The Wirecutter Show

A lot of giggling and laughter that distracted from the valuable content the hosts were trying to convey. At times, I felt like I was sitting at a table with a group of cackling moms rather than listening to an educational podcast. The hosts also reminded me of the gossipy, judgy cliques you might find at the office. I love the concept of the show, but the constant laughter, side conversations, and hints of gossipy, overly eager personalities were just too annoying. I understand that not everything has to be serious, but as listeners, we’re here to learn, not to catch up on personal side stories or hear about your kids. The level of goofiness and the effort to be relatable were simply too much. I had to unsubscribe.

Good information semi-spoiled by the banter, most especially the frequent laughter over … nothing, in seemingly every episode. There was nothing funny about the mouse that left a trail of blood after suffering from the trap that didn’t kill it right away. But much mirth from the hosts. Thoughtlessly cruel.

There are topics I find more interesting than others, but I always enjoy the show. It’s fun to listen to the women (mostly) chat about the topic at hand.

Really great discussion and they offer various recommendations for different categories (low budget to more expensive, best use, etc). I WISH they’d do an episode on outerwear/exercise gear that is the best in having less chemicals. They did a camping one, but I’d like to know which running shorts are organic or low in PFAS, etc.

I expected more from a NYTimes podcast, but this has been disappointing. For example, in an episode about cleaning, the hosts addressed cleaning up after your pets. Their answers were not researched, not based on expert feedback and they seemed to just repeat whatever antidote they found online. No matter how minor the issue may seem, a responsible journalist would interview experts (pet owners, rescuers, scientists who design household cleaners, etc). The show needs better producers and hosts.