The Best Deals of the Day: September 24, 2018

Welcome to Deals of Note, where Gear Patrol captures all the best deals of the day. You can also follow all our deal posts in the Deals section. Comments or concerns? We’d love to hear from you at [email protected].

Shoei RF-1200 Flagger Helmet
Save 25%: Even at a little over two years old, the Shoei RF-1200 Flagger remains one of the best all-around helmets you can buy. Whether it’s commuting, hitting the track or going for a long weekend ride, the RF-1200 Flagger provides the comfort, aerodynamics and style to fit the bill and now you can save $140 on one. — Bryan Campbell

Instant Pot

Instant Pot Lux 8-Quart
Save %10In 2016, Instant Pot touched a nerve. Just another Amazon Deal of the Day, its Duo model was marked 30 percent off. This is the moment Instant Pot became regular kitchen gear vernacular.

Though it had been simmering since its 2010 release, it was still a very niche product. Since its ascension, virtually every marker of utter dominance in a product category has cropped up — companies high and low have made their own multicookers (Ninja, All-Clad and dozens more), marketers dub new kitchen gadgets “The Instant Pot of…” whatever space it falls in to and products adjacent to it are obliterating their own corners of the product world (Instant Pot cookbooks took up two of the top five best-selling cookbooks of 2018, for example).

And on the eve of the eventual release of a new Instant Pot (now expected sometime in the fall), older models’ prices have dropped. Older models like the Lux, the stripped back, less flashy Instant Pot (it’s still capable of slow cooking, rice cooking, warming, steaming and sautéeing).

More notably is the price relative to the size of this particular model — the Lux 8-quart (the largest size Instant Pot is offered across all models) is under $100. The popular 4- and 6-quart sizes, while good, do not have the capacity to prepare dinner for families or groups of more than three or four. The 8-quart most certainly does (though countertop real estate will be challenged in doing so), and last week its price to $99. — Will Price

Anker Soundcore Flare Speaker
Save 36%: Anker does everything pretty well — we’re big fans of their portable chargers here at GP — and the brand’s Soundcore audio line definitely can’t be ignored.

With Anker’s renowned build quality and thought-out design features (like an IP67 water/impact resistance rating, a linking function to connect with other Anker speakers and a whopping 12-hour battery life), this speaker is a great value at its MSRP of $70. Today, it’s a can’t-miss deal for only $45.

Lodge Cast-Iron Skillets
Save Up to 40%There is no upper limit on things you can cook in a cast-iron skillet. Yes, it specializes in creating an ideal environment for the most wonderful, crusty sears, but it isn’t one-dimensional. Bake in them, fry in them, make sauces in them and just generally abuse the shit out of them — after all, cast-iron skillets are the most frugal cookware you can buy, in that the cheapest options work plenty well (the same can’t be said for stainless steel).

Lodge’s cheap skillets are, for the most part, the cheapest, and are still made in its South Pittsburgh, Tennessee factory (the same town it was founded in more than 100 years ago). Though known now as mega purveyors of budget-friendly, well seasoned cast-iron skillets, Lodge’s success is sort of astonishing.

Cast-iron cookware dominated domestic kitchens of America through the 19th century and into the 20th, but most were made at smaller scales and included a great many craftspeople in the manufacturing process (primarily in the department of smoothing the skillet’s cooking surface). The rise of industrialization saw most of these makers die off or consolidate — even the likes of Griswold and Wagner, which are now collector’s items.

By the end of World War II most cast-iron manufacturers were gone — steel was the material du jour in American kitchens. Prized for the relative ease of the manufacturing process and easy upkeep. By way of technological innovation, smart business practices and adjustments to the manufacturing process, Lodge has outlasted everyone in the field. It’s now country’s single large scale manufacturer of cast-iron pans.

From the $4 3.5-inch skillet to a more useful $15 10.25-inch skillet to its behemoth 15-inch skillet, Lodge’s entire lineup of skillets is on sale on Amazon right now, marked down up to 40 percent off. — Will Price

Made in the Shade
These Persol Sunglasses Are Just $100L If you want to pick up a new pair of Persols, but don’t want to drain your savings, head over to Nordstrom Rack. Currently, three pairs of metal-frame shades are 71 percent off and cost just $100 — you’ll save $250 on each pair.— John Zientek

Bonobos’ Final Sale
Save an extra 40 percent Now that summer has come to a close, it’s a good idea to spruce up your current wardrobe. It doesn’t have to be a paycheck-draining endeavor, and if you shop at Bonobos, you can save an extra 40 percent on already reduced merchandise. Just use the code STEAL at checkout to take advantage of the substantial discount on trousers, shirts, suits and more. — John Zientek

Todd Snyder Chambray Sport Shirt
Save 50%: There’s a reason the chambray shirt became a wardrobe staple. The indigo-dyed cotton button-up style is breathable, tough and versatile. Though it came to prominence in the US as a work shirt, it became popular with men of all professions through the latter half of the twentieth century. Now at Nordstrom, you can save 50 percent on a well-made chambray shirt from Todd Snyder. Unlike most chambray shirts, this is made from a lightweight, durable linen-cotton blend that is appropriate for all seasons. This style is made in Portugal and features a button-down collar, curved hem and chest pocket. Available in sizes Small through XX-Large, it now costs just $79. — John Zientek

Black Diamond

Black Diamond Spot Headlamp
Save 27%: Last year, before heading down to the southern tip of South America with nothing more than a one-way ticket and a backpack, I bought Black Diamond’s Spot headlamp to take along for the journey. At the time, all I cared about was the fact that it was waterproof, didn’t have one of those back-of-the-head battery packs and cost about $40. Countless nights spent in a tent later, and the Spot is still my favorite headlamp. Along with the 40-ounce water bottle I carry everywhere, it has earned a permanent place in my pack whenever I head out for an adventure.

The qualities that first drew me to buy the Spot for my trip to the Southern Hemisphere still hold true. A camping light doesn’t have to be complicated — it’s just a light source after all; it doesn’t need fancy add-ons like USB charging. The Spot is great because it’s simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s basic. The headlamp uses three AAA batteries (which you’ll be able to find pretty much anywhere on the planet) and it’s fully waterproof. The main light is 300 lumens, emits light to a claimed range of 80 meters (about 262 feet) and is easily dimmable. There’s even a red night vision setting. Black Diamond also added its PowerTap Technology, which lets you cycle through modes by tapping the side of the lamp housing (a feature that strays toward gimmicky but is actually very useful for reading and cooking, among other things). Another smart feature is a lock mode that prevents the light from turning on in your backpack and killing the batteries. (You only forget to use that function once; hiking along train tracks through a Peruvian jungle in the dark was no fun.)

Beyond all that, the Spot is just plain economical. If I take a fall and accidentally crush the thing, I won’t be heartbroken that I just lost an expensive piece of gear. I’ll just go pick up a new one, because until something more practical comes around, I don’t have to think about my choice when it comes to choosing a headlamp. — Tanner Bowden

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