11 Gadgets From Home Depot That Just Work

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Buying a gadget can feel like a gamble, as you’re not always sure it’s going to be easy to use. You want something that’s not only going to work, but genuinely makes you life a little easier you whenever you use it, without complication, like these no-fuss gadgets that just work right out of the box. For those who regularly shop at Home Depot, there are plenty gadgets you can find to meet that standard.

We’ve gone through to find some of the best gadgets you can get at the tool retailer that should work right out of the box. These are products that don’t require specialist knowledge to use, and should be easy to put together or begin using with a few simple steps. We’ll break it down a little more in our methodology section at the end, so read on to find which devices will work right out of the box.

Power banks represent a convenient way to make sure your electronic devices are always working when you need them, and they also happen to be pretty simple. One notable device at Home Depot is the Pocket Juice 5,000 mAh power bank. Available for $19.98, it’s a portable charger you can bring with you to keep your electronics charged while you’re traveling, or keep them running during an emergency. Its built-in charging cable comes with both a Lightning and USB-C jack option, depending on what type you need for your device. They’re attached to the same cable, which extends up to 27.5 inches and is retractable, with the extra wire rolling up inside the device when you’re not using it.

There’s an LED battery light on the base showing how much charge the device has left, making it easy to know if it’s going to work straight away or not. The power bank is a little over 6 inches long and 1.10 inches thick, so it should be easy to keep in your pocket or tucked inside a bag. The base of the device comes with a carabiner, allowing you to hook it to the side of a backpack, purse, or keychain. You’ll charge it using a USB-C AC adapter or plug it into a laptop port.

The straightforward Escali Primo digital food scale is a simple, easy-to-use device for weighing various types of food and the containers you hold it in while you’re cooking or doing your meal prep for the week. The gadget has a spill guard to protect it from any liquids you might be weighing, or anything you drop while it’s in the kitchen.

The digital scale features two quick and easy buttons, one to turn it on and set the tare, and one to switch between units of measurement. It can shows weight in increments of as small as .1 ounces and 1 gram, and it’ll show the precise weight of whatever you put on top of it up to 11 pounds or 5,000 grams. If you’re putting your food in a container, you can weigh the container first, set the tare to record it, and then add the food to get the exact weight without worrying about making a mess. 

This digital scale is available for $26.95 and comes in nine different colors.

Can openers are great to have in the house, but manual ones can be troublesome if you’re in a rush or have mobility issues. Electric models are great, but they can still take some time to fit on, or the cut they make is sloppy, potentially getting metal in the food or creating sharp edges. The Hamilton Beach smooth touch electric can opener sells for $39.96 and allows you to open a can by holding down a single button.

The front brings the can down to the blade and rotates it as you gently hold down the button. The blades cut along the can’s side, rather than slicing through the metal, creating a sleeker cut without as much of a mess inside the can. You can use it both on pop-tops and regular cans. The only thing you have to do for it to work is make sure it’s near a power outlet, though its 2-foot cord should provide plenty of room for you to use it on a kitchen counter.

Remembering when to turn outdoor lights on or off can be a pain, especially if you have a busy schedule. Rather than keeping on top of your entire schedule, keep on top of any specific plugged-in devices using myTouchSmart’s plug-in dual digital indoor or outdoor timer grounded outlet, which sells for $24.98. As an outdoor outlet, it’s weather resistant, so it should work with any patio lights or sprinklers you have to regularly manage, though it should also work in your bedroom for a fan just as well. It comes with a built-in mounting loop and keyhole to help set it up in an ideal location to protect it from the elements. Even though this is designed to work outside, remember there plenty of devices you shouldn’t plug into outdoor outlets.

You’ll be able to create up to three distinct schedules in the outlet, allowing you to rotate those hours out for any type in the morning, evening, or late at night when you’re asleep. You create these schedules using two buttons, one for when it’s on and the other for when it’s off, and custom on and off times for specific days. You can even set it so there’s a countdown timer that goes up to 24-hours.

If a full breakfast is too much work in the morning, getting a piece of toast before you run out the door is better than nothing. For those looking for an easy-to-use and simple toaster, the two-slice stainless steel wide-slot toaster from GE seems like a reliable option and it sells for $59. The slots are 1.38 inches wide and 5.5 inches long, ideal for most slices of bread or bagels you can pick up at a store.

The toaster only takes two slices of bread, but you can choose from seven different shades through a dial. If you have anything more elaborate, like bagels, there’s a setting for that, or if you want to heat up bread or frozen waffles, there’s a button for that too. Beyond that, the 850-watt toaster doesn’t do anything else, and in an age where devices do 10 different things, that feels like a luxury. All you have to do is plug it in. The toaster does have a manual lift if you’d like to pop it out earlier, before the timer goes off. Though it is good to know what the numbers on the side of a toaster mean before you use it.

Morning coffee is a must-have, but the K-cup trend isn’t for everybody. For those who want to pick up some pre-ground coffee, within a few minutes of placing it in the filter of a typical drip brewer, a warm cup of coffee will be ready for the entire house. If you’re looking for a simple and reliable coffee machine, the 12-cup stainless steel drip coffee maker from Ninja will be there for you in every morning for $89.99. 

This device has a permanent filter, so you don’t have to buy paper ones — you just need coffee grounds and water. You can prepare it in the morning and turn it on immediately, or set a timer so it  will brew shortly before you wake up, and have a cup waiting for you when you walk into the kitchen. You can adjust the coffee type from rich to classic, or have it make a small batch. The tank is removable, making it easy to clean in a sink after multiple uses. This could be perfect for anyone who’s looking for simple coffee in the morning, or those who might want a budget-friendly gadget for making incredible coffee.

Opening a jar can be a difficult trial involving hitting it on the side enough for the lid to loosen. Rather than potentially damaging the container, an electric jar opener can make the process much easier for people of all ages. Selling for $19.99, the Robo Twist hands-free easy jar opener goes on top of a jar or container and automatically moves around the top to twist it off.

The device goes on top of a jar, and you need to adjust it slightly to get the correct dimensions. Once it’s securely on, hit the button, and the robot arms move to lift, twist, and lift it up. All you have to do is click the button once the robot jar opener is in place. The device works on 1.2- to 3.5-inch lids or 1- to 3.5-inch jars. Beyond clicking the button, you do have to make sure it has two AA batteries installed, but the simple and easy-to-use device will be ready after that.

A blanket can be great to keep anywhere in your house, but having one that comes with an automated heating feature to immediately begin warming up when you put it on can be even nicer. The Handy Heater heated throw blanket sells for $29.88 and comes with a single remote for controlling the device’s temperature while you have it over yourself. The blanket is 50 by 60 inches, perfect for throwing over yourself, even if you don’t plan on using the added heat feature.

There are five different temperature settings for you to cycle through, and once you find your favorite option, the blanket heats up to provide you with warmth — perfect for those cold, rainy days when winter is right around the corner. The blanket has a built-in overheat cutoff to ensure the device doesn’t run for too long and the inner coils don’t become too hot. When you don’t want to use the heating feature, turn it off and continue to utilize the blanket. This could make for a worthwhile addition to our major electric blanket brand ranking.

Cooking a pot of rice on the stove can be a tricky thin. You’ve got to keep an eye on it or it’ll stick to the bottom of your pot (or even burn), making it unusable. Rather than dedicate too much time to it while you’re cooking other things, a rice cooker can be a good way to delegate the task and make sure it comes out better. The Neuro white rice cooker from Zojirushi is a simple and straightforward device to use to help you in your kitchen.

The Zojirushi rice cooker comes with several different ways you can cook your rice, from standard white rice to sushi rice, and you can set it to be softer, harder, or cook it quickly. After you set the type of rice you have, set it to start, or add a custom timer for how long you want it to cook. The device will beep and stop cooking when it’s finished, but it will keep your dish warm for you until you’re ready to eat it. A rice cooker is one of several tiny devices that you can use to bring your kitchen with you on the road.

You can get the Zojirushi rice cooker for $223.99.

Putting a meal together and letting it cook throughout the day is a good way to save yourself time in the kitchen and make your house smell great while you wait. A gadget like this is easy to use, only requiring a few clicks of a button to get them started. For $199.99, the 8-quart oat milk slow cooker from Crock-Pot takes care of most of the heavy lifting for you. It comes with two 3.7-quart cooking pots to allow for making different meals different heats and times, as well as a full-size 8-quart pot for a larger course.

The gadget provides a range of 30 different cooking options, from pan-frying to searing. The flexibility with this gadget comes down to how much of your meal you want to make using this slow cooker, beyond its standard purpose. The pots are also oven-safe, capable of going in up to 450 degrees fahrenheit.

The quickest way to help cool down your house or feel a nice breeze on a warm day is to add a fan to any of your most important rooms, be it your bedroom or living room. A quick and reliable device that you can use is an oscillating fan, and Lasko has a tower fan for $99.98 that you can grab to aid in keeping airflow going in these central rooms.

The oscillating fan has 12 different speeds to choose from, and four different modes, as it moves across 45 degrees of movement to cover a room. The fan should be able to reach up to 50 feet away, and goes up to speeds of 25 feet per second. You can control all of this with a remote, and it has an easy-to-read readout on top displaying the room’s current temperature. It also has a 12-hour timer that you set before it goes to sleep.

All items selected for this list are some type of electrical device that can help make your day easier if you were to have it, or perform a useful task in your home. Additionally, every item featured on this list is available at Home Depot, with at least 100 customer reviews and an average rating of 4.3 stars or higher. These were also chosen for their overall simplicity as electronic devices that shouldn’t give someone too much fuss if they were to purchase them, and can be expected to work immediately out of the box with no issues.