ve seen this deal several times, but we still recommend it simply because the product is so good. The Aura Carver is the best digital picture frame. It makes a great gift for far-away family members, but it’s also a nice way to cut down on clutter (or actually do something with the gazillion cute photos of your baby that are collecting dust in your phone camera roll.)

Use coupon code LABORDAY20 to save 20 percent on this itty-bitty humidifier. WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano likes it, especially when she’s feeling under the weather. She recommends it in our guide to keeping your air quality under control. Did we mention how cute it is?

Even on sale, these reflective hexagons are expensive. They also look incredibly cool. At home on the back wall of your favorite streamer’s office, or in your kid’s bedroom, these no-drill lights offer awesome ambient lighting that can melt between colors or sync up with music. If you’re going to drop the cash on this kit, do it when it’s on sale, either now or for other shopping holidays.

Hue bulbs are some of the best smart bulbs out there. This isn’t the lowest price we’ve seen, but it’s a good deal. These bulbs feature a vast array of color options, and the app allows you to set schedules, use smart voice assistants to control the lights, and more.

Click the on-page coupon checkbox and apply code ECOROBOT8 to save. The T8 is an older version of one of WIRED’s favorite robot vacuums. It doesn’t get much cheaper than this. The little dustbuster will both vacuum and mop, and while the intelligent mapping feature can be a bit buggy, the T8 is still a solid option—especially for smaller spaces.

You’ll see the savings in your shopping cart. The Nomad is one of the best couches in a box. It looks great, it’s easy to assemble, and the compact footprint doesn’t sacrifice comfort. It’s also expensive, even with this discount. If you’ve been eyeing it, now is a good time to pick it up—otherwise, you’re better off waiting until Black Friday, when brands like this tend to go on sale again.

Dyson has a ton of Labor Day deals—and a ton of confusingly named appliances. We have a whole guide about the best Dyson Vacuums, but the V8 is one of the best models to get if you’re on a budget. These go on sale for around $300 pretty regularly. You can also get the V8 Animal for $350. Both come with accessories. 

Deals on Everything Else

These are some of our favorite face masks. With pockets for filters, adjustable nose wires, and donations made for every mask sold, this deal is a worthy one if your current masks are grubby.

Use code JETSETTER to save. These are our favorite clip-in bangs—we feature them in our guide to cutting your own hair—and now that you might be looking at another lockdown, they make a good way to avoid giving yourself bangs. Don’t give yourself bangs, folks! The brand’s other products, like wigs and extensions, are also on sale.

When it comes to couch co-op, it’s hard to find a game as fun as Jackbox. Each pack comes with multiple minigames that can be played by multiple people all at once. As long as the party leader has the game on PC, Switch, PlayStation, or Xbox, teammates can play along on their smartphones, even remotely.

Use code HFLDW2021 to save. New subscribers will get free shipping on their first HelloFresh meal kit delivery, plus 14 free meals spread across five boxes. Deals on meal kit subscriptions aren’t particularly hard to come by, and they’re almost always for new subscribers, but if you’ve been considering a subscription, you’ll save some money. HelloFresh is the best meal kit service for absolute beginners. New subscribers can also save at Green Chef with code GCLDW2021, or at EveryPlate with code EPLD2021. (Note that all three of these brands are owned by the same parent company.) Check out our guide to the best meal kit delivery services for more information on the differences between these options.

Use code LABOR21 to save. We recommend this underwear brand in our menstrual product buying guide. The styles are usually pretty affordable, but this coupon code makes them even cheaper. Each pair absorbs moisture from menstruation or bladder leakage. There are four absorbency levels to choose from, plus a plethora of colors and cuts.

Retailer Sale Pages

Want to take a gander at all of the Labor Day sales for yourself? We saved you a click.

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