Tech

7 Cordless Drills That Outshine Ryobi’s In Price And Quality

Published

3 hours ago

2 May 2026

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Ryobi is a consistently high performer when it comes to pairing low prices with high quality. As such, it’s often hard to find great alternatives that match or surpass the lime green option’s value. Users tend to rate Ryobi gear highly, although some performance issues do seem to persist with the brand’s batteries. And digging a little deeper into the market of quality cordless drills, there’s actually a wealth of options that blend great prices with high power output and potent, additional features.

The drill is a basic piece of equipment that no tool user can do without. This must-have home improvement item offers a powered approach to one of the most fundamental tasks you’ll face during renovations, repairs, and beyond. Plenty of toolmakers offer numerous drills in their catalogs, and these seven options are all from high quality brands and have plenty of potency on tap. All of them feature at least one important aspect that surpasses the output of Ryobi’s flagship 18V ONE+ HP Drill/Driver, a tool listed at Ryobi for a favorable $97 for the bare tool or $139 as a kit. It delivers 450 in-lb of maximum torque, a two-speed gearbox with a top speed of 1,700 RPM, and a 2.1-pound weight, with a 24-position clutch. These are all solid features and make for a robust drilling tool, to be sure, but there are some better options out there for users looking to veer in a different direction.

Ridgid 18V Hammer Drill/Driver

The Ridgid 18V Hammer Drill/Driver offers heightened power production and far more robust capabilities in denser material thanks to its hammer action. And yet, the tool is priced like a standard drill. It’s available from Home Depot as a kit, including a 1.5Ah battery and charger for $80 and Amazon in bare tool format for $75. The drill delivers a significant, 800 in-lb of maximum torque, far outpacing many of its direct competitors in the low price category. It’s also 2.8 pounds, making for a relatively lightweight and serviceable tool that won’t drag you down over a lengthy day of use.

The drill offers a 2,100 RPM maximum speed with a variable speed trigger and a 24-position clutch. The tool delivers 3,200 beats per minute when the hammer mode is activated, offering an added depth of power that many other drills in this price range can’t match. The Ryobi model certainly falls short of the power output provided by this Ridgid model while also ringing up at a higher price. While you might find the tool outside of Home Depot, it’s worth noting that the two brands have an exclusivity deal (rather than Ridgid being owned by Home Depot). This means the orange retailer is often going to be the best source of Ridgid gear: Case in point, the Amazon offer is a worse deal, sure, but it also comes in bulk packaging rather than the manufacturer’s box.

Makita 18V LXT Driver-Drill

Makita is known for innovative technology, with upgraded features often found exclusively on the brand’s equipment. The brand’s power tools are widely available, and it makes a substantial range of options in the drilling category.

The 18V LXT Driver-Drill is a frontline power tool operating on Makita’s primary battery system, delivering compact performance with plenty of heft. The tool weighs 3.3 pounds with a battery included, offering a mobile drilling tool that’s easy on the arms and shoulders. It also generates 480 in-lb of maximum torque, eclipsing the output of its Japanese compatriot’s offering. The tool also delivers 1,900 RPM no-load speeds, further surpassing Ryobi’s model.

This drill is adorned with a ratcheting chuck, allowing users to set their bit more firmly in the jaws for a solid lockdown and confident operation. It can be found at Home Depot as a bare tool for $124 and Acme Tools for the same (with an additional 12% off), which is not a better price than the Ryobi solution. However, it’s also available at Amazon for $90, suggesting that a patient buyer who shops around can find an excellent deal on a great power tool.

Craftsman V20 Max Cordless Drill Driver and Impact Driver Set

For many years the Craftsman name carried a legendary tool warranty, and even though things have changed more recently, the brand’s power tools are covered under a three year limited warranty that still delivers plenty of support. The Craftsman V20 Max Cordless Drill Driver is a solid option for buyers seeking a basic DIYer’s support tool. It offers a 2.67-pound weight and 23 clutch positions. The drill delivers a 280 UWO (unit watt out) power rating, which admittedly isn’t very helpful and doesn’t translate to standard torque ratings in any meaningful way. The tool also produces 1,500 RPM maximum rotational speeds. It’s available as a kit solution with a battery and charger from Lowe’s for $99, but this isn’t the best bargain you’ll find for the power tool.

The primary reason for the Craftsman V20 model’s inclusion on this list is because it can be found as a two-tool bundle alongside the V20 Max Impact Driver. This bundle kit is available from Amazon and includes two batteries (rather than one), a charger, and a canvas tool bag. The whole package is priced at $99, adding far more capability to your tool collection for the same price as the single drill kit elsewhere. The impact driver delivers 1,460 in-lb of maximum torque, offering superior driving power when necessary to compliment the drill’s functionality. For this price, it’s hard to beat how much capability you’ll add to your toolbox, making this bundle a solid option for early career DIYers, renters, and others who might be seeking additional bang for their tool buying buck.

Milwaukee M12 Fuel Hammer Drill/Driver

Milwaukee gear has accumulated plenty of fans of the years, and there are lots of reasons why people love the brand. Among some of the more interesting tools offered in its catalog are the M12 portable productivity tools.

Unlike the full sized 18V tools that form Milwaukee’s frontline solutions, the M12 range is incredibly lightweight, and features small tool bodies as a standard, without losing too much power. A wide selection of M12 tools also bear the Fuel moniker that indicates upgraded performance, as well. The M12 Fuel Hammer Drill/Driver is one of those tools, and it delivers plenty to like in a perhaps surprisingly cost effective package.

The tool can be found at Amazon for $104 as a bare tool, placing it slightly above the Ryobi model in price. It’s also available from Home Depot, but retails for $159. It can be found reconditioned for $95 at Factory Authorized Outlet, offering a refurbished model for less than Ryobi’s drill for those willing to go that route. Red Tool Store also sells the drill (new) for $149. The tool itself offers a 6-inch long build, making it one of the smallest drills you might bring into your collection. The tool weighs 2.6 pounds and delivers 400 in-lb of torque and a 1,500 RPM maximum speed.

Size is the primary appealing feature here, but the drill’s output is nothing to sneeze at, even if many of its performance is slightly behind Ryobi’s. The fact that a subcompact option is in the same conversation as a full sized alternative is a feat in itself.

Skil PWRCore 20V Two-Tool Drill Driver and Impact Driver Combo Kit

Skil branded tools offer solid performance at a competitive price. There are high-end Skil tools to consider if you need professional-grade precision and performance from your equipment, but numerous Skil tools are also ideal for more moderate needs. A great option is the Skil PWRCore 20V Two-Tool Drill Driver and Impact Driver Combo Kit. The set of power tools is available with a battery and charger from Amazon for $79, making it a massively cost effective choice for renovators on a budget. The drill kit on its own (including a battery and charger) can be found listed at Lowe’s for $109, but it’s currently out of stock and also lacks the added impact driver to sweeten the pot.

The drill offers 450 in-lb of maximum torque, matching the Ryobi drill. It’s 6.06 inches long, and weighs just 1.92 pounds. Combine all that with a maximum speed of 1,800 RPM, and you get a solid drilling option. However, what sets the PWRCore range apart though is its battery technology. The Skil power packs feature the brand’s PWR Jump capability, offering a 25% recharge to a dead battery in just 5 minutes. If you have a few in your arsenal, even a set of spent batteries can be quickly juiced up to deliver enough runtime to allow one power pack to gain a more substantial charge without having to wait.

DeWalt 20V Max Atomic Compact Drill/Driver

Many DeWalt tools are priced a bit higher than other competitors like Ryobi as a result of the tool brand’s premium positioning in the market. Yet, its 20V Max Atomic Compact Drill/Driver breaks the mold, coming in at a price of $99 at Amazon. That’s roughly in line with the Ryobi model, but Amazon’s pricing history checker notes that it’s been listed as low as $74.48 in the last 30 days at time of writing.

DeWalt’s parent company, Stanley Black & Decker, has opted to deliver power ratings for many of its brands in an alternative format, using unit watts out (UWO) instead of the standard inch-pounds of torque and RPM ratings. The Atomic model offers 404 UWO, though the Amazon product page reports a torque rating of 160 in-lb, which may or may not be accurate. The drill is rounded out with a 5.88-inch head length that’s ideal for tighter environments, and at only 2.75 pounds it ought to be easy to hold up for a long time. The drill also offers 15 clutch settings and a 1,650 RPM maximum speed.

DeWalt is known for its high quality gear, and its Atomic series is among some of its highly acclaimed power tools that offer smaller units for more comprehensive coverage of difficult working requirements.

Bauer 20V ½-Inch Drill/Driver

The Bauer 20V ½-Inch Drill/Driver comes from Harbor Freight’s low cost brand offering. The tool is available from Harbor Freight for just $40 as a bare tool, making it definitively the best-priced option on this list. And it’s certainly not the weakest performer by any means. The drill delivers 575 in-lb of maximum torque, far outpacing the Ryobi HP model, while offering 1,900 RPM maximum speeds and a 22-position clutch. The tool weighs 2.7 pounds and measures 8.25 inches, making it a bit heavier and offering less clearance for use in tight spaces. However, for standard drilling tasks this model far outshines its Ryobi competitor.

The tool offers a brushless motor and ratcheting chuck, both of which are typically reserved for more premium tools. It is also available as a kit option from Harbor Freight for $55, bringing a 1.5Ah battery and charger into the equation alongside the tool, though this is listed as an in-store only item for the time being (with no additional note about when it might be available online). Bauer is a low cost tool brand, but it’s a great option for novice users, light duty DIYers, and others. If you plan to really put the drill through its paces, a more premium solution may be warranted.

Methodology

person drilling a hole with cordless drill

Lazy_bear/Getty Images

All of these drills are priced virtually the same or better than Ryobi’s high output (HP) 18V flagship model, and each one also sports at least one feature that outperforms it. Many of the drills featured offer numerous advantageous points of comparison, usually with the torque rating acting as the first point of superior performance. This makes each one worthy of consideration for a buyer in the market for a new brand or coming to the power tool space fresh, without existing brand and battery ecosystem allegiances.

The heightened performance and low price tags of each drill also make for a notable draw for buyers who may already have one or more tool brands in their arsenal but are seeking a new experience for their next purchase. This is especially true for the supreme cost effectiveness of the Craftsman and Skil options that bundle additional tools into the set for a price that remains on par with Ryobi’s bare tool.

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Tech

Let Twitch Chat Control Your LED Strings

Published

4 minutes ago

3 May 2026

NewsAdmin

Once upon a time, someone set up a livestream wherein the messages from Twitch chat could control a game of Pokemon. Since then, we’ve seen Twitch control all sorts of things. If you’d like to have them play with some LEDs in your house, you might like this project from [pfeiffer3000].

The concept is simple enough. The heart of the build is an ESP32 microcontroller, which is easy to integrate with web services thanks to its onboard WiFi capability. It’s hooked upt o a string of WS2812B addressable RGB LEDs. The LEDs themselves are installed within table tennis balls to act as nice, spherical diffusers, and installed in a square frame made of PVC pipes. As for code, the rig uses the WLED library to drive the LED strings, and code from TwitchIO to interface with Twitch chat itself. It’s as simple as rigging up a bit of Python. With everything assembled, [pfeiffer3000] had an attractive LED grid that could be controlled directly by anyone watching their Twitch stream.

We’ve explored how to control things via Twitch before, too. It’s a fun way to add some interactivity to your livestream that really gets viewers involved. If you’ve been building your own audience-controlled projects, we’d love to hear about them on the tipsline!

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Tech

DJI Osmo 360 review: Specs, features, price

Published

18 minutes ago

3 May 2026

NewsAdmin

The DJI Osmo 360 is an excellent example of how to do a 360-degree camera system right. Its massive optional selfie stick is overkill for most people.

Apple has, in recent years, made its iPhones more useful for videography. However, while it has features like Action Mode to make it useful for filming fast activities, it’s still not exactly the best choice for some more hazardous situations.

In cases where someone wants to ski down a mountain, the action camera is still king. In cases where you want more control over how a shot is framed instead of a fixed-on-body position that looks bad, you need a 360-degree camera.

The DJI Osmo 360 is DJI’s latest take on the action cam genre is the Osmo 360, a camera with a pair of fisheye lenses and cameras. Each camera and lens pair covers a 180-degree field of view, or half a sphere, which are then combined into a single image.

Like other 360-degree cameras, this can be used to capture footage from all possible angles. The resulting footage can then be viewed as a 360-degree video or cropped into a more standard video frame from the perfect angle.

The DJI Osmo 360 is a pretty good version of this form, and one that could be a viable choice for avid snowboarders and sports enthusiasts.

DJI sent over the DJI Osmo 360 Adventure Combo, which includes the camera, extra batteries and battery case, a rubber lens protector, protective pouch, cleaning cloth, a quick-release adapter mount, a USB-C PD cable, and a 1.2-meter (3.9 foot) Invisible Selfie Stick.

The Standard Combo includes all but the selfie stick, the quick-release adapter mount, and the battery case.

DJI also shipped along two accessories: the Osmo Battery Extension Rod and the Osmo 2.5-meter (8.2 feet) Extension Carbon Fiber Selfie Stick.

DJI Osmo 360 review: Physical design

The actual DJI Osmo camera is a chunky block of plastic, measuring 2.4 inches wide by 3.1 inches tall and 1.4 inches thick. At 6.5 ounces, it’s also pretty dense for a piece of kit, though not necessarily for something that will be used as an action camera.

Some of the thickness is due to the two camera lenses, which stick out from each side.

The front face has one camera lens with an indicator LED and DJI branding, while the other has the second lens and a large 2-inch touchscreen, as well as two physical buttons. That screen is nice and bright when turned on, and gives a view of what the cameras are picking up that you can quickly flick to change.

The two buttons below the screen deal with recording duties and changing the view for the screen, among other functions. On one edge side is the power, as well as a locked panel hiding a USB-C connection.

360 action camera with side door open showing battery slot, a separate rectangular battery charger behind it, and another spare 1950 mAh battery lying on a concrete surface outdoors

DJI Osmo 360 review: The battery charger also functions as a case.

The other edge side has another locked panel, which houses the battery compartment and a microSD card slot. DJI does include 105GB of built-in storage, which is great to have since you don’t specifically need a microSD card to use it.

Both of these panels are treated to prevent water from seeping in, which helps since it is billed as being waterproof. However, DJI does warn that while it has an IP68 rating, it shouldn’t be used for long underwater sessions, and to stick to a depth of at most 10 meters (32.8 feet).

Of the non-stick inclusions, the battery case is a similar rugged plastic design, and is capable of recharging up to three of the 1,950mAh batteries used by camera.

While the included case is just the right size for the Osmo 360, I get the feeling that the protective rubber lens cover will get more use. It’s easy to think of someone tossing the camera in its rubber cover into a bag along with a selfie stick for a weekend’s recording session.

DJI Osmo 360 review: Main specifications

The main feature of this action camera is that it uses square high-dynamic-range image sensors instead of rectangular versions. Instead of a trimmed rectangular sensor, DJI went with 1-inch image field square sensors to reduce the bulk.

The pixel allocation as a 4K-resolution square means it also uses more of the pixels than a rectangular counterpart.

This gives it quite a few benefits, such as shooting native 8K panoramic videos. It also uses 2.4-micrometer pixels which are quite large, allowing it to capture more light, including to a 13.5-stop dynamic range at 8K 50Hz.

Its connectivity goes further, including shooting at 4K 100Hz for panoramic slo-mo video, which can be pushed to 4K 120Hz for one lens.

Close-up of a 360-degree action camera on concrete, showing its front lens and color screen displaying an outdoor scene with trees, battery status, recording time, and 8K50/W settings

DJI Osmo 360 review: The preview touchscreen can be scrolled around.

DJI also boasts that it has a SuperNight Mode for capturing late-night shots.

This is also recorded using built-in image stabilization systems, including RockSteady 3.0 and HorizonSteady. The former can be used when exporting via the mobile app, while the latter works with regular flat videos in a standard field of view, not 360 video.

When it comes to creating the actual 360-degree video, there’s a minimum stitching distance of 75 centimeters (2.4 feet), otherwise, you get artifacting for anything closer to the lens and at the edge of the image. It also has an invisible selfie stick feature which hides the mount, but that’s quite a standard thing to use now.

DJI Osmo 360 review: In use

Getting up and running with the Osmo 360 is fairly quick and easy when using it directly. Powering it up, you can then press the circle button to immediately start recording 8K 360-degree footage for up to an hour.

The two-inch screen gives one view, which you can scroll around with your finger. It’s a pretty neat system, and can help you visualize shots like a selfie on the fly.

Around the edge of the screen are indicators for different options, like viewing recorded local video, switching between modes, adjusting camera settings, and swiping down for the general settings.

The modes include Panoramic Video and Photo, as well as Supernight, Selfie, Vortex, and Hyperlapse for the 360-degree camera view. There are also single lens modes like Photo, Video, Supernight, and Boost, which is a wider field of view than normal.

Going through the camera settings, there are options to enable Anti Motion Blur and to adjust the texture and noise reduction of an image, while a Pro button takes you to a lot more of the advanced settings. This includes things like exposure and white balance control, and whether you want 10-bit “Normal” color or the D-Log M 10-bit version.

The latter of the two will be of interest to videographers who want more control of the colors of the final clip.

Smartphone screen showing a video camera app: left side displays Pro video settings menu, right side shows backyard scene with houses, trees, and a large red recording button.

DJI Osmo 360 review:Using the camera from an iPhone

The main settings handles everything from connectivity to a mobile device, locking the orientation, enabling gesture controls, connecting wireless earbuds, if you’re using built-in storage or microSD, and other elements.

While there are four onboard mics that do a fairly good job of environmental recording, DJI does give the option to use its ecosystem of microphones with the Osmo 360. If you happen to own a Mic Mini or Mic 2, you can record two audio tracks with the cameras as well.

In our time with it, we found it to have pretty good image quality overall. You can still see seams where the two camera pictures meet up, but the majority of the time that is for items that are closer than the minimum advised join distance.

As a camera in its own right, it feels intuitive to use, even if you don’t consider using it with other devices. Though, for the purposes of editing, you really should.

DJI Osmo 360 review: Sticks

There are three selfie sticks for this review, including the default 1.2M Invisible Selfie Stick. Made from plastic with a rubber grip, it has a thread in the base and a screw thread at the other end, for attaching to the camera.

It’s a fairly beefy version of a selfie stick, and certainly isn’t flimsy. There’s no articulation at the business end, as you would anticipate with a fairly cheap and run-of-the-mill selfie stick, but you can remedy that with the Adjustable Quick Release Adapter Mount in the Adventure Combo.

Three black handheld camera accessories on rough concrete: a DJI Osmo grip with control buttons, a long OSMO-branded extension pole with orange end, and a shorter adjustable mounting arm

DJI Osmo 360 review: A trio of selfie sticks

While you can attach the camera using the typical thread method, the mount uses two side hooks and strong magnets to pull the camera into position and to dock. Pressing the side buttons to unhook and a small pull releases the camera again.

The mount doesn’t freely move from straight to angled, but instead uses a button to unlock the angular movement. On the one hand, this is really smart and prevents any unwanted movement, but it does also limit the mount to two locked positions.

The second sent for review is the Battery Extension Rod. As a selfie stick, it works like the included Invisible version, with the mount built-in, except it only extends to 2.9 feet.

It’s a chunkier version, because it has a built-in battery that feeds the camera for another four hours.

Handily, it also has limited controls for the camera, letting you start the record or switch the screen’s view without fiddling directly with the camera. This is very useful as a quality-of-life feature, but it’s the only one of the group to have it.

At $99.99, it’s an add-on that is probably worth it for the occasional holiday, especially since it would save you from carrying around extra batteries for the camera.

Person holding a long black telescopic pole with an orange ring, extending upward toward a clear blue sky, viewed from below with a wristband visible on their arm

DJI Osmo 360 review: The 2.5M Extended Carbon Fiber Selfie Stick at full stretch

The 2.5M Extended Carbon Fiber Selfie Stick is the last and somewhat absurd option. It’s an absurd length for a selfie stick, at 8.2 feet, making it taller than anyone actually using it. Few will probably have much use for it, aside from those who want selfies from really far away.

More practically, it could give the effect of having a drone nearby while not breaking any local laws surrounding drone usage. There’s also no buzzing blades either, so feasibly less of a problem for recording animals.

It too is $99.99, but it’s really only useful for a small number of people who want the drone effect without the drone hassle.

DJI Osmo 360 review: Mobile and Mac app

The mobile app that works with the DJI Osmo 360 is DJI Mimo, which handles multiple duties on an iPhone.

For live shooting, it provides a view from the Osmo 360, which you can again scroll around at will.. There are controls for resolution, frame rate, various shooting modes, and advanced “Pro” settings, which are easier to use than having to reach for the camera mid-use.

The mobile app also lets you watch footage stored on the Osmo 360, thanks to its Wi-Fi connection, which you can either stream from the camera or download locally for a better resolution.

In this view, you can scroll around the footage and change the camera angle, which then changes what the final standard non-spherical video shows on export. You can do this manually with swipes and keyframes, but there are options like GyroFrame that uses your iPhone’s movements to change what is in frame, as well as subject tracking.

If you can’t face going through that process, there’s also an AI-based Highlights feature that creates clips for you.

Video editing software window showing a fisheye aerial view of a green field, trees, a small shed, and distant coastline under blue sky, framed by desktop ocean wallpaper

DJI Osmo 360 review:DJI Studio can be used to edit videos.

While this is good for sharing and short clips, you can also import the videos to DJI’s Studio for macOS. It’s an application for viewing the files from the Osmo 360, complete with mouse drags to move around the frame, as well as for editing clips.

You can add clips, change the angle and set them with keyframes, and perform more advanced movements than you can on the iPhone app. The results will be much better from this tool, which may not necessarily need any further changes to the exported video in iMovie or Premiere afterward either, if you’re careful.

DJI Osmo 360 review: A good allrounder

DJI’s experience with drone videography and action cameras have resulted in a 360-degree camera that does an awful lot of work. It’s small enough to go on holiday with, and usable enough to treat like a typical action camera, in cases when you wouldn’t want to use your iPhone.

Despite its size, its resolution and capabilites makes it a viable option for videography usage. Its use of 10-bit footage and optional use of Log will be welcomed, along with the more advanced camera settings.

As a good action camera should, the DJI Osmo 360 is user-friendly for the general public, but with enough options to make more adventurous users happy.

The only real problem is finding a justifiable excuse to whip out the massive selfie stick.

DJI Osmo 360 pros

8K resolution, 10-bit video

Easy to use, with expert options

Mobile and Mac apps are intuitive and useful

Pocketable design

DJI Osmo 360 cons

High MSRP, buy on a discount

Flaps are a litle fiddly to open

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Where to buy the DJI Osmo 360

The Osmo 360 Standard Combo is $549.99, with the Adventure Combo at $699.99.

The two bundles are available on Amazon, at $357.49, discounted from $549 for the standard bundle. The Adventure combo can be bought for $493.70, discounted from $699.99.

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5 SUVs That Have Notoriously Bad Transmission Problems

Published

32 minutes ago

3 May 2026

NewsAdmin

A close-up of a transmission cross-section held in a mechanic's hand.

Malkovstock/Getty Images

The transmission is one of the most critical components in any motor vehicle. It’s the mechanical bridge between the engine and the road. If it starts to fail, the entire driving experience can easily fall apart with it. A slipping, shuddering, or hesitating gearbox doesn’t just make a daily drive miserable. It can strand you in traffic or cause sudden power loss at high speeds.

It can also be a safety hazard. When Consumer Reports made a list of the least satisfying cars to own, most were SUVs, and some were there because of the transmission. An expensive family hauler that lurches through gears poses a serious risk of rolling away or unexpectedly shifting into park because it feels like it has fundamentally broken its promise to the driver.

Moreover, transmission repair bills can easily run into the thousands — and in some cases, owners have needed multiple replacements on the very same vehicle. The worst part? Some of these issues were known to manufacturers long before customers started complaining about them. Here are five SUVs that have notoriously bad transmission problems.

1. Jeep Grand Cherokee

A front-end view of a red Jeep Grand Cherokee driving down a road.

Artistic Operations/Getty Images

The Grand Cherokee — the worst Jeep model in terms of resale value — experiences transmission problems that are anything but anecdotal. They are documented across multiple recall filings. One of the most consequential is NHTSA Recall 16V-240, issued in 2016. Per the notice, certain 2014–2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission and monostable gear selector were prone to dangerous rollaways. FCA’s own defect description states that the spring-loaded shifter, which returns to center after each selection like a joystick, led drivers to incorrectly believe the transmission was in Park.

NHTSA (PE15-030) identified 306 rollaway incidents from this defect, resulting in 117 alleged crashes and 26 injuries. This wasn’t the only time the Grand Cherokee faced a rollaway threat. In November 2024, Kelley Blue Book reported that Jeep recalled another 206,502 SUVs — this time 2018–2019 Grand Cherokees — over a faulty ABS sensor that could allow the vehicle to start and shift out of Park without the driver pressing the brake pedal. These problems extend to the Grand Cherokee’s plug-in hybrid, too.

Consumer Reports noted that in 2023, Stellantis recalled 12,458 4xe SUVs after a fault caused the transmission to shut down the engine. NHTSA campaign number 25V-576 later expanded that recall to nearly 92,000 models from 2022 to 2026. A more recent problem involves the 2021–2024 Grand Cherokee. TSB 21-009-25, issued in 2025, documents D-clutch failure in this transmission, triggering DTCs P0733 (third-gear incorrect ratio) and P1DA8 (clutch defective). Owners reported the transmission slipping, failing to move in reverse, and not shifting above third gear.

2. Nissan Pathfinder

A red Nissan Pathfinder parked in front of a Nissan dealership.

Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock

The Nissan Pathfinder’s CVT problems are documented in Nissan’s own filings with NHTSA — and the timeline is notable. In 2013, Nissan issued a TSB (NTB13-002) to reprogram the TCM on 2013 Pathfinders to “prevent a CVT belt slip condition from occurring.” The bulletin was dated the same month the 2013 Pathfinder went on sale. A second TSB followed in September 2013. Neither fixed the problem, and the situation turned to legal means.

According to ClassAction, the class action alleged Nissan began reprogramming software in undelivered vehicles five weeks after the first sales. By the time Nissan issued a voluntary service campaign (PC500) — covering 2013–2014 Pathfinders and filed with NHTSA — the repair tree had three branches: reprogram the TCM, replace the valve body, or replace the entire CVT assembly. That a full CVT replacement was a documented option on vehicles still in their factory warranty window tells you everything about how far the defect had progressed.

The ClassAction page includes verbatim NHTSA complaints from owners — one driver described losing power while merging onto a freeway with a semi behind them; another reported the shuddering occurring on every drive. Nissan did not admit wrongdoing but agreed to a $277.7 million settlement covering 2015–2018 Pathfinders. The problems were severe enough that Nissan ultimately abandoned the CVT. In our own review of the 2022 Pathfinder, we noted that the switch to a 9-speed automatic was a major improvement over what we called the “unlovable old CVT.”

3. Ford Explorer

A red 2020 Ford Explorer hybrid being driven in a green country setting.

Tramino/Getty Images

The 2020-generation Ford Explorer’s transmission problems aren’t singular — they are a cascade of different defects. Ford Safety Recall (23S05), issued in 2023 and covering 2020–2022 Explorers with the 10R60 transmission, documents an unintended PCM reset that could occur while driving. Per the dealer bulletin filed with NHTSA, when this happens, the park pawl engages unexpectedly. This leads to grinding noises, a loss of drive power, and the vehicle either rolling while in Park or becoming completely stuck in Park.

Another defect involves the rear axle horizontal mounting bolt fracturing under heavy torque loads, disconnecting the driveshaft, and eliminating transmission torque to the rear wheels. Consumer Reports reported that Ford recalled 238,000 2020–2022 Explorers under NHTSA campaign 23V675 after 396 reports of bolt failures. Critically, Ford had already attempted a fix on this same defect under a prior recall — and it had not worked. The 2020 Explorer accumulated 33 NHTSA recalls in total — seven directly related to the parking brake.

This earned it a spot on Consumer Reports’ list of used cars to avoid. A separate TSB (22-2428) documents harsh and delayed shifts caused by sticking valves in the main control valve body, with the repair escalating from reprogramming to a full overhaul. The 2020 Explorer’s CarComplaints page shows over 1,000 NHTSA powertrain complaints, earning it a severity rating of 10 out of 10 — “Really Awful.”

4. Chevrolet Tahoe

Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock

The Chevrolet Tahoe’s 10-speed transmission has a documented paper trail stretching across two safety recalls, multiple TSBs, and nearly 1,900 field reports of rear wheel lockup — all filed with NHTSA. NHTSA Recall (24V-797), in 2024, covers 461,839 vehicles — including 2021 Tahoes — and stems from 1,888 lockup reports, 11 road incidents, and 3 injuries. NHTSA Recall (26V-085), issued in 2026, covers an additional 43,732 2022 vehicles (including the Tahoe) after the first recall’s software fix missed vehicles built with unique internal hardware.

GM’s own remedy for both recalls is a software patch, not a physical replacement of the defective valve. A separate GM TSB (22-NA-182) documents harsh shifts, shudder, surge, stall, neutral flare, and transmission overheating as known conditions. Another GM TSB (PIP5893) covering 2021–2023 Tahoes documents a broken or damaged park pawl actuator piston servo triggering a “Service Transmission — Unable to Shift Soon” dashboard message.

The Consumer Reports 2022 Tahoe reliability page lists rough shifting and slipping transmission among owner-reported problems, with one subscriber writing: “Shifts rough, and there’s a lot of slack in gears… I fear transmission will go out next.” As was the case with the Pathfinder, these problems have also attracted legal attention. ClassAction documents an active lawsuit investigation into GM’s 10-speed transmission covering the Tahoe, Silverado, and Sierra. Beyond the recalls, common problems with Chevrolet’s 10-speed transmission reported by owners include rough shifting, gear slippage, delayed engagement from park to drive, and overheating under towing loads.

5. Mercedes-Benz GLE

A red 2020 Mercedes GLE Coupe parked on an urban French setting.

Alexandre Prevot/Shutterstock

Spending a better part of six figures on a luxury SUV should buy refinement above all else. However, nothing undermines that promise faster than an unexpected transmission stall. NHTSA Recall (24V-118), issued in 2024, covers 105,071 model-year 2020–2023 GLE 450 and GLS 450 vehicles equipped with the 9-speed 9G-Tronic automatic. Per the filing, the transmission software fails to complete a downshift from 7th to 6th gear under certain braking conditions, causing the engine to stall.

Mercedes opened its investigation in March 2022 after receiving stall incident reports, but didn’t succeed in replicating the fault on a test vehicle until May 2023 — more than a year later. By the time of the recall, the manufacturer had logged 261 field reports and 730 warranty claims related to the condition, per Autoevolution. The stalling recall isn’t the only transmission-related issue on record. On MBWorld forums, owners report harsh, unpredictable downshifts from 5th to 4th during every deceleration.

One owner even described the 9-speed as a “trashcan transmission” that clunks on the 3-to-2 downshift across multiple vehicles. Consumer Reports named the GLE the least reliable mid-size SUV for 2025, with transmission listed among the problem categories driving that ranking. The 2020 GLE’s broader reliability record is so poor that it earned a spot on our list of used Mercedes-Benz models to avoid, which cited up to 36 NHTSA recalls for that model year alone.

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A $7 Raspberry Pi can do something Sony refuses to: give the DualSense wireless haptics on PC

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45 minutes ago

3 May 2026

NewsAdmin

Modder “awalol” has spent the past several weeks developing firmware that, when installed on a 2-inch-long Raspberry Pi device, allows PCs to use adaptive triggers and haptic feedback on Sony’s DualSense controllers without a wired connection. Living room PC gamers will likely appreciate the cheap custom add-on.
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8 Best Travel Adapters (2026), Tested and Reviewed

Published

59 minutes ago

3 May 2026

NewsAdmin

Travel Adapter Comparison Table

Travel Adapters: Your Questions, Answered

What Type of Adapter Do You Need?

There are 15 plug types in use across the world. Universal adapters tend to cover all of these types.

Type A and Type B are used in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Japan.
Type C is common across Europe, South America, and Asia.
Type E and Type F are found across Europe in places like Germany, Russia, and France.
Type G is used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and a handful of other places.
Type I is used in Australia, New Zealand, China, and Argentina.

Some countries are not usually covered by universal adapters, such as India (Type D), Israel (Type H), and South Africa (Type M or N). You’ll need to buy specific plug adapters for those places. To avoid any surprises when you land, double-check what type you need before you travel.

If you’re visiting just one destination, a basic plug adapter that caters to one plug type is all you need. For trips to multiple destinations or for frequent flyers, a universal travel adapter can prove more versatile. The universal adapters I recommend here have the bonus of including multiple USB ports for charging several mobile devices from a single outlet.

Do You Really Need a Voltage Converter?

Image may contain Adapter Electronics Appliance Blow Dryer Device Electrical Device and Washer

Voltage converters are big, heavy, and expensive, and they don’t always work, so it’s probably best to avoid them. The reason you might think you need one is that the AC sockets on all of our recommended travel adapters do not convert the voltage coming from the socket. This means plugging into a UK socket will deliver 220 volts at 50 hertz, which is very different from the 120 volts at 60 hertz you can expect in the US. Don’t worry! Your gear won’t get fried. You just need to make sure anything you plug into one of these universal travel adapters has something like this printed on it:

Input: 100–220V 50/60Hz

That should include most modern gadgets. If your device or charger can’t handle a variable voltage, it’s probably best to leave it at home. Most places provide hair dryers, irons, and kettles, so there’s no need to take them with you. It’s often cheaper to buy a set with the correct plug at your destination and save the luggage space and hassle.

If you are determined to try a voltage converter (again, I recommend you don’t), the Ceptics 2,000-watt Travel Voltage Converter ($70) seems to work well. It has a special 2,000-watt outlet for hair dryers, but only ones that work via a mechanical switch (anything with an electronic circuit board for automatic switch-off or temperature control won’t work and is at risk of being fried if plugged in). It also has two outlets that go up to 200 watts, one USB-C port, and three USB-A ports, though the ports do not support fast charging.

For USB-C and USB-A ports, retractable cables, and wireless charging, travel adapters and chargers usually state the wattage they can deliver. If you’re interested in getting the fastest rates possible, you’ll want a charger and cable that can deliver the maximum wattage to your device. A laptop might want 100 watts, while a phone only needs 30 watts. There’s no need to worry if the charger can deliver more wattage than is required because the device will dictate how much power to draw. If the wattage is lower than required, most devices will simply charge slowly. You can find out more about charging standards like Power Delivery (PD), Quick Charge (QC), and others in my guide on how to fast charge your phone.

Can Travel Adapters Go in a Suitcase?

Can I Buy Travel Adapters at the Airport or Hotel?

You certainly can buy travel adapters at the airport, but like everything else, they will be far more expensive than they should be, and your choice will be limited.

Some hotels have travel adapters, and some even have outlets for other countries (or USB-A and USB-C ports), but most do not, so don’t bank on it. You can always check with your hotel or accommodation before you depart, but it’s safer to snag a travel adapter to take with you.

Test Your Travel Adapter Before You Go

Seriously, nothing is worse than thinking you’re being very clever by packing light and getting to your hotel to discover that your gadgets refuse to charge. Between the adapter, cable, and your device, plenty can go wrong, so do a quick test with everything you are taking before you set off.

How I Test Travel Adapters

Anytime I fly for work or vacation, I take a few travel adapters and chargers with me to test. I also test them for longer periods at home in the UK. I have power stations and power strips with US and EU outlets to test those plugs. I test each charger with a variety of devices (iPhone, Pixel, iPad, MacBook, AirPods). I try charging with every port and outlet simultaneously to see if the charger gets warm. I assess the charging rates, durability, size, weight, and usability of each device. If there are any special features, I test them too.

More Travel Adapters I Like

Image may contain Adapter Electronics Plug Speaker Electrical Device and Electrical Outlet

There are many travel adapters out there. These are a few others I tested and liked, but they missed out on a place above for one reason or another.

Epicka Air 40W for $27: I’m not keen on this style of folding design because it’s a bit fiddly to use, and the prongs sometimes fold back if you bump them when you plug it in. That said, it is a bit slimmer than some of the sliding-prong adapters above, and you get one USB-A and three USB-C ports (limited to 40 watts in total).

UGreen Travel Plug Adapter for £17: This travel adapter is for UK folks visiting Europe, and it’s a solid option with a fixed plug (no mechanism). It has only two USB-A and one USB-C port for smaller devices, and it’s very bulky. I prefer the OneBeat above for this type of design.

Statik SmartCharge Pro for $100: This is a nice combo device that includes a 15,000 mAh power bank and a 60-watt wall charger. There are fold-out US prongs and slide-on adapters for the UK, EU, and AU. You also get one USB-A port, one USB-C port, a fold-out USB-C cable, and a wireless charging pad on top that works with your iPhone or Apple Watch.

D-Link 65W Multi-Port GaN Charger (DCP-651) for $40: If two USB-C ports and a USB-A port are enough for your travel needs, this affordable D-Link charger could be for you. It comes with interchangeable plugs for different countries. The 65-watt limit is enough for overnight charging a laptop and a couple of smartphones.

Aunno Universal Travel Adapter for £17: Affordable and compact, this sliding prong travel adapter is a decent choice for folks in the UK. The prongs slot securely in place with a release button, and you get two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, though the wattage is limited.

Image may contain Electrical Device Electrical Outlet and Mailbox

Arsmel VisaPro All-in-One Travel Adapter for $80: This chunky power adapter can charge laptops or multiple small devices with a whopping 170-watt maximum output. It works with any outlet in the US, UK, or EU, thanks to sliding plugs that slot in securely, and you can spin the prongs on the US plug to support the total number of countries (more than 200). I love the mecha-inspired paint job too. There are four ports along the bottom: two USB-C ports rated at 140 watts, with the third USB-C and USB-A ports rated at 18 watts. It supports PD 3.1, QC 3.0, PPS, FCP, and SCP, and has a 10-amp fuse.

Satechi GaN Travel Charger for $120: Most of us only take small gadgets when we travel, so a compact, multi-port wall charger could be the best way to pack light. It plugs directly into the wall and comes with four interchangeable travel adapters for the EU, UK, and Australia, plus a mesh bag to store them. There are four USB-C ports that you can plug your gadgets into, including laptops like the MacBook Pro, tablets, phones, and wearables. With support for Power Delivery 3.1, the first two ports can supply up to 140 watts, and the bottom two ports up to 45 watts. However, the maximum output when all four ports are used simultaneously is 145 watts.

Baseus 70W Universal Travel Adapter With Retractable Cable for $50: This excellent travel adapter is almost identical to our top pick from Ceptics, offering up to 70 watts, sliding prongs to cover more than 200 countries, and a built-in retractable USB-C cable, not to mention a USB-C port and two USB-A ports. It also has a snazzy black-and-yellow finish. It only misses out because it’s slightly more expensive, but if you can snag one on sale or prefer the colors, it’s a solid option.

Epicka Universal Travel Adapter for $20: Our budget pick for many months, this travel adapter from Epicka is still a solid option. The sliding plugs cover 150 countries, and there are four USB-A ports on the bottom and a 15-watt USB-C port on the side. There’s also an 8-amp fuse with a spare, and this adapter is RoHS-, CE-, and FCC-certified.

Masterplug Visitor to UK Travel Adapter (3 Pack) for £12: For visitors to the UK, this simple trio of adapters accepts European, American, Australian, and Asian plugs. They are single-outlet adapters with 13-amp fuses inside, and they work perfectly. These are the adapters I use for long-term testing of devices from the US and elsewhere that lack UK plugs. If you forgot to buy an adapter before arriving in the UK, you can find this affordable three-pack at any Argos store.

Anker European Travel Plug Adapter for $14: One of our favorite portable charger brands, Anker, also makes travel adapters. This one plugs into most European outlets to provide a single grounded US outlet, a USB-A port, and two USB-C ports. Unfortunately, the three USB ports max out at 15 watts total, so it’s best for overnight gadget charging, but I appreciate the temperature and overload protection. There is also a UK version ($16).

Epicka Hybrid European Travel Plug Adapter for $16: This handy adapter turns one outlet into four and includes four USB ports (two A and two C). It has fold-out Type A prongs, but you can also slide on a fold-out Type C plug for use in Europe. While the USB ports support QC 3.0 or PD 3.0, they max out at 20 watts in total. I prefer the OneBeat adapters recommended above.

Don’t Bother

You can do better than these travel adapters.

Image may contain Adapter Electronics Computer Hardware and Hardware

EZQuest WorldTravel GaN 5 Port With PD Wall Charger for $35: This travel adapter has a generous four USB-C ports and one USB-A port with a familiar slide-out prong design that covers more than 150 countries. There’s also a built-in 10-amp fuse and a spare. It has RoHS, CE, and FCC certification. It works fine, but it’s kinda boxy, and the sliders don’t lock in place as securely as some of our other picks. There’s also a 65W version ($60).

Rolling Square Pocket Travel Adapter for $30: I admire any attempt to shrink travel adapters down, but the three-pronged UK plugs are usually the obstacle. Rolling Square’s solution is to have a flip-out third prong, but you’ll need a good fingernail to unhitch it. This charger has a single USB-C port capable of delivering up to 30 watts and is a compact option that covers the US, UK, and Europe.

Image may contain Adapter Electronics and Plug

Ceptics 65W World Travel Adapter for $35: This versatile adapter comes with Type A, B, C, E/F, G, and I slide-on plugs. They fit onto the rectangular brick and plug directly into the outlet, or you can attach them to the optional 5-foot cable. The brick has one grounded US outlet and a second non-grounded outlet, with one USB-A (30-watt) and two USB-C (65 and 33-watt) ports at the other end. It works fine, and it’s affordable, but it’s bulky and ugly.

Ceptics Travel Power Strip for $35: Much like the World Travel Adapter Kit 2 above, this small power strip offers two grounded US outlets, but it has only one USB-A and one USB-C port, and instead of plugging directly into the wall, a cable attaches to an interchangeable plug head with Type A, B, C, E/F, G, and I adapters. The adapters can be stiff to change, but they work well otherwise.

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Pushing As Many Pixels As Possible To A CRT: Interlaced 4K

Published

1 hour ago

2 May 2026

NewsAdmin

Some people love CRTs to a degree that the uninitiated may find obsessive. We all have our thing, and for [Found Tech], it’s absolutely pointing particle accelerators at his face to play video games. He likes modern games, with modern resolutions– none of this 1080p nonsense. Today’s gamers demand 4K! Can a CRT keep up? The answer is a resounding “No, but actually, yes!”

[Found Tech] has an IBM P275 monitor, which is one of the last generation of CRTs. Officially, the resolution maxes out at 1920 dots by 1440 lines. While one might (inaccurately) call that UHD output “2K”, you certainly cannot claim it is 4K. So, what’s the secret? Interlacing. Yes, interlacing, like old analog TV signals.

Apparently, in spite of what the manual says, getting the screen to absorb the 2880×2160 interlaced signal wasn’t the hard part, but generating it was. NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards are absolutely unable to create an interlaced signal, but Intel integrated GPUs are– if you get the right combo of chip and old driver. Sadly, the video doesn’t list exactly what he used. Of course an iGPU isn’t going to give you a very good gaming experience at this high resolution, so [Found Tech] has his games do their rendering on the discrete card before piping that over to the iGPU for display on the CRT.

Technically, you still can’t call the 2880×2160 picture “4K”, as that trademark refers to 2160p at 16:9, and this is both interlaced and 4:3. Still, close enough. In spite of the artifacting that turned us all against interlaced signals back in the day, this apparently has [Found Tech]’s eyes fooled– he says it’s as good as 2160p on his OLED, plus the extra magic that comes with glowing phosphors.

It certainly looks great in a recording, but the monitor in the recording isn’t displayed at a high enough resolution to say for sure if it’s 4K. Still, if you’re into CRT gaming, maybe give this high-res interlacing a try. If you still don’t get what’s so great about CRTs, check here, and remember it could be worse– at least we’re not going on about Plasma TVs.

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Oracle reportedly cutting up to 150 Irish jobs

Published

1 hour ago

2 May 2026

NewsAdmin

The Irish Times reported that cuts would begin ‘in the summer’ and could affect a wide array of role types.

Up to 150 Ireland-based jobs are at risk at US software giant Oracle, amounting to a 16pc reduction of its approximately 900-strong Irish workforce.

As first reported by The Irish Times, Oracle is thought to have begun yesterday (29 April) the required statutory period of consultation with impacted staff following delivery of a notice of collective redundancies to the Department of Enterprise.

The Irish Times wrote that the cuts would begin “in the summer” and could affect an array of roles encompassing engineering and technical, sales, consulting, finance, and administration.

SiliconRepublic.com has contacted Oracle for comment regarding this development.

In early March, reports emerged of Oracle’s intention to cut thousands of jobs globally to funnel funds into its major AI data centre expansion efforts. On the last day of the month, employees reportedly began receiving email notice of their redundancies.

Last September, the company revealed plans for its largest-ever restructuring, set to cost up to $1.6bn. At the time, Oracle’s Irish arm sent a collective redundancy notification to the Government.

Oracle, which employs around 162,000 globally, is one of the world’s largest cloud operators, having cemented itself as a leading AI infrastructure provider to major cloud users such as OpenAI.

In March, an analysis from Forrester’s vice-president and principal analyst JP Gownder said: “It’s crucial to distinguish between laying off staff in order to make investments elsewhere – something that has been done since the dawn of capitalism – and AI replacing jobs directly.

“With Oracle, there are financial pressures to lay off staff. The company’s stock has fallen by more than 50pc since Q3 2025. The company is also making a play for future AI-related services revenues.”

Earlier this week, Meta contractor Covalen put around 700 Irish jobs at risk. The company, which employs around 2,500 and has sites in Dublin and Limerick, said it was in consultation in relation to “potential redundancies within its Dublin operations” and was “engaging directly and proactively” to support the affected teams.

Last week, Meta itself announced plans to cut 8,000 jobs, or 10pc of its headcount, as it reportedly seeks to mitigate the costs of heavy AI spending.

Several Big Tech companies have been making layoffs in response to and in accommodation of AI. In recent months, Block has cut 4,000 jobs; Amazon, 30,000; and Atlassian, 10pc of its workforce.

According to the tracking site Layoffs.fyi, around 90,000 tech employees have been laid off in 2026 so far.

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The $19B “Nuclear AI” Energy Startup That Couldn’t Sign a Single Client

Published

2 hours ago

2 May 2026

NewsAdmin

“Nuclear AI startup” Fermi had hoped to build power plants generating 17 gigawatts of electricity, remembers Bloomberg, “three times the amount typically consumed by New York City.”

Hyperscalers could install their data centers on the site itself and tap directly into that power, which would come first from natural gas turbines and later from nuclear reactors. The pitch ticked so many boxes — artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, political connections — that some investors found it irresistible. Fermi went public in October worth more than $19 billion in market value, despite reporting no revenue or signed customers.

Now, the startup’s board has fired its top executive, Toby Neugebauer, after months of negotiations failed to secure a single client. Chief Financial Officer Miles Everson left as well… Fermi’s stock, meanwhile, has tumbled 84% from its peak. The company’s more than 5,000-acre site in the Texas panhandle — dubbed Project Matador, or the President Donald J. Trump Advanced Energy and Intelligence Campus — remains mostly unfinished. And some analysts see a cautionary tale of the market’s AI enthusiasm running ahead of reality, with investors betting on companies whose grand projects may never get built…

The idea of giving data centers their own, dedicated power supply not dependent on the grid may sound tempting, but former US Department of Energy official Jigar Shah said banks don’t want to finance it. The grid, drawing power from many sources, is more reliable than a handful of expensive, on-site plants, he said. He considers Fermi a failure “of monumental proportions” and says similar, off-grid data center projects elsewhere deserve more skepticism than they’ve received… “We’re allowing these types of projects to continue to be viewed as viable when they most certainly are not,” said Shah, who ran the department’s Loan Programs Office during the Biden administration….

“It was a piece of dirt with a dream,” an investor who visited the site in February told the short sellers, Fuzzy Panda Research.

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OpenAI Introduces AI-Generated Pets For Its Codex App

Published

2 hours ago

2 May 2026

NewsAdmin

Vibe coding just got a whole lot more adorable. OpenAI introduced AI-generated pets to the Codex app, its agentic tool that helps with coding. These “optional animated companions” don’t do any coding themselves, but serve as a floating overlay that can tell you what Codex is working on, notify you when Codex completes a task or whether it needs your input on something. The new feature lets developers see Codex’s active thread, without having to switch away from your current open app.

Users can type “/pet” in to the Codex app to summon or dismiss the companion. There are eight built-in pets to choose from, but you can also generate your own with the help of AI with the “/hatch” command, like a cute goblin companion. Early adopters have already uploaded a bunch of options and there are even some versions of Microsoft Clippy.

The pets are already available on both Windows and macOS versions of Codex. For a limited time, OpenAI is also offering 30 days of ChatGPT Pro for 10 of their favorite generated companions.

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Why Pontiac’s Identical Engine Block Dimensions Changed Everything For V8 Builders

Published

3 hours ago

2 May 2026

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1966 Pontiac GTO in parking lot, front-left 3/4 view

Aaron of L.A. Photography/Shutterstock

Rewind back to 1961. Pontiac’s V8 program was in full swing thanks to pioneering engine builders like Clayton Leach and Mark Frank, filing patents that laid the foundation for high-performance eight-cylinder engines throughout the next two decades. The Pontiac V8 wasn’t a new concept by this point, having been introduced in 1955 as the 287 cubic-inch Strato-Streak, producing a humble 180 hp. But this year, Pontiac released a new engine attached to its full-size vehicle line-up: the “Trophy V8,” the first 389. Unlike the Strato-Streak, this engine produced a hearty 303 hp in high-compression trim, based on the NASCAR-winning powertrain (hence the name). But the engine was the same physical size as the Strato-Streak, meaning Pontiac could theoretically swap them over into smaller cars.

That idea got Pontiac’s engineers into gear. In the spirit of hot rodders of the day, imagine taking a car with a smaller engine — let’s say the newly redesigned 1963 Tempest, fitted with a 326 (still the same external dimensions as a 389). Why not just put the 389 in it and see what happens at that point? The engineers asked that very question, and we got our answer in 1964 with the birth of the Tempest GTO — and yes, “GTO” stands for something, by the way.

In short, Pontiac’s identical engine block dimensions provided a level of flexibility in engine development that spurred the dawn of the Muscle Era. It allowed not just the manufacturer but the engine builders themselves to effectively select which displacement (thus, horsepower and torque output) would best suit their needs. Moreover, its simple, modular construction improved reliability and likely service turnover. There’s a lot of benefits to break down here, so let’s get into it.

Anatomy of the classic Pontiac V8

1965 Pontiac GTO with hood open, front-right view

Just dance/Shutterstock

First and foremost, let’s discuss what made these engines special. There are several patterns of Pontiac V8, differentiated by era and the size of the main journals on the crankshaft. These are the polished rounded surfaces on the crank that it rotates on within the engine block — in Pontiac’s case, you have small and large main journal types. In either case, both engine configurations retain that same exterior dimension, which is accomplished by modifying the engine’s bore and stroke.

Imagine you have a glass of water with vertical sides, but you want to pour more water in. That means you need a bigger glass, and there are three ways you can do this. You can make the glass wider, taller, or both — the same is true of engines. Making the glass wider is called increasing the engine’s bore, whereas increasing its height modifies the engine’s stroke.

Engineers at Pontiac did both, beginning with the original 1955 287: This had a bore of 3.75 inches and a stroke of 3.25 inches. The largest displacement achieved (from the factory, at least), was the 455, appearing in 1970 with a bore and stroke of approximately 4.15 x 4.21 inches, respectively. In other words, the pistons were almost a half-inch wider and traveled up and down almost an inch farther within the confines of the same engine block. These represented some of the most powerful Pontiacs ever to hit the road, including the SD 455, the various Ram-Air 400s, and the 428 High Output.

The influence of the Pontiac V8 goes beyond engine builders

1969 Pontiac GTO parked in lot, front-left 3/4 view

Kenmo/Getty Images

It’s difficult to understate the impact the original Pontiac GTO had. This was essentially the car that brought the idea of “cheap, little car with a huge engine” into the wider public consciousness. Sure, such vehicles existed before then, but they were generally pricey sports cars like the Corvette or niche enthusiast machines. The GTO’s formula was special because it married this performance to a relatively unassuming body, unintentionally giving rise to the muscle car. And none of this would’ve been possible had the famous Pontiac 389 not been able to fit under the Tempest’s hood.

This sort of setup worked wonders in a number of ways: Take logistics, for example. Whether you’re an engine builder or a parts shop, Pontiac V8s offer an extensive list of interchangeable parts, with many major components being shared between displacements — something that’s not true of small block versus big block designs of other companies. As they all have the same external dimensions, Pontiac’s engines effectively have no such distinctions. This also means they’re much easier to modify, since you could theoretically take any Pontiac engine and turn it into something producing big block torque with the right parts.

Lastly, there’s the level of refinement. All initial engine development is almost invariably plagued by teething issues as things like long-term reliability and manufacturing defects come into play. But Pontiac’s design was generally regarded as highly reliable by the time the big boys like the 389 and 400 debuted. After all, if you want to build a pioneering muscle car, it has to be durable enough to not just blow the doors off its competition but also get you home.

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