Best Gear Of 2025
And yet another trip around the sun is near to completion. What was the Best Gear of 2025? These are a few of my favorites. Let me know in the comments what your selection for the best gear of the passing year is.
Computer Hardware
Beelink Me Mini NAS
I should have added this to the bottom as a grand finale, but it also fits nicely at the top. For 2025 the Beelink Me Mini is one of my top picks for Gear Of The Year.
It is a high capacity NAS that is SILENT and uses NVME M.2 SSD drives for data storage. While the Beelink Me Mini is inexpensive, sadly memory prices have exploded. I got mine just in time it seems.
Equipped with 16 GB of built in RAM and four 4TB drives nets you about 12TB of storage in a RAIDZ1 configuration. Even better is that you can install TrueNAS on this device. This is replacing my very noisy QNAP NAS appliance.
Mac Mini M4
This right here is a serious contender for Gear Of The Year. The Mac Mini M4 is so powerful and so remarkably inexpensive as to almost not be believed.
There is one issue though. The base model comes with 256GB of storage which just isn’t enough. Apple upgrade costs are ridiculous but many 3rd party vendors are springing up that sell the drop in NAND at a fair price.
Mine now has 2TB of storage built in. Forget those external storage solutions. This is better, stronger, and faster. If you love the Mac ecosystem you owe it to yourself to hunt down a Mac Mini M4. And if 256GB of storage is enough for you then you are spitting in tall cotton (read that twice).
Vlog Camera
Canon R50 V Digital Camera
If you Google “Best Vlogging Camera” you might see the Canon R50 V buried in the list. I don’t care what anyone says, this camera is magic in a bottle……errrr camera case. Canon has the best colors, the best support, the best autofocus, and is my pick, by far, of the best vlogging cameras out there.
I own them all I think. Sony, Nikon, and other Canon’s. The only downside is that Canon is slow to update their own pretty great software “EOS Utility” for MacOS. And by that I mean more specifically MacOS Tahoe 26.1.
If you don’t do tethered photography then you won’t even notice.
I think the sweet spot here is to buy this refurbished from Canon. Same warranty at a much lower price.
Camera Accessories
Accsoon TopRig S40 Camera Slider
In the section above regarding the Canon R50 V, that video was shot using the Accsoon TopRig S40 Camera Slider.
It provides stunning results for product photography, or vlog interview segments. I’ve been eyeing sliders for years but they are expensive and sometimes super bulky. The S40 is a GIANT KILLER and a bargain at the current price. And it has features that some way more expensive sliders do not.
Here is another example of what it can do.
The Accsoon TopRig S40 is an amazing value, even for a guy like me who would have to tell a tiny lie to even say I was an amateur photographer. I’ve been having so much fun with this since I got it that it deserves a Gear Of The Year mention.
Internet Radio
Choyong Voyager Internet Radio
Choyong makes several Internet radios and to be honest when they first came out they were not universally loved. Following a couple firmware updates on all of their offerings to include ChapGPT searches for online radio stations and podcasts the magic started to manifest.
While the Choyong Voyager is the smallest of their radios it sounds GREAT. It also acts as a bluetooth speaker that you can stream to. Voice recognition searches are generally spot on. I love the size and the fact that it takes a SIM card or an eSIM which can be activated with great, low cost data plans. I take this everywhere with me. There is a ton of value in this small form factor.
MultiTools
Leatherman Wave Alpha
Who doesn’t love and trust a Leatherman Multitool. The Wave + is the most purchased Leatherman in history. It is great however, it is mighty cold in the bare hands on a winters day, and it gets slick when you are working with greasy items.
Enter the Leatherman Wave Alpha. It is everything that is great about its predecessor, the Wave + and it adds a stylish and non-slip grip to the handles. Finally, a multitool that feels comfortable while using it.
Add in the largest set of scissors ever put in a Leatherman and you have something called an “upgrade”.
If a multitool is your bag, baby then this is your Huckleberry.
That’s It For The Best Gear Of 2025
I’ve reviewed some cool stuff this year and tried to keep this list confined to something that MOST people would find of interest. If something else bonks me across the head I’ll add it to the list before the end of the year. In the meantime, enjoy my list of the Best Gear of 2025.
Hey, John, hellos from China. I’m Eyean with Accsoon.
Just wanted to say a huge thanks for your amazing annual list. Linda shared it with me today, and we were both so impressed by all the detail and care you put into it. It really means a lot.
Would you mind if I repost the content on my LinkedIn? Would that be okay with you?
Thanks again!
Best regards,
Eyean
Eyean,
Thanks so much to you and Linda. Feel free to share it anywhere you like!